UN again calls for full ratification of nuclear test-ban treaty
Aug 27, 2020, at 06:44 pm
New York: Achieving a nuclear-free world is the best way to honour lives devastated by these weapons, the UN disarmament chief told a virtual meeting held on Wednesday to commemorate the International Day against Nuclear Tests, observed annually on 29 August.
COVID-19: UN urges ramping up social protection programmes to safeguard those most vulnerable
Aug 27, 2020, at 06:42 pm
New York: The socio-economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted UN agencies on Wednesday to call on countries to increase social protection programmes to protect those most at risk.
Refugees at risk of hunger and malnutrition, as relief hit in Eastern Africa
Aug 27, 2020, at 06:35 pm
New York: UN World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to reduce its food and cash assistance for refugees in Eastern Africa by up to 30 per cent, the agency has said, voicing fears that the reductions could worsen in the coming months unless urgent additional funding is received in time.
Address root causes of the Rohingya refugee crisis, urges UN chief
Aug 27, 2020, at 06:25 pm
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for greater attention to the Rohingya refugee crisis – which entered its fourth year – and for addressing the root causes of the conflict.
US Spy plane entered Chinese airspace during China's military drill - Foreign Ministry
Aug 26, 2020, at 10:14 pm
Beijing/Sputnik: A US spy plane entered a no-fly zone in China's airspace as Chinese soldiers were holding an exercise, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Zhao Lijian, said Wednesday.
Two civilians killed in Turkish drone airstrike in Northern Iraq – Official Media
Aug 26, 2020, at 10:11 pm
Baghdad/Sputnik: Two civilians were killed in the result of an airstrike launched by a Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle late on Tuesday on a car in the town of Khana Sor located in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh, the official Security Media Cell has said.
Aug 26, 2020, at 03:03 pm
New York: The recent agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates has the potential to change dynamics across the Middle East, the UN’s top envoy in the region told the Security Council on Tuesday, urging Palestinian and Israeli leaders to re-engage in efforts to resolve their protracted conflict.
Rights expert denounces lack of investigation into 2017 killing of journalist in South Sudan
Aug 26, 2020, at 02:57 pm
New York: Lack of investigation into the killing of a journalist three years ago in South Sudan is indicative of a wider climate of hostility towards journalists in the country, an independent UN human rights expert has said.
Aug 26, 2020, at 02:51 pm
New York: Following a deadly explosion earlier this month, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has delivered some 67 tons of critical humanitarian supplies to affected children and families in Beirut.
Janakpur-Jaynagar railway line : India officials to train Nepali technicians
Aug 26, 2020, at 05:06 am
New Delhi: In a step taken to help the neighbouring nation, Indian officials will provide training to Nepali technicians for the operation of the Janakpur-Jaynagar railway line, media reports said.
Three years on, Rohingya refugees ‘more vulnerable than ever’
Aug 25, 2020, at 10:54 pm
New York: Three years into the Rohingya refugee crisis, women, men and children – driven from their homes in Myanmar into camps across the border in Bangladesh – are more vulnerable than ever, UN agencies have reported.
Aug 25, 2020, at 10:41 pm
New York: With Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and other terrorist groups attempting to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic for their own ends, the international community must respond with stronger collective action and cooperation, the top UN counter-terrorism official said on Monday.
Majority of Australians back int'l flights ban, COVID-19 patients tracking: poll
Aug 25, 2020, at 10:39 pm
Canberra/Xinhua: A majority of Australians support banning all international flights to the country and compulsory tracking for COVID-19 patients to prevent the spread of virus, according to a poll.
One step at a time: UN women’s health agency helping shift dangerous social norms
Aug 25, 2020, at 10:37 pm
New York: One of the largest chiefdoms in Zambia’s Eastern Province is challenging harmful social norms, including child marriage, risky initiation and impunity for perpetrators of sexual abuse, according to the UN women’s health agency, UNFPA.
IS suspect detained in Istanbul has plans for "sensational" terror attack
Aug 25, 2020, at 10:06 pm
Istanbul/Xinhua: The suspected member of the Islamic State (IS) detained by the Turkish police in Istanbul has plans to carry out a "sensational" terror attack, Demiroren news agency reported Tuesday.
Imprisoned rights defenders in Egypt at ‘grave risk’ of COVID-19, warn UN experts
Aug 25, 2020, at 10:04 pm
New York: A group of independent UN rights experts have raised alarm over “grave and unnecessary” risks faced by imprisoned human rights defenders in Egypt due to lengthy pre-trial detention.
African American man shot in back by Wisconsin Police, hospitalized in serious condition
Aug 24, 2020, at 11:15 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: An African-American man was severely injured and hospitalized in a serious condition after being shot in the back by Wisconsin police at close range in the US city of Kenosha, sparkling protests, media and officials said on Monday.
New Zealand's largest city COVID-19 lockdown to continue for four more days
Aug 24, 2020, at 10:51 pm
Wellington/Xinhua: The COVID-19 restrictions in New Zealand's largest city Auckland will continue at the current Alert Level 3 until Sunday night, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday.
Two explosions rock southern Philippines
Aug 24, 2020, at 10:49 pm
Manila/Xinhua: Two explosions hit the town of Jolo in the southern Philippine province of Sulu Monday noon, a military report said, adding that blasts "resulted in numerous casualties."
New Zealand: Christchurch attacker planned to target 'third mosque'
Aug 24, 2020, at 09:49 pm
Wellington: Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques in New Zealand's Christchurch city last year, also planned to target a third mosque, media reports said.
Belarus: Opposition holds mass rally in Minsk despite ban
Aug 24, 2020, at 02:43 pm
Minsk/UNI: Opposition supporters in Belarus held a mass rally in the capital Minsk on Sunday despite a ban by the government, two weeks after a disputed election gave President Alexander Lukashenko another term in office with an 'overwhelming' majority.
Christchurch mosque shooting: Shooter Brenton Tarrant's hearing begins
Aug 24, 2020, at 02:13 pm
Wellington/UNI: Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 Muslim worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand last year, faced the survivors of his attack as his sentencing hearing got under way in Christchurch.
U.S.-led coalition hands over military base near Baghdad to Iraqi forces
Aug 24, 2020, at 03:58 am
Baghdad/Xinhua: The U.S.-led international coalition forces, tasked with fighting the Islamic State (IS) militant group, on Sunday handed over a military base in Taji Camp in the north of Baghdad to Iraqi forces, the official Iraqi news agency reported.
Russia's earliest upcoming satellite launch set for Sept 24
Aug 23, 2020, at 02:45 pm
Moscow/UNI: A preliminary date for the launch of Russian satellites from the Gonets series has been set, it will be the country’s earliest upcoming carrier rocket launch and will occur at the end of September, a space industry source told Sputnik news agency.
Turkey detains military personnel suspected to be linked to failed coup attempt
Aug 22, 2020, at 10:44 pm
Ankara/UNI: Turkish prosecutors on Saturday ordered the detention of 47 military personnel suspected to be linked to the 2016 coup attempt.
Israeli army artillery bombs Hamas lookout posts in Gaza: sources
Aug 22, 2020, at 10:39 pm
Gaza/Xinhua: The Israeli army artillery bombed on Saturday morning two lookout posts that belong to the Islamic Hamas movement's militants in the Gaza Strip, Hamas security sources said.
Gunmen kill police officer in SW Nigeria
Aug 22, 2020, at 10:35 pm
Lagos/Xinhua: A group of unidentified gunmen on Friday night attacked a police station at a residential area of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state in southwest Nigeria, an official said on Saturday.
Plane crash in South Sudan kills 17 people
Aug 22, 2020, at 10:29 pm
Juba/Xinhua: At least 17 people were killed and one person survived after a cargo plane crashed after takeoff from Juba airport in South Sudan on Saturday morning, witnesses said.
Women and single parents most impacted by COVID-19 efffects on social housing: Study
Aug 22, 2020, at 10:26 pm
New York: Women and single parents are likely to be most negatively impacted by COVID-19 and the pressures it is putting on social housing, according to researchers at the University of East Anglia.
Aug 22, 2020, at 10:09 pm
New York: An estimated 3.3 million people in Burkina Faso are facing acute food insecurity, two United Nations agencies warned on Friday.