South Sudan: UN condemns ‘brutal’ sexual assaults on roads to Bentiu
Dec 04, 2018, at 09:04 am
New York, Dec 4 (IBNS): The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan has condemned a series of brutal sexual assaults on women and girls, travelling on the road to Bentiu, a town in the north of the war-ravaged country.
Four things the UN chief wants world leaders to know, at key COP24 climate conference opening
Dec 04, 2018, at 09:02 am
New York, Dec 4 (IBNS): During the UN COP24 Climate Change Conference grand opening on Monday, Secretary-General António Guterres told over 150 world leaders gathered for climate action that “we are in deep trouble” and asked decision-makers to focus on four key things: stepping up climate action, according to a solid plan, with more funding, as a smart investment in the future of the planet.
First-ever UN report on disability and development, illustrates inclusion gaps
Dec 04, 2018, at 08:49 am
New York, Dec 4 (IBNS): The United Nations launched its first-ever flagship report on disability and development on Monday; published by, for, and with, persons with disabilities, in the hopes of fostering more accessible, and disability-inclusive societies.
Fuel stations run dry as Yellow Jackets protest in France
Dec 03, 2018, at 09:35 pm
Paris, Dec 3 (IBNS): Fuel stations were running dry in France on Monday with "Yellow Jacket" protesters blocking access to the Total company's 11 fuel depots, reports said, adding that the stocks of several companies fell as a result of the situation.
Senior ISIS leader killed during airstrike in Syria, claims US-led coalition
Dec 03, 2018, at 05:07 pm
Damascus, Dec 3 (IBNS): The US-led coalition, which is fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq, has said one leader of the terror group was killed during an airstrike in Syria, media reports on Monday.
China agrees to reduce tariffs on US cars: Donald Trump tweets
Dec 03, 2018, at 05:00 pm
Beijing/Washington, Dec 3 (IBNS): US President Donald Trump on Monday said China will 'reduce and remove' 40 percent tariff it had placed on American cars imported into China.
Xi Jinping awarded Argentina's highest decoration
Dec 03, 2018, at 04:58 pm
Buenos Aires, Dec 3 (IBNS): Chinese President Xi Jinping received Argentina's highest decoration, the Order of the Liberator General San Martin, from President Mauricio Macri on Sunday.
Qatar government announces decision to pull out of OPEC
Dec 03, 2018, at 03:39 pm
Doha, Dec 3 (IBNS): Qatar on Monday announced its decision to withdraw from Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in order to focus on increasing production of natural gas.
Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu to meet Mike Pompeo in Brussels today
Dec 03, 2018, at 03:34 pm
Jerusalem, Dec 3 (IBNS): Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brussels on Monday, officials said.
Black Panther’s ‘General Okoye’ joins the fight against gender-based violence
Dec 03, 2018, at 09:05 am
New York, Dec 3 (IBNS): Danai Gurira, one of the stars of hit movies “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War,” in her role as General Okoye, has been named a Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women, lending her name and dedicating her support to gender equality and women’s rights.
Over 40 million people still victims of slavery: ILO
Dec 03, 2018, at 08:56 am
New York, Dec 3 (IBNS): Slavery is still a very real and widespread phenomenon, affecting more than 40 million people worldwide, says the International Labour Organization (ILO), with children making up a quarter of the victims , despite the entry into force of the landmark Forced Labour protocol in 2016.
UN chief welcomes G20 commitment to fight climate change
Dec 03, 2018, at 08:54 am
New York, Dec 3 (IBNS): UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has welcomed the declaration released on Saturday at the conclusion of the 2018 G20 meeting of the world’s leading economies, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which reaffirms a commitment to raise ambition in the fight against climate change.
France protests: President Emmanuel Macron to hold urgent security meeting
Dec 02, 2018, at 05:26 pm
Paris, Dec 2 (IBNS): As France witnessed days of anti-government protests and violence, the country's President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to attend a security meeting over the issue on Sunday, media reports said.
Conditions deteriorating alarmingly in Yemen, warns senior UN official
Dec 02, 2018, at 04:22 pm
New York, Dec 2 (IBNS): Conditions in Yemen have deteriorated alarmingly, and the country is on the “brink of a major catastrophe” said Mark Lowcock – Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator – on returning from his mission to Yemen on Saturday.
Barack Obama, Bill Clinton mourn death of George Herber Walker Bush
Dec 01, 2018, at 04:48 pm
Washington, Dec 1 (IBNS): Former US Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton mourned the death of ex-US President George Herber Walker Bush.
Theresa May rejects asylum application of Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi
Dec 01, 2018, at 04:20 pm
London, Dec 1 (IBNS): British PM Theresa May has rejected a plea by Cabinet ministers to offer asylum to a Pakistani Christian woman-Asia Bibi- acquitted of blasphemy in the Asian nation recently, media reports said.
In a time of rising xenophobia, more important than ever to ratify Genocide Convention
Dec 01, 2018, at 08:04 am
New York, Dec 1 (IBNS): Speaking ahead of the UN Day commemorating victims of genocide, the UN chief has called for every country to ratify the Genocide Convention, which still has not been ratified by 45 UN Member States, despite being adopted at the General Assembly 70 years ago.
‘Be the change’ we desperately need, UN deputy chief urges global youth
Dec 01, 2018, at 08:01 am
New York, Dec 1 (IBNS): Young people are the leaders and torchbearers the world “desperately needs” but they also face serious challenges when it comes to realizing their potential, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General has said.
Migrant caravan: UN agency helping ‘exhausted’ people home
Dec 01, 2018, at 07:53 am
New York, Dec 1 (IBNS): Hundreds of people from Central American States who joined the human caravans travelling towards the United States have been helped home after asking for assistance, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Friday.
Yemen war: The battle rages on, children suffer most
Dec 01, 2018, at 07:46 am
New York, Dec 1 (IBNS): “Violence has forced over a third of all schools there to close, with 15 located on the frontline and others badly damaged or being used as shelters for displaced families,” said Meritxell Relaño, UNICEF Representative in Yemen.
Armed groups threaten every child in Central African Republic, UNICEF warns
Nov 30, 2018, at 08:24 am
New York, Nov 30 (IBNS): A new study released by the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, shows that the deteriorating crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR), five years into the latest civil conflict to hit the country, has left practically every child needing protection from armed groups, which now control four-fifths of the country’s territory.
UNESCO lists wrestling, reggae and raiho-shin rituals as global treasures to be preserved
Nov 30, 2018, at 08:21 am
New York, Nov 30 (IBNS): From Jamaican reggae to Georgian wrestling and Japanese rituals, the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, added six new elements to its list of "intangible heritage" for the world to treasure on Thursday, further improving the visibility of often little-known and understood arts traditions.
Security Council urged to help spare Syrians from ‘devastation’
Nov 30, 2018, at 08:17 am
New York, Nov 30 (IBNS): An escalation in fighting across northern Syria illustrates the “fragility” of the situation in the war-torn region, a senior UN humanitarian official said on Thursday, urging sustained international efforts to protect millions trapped there, from “devastation.”
New Syria fighting represents ‘giant powder keg’, warns aid veteran, as he leaves UN stage
Nov 30, 2018, at 08:14 am
New York, Nov 30 (IBNS): It is unclear if rockets fired into the Syrian city of Aleppo last weekend contained chemical toxins, a senior humanitarian adviser to the UN said on Thursday, adding that if they did, it would constitute a war crime.
'Collective amnesia’ over causes of global financial crash - human rights expert
Nov 30, 2018, at 08:08 am
New York, Nov 30 (IBNS): 10 years on, governments are experiencing collective amnesia towards of one of the biggest factors behind the 2008 global financial crash –the housing crisis – which has not been addressed and is only getting worse, said Leilani Farha, UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, in a statement on Thursday.
Madagascar: UN chief commends nation on first round of peaceful elections
Nov 30, 2018, at 07:53 am
New York, Nov 30 (IBNS): The results of the first round of voting to choose Madagascar’s next President were announced on Wednesday, prompting the UN chief to commend the peaceful nature of the vote, which now moves to a second round run-off next month.
Africa Forum aims to boost business, reduce costs, help countries trade out of poverty
Nov 29, 2018, at 09:01 am
New York, Nov 29 Better transport, logistics and foreign investment are essential to smooth the way for the African continent to reduce trade hurdles, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
‘Global trust’ declining, ‘our world needs stepped-up global leadership’
Nov 29, 2018, at 08:51 am
New York, Nov 29 (IBNS): On the eve of the G20 international forum in Argentina, and ahead of next week’s COP24 climate conference in Katowice, Poland, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for global leadership to be stepped up, “at a time of declining global trust.”
Negotiated two-State solution still ‘the only option’ for Palestine: Guterres
Nov 29, 2018, at 08:43 am
New York, Nov 29 (IBNS): A two-State solution where Israel and Palestine live side-by-side as sovereign nations is still “the only option” for lasting peace, and “containing the situation is not sufficient,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday, marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
World cannot be transformed without ‘ingenuity of the countries of the South’: UN Chief
Nov 29, 2018, at 08:34 am
New York, Nov 28 (IBNS): The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the plan to transform the world agreed at the UN by 193 countries, cannot happen without “the ideas, energy, and tremendous ingenuity of the countries of the South,” said UN chief António Guterres on Wednesday, speaking at the opening session of the 2018 Global South-South Development Expo (GSSD Expo), alongside María Fernanda Espinosa, President of the General Assembly, and other senior UN officials.