Hong Kongers confronting 'largest, retiring regime', says activist Joshua Wong

Jun 11, 2020, at 07:49 pm

Hong Kong: At a time when China decided to  impose the new national security law on Hong Kong, pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong said the people of the city are standing against the "largest and retiring regime" in the world.

China engaged in targeted influence operations and disinformation campaigns: EU

Jun 11, 2020, at 07:42 pm

Brussels: When Beijing is facing heat over the origin of the deadly COVID-19 virus from China, European Union has now claimed that  it is running disinformation campaigns.

Scores of Boko Haram militants killed in Nigerian military airstrikes

Jun 11, 2020, at 04:57 pm

Abuja/Xinhua:  Scores of suspected Boko Haram militants were killed and their hideouts destroyed when Nigerian military airstrikes hit targets inside the Sambisa forest in the country's northeast region, a military spokesman said on Thursday.

Sudan: Indicted war crimes suspects must be brought to justice – ICC prosecutor

Jun 11, 2020, at 04:50 pm

New York: Buoyed by the surrender of a key Darfur war crimes suspect, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is urging the Security Council to press Sudan to do more to bring other indicted persons – including ex-president Omar Al-Bashir – to justice.

COVID-19: ‘Unparalleled economic shock’ threatens development hopes and gains

Jun 11, 2020, at 04:42 pm

New York: As the diverse and severe impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be felt across the world, an “unparalleled economic shock” is putting development gains at risk, the UN chief told a meeting of high-powered business leaders on Wednesday.

Rights experts condemn use of force against journalists covering US protests

Jun 11, 2020, at 04:35 pm

New York/IBNS: Journalists covering ongoing protests denouncing systemic racism and police brutality in the United States must be able to do their job in peace, two experts on the right to freedom of expression said on Wednesday.

Chinese propaganda outlet paid iconic US newspapers $19 mn in ads, printing: Report

Jun 10, 2020, at 11:41 pm

Beijing/IBNS: A Chinese propaganda outlet has paid US newspapers nearly $19 million for advertising and printing expenses over the past four years, media reports said.

Most deprived children face biggest risk of unemployment: Study

Jun 10, 2020, at 04:56 pm

New York: Children growing up in jobless households will be less likely to gain employment in an economic recession, according to a new cross-European study led by UCL and the University of Bath. 

Chinese ambassador to Russia blames west for protests in Hong Kong

Jun 10, 2020, at 04:28 pm

Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: China's ambassador to Russia, Zhang Hanhui, on Wednesday blamed western nations for standing behind the unrest in the Asian country's special administrative region of Hong Kong.

Prime Minister Abe says Japan will lead G7 statement on Hong Kong - Reports

Jun 10, 2020, at 04:25 pm

Tokyo/Sputnik/UNI: - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that he wants Japan to lead the G7 statement on the situation in Hong Kong condemning China's new security law, media reported.

69 killed in Boko Haram attack in Nigeria: military source

Jun 10, 2020, at 03:43 pm

Lagos/Xinhua/uUNI:  At least 69 people, mostly women and children, were killed Tuesday night, when Boko Haram attacked Zowo ward in Gubio area of Nigeria's restive northeastern Borno state, a military source said on Wednesday.

China convicts Uyghurs in sham trials: reports

Jun 10, 2020, at 10:16 am

Beijing: Describing their ordeal, Uyghur Muslims have recounted to a foreign media how they were forcefully made to confess their crimes and even convicted without proper legal representation.

Passenger traffic in Sweden's airports down 98 pc due to coronavirus outbreak - Operator

Jun 10, 2020, at 09:37 am

Stockholm/Sputnik: Passenger traffic at the ten largest Swedish airports decreased by 98 percent due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to statistics released on Tuesday by operator company Swedavia.

New UN report highlights link between gender, climate and security

Jun 10, 2020, at 09:08 am

New York/IBNS: Even as countries buckle under the devastating social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, they must consider the links between gender inequality and crisis, particularly in communities affected by climate change and conflict.

Arrest of Sudanese war crimes suspect ‘extremely significant’: UN rights chief

Jun 10, 2020, at 09:03 am

New York/IBNS: The arrest of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman, commonly known as Ali Kushayb, an alleged former Janjaweed militia leader in the restive Darfur region of Sudan, has been hailed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as an “extremely significant development”.

Act now to avert COVID-19 global food emergency: Guterres

Jun 10, 2020, at 08:57 am

New York/IBNS: Although the COVID-19 pandemic could push nearly 50 million more people into extreme poverty, this and other dire impacts of the crisis can be avoided if countries act immediately to shore up global food security, the UN Secretary-General said on Tuesday.

Conflict-hit Nigerian families living under COVID-19 lockdowns, on ‘life-support’

Jun 10, 2020, at 08:50 am

New York/IBNS: Help and funding are needed urgently for millions of people in Nigeria who have been hit severely by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, including conflict-hit communities “on life-support” in the north-east, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.

UK: Khalistani organizations emerging as profitable business venture

Jun 09, 2020, at 06:32 pm

The Khalistani organizations have not only increased significantly in the UK recently, but they have also emerged as a profitable business venture for those who do not have any other source to earn a living, media reports said.

COVID-19: Indian Navy evacuates 700 nationals from Maldives 

Jun 09, 2020, at 05:20 pm

New Dlhi: INS Jalashwa, deployed by the Indian Navy for “Operation SamudraSetu", entered Tuticorin harbour with 700 Indian nationals evacuated from Male, Maldvies on Sunday, officials said.

Iran sentences CIA spy to death for leaking intel on Soleimani

Jun 09, 2020, at 04:06 pm

Tehran/Sputnik/UNI: Iran has sentenced to death one of its own nationals who was found guilty of providing CIA and Mossad intelligence data on the movement of Qasem Soleimani, the Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force commander, before he was killed by the United States earlier in the year, Gholam Hossein Esmaili, the spokesman for the country's judiciary, said on Tuesday.

Seven people shot in New York in 3 separate incidents within 10 minutes

Jun 09, 2020, at 03:49 pm

Washington/Sputnik/UNI: Seven people were shot late on Monday in the Brooklyn borough, located in the US city of New York, in three separate incidents within ten minutes, The Daily Mail newspaper reported on Tuesday.

‘Stand strong’ for justice over impunity, Security Council hears

Jun 09, 2020, at 09:12 am

New York/IBNS: In tackling the myriad global challenges posed by COVID-19, the world must not ignore the perils of endemic hatred and division, and instead, “stand strong” in the face of those who favour impunity over justice, a senior UN judge told the Security Council on Monday.

As consumption rises, here’s why sustainable fisheries management matters

Jun 09, 2020, at 08:25 am

New York/IBNS: Global consumption of fish hit a record high in 2018 and is set to rise in the decade ahead, highlighting the need to ensure sustainable fisheries management, according to the latest report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

North Korea to cut communication lines with South - KCNA

Jun 09, 2020, at 08:10 am

Moscow/Sputnik: North Korea will cut all communication lines with South Korea on June 9, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

Black Lives Matter protest: Mahatma Gandhi's statue targeted with anti-racist messages in London

Jun 08, 2020, at 09:11 pm

London/IBNS: Protesters on Sunday taped placards with anti-racism messages across India's 'Father of the Nation' Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in London's Parliament Square, which emerged as one of the major sites of demonstrations in the UK against the death of African-American man George Floyd in Minneapolis region of the United States.

COVID-19 episode unveils China's local censorship story 

Jun 08, 2020, at 08:16 pm

The COVID-19 outbreak may have opened a major Pandora's box in China where people are facing censorship if they try to reveal the truth behind the disease that has now spread globally.

Samsung heir appears in court for hearing on his arrest amid succession probe

Jun 08, 2020, at 06:13 pm

Seoul/Sputnik/: Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics Lee Jae-yong, the de facto leader of South Korea's largest conglomerate, Samsung Group, on Monday appeared in the Seoul Central District Court for a hearing on his arrest amid allegations of his involvement in a merger and accounting fraud in a bid to take over control of the group, media reported.

Somali army kills 37 al-Shabab militants in southern region

Jun 07, 2020, at 08:30 pm

Mogadishu/Xinhua: Somali National Army (SNA) on Saturday killed 37 al-Shabab extremists in a fierce fight in the outskirts of Hudur town in the southern region of Bakol, officials confirmed on Sunday.

Thousands rally in Madrid against racial injustice

Jun 07, 2020, at 07:52 pm

Madrid/Sputnik: Thousands of mostly African immigrants and their descendants gathered in the center of the Spanish capital on Sunday to protest racism and demand equal justice for all.

New York City Mayor announces lifting of curfew, decision effective immediately

Jun 07, 2020, at 06:16 pm

Washiington/Sputnik: New York City is lifting the curfew on Sunday and the decision will be "effective immediately," Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Sunday in the wake of peaceful protests against racism and police violence in the area.