Mahinda Rajapaksa resigns as Sri Lankan PM
Dec 15, 2018, at 06:09 pm
Colombo, Dec 15 (IBNS): Ending the seven weeks political drama, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday resigned from his position.
UN countries unanimously support initiative of the Uzbekistan President on tolerance and harmony
Dec 15, 2018, at 05:18 pm
New York, Dec 15 (IBNS): On December 12, 2018, the UN General Assembly has adopted a special resolution “Enlightenment and religious tolerance” at its plenary session. The document, the draft of which was developed by Uzbekistan, was unanimously supported by all UN member states.
US: Man charged with hate crime over assaulting Indian-origin woman
Dec 15, 2018, at 04:21 pm
New York, Dec 15 (IBNS): Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced on Saturday that a Manhattan man has been charged with assault as a hate crime in a subway attack on a female who was riding a Manhattan bound E train last month, officials said.
Afghanistan: 4 gunmen arrested in Kabul
Dec 15, 2018, at 04:14 pm
Kabul, Dec 15 (IBNS): Four people have been arrested from Afghanistan capital Kabul city over charges of kidnapping and armed clash, media reports said on Saturday.
Six Pakistani soldiers killed in Turbat operation: ISPR
Dec 15, 2018, at 03:59 pm
Islamabad, Dec 15 (IBNS): Six Pakistani security officials were killed while four terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire in Turbat, Balochistan, confirmed the country's Inter-Services Public Relations.
Afghanistan: Gun attack on funeral prayers kills 4
Dec 15, 2018, at 09:30 am
Kaul, Dec 15 (IBNS): A gun attack on a funeral prayers in northern Balkh province of Afghanistan left at least four people killed on Friday, media reports said on Saturday.
Peacekeeping chief honours Tanzanian troops in Zanzibar, a year on from deadly DR Congo attacks
Dec 15, 2018, at 09:28 am
New York, Dec 15 (IBNS): A year on from the brutal killings of 15 United Nations peacekeepers from Tanzania in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the head of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) paid a visit to some of the victims’ families on Friday, to honour the memory of the soldiers who died in what was the biggest single loss of ‘blue helmets’ in recent history.
Preparing Africa for ravages of climate change ‘cannot be an afterthought’ – COP24
Dec 15, 2018, at 09:26 am
New York, Dec 15 (IBNS): Africa is at a “tipping point” as global warming increases, and urgent action needs to be taken across the continent now, to mitigate risks and safeguard a decade of social and economic gains, according to a new report launched on Thursday by the United Nations Development Agency (UNDP) at the COP24 climate conference, in Katowice, Poland.
Security Council welcomes Yemen breakthrough, but lasting peace remains a ‘daunting task’
Dec 15, 2018, at 09:24 am
New York, Dec 15 (IBNS): Senior UN officials briefed the Security Council on the details of a UN-brokered ceasefire in Yemen on Friday in and around the key port city of Hudaydah, which is expected to restore a humanitarian lifeline to millions across the country, and kickstart imports of commercial goods.
UN investigates systematic sexual violence across South Sudan
Dec 15, 2018, at 09:20 am
New York, Dec 15 (IBNS): Widespread and systematic sexual violence across South Sudan, just a few months after the country’s top two politicians signed a renewed commitment to peace, was at the top of the UN Commission on Human Rights in the country’s agenda on Friday, as members ended their first fact-finding mission.
DR Congo elections: ‘Excessive use of force’ in campaign must be avoided, says Bachelet
Dec 15, 2018, at 09:17 am
New York,Dec 15 (IBNS): Deadly pre-election violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) sparked by police reportedly firing live ammunition at opposition supporters, has been condemned by the UN’s top rights official, Michelle Bachelet.
Yemen ceasefire deal: ‘Potential’ now to restore humanitarian lifeline to millions
Dec 15, 2018, at 09:15 am
New York, Dec 15 (IBNS): The freshly agreed Yemen ceasefire deal covering the key Red Sea governorates of Hudaydah and Taiz has been welcomed by the World Food Programme (WFP), which on Friday expressed hope that it would improve access for humanitarians and, just as crucially, commercial shipping.
UN agencies launch emergency plan for millions of Venezuelan refugees and migrants
Dec 15, 2018, at 09:13 am
New York, Dec 15 (IBNS): A new plan to cover the urgent needs of millions of Venezuelan refugees and migrants, coordinated by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), was launchedin Geneva on Friday.
Nepal bans use of high-value Indian currency notes
Dec 14, 2018, at 10:24 pm
Kathmandu, Dec 14 (IBNS): Nepal has banned the use of Indian currency notes higher than 100 denomination.
Sri Lanka: PM Rajapaksa to step down, says son
Dec 14, 2018, at 08:04 pm
Colombo, Dec 14 (IBNS): Sri Lanka Prime Minister Mahindra Rajapaksa will step down on Saturday, said his son Namal Rajapaksa, in what is the latest development in the island nation's turbulent political scenario over the past several months.
Canada: Brampton lawmakers meet seniors to understand their needs
Dec 14, 2018, at 07:39 pm
Brampton, Dec 14 (IBNS): Liberal Party lawmakers from Brampton along with Minister of Seniors Filomena Tassi and members of Parliament Ruby Sahota and Sonia Sidhu were invited to the Seniors Town hall here last Sunday to understand the needs of the the aged and develop better programs and services for them, media reports said.
US: Border Patrol arrests gang members and sex offenders in the Rio Grande Valley
Dec 14, 2018, at 06:51 pm
Texas, Dec 14 (IBNS): U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley arrested two gang members and two child predators in less than 24 hours.
Afghanistan: Police capture two while planting landmine
Dec 14, 2018, at 06:06 pm
Kabul, Dec 14 (IBNS): Afghanistan police officials have arrested two people while they were plating a landmine in central Parwan province of the country on Friday, media reports said.
Senate votes to condemn Saudi crown prince for Khashoggi killing
Dec 14, 2018, at 02:14 pm
Washington DC, Dec 14 (IBNS) : The US Senate on Thursday delivered back-to-back rebukes of President Trump’s affinity with Saudi Arabia, first voting to end U.S. participation in the Saudi-led war in Yemen and then unanimously approving a resolution blaming the kingdom’s crown prince for the ghastly killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, The Washington Post said.
US House of Representatives calls Myanmar crimes against Rohingya are genocide
Dec 14, 2018, at 10:13 am
Washington, Dec 14 (IBNS): The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a resolution labeling Burmese military’s atrocities against the Rohingya people genocide.
French security officials kill Strasbourg's Christmas market suspect
Dec 14, 2018, at 09:41 am
Paris, Dec 14 (IBNS): The key suspect in Strasbourg's Christmas market on Tuesday has been shot dead by the French police, media reports said on Friday.
Civilian death toll continues to mount in Syria, UN relief chief tells Security Council
Dec 14, 2018, at 09:03 am
New York, Dec 14 (IBNS): Although the overall intensity of violence in Syria has decreased, civilians continue to be killed by air and ground-based strikes, Mark Lowcock, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs told the Security Council on Thursday, during a briefing on the current situation in Syria.
Rising insecurity in Central Africa Republic threatens wider region, Security Council told
Dec 14, 2018, at 09:00 am
New York, Dec 14 (IBNS): Rising violence in the Central African Republic threatens to spill across the border into neighbouring countries, creating further instability, a senior United Nations official warned on Thursday, urging continued and coordinated regional efforts to bolster peace and security.
Four million Syrian children have only known war since birth: UNICEF
Dec 14, 2018, at 08:56 am
New York, Dec 14 (IBNS): Half of Syria’s children, that’s four million, have grown up only knowing a life of violence, as the war-battered country enters its eighth year of conflict, the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday.
Yemen talks: Truce agreed over key port city of Hudaydah
Dec 14, 2018, at 08:48 am
New York, Dec 14 (IBNS): The announcement of a ceasefire between Yemen’s warring parties in and around the key port of Hudaydah, was hailed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday as a deal which would improve the lives of millions of people.
Drone strikes leave at least 15 militants dead in Afghanistan
Dec 13, 2018, at 12:46 pm
Kabul, Dec 13 (IBNS) : The U.S. forces have carried out a series of airstrikes in southeastern Ghazni and Paktika provinces of the country, leaving at least 15 militants dead.
Haiti: ‘Laden with challenges’ but also hope, Mission chief tells Security Council
Dec 13, 2018, at 09:22 am
New York, Dec 13 (IBNS): Haiti is “laden with challenges, but also hope”, the head of the UN Mission in the country told the Security Council on Wednesday, against the backdrop of on-going political unrest in the Caribbean country.
‘Fire-fighting approach’ to humanitarian aid ‘not sustainable’: Deputy UN chief
Dec 13, 2018, at 09:19 am
New York, Dec 13 (IBNS): With around one in every 60 people across the world caught up in a crisis that requires urgent humanitarian assistance, the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a top panel on the issue on Wednesday that maintaining a “fire-fighting approach is not sustainable” in the long term.
‘Staunch support’ for Iran nuclear deal tempered by concern over missile testing
Dec 13, 2018, at 09:13 am
New York, Dec 13 (IBNS): While there is “staunch support” among Member States for the 2016 Iran nuclear deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, that is tempered by concerns over some of its other activities, which Iran “should carefully consider and address” according to the latest report on the deal from the UN Secretary-General.
Prisoner executions in Belarus ‘simply unacceptable’, says UN rights body
Dec 13, 2018, at 09:09 am
New York, Dec 13 (IBNS): The continued use of the death penalty in Belarus has been condemned by an authoritative UN rights body after three men were reportedly executed there, despite its requests for clemency.