South Africa’s anti-apartheid icon Archbishop Desmond Tutu dies at 90
Dec 26, 2021, at 09:20 pm
Johannesburg/IBNS: South African anti-apartheid leader Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who is idealised as the country's moral compass, passed away on Sunday aged 90, President Cyril Ramaphosa said.
Thousands of flights scrapped globally as Omicron spreads
Dec 26, 2021, at 02:38 pm
Moscow/UNI/Sputnik: More than 2,600 flights were cancelled on Christmas Day as COVID-19 continued to wreak havoc on the airline services, according to global flight data.
Two dead, many missing as refugee vessel sinks off Greek island: Reports
Dec 25, 2021, at 03:44 pm
Athens/UNI/Xinhua: Two bodies have been retrieved as a rescue operation was underway Friday night near the Aegean Sea island of Paros, after the sinking of a vessel carrying refugees and migrants, according to Greek media reports.
Libyan elections postponed, new date expected within 30 days
Dec 24, 2021, at 11:28 pm
New York: During a visit to help implement intra-Libyan political, security and economic dialogues and support recently postponed presidential and parliamentary elections, the UN envoy to the country issued a statement on Thursday, detailing her work over the last 10 days.
Authorities urged to protect women and children following violence and protests in Sudan
Dec 24, 2021, at 11:15 pm
New York: Authorities in Sudan must protect boys and girls from violence, a senior official with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday, following recent deadly inter-communal clashes in West Darfur and protests in the capital, Khartoum.
Stepping up assistance to Venezuelans crossing Chile’s inhospitable northern border
Dec 24, 2021, at 11:05 pm
New York: In response to the critical needs of a growing number of Venezuelans arriving by foot to Chile’s northern border, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, said on Thursday that it is stepping up its presence and assistance in the South American country.
Iran: UN independent experts condemn secret execution of Kurdish prisoner
Dec 24, 2021, at 10:54 pm
New York: Two UN-appointed independent rights experts condemned the arbitrary execution in the strongest terms on Wednesday, of an Iranian Kurdish prisoner as a sign of “clear disregard for their obligations under international human rights law”.
Libya: Tensions as armed groups mobilize in Tripoli
Dec 22, 2021, at 09:35 pm
New York: The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Tuesday expressed concern over the unfolding security situation in the capital, Tripoli, where forces affiliated with different armed groups have been deploying.
Middle East: Positive steps needed to restore calm
Dec 22, 2021, at 09:27 pm
New York: The deteriorating security situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, took centre stage at the Security Council on Tuesday as the UN Special Coordinator for the peace process in the region, expressed his “continued concern” over recent developments.
Thousands head home voluntarily from Zambia to DR Congo
Dec 22, 2021, at 09:23 pm
New York: Nearly 5,000 refugees who fled violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) four years ago, are opting to head home voluntarily from Zambia over the coming months, with the first 100 people setting out on Tuesday.
Sudan protests: Security forces in spotlight over sexual violence allegations
Dec 22, 2021, at 09:17 pm
New York: In Sudan, reports of serious sexual violence and the use of live ammunition against protesters at the weekend must be investigated immediately, the UN rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.
End ‘appalling’ Belarus-Poland border crisis, UN rights office urges
Dec 22, 2021, at 09:12 pm
New York: Belarus and Poland must resolve the migrant and refugee crisis at their mutual border, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday, describing the on-going situation as “appalling”.
Hostage taker in Paris arrested: French Minister
Dec 21, 2021, at 10:36 pm
Paris/UNI/Sputnik: An armed man, who held two women hostage in Paris has been arrested and no one was injured, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Tuesday.
South Sudan: Senior UN official condemns killing of humanitarian worker
Dec 21, 2021, at 04:37 pm
New York: The UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan has strongly condemned the killing of a UN-contracted aid worker on Sunday, that also left another injured, after the convoy they were travelling in came under attack.
Lives on the line as UN and partners launch 2022 humanitarian plan for Somalia
Dec 21, 2021, at 04:32 pm
New York: Roughly 7.7 million people in Somalia will need assistance and protection in 2022, a 30 per cent rise in just one year, the UN and partners said on Monday, launching a nearly $1.5 billion Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for the country.
UN humanitarians aid Philippines response to Super Typhoon Rai
Dec 21, 2021, at 04:28 pm
New York: Reports of “utter devastation” caused by Super Typhoon Rai have continued to come in from the Philippines, where the UN is helping respond to urgent needs.
Omicron spread: Netherlands initiates tight lockdown measures
Dec 19, 2021, at 10:44 pm
Amsterdam: The Netherlands government has started tight lockdown measures during Christmas to combat Omicron spread.
Death toll in Philippines from Typhoon Rai rises to 49: Local official
Dec 19, 2021, at 03:24 pm
Manila/UNI/Xinhua: At least 49 people have been killed in the Philippine province of Bohol after Typhoon Rai battered the country, a provincial official said on Sunday.
Germany tightens restrictions for UK travellers, does not apply to German citizens
Dec 19, 2021, at 02:59 pm
Berlin/UNI: Germany on Saturday banned most travellers coming from Britain, in an effort to slow down the spread of the Omicron variant which has been surging in Britain, the BBC reported on Sunday.
‘UN stands with the people of Lebanon’, declares Guterres
Dec 18, 2021, at 04:21 pm
New York: Elections next year will be key to a better future for Lebanon, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday ahead of an official visit to the country later this weekend.
‘Solidarity with migrants has never been more urgent’: Guterres
Dec 18, 2021, at 04:17 pm
New York: In a message just ahead of International Migrants Day, celebrated on Saturday, the United Nations Secretary-General said that expressing solidarity with migrants on the move, “has never been more urgent.”
UN rights office urges Viet Nam to release jailed activists
Dec 18, 2021, at 04:14 pm
New York: Authorities in Viet Nam must immediately release four activists jailed this week for spreading anti-State propaganda, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday.
Cameroon: Intercommunal clashes continue to displace thousands
Dec 18, 2021, at 04:10 pm
New York: Intercommunal clashes that erupted in Cameroon’s Far North region over the past two weeks have driven at least 100,000 people from their homes, although the actual number may be much higher, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said on Friday.
Omicron: School closures must be ‘avoided whenever possible’
Dec 18, 2021, at 04:07 pm
New York: COVID-19 cases are spiking all over the world, but the Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday that despite the rise of the highly transmissible Omicron variant “nationwide school closures should be avoided whenever possible.”
Japan: Fire breaks out in Osaka building, 24 dead
Dec 17, 2021, at 11:33 pm
Osaka: A fire broke out at a building in the Japanese city of Osaka which left at least 24 people dead, media reports said.
Women leaders examine how to end ‘invisible emergency’ of gender-based violence
Dec 17, 2021, at 11:15 pm
New York: Whether at home, at work, in the streets or even online, women and girls across the world remain highly vulnerable to gender-based violence, something which the COVID-19 pandemic has only magnified, six senior UN women leaders said on Thursday.
Dec 17, 2021, at 09:03 pm
Four UN independent human rights experts called on Thursday for Morocco to reverse its decision to extradite a Uyghur Muslim to China as his return would place him under threat of serious human rights violations.
UN chief: ‘We cannot defeat a pandemic in an uncoordinated way’
Dec 17, 2021, at 08:50 pm
Arguing that the world “cannot defeat a pandemic in an uncoordinated way”, the UN Secretary-General said on Thursday that countries “must take concrete action in the coming days” to vaccinate 40 per cent of the world’s population by the end of the year.
Migrant workers still at great risk despite key role in global economy
Dec 17, 2021, at 04:57 pm
New York: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the key role that migrant workers play in the global economy, as well as the “terrible risks” that they are forced to take, to find work.
UN rights office urges Colombia to reform policing of protests
Dec 16, 2021, at 10:46 pm
New York: Colombia must urgently reform how it polices protests in the wake of demonstrations earlier this year in which several people were killed or injured, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said in a report published on Wednesday.