Delta variant driving the third wave of Covid-19 in South Africa
Jun 27, 2021, at 04:20 am
Cape Town/IBNS: Scientists have attributed the current surge in coronavirus cases in South Africa to the Delta variant, according to media reports.
Syria: ‘Gulf of mistrust’, complex realities, prevent political progress
Jun 26, 2021, at 10:06 pm
Progress towards resolving Syria’s decade-long war is unlikely, given the ‘gulf of mistrust’ among parties and complexity of conditions on the ground, the chief UN mediator for the country told the Security Council on Friday, as he urged delegates to unite around elements of resolution 2254 (2015) and called for a new international dialogue to achieve a breakthrough.
Syria’s last cross-border aid lifeline must stay open, insist UN humanitarians
Jun 26, 2021, at 03:11 pm
New York: The imminent closure of the last cross-border aid lifeline to northwest Syria must be postponed beyond the 10 July deadline, UN humanitarians said on Friday, noting that no cross-line supplies had reached Idlib from Damascus, in 11 months.
Prevention, only ‘sustainable solution’ to conflict, deputy UN chief tells Nigerian law students
Jun 26, 2021, at 02:47 pm
New York: Speaking in Nigeria, the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has emphasized the importance of prevention as “the only real, sustainable solution” to resolving the challenges thrown up by conflict.
Australia: Parts of Sydney put under lockdown amid COVID-19 Delta variant infection surge
Jun 25, 2021, at 11:56 pm
Sydney: Several regions in Australia's Sydney city, including Bond beach, will be under lockdown as COVID-19 cases started to surge in recent times, media reports said on Friday.
UN pushes for lasting ceasefire, more humanitarian deliveries in Gaza
Jun 25, 2021, at 11:19 pm
New York: The cessation of hostilities negotiated last month between Israel and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, remains “very fragile”, the UN envoy there told the Security Council on Thursday.
Governments must protect those who help torture victims, say human rights experts
Jun 25, 2021, at 11:09 pm
New York: Top UN rights experts appealed on Thursday for all governments to ensure that victims of torture receive the rehabilitation services they need, along with guarantees that those who help them do not suffer reprisals.
DR Congo: Grave consequences for children witnessing ‘appalling violence’, UNICEF reports
Jun 25, 2021, at 10:48 pm
New York: The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, appealed on Thursday for urgent resources to support thousands of people who have fled armed violence in two small towns in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over the past two months.
COVID pandemic fuelling major increase in drug use worldwide: UN report
Jun 25, 2021, at 04:07 pm
New York: Around 275 million people used drugs worldwide in the last year of unprecedented upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, up by 22 per cent from 2010. That’s among the key findings of the latest annual report released on Thursday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which also provides an overview of global drug markets, as well as their impact on people’s health and livelihoods.
UN chief urges European Parliament to support COVID vaccines for all
Jun 25, 2021, at 03:56 pm
New York: The European Union (EU) must use its leverage to ensure people everywhere have access to COVID-19 vaccines, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday.
UK govt updates green, red travel lists of countries effective June 30
Jun 25, 2021, at 02:30 pm
London/Sputnik: UK transport minister Grant Shapps announced on Thursday changes to the "green" and "red" lists of countries depending on the risk of COVID-19 exposure, effective June 30.
Lithuania donates 20,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Taiwan to combat COVID-19
Jun 25, 2021, at 03:47 am
Taipei: Lithuania has donated 20,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Taiwan to combat COVID-19 pandemic which is still putting life across the globe in danger.
Small businesses unprepared for pandemic-sized climate shock ‘every decade’
Jun 24, 2021, at 11:46 pm
New York: Small businesses which make up more than half of the global workforce were 2.5 times more likely to go under than larger firms in the first months of COVID-19, the International Trade Centre (ITC) said on Wednesday, warning that the impact of climate change could cause pandemic-scale disruption “every decade”.
Famine knocking at the door of 41 million worldwide, WFP warns
Jun 23, 2021, at 03:54 pm
New York: Famine is already present in four countries but millions more people are at risk, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday, underscoring the need for urgent funding and humanitarian access to reach those in need.
Bangladeshi, Indian migrants arrested in Malaysia for violating movement control
Jun 22, 2021, at 10:55 pm
Malaysian immigration department arrested 309 migrants, including 102 Bangladeshis and two from India, for staying in violation of the movement control restrictions during an operation carried out at a settlement near a construction site in Dengkil town of Selangor state on Monday.
Slow progress, stubborn cycles of violence, as South Sudan turns 10
Jun 22, 2021, at 04:12 pm
New York: South Sudan, the UN’s youngest Member State, is marking its tenth anniversary of independence amid languishing political progress and a range of humanitarian challenges, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative told Security Council members on Monday.
Human Rights Council urged to support UN chief’s call for a 'new social contract' after COVID-19
Jun 22, 2021, at 03:52 pm
New York: UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Monday urged UN Member States to promote a more inclusive post-pandemic recovery to help the world’s most vulnerable recover from the impact of COVID.
Pandemic ‘rolled back’ sustainable development funding for weak economies: UNCTAD
Jun 22, 2021, at 03:45 pm
New York: Financial assistance to the world’s 83 weakest economies fell by 15 per cent in 2020, to $35 billion as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, UN trade and development experts UNCTAD said on Monday.
Grave violations against children in conflict ‘alarmingly high’, latest UN report reveals
Jun 22, 2021, at 03:35 pm
New York: More than 19,300 boys and girls affected by war last year were victims of grave violations such as recruitment or rape, and the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for experts to reach them, the UN said in its annual report on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), published on Monday.
EU, UK expand sanctions on Myanmar military
Jun 22, 2021, at 03:24 pm
Brussels/Sputnik: The European Union and the United Kingdom announced on Monday fresh sanctions on Myanmar’s officials and companies with ties to the military, which seized power in February.
Egypt: Train-bus collision leaves 2 dead, 6 injured
Jun 22, 2021, at 02:56 pm
Cairo/Xinhua: Two people were killed and six others injured on Monday in a train-bus collision in Helwan City near the capital Cairo, Egyptian Health Ministry said in a statement.
Rwanda bars movements to capital city amid spike in COVID-19 infections
Jun 22, 2021, at 02:37 pm
Kigali/Xinhua: The Rwandan government announced that movements between the capital city Kigali and the rest of the country will be prohibited from Wednesday except for essential services and goods transportation, as a response to the recent rise of COVID-19 infections.
Moscow, Ankara will soon discuss Turkish-Ukrainian Navy cooperation Plans: Lavrov
Jun 22, 2021, at 01:15 am
Moscow/Sputnik: Russia and Turkey will soon hold negotiations, and plans regarding the cooperation between Turkish and Ukrainian naval forces will be on the agenda, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.
Swedish Parliament votes to dismiss Prime Minister over rental reforms
Jun 22, 2021, at 12:47 am
Moscow/Sputnik: The Swedish parliament has voted no confidence in Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, the national media reported on Monday.
Israel: 8 Arab suspects arrested for allegedly murdering Jewish man
Jun 21, 2021, at 04:02 pm
Tel Aviv/Xinhua: Israeli security forces said on Sunday that eight Arab suspects have been arrested for the killing of a Jewish man in central Israel in May amid a wave of ethnic violence.
Plane crash in Russia's Kemerovo region leaves 4 dead
Jun 20, 2021, at 02:43 pm
Moscow/Xinhua: The authorities of Russia's Kemerovo region denied information about nine people killed after the emergency landing of a plane in the region on Saturday, saying that four people died as a result.
Iran election: Ebrahim Raisi set to become President
Jun 19, 2021, at 11:12 pm
Tehran: Hardliner Ebrahim Raisi is all set to become Iran's President as he has won most of the votes counted so far.
Iran: Presidential candidate Rezaee congratulates rival Raisi on winning election
Jun 19, 2021, at 10:15 pm
Tehran/Sputnik: Mohsen Rezaee, the head of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council and one of the Iranian presidential candidates, has congratulated another contender, Iranian top judge Ebrahim Raisi, on winning the election even though the vote count is still going.
Forced displacement at record level, despite COVID shutdowns: UNHCR
Jun 19, 2021, at 03:57 pm
New York: The number of people fleeing wars, violence, persecution, and human rights violations, rose last year to nearly 82.4 million people, a further four percent increase on top of the already record-high of 79.5 million, recorded at the end of 2019.
Famine risk spikes amid conflict, COVID-19 and funding gaps: WFP
Jun 19, 2021, at 03:40 pm
New York: The impact of conflicts old and new, climate shocks and COVID-19, in addition to a lack of funding, have left millions more on the verge of famine than six months ago, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.