Jan 24, 2019, at 08:50 am
New York, Jan 24 (IBNS): Two years after the signing of the historic peace agreement in Colombia and following a recent escalation of violence, the newly-appointed representative of the United Nations in the country, told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that its people have established a “broad consensus” against further conflict, before highlighting key steps to stabilize the nation.
Jan 24, 2019, at 08:45 am
New York, Jan 24 (IBNS): Key discussions among global decision-makers and influencers have taken place at the UN in Geneva this week, aiming to limit the growing risk of international cyber-attacks while promoting the advantages of digital technology, amid a call by the UN chief for “bold, innovative ideas”
Crucial medical supplies airlifted to north-east Syria to meet ‘desperate need’
Jan 24, 2019, at 08:41 am
New York, Jan 24 (IBNS): In response to the growing health needs of people in north-east Syria, the World Health Organization (WHO) has airlifted urgent medical supplies to the region, for the second time this month.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev- Merkel meeting: Agreements reached on projects worth over 8 billion euros
Jan 23, 2019, at 10:19 am
Tashkent, Jan 23 (IBNS): Before the negotiations between the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, a briefing was held for mass media representatives.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev held negotiations with Angela Merkel
Jan 23, 2019, at 10:13 am
Tashkent, Jan 23 (IBNS): President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held negotiations with the Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel.
Mediterranean migrant drownings should spur greater action by European countries, urge UN agencies
Jan 23, 2019, at 10:05 am
New York, Jan 23 (IBNS): A spate of migrant shipwrecks and rescues in the Mediterranean Sea in recent days is evidence that urgent action is required from European States to address the issue, the UN said on Tuesday
‘Countless opportunities’ for new people-centred workplace, but ‘decisive action’ critical
Jan 23, 2019, at 10:00 am
New York, Jan 23 (IBNS): Unprecedented innovations in the world of work provide “countless opportunities” but unless they are embraced through action, inequality and uncertainty will only widen in the workplace, according to a landmark new International Labour Organization (ILO) report released on Tuesday.
Amending Guatemala ‘reconciliation law’ would lead to unjust amnesty, warns Bachelet
Jan 23, 2019, at 09:58 am
New York, Jan 23 (IBNS): A bid to give amnesty to all those found guilty of grave human rights crimes during Guatemala’s decades-long civil war, by amending the National Reconciliation Law, could represent a “drastic set-back” to the whole legal system and overall accountability, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet has said.
Hopes for Palestinian State hit by ‘facts on the ground’ : senior UN official
Jan 23, 2019, at 09:55 am
New York, Jan 23 (IBNS): The possibility of establishing a “viable, contiguous Palestinian state” has been “systematically eroded by facts on the ground,” Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council on Tuesday, ahead of the quarterly open debate on the Middle East (Israel/Palestine).
New UN bullying report calls for ‘safe, inclusive’ schools for all children
Jan 23, 2019, at 09:52 am
New York, Jan 23 (IBNS): The emotional and physical pain brought on by bullying can be excruciating, yet this behavior continues to abound in schools globally, according to a new report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that is calling for all children to have access to a "safe, inclusive” learning environment.
Nigeria: Armed conflict continues to uproot thousands, driving up humanitarian need
Jan 23, 2019, at 09:48 am
New York, Jan 23 (IBNS): Since November, more than 80,000 Nigerians have been forcibly displaced due to ongoing violence in the north-east, adding to two million people already displaced by violence, or forced across the country’s borders as refugees, the UN humanitarian coordination office (OCHA) said on Tuesday.
Russian bomber crashes during training flight, 3 die
Jan 23, 2019, at 09:35 am
Moscow, Jan 23 (IBNS): Three Russian bomber crew members died after their plane crash-landed in northwestern Russia’s Murmansk Region, media reports said on Wednesday.
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China reduces army troops by half in modern overhaul
Jan 22, 2019, at 11:37 pm
Beijing, Jan 22 (IBNS): China has reduced its army by an "unprecedented" 50 per cent and the number of its officers by 30 per cent, South China Morning Post said, citing the country's official Xinhua news agency.
Taiwan's 'Bikini Climber' Gigi Wu dies
Jan 22, 2019, at 05:24 pm
Taipei, Jan 22 (IBNS): Taiwan's "Bikini Climber" Gigi Wu died from suspected hypothermia after falling down from Yushan national park, media reports said on Tuesday.
‘Compelling case’ for urgency around global disarmament, UN-led forum told
Jan 22, 2019, at 10:15 am
New York, Jan 22 (IBNS): Michael Møller, head of the UN in Geneva, has warned delegates to the Conference on Disarmament that cyber-security challenges, and the existence of new weapons systems and technologies, are not being sufficiently addressed or reflected in current arms control regimes.
World’s human rights watchdog spotlights Afghanistan, Yemen and 12 others: Here’s the scoop
Jan 22, 2019, at 10:11 am
New York, Jan 22 (IBNS): The United Nation Human Rights Council (HRC) kicked off its Universal Periodic Review, or UPR, on Monday at the Palais des Nations in Geneva to examine the human rights situation in 14 countries, including Afghanistan and Yemen.
Human rights are ‘key’ for economic policymaking says UN expert
Jan 22, 2019, at 10:01 am
New York, Jan 22 (IBNS): Calling on governments to take human rights obligations into account when designing economic reforms, an independent United Nations rights expert said on Monday that “human rights impact assessments are key to the process”.
Ten UN peacekeepers killed in a terrorist attack in northern Mali
Jan 21, 2019, at 08:33 am
New York, Jan 21 (IBNS): Ten ‘blue helmets’ from the United Nations Stabilization Mission In Mali (MINUSMA) were killed on Sunday following a complex terrorist attack against the mission’s camp in Aguelhok, in the Kidal region, northern Mali.
Israeli museum to remove sculpture depicting Ronald McDonald as Jesus following violence
Jan 21, 2019, at 12:00 am
Jerusalem, Jan 20 (IBNS): An Israeli museum triggered a controversy over an artwork which showcased a sculpture depicting the McDonald’s mascot as the crucified Jesus, forcing officials to remove it following violent protest by Christian minorities of the nation.
World's 'oldest man' Masazo Nonaka dies in Japan
Jan 20, 2019, at 11:22 pm
Tokyo, Jan 20 (IBNS): Masazo Nonaka, the Japanese man who was certified by Guinness World Records in April 2018 as the world's oldest living man at 112 years and 259 days, passed away on Sunday, media reports said.
Unknown gunmen kill Thai Buddhist monks in temple located in Muslim Malays majority area
Jan 20, 2019, at 07:37 pm
Bangkok, Jan 20 (IBNS): Unknown gunmen attacked and shot dead two Buddhist monks in a Thailand temple located at Su Ngai Padi district of Narathiwat province, triggering tension in the area which has seen clashes between ethnic Malay-Muslim rebels and the Buddhist-majority Thai state over the years.
Mexico: UN chief saddened by pipeline blast in which dozens were killed
Jan 20, 2019, at 08:53 am
New York, Jan 20 (IBNS): The United Nations' Secretary-General, António Guterres, learned with sadness of the deadly explosion of an oil pipeline on Friday in Hidalgo State, Mexico, and extended the UN's assistance to the national authorities, his Spokesman said on Saturday.
Jan 20, 2019, at 08:42 am
New York, Jan 20 (IBNS): The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, stated on Saturday that “no effort should be spared” in saving lives at sea, following reports of two new shipwrecks on the Mediterranean Sea, in which some 170 people either died or went missing.
Jan 19, 2019, at 09:42 am
New York, Jan 19 (IBNS): Calling on the Myanmar Government to “immediately reverse its decision not to allow access to all humanitarian organizations”, the United Nations expert on human rights in the South-East Asian country said on Friday, that “it’s vital that assistance is able to reach those who have fled violence in the region”.
Thousands returning to Nigeria’s restive Borno state ‘at risk’; UN ‘gravely concerned’
Jan 19, 2019, at 09:39 am
New York, Jan 19 (IBNS): Amid reports that Cameroon is forcing several thousand Nigerians to return to Borno state in the country’s crisis-gripped north-east, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) deplored the move, saying it has put lives “at risk”.
Libyan authorities must shoulder the burden to support country’s ‘vulnerable’ south
Jan 19, 2019, at 09:34 am
New York, Jan 19 (IBNS): Despite years of promises to address the “vulnerable heart” of Libya – the country’s south – conditions around its water and oil resource wealth have continued to deteriorate at “an alarming rate”, the United Nations envoy for the country told the Security Council.
UN agency chief calls Ethiopia’s revised refugee law ‘one of most progressive’ in Africa
Jan 19, 2019, at 09:30 am
New York, Jan 19 (IBNS): Ethiopia has revised its existing refugee law, making it easier to obtain work permits, drivers’ licenses and access primary school, a move being hailed by the head of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).
Jan 19, 2019, at 09:27 am
New York, Jan 19 (IBNS): Warning against the dangers of widespread fear and mistrust in our planet, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, told journalists on Friday he wants to reaffirm the UN as a “platform for action to repair broken trust in a broken world.”
UN rights office calls on Zimbabwe Government to end ‘crackdown’ in response to fuel protests
Jan 19, 2019, at 09:25 am
New York, Jan 19 (IBNS): In Zimbabwe, violence and the reported use of live ammunition by State security officials against protesters that has led to “a number of deaths” should be investigated thoroughly and transparently by the Government, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday.
Two Russian fighter jets collide mid-air, one pilot rescued
Jan 18, 2019, at 05:36 pm
Moscow, Jan 18 (IBNS): Two Russian fighter jets collided mid-air in the Far East, media reports said on Friday.