South Korea: Ferry captain gets 36-year jail term
Nov 12, 2014, at 02:36 am
Seoul, Nov 11 (IBNS): A South Korean court on Tuesday sentenced the captain of the sunken ferry Sewol to 36 years in prison for abandoning the passengers which were traveling in it when it was sinking in April this year.
UN envoy holds high-level talks with Syrian officials on plan to 'freeze' Aleppo conflict
Nov 11, 2014, at 08:36 pm
New York, Nov 11 (IBNS) In his effort to resolve the ongoing civil war in Syria and initiate peace talks between rebel forces and the Syrian Government, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, on Monday reported "constructive discussions" with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad regarding his recent proposal on incremental "freezes" to be applied to specific zones of conflict.
Libya: UN mission chief condemns Shahat attack, pledges support to end crisis
Nov 11, 2014, at 08:33 pm
New York, Nov 11 (IBNS) The top United Nations official in Libya has strongly condemned the “cowardly†attack that occurred yesterday close to where he was meeting with the country’s Prime Minister, Abdullah al-Thinni, in the eastern city of Shahat to discuss how to put the political transition back on track.
Ban appoints envoy for UN Burundi office ahead of country's elections
Nov 11, 2014, at 08:31 pm
New York, Nov 11 (IBNS) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Cassam Uteem as his Special Envoy and Head of the United Nations Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi (MENUB), the UN Spokesperson’s office announced on Monday.
Central African Republic: UN urges support to meet basic needs in hard-hit province
Nov 11, 2014, at 08:29 pm
New York, Nov 11 (IBNS): Continued violence and instability in the Central African Republic (CAR) are taking a vast toll on efforts to meet basic humanitarian needs, a United Nations humanitarian official said on Monday, following a visit to a province in the country’s north-east that has been particularly hard-hit.
First food convoy through Sudan humanitarian corridor arrives in South Sudan-UN
Nov 11, 2014, at 08:25 pm
New York, Nov 11 (IBNS)Eighteen trucks transporting 700 metric tons of food – enough to feed 45,000 people for one month – have arrived in South Sudan via Sudan on Monday marking the opening of a humanitarian corridor that is hoped to enable delivery of much needed assistance to the embattled nation, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported.
Ban, UNICEF condemn deadly suicide bombing at Nigerian school
Nov 11, 2014, at 08:22 pm
New York, Nov 11 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the suicide bombing on Monday at a government boarding school in the north-eastern Nigerian town of Potiskum, reportedly killing dozens of students and wounding countless others.
Gaza: Ban forms independent panel to investigate recent conflict
Nov 11, 2014, at 08:20 pm
New York, Nov 11 (IBNS) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday announced the formation of an internal inquiry aimed at reviewing “certain incidents†reported at United Nations facilities in the Gaza Strip during the recent summer conflict there between Palestinian factions and the State of Israel.
At UN conference, education takes centre-stage in planning for a sustainable future
Nov 11, 2014, at 08:18 pm
New York, Nov 11 (IBNS) The role education can play in preparing the world's youth for a sustainable future is becoming increasingly relevant, particularly as the planet is set to face growing economic, social and environmental challenges, the head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared on Monday as she opened a conference on the subject in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
UN mission finds no evidence confirming alleged mass rapes in north Darfur town
Nov 11, 2014, at 08:10 pm
New York, Nov 11 (IBNS) After being granted access yesterday to investigate allegations of the mass rape of 200 women and girls in a town in North Darfur, Sudan, the African Union-United Nations hybrid mission has said that its team found no evidence confirming the claims and received no information regarding the purported acts.
Iraq: UN agency warns of deteriorating agricultural sector, calls for increased funding
Nov 11, 2014, at 08:05 pm
New York, Nov 11 (IBNS) An additional $38.5 million in support is urgently needed to prevent Iraq’s agricultural sector from collapsing and the country’s food security situation from further degenerating, the United Nations agriculture agency warned on Monday.
DR Congo: UN official applauds sentencing of militia leader for war crimes
Nov 10, 2014, at 04:39 pm
New York, Nov 10 (IBNS) The head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – also known by its French acronym MONUSCO – has welcomed the sentencing of a former commander of a militia group accused of war crimes as a step towards reinforcing the rule of law in the war-torn African nation.
UN rights office voices concern over Dominican Republic's ruling on regional court
Nov 08, 2014, at 03:13 pm
New York, Nov 8 (IBNS) The United Nations human rights office on Fridayvoiced deep concern about a recent Dominican Constitutional Court's ruling that the country's recognition of the competence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights is unconstitutional.
Gambia: UN experts prevented from completing probe into torture, killings
Nov 08, 2014, at 03:12 pm
New York, Nov 8 (IBNS): Two United Nations human rights experts were forced to suspend an integral part of their visit to The Gambia this week when they were denied access to parts of a prison and prevented from completing a torture and killing investigation during the first trip ever to the country by such an independent fact-finding team, according to a press release from the UN rights office.
Darfur: UN envoy on sexual violence urges immediate access for probe into alleged mass rapes
Nov 08, 2014, at 03:11 pm
New York, Nov 8 (IBNS) The United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict expressed concern on Friday about allegations circulating in Darfur local media over the mass rape of 200 women and girls in a town in region’s North, calling on the Government of Sudan to allow "immediate and unhindered" access for an investigation.
One year after devastating storm, UN says Philippines 'well on road to recovery'
Nov 08, 2014, at 03:01 pm
New York, Nov 8 (IBNS) One year after super Typhoon Haiyan swept across the central Philippines, destroying large swaths of the archipelago, the United Nations has declared the country to be well on the road to recovery as efforts to rebuild the livelihoods of local communities particularly farmers and fishers begin to yield results.
Attacks on children 'horrific reminder' of terrible price they pay in conflict – UNICEF
Nov 08, 2014, at 02:59 pm
New York, Nov 8 (IBNS) Two deadly attacks on children in Ukraine and Syria on the same day this week serve as a "horrific reminder" of the terrible price youngsters are paying in these brutal wars, the United Nations children's agency said on Fridayas it urged all conflict parties to keep children out of harm's way.
Asia-Pacific: UN official urges deeper regional connectivity for landlocked developing countries
Nov 08, 2014, at 02:58 pm
New York, Nov 8 (IBNS): Greater regional connectivity through integrated and terrestrial networks is vital to effectively linking Asia’s 12 landlocked development countries (LLDCs) to the region’s infrastructure networks, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said on Friday.
Keep dogs, face lashes, says Iran's new draft bill
Nov 07, 2014, at 10:23 pm
Tehran, Nov 7 (IBNS): Dog lovers in Iran could face up to 74 lashes or face hefty fine if the country's parliament passes a bill that would ban keeping the pets at home or walking them in public, media reported.
'Ageing well must be global priority', warns UN health agency in new study
Nov 07, 2014, at 08:36 pm
New York, Nov 7 (IBNS) The United Nations health agency warned on Thursday that as the world population aged 60 or older will jump from some 800 million to 2 billion in the next four decades, soaring levels of chronic illness and diminished wellbeing are poised to become a major global public health challenge.
Urging political resolution, UN agency chief laments 'sheer unsustainability' of Gaza crisis
Nov 07, 2014, at 08:33 pm
New York, Nov 7 (IBNS) The underlying tensions which have brought Israelis and Palestinians into regular conflict and subjected Gaza to repeated warfare must be addressed once and for all, the head of the United Nations agency tasked with assisting Palestinian refugees has urged.
Libya: UN studying Supreme Court ruling against Parliament, calls for political consensus
Nov 07, 2014, at 07:32 pm
New York, Nov 7 (IBNS) The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said on Thursday that it is closely monitoring the situation in the North African country, following a Supreme Court ruling that declared the national Parliament unconstitutional.
Lebanon: UN envoy expresses regret over Parliament term extension, stalled elections
Nov 07, 2014, at 07:30 pm
New York, Nov 7 (IBNS)The United Nations envoy for Lebanon said on Thursday that the vote in Lebanon’s Parliament on Wednesday to extend its mandate until 2017 had spared the country a “further serious vacuum,†but, regretfully, elections had been postponed again amid mounting political insecurity.
UN chief welcomes agreement aiming to restore democracy to Burkina Faso
Nov 07, 2014, at 07:27 pm
New York, Nov 7 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday welcomed the adoption of a new agreement by Burkinabé stakeholders which would see the West African country head towards a democratic transition in the wake of the recent constitutional crisis there.
Water central to global peace, development, UN deputy chief tells London summit
Nov 07, 2014, at 07:17 pm
New York, Nov 7 (IBNS ) The most basic of all human rights water is also a central element in global affairs and the development agenda with wide implications on international peace and security, the Deputy Secretary-General told participants on Thursday the World Water Summit held in London.
Four judges elected to serve on International Court of Justice
Nov 07, 2014, at 06:58 pm
New York, Nov 7 (IBNS) The United Nations General Assembly and Security Council on Thursday elected four judges to seats on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the UN.
UN rights panels outline States' obligation to prevent harmful practices on women, girls
Nov 06, 2014, at 07:48 pm
New York, Nov 6 (IBNS): For the first time, two United Nations human rights committees have joined forces to issue a comprehensive interpretation of the obligations of States to prevent and eliminate harmful practices inflicted on women and girls, such as female genital mutilation, crimes committed in the name of so-called honour, forced and child marriage, and polygamy.
Darfur: amid allegations of mass rape, UN voices profound concern, begins investigation
Nov 06, 2014, at 07:41 pm
New York, Nov 6 (IBNS): The African Union-United Nations hybrid mission in Darfur (UNAMID) has expressed its “deep concern†about allegations circulating in local media over the mass rape of 200 women and girls in a town in the region’s North, declaring that it is conducting a thorough investigation into the veracity of the claims.
Humanitarian system 'scrambling' to meet skyrocketing needs, warns UN refugee agency chief
Nov 06, 2014, at 07:35 pm
New York, Nov 6 (IBNS): The global humanitarian system has reached its limits in dealing with the upward trend in forced displacement due to mounting pressures from conflicts and persecution around the world, the head of the United Nations refugee agency warned, calling on the humanitarian community to “think out of the box†when it comes to funding emergency response.
Burundi: UN officials urge vigilance, transparency as elections near
Nov 06, 2014, at 07:30 pm
New York, Nov 6 (IBNS): Noting the current stability in Burundi’s security situation, two United Nations officials briefing the Security Council today urged vigilance, but expressed confidence that the Government would continue on a path towards peace in the run-up to elections in 2015.