Intense storms, persistent conflicts, and explosions of violence forced 40.5 million people to become newly displaced within their countries last year. Conflicts and natural disasters forced someone to flee within their own country every second of last year, pushing the number of people living in internal displacement to a record …
Read More »‘Long working hours can lead to premature death,’ UN warns as offices prepare for post-Covid changes
The UN has warned that working more than 55 hours a week can lead to premature death from heart disease and stroke, urging companies to avoid “blurring the boundaries between home and work” as they adapt to a post-Covid-19 world. The United Nations (UN) analysis, conducted by the World Health …
Read More »ISIS committed genocide against Yazidis: UN investigation
Experts say they established convincing evidence that ISIL committed genocide ‘against the Yazidi as a religious group’. A United Nations team investigating atrocities in Iraq found “clear and compelling evidence” that ISIL (ISIS) “committed” genocide against the Yazidi minority in 2014, its head has said, adding that the armed group …
Read More »Malawian peacekeeper killed in east Congo – UN
A female peacekeeper from Malawi was killed in an attack by an Islamist militia in eastern Congo’s North Kivu province on Monday morning, the U.N. and the Malawian government said. A local civil rights group said separately that fighters with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamist armed group with …
Read More »Iran to export weapons after sanctions lift: defense minister
Iranian Minister of Defense Brigadier General Amir Hatami said that Islamic Republic of Iran will export weapons and arms after sanctions imposed against the country are lifted. Speaking on Sunday in a ceremony held on the occasion of National Defense Industry Day, Hatami added, “Iran will use all capacities in …
Read More »Outcry in Somalia as new bill would allow child marriage
An outcry is rising in Somalia as parliament considers a bill that would allow child marriage once a girl’s sexual organs mature and would allow forced marriage as long as the family gives their consent. The bill is a dramatic reworking of years of efforts by civil society to bring …
Read More »Darfur violence cuts healthcare, food aid to 14,000 children
A wave of violence in Sudan’s Darfur region has forced Save the Children to close facilities providing health services and food for 14,000 children, the charity said Friday. The move came after hundreds of armed men attacked Masteri, a town largely inhabited by farmers from non-Arab minority groups, killing more …
Read More »Big risk of regional war in Libya, UN says
Stephanie Williams, the deputy head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya for political affairs, said there is a “huge risk” of direct confrontation between rival foreign powers in Libya, the Financial Times reported on Monday. Williams said the chances of a miscalculation around the rebel-held Mediterranean city of …
Read More »72 migrants intercepted off Libyan coast: UNHCR
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Saturday said that 72 migrants have been intercepted by the Libyan coast guard off the country’s western coast. The UNHCR tweeted that “72 people were brought back to Tripoli Naval Port by Libyan Coast Guard late last night. UNHCR and the …
Read More »U.N. rights office urges U.S. to rein in police at protests
U.S. police and security forces must not use disproportionate force against protesters and journalists in U.S. cities including Portland or detain them unlawfully, the United Nations human rights office said on Friday. Law enforcement officers and federal forces must be clearly identifiable so that they can be held to account …
Read More »Pictures: Survivors mark 25th anniversary of Srebrenica massacre
Bosnia is marking the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, the only crime in Europe since World War II that has been declared a genocide, with only a small number of survivors allowed to take part in commemoration events due to the coronavirus pandemic. The brutal execution in July 1995 …
Read More »Russia, Turkey seek a solution to Libya crisis: Lavrov
Russia and Turkey will continue joint efforts on finding a solution to the Libyan crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday. The two countries are seeking an approach that would allow for an immediate cease-fire in Libya, the minister said, speaking at a news conference in Moscow. “Within the …
Read More »U.N. chief warns foreign interference in Libya conflict at ‘unprecedented levels’
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the Security Council on Wednesday that the conflict in Libya has entered a new phase “with foreign interference reaching unprecedented levels.” The oil-producing country descended into chaos after the NATO-backed overthrow of leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Since 2014, Libya has been split, with …
Read More »UK to resume arms sales to Saudi Arabia despite ‘possible’ war crimes in Yemen
Britain is to resume selling arms to Saudi Arabia despite assessing that the country could be using them to commit war crimes, the government has announced. International trade secretary Liz Truss said on Tuesday that the government had completed a review of how arms export licenses were granted in order …
Read More »US killing of Iran’s top general ‘unlawful’: UN expert
The US drone strike that killed Iran’s top general Qasem Soleimani was “unlawful”, the United Nations expert on extrajudicial killings concluded in a report released Tuesday. Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, concluded it was an “arbitrary killing” that violated the UN charter. The …
Read More »UN Security Council adopts resolution on immediate ceasefire in conflict zones
The United Nations Security Council has unanimously passed a resolution calling for an immediate halt to conflicts worldwide in an attempt to facilitate the fight against the deadly coronavirus pandemic. The resolution, which was adopted on Wednesday after months of negotiation, demands “all parties to armed conflicts to engage immediately …
Read More »Former Libya envoy accuses Security Council of ‘hypocrisy’
A former U.N. envoy to Libya has accused the Security Council of “hypocrisy” and of undermining his efforts to bring peace to the war-torn North African country. In a podcast interview, Ghassan Salame said the majority of the U.N. Security Council supported the military offensive launched last year by Libyan …
Read More »World food price index rises in June, first increase in 2020: UN
World food prices rose in June to post their first increase of 2020 and mark a slight rebound after the sharp falls triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) food price index, which measures monthly changes for a …
Read More »UN says Afghan army mistakenly fired mortars that killed 23
The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said its findings indicate the Afghan military had mistakenly fired the mortars this week at a busy market in southern Helmand province that inflicted heavy civilian casualties. A car bombing and mortar shells struck the market in Sangin district on Monday, killing 23 people, including …
Read More »At least six migrants died, 93 rescued off Libya’s coast
A woman who gave birth at sea was among 93 migrants rescued off Libyan shores as they tried to reach Europe, but six others died along the way, the UN’s migration agency said. The survivors were brought back overnight to the port city of Khoms, 120km (75 miles) west of …
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