New El Salvador law, a victory for forced displacement victims: UN refugee agency
Jan 11, 2020, at 09:41 am
New York/IBNS: A new law in El Salvador opens a door for tens of thousands of forced displacement victims in the country to access to life-saving humanitarian assistance and have their basic rights restored, said the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on Friday.
Jan 11, 2020, at 09:05 am
Muscat/IBNS: Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman, who is the Arab world's longest-serving ruler, passed away on Friday.
Russian ambassador to Lebanon urges end of US presence in Iraq
Jan 10, 2020, at 07:12 pm
Beirut/Xinhua: Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin said the US presence in the region is illegitimate and should end immediately, a local media outlet reported Friday.
Iran to start analysing black box from Ukraine Boeing on Friday: Aviation Official
Jan 10, 2020, at 04:56 pm
Tehran/Sputnik/UNI: Iran will begin analysis of Ukrainian Boeing 737’s black box in a laboratory of Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on Friday, the head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization Accident Department, Hassan Razai, said at a press conference.
UK foreign office advises against all travel to Iran amid escalation of tensions
Jan 10, 2020, at 11:27 am
Moscow/Sputnik: The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised on Friday to the country’s citizens to refrain from any kind of trips to Iran amid the escalated tensions in the Middle East.
Dozens of earthquakes registered in northern part of Russia’s Kamchatka: Seismologists
Jan 10, 2020, at 10:44 am
Petropav-Kamchatsky, Russia/Sputnik: Dozens of earthquakes were registered on Thursday-Friday in the northern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, the regional branch of the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences (GS RAS) told Sputnik.
Protecting refugees in Europe: UNHCR calls for a ‘year of change’
Jan 10, 2020, at 10:21 am
New York/IBNS: The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is calling on the European Union (EU) to make 2020 “the year of change for robust refugee protection”. On Thursday, the agency issued a set of new recommendations, as Croatia and German preside over the EU Council during the next 12 months.
Secretary-General upholds value of UN Charter for a world in turmoil
Jan 10, 2020, at 10:15 am
New York/IBNS: Amid an era of rising geopolitical tensions and declining trust between nations, the United Nations Secretary-General has encouraged countries to “come home” to a defining document of the international community: the UN Charter.
Security Council calls for dialogue in Haiti
Jan 10, 2020, at 09:53 am
New York/IBNS: The UN Security Council has stressed the need to resolve the ongoing political impasse in Haiti between President Jovenel Moïse and a surging opposition movement.
UK’s House of Commons passes Brexit bill in close vote
Jan 10, 2020, at 09:10 am
London/Sputnik: The UK House of Commons approved the European Union withdrawal bill on Thursday, sending it to the upper House of Lords.
Russian satellites to monitor Iran after attack on US bases, plane crash - Roscosmos
Jan 10, 2020, at 09:06 am
Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: Russian space agency Roscosmos is planning to use its satellites to monitor the situation in Iran following its recent missile attack on US bases in Iraq and the Ukrainian Boeing crash, according to a statement published on the organization's website on Thursday.
Intelligence indicates Ukrainian international airlines jet shot down by missile - Trudeau
Jan 10, 2020, at 08:59 am
Toronto/Sputnik/UNI: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced at a press conference on Thursday that Canada has intelligence that the ill-fated Ukrainian International Airlines flight was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. He added that the strike may have been unintentional.
Blast in northern Syria claims lives of 7 Turkish soldiers
Jan 09, 2020, at 07:26 pm
Damascus/Xinhua: The explosion that rocked a Turkey-held area in northern Syria has claimed the lives of seven Turkish soldiers, a war monitor reported on Thursday.
Ukraine jet crashes in Iran, killing 176: UN chief offers deepest condolences
Jan 09, 2020, at 06:59 pm
New York/IBNS: A Ukrainian airliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday morning, killing all 176 passengers and crew members on board. In a statement, UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ offered his deepest condolences, saying he was “deeply saddened by the crash”.
‘Unprecedented terrorist violence’ in West Africa, Sahel region
Jan 09, 2020, at 06:52 pm
New York/IBNS: The top UN official in West Africa and the Sahel updated the Security Council on Wednesday, describing an “unprecedented" rise in terrorist violence across the region.
Iran-US attack in Iraq: Guterres pledges ‘active engagement’ in further de-escalation efforts
Jan 09, 2020, at 06:42 pm
New York/IBNS: In the wake of an Iranian ballistic missile attack on air bases which house US forces in Iraq, the UN Secretary-General said on Wednesday that he would “continue his active engagement” to de-escalate tensions and avert full-scale war.
Syria declares full solidarity with Iran facing US threats
Jan 08, 2020, at 10:32 pm
Damascus/Xinhua: Syrian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday declared the Syrian government's full solidarity with Iran and its right of self-defense, according to the state news agency SANA.
Japan's plans to send patrol ship to Gulf of Oman unaffected by Iran-US conflict: Gov't
Jan 08, 2020, at 05:46 pm
Tokyo/Sputnik/UNI: The confrontation between the United States and Iran does not affect Tokyo's plans to send a warship to patrol the Gulf of Oman, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday.
Iran: Ukrainian Boeing-737 flight crash leaves 176 passengers killed
Jan 08, 2020, at 05:11 pm
Tehran/IBNS: The crash of a Ukrainian Boeing-737 flight in Iran's Tehran city left all its 176 passengers killed on Wednesday, media reports said.
Philippines orders mandatory evacuation of Filipinos in Iraq
Jan 08, 2020, at 04:11 pm
Manila/Xinhua/UNI: The Philippines said on Wednesday that it is imposing a mandatory evacuation of Filipinos in Iraq amid increasing tensions in the Middle East.
Zelenskyy cuts short Oman trip, returns to Kiev due to plane crash in Iran: Office
Jan 08, 2020, at 04:07 pm
Kiev/Sputnik/UNI: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has cut short his visit to Oman and is urgently returning to Kiev in the wake of the deadly crash of Ukraine's Boeing 737 near Tehran airport, Zelenskyy's presidential office said on Wednesday.
UK condemns Iran's attacks on US military facilities in Iraq: Foreign secretary
Jan 08, 2020, at 04:02 pm
Moscow/Sputnik/UNI: The United Kingdom condemns Iran's Wednesday attacks on US military facilities in Iraq and calls on Tehran to defuse the tensions, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.
Ukraine's embassy in Iran says plane crashed due to engine malfunction, not terror act
Jan 08, 2020, at 03:53 pm
Kiev/Sputnik/UNI: The preliminary investigation into the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) Boeing 737 plane crash earlier in the day shows that the aircraft experienced an engine malfunction and the tragedy was not the result of a terrorist act as some speculations have suggested, the Ukrainian Embassy in Iran said on Wednesday.
US Federal Aviation Agency bans flights over Persian Gulf - Statement
Jan 08, 2020, at 11:07 am
Washington/Sputnik/UNI: The US Federal Aviation Authority banned flights over the Persian Gulf due to escalating military activities in the region.
All onboard passengers killed after Ukrainian plane crashes near Tehran
Jan 08, 2020, at 10:56 am
Tehran/IBNS: All 180 onboard passengers were killed after a Ukrainian plane crashed near Iran's Khomeini Airport on Wednesday, media reports said.
Sudan: Intercommunal clashes displace tens of thousands in volatile Darfur region
Jan 08, 2020, at 10:38 am
New York/IBNS: Around 40,000 have been displaced in Sudan’s West Darfur State in recent days, following intercommunal clashes, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday, citing Sudanese Government data.
UN chief monitoring Venezuela developments ‘with concern’
Jan 08, 2020, at 10:33 am
New York/IBNS: The latest twist in Venezuela’s ongoing political crisis “make urgently needed dialogue even more difficult to achieve”, the UN Secretary-General has said.
Syria: Civilians face ‘daily nightmare’ in Idlib, says top UN official
Jan 08, 2020, at 10:16 am
New York/IBNS: Following a sharp escalation of hostilities in southern Idlib, “at least 300,000 civilians have fled their homes” since mid-December, the UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria crisis said on Tuesday, voicing concern for their well-being.
Iran: Ukrainian plane with 180 on board crashes
Jan 08, 2020, at 09:46 am
Tehran/IBNS: A Ukrainian passenger plane, which was carrying 180 passengers, crashed near Iran's Khomeini Airport on Wednesday, media reports said.
Seven Syrian troops killed in ambush in desert region
Jan 07, 2020, at 06:14 pm
Damascus/Xinhua/UNI: A bus transporting Syrian soldiers was ambushed on Tuesday morning in the desert of the eastern province of Deir al Zour, leaving seven soldiers killed and 14 others wounded.