With human rights under attack, UN chief unveils blueprint for positive change

Feb 25, 2020, at 10:12 am

New York/IBNS: People’s basic human rights – their birth-right – are “under assault”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, as he launched a Call to Action aimed at boosting equality and reducing suffering everywhere.

15 wounded in protests in Iraq's capital

Feb 24, 2020, at 03:26 pm

Baghdad/Xinhua/UNI: Up to 15 people were wounded on Sunday in clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces, an Interior Ministry official said.

Malaysia: Mahathir resigns as prime minister, Anwar meets King

Feb 24, 2020, at 03:23 pm

Kuala Lumpur/UNI: Mahathir Mohamad on Monday resigned as prime minister of Malaysia, his office said in a statement.

Car crash kills foreign teenage girl in Northern California

Feb 24, 2020, at 03:20 pm

San Francisco/Xinhua/UNI: An 18-year-old girl was killed in a fatal crash of a vehicle operated by her friend on a highway in Redwood City, Northern California, local media reported.

Israel defense forces say they struck Islamic Jihad targets in Syria

Feb 24, 2020, at 02:26 pm

Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have attacked Islamic Jihad militant group targets in Syria, as well as the Gaza Strip, IDF said in a statement.

Australian police probe terror links after knife-wielding man shot dead by police

Feb 24, 2020, at 02:24 pm

Sydney/Xinhua: Australian police continued to investigate whether a knife-wielding man shot dead by police in Brisbane on Sunday had any links to terror groups. Approaching two tourists at around 10:00 a.m. local time Sunday, the man is reported to have punched a 26-year-old male victim in an unprovoked attack before stabbing him in the back as he attempted to flee.

New Zealand extends travel ban on foreign citizens from China - Prime Minister

Feb 24, 2020, at 02:21 pm

Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: New Zealand has extended its travel ban on foreign citizens from mainland China for a further eight days but will review the restrictions every two days, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday.

Egypt welcomes formation of unity gov't in South Sudan

Feb 24, 2020, at 10:12 am

Cairo/Xinhua: Egypt welcomed the formation of a transitional unity government in South Sudan, hoping it would lead to comprehensive peace in the country, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Australian police probe terror links after knife-wielding man shot dead by police

Feb 24, 2020, at 09:38 am

Sydney/Xinhua: Australian police continued to investigate whether a knife-wielding man shot dead by police in Brisbane on Sunday had any links to terror groups.

Israel to Quarantine 200 South Koreans at military base over coronavirus fears - Reports

Feb 23, 2020, at 08:21 pm

Tel Aviv/Sputnik/UNI: Two hundred South Korean citizens who have arrived in Israel over the last 24 hours will be quarantined at a military base to prevent a possible spread of the coronavirus disease, the Ynet news agency reported on Sunday.

Shooting reported at shisha bar in Germany's Stuttgart, no injuries

Feb 23, 2020, at 08:04 pm

Berlin/Xinhua/UNI: A gunman on Saturday attacked a shisha bar in southwestern German city of Stuttgart, local media N-TV reported.

Schools in Iran temporarily closing amid coronavirus spread – Tehran Education Department

Feb 23, 2020, at 08:00 pm

Tehran/Sputnik/UNI: Schools in the Iranian capital are closing for two days amid the spread of the new coronavirus in the country, the Tehran education department has announced.

Yellow Vest Leader Expelled From Farming Fair During Macron’s Visit

Feb 23, 2020, at 07:58 pm

Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: Eric Drouet, a leading public figure of French yellow vest protests, was expelled from an agricultural show in Paris on Saturday by President Emanuel Macron’s bodyguards, media said.

Hong Kong brings home 3rd batch of residents aboard virus-hit cruise ship from Japan

Feb 23, 2020, at 07:49 pm

Hong Kong/Xinhua/UNI: The third chartered flight arranged by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government arrived in Hong Kong Sunday morning, bringing back five more residents from the COVID-19-inflicted Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.

Turkish army has losses in Libya: Erdogan

Feb 23, 2020, at 07:46 pm

Ankara/Xinhua/UNI: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday evening said the Turkish military had "martyrs" in Libya, while Turkish-backed forces killed 100 "rival fighters" in the country.

At least 16 Turkish servicemen die in clashes in Libya's Tripoli

Feb 23, 2020, at 07:42 pm

Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: Sixteen members of the Turkish armed forces and more than 100 Syrian mercenaries have died fighting in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, the Sky News Arabia TV channel reported on Sunday, citing sources in the Libyan National Army (LNA).

Number of COVID-19 cases in Italy crosses 100

Feb 23, 2020, at 06:27 pm

Rome/Sputnik: The number of people infected with the novel coronavirus in Italy's Lombardy region has reached 89, likely pushing the country's overall number of cases past 100, regional head Attilio Fontana said on Sunday.

UN chief welcomes South Sudan’s Unity government, lauds parties for ‘significant achievement’

Feb 23, 2020, at 06:15 pm

New York/IBNS: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed on Saturday the establishment of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) in South Sudan.

Shooting reported at shisha bar in Germany's Stuttgart, no injuries

Feb 23, 2020, at 10:07 am

Berlin/Xinhua: A gunman on Saturday attacked a shisha bar in the southwestern German city of Stuttgart, local media N-TV reported.

Rally in support of Assange gathers in London ahead of court hearings

Feb 22, 2020, at 10:56 pm

London/Sputnik: A large rally in support of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange began in London ahead of court hearings on his extradition to the United States, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene.

Three killed in Ghana road accident

Feb 22, 2020, at 04:57 pm

Accra/Xinhua/UNI: Three people were killed and two others injured Friday in a road accident at Nkwanta, a small town in east Ghana, officials said.

Four trapped in east China coal mine accident

Feb 22, 2020, at 04:54 pm

Jinan/Xinhua/UNI: Four people were trapped under the pit in a coal mine accident in east China's Shandong Province on Saturday, according to Shandong Xinjulong Energy Co. Ltd., owner of the mine.

Iran says FATF designation not to affect foreign trade

Feb 22, 2020, at 04:51 pm

Tehran/Xinhua/UNI:  Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Abdolnaser Hemmati said that a decision by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to blacklist the Islamic Republic will not affect the country's foreign trade, Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.

Situation in central Mali ‘deteriorating’ as violence, impunity rise, UN rights expert warns

Feb 22, 2020, at 03:48 pm

New York/IBNS: The growing violence has contributed to a deteriorating security situation in central Mali, with impunity being one of the aggravating factors, an independent UN human rights expert warned on Friday.

UN launches new project to address link between terrorism, arms and crime

Feb 22, 2020, at 03:42 pm

New York/IBNS: Cheap and easily accessible small arms are increasingly becoming the “weapon of choice” for many terrorist groups, the UN counter-terrorism chief told an event on Friday aimed to raise awareness of the nexus between terrorism, organized crime and illicit small arms trafficking.

Cameroon: UN officials raise alarm over escalating violence, call for civilian protection

Feb 22, 2020, at 03:35 pm

New York/IBNS: Four senior UN officials issued a joint statement on Friday deploring the continued human rights abuses committed against civilians, including women and children, in the south-west and north-west regions of Cameroon.

Dalai Lama's successor selection: US house votes against China for meddling

Feb 22, 2020, at 10:47 am

Washington/Beijing/IBNS: In what can be seen as a sign of standing with the people of Tibet, the US Hosue of Representatives last month passed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act (TPSA) which aims at strengthening policy in connection with the region. It also intends to sanction Chinese officials from interfering in the succession process of Tibetan religious leader Dalai Lama.

UN chief appeals for end to Syria’s ‘man-made humanitarian nightmare’

Feb 22, 2020, at 10:38 am

New York/IBNS: In a tersely delivered statement on Friday, the UN Secretary-General appealed for an end to the “man-made humanitarian nightmare” currently unfolding in Syria, where ongoing military operations in the north-west have displaced hundreds of thousands amid bitter winter temperatures.

Can't have Turkish law in France: Prez Macron vows to fight political Islamic

Feb 22, 2020, at 10:36 am

Paris: In a bid to crack down on what he calls the risk of "Islamic separatism", French President Emmanuel Macron said he will curb the practice of foreign nations sending imams and teachers to the European country.

UN must continue to be a forum for dialogue on decolonization: Guterres

Feb 22, 2020, at 10:19 am

New York/IBNS: With 17 non-self-governing territories remaining worldwide, the United Nations must continue to be the place where their concerns can be heard, the Secretary-General said in New York on Friday.