‘New and dangerous’ global risks require multilateral solutions, Guterres tells Italian Senate

Dec 19, 2019, at 09:30 am

New York/IBNS: Shifting balances of power are triggering “new and dangerous risks”, the UN chief told the Italian Senate in Rome on Wednesday, pointing to the need for more coordinated international responses, focused on solutions.

Misery for Venezuelans continues ahead of 2020 elections: UN rights chief Bachelet

Dec 19, 2019, at 09:00 am

New York/IBNS: Demonstrations in Venezuela must be allowed to take place ahead of elections in 2020, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Wednesday, citing continued reports of harassment, threats, and detention by intelligence services and security forces.

Car bomb goes off in rebel-held area in NE Syria, leaving casualties

Dec 18, 2019, at 05:41 pm

Damascus/Xinhua/UNI:  A car bomb went off in the countryside of the rebel-held Ras al-Ayn city in northeastern Syria on Wednesday, leaving unknown numbers of casualties, state news agency SANA reported.

Death toll from Hong Kong bus mishap toches six

Dec 18, 2019, at 05:40 pm

Hong Kong/Xinhua/UNI:  Death toll from the bus crash in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday afternoon has risen to six after a female succumbed to her injury, according to local authorities.

Three killed in gunmen attacks in Iraq

Dec 18, 2019, at 05:38 pm

Baghdad/Xinhua/UNI: A total of three people were killed in separate attacks in the Iraqi provinces of Diyala and Nineveh, security sources said on Wednesday.

Bangladesh: 2 people arrested over murder of Chinese businessman

Dec 18, 2019, at 03:30 pm

Dhaka/IBNS: Bangladesh police have arrested two persons in connection with the murder of a Chinese businessman in Dhaka city recently.

Nearly 2 Mln Syrian refugees return home due to Russia's assistance - General Staff

Dec 18, 2019, at 10:29 am

Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: Nearly 500,000 Syrian refugees and 1.3 million internally displaced Syrians have returned home over the past one and a half year due to the assistance of the Russian Defense Ministry, the chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov said at a briefing for foreign military attaches.

Boris Johnson bans UK ministers from visiting world Economic Forum in Davos: reports

Dec 18, 2019, at 10:26 am

Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has banned ministers from attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos slated for January as the government plans to focus on national priority issues, media reported, citing a Downing Street source.

Twelve killed in prison shooting near Panama City

Dec 18, 2019, at 10:23 am

Panama City/Xinhua/UNI: At least 12 prisoners were killed and 13 others injured during a shooting Tuesday in a prison near Panama City, police said.

Two indigenous languages are dying every month: UN Assembly President

Dec 18, 2019, at 10:12 am

New York/IBNS: Despite UN efforts throughout this International Year of Indigenous Languages to highlight the daily disappearance of mother tongues across the world, the President of the General Assembly (PGA) warned on Tuesday that “challenges persist nonetheless”.

South Sudan: political will needed to form a unified government, on the road to peace

Dec 18, 2019, at 10:10 am

New York/IBNS: Extending the deadline for the establishment of a unity government in South Sudan has helped maintain a ceasefire but also disillusioned many  citizens, the Security Council heard on Tuesday.

Bring global migration compact ‘to life’, urges UN chief

Dec 18, 2019, at 09:54 am

New York/IBNS: As “policies shaped more by fear than fact” have caused untold suffering to migrants, the UN Secretary-General is urging countries to realize the goals of a global agreement that promotes enhanced international cooperation on migration.  

Lightning kills 10 in Africa's Malawi

Dec 17, 2019, at 10:58 pm

Lilongwe/Xinhua: At least 10 people have been killed by lightning in Malawi in East Africa since the rain season started in November, a situation weather experts and the police have described as worrisome.

Car blast kills at least one man in Damascus – Syria TV

Dec 17, 2019, at 10:12 am

Damascus/Sputnik/UNI: At least one man was killed in a car explosion in the Syrian capital in the early hours of Tuesday, Syria TV reports.

West Africa ‘shaken by unprecedented violence’, UN envoy tells Security Council

Dec 17, 2019, at 10:00 am

New York/IBNS: The UN envoy for West Africa and the vast Sahel region, told the Security Council on Monday that in recent months, the region has been “shaken by unprecedented violence”.

At this ‘critical moment’, UN chief urges anti-corruption conference to adopt united front

Dec 17, 2019, at 09:51 am

New York/IBNS: As we enter the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world must “unite against corruption” to stop precious resources from being drained by illicit financial flows, an international conference on the issue heard on Monday in Abu Dhabi.

Bold, innovative measures for refugees and their hosts sought, at first ever Global Forum

Dec 17, 2019, at 09:42 am

New York/IBNS: As refugee numbers approach 26 million, heads of state, top UN diplomats, powerful figures from the private sector and civil society are heading to Geneva to agree on “bold, new” ways to help, at the first ever Global Refugee Forum, which got underway on Monday.

Libya's eastern-based army destroys military equipment of UN-backed gov't in Misurata

Dec 16, 2019, at 05:23 pm

Tripoli/Xinhua/UNI: The eastern-based army of Libya on Monday announced launching airstrikes on location in Misurata city, some 200 km east of the capital Tripoli, and destroying military equipment belonging to the UN-backed government forces.

Two cops killed by Islamic State militants in north Iraq

Dec 16, 2019, at 05:06 pm

Baghdad/UNI: Two police personnel were killed by Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq's northern province Kirkuk on Sunday, the Iraqi military said.

Libya's eastern-based army destroys military equipment of UN-backed gov't in Misurata

Dec 16, 2019, at 04:59 pm

Tripoli/Xinhua/UNI: The eastern-based army of Libya on Monday announced launching airstrikes on location in Misurata city, some 200 km east of the capital Tripoli, and destroying military equipment belonging to the UN-backed government forces.

S Korean President discusses denuclearization with US envoy to N Korea: admin

Dec 16, 2019, at 04:43 pm

Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun has held talks on denuclearization efforts, the South Korean presidential administration said in a written briefing on Monday.

Turkey may close two military bases used by US "if necessary": President

Dec 16, 2019, at 03:57 pm

Ankara/Xinhua/UNI:  Turkey may close two military bases where US soldiers are stationed if "necessary," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Traffic accident in northern Ethiopia leaves 13 dead

Dec 16, 2019, at 03:55 pm

Addis Ababa/Xinhua/UNI: A traffic accident in Ethiopia's Amhara regional state in the northern part of the country has left 13 people dead, local authorities said on Monday.

Zimbabwean VP's wife arrested on money laundering, fraud charges

Dec 16, 2019, at 03:54 pm

Harare/Xinhua/UNI: Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga' estranged wife, who was arrested over fraud charges, will appear in court on initial remand on Monday, Zimbabwe's anti-corruption commission said.

One third of poorer countries face both undernutrition and obesity: WHO report

Dec 16, 2019, at 09:56 am

New York/IBNS: With one in three low and middle-income countries facing the two extremes of malnutrition – undernutrition and obesity – the UN’s health agency WHO is calling for a new approach to deal with rapidly changing food systems.

At least 62 arrested for illegal mining in Ghana

Dec 15, 2019, at 09:08 am

Accra/UNI: At least 62 people were arrested on suspicion of illegal mining at the western Ghanaian town of Kenyasi, police said on Saturday.

White Island's volcano eruption death toll hits 15, two still missing

Dec 15, 2019, at 08:46 am

Wellington/Xinhua: A recovery team landing on White Island to search for the two deceased who remained unaccounted for was not able to find the bodies while the death toll of the volcanic eruption increased to 15, the New Zealand Police said on Sunday.

Philippines: Five killed, 33 injured in bus, van collision 

Dec 14, 2019, at 06:17 pm

Manila/Xinhua/UNI: Five people were killed and 33 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a transport van in Quezon province, south of Manila, on Saturday afternoon, police said.

North Korea conducts 'another crucial test'

Dec 14, 2019, at 04:54 pm

Pyongyang/IBNS: North Korea on Saturday said it has conducted "another crucial test" at its satellite launch site, South Korea's Yonhap News agency said.

UN human rights report cites ‘multiple root causes’ of deadly Chile protests

Dec 14, 2019, at 07:24 am

New York/IBNS: During the recent mass protests which led Chile to declare a state of emergency, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a report published on Friday that international human rights norms had been violated by both police and army personnel, which should be prosecuted.