UN chief of peace operations honours fallen Chadian ‘blue helmets’ serving in northern Mali
Jan 29, 2019, at 05:16 am
New York, Jan 29 (IBNS): After 10 Chadian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations mission in Mali (MINUSMA) were killedin a terrorist attack on 20 January, the UN chief of peace operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, went to N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, to pay tribute to them on Monday in a ceremony organised by the Government.
Link between conflict and hunger worldwide, ‘all too persistent and deadly’, says new UN report
Jan 29, 2019, at 05:14 am
New York, Jan 29 (IBNS): Conflict-driven hunger is getting worse, according to a snapshot of the eight places in the world with the highest number of people in need of emergency food support, and the link between them is “all too persistent and deadly” according to a new report delivered to the UN Security Council on Monday.
Bigotry ‘moving at lightning speed’ Guterres warns, as UN marks the Holocaust
Jan 29, 2019, at 05:12 am
New York, Jan 29 (IBNS): Amid an “alarming increase” in anti-Semitism, International Holocaust Remembrance Day was commemorated at UN Headquarters in New York on Monday, honouring the memory of some six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust during World War Two, along with many other victims of what the UN chief called “unprecedented, calculated cruelty and horror”.
Despite setbacks, ‘political will’ to end Yemen war stronger than ever: top UN envoy
Jan 29, 2019, at 05:09 am
New York, Jan 29 (IBNS): The ceasefire in Yemen’s crucial port city of Hudaydah is “generally holding” and deadlines have had to be extended, but the UN’s Special Envoy said on Monday that “more than any time in the past” the political will remains to end years of conflict that has left millions on the brink of starvation.
Solidarity needed to overcome ‘isolated’ attacks on Venezuela refugees, migrants
Jan 29, 2019, at 05:07 am
New York, Jan 29 (IBNS): Attacks and hate speech against Venezuelans seeking shelter in neighbouring countries should be condemned “with a clear and forceful message of rejection” and solidarity, a top UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and UN migration agency (IOM) official said in a statement on Monday.
ISIS claims responsibility for Philippines Roman Catholic church blasts
Jan 28, 2019, at 06:24 am
Manila, Jan 28 (IBNS): Suspected ISIS terrorists have claimed responsibility for the twin blasts which rocked a Roman Catholic cathedral in southern Philippines on Sunday.
UN chief condemns deadly terrorist attack on church in southern Philippines
Jan 28, 2019, at 06:18 am
New York, Jan 28 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the deadly terrorist attack on a church in restive southern Philippines early Sunday, and has called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice
Brazil: Dam collapse kills 37, another dam at risk
Jan 27, 2019, at 10:53 pm
Brasília, Jan 27 (IBNS): The Brazil authorities on Sunday ordered more than 350 people to be evacuated and halted rescue operations following a dam burst ami fears that a second dam could collapse, reports said.
Jan 27, 2019, at 06:26 pm
New York, Jan 27 (IBNS): Warning that anti-Semitism, the world’s oldest prejudice, has persisted to torment new generations, Secretary-General António Guterres has pledged that the United Nations will always be at the forefront of the fight against all forms of hatred, and work to strengthen efforts to uphold human dignity for all.
Jan 27, 2019, at 06:19 pm
New York, Jan 27 (IBNS): The top UN political official told the Security Council on Saturday that dialogue and cooperation were vital to ending the crisis in Venezuela, but during a contentious debate, Council members disagreed over the appropriate response to mass protests in the South American country and competing claims to the presidency.
MIT researchers developed cryptocurrency is faster and efficient
Jan 27, 2019, at 05:54 pm
New York, Jan 27 (IBNS): MIT researchers have developed a new cryptocurrency that drastically reduces the data users need to join the network and verify transactions — by up to 99 percent compared to today’s popular cryptocurrencies. This means a much more scalable network.
Cyber attacks are now outpacing physical terror attacks: Study
Jan 27, 2019, at 05:15 pm
New York, Jan 27 (IBNS): Bombs exploding, hostages taken and masked gunmen firing machine guns are all types of terrorist attacks we’ve seen. According to new Michigan State University research, it’s the attacks we don’t see – cyberattacks – that happen more often and can cause greater destruction.
Philippines church blasts kill at least 27 people
Jan 27, 2019, at 03:38 pm
Manila, Jan 27 (IBNS): Twin blasts rocked a Roman Catholic cathedral in southern Philippines and left at least 27 people dead, media reports said on Sunday.
Jan 26, 2019, at 10:00 am
Mew York, Jan 26 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the announcement by the Emir of Qatar to allocate $50 million to support Syrian refugees and displaced persons affected by the recent severe weather in the Middle East.
Two peacekeepers killed in an attack against UN convoy in Mali
Jan 26, 2019, at 09:58 am
New York, Jan 26 (IBNS): Two peacekeepers from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) were killed on Friday following an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack against a convoy near Douentza, in the Mopti region, central Mali.
Myanmar Government side-lining democratic reform, resorting to military era repression: UN expert
Jan 26, 2019, at 09:55 am
New York, Jan 26 (IBNS): The human rights situation in Myanmar continues to deteriorate, as the civilian government fails to bring about democratic reforms and instead resorts to the kind of repression carried out under previous military regimes, said the UN human rights expert Yanghee Lee, speaking at the end of an 11-day mission to neighbouring Thailand and Bangladesh.
Alarm over violent attacks on lawmakers, opposition in Malawi, ahead of elections
Jan 26, 2019, at 09:24 am
New York, Jan 26 (IBNS): In Malawi, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, voiced alarm on Friday over increasing, horrific violence there, linked to upcoming elections.
UN welcomes Angola’s repeal of anti-gay law, and ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation
Jan 26, 2019, at 09:21 am
New York, Jan 26 (IBNS): In a move to embrace equality, Angola has decriminalized homosexuality and banned discrimination based on sexual orientation, in a sweeping review of its colonial era penal code, which had stood since independence from Portugal in 1975.
Jan 26, 2019, at 09:18 am
New York, Jan 26 (IBNS): The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated the Greek Parliament over its ratification of a name change for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on Friday, and commended the leaders of both countries for signalling the end to a naming dispute that has roiled the region for some 28 years.
Jan 26, 2019, at 09:15 am
New York, Jan 26 (IBNS): UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet warned on Friday that the situation in Venezuela could “rapidly spiral out of control”, amid ongoing deadly violence and uncertainty linked to Wednesday’s declaration by Juan Guaidó that he had become the country’s interim president.
‘Stigma plays a big role’ in failure to tackle world opioid crisis, advocate tells UN
Jan 25, 2019, at 10:15 am
New York, Jan 25 (IBNS):The recognition of drug addiction as a disease was the focus of a panel discussion at United Nations Headquarters on Thursday. “Leaving No One Behind: the Opioid Epidemic as a Global Challenge”, was organized by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), to highlight the growing problem of addiction worldwide.
Jan 25, 2019, at 10:08 am
New York, Jan 25 (IBNS): Around 4.3 million Cameroonians, mostly women and children, are now in need of lifesaving assistance, the UN announced on Thursday, presenting it’s 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan for the West African country, in coordination with the Government and aid partners.
‘Education transforms lives’ says UN chief on first-ever International Day
Jan 25, 2019, at 10:02 am
New York, Jan 25 (IBNS): Education is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development because it gives people across the world the skills needed to realize all 17 Global Goals (SDGs), said the UN chief on Thursday, marking the first-ever International Day of Education.
Jan 25, 2019, at 09:57 am
New York, Jan 25 (IBNS): The world’s problems are “more and more integrated” but the response to them is increasingly “fragmented” and “dysfunctional”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday, in an appeal for governments and other partners to respond to people’s grievances and recommit to international cooperation.
Extreme weather hit 60 million people in 2018, no part of the world spared
Jan 25, 2019, at 09:48 am
New York, Jan 25 (IBNS): With some 60 million people affected by extreme weather in 2018, according to a new study, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) called for better management of the issue worldwide, in a statement published on Thursday.
UN chief calls on Venezuela’s politicians to ‘avoid escalation’, end suffering of the people
Jan 25, 2019, at 09:44 am
New York, Jan 25 (IBNS): Reports of violence and casualties linked to unrest in Venezuela should be investigated transparently and independently, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday, before calling for calm.
Angola decriminalizes same-sex conduct
Jan 25, 2019, at 09:40 am
Luanda, Jan 25 (IBNS): Angola has finally shed the divisive “vices against nature” provision in its law, widely interpreted to be a ban on homosexual conduct, Human Rights Watch said.
‘No country, no region’ can tackle global challenges alone says UN’s Mohammed
Jan 24, 2019, at 08:58 am
New York, Jan 24 (IBNS): Against the backdrop of seemingly endless challenges across the world, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a conference of development-minded partners in Nigeria that “no country, no region” could tackle them alone
Jan 24, 2019, at 08:55 am
New York, Jan 24 (IBNS): Children are likely among the dead during a month of nationwide protests in Sudan with “scores” of others injured and detained, according to a top UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) official, who spelled out that “children should never be targeted nor used or exploited”.
Central African Republic militia leader and football executive, transferred to ICC
Jan 24, 2019, at 08:52 am
New York, Jan 24 (IBNS): Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona, the coordinator of a mainly Christian militia faction in the Central African Republic and a senior African football executive, has been transferred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face accusations of crimes against humanity and war crimes.