Mar 06, 2021, at 10:24 pm
Baghdad/UNI: Pope Francis and top Shia cleric Ali al-Sistani held a historic meeting in the Iraqi capital here on Saturday and discussed the safety of Iraq's Christian minority.
Pope’s visit to Iraq, ‘a symbol of hope'
Mar 06, 2021, at 03:56 pm
New York: The visit by Pope Francis to the northern Iraqi city of Mosul at the weekend will be a symbol of hope and an opportunity to join forces for peace and unity, the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, said on Thursday, ahead of his touchdown in the capital, Baghdad.
Anti-Muslim hatred has reached 'epidemic proportions' says UN rights expert, urging action by States
Mar 05, 2021, at 05:47 pm
New York: Institutional suspicion and fear of Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim has escalated to epidemic proportions, the Human Rights Council heard on Thursday. Addressing the Council in Geneva, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, independent rights expert Ahmed Shaheed, said that “numerous” States, regional and international bodies were to blame.
UN Development Programme urges temporary basic income for women hit hard by COVID-19 fallout
Mar 05, 2021, at 03:57 pm
New York: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has called for temporary basic income for millions of the world’s poorest women, to help them cope with effects of coronavirus pandemic and alleviate the economic pressures they face every day.
ICC Prosecutor opens probe into alleged crimes in occupied Palestine
Mar 05, 2021, at 03:27 pm
New York: The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Wednesday that her Office has started an investigation into crimes allegedly committed in Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Russia asks US to stop playing with fire following White House sanctions
Mar 05, 2021, at 04:19 am
Moscow: Displeased with US sanctions, Russia has hit back at Washington DC- accusing the latter of meddling in its domestic affairs and trying to create an image of an external enemy in order to free itself from its own homegrown problems.
Buckingham Palace to investigate bullying charges against Megan Markle
Mar 05, 2021, at 03:11 am
London/IBNS: UK's Buckingham Palace has said that it will investigate the claims that Duchess of Sussex Megan Markle bullied royal staff, adding that it was "very concerned" by the allegations, said reports.
Eight injured in 'suspected terrorist stabbing' in Sweden: Reports
Mar 04, 2021, at 06:25 am
Stockholm, Sweden/IBNS: At least eight people were injured after a man in his twenties attacked them with a "sharp object," in the Swedish city of Vetlanda on Wednesday afternoon, reports said.
Dutch police investigate COVID-19 testing center blast, not sure it was terrorist attack
Mar 03, 2021, at 09:48 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: The Dutch police are still investigating the explosion in the coronavirus testing center in the western province of North Holland and cannot tell for sure whether it was a terrorist attack, North Holland Police spokesman Menno Hartenberg told Sputnik on Wednesday.
Abducted girls released in northwest Nigeria, as fresh attacks rock country’s northeast
Mar 03, 2021, at 09:27 pm
New York: While the release of more than 200 girls abducted from their school on Friday in northwest Nigeria is a welcome development said senior UN officials there on Tuesday, civilians and aid facilities have come under attack in the country’s northeast, highlighting the plight of civilians who have suffered years of conflict and insecurity.
UN agencies appeal for $266 million to feed refugees in eastern Africa
Mar 03, 2021, at 09:15 pm
New York: A funding shortfall is putting the lives of some three million refugees in eastern Africa at risk, two UN agencies warned on Tuesday.
Former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy says does not plan to run for President in 2022
Mar 03, 2021, at 02:16 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he did not intend to run for president in the upcoming elections in 2022.
Nigeria: Almost 300 abducted girls freed
Mar 02, 2021, at 10:44 pm
Abuja: As many as 300 Nigerian girls, who were abducted recently, have been freed, media reports said.
Russia responsible for Navalny poisoning, rights experts say
Mar 02, 2021, at 04:30 pm
New York: Russia is responsible for the poisoning and attempted killing of jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny, two independent UN rights experts said on Monday, issuing an “open call” for an international investigation into the incident.
Fate still unclear of ‘tens of thousands’ of civilian detainees in Syria
Mar 02, 2021, at 04:26 pm
New York: The fate of tens of thousands of civilians being held in Syria’s “notorious” prisons or detention centres is still unclear, 10 years after the country’s civil war began, UN investigators said on Monday.
Yemen: UN ceasefire monitoring mission condemns attack on civilians in Hudaydah
Mar 02, 2021, at 04:01 pm
New York: The United Nations Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA), on Sunday, strongly condemned an attack in Yemen that killed five civilians, including a woman and child.
Ex-French President Nicolas Sarkozy sentenced to jail over corruption charges
Mar 02, 2021, at 02:43 am
Paris/IBNS: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to three years in jail for trying to bribe a judge and peddling influence. Two years of his jail term has been suspended, media reports said.
BREAKINGNEWS: Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy gets jail in corruption trial
Mar 02, 2021, at 12:51 am
Paris: A French court on Monday convicted former president Nicolas Sarkozy for trying to bribe a judge and peddling influence. He was sentenced to three years in jail, including two years suspended, according to media reports.
UNICEF urges repatriation of all children in Syria’s Al-Hol camp following deadly fire
Mar 01, 2021, at 05:35 pm
New York: The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Sunday urged all countries to repatriate and safely reintegrate their young nationals being held at Syria’s largest camp for refugees and internally-displaced, following a deadly weekend fire at Al-Hol camp which saw at least three children die, and another 15 injured.
CFU appreciates Dutch Parliament's move to recognize Uyghur genocide
Mar 01, 2021, at 05:21 pm
London: Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) on Saturday said it appreciated the Dutch House of Representatives for recognizing the Chinese regime’s abuses against the Uyghur people as a genocide.
Mar 10 to be observed as 62nd anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising
Mar 01, 2021, at 04:59 pm
Lhasa: Tibetans across the globe will observe the 62nd anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising on Mar 10 to remember the contribution of those people who have sacrificed their lives for Tibet’s struggle.
EU Foreign Policy chief urges Myanmar's military to stop violence against civilians
Mar 01, 2021, at 02:46 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on Sunday called on Myanmar's military to refrain from the use of force against own citizens and warned about upcoming consequences from Brussels.
Russia to launch first Arktika-M weather satellite
Feb 28, 2021, at 02:43 pm
Moscow/UNI: Russia will launch its first Arktika-M satellite for monitoring the Arctic climate and environment on Sunday, using the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with the Fregat booster, a spokesperson of the Russian space agency Roscosmos told Sputnik.
Qatar says will continue to facilitate Intra-Afghan talks as peace deal marks 1 year
Feb 28, 2021, at 06:52 am
Doha/Sputnik: Qatar remains committed to continuing to support war-torn Afghanistan through the ongoing negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government, Qatar's Government Communications Office told Sputnik.
UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait support Saudi position on Khashoggi case
Feb 27, 2021, at 11:56 pm
Cairo/Sputnik: The foreign ministries of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait on Saturday issued statements in support of Saudi Arabia's position regarding the case of slain columnist Jamal Khashoggi a day after a US report claimed that Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman had a role to play in the 2018 murder.
Feb 27, 2021, at 08:41 pm
Moscow: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov batted for the implementation of the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2025, during the first meeting of BRICS Sherpas, Sous-Sherpas' which took place on February 24-26.
Feb 27, 2021, at 08:22 pm
New York: The holding of free and fair elections in the Occupied Palestinian Territory will help “clear the path” for restoring a legitimate political horizon to realize a long sought two-State solution, the leading UN diplomat for the region told the Security Council on Friday.
Pandemic pushing people ‘even further behind’, UN rights chief warns
Feb 27, 2021, at 07:47 pm
New York: As the COVID-19 pandemic gathers pace, people worldwide are “being left behind – or pushed even further behind”, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on Friday.
Condemnation over new attack on Nigeria school, ‘more than 300’ girls missing
Feb 27, 2021, at 07:07 pm
New York: An attack on a secondary school in northwest Nigeria on Friday in which several hundred girls are still missing, has been strongly condemned by the UN Secretary-General, and UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.
Financial transparency, 'sound governance and accountability’ essential to reach Global Goals
Feb 26, 2021, at 09:36 pm
New York: Financial integrity is “paramount to the success of the 2030 Agenda”, the President of the UN General Assembly said on Thursday, launching a new report that offers a blueprint to address a range of obstacles, particularly surrounding illicit finance flows.