Syria: UN-backed watchdog says chemical weapon ‘likely used’ in February attack
May 17, 2018, at 02:01 pm
New York, May 17 (IBNS): Deadly chlorine gas was likely used in an attack that took place in a Syrian town in rebel-held Idlib last February, said the United Nations-backed chemical weapons watchdog on Wednesday.
Around 2.5 billion more people will be living in cities by 2050, projects new UN report
May 17, 2018, at 01:59 pm
New York, May 17 (IBNS): By 2050, two out of every three people are likely to be living in cities or other urban centres, according to a new United Nations report, highlighting the need for more sustainable urban planning and public services.
Canada: Federal government to finance Trans Mountain Pipeline project
May 17, 2018, at 04:53 am
Ottawa, May 16 (IBNS): The federal government is ready to finance the much-awaited Trans Mountain Pipeline project, media reports said.
Canada PM Justin Trudeau wishes Muslims on beginning of Ramadan
May 17, 2018, at 04:28 am
Ottawa, May 16 (IBNS): Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has wished all Muslim people in the country and across the world on the beginning of Ramadan.
Canada: B.C.'s Southern Interior fear second wave of flooding, officers ask for help
May 17, 2018, at 01:00 am
British Columbia/Ottawa, May 16 (IBNS): With volunteers and emergency workers suffering from exhaustion after almost a week of fighting the floods, especially in Grand Forks, Christina Lake, Rock Creek and surrounding rural areas, politicians and officials are asking for help from the army, media reports said.
Guatemala opens its embassy in Jerusalem
May 16, 2018, at 10:41 pm
Jerusalem, May 16 (IBNS): In a significant move, Guatemala has officially moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in Israel.
Afghanistan: Taliban, Army clashes in Farah kill over 300
May 16, 2018, at 03:54 pm
Kabul, May 16 (IBNS): Over 300 people, including militants, security forces and civilians, have been killed in clashes in Afghanistan's Farah province.
North Korea threatens to cancel Trump summit
May 16, 2018, at 03:45 pm
Seoul/Washington, May 16 (IBNS): North Korea has threatened to cancel the upcoming talk between its leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump if the latter unilaterally insists the former gives up nuclear weapons, media reports said on Wednesday.
Security Council extends support for African Union force in Somalia
May 16, 2018, at 03:17 pm
New York, May 16 (IBNS): The Security Council on Tuesday gave its backing to the African Union force in Somalia, AMISOM, extending its deployment until at least the end of July.
UN rights office urges restraint over intensifying violence in northern Myanmar
May 16, 2018, at 03:12 pm
New York, May 16 (IBNS): The United Nations human rights arm has voiced deep concern over escalating conflict between the military and armed groups in Myanmar’s Kachin and Shan provinces that has displaced over 100,000 civilians and trapped many in the midst of active fighting.
Security Council calls for calm following deadly Gaza clashes; diplomats debate US embassy move
May 16, 2018, at 03:09 pm
New York, May 16 (IBNS): The United Nations Security Council, in an emergency meeting on Tuesday, called for calm along the border of the Gaza Strip following Monday’s deadly clashes, in which dozens of Palestinians were killed, protesting United States recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the official opening of its embassy there.
Climate change: An 'existential threat' to humanity, UN chief warns global summit
May 16, 2018, at 03:06 pm
New York, May 16 (IBNS): None of the world’s challenges loom as large as climate change, the United Nations chief told a major climate action summit on Tuesday, reiterating his belief that global warming poses an “existential threat” to humanity.
Gaza medics ‘struggling to cope with influx of wounded’: UN agencies
May 16, 2018, at 03:03 pm
New York, May 16 (IBNS): Medical teams inside Gaza are running out of supplies to cope with the wounded, following the deadliest day of protests against occupation along the border with Israel so far this year, UN aid agencies warned on Tuesday.
Campaign of hacking,spyware and surveillance targets human rights defenders in Pakistan: Amnesty
May 16, 2018, at 03:02 pm
Islamabad, May 16 (IBNS): Human rights defenders in Pakistan are under threat from a targeted campaign of digital attacks, which has seen social media accounts hacked and computers and mobile phones infected with spyware, a four-month investigation by Amnesty International reveals.
‘Enough is enough; stop attacks on children’ underscores UNICEF
May 16, 2018, at 02:57 pm
New York, May 16 (IBNS): With defenceless children increasingly targeted in conflicts , the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on all warring parties around the globe to comply with international law and keep them safe from harm.
Indonesian Police arrest 13 suspected terrorists from East Java
May 16, 2018, at 02:50 pm
Jakarta, May 16 (IBNS):Indonesian Police have arrested 13 suspected terrorists in East Java, officials said on Tuesday.
Canada: It is too early, say scientists, to attribute climate change to B.C.'s floods
May 16, 2018, at 04:22 am
B.C./Ottawa, May 15 (IBNS): Many people in British Columbia (B.C.).are blaming record-breaking heat and destructive floods to climate change, media reports said.
Gaza clash: Turkey lends support to Palestinians, to treat injured people
May 16, 2018, at 01:06 am
Ankara, May 15 (IBNS): Lending support to Palestine, Turkey's Health Ministry has said that the latter's nation will treat those injured by Israel forces during Monday's clash.
Anti-abortion posters surface in Rome, face backlash from women
May 16, 2018, at 12:10 am
Rome, May 15 (IBNS): Anti-abortion posters linking it with femicide have appeared in Italy's capital city Rome, inviting scathing criticism from women.
Melania Trump doing really well after surgery, says husband Donald Trump
May 16, 2018, at 12:04 am
Washington, May 15 (IBNS): The First Lady of the United States of America, Melania Trump is 'doing really well' following her surgery, tweeted husband and US President Donald Trump.
UN welcomes 'reinvigorated efforts' in Afghanistan's corruption reform agenda
May 15, 2018, at 10:00 pm
Kabul, May 15 (IBNS): Adopting a new anti-corruption strategy and implementing several initiatives in a broad anti-corruption agenda demonstrate Afghanistan’s commitment to countering corruption, finds a new United Nations report released on Tuesday.
China condemns recent suicide attacks in Indonesia
May 15, 2018, at 09:31 pm
Beijing, May 15 (IBNS): The Chinese government has condemned the series of suicide attacks in Indonesian city of Surabaya that left at least 13 people killed on Sunday.
Key UN forum in Asia-Pacific sets its sights on combatting inequality
May 15, 2018, at 02:51 pm
New York, May 15 (IBNS): With concern growing that the divide between rich and poor is continuing to widen – especially in the Asia-Pacific region – top United Nations officials are calling for greater emphasis on growth that leads to fairer societies and a healthier planet.
May 15, 2018, at 02:48 pm
New York, May 15 (IBNS): The United Nations humanitarian chief urged the international community to step up life-saving humanitarian support to 7.1 million vulnerable Sudanese on Monday, and invest more in the country’s social-economic development.
US First Lady Melania Trump undergoes kidney surgery
May 15, 2018, at 02:47 pm
Washington, May 15 (IBNS): US First Lady Melania Trump underwent a kidney surgery on Monday, media reports said.
‘Much work to do and no time to waste’ in cybercrime fight, says UN chief
May 15, 2018, at 02:46 pm
New York, May 15 (IBNS): The UN body focussing on crime prevention and criminal justice, opened its annual session in Vienna on Monday, calling for a more integrated global response to continuing and emerging challenges, including cybercrime.
New EU focus on Kosovo provides Pristina and Belgrade with historic opportunity – UN official
May 15, 2018, at 01:53 pm
New York, May 15 (IBNS): Efforts to calm tensions between Belgrade and Pristina that came to a head with the arrest, “theatrical” parade and expulsion of a lead negotiator from Kosovo, must be redoubled if “real progress” is to be made on the ground, a senior United Nations official said on Monday.
Avoid further bloodshed, UN chief urges, as Gaza violence leaves dozens dead
May 15, 2018, at 01:50 pm
New York, May 15 (IBNS): Following reports that dozens of Palestinians have been killed, demonstrating along the border of the Gaza Strip on Monday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to show restraint.
May 15, 2018, at 01:48 pm
New York, May 15 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the commitment by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to dismantle its nuclear test site at Punggye-ri as an important “confidence-building measure” that that will support efforts towards sustainable peace and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
May 15, 2018, at 01:45 pm
New York, May 15 (IBNS): Action to combat climate change could create millions of new job opportunities and “more than” offset losses in traditional industries, the UN labour agency said on Monday.