‘Aleppo now synonym for hell,’ Ban warns in final press conference as UN chief
Dec 17, 2016, at 01:32 pm
New York, Dec 17 (Just Earth News):In his last press conference as United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon on Fridaydelivered stark warnings on two issues at the forefront of international concern: that “the carnage in Syria remains a gaping hole in the global conscience;†and that South Sudan faces a risk of genocide as the country leaders have “squandered a peace agreement.â€
Extreme cold weather alert in Toronto
Dec 17, 2016, at 05:19 am
Toronto, Dec 16 (IBNS): A man found outdoors covered in snow with his fingers turned blue in the early hours of Friday morning was transported to hospital, media reported.
General Assembly calls on Member States to support new UN approach to cholera in Haiti
Dec 17, 2016, at 04:58 am
New York, Dec 16 (Just Earth News): Recognizing the moral responsibility of the United Nations to the victims of the cholera epidemic in Haiti, the General Assembly on Fridaywelcomed the new UN approach to tackling the disease – formally launched earlier this month by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon – and called on all 193 of the world body’s Members States to provide the two-track plan their full support.
Dec 17, 2016, at 04:53 am
New York, Dec 16 (Just Earth News): The fight against extreme poverty, hunger and malnutrition is not possible without gender equality and women empowerment, José Graziano da Silva, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said on Fridayin Rome, where he called for more efforts to ensure that rural women, “the backbone of our work in agriculture,†enjoy a level playing field.
Iraq: UN refugee agency steps up response as Mosul conflict displaces nearly 100,000
Dec 17, 2016, at 04:44 am
New York, Dec 16 (Just Earth News): With the number of people displaced from Mosul approaching 100,000 since the military operation to oust terrorists from the Iraqi city began three months ago, the United Nations refugee agency is bolstering its capacity to host and support civilians fleeing the fighting.
Dec 17, 2016, at 04:41 am
New York, Dec 16 (Just Earth News): Expressing concern over the situation in Myanmar's northern Rakhine, the top United Nations human rights official warned that the Government's “short-sighted, counterproductive, even callous†approach to the handling of the crisis could have grave long-term repercussions for the country and the region.
Toronto: Dog survives miraculously after deadly confrontation with GO train
Dec 17, 2016, at 01:57 am
Toronto, Dec 16 (IBNS): Luna, a two-year-old border collie mix, miraculously survived a deadly encounter with a GO train 680 News reported on Thursday.
U of T plans to preserve environmental data
Dec 16, 2016, at 03:24 pm
Toronto, Dec 16 (IBNS): With the growing risk of losing the environmental data under Donald Trump‘s leadership, researchers at the University of Toronto are planning what they called a “guerrilla archiving†meeting in Toronto on Saturday, to capture sensitive information currently available to the public through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), media reported.
Toronto man’s way of giving back
Dec 16, 2016, at 03:23 pm
Toronto, Dec 16 (IBNS): Toronto based Steve McNeil, skated in Nathan Phillips Square on Thursday morning to raise money for Alzheimer's research, in memory of her mother who died after 15-year fight with the disease and his mother-in-law's struggle with dementia, reports said.
UNICEF partners with the Government of Malawi to test first humanitarian drone in Africa
Dec 16, 2016, at 03:19 pm
New York, Dec 16 (Just Earth News): In cooperation with the Government of Malawi, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will establish an air corridor and use unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), known as drones, for humanitarian purposes, the agency announced on Thursday.
Security Council underlines need to halt proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
Dec 16, 2016, at 03:17 pm
New York, Dec 16 (Just Earth News): Expressing concern over the threat of terrorism and the risk that non-State actors may acquire or use nuclear, biological or chemical weapons, the United Nations Security Council on Thursday called on all countries to establish national controls to prevent proliferation of such weapons as well as their means of delivery.
UN campaign previews hub in Germany to drive action on Sustainable Development Agenda
Dec 16, 2016, at 03:12 pm
New York, Dec 16 (Just Earth News): Together with the Government of Germany, the United Nations SDG Action Campaign offered a behind-the-scenes tour of the Global Campaign Center in Bonn, a new hub that will deliver on the Campaign’s mandate to inspire action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Dec 16, 2016, at 03:06 pm
New York, Dec 16 (Just Earth News): The United Nations Secretary-General-designate, António Guterres on Thursday announced that he will be appointing Amina J. Mohammed of Nigeria as the UN deputy chief, on his assumption of office as the ninth chief of the global Organization in January 2017.
UN invited to monitor and assist fresh evacuation efforts under way in war-ravaged Aleppo
Dec 16, 2016, at 03:02 pm
New York, Dec 16 (Just Earth News): The United Nations was on Thursday invited to monitor and assist in the renewed effort to evacuate sick and wounded civilians and opposition fighters from the remaining rebel-held areas of Syria’s war-ravaged city of Aleppo, a senior UN humanitarian envoy announced on Thursday.
Number of children recruited into South Sudanese conflict passes 17,000 – UNICEF
Dec 16, 2016, at 02:54 pm
New York, Dec 16 (Just Earth News): According to new figures released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), some 1,300 children were recruited by armed forces and armed groups in 2016, bringing the total number of children used in conflict since 2013 to more than 17,000.
Canada's top doctor retiring ahead of time
Dec 16, 2016, at 04:52 am
Toronto, Dec. 15 (IBNS): Canada's top doctor Dr. Gregory Taylor, 61, would be retiring Friday as Canada's chief public health officer after a little more than two years of his term, media reported.
Toronto: Devastating house fire kills four
Dec 16, 2016, at 12:47 am
Toronto, Dec 15 (IBNS): A devastating house fire on Nickel Street East in Port Colborne near Toronto in the wee hours of Wednesday (before 1.30am) claimed the lives of four family members, according to a police report.
Paris auction fetches $22m for Chinese imperial seal
Dec 15, 2016, at 05:54 pm
Paris, Dec 15 (IBNS): Following a heated bidding war, an 18th century Chinese imperial seal sold for a whopping $18 million in Paris on Wednesday, reports said.
Dec 15, 2016, at 02:31 pm
California, Dec 14 (IBNS): Yahoo! Inc. on Thursday identified data security issues concerning certain Yahoo user accounts.
Central African Republic: Arbitrary killings, sexual violence cited in new UN human rights report
Dec 15, 2016, at 02:25 pm
New York, Dec 15 (Just Earth News): Central African Republic: Arbitrary killings, sexual violence cited in new UN human rights report Violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law in the Central African Republic (CAR), which include arbitrary killings, sexual violence and inhuman treatment, continue to plague the country, according to a United Nations report published today.
Security Council ‘strongest when united,’ says Secretary-General as he bids farewell
Dec 15, 2016, at 02:21 pm
New York, Dec 15 (Just Earth News): In its farewell to the outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Security Council on Wednesday acknowledged his contribution to international peace, security and development, in particular his exceptional efforts to solve international problems in economic, social, environmental and cultural fields.
Syrian Government ‘palpably failing’ to ensure safety of its people – UN human rights chief
Dec 15, 2016, at 02:19 pm
New York, Dec 15 (Just Earth News): Expressing shock at the apparent collapse of a deal enabling evacuation of thousands of civilians from eastern Aleppo, the United Nations human right chief said on Wednesday that the resumption of extremely heavy bombardment by Syrian Government forces and their allies on civilian-populated areas “is almost certainly a violation of international law and most likely constitutes war crimes.â€
Northeast Nigeria: 400,000 children could suffer from malnutrition – UN
Dec 15, 2016, at 02:10 pm
New York, Dec 15 (Just Earth News): With about two-thirds of health facilities in parts of Nigeria’s restive north-east region either completely destroyed or partially damaged, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has estimated that 400,000 children there could suffer from severe acute malnutrition over the next year.
UN rights chief urges establishment of hybrid court for atrocities in South Sudan
Dec 15, 2016, at 02:02 pm
New York, Dec 15 (Just Earth News): The United Nations human rights chief on Wednesday urged the African Union to quickly establish the hybrid court for South Sudan to investigate and prosecute those bearing criminal responsibility for the atrocities.
Gambia: UN chief 'dismayed' at military takeover of electoral commission
Dec 15, 2016, at 01:58 pm
New York, Dec 15 (Just Earth News): Expressing dismay at the takeover of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) premises by the military in Gambia, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the security forces to immediately vacate the Commission and to refrain from any further acts that could jeopardise efforts towards the peaceful transfer of power.
Pakistan test fires Babur Cruise Missile
Dec 15, 2016, at 04:42 am
Islamabad, Dec 14 (IBNS): Pakistan on Wednesday conducted a successful test of an enhanced version of the indigenously developed Babur Cruise Missile. Babur Weapon System version - 2 incorporates advanced aerodynamics and avionics that can strike targets both at land and sea with high accuracy, at a range of 700 kilometers, officials said.
Canada workers' union launches campaign to protect call centre employees from abusive callers
Dec 15, 2016, at 01:08 am
Calgary, Dec 14 (IBNS): Verbally abusive customers are a serious risk to the mental and physical health of call centre employees and it’s time for employers to provide them with better protection, according to the United Steelworkers (USW), which represents approximately 10,000 call centre workers in Canada.
UN expert calls for concerted action to guarantee rights for persons with disabilities
Dec 14, 2016, at 03:03 pm
New York, Dec 14 (Just Earth News): Following the recent global commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a United Nations human rights expert on Tuesday issued a warning that some of the most basic components of the convention have yet to be realized and that urgent steps are necessary to level inequalities.
Dec 14, 2016, at 02:59 pm
New York, Dec 14 (Just Earth News): At a high-level pledging conference in New York today on the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the UN is seeking at Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s request, an unprecedented $1 billion by 2018 – a stark increase since its 2005 establishment.
UN human rights report urges end to ‘unimaginable abuse’ of migrants in Libya
Dec 14, 2016, at 02:53 pm
New York, Dec 14 (Just Earth News): A joint report launched today by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) citied “unimaginable†human rights violations and abuses of migrants in Libya as a result of the breakdown in the crisis-riven country’s justice system.