Philippines to cease joint exercises with US after military pact termination: defense chief

Feb 13, 2020, at 07:06 pm

Manila/Xinhua: Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Thursday that no more joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States will be conducted once the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) is terminated in August this year.

Gunmen kill 21 people in Nigeria village

Feb 13, 2020, at 03:17 pm

Moscow/Sputnik: A village in the central Nigerian state of Kaduna has been attacked by gunmen, which resulted in the death of 21 people, media reported on Thursday.

Celebrating the diversity of radio, the medium people use the most

Feb 13, 2020, at 01:30 pm

New York/IBNS: In an era of rapid media evolution, radio still has the power to bring people together and provide communities with vital news and information, the UN Secretary-General has said.

Libya: Security Council demands commitment to ‘a lasting ceasefire’

Feb 13, 2020, at 01:20 pm

New York/IBNS: After what has reportedly been weeks of diplomatic negotiation, the UN Security Council passed a resolution on Wednesday aimed at stemming rising violence across Libya, demanding the warring parties commit to “a lasting ceasefire” according to terms agreed by military representatives from both sides at recent talks in Geneva.

Foreign fighters: ‘One of the most serious dimensions’ in global counter-terrorism struggle

Feb 13, 2020, at 01:18 pm

New York/IBNS: Over the past few years, ISIL and Al-Qaida terrorist fighters have posed an “unprecedented threat to international peace and security”, the UN counter-terrorism chief said on Wednesday in Vienna, at the close of a joint UN- Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) regional conference on addressing challenges posed by terrorists who have gone to fight overseas.

Libya’s cities left ‘re-contaminated’ by months of fighting, warn landmine clearance experts

Feb 13, 2020, at 01:02 pm

New York/IBNS: Ongoing hostilities in Libya have left numerous cities severely “re-contaminated” with unexploded ordnance, threatening schools, universities and hospitals, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) said on Wednesday.

‘We must all do more’ to protect children in armed conflict: UN chief

Feb 13, 2020, at 12:50 pm

New York/IBNS: On the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the need to integrate child protection into peace processes during a high-level Security Council briefing on Wednesday.

'POTUS and I are excited' to visit India: Melania Trump tweets

Feb 13, 2020, at 12:42 pm

Washington/UNI: First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) Melania Trump said she and her husband Donald Trump are excited about their India visit later this month and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inviting them.

Ten-fold increase in confirmed Coronavirus cases

Feb 13, 2020, at 10:41 am

Beijing/UNI: Health authorities in China’s Hubei province – the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic– reported on Thursday 14,840 new confirmed cases, almost 10 times the number reported a day earlier, and new deaths attributable to the contagion rose to 242, more than double on the day.

Japan: 5.5-magnitude quake strikes off Fukushima Prefecture, no tsunami warning issued

Feb 12, 2020, at 07:09 pm

Tokyo/UNI: An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 on Wednesday struck off Japan's Fukushima Prefecture, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

China: Factory blast leaves 5 dead, 10 injured

Feb 12, 2020, at 06:53 pm

Beijing/UNI: Five people were killed and 10 others injured as a result of an explosion at a chemical factory in the Huludao city of the northeastern Chinese province of Liaoning, media reported on Wednesday.

Over 10 Turkish servicemen killed in recent attacks by Syrian forces in Idlib

Feb 12, 2020, at 06:48 pm

Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that 14 Turkish servicemen have been killed and 45 others wounded in recent attacks by the Syrian Arab Army in Syria's northwestern Idlib province.

Fighting leaves 13 militants dead in Afghanistan

Feb 12, 2020, at 06:42 pm

Pul-e-Khumri, Afghanistan/Xinhua/UNI: A total of 13 militants including a Taliban local commander have been confirmed dead and 10 others wounded in Baghlan-e-Markazi district of the northern Baghlan province, police spokesman in the restive province Ahmad Jawed Basharat said Wednesday.

Turkey Prez threatens to attack Syrian forces "everywhere" if Turkey's troops targeted

Feb 12, 2020, at 06:38 pm

Ankara/Xinhua/UNI: Turkish president threatened Wednesday to attack Syrian forces "everywhere" if Turkish soldiers are targeted again in the Idlib province of Syria.

Lahore court convicts LeT founder Hafiz Saeed in two terror financing cases

Feb 12, 2020, at 04:43 pm

Lahore/IBNS: In a crucial development, a Lahore court on Wednesday convicted Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed, who was arrested last year, in two terror financing cases, media reports said

Two terror financing cases: Court convicts Jamat-ud-Dawa leader Hafiz Saeed

Feb 12, 2020, at 04:10 pm

Lahore/IBNS: A Lahore court on Wednesday convicted Jamat-ud-Dawa leader Hafiz Saeed in two terror financing cases.

Egypt's police kill 17 terrorists in North Sinai

Feb 12, 2020, at 10:37 am

Cairo/Xinhua/UNI: Egyptian police forces killed 17 terrorists during a shootout in the country's restive North Sinai Province, Egyptian Ministry of Interior said on Tuesday.

Teenage girls' education, ‘an indispensable foundation’ for achieving development goals: Guterres

Feb 12, 2020, at 10:29 am

New York/IBNS: Promoting education for adolescent girls is an “indispensable foundation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”,  Secretary-General António Guterres declared at the launch event of the Drive for 5 education initiative at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, hosted by the Irish Mission to the United Nations.

UN underlines need for dialogue to resolve Israel-Palestine conflict

Feb 12, 2020, at 10:28 am

New York/IBNS: Rising tensions and instability across the globe, particularly in the Middle East, underscore the need to resolve the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, the UN Secretary-General told the Security Council on Tuesday.

‘Don’t forget Madagascar’s children’, UN appeals for long-term help as emergency worsens

Feb 12, 2020, at 10:27 am

New York/IBNS: Since 2012, the plight of children in Madagascar has not improved and is in many cases getting worse, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

Victim-centred laws ‘paramount’ to combat online sexual abuse against children

Feb 12, 2020, at 10:02 am

New York/IBNS: Comprehensive national strategies are urgently needed to prevent child sexual abuse online and other Internet issues for children, independent UN human rights experts said on Tuesday, Safer Internet Day.

Fail wins Irish general election

Feb 11, 2020, at 06:53 pm

Dublin/UNI: Fianna Fail replaced Fine Gael to be Ireland's largest party by winning the largest number of parliamentary seats in the country's 2020 general election, according to the official results.

172 militants surrender in W. Afghanistan amid military pressure

Feb 11, 2020, at 06:42 pm

Kabul,/Xinhua: A total of 172 more Taliban militants have surrendered to security forces in Afghanistan's Ghor and Herat provinces, the military said Tuesday.

Pakistan Senate passes resolution to support China against novel coronavirus

Feb 11, 2020, at 05:53 pm

7 killed in suicide explosion in Kabul, amid U.S.-Taliban talks

Feb 11, 2020, at 05:47 pm

Kabul/Xinhua/UNI: At least seven people were killed and 13 others wounded after a suicide bomber attacked a military university in Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday, amidst ongoing talks between United States and Afghan Taliban.

Afghanistan: Five killed in Kabul suicide attack

Feb 11, 2020, at 04:12 pm

Kabul/IBNS: At least three military personnel and two civilians were killed as a suicide attack hit Afghanistan's Kabul city on Tuesday, media reports said.

Over 100 US troops diagnosed with traumatic brain injury after Iranian attack, says Pentagon

Feb 11, 2020, at 01:11 pm

Washington/Xinhua: Over 100 US troops had been diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury due to last month's Iranian missile attack on US military bases in Iraq, US Defense Department said Monday in a statement.

Afghanistan: Six killed in suicide bomb attack

Feb 11, 2020, at 01:02 pm

Kabul/UNI: As many as six people were killed and 12 others wounded after a suicide bomber blew himself outside a military university on the western side of the Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday, Afghan Ministry of Interior confirmed.

Bangladesh: Trawler with Rohingyas capsizes in Bay of Bengal, 15 die

Feb 11, 2020, at 10:18 am

Dhaka/IBNS: A trawler, which was carrying Rohingyas, capsized in the Bay of Bengal and left at least 15 people killed, media reports said on Tuesday.

With science 'held back by a gender gap', Guterres calls for more empowerment for women and girls

Feb 11, 2020, at 10:09 am

New York/IBNS: Fewer than 30 per cent of the world’s scientific researchers are women: that’s just one of the statistics showing how many challenges remain for women and girls in the scientific field, as the world marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, on Tuesday.