May 25, 2018 No comments
UN chief notes ‘with concern’ report holding Russia liable for downing airliner
INTERNATIONAL, 25 May 2018 - Following the conclusion of an investigation that holds Russia responsible for the downing of a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane in 2014, the United Nations chief said on Friday that he “has taken note with concern of the latest report”. On Thursday, according to media reports, the Dutch-led international investigation team announced that it was Russian military personnel who had deployed the Buk surface-to-air missile, that shot down the plane. Russia has denied any involvement in the plane’s destruction. Speaking to journalists on Friday at UN Headquarters in New York, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said that Secretary-General António Guterres underlined a prior Security Council resolution demanding that “all states cooperate fully with efforts to establish accountability”. “In such instances, establishing the...
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May 25, 2018 No comments
France: New terrorism laws may undercut human rights and freedoms, says UN expert
INTERNATINAL, 25 May 2018 - While commending efforts by the French government to combat terrorism, a United Nations rights expert has raised concerns about the effect recent counter-terrorism laws are having on fundamental human rights there, including freedom of movement, religion and association. Fionnuala Ni Aolain, the UN Special Rapporteur on the protection of human rights said she was particularly concerned that tough new security laws passed last November, may disproportionately stigmatize and further marginalize Muslim citizens. She said it was clear that Muslims in France “have been the community primarily subject to exceptional measures both during the state of emergency and the new law, in tandem with other counter-terrorism measures,” Ms. Ni Aolain said, highlighting the example of mosque closures as an encroachment...
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May 25, 2018 No comments
‘What is good for Africa is good for the world’ says UN chief on International Day
INTERNATIONAL, 25 May 2018 - Praising efforts by African countries to alleviate poverty and build more stable societies, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres pledged his on-going support for ending conflict and building peace across the continent. “Peace and sustainable development are two sides of the same coin – one cannot be achieved without the other,” said Mr. Guterres marking Africa Day. “To promote peace, the UN will continue to support prevention,” he added. Commemorated annually on 25 May, Africa Day marks the founding in 1963 of the Organization of African Unity, now known as the African Union (AU). In his message, the UN chief applauded the continent’s leaders for reaching agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area just a few months ago, thereby creating one of...
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May 25, 2018 No comments
Death of Ebola patients who fled DRC hospital highlights dangers: WHO
INTERNATIONAL, 25 May 2018 - The escape of three patients infected with the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from the hospital where they were being treated is “not unexpected”, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, underlining the need to step up efforts to explain the dangers of the deadly disease to affected communities. Two of the three patients died after leaving an isolation unit in Wangata hospital in Mbandaka city in the last week, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic confirmed. He said that both of the deceased had been given a safe and dignified burial and added that “it was only human” that sick people wanted to be with their families “in what could be the last...
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May 25, 2018 No comments
AU-UN mission in Darfur extra-vigilant in wake of attacks on civilian camps
INTERNATIONAL, 25 May 2018 - Following a series of armed attacks on camps hosting displaced Sudanese in central Darfur, the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission there has urged all parties to respect designated humanitarian areas, which it says should be free of weapons, threats, and violence. “The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) expresses deep concern about recent attacks on three different internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Central Darfur state, which took place between 21 and 23 May 2018, resulting in a number of civilian fatalities and injuries among IDPs,” said a press release issued by the mission on Thursday. Last year, the UN decided to reduce the number of peacekeepers in Darfur but made an exception for Central Darfur state, where rebels...
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