Almost 400 people rescued in the Mediterranean after fishing boat sinks: UN agency

Aug 07, 2015, at 02:01 pm

New York, Aug 7 (IBNS): Almost 400 people have been rescued so far from a vessel which sank off the coast of Libya while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea with an estimated 600 refugees and migrants on board, the United Nations refugee agency reported on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia: Suicide attack kills 13

Aug 07, 2015, at 12:51 am

Abha city , Aug 6 (IBNS): At least 13 people were killed in a suicide attack at a mosque in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, media reports said.

Myanmar: UN food agency delivers aid to 82,000 people in flooded areas

Aug 06, 2015, at 03:01 pm

New York, Aug 6 (IBNS):The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Wednesday announced that it has delivered aid to 82,000 people in the most flood-affected parts of western Myanmar, and is now working to reach 200,000 people.New York, Aug 6 (IBNS):The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Wednesday announced that it has delivered aid to 82,000 people in the most flood-affected parts of western Myanmar, and is now working to reach 200,000 people.

UN rights chief highlights alarming use of capital punishment in Iran

Aug 06, 2015, at 02:57 pm

New York, Aug 6 (IBNS): The top United Nations human rights official on Wednesday expressed alarm at the imposition of the death penalty on Mohammad Ali Taheri, the founder of a spiritual movement, writer and practitioner of alternative medicine theories used in Iran and abroad.

Civilians continue to bear brunt of Afghan conflict, UN report reveals

Aug 06, 2015, at 02:54 pm

New York, Aug 6 (IBNS): Civilians continued to bear the brunt of the Afghan conflict in the first half of 2015, the United Nations reported on Wednesday, noting that casualties are projected to equal or exceed the record high numbers documented last year.

Security in Central Africa improves, but situation remains fragile: UN envoy

Aug 06, 2015, at 02:52 pm

New York, Aug 6 (IBNS): Political progress combined with the deployment of United Nations peacekeepers in nearly 40 localities have contributed to the improvement of the overall security situation in Central African Republic (CAR), which nonetheless remains precarious, the top UN envoy in the country told the Security Council on Wednesday.

UN experts urge Pakistan to strengthen protection of children after latest execution

Aug 06, 2015, at 02:50 pm

New York, Aug 6 (IBNS): United Nations human rights experts on Wednesday condemned the execution in Pakistan of Shafqat Hussein, who was reportedly 14 years old when he was convicted of murder, and called on the country to strengthen the protection of children.

UN allocates $70 million from emergency fund to assist millions

Aug 06, 2015, at 02:48 pm

New York, Aug 6 (IBNS): The United Nations humanitarian chief on Wednesday allocated $70 million to help provide a lifeline to millions of men, women and children forced from their homes by violence and instability.

Kiribati: UN backs vaccine to protect children from life-threatening diarrhoea

Aug 06, 2015, at 02:46 pm

New York, Aug 6 (IBNS): The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are supporting a new vaccination campaign announced today by the Government of Kiribati to protect children from a potentially killer virus.

Head of UN watchdog discusses Iranian nuclear issues with US lawmakers

Aug 06, 2015, at 02:44 pm

New York, Aug 6 (IBNS): The head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) met with United States lawmakers on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. to discuss the important role the Agency can play in monitoring and verifying nuclear activities in Iran.

UNESCO chief condemns killing of Mexican photojournalist

Aug 06, 2015, at 02:43 pm

New York, Aug 6 (IBNS): The head of the United Nations agency charged with promoting press freedom on Wednesday condemned the killing of photojournalist Ruben Espinosa, who was found dead in Mexico City on 1 August.

Burundi: UN condemns assassination attempt on leading human rights defender

Aug 05, 2015, at 01:56 pm

New York, Aug 5 (IBNS): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations human rights office have strongly condemned the assassination attempt on Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, a leading Burundian human rights defender who was shot and wounded by unknown assailants in the capital on Monday.

Cairo: UN envoy on Yemen presses on towards political solution with meetings

Aug 05, 2015, at 01:54 pm

New York, Aug 5 (IBNS): The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen met with officials in Cairo as part of the ongoing efforts to reach a political solution to a conflict that has led to just over 1,900 civilian deaths since fighting erupted in March and caused almost 100,000 people to flee the country.

Cyclone Komen further burdens thousands of displaced people Myanmar: UN

Aug 05, 2015, at 01:52 pm

New York, Aug 5 (IBNS): Sweeping across western Myanmar last week, Cyclone Komen has caused extensive damage in the region, hampering assessment and relief efforts, including to areas where thousands of displaced people are living, the United Nations refugee agency reported on Tuesday.

White House: Ban says US leadership, support vital to host of global issues

Aug 05, 2015, at 01:51 pm

New York, Aug 5 (IBNS): The United Nations counts on the leadership and support of the United States on a range of critical issues, from climate change and sustainable development to resolving crises such as those in Syria and Yemen, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday, following a meeting at the White House with President Barack Obama.

Iraq: Millions left in need after funding shortage forces WHO to cut services

Aug 05, 2015, at 01:50 pm

New York, Aug 5 (IBNS): The United Nations health agency was forced to suspend 84 per cent of frontline programmes in 10 governorates in Iraq in July due to insufficient funding, leaving almost three million people without access to urgently-needed healthcare services.

Donors urged to meet critical funding shortfall faced by UNRWA for Palestinian refugees

Aug 05, 2015, at 01:48 pm

New York, Aug 5 (IBNS): Voicing concern over the financial situation confronting the United Nations agency assisting Palestine refugees, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called on all donors to urgently ensure adequate and sustainable financing for vital services as soon as possible.

'Catastrophic' floods in Myanmar hit most vulnerable, including children: UN

Aug 04, 2015, at 02:35 pm

New York, Aug 4 (IBNS): Myanmar has suffered heavy rains, winds and flooding since Cyclone Komen made landfall in Bangladesh on 30 July, causing landslides and damage in different parts of the country, according to United Nations agencies.

UN-backed international forum delivers roadmap for Somalia’s future

Aug 04, 2015, at 02:33 pm

New York, Aug 4 (IBNS): The United Nations and its partners have welcomed the significant commitments made at a recent high-level forum in Somalia that will be critical to the future of the Horn of Africa nation, including the holding of inclusive elections.

Ban concerned over ongoing deterioration of security in post-election Burundi

Aug 04, 2015, at 02:31 pm

New York, Aug 4 (IBNS): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced concern over the situation in Burundi, where the security situation continues to worsen following the recent elections, and strongly condemned the assassination on Sunday of General Adolphe Nshimirimana.

Member States lauded for reaching agreement on UN development agenda

Aug 04, 2015, at 02:29 pm

New York, Aug 4 (IBNS): Member States answered the call to make 2015 a year of global action by agreeing on a “bold, ambitious and transformative” sustainable development agenda for the next 15 years, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday.

UN chief welcomes climate change plan unveiled by President Obama

Aug 04, 2015, at 02:28 pm

New York, Aug 4 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the Clean Power Plan formally unveiled on Monday by President Barack Obama, saying it shows the determination of the United States to address global warming while also saving money and growing the economy.

Central Africa: Security Council condemns attacks that killed peacekeeper

Aug 04, 2015, at 02:26 pm

New York, Aug 4 (IBNS): The members of the Security Council condemned on Monday in the strongest terms the attacks against a convoy of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), which were perpetrated on Sunday in Bangui and resulted in the death of one peacekeeper.

UN chief condemns killing of peacekeeper in Central African Republic

Aug 03, 2015, at 11:17 pm

New York, Aug 3 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned today the killing of a peacekeeper from the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

Ban hails UN Member States' agreement on 'people's agenda' to end poverty, promote sustainability

Aug 03, 2015, at 11:05 pm

New York, Aug 3 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has praised UN Member States for reaching agreement on the draft outcome document that will constitute the new sustainable development agenda, which will be formally adopted by world leaders in New York this September.

MH 370: Another plane part found

Aug 02, 2015, at 10:22 pm

London, Aug 2 (IBNS): After the debris of an air craft suspected to be a part of the missing flight MH370 was found last week, another suspected plane debris has also washed ashore on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, media reports said on Sunday.

New Afghan Taliban leader releases audio message

Aug 02, 2015, at 02:56 am

Kabul, Aug 1 (IBNS) Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour has released a audio message where he has called for unity among Talibans, media reports said.

UN officials condemn West Bank arson attack that killed Palestinian child

Aug 01, 2015, at 02:24 pm

New York, Aug 1 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN special envoy on the Middle East have strongly condemned Friday’s arson attack in the West Bank that killed a Palestinian child and left the child’s parents severely injured.

In ISIL-controlled territory, 8 million civilians living in ‘state of fear’: UN expert

Aug 01, 2015, at 02:21 pm

New York, Aug 1 (IBNS): The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has engaged in widespread and systematic human rights violations of the most serious kinds in Syria and Iraq, brutally forcing some 8 million people to “assimilate, flee or face death,” according to a United Nations expert.

Ebola: WHO announces possible ‘game changer’ vaccine

Aug 01, 2015, at 02:18 pm

New York, Aug 1 (IBNS): Having achieved its “core objective” of scaling up global action to tackle the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response will officially wind down on Friday, transferring its role to the World Health Organization (WHO), which just announced that an experimental vaccine being tested in Guinea appears to be highly effective and could be a “game changer.”