UK PM Boris Johnson to end Covid self-isolation requirements
Feb 20, 2022, at 09:56 pm
London/UNI/Sputnik: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out a scheme next week to remove Covid-19 self-isolation requirements as part of the country's Living with Covid Plan, his office said.
Russia planning attack on Ukraine: NATO
Feb 20, 2022, at 02:14 pm
Brussels/UNI/Sputnik: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has accused Russia of planning an attack on Ukraine under a fabricated pretext, at the same time denying the validity of the alliance's commitment in 1991 not to expand eastward.
Norway refuses to recognize Taliban Govt
Feb 20, 2022, at 05:28 am
Oslo/Sputnik: Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said Saturday that Oslo is not considering recognizing the Taliban government (under UN sanctions for terrorism) in Afghanistan.
Afghan envoy to US to step down: Report
Feb 20, 2022, at 04:42 am
Washington, DC: The Afghan ambassador in Washington has stepped down from her post following the new restrictions imposed by the US Department of State on the embassy, media reports said.
Unaware what Russian President wants: Zelenskyy
Feb 20, 2022, at 04:20 am
Kiev/UNI/Sputnik: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that he is not aware of Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions regarding Ukraine, thus proposing a meeting.
Ukrainian President plans to initiate UNSC5 summit
Feb 20, 2022, at 04:05 am
Moscow/UNI/Sputnik: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that he would initiate a summit of UN Security Council's five permanent members and Ukraine, Germany, and Turkey in order to resolve the security issues in Europe.
Macron to call Putin on Sunday
Feb 20, 2022, at 03:40 am
Paris/UNI/Sputnik: French President Emmanuel Macron will have a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin at 10:00 GMT on Sunday, the BFMTV broadcaster reported Saturday, citing the Elysee Palace.
Australia says Chinese navy ship fired laser at patrol plane
Feb 20, 2022, at 12:06 am
Melbourne: The Australian Defence Department on Saturday said on Feb 17, a P-8A Poseidon detected a laser illuminating the aircraft while in flight over Australia’s northern approaches.
Suicide bombing in Somalia leaves 10 dead
Feb 19, 2022, at 11:59 pm
Mogadishu/UNI/Xinhua: At least ten people were killed and 15 injured in a suicide bombing in the central Somali town of Beledweyne Saturday, the police and witnesses said.
Training offers a way out of poverty for young victims of Colombian conflict
Feb 19, 2022, at 11:12 pm
New York: Camilo Vergara is one of hundreds of young Colombians benefiting from a UN programme aimed at pulling victims of the country’s former conflict out of poverty, and into stable employment.
Effects of colonialism ‘still being felt to this day’
Feb 19, 2022, at 10:53 pm
New York: The consequences of colonialism are “still being felt to this day”, Chef de Cabinet Courtenay Rattray told the Special Committee on Decolonization on Friday.
Conflict in Ukraine disrupting entire generation of children, says UNICEF
Feb 19, 2022, at 08:52 pm
New York: Attacks on kindergartens and schools have been a sad reality for children in eastern Ukraine over the last eight years, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Friday. Since the beginning of the conflict, more than 750 schools have been damaged.
Ethiopia conflict: thousands of Eritrean refugees flee new deadly attack on camp
Feb 19, 2022, at 07:13 pm
New York: Thousands of Eritrean refugees sheltering at a camp in the Ethiopian Afar region, have fled following a deadly attack on the facility earlier this month, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.
Time to ‘seriously de-escalate’ tensions over Ukraine, Guterres tells Munich conference
Feb 19, 2022, at 06:11 pm
New York: With tensions continuing to mount over the Ukraine crisis, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday that he still believed military conflict in Europe “will not happen” – although if it did, “it would be catastrophic”.
Bank of Russia prepares bill on ban of cryptocurrencies
Feb 18, 2022, at 11:14 pm
Moscow/UNI/Sputnik: The Bank of Russia has prepared two bills on the ban and circulation of private digital currencies in the country, a source told Sputnik on Friday.
EU waiting for Russian troops' pullback - Finland
Feb 18, 2022, at 10:25 pm
Helsinki/UNI/Sputnik: Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Friday described the situation around Ukraine as quite worrying, saying the European Union was waiting for Russia to follow words with actions concerning the troops' pullback from the Ukrainian border.
Ukraine crisis: UN political affairs chief calls for ‘maximum restraint’
Feb 18, 2022, at 09:58 pm
New York: Amid competing narratives of events unfolding swiftly in and around Ukraine - one detailing the withdrawal of Russian troops from the borders and another proclaiming that an attack is imminent – the UN political affairs chief called on Thursday for the parties to make meaningful progress on implementation of the 2015 Minsk agreements, as she briefed the Security Council.
Meeting commitments, requires UN to work in ‘lockstep’ with parliamentarians
Feb 18, 2022, at 09:50 pm
New York: Global commitments on implementing multilateral agreements were front and centre on Thursday, as the General Assembly President co-hosted hundreds of Parliamentarians from around the world – the largest in-person gathering at the UN in New York since last September’s High Level Week.
Global trade expected to slow, after record high of $28.5 trillion in 2021
Feb 18, 2022, at 09:46 pm
New York: Global trade reached a record high in 2021, but it is expected to slow this year for many reasons including continuing delays in global supply chains, UN economists said on Thursday.
Child sex abuse in Madagascar ‘widespread and tolerated’
Feb 18, 2022, at 09:28 pm
New York: In Madagascar, child sex abuse is “widespread and tolerated” in tourist hotspots, UN-appointed rights experts said on Thursday.
Africa’s Sahel region facing ‘horrendous food crisis’
Feb 18, 2022, at 08:59 pm
New York: As the Sahel region “stares down a horrendous food crisis”, the UN emergency food relief chief warned on Wednesday that the number of people on the brink of starvation has “increased almost tenfold” over the past three years and “displacement by nearly 400 per cent”.
Sydney beaches shut after shark attack
Feb 17, 2022, at 09:39 pm
Sydney/UNI: Several beaches in Sydney were closed on Thursday after a swimmer was mauled to death by a shark.
Bill Gates meets Imran Khan on 1st ever Pak trip
Feb 17, 2022, at 08:55 pm
Islamabad/UNI: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates met Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on his first-ever visit to the country, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said Thursday.
Somalia: Elections must be finalized amid worsening drought, Security Council hears
Feb 16, 2022, at 06:52 pm
New York: Somalia’s leaders must put aside their differences and urgently conclude a credible election process, the UN’s senior official in the country told the Security Council on Tuesday, noting that national elections are now more than a year behind schedule and women’s representation remains significantly off-track.
Human rights defenders threatened at Poland-Belarus border
Feb 16, 2022, at 06:48 pm
New York: Independent UN experts expressed deep concern on Tuesday over allegations that human rights defenders have been threatened at the Polish-Belarusian border, including media workers and interpreters.
Germany: Protesters shout anti-Taliban slogans near Swiss Consulate in Munich
Feb 16, 2022, at 04:37 am
Munich: A large number of people, which included Afghan residents of Munich city, gathered at the entrance of the Swiss consulate in Munich, Germany on Sunday to protest as the Taliban delegation visited Switzerland recently.
Russia begins navy drill in Barents Sea
Feb 16, 2022, at 02:45 am
Moscow/UNI/Sputnik: Russia's Northern Fleet on Tuesday announced that it began military exercises in the Barents Sea with the participation of about 20 ships, including the Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) missile cruiser and the Admiral Gorshkov frigate.
UK: Several bridges closed in London
Feb 16, 2022, at 12:18 am
London/UNI/Sputnik: London's Metropolitan Police cordoned off several bridges because of an unattended item in the vicinity of South Bank on Tuesday.
Ukraine crisis can only be solved via dialogue, says Italy
Feb 16, 2022, at 12:13 am
Rome/UNI/Sputnik: Tensions around Ukraine can be defused only through dialogue as all major European actors are looking for ways to engage Russia, Franco Frattini, President of the Italian State Council, said in an interview with Sputnik.
Ukraine: ‘Do not fail the cause of peace’ Guterres urges
Feb 16, 2022, at 12:11 am
New York: Amid increasing tension over Ukraine between Russia and Western countries of the NATO alliance, the UN Secretary-General declared on Monday that “there is no alternative to diplomacy.”