Despite insecurity, UN agency scales up assistance for thousands fleeing northern Nigeria
Jul 12, 2014, at 06:05 pm
New York, July 12 (IBNS)With thousands of families being driven from their homes by the violence spreading through north-eastern Nigeria, United Nations agencies and their partners are providing humanitarian aid to those who have escaped and crossed the border into Cameroon.
UN envoy calls for vigil for abducted Nigerian schoolgirls, pledges "never to abandon them"
Jul 12, 2014, at 06:01 pm
New York, July 12 (IBNS) United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown on Friday called for the world to show support for the kidnapped schoolgirls of Chibok, Nigeria, on 22 July, which will be the 100th day of their captivity.
Syria: UN agency urges Europe to shoulder more of refugee challenge
Jul 12, 2014, at 05:51 pm
New York, July 12 (IBNS)With Syria heading into its fourth year of conflict, a United Nations agency on Friday called on Europe to do more to help Syrian refugees, after a new report found that some nations in the region are turning back asylum seekers and ‘shouldering only a small part’ of the challenges.
UN mission reports rocket fire from south Lebanon towards Israel
Jul 12, 2014, at 05:47 pm
New York, July 12(IBNS)The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has reported that earlier on Friday, its radar revealed that three rockets originating from the general area of Ain Arab in south Lebanon were fired towards Israel.
South Sudan: UN agency seeks massive boost in funding, warns of 'refugee exodus'
Jul 12, 2014, at 05:43 pm
New York, July 12 (IBNS) The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) appealed on Friday for $658 million to respond to South Sudan’s growing regional refugee crisis, with as many as 715,000 refugees expected by the end of the year.
Afghanistan: UN proposes new audit plan to resolve stand-off over disputed election
Jul 12, 2014, at 05:38 pm
New York, July 12 (IBNS): With President Hamid Karzai's successor still undeclared, the United Nations in Afghanistan on Friday proposed an additional audit plan that would take up to two weeks to complete, in an effort to help resolve the stand-off.
Gaza: UN rights officials appeal to all sides to protect civilians
Jul 12, 2014, at 05:30 pm
New York, July 12 (IBNS) Voicing alarm at the Israeli military operations resulting in the killing of Palestinian children and other civilians in Gaza, as well as the indiscriminate firing of rockets from Gaza into Israel, senior United Nations officials on Friday appealed to all sides to abide by their obligations to protect civilians.
On World Population Day, UN calls for investment in young people
Jul 12, 2014, at 05:19 pm
New York, July 12 (IBNS): With 1.8 billion young people around the world – the largest generation of youth in history – senior United Nations officials are marking World Population Day with calls for a renewed commitment to helping young people improve their lives and the common future.
Saudi Arabia: UN concerned at harsh sentences against human rights defenders
Jul 11, 2014, at 08:16 pm
New York, July 11 (IBNS): A top United Nations official Thursday expressed concern about the arbitrary arrest, trial and detention of human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia, and urged the authorities to immediately release all those held for their peaceful advocacy of human rights.
With special event, UN to mark 'Victory over Slavery: Haiti and Beyond'
Jul 11, 2014, at 08:05 pm
New York, July 11 (IBNS): Visitors to the United Nations later Thursday and those to the Bronx Museum of Fine Arts tomorrow will have a chance to see an exhibit and a film focusing on the struggle by slaves for independence in Haiti the first successful slave revolt in the world that "continues to inspire."
UN chief appoints Staffan de Mistura as special envoy for Syria crisis
Jul 11, 2014, at 08:01 pm
New York, July 11 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Thursday announced that he has appointed veteran diplomat Staffan de Mistura as the new special envoy tasked with seeking a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict in Syria.
Middle East: Ban urges Israel, Palestinians to find common ground
Jul 11, 2014, at 07:52 pm
New York, July 11 (IBNS): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Thursday warned the United Nations Security Council of the “risk of an all-out escalation in Israel and Gaza†and made an urgent appeal for maximum restraint, saying his “paramount concern is the safety and well-being of all civilians, no matter where they are.â€
Honduras must address widespread impunity for crimes against women : UN
Jul 11, 2014, at 07:47 pm
New York, July 11 (IBNS): An independent United Nations human rights expert has urged the Government of Honduras to address the culture of widespread impunity for crimes against women and girls, while also noting that incidents of violence against women appear to be on the rise in the Central American nation.
More than half of world's population now living in urban areas, UN survey finds
Jul 11, 2014, at 07:43 pm
New York, July 11 (IBNS): An additional 2.5 billion people are predicted to live in urban areas by 2050, the United Nations today reported, highlighting the need for a successful urban planning agenda and greater attention to be given to smaller cities where nearly half of all people currently reside.
Pakistan: 6 suspected militants killed in drone strike
Jul 10, 2014, at 06:03 pm
Peshawar, July 10 (IBNS): At least six suspected militants were killed in drone strike in Pakistan's North Waziristan region on Thursday, media reports said.
Pakistan: 2 policemen killed in firing
Jul 10, 2014, at 05:51 pm
Peshawar, July 10 (IBNS): At least two policemen were killed in a firing incident in Pakistan's Peshawar city on Thursday, media reports said.
Pakistan: Four injured in explosion
Jul 10, 2014, at 05:36 pm
Peshawar, July 10 (IBNS): At least four people were injured in an explosion at Bannu town in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Thursday, media reports said.
Afghanistan: Blast in Kabul kills 1
Jul 10, 2014, at 05:21 pm
Kabul, July 10 (IBNS) A policeman was killed and another was injured in a bomb blast in Afghanistan capital Kabul on Thursday, media reports said.
Japan: Typhoon hits Kyushu region
Jul 10, 2014, at 05:01 pm
Tokyo, July 10 (IBNS): Powerful typhoon Neoguri hit Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu on Thursday, media reports said.
Jul 10, 2014, at 04:39 pm
Texas, July 10 (IBNS) At least six people were shot dead at a house near the US city of Houston, media reports said on Thursday.
Security Council voices concern over political, security challenges facing West Africa
Jul 10, 2014, at 04:21 pm
New York, July 10 (IBNS) While noting the progress made in addressing political and security issues in West Africa, the members of the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday voiced concern over challenges such as transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, terrorism and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
With Gaza on knife's edge, Ban calls for restraint, urges parties to avert 'full-blown war'
Jul 10, 2014, at 04:18 pm
New York, July 10 (IBNS) Warning that Gaza is on a knife's edge, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday the situation could spiral quickly beyond anyone's control, and urged the international community to work with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to avert further escalation "in a region that can ill-afford another full-blown war."
Ban says Israel's construction of West Bank wall violates international law, fuels Mid-East tensions
Jul 10, 2014, at 04:16 pm
New York, July 10 (IBNS) At a special meeting to mark the 10th anniversary of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory ruling declaring illegal Israel’s construction of a separation wall in the West Bank, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called for a halt to the current violence between Israelis and Palestinians, while also the need all Member States to comply with international law.
Yemen: UN relief official alarmed as renewed clashes displace thousands in country's north
Jul 10, 2014, at 04:14 pm
New York, July 10 (IBNS) The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen has voiced alarm at the recent escalation of violence in Amran Governorate which has displaced thousands of families in the past few days.
UN in Central African Republic condemns attack on civilians sheltering in church
Jul 10, 2014, at 04:13 pm
New York, July 10 (IBNS): In what it termed a “brutal†attack, the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Central African Republic (CAR) on Wednesday condemned the killing of dozens of displaced people at the site of Saint Joseph Cathedral and the Bishop's residence in Bambari.
UNESCO highlights freedom of expression, media development in new report
Jul 10, 2014, at 04:01 pm
New York, July 10 (IBNS) "Tectonic shifts" in technology are having mixed results for freedom of expression and media development – sparking unprecedented creativity and dialogue, while also ushering in increased use of censorship policies and measures that do not comply with international norms – the United Nations cultural agency reports in a study being launched on Wednesday at Headquarters.
Challenges facing Lebanon highlight urgent need to fill presidential vacuum: UN envoy
Jul 10, 2014, at 04:00 pm
New York, July 10 (IBNS): The United Nations envoy for Lebanon on Wednesday stressed the urgent need for the country's leaders to agree on the election of a new president as soon as possible in light of the situation on the ground, which is marked by renewed terrorist threats and the growing refugee population resulting from the conflict in neighbouring Syria.
New fish drying method in Burundi improves lives for local communities: UN
Jul 10, 2014, at 05:51 am
New York, July 10 (IBNS) It was a simple adjustment – drying fish on raised racks instead of the sand – but the United Nations food agency project in Burundi has cut fish waste by half, provided jobs for hundreds of families and sparked a surge in the prices for the small sardine-like ndagala.
UN envoy condemns Al-Shabaab attack on Somali presidential palace
Jul 10, 2014, at 05:46 am
New York, July 10 (IBNS) The top United Nations envoy in Somalia has condemned last night’s attack on the seat of the Federal Government in Mogadishu, the latest in a series of attacks by Al-Shabaab militants against the country’s political institutions.
Jul 10, 2014, at 05:44 am
New York, July 10 (IBNS) The nature of the Afghan conflict has added yet another grim dimension as ground combat among the warring parties surpassed improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as the leading cause of conflict-related death and injury to Afghan civilians in the first six months of 2014, the United Nations reported on Wednesday.