Greater cooperation urged worldwide as criminals seek to profit from COVID-19
Oct 13, 2020, at 02:54 pm
New York: With criminal networks looking to profit from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical for governments to work together in line with a landmark UN treaty to combat human trafficking, gun smuggling and other cross-border crimes, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday.
Two young girls injured in overnight shooting in southern France: Reports
Oct 12, 2020, at 10:30 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: Two girls, aged 17 and 19, were injured in a shooting while in car, in the French city of Marseille, media reported on Monday, adding that one of the victims was in a serious condition.
Nobel Prize in Economics awarded to US's Milgrom, Wilson for auction theory
Oct 12, 2020, at 10:09 pm
Stockholm/UNI: The 2020 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was on Monday awarded to Paul R Milgrom and Robert B Wilson for their work on auction theory and invention of new auction formats, benefitting sellers, buyers and taxpayers around the world.
Over 560 people detained during Sunday Belarus protests
Oct 12, 2020, at 02:49 pm
Minsk/Sputnik: At least 564 people were detained during the unauthorized protests held across Belarus on Sunday, the Vesna human rights center, unregistered by the republic’s authorities, said.
390 illegal migrants rescued off Libyan coast
Oct 12, 2020, at 02:42 pm
Tripoli/Xinhua: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday that a total of 390 illegal migrants have been rescued off the Libyan coast in the past 48 hours.
Gunmen kill 12 villagers in north Nigeria
Oct 12, 2020, at 03:54 am
Lagos/Xinhua: A group of unidentified gunmen have attacked two villages in the Giwa area of Kaduna state in northern Nigeria, killing 12 people and injuring scores others, a police source told Xinhua on Sunday.
UN chief welcomes Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire
Oct 11, 2020, at 09:57 pm
New York: UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed agreement on a ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone following talks held in Russia on Friday.
Gas explosion in North-West Algeria leaves 5 dead, 16 injured
Oct 11, 2020, at 02:16 pm
Algiers/Xinhua: Five people were killed and 16 others injured in a gas explosion on Saturday in northwestern Algeria, the official APS news agency reported on Sunday.
Nagorno-Karabakh: UN rights chief calls for urgent ceasefire as hostilities mount
Oct 10, 2020, at 03:14 pm
New York: Amid escalating hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights appealed on Friday for an urgent ceasefire and for greater protection to be given to those caught up in the violence.
Swiss hostage killed by terrorists in Mali: Foreign Ministry
Oct 10, 2020, at 02:53 pm
Zurich/Sputnik: A Swiss female citizen, who had been a hostage of terrorists in Mali for four years, has been killed, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said.
Explosion at fuel depot in Beirut kills 3 people, injures over 50 0thers: Reports
Oct 10, 2020, at 02:17 pm
Beirut/Sputnik: A blast at a fuel depot in the Lebanese capital killed three people and injured more than 50 others on Friday, Lebanon’s Al Jadeed TV channel reported.
Turkey condemns deployment of major US Navy ship to Greece
Oct 09, 2020, at 11:17 pm
Ankara/Sputnik: The US decision to homeport one of its biggest military ship, the expeditionary sea base ship USS Hershel "Woody" Williams, to Greece will not promote peace and stability in Eastern Mediterranean amid the current tension between Ankara and Athens, Turkish Parliament's speaker Mustafa Sentop said.
Transitional President in Mali appoints new Prime Minister, top UN official tells Security Council
Oct 09, 2020, at 09:49 pm
New York: Mali’s transitional President has appointed a new Prime Minister, the UN’s top official in the West African country told the UN Security Council on Thursday, detailing the significant events which has ushered in a new political era, since the 18 August coup d’état.
Guterres: UN working ‘relentlessly’ to advance women, peace and security agenda
Oct 09, 2020, at 09:22 pm
New York: Armed conflict has a disproportionate impact on women and girls – a key reason why women’s “full, equal and meaningful participation” in UN peacekeeping is such a priority, the Secretary-General said on Thursday.
Nobel Peace Prize awarded to World Food Programme
Oct 09, 2020, at 09:02 pm
Stockholm: The Nobel Peace Prize was given to the World Food Programme on Friday.
World Food Programme wins 2020 Nobel Peace Prize
Oct 09, 2020, at 08:30 pm
Stockholm/IBNS: Food-assistance branch of the United Nations, World Food Programme (WFP), won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
Pandemic has forever changed online shopping, UN-backed survey reveals
Oct 09, 2020, at 03:38 pm
New York: The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed the way consumers shop online, the UN trade and development body, UNCTAD, said on Thursday, announcing results of a survey of some 3,700 consumers across nine countries.
Report reveals linkages between human trafficking and forced marriage
Oct 09, 2020, at 03:31 pm
New York: Across the world, girls as young as 12 are being forced or tricked into marrying men who exploit them for sex and domestic work, in what the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has called an “under-reported, global form of human trafficking”.
Guinea: Steer clear of campaign hate speech, top UN officials warn
Oct 09, 2020, at 03:18 pm
New York: Given the history of intercommunal violence in Guinea, two high-level UN Officials voiced concern on Tuesday over the risk of “incitement to hostility, discrimination or violence” as the country gears up for elections on 18 October.
Global trade amid COVID-19: Signs of rebound, but recovery uncertain
Oct 09, 2020, at 03:09 pm
New York: Global trade is showing signs of bouncing back from a deep, COVID-19-induced slump, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has said, with the caveat that any recovery could be badly disrupted by the future course of the pandemic and how societies react.
UK records another 17,540 coronavirus cases with 77 deaths
Oct 09, 2020, at 02:20 pm
London/Xinhua: Another 17,540 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 561,815, according to official figures released Thursday.
Poland imposes nationwide face mask mandate
Oct 09, 2020, at 02:07 pm
Warsaw/Xinhua: Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday that starting from Saturday the wearing of face masks will be mandatory in all public spaces and commercial buildings across the country amid a steep rise in COVID-19 infections.
South Korea to legalize abortions within 14 weeks without reasons
Oct 07, 2020, at 10:11 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: South Korea has decided to amend the anti-abortion law with the right granted to a woman to terminate the pregnancy in the period within 14 weeks at her request without any reasons, the South Korean Ministry of Justice announced on Wednesday.
World Bank says Uzbekistan's economic outlook remains positive despite pandemic
Oct 07, 2020, at 09:53 pm
Tashkent/Xinhua: Uzbekistan will be one of only two states in Europe and Central Asia to demonstrate economic growth in 2020, according to the World Bank's Economic Update released Wednesday.
Report outlines long road to post-COVID recovery for Latin America and Caribbean
Oct 07, 2020, at 03:52 pm
New York: Economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean will be slower than the return to productivity following the subprime mortgage crisis more than a decade ago, the head of the UN’s office for the region, ECLAC, said on Tuesday.
Guterres regrets death in Kyrgyzstan, calls for dialogue to end violence
Oct 07, 2020, at 03:45 pm
New York: The UN Secretary-General said on Tuesday that he was “closely monitoring” the situation in the Kyrgyz Republic, where protests erupted a day earlier in the aftermath of Sunday’s parliamentary elections.
DR Congo: Children suffering ‘unrelenting violence’, UNICEF deeply concerned
Oct 07, 2020, at 03:42 pm
New York: Thousands of children continue to suffer grievously as unrelenting violence persists across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday, expressing deep concern.
Starvation used as weapon of war in South Sudan conflict, UN rights body finds
Oct 07, 2020, at 03:38 pm
New York: Starvation is being intentionally used as a war tactic in South Sudan’s brutal conflict, a UN-backed human rights panel said on Tuesday, releasing its latest report on the country.
More action needed for seafarers, ‘collateral victims’ of measures to curb COVID-19
Oct 07, 2020, at 03:33 pm
New York: Highlighting an “unparalleled crisis” affecting hundreds of thousands of crew members and maritime workers reeling due to the impact of COVID-19, the UN has called on the business sector and others involved in the shipping industry to do more to address the plight of seafarers worlwide.
UN rights chief urges Iran to release jailed human rights defenders, citing COVID-19 risk
Oct 07, 2020, at 03:14 pm
New York: The top UN rights official has called on Iran to release imprisoned human rights defenders, lawyers and political prisoners, citing deep concerns over their situation and heightened risk of contracting COVID-19.