Hong Kong: Draft law on national security must comply with rights obligations

Jun 20, 2020, at 04:44 pm

New York/IBNS: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday that her office was closely following developments as China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress, holds talks on a proposed national security law for Hong Kong.

Without funds, ‘no choice’ but to suspend most aid flights, warns WFP

Jun 20, 2020, at 04:40 pm

New York/IBNS: A critical warning was issued by the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) on Friday, declaring that it may soon have “no choice” but to suspend “most” of its critical aid flights, because of a lack of funding.

New UN report offers blueprint for greener, more resilient world of work

Jun 20, 2020, at 04:33 pm

New York/IBNS: Jobs, livelihoods and the well-being of workers, families and businesses across the globe, continue to take a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic; with micro, small and medium enterprises in particular, suffering the dire economic consequences, according to a new policy brief released by the UN on Friday.

Reconsider decision on imposing national security law on Hong Kong: G7 Foreign Ministers urge China

Jun 20, 2020, at 09:52 am

Hong Kong:  Foreign Ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) member countries have asked China to reconsider its decision to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong.

World Refugee Day: End conflict that drives ‘appalling’ displacement numbers

Jun 20, 2020, at 09:09 am

New York/IBNS: UN Secretary-General António Guterres has reminded countries of their fundamental obligation to protect the nearly 80 million people worldwide forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution and other crises.

Uyghur 'Imams' most vulnerable to persecution in China, claim victims

Jun 19, 2020, at 08:22 pm

Beijing:  Uyghur victims’ families and scholars have claimed that religious leaders belonging to their community have become most vulnerable to persecution at the hands of the Chinese community in Xinjiang province of northwest China.

European Union chief diplomat calls for EU-US dialogue to counter Beijing

Jun 19, 2020, at 08:14 pm

Brussels: A key European Union diplomat this week called for talks between Europe and the US with an aim to forge a common transatlantic front against China.

China charges two Canadians with spying

Jun 19, 2020, at 05:22 pm

Beijing/UNI: Prosecutors in China on Friday have officially charged two Canadian nationals working as business executives in the country with spying.

Two police officers seriously injured in New Zealand's West Auckland gun shooting incident

Jun 19, 2020, at 05:04 pm

Auckland/New Zealand/Xinhua: Two officers were shot and seriously injured in a shooting incident in New Zealand's West Auckland, the police said on Friday.

Australia under sophisticated cyber attack, says PM Scott Morrison

Jun 19, 2020, at 05:00 pm

Canberra/UNI: Australia's PM Scott Morrison on Friday informed that the country was currently facing a sophisticated state based cyber attack.

3 killed in gas blast in China's Liaoning

Jun 19, 2020, at 04:53 pm

Shenyang/Xinhua: Three people were killed and four others injured after a gas explosion in a residential building in Dandong City, northeast China's Liaoning Province early Friday.

China fumes, Uighurs rejoice after Trump passes law to punish Chinese crackdown on Uighur Muslims

Jun 18, 2020, at 08:35 pm

Beijing/Washington: Cornered worldwide over the Covid-19 fiasco, China is now fuming after yet another setback as the United States passed a legislation to punish the Chinese crackdown on Uighur Muslims, media reports said.

UN refugee chief laments nearly 80 million people forcibly displaced

Jun 18, 2020, at 08:05 pm

New York: Global displacement reached a staggering 79.5 million people last year - almost double the number of people in crisis registered a decade ago – owing to war, violence, persecution and other emergencies, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Thursday.

Turkish diplomat elected President of historic 75th UN General Assembly

Jun 18, 2020, at 07:51 pm

New York/IBNS: Turkish diplomat Volkan Bozkir was elected President of the forthcoming session of the UN General Assembly in a vote held on Wednesday that was emblematic of its time.

Fire accident kills 7 in central China

Jun 17, 2020, at 04:52 pm

Beijing/Xinhua/UNI: Seven people were killed after a fire broke out on Wednesday morning in Shuangfeng County, central China's Hunan Province, according to the local publicity department.

Facebook CEO Zuckerberg to allow users to switch off political ads in new voting campaign

Jun 17, 2020, at 04:18 pm

Washington/Sputnik: Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Tuesday that his social networks will be launching a campaign to increase voter turnout in the upcoming US presidential election and that they will be introducing a feature to block all political ads.

Conviction of Filipino journalist ‘a new low’, says independent UN expert

Jun 17, 2020, at 09:20 am

New York/IBNS: The conviction of prominent Filipino journalist Maria Ressa has been described by an independent UN expert as “a new low in the Philippines’ protection of the freedom of expression” and “the ability of an independent media to function in the country”.

Syrian refugees resort to ever more desperate measures to resist pandemic impact

Jun 17, 2020, at 09:12 am

New York/IBNS: The COVID-19 crisis has caused a dramatic spike in the number of Syrian refugees in need of emergency assistance in the last three months, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday, in an appeal for funding to confront new challenges posed by the health emergency.

Palestine accuses Netanyahu of misleading world on annexation plan

Jun 16, 2020, at 07:38 pm

Ramallah/Xinhua: The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of misleading the world regarding his government's plan to annex the Palestinian lands.

French court receives 84 complaints over government's handling of COVID-19 crisis

Jun 16, 2020, at 06:28 pm

Moscow/Sputnik: The Court of Justice of the French Republic (CJR) has received 84 complaints to date against the government regarding its management of the coronavirus crisis, Attorney General at the Court of Cassation Francois Molins said on Tuesday.

Iraq: UN probe into ISIL atrocities making ‘real progress’, Security Council hears

Jun 16, 2020, at 04:42 pm

New York/IBNS; The special UN Investigative Team probing ISIL atrocities in Iraq is making “real progress,” its chief said on Monday, as it begins to pinpoint the perpetrators of some of the worst crimes committed by the terrorist group during its years-long occupation of large swathes of the country.

China's economy to continue recovery in H2: analysts

Jun 16, 2020, at 04:34 pm

Beijing/Xinhua/UNI:  China's economy will see continued recovery in the second half of this year amid a rebound in both investment and consumption, analysts said.

Children caught in conflict facing ‘brutality and fear while the world watches’

Jun 16, 2020, at 04:32 pm

New York/IBNS: Boys and girls used and abused in armed conflict have had their childhoods replaced by “pain, brutality and fear while the world watches”, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, said on Monday.

Russia charges noted scientist with treason for passing state secrets to China

Jun 16, 2020, at 03:22 pm

Moscow: Russia has charged a top scientist of the country with treason after accusing him of passing state secrets to China.

Human Rights Council picks up again after COVID suspension, to hold racism debate

Jun 16, 2020, at 10:02 am

New York/IBNS: After a three month long COVID-19-enforced break, the Human Rights Council resumed on Monday, giving the green light to a rare Urgent Debate on racism, alleged police brutality and violence against protesters sickened by the killing of American George Floyd in police custody.

Russian teenager detained on suspicion of planning school attack

Jun 16, 2020, at 09:27 am

Moscow/Xinhua/UNI: The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a 14-year-old boy suspected of plotting a school attack in the city of Volgograd, the Russian Investigative Committee said Monday.

Mysterious green fireball above Australia's outback leaves experts baffled

Jun 15, 2020, at 06:03 pm

Canberra/Xinhua/UNI: A mysterious, green colored fireball flew across the sky of Australia's remote outback on Monday, stunning onlookers and leaving local experts baffled about its origins.

Afghanistan: Eleven Taliban militants, others killed

Jun 15, 2020, at 05:25 pm

Kabul/UNI: At least four members of the public uprising forces and 11 Taliban militants have been killed in clashes in northeastern Kapisa province, Mohammad Hussain Sanjini, head of provincial council, said on Monday.

UK set to let all shops reopen after three months of COVID-19 quarantine on Monday

Jun 15, 2020, at 09:49 am

London/Sputnik: Non-food stores in the United Kingdom are due to resume operations on Monday after almost three months of coronavirus-impelled closure along with a set of other measures marking the country's return to pre-pandemic life in line with Prime Minister Boris Johnson's order in the end of May.

UN chief in ‘support migrants’ plea, as remittances drop by 20 per cent predicted

Jun 15, 2020, at 09:17 am

New York: Marking International Day of Family Remittances, The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has released a message appealing for “people everywhere” to support migrants, at a time when remittances – the money migrants send home to support their families – have fallen by more than $100 billion, causing hunger, lost schooling and deteriorating health, for tens of millions of families.