UN concerned by recent wave of attacks in northeast Nigeria
May 10, 2014, at 05:19 pm
New York, May 10 (IBNS): The United Nations refugee agency said on Friday it is alarmed at the recent wave of attacks on civilians in north-east Nigeria which has led to population displacement both inside the country and into neighbouring States.
UNICEF concerned over education system in CAR
May 10, 2014, at 05:16 pm
New York, May 10 (IBNS): More than half way through the 12-month school year, almost two thirds of schools in the conflict-ridden Central African Republic (CAR) remain closed, according to a recent survey by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and its partners.
UN appeals for urgent funding in Somalia
May 10, 2014, at 05:13 pm
New York, May 10 (IBNS): Poor rains, high food prices and ongoing conflict have intersected to push Somalia once gain to the brink of crisis, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in the country said on Friday, warning that without immediate action, the fragile food security situation could worsen in the coming months, especially if funding shortages force essential projects to shut down.
UNSC demands immediate release of abducted Nigerian girls
May 10, 2014, at 05:11 pm
New York, May 10 (IBNS): The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday demanded the "immediate and unconditional" release of the schoolgirls abducted a few weeks ago by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria, and called on the international community to work closely with the authorities to ensure their safe return.
UN urges Azerbaijan to drop charges against rights defenders
May 10, 2014, at 05:08 pm
New York, May 10 (IBNS): Three human rights defenders facing 12 years in prison for charges brought against them in the aftermath of Azerbaijan's 2013 presidential elections have drawn the serious concern of United Nations independent experts.
UN counts on Catholic Church to help promote dignity for all
May 10, 2014, at 05:05 pm
New York, May 10 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday hailed the personal commitment of Pope Francis I to eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development, and said he counted on the Catholic Church to continue working closely with the United Nations to promote a life of dignity for all.
US: Former eBay executive pleads guilty to insider trading charges
May 10, 2014, at 03:45 pm
Philadelphia, May 10 (IBNS) Christopher Saridakis, 45, of Wilmington Delaware, pleaded guilty on Friday to securities fraud for giving another person confidential information about a company’s stock.
Nigeria: In wake of abductions, Ban set to send high-level envoy
May 09, 2014, at 05:41 pm
New York, May 9 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday voiced his deep concern at the fate of the recently kidnapped schoolgirls in Nigeria during a phone call with the country's President, Goodluck Jonathan, who has accepted the United Nations chief's offer to send a high-level envoy to discuss how the world body can support the Government tackle internal challenges.
UN concerned over disparity in access to clean water, sanitation
May 09, 2014, at 05:38 pm
New York, May 9 (IBNS): Despite a narrowing disparity in access to cleaner water and better sanitation between rural and urban areas, sharp inequalities still persist around the world, says a new United Nations report.
Ban congratulates South Africa on peaceful polls
May 09, 2014, at 05:36 pm
New York, May 9 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has congratulated the people and Government of South Africa on the peaceful holding of parliamentary and provincial elections, amid reports of high voter turnout.
UNSC creates new medal to honour courage of personnel
May 09, 2014, at 05:33 pm
New York, May 9 (IBNS): The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday decided to create 'the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage' in honour of a United Nations peacekeeper credited with saving hundreds of, perhaps even a thousand, Rwandans from death during the 1994 genocide.
South Sudan: UN reports gross rights abuses in conflict
May 09, 2014, at 05:30 pm
New York, May 9 (IBNS): Gross human rights abuses have been committed by both sides in the brutal conflict that erupted in South Sudan at the end of last year, including rapes, mass killings and torture, and, according to a new United Nations report released on Thursday, civilians were not only caught up in the violence, they were directly targeted, often along ethnic lines.
Syria: UN urges complete removal of chemical weapons
May 09, 2014, at 05:27 pm
New York, May 9 (IBNS): The head of the Joint Mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations (OPCW-UN) on Thursday called for safe and unfettered access to the remaining eight per cent of Syria's chemical weapons material that needs to be removed and destroyed.
UN wraps up Pakistan visit with calls to support for insecurity
May 09, 2014, at 05:24 pm
New York, May 9 (IBNS): Wrapping up a mission to Pakistan that included time in the country's tribal region, where the protracted suffering of the displaced is "heart-wrenching," a senior United Nations humanitarian official on Thursday stressed the need for more support to millions of people affected by insecurity, natural disasters and chronic malnutrition in the country.
DR Congo: UN disappointed over mass rape verdict
May 09, 2014, at 05:21 pm
New York, May 9 (IBNS): The United Nations envoy on sexual violence in conflict on Thursday voiced her disappointment that only two people were convicted of rape during the recent trial of 39 soldiers and officers charged with committing crimes in and around the town of Minova in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) two years ago.
Ban appoints deputy head of UN Guinea-Bissau office
May 09, 2014, at 05:18 pm
New York, May 9 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday appointed Marco Carmignani of Brazil as his Deputy Special Representative with the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS).
Washington man sentenced for robbing banks
May 09, 2014, at 03:16 pm
Washington, May 9 (IBNS) Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Keith McBride, age 25, of Washington, D.C., on Thursday to 42 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to commit bank robbery.
Boko Haram should learn Islam: Malala
May 09, 2014, at 02:20 am
London, May 8 (IBNS) Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai has said militant group Boko Haram, which has abducted more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria, have not studied Islam yet and they should do it immediately.
Pakistan: 2 killed in explosion
May 09, 2014, at 12:25 am
Quetta, May 8 (IBNS): At least two people were killed in an explosion in Pakistan's Quetta city on Thursday, media reports said.
Ban seeks end to hunger at food committee meet
May 08, 2014, at 05:31 pm
New York, May 8 (IBNS): Having just met with displaced, war-weary South Sudanese sheltering in United Nations compounds, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday urged immediate help to end hunger and malnutrition around the world, warning that up to a million people could be at risk of famine in a matter of months.
UNSC urges measures to keep chemical weapons away from terrorists
May 08, 2014, at 05:28 pm
New York, May 8 (IBNS): While Governments around the world are working hard to keep weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of terrorists, a decade after adopting a landmark resolution on the issue, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday said that it "remains gravely concerned by the threat of terrorism, and the risk that non-State actors may acquire, develop, traffic in or use nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and their means of delivery."
Philippines: UN works with communities to rebuild lives
May 08, 2014, at 05:26 pm
New York, May 8 (IBNS): Six months after Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines, while signs of recovery are starting to emerge, progress remains fragile, the United Nations on Wednesday said urging continued international support for the 14 million people affected.
Kenya: UN seeks equitable approach to solve IDP situation
May 08, 2014, at 05:22 pm
New York, May 8 (IBNS): The United Nations independent expert tasked by the Human Rights Council to look into conditions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) on Wednesday ended his visit to Kenya with a call for a more rigorous and equitable approach to solving the IDP situation in that East African country.
UNESCO urges inclusion of free expression in development goals
May 08, 2014, at 05:20 pm
New York, May 8 (IBNS): A world conference convened by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has adopted a Declaration highlighting the contribution of free expression to contemporary democracy, sustainable and human rights-centred development and economic growth.
Ban appoints officials to key development posts
May 08, 2014, at 05:17 pm
New York, May 8 (IBNS): United Nations' development efforts got a boost on Wednesday with the appointment of key positions in the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and at the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
UN urges insurgent group to release Nigerian schoolgirls
May 08, 2014, at 05:14 pm
New York, May 8 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's top envoy on children and armed conflict expressed deep concern about the fate of the 230 girls violently abducted from their school in in mid-April by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria's crisis-riven Borno State, and deplored the group's reported abduction on Tuesday of several more girls.
South Sudan: Ban urges peace as political rivals agree to meet
May 07, 2014, at 05:22 pm
New York, May 7 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday that South Sudan's President and his main political rival - whose respective forces are locked in an increasingly brutal conflict in the country - have said they plan to "sit down together" later this week for talks on ending nearly five months of fighting.
Ukraine: UN urges greater effort to resolve crisis
May 07, 2014, at 05:18 pm
New York, May 7 (IBNS): Increasing violence in eastern and southern Ukraine is resulting in more and more death and destruction, the top United Nations human rights official said on Tuesday, calling on all sides in the conflict to make a greater effort to find a peaceful resolution, particularly ahead of the 25 May presidential election.
UN disappointed by ruling in DR Congo mass rape trial
May 07, 2014, at 05:15 pm
New York, May 7 (IBNS): Disappointed by the ruling of a Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) military court which acquitted close to half of the 39 Congolese soldiers accused of mass rape in 2012, the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said on Tuesday the decision fell short of the expectations of the numerous victims and confirmed the shortcoming of the country's justice system.
UN warns Boko Haram over sale of Nigerian schoolgirls
May 07, 2014, at 05:12 pm
New York, May 7 (IBNS): The United Nations human rights office on Tuesday lashed out at the militant group known as Boko Haram, which claimed responsibility for kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria and now, referring to the girls as "slaves", says it plans to sell them "in the market" and "marry them off".