Page 60 - United Nations

Threat of terrorism from Taliban rising in Afghanistan, region: UN report

The link between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan remains strong and symbiotic, according to a UN report which said the ability of terrorist groups to freely manoeuvre under the Taliban de facto authorities in Afghanistan is raising the threat of terrorism in the country and the region. The fourteenth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team of the 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council said that contrary to statements to not allow Afghan soil to be used for attacks against other countries, the Taliban have harboured and allowed active support of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. While maintaining links to numerous terrorist entities, the Taliban have lobbied member states for counter-terrorism assistance in its fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Khorasan Province (ISIL-K), which it perceives as its principal rival. The link between the Taliban and both Al-Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains

Myanmar suspended int'l aid deliveries to cyclone-hit areas: UN agency

Myanmar's military government has rescinded its approval for international organizations to distribute food, shelter and medicines to thousands of residents of cyclone-hit areas in the country's west, a U.N. agency said Friday. Cyclone Mocha hit the coastline of Bangladesh and Myanmar in mid-May with winds of up to 209 kilometers (130 miles) per hour. The damage was worst around the coastal city of Sittwe, the capital of Myanmar's Rakhine state, but was also severe as the storm moved inland into Chin state. The military authorities also suspended travel authorizations for international humanitarian organizations, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a situation report. It said the suspension of aid activities could not have come at a worse time because of the arrival of the annual monsoon season. The report did not say why the military government's Disaster Management Committee suspended the travel authorizations. Myanmar's military has long kept acc

UN suspends aid to Ethiopia over diversion of supplies, a day after US did

The United Nations World Food Programme said on Friday that it is temporarily suspending food aid to Ethiopia because its supplies are being diverted, an announcement that came a day after the United States Agency for International Development said it was doing the same. Food diversion is absolutely unacceptable, and we welcome the government of Ethiopia's commitment to investigate and hold accountable those responsible, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said. The programme's head office in Rome declined further comment when contacted by The Associated Press. Some 20 million Ethiopians rely on food aid because of drought and conflict, out of the country's population of roughly 120 million. Much of the aid comes from USAID and the World Food Programme. The suspensions brought worries that malnutrition could rise in Africa's second most populous country, USAID, WFP and the Ethiopian government have not said who is responsible for the food diversion, which the US has described as .

Sudan's govt declares UN envoy, a mediator in conflict, no longer welcome

The United Nations envoy to Sudan, a key mediator in the country's brutal conflict, is no longer welcome in the African country, Sudanese authorities say. A terse statement issued by Sudan's Foreign Ministry late Thursday comes just weeks after the head of the country's military, Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, demanded in a letter to envoy Volker Perthes that he should be removed from his post. UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres has been notified that Perthes has been formally declared persona non grata, the Foreign Ministry said. Since April 15, Sudan's military, headed by Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, have been locked in a violent power struggle that has killed more than 860 civilians, according to Sudan's Doctors' Syndicate which tracks civilian casualties. The actual death tally is likely to be much higher. Perthes has been a key mediator in Sudan since being appointed as special envoy in 2021, first during the country's fa

UN official warns of consequences of destruction of Ukrainian dam

Ukrainian authorities have reported that at least 40 settlements are already flooded or partially flooded in Kherson oblast. This number is expected to rise in the coming days

OpenAI CEO suggests international agency like IAEA could oversee AI

Artificial intelligence poses an existential risk to humanity, a key innovator warned during a visit to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, suggesting an international agency like the International Atomic Energy Agency oversee the ground-breaking technology. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is on a global tour to discuss artificial intelligence. The challenge that the world has is how we're going to manage those risks and make sure we still get to enjoy those tremendous benefits, said Altman, 38. No one wants to destroy the world. OpenAI's ChatGPT, a popular chatbot, has grabbed the world's attention as it offers essay-like answers to prompts from users. Microsoft has invested some $1 billion in OpenAI. ChatGPT's success, offering a glimpse into the way that artificial intelligence could change the way that humans work and learn, has sparked concerns as well. Hundreds of industry leaders, including Altman, have signed a letter in May that warns mitigating the risk of extinction from AI shoul

World not on track to reach energy goal, 2.3 bn use polluting fuel: Report

The report said that at the current estimate, 660 million people are projected to be without electricity and 1.9 billion won't have clean cooking opportunities by 2030

FarmersFZ selected for UN's 'Accelerator Programme' for food startups

A Kerala-based startup, Farmers Fresh Zone (FarmersFZ), has been selected for the 'Accelerator Programme by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN

Ukraine brands Russia 'terrorist state' to open hearings at top UN court

A top Ukrainian diplomat called Russia a terrorist state Tuesday as he opened his country's case against Moscow at the United Nations' highest court and accused Russia of blowing up a major dam in southern Ukraine. Anton Korynevych was addressing judges at the International Court of Justice in a case brought by Kyiv against Russia linked to Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and arming of rebels in eastern Ukraine in the years before Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukraine wants the world court to order Moscow to pay reparations for attacks in the regions, including for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that was shot down by Russia-backed rebels on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew. Korynevych said that with Moscow unable to beat Ukraine on the battlefield, it targets civilian infrastructure to try to freeze us into submission. Earlier today, just today, Russia blew up a major dam located in Nova Kakhovka, causing significant civilians .

Top UN court opens hearings of Ukraine's Crimea case against Russia

Hearings open Tuesday at the United Nations' highest court in a case brought by Ukraine against Russia linked to Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and arming of rebels in eastern Ukraine in the years before Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kyiv wants the International Court of Justice to order Moscow to pay reparations for attacks in the regions, including for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that was shot down by Russia-backed rebels on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew. Four days of hearings in the court's ornate, wood-paneled Great Hall of Justice are opening against a backdrop of Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II raging on in Ukraine. Ukraine on Tuesday accused Russian forces of blowing up a major dam and hydroelectric power station in a part of in a part of the country Moscow controls, threatening a massive flood. Lawyers for Kyiv will present legal arguments to support their case Tuesday, followed by Russia on Thursday.

Gender equality 'significantly important' for a world without hunger: UN

In a tweet on Saturday, the UN Secretary-General stated that gender equality is a fundamental requirement that must be addressed in order to remove hunger from the globe

India, UAE, US, Saudi cooperation aims to do good in region: UNSC president

The meeting of top security officials of India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the US is a partnership to "buttress the multilateral system" and "do good in the region," according to President

Pakistan proud of its contribution to UN peacekeeping: Minister Hina Khar

Khar paid tribute to the services and sacrifices rendered by UN peacekeepers for advancing the shared goals of peace all over the world

Union Cabinet approves CITIIS 2.0, will support climate action goals

The government press release informed that the programme will run for a period of four years, starting from 2023 until 2027

UN urges Russia, Ukraine to ban attacks at Zaporizhzhia power nuclear plant

The UN nuclear chief stressed Tuesday that the world is fortunate a nuclear accident hasn't happened in Ukraine and asked Moscow and Kyiv to commit to preventing any attack on Europe's largest nuclear power plant and make other pledges "to avoid the danger of a catastrophic incident." Rafael Grossi reiterated to the UN Security Council what he told the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors in March: "We are rolling a dice and if this continues then one day our luck will run out." The IAEA director general said avoiding a nuclear accident is possible if five principles are observed at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, where fighting on seven occasions, most recently last week, disrupted critical power supplies, "the last line of defense against a nuclear accident." Grossi "respectfully and solemnly" asked Ukraine and Russia to observe the principles, saying IAEA experts at Zaporizhzhia will start monitoring and he will publicly report on any violations: Ban ...

Pakistan a 'very high concern' area in food insecurity, says UN report

Acute food insecurity in Pakistan is likely to rise in the next months if the country's economic and political turmoil intensifies, aggravating the consequences of the 2022 floods

Iran's media claims UN watchdog closes line of inquiry on nuclear programme

Iran's state-run news agency claimed Tuesday that international inspectors had closed off two lines of inquiry they had over Tehran's nuclear programme ahead of a scheduled quarterly report by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog. The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, however, did not respond to questions over the report published by Iran's state-run IRNA news agency. Citing knowledgeable sources, IRNA said that the IAEA had closed off its inquiry over the recent discovery of traces of uranium enriched up to 83.7 per cent purity. A quarterly IAEA report in March said inspectors found the particles in Iran's underground Fordo nuclear site, further raising nonproliferation concerns as weapons-grade material is enriched to 90 per cent. Iran had blamed unintended fluctuations for the discovery at Fordo nuclear site. The Islamic Republic has been producing uranium enriched to 60% purity a level which nonproliferation experts say Tehran does not need for civilian ...

Pledged fund to support Rohingya refugees is grossly insufficient: UN

Bangladesh should not bear the burden of more than 1 million Rohingya refugees alone while the agencies of the United Nations are facing challenges to feed them, an official of the United Nations said Monday. Olivier De Schutter, a UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, made the statement after ending a 12-day trip to Bangladesh, where he visited camps sheltering the refugees from Myanmar. He said the response from the international community to support the refugees against the fund needed is grossly insufficient. About USD 876 million are needed to support the community for a year, but only 17% of that has been pledged to date, he said, calling it scandalous at a news conference in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka. Bangladesh should not be left to shoulder the burden of the presence of the refugees on its own. These (UN) agencies should be much better supported in their work, De Schutter said. He said the World Food Program has been forced in May to reduce the value

Army marks 75th anniversary of UN peacekeepers day by paying homage

The army on Monday commemorated the 75th anniversary of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers by paying homage to the fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial here. Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande laid a wreath at the NWM located near the India Gate, officials said. The International Day of UN Peacekeepers observed on May 29 is an opportunity to recognise the service and sacrifice of the more than one million personnel who have served under the blue flag since 1948. It is also a chance to honour the memory of the more than 4,000 peacekeepers who lost their lives in the cause of peace, the UN peacekeeping website says. The first UN peacekeeping mission, 'UN Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO)' began operations in Palestine on this day in 1948, according to a statement issued by the Defence Ministry here. The Vice Chief of Indian Army and representatives from the navy and the air force, Ministry of External Affairs and United Nations also laid wreaths at the memorial, officials

UN talks on a treaty to end global plastic pollution open in Paris

A United Nations committee is meeting on Monday in Paris to work on what is intended to be a landmark treaty to bring an end to global plastic pollution, but there is little agreement yet on what the outcome should be. The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for Plastics is charged with developing the first international, legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. This is the second of five meetings due to take place to complete the negotiations by the end of 2024. At the first meeting, held six months ago in Uruguay, some countries pressed for global mandates, some for national solutions and others for both. Humanity produces more than 430 million tons of plastic annually, two-thirds of which are short-lived products that soon become waste, filling the ocean and, often, working their way into the human food chain, the United Nations Environment Program said in April. Plastic waste produced globally is set to almost triple by 2060, with a