Oil tanker sinks, hundreds of thousands affected as ‘super typhoon’ batters Philippines
An oil tanker carrying 1.4 million litres of fuel also sank in rough seas off the capital, in the Manila Bay.Now downgraded to a...
UN stresses value of cooperation with key organizations across Eurasia
Elizabeth Spehar, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, was speaking during a meeting on UN collaboration with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and the...
Books offer novel way to counter prison overcrowding in the Philippines
The initiative supported by the UN office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the Philippines is also expected to help ease chronic overcrowding in...
Southeast Asia: Torture rooms and karaoke bars in gang-run ‘scam farms’
There are estimated to be some 400 of these criminal enterprises in the Philippines alone. They are almost always operated clandestinely and illegally alongside...
Effort to restore Iran nuclear deal ‘remains elusive’, Security Council hears
Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, was updating ambassadors in the Security Council.The United States has not returned to the Joint Comprehensive...
UN official urges DPR Korea to halt missile activities and return to dialogue
At 10:45 PM local time on 27 May, the DPRK, also known as North Korea, conducted what it described as “the launch of reconnaissance...
Climate crisis fuels deadly floods, worsening hunger in Afghanistan
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that as erratic weather on the back of the worsening climate crisis “becomes the norm”, things will...
Japan: Safeguarding a mother tongue and mother nature
Even though both Nami and Tomoyuki were born on Okinoerabu Island (currently home to only 12,000 inhabitants), neither learned to speak Shimamuni – a...
Women in Afghanistan: The future ‘depends on them’
Released by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) on Wednesday, Listening to Women Entrepreneurs in Afghanistan, Their Struggle and Resilience, analyzes data collected over the...
Restrictions on Afghan women continue unabated
Among those whose working lives have been upended, de facto authorities “banned” approximately 400 women workers at a pine nut processing from the workplace...
Hong Kong: UN human rights experts call for immediate release of Jimmy Lai
Mr. Lai is the founder of the campaigning pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper, which was shut down in 2021 in the wake of the June...
Bangladesh: Citing ‘dangerous decline’ of human rights, experts urge key reforms
The Human Rights Council-appointed experts’ call follows on from the election victory of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier this month, who secured a controversial...
Myanmar demands greater focus urges UN rights chief, three years after coup
“Amid all of the crises around the world, it is important no one is forgotten. The people of Myanmar have been suffering for too...
Myanmar: Military’s ‘campaign of violence’ must end, UN chief says on anniversary of coup
In a statement issued by his spokesperson on Wednesday, the UN chief underscored the urgency of a transition to democratic governance and reinstating civilian...
Afghanistan: Taliban’s crackdown on women over ‘bad hijab’ must end
The incidents, which have surged since early January, are purportedly linked to violations of the Taliban’s stringent dress code for women.The Human Rights Council-appointed...
UN rights office voices concern ahead of elections in Pakistan
OHCHR denounced all acts of violence against political parties and candidates in the lead-up to Thursday’s vote.Spokesperson Liz Throssell said there have been no...
UNICEF condemns air strike on schools in Myanmar
The children killed were boys between 12 and 14 years of age.“UNICEF strongly condemns any strikes against schools and places of learning, which must...
Mongolian dzud: Extreme weather puts 90% of country at ‘high risk’
About 190,000 herder households are struggling with inadequate feed, skyrocketing prices and heightened vulnerabilities, according to the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in...
Asia-Pacific off track on path to SDGs, UN data shows
Adopted by world leaders in 2015, the 17 Goals focus on ending extreme poverty and hunger, ensuring access to clean water and sanitation, and...
Drastic erosion of women’s rights in Afghanistan continues
Police enforcement has increased harassment in public spaces and further limited women’s ability to leave their homes, according to testimony from 745 Afghan women...
We all want an Afghanistan at peace, UN chief says in Doha
Speaking to journalists during a two-day meeting with regional and national special envoys for Afghanistan, António Guterres said that there was consensus among delegates...
UN forum: Nations must collaborate now or risk further setbacks in sustainable development
The 11th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) kicked off in Bangkok, with participants echoing a compelling plea for nations to swiftly implement urgent...
Myanmar: Mandatory conscription shows junta’s ‘desperation’, rights expert says
Describing the move as a further sign of the junta’s “weakness and desperation”, Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews called for stronger international action to protect...
General Assembly debates Russia’s veto of DPR Korea sanctions panel
This is the third time this year that the world body has met to examine veto use among the Security Council’s permanent members –...
