Oman reports 144 new COVID-19 cases, 1,410 in total
Apr 21, 2020, at 01:37 pm
Muscat/Xinhua/UNI: The Omani Ministry of Health announced on Monday that 144 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been registered in the country, bringing the total to 1,410.
Death toll rises to 18 in Canada's worst mass shooting
Apr 21, 2020, at 01:34 pm
Ottawa/Xinhua/UNI: The death toll has risen to 18 in the mass shooting in the Canadian province Nova Scotia, the worst of its kind in the country's history, according the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Monday afternoon.
UN agencies pledge scaled-up efforts to protect uprooted children as pandemic upends lives
Apr 21, 2020, at 12:58 pm
New York/IBNS: Two UN agency chiefs are pledging to accelerate work to expand refugee children’s access to protection, education, clean water and sanitation, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across the globe.
Displaced and stateless women and girls face heightened risk of violence amid coronavirus pandemic
Apr 21, 2020, at 11:29 am
New York/IBNS: As COVID-19 continues to take lives and change communities around the world, the virus is also creating massive protection risks for women and girls forced to flee their homes, a top official at the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Monday, stressing that global protection staff are on high alert and adapting life-saving support programmes for those subjected to violence.
Onset of COVID-19 pandemic boosts support for international cooperation
Apr 21, 2020, at 11:22 am
New York/IBNS: Initial results of a UN initiative to help decide the future direction of the Organization have revealed overwhelming support for international cooperation, which has grown significantly since COVID-19 began spreading around the world.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is in 'grave danger' after surgery: Reports
Apr 21, 2020, at 10:51 am
Washington/IBNS: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is in 'grave danger' after a surgery, media reports said on Tuesday.
3 killed, 4 injured in blasts in southern Somalia
Apr 20, 2020, at 07:03 pm
Mogadishu/Xinhua/UNI: At least three people were killed and four others injured in explosions in Awdigle town in Somalia's southern region of Lower Shabelle on Monday, a police officer confirmed.
Eight detained after children's bodies found in China's Henan
Apr 20, 2020, at 12:11 pm
Zhengzhou/Xinhua/UNI: Eight suspects were under criminal detention after four children's bodies were found in an earth dump in central China's Henan Province, according to local authorities.
Japan's Foreign Minister says economy facing worst postwar crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic
Apr 20, 2020, at 11:43 am
Tokyo/Sputnik/UNI: Japan’s economy is facing the most serious crisis since World War II due to the coronavirus pandemic, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Monday.
Britain spends £16m by ordering flawed COVID-19 testing kits from China
Apr 19, 2020, at 03:45 pm
London/IBNS: Britain found themselves in midst of trouble, like many other Western nations earlier claimed, after the country paid two Chinese companies an estimated £16 million for two million COVID-19 antibody tests that officials later on found were not accurate enough to be rolled out.
South Korea records lowest daily increase in COVID-19 cases since mid-Feb
Apr 19, 2020, at 10:58 am
Seoul/Sputnik: The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea has risen by only eight to 10,661 over the past 24 hours, which is the lowest increase since mid-February, the Health Ministry's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Sunday.
Some US states to begin easing coronavirus restrictions this month: Trump
Apr 19, 2020, at 10:40 am
Washington/Sputnik: Texas, Vermont and Montana will start to allow some businesses to open this month, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday after releasing the federal guidelines for lifting some restrictions imposed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
French Prez Emmanuel Macron questions China's handling of COVID-19 outbreak
Apr 18, 2020, at 08:00 pm
Paris/IBNS: French President Emmanuel Macron has questioned China's way of handling COVID-19 outbreak by saying that things "happened that we don't know about".
ISIS claims responsibility for blowing up boats in Maldives
Apr 18, 2020, at 07:24 pm
Male/IBNS: Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility of blowing up five boats at Mahibadhoo harbour in Maldives on Wednesday, at a time when the world is busy combating COVID-19 outbreak.
Almost 25,000 prisoners released in Myanmar as part of new year amnesty
Apr 18, 2020, at 11:36 am
Naypyitaw/Sputnik/UNI: Myanmar President U Win Myint has granted amnesty to a total of 24,896 prisoners across the country as part of the celebration of traditional Burmese New Year, media reported on Friday.
Turkey-backed rebels kidnap 25 civilians in NE Syria
Apr 18, 2020, at 11:29 am
Damascus/Xinhua/UNI: The Turkey-backed Syrian rebels on Friday kidnapped 25 civilians in the northeastern province of Hasakah, state news agency SANA reported.
COVID-19: Rights experts highlight LGBTI discrimination, antisemitism
Apr 18, 2020, at 10:36 am
New York/IBNS: New guidance from the UN human rights office, issued on Friday, sets out key actions to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people against discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coronavirus economics: Debt-laden countries at risk, as financial markets screech to a halt
Apr 18, 2020, at 10:30 am
New York/IBNS: Economists and finance experts are warning that countries with “high” or “distressed” public debt levels are at risk of severe economic shocks amid the COVID-19 pandemic and calling for restructuring plans based on the principle of solidarity.
UN human rights office calls for compassion following Rohingya deaths at sea
Apr 18, 2020, at 10:21 am
New York/IBNS: The UN human rights office (OHCHR), is calling for compassion for people desperately seeking shelter, after 30 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar died on a boat in the Bay of Bengal that had spent nearly two months at sea.
Ceasefire during COVID-19 pandemic essential, to safeguard 250 million children
Apr 18, 2020, at 10:06 am
New York/IBNS: The head of the UN children’s fund UNICEF warned on Friday that 250 million children around the world living in the “waking nightmare” of conflict desperately need warring parties to stop fighting as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads.
Taiwan makes public December email to WHO showing caution about COVID-19 outbreak
Apr 17, 2020, at 03:02 pm
Taipei/IBNS: Giving more fuel to the suspicion of the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s collusion with China over the COVID-19 outbreak, Taiwan has recently released an email which was sent to the organisation cautioning it of the pandemic virus.
Apr 17, 2020, at 12:35 pm
New York/IBNS: With the COVID-19 pandemic threatening to deepen suffering in Yemen, now is the time for rival parties to commit to ending their conflict, UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths told the Security Council on Thursday, during an informal meeting via videoconference.
Coronavirus pandemic threatens crises-ravaged communities, UN appeals for global support
Apr 17, 2020, at 12:33 pm
New York/IBNS: A psychosocial counsellor in Jordan's Azraq refugee camp informed the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) on Thursday that during the first four days of the COVID-19 lockdown she called beneficiaries to let them know that “virtual support" was available.
UN chief calls for greater protection for children caught up in COVID-19 crisis
Apr 17, 2020, at 11:25 am
New York/IBNS: The looming global recession resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic could cause hundreds of thousands of additional child deaths this year, effectively reversing recent gains in reducing infant mortality, a new UN report issued on Thursday has revealed.
First Person: DR Congo doctor prepares for latest in long line of health crises
Apr 17, 2020, at 11:16 am
New York/IBNS: Health professionals working with the World Health Organization (WHO) in eastern Democratic of Congo (DRC), have been dealing with the deadly Ebola epidemic since August 2018. This experience is helping them to prepare for the latest disease to arrive: COVID-19.
Amid COVID-19 crisis, China's GDP falls by 6.8 pc year-on-year in Q1 2020
Apr 17, 2020, at 10:11 am
Beijing/UNI: The China's GDP has fallen by 6.8 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)-- a deputy-cabinet level agency of the country said on Friday.
Australian city Wagga Wagga moves to sever ties with sister city in China
Apr 16, 2020, at 04:30 pm
Sydney/IBNS: In what can be seen as a step taken by the international community to start the process of social distancing against Beijing, the place from where the lethal COVID-19 disease first originated, the Australian city of Wagga Wagga has moved to formally sever ties with its sister city in China, media reports said.
Former M16 head Robert John Sawers targets China, WHO over COVID-19 outbreak
Apr 16, 2020, at 04:17 pm
London/IBNS: The former head of the United Kingdom's foreign intelligence service has targeted China and the World Health Organization over the COVID-19 outbreak and said both should bear responsibility for a flawed response to the disease that has now reached nearly all corners of the globe.
Even during COVID-19, art ‘brings us closer together than ever’ – UN cultural agency
Apr 16, 2020, at 01:52 pm
New York/IBNS: With billions of people either in lockdown or on the front lines battling the COVID-19 pandemic, this first celebration of World Art Day is a timely reminder that “art has the power to unite and connect in times of crisis”, the head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Wednesday.
COVID-19: UK MPs to summon China-owned firm's executives over security issues, reports BBC
Apr 15, 2020, at 06:03 pm
London/IBNS: British MPs might summon a leading UK-based firm, which has a Chinese connection, to answer questions related to security concerns, media reports said.