Latest World Headlines
Employment Minister launches USP Orientation Week
Monday, 29 January 2018, 8:02 pm | University Of South Pacific
The University of the South Pacific’s (USP) 2018 Orientation Week was officially launched by the Honourable Jone Usamate, Fijian Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, at the Laucala Campus on 29 January 2018. The Orientation ... More >>
NZ Muslims Strongly Condemn the Terrorist Attack in Kabul
Monday, 29 January 2018, 5:03 pm | Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand
The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand Inc. (FIANZ) and the Muslim community in New Zealand were shocked and saddened by the news of the latest terrorist attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. In this latest attack, more than 100 innocent civilian ... More >>
Coups, globalisation and Fiji’s reset of ‘democracy'
Monday, 29 January 2018, 4:40 pm | Pacific Media Watch
When Commodore (now rear admiral retired and an elected prime minister) Voreqe Bainimarama staged Fiji’s fourth “coup to end all coups” on 5 December 2006, it was widely misunderstood, misinterpreted and misrepresented by a legion of politicians, foreign ... More >>
Australian and US aircraft join search for Kiribati ferry
Monday, 29 January 2018, 4:22 pm | Maritime New Zealand
Aircraft from Australia and the US Coast Guard will join the search for the missing Kiribati ferry MV Butiraoi that had an estimated 50 people on-board. Rescue Coordination Centre NZ and the Royal New Zealand Air Force continue to assist the Rescue Coordination ... More >>
Bridging gap between relief and development work
Monday, 29 January 2018, 2:15 pm | United Nations
28 January 2018 – A surge in conflict-induced needs in Africa and the Middle East, coupled with an increase in climate shocks that pummel the most vulnerable everywhere, have given fresh urgency to calls for the international community to work in a new ... More >>
Assassination in Kosovo: The Killing of Oliver Ivanović
Monday, 29 January 2018, 11:08 am | Binoy Kampmark
“I won’t even start with the old rule that when there’s a contract killing, it’s usually the killer who first offers their condolences.” Nenad Čanak, Radio Free Europe, Jan 22, 2018 More >>
Ski resort construction causing irreversible damage to Pirin
Monday, 29 January 2018, 9:52 am | WWF
Sofia, Bulgaria (29 January 2018) – Pirin National Park, one of Europe’s most important biodiversity hotspots, has suffered irreparable damage from the construction and expansion of Bansko ski resort, reveals a WWF report published today. The analysis ... More >>
Guterres lauds strong AU-UN partnership
Monday, 29 January 2018, 8:25 am | United Nations
28 January 2018 – Hailing the partnership between Africa and the United Nations as “solid, and grounded on sound principles of human rights and good governance,” Secretary General, Antonio Guterres told leaders gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, ... More >>
NZDF Finds Survivors From Missing Kiribati Ferry
Sunday, 28 January 2018, 3:15 pm | New Zealand Defence Force
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has found seven survivors from a ferry with 50 people on board that was reported missing in Kiribati a week ago. More >>
DR Congo: UN chief condemns killing of blue helmet
Sunday, 28 January 2018, 2:54 pm | United Nations
DR Congo: UN chief condemns killing of 'blue helmet,' calls on armed groups to lay down weapons More >>
Fishing vessel on way to dinghy
Sunday, 28 January 2018, 2:50 pm | Maritime New Zealand
28 January 2018 (1.45pm) The Rescue Coordination Centre of New Zealand says a fishing vessel has been diverted to pick up seven people found adrift in a dinghy this morning during the search for the missing Kiribati ferry. More >>
'Barbaric' terrorist attack in central Mali
Sunday, 28 January 2018, 11:29 am | United Nations
Security Council condemns 'barbaric' terrorist attack in central Mali that killed dozens on civilian bus More >>
Massive vehicle bomb attack in Kabul leaves scores dead
Sunday, 28 January 2018, 11:27 am | United Nations
27 January 2018 – Secretary-General António Guterres and the United Nations in Afghanistan have strongly condemned Saturday's massive vehicle bomb attack on a busy street near Government buildings in the Afghan capital, Kabul, which reportedly left ... More >>
UN envoy for Syria to attend Russia-sponsored talks
Sunday, 28 January 2018, 11:25 am | United Nations
27 January 2018 – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will send his Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, to Sochi next week to attend the Russia-sponsored Congress of the Syrian National Dialogue, talks reportedly on a ... More >>
Guterres says partnership with African Union is fundamental
Sunday, 28 January 2018, 11:23 am | United Nations
In Addis Ababa, Guterres says partnership with African Union is fundamental to work of the UN More >>
INDIA: Hunger used to be the biggest humiliation
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 11:01 pm | Asian Human Rights Commission
President Ram Nath Kovind’s address to the nation, like most of his predecessors at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, took note of persistence of hunger and malnutrition in the country, even more so among the children. He did note that though the republic ... More >>
Ferry search resumes at daylight
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 10:36 pm | Maritime New Zealand
The Rescue Coordination Centre of New Zealand has provided a detailed search area for the P3 Orion crew and local personnel, who will resume searching for the missing Kiribati ferry at daylight. More >>
PNG: Sick asylum-seeker restrained and force-fed
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 12:47 pm | Amnesty International
Responding to news that an asylum-seeker being treated at a hospital in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG), for a serious medical condition, has been restrained for three days and is being force-fed by hospital staff after he went on hunger strike ... More >>
ASEAN Tourism Ministers Stir the Pot for Gastro Tourism
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 12:45 pm | ASEAN
CHIANG MAI, THAILAND – The ASEAN Tourism Forum ended on a high 26 January, with ASEAN tourism ministers itemising a list of achievements for the region’s robust travel and tourism sector. Lauding the completion of a strong VisitASEAN@50 campaign ... More >>
UH Talanoa Dialogue, Aiming for Higher Climate Ambition
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 12:26 pm | UNFCCC
UN Opens Talanoa Dialogue Portal, Aiming for Higher Climate Ambition https://cop23.unfccc.int/news/un-opens-talanoa-dialogue-portal-aiming-for-higher-climate-ambition More >>
Pyeongchang: Appeals for nations to honour ‘Olympic Truce’
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 12:18 pm | United Nations
26 January 2018 – Ahead of next month’s Olympics and Paralympics in the Republic of Korea (ROK), United Nations General Assembly President Miroslav Lajčák on Friday appealed to all UN Member States to observe the historic 'Olympic Truce' during the ... More >>
Venezuela: Economic woes worsening malnutrition
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 12:15 pm | United Nations
Shoppers wait in line for five hours to buy a ration of bread from a small bakery in Cumaná, Venezuela. Photo: Meridith Kohut/IRIN More >>
Overcrowded boat capsizes off Yemen coast, 30 drowned
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 12:13 pm | United Nations
Somali refugees wait on Yemen's Red Sea coast for transport to Aden. Photo: UNHCR/R. Nuri More >>
Syria: World cannot become numb to killing of children
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 12:10 pm | United Nations
‘Enough is enough;’ world cannot become numb to killing of children, says top UNICEF official in Syria More >>
Davos: Role of businesses in ending LGBTI discrimination
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 12:07 pm | United Nations
26 January 2018 – With major companies joining the growing list of early adopters of United Nations standards to promote equality for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people, the UN human rights chief on Friday highlighted the private sector's ... More >>
Fears for Two-Week Old Refugee Baby on Nauru
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 12:03 pm | Refugee Action Coalition
Refugee Action Coalition MEDIA RELEASE FEARS FOR TWO-WEEK OLD REFUGEE BABY ON NAURU There are serious concerns for the welfare of a two-week baby boy on Nauru. More >>
Egypt must halt executions, say UN human rights experts
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 11:50 am | UNHCHR
GENEVA (26 January 2018) – A group of UN human rights experts* has called on Egypt to halt all pending executions following repeated allegations of unfair trials. More >>
Holocaust remembrance and education: A shared responsibility
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 11:49 am | UNHCHR
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, 27 January 2018 More >>
Fiji: Government Steps Up Anti-union Repression
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 11:47 am | ITUC
Brussels, 26 January 2018 (ITUC Online): The ITUC has called on the Fiji government to cease their harassment of Fiji Trade Union Congress General Secretary Felix Anthony. In repeated interrogations police have accused him of 'sabotaging the economy', a ... More >>
Davos: WTO - Match words of support for the WTO with deeds
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 11:44 am | World Trade Organisation
Davos: DG Azevêdo calls on members to match words of support for the WTO with deeds More >>
RCCNZ assists search for Kiribati ferry
Saturday, 27 January 2018, 11:37 am | Maritime New Zealand
27 January 2018 (8.30am) The Rescue Coordination Centre of New Zealand is assisting the Fiji rescue services in searching for an inter-island ferry overdue in Kiribati with an estimated 50 on-board. More >>
Fiji: There Must Be No Impunity for Sexual Offences
Friday, 26 January 2018, 4:51 pm | Fiji NGO Coalition on Human Rights
NGO Coalition on Human Rights Towards a Fiji that respects and protects human rights 26/01/18 There Must Be No Impunity for Sexual Offences The Fiji NGO Coalition on Human Rights condemns all acts of sexual offences and welcomes the launching of a ... More >>
Kiribati SDG Report Preparation for HLPF 2018 Underway
Friday, 26 January 2018, 4:41 pm | PIANGO
(Tarawa, Kiribati) -----Kiribati’s preparation of its SDG Voluntary National Review (VNR) to the 2018 UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF) in July should be commended says the Pacific Islands Association of NGOs. PIANGO executive director, Emele Duituturaga ... More >>
Time to show leadership to resolve conflict
Friday, 26 January 2018, 2:15 pm | United Nations
25 January 2018 – The United Nations, the Security Council and the wider international community all have fallen into a pattern of “managing, rather than resolving” the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the UN envoy on the Middle East peace process warned ... More >>
Lula Conviction Further Undermines Democracy, Rule of Law
Friday, 26 January 2018, 1:30 pm | International Trade Union Confederation
Brussels, 25 January 2018 (ITUC OnLine): Trust in the rule of law in Brazil suffered a severe blow on Wednesday as an appeal court failed to provide former President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva with a fair trial. The court ignored all evidence of Lula´s ... More >>
South Africa: rhino poaching in 2017 almost matches 2016
Friday, 26 January 2018, 1:29 pm | Traffic International
Johannesburg, South Africa, 25th January 2018 —South Africa today announced the official number of rhinos illegally killed in the country during 2017 as 1028 animals: a tiny decrease on last year’s 1054. More >>
Yemen: UN welcomes Saudi-led coalition easing aid access
Friday, 26 January 2018, 12:15 pm | UN News
25 January 2018 – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed news that five tankers carrying 180,000 litres of fuel reached Yemen’s northern province of Marib on Wednesday as part of the Saudi-led coalition’s wider plan ... More >>
Largest ever yellow fever vaccination campaign in Nigeria
Friday, 26 January 2018, 11:03 am | United Nations
25 January 2018 – The Nigerian Government launched a mass vaccination campaign in alliance with the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday, aiming to immunize more than 25 million people before the end of this year. More >>
West Papua 2017 Year in Review
Friday, 26 January 2018, 10:56 am | Australian West Papua Association
This report details incidents of human rights abuses and events that occurred in West Papua during 2017. It is by no means exhaustive. In the report AWPA uses the name “West Papua” to refer to the whole of the western half of the Island of ... More >>
Time to end leprosy stigma, says new UN human rights expert
Friday, 26 January 2018, 9:34 am | United Nations
GENEVA (25 January 2018) – People affected by leprosy continue to suffer discrimination and lack of access to medical care, a newly appointed UN human rights expert specialising in the disease has warned, citing latest statistics that show over 200,000 new cases ... More >>
Alarm at effort to shut down independent media outlet
Friday, 26 January 2018, 9:30 am | United Nations
UN experts express serious alarm at effort to shut down independent media outlet in the Philippines More >>
Death sentence of Bahá’í follower in Yemen must be quashed
Friday, 26 January 2018, 9:28 am | United Nations
GENEVA (25 January 2018) – UN human rights experts* have urged the de facto authorities in Sana’a to annul a death sentence handed down against a follower of the Baha’i faith, reiterating calls for an immediate end to persecution of the community in ... More >>
Safety of Rohingya children must be guaranteed before return
Friday, 26 January 2018, 9:26 am | United Nations
25 January 2018 – Improved security and unimpeded humanitarian access in Myanmar are essential before Rohingya children can be returned from Bangladesh, a senior official of the United Nations children's agency has said. More >>
Libya: UN relief wing and partners seek $313 million
Friday, 26 January 2018, 8:57 am | United Nations
Libya: UN relief wing and partners seek $313 million to assist hundreds of thousands of people More >>
DR Congo is home to one of world’s worst displacement crises
Friday, 26 January 2018, 8:54 am | United Nations
25 January 2018 – More than 800,000 children have been forced from their homes by violence and armed clashes in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in what the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) calls “one of the world’s ... More >>
Afghanistan: Attack on Save the Children Compound
Thursday, 25 January 2018, 6:26 pm | Save The Children
It is with profound sadness that we can confirm three Save the Children staff members were killed earlier today in an attack on our office in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. All other staff have been safely rescued from the office. Four were injured in the attack ... More >>
Thai Princess Visits Women’s Prison to Promote Reforms
Thursday, 25 January 2018, 5:21 pm | UNODC
Chiang Mai (Thailand), 25 January 2018 – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Goodwill Ambassador on the Rule of Law for Southeast Asia, Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, UNODC Regional Representative Jeremy Douglas, Executive ... More >>
Spike in attacks on ‘blue helmets’
Thursday, 25 January 2018, 3:18 pm | United Nations
24 January 2018 – With United Nations ‘blue helmets’ facing increasingly grave threats, including armed groups with no interest in peace, the UN peacekeeping chief called on Wednesday for greater political engagement and leadership from the Security ... More >>
UN chief condemns double bombing in Libyan city of Benghazi
Thursday, 25 January 2018, 3:15 pm | United Nations
24 January 2018 – Condemning the double bombing in the Libyan city of Benghazi, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres underscored that there can be no military solution to the crisis plaguing the country. More >>
South Sudan: Ceasefire violations undercut peace push
Thursday, 25 January 2018, 2:54 pm | United Nations
24 January 2018 – While the signing last month of a ceasefire accord among South Sudan’s warring parties is a great stride forward, it is just a first step toward peace and stability, the United Nations peacekeeping chief said Wednesday, warning ... More >>
Canada protects digital rights in new TPP agreement
Thursday, 25 January 2018, 1:19 pm | OpenMedia
Canada listens to Canadians, protects digital rights in new TPP agreement Transparency continues to elude Canadian trade negotiation processes More >>
Afghanistan: UN chief ‘appalled by deadly attack
Thursday, 25 January 2018, 12:31 pm | United Nations
24 January 2018 – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has spoken out against the fatal attack on the Afghan offices of renowned international non-governmental organization Save the Children, saying that he was “appalled and deeply saddened” ... More >>
Regional stakeholders meet to discuss future of PHAMA
Thursday, 25 January 2018, 10:38 am | PHAMA
Key representatives from government and the private sectors of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu are in Nadi this week for the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access (PHAMA) Program* Coordinating Committee meeting. More >>
Call for Finland to stop funding Kenya Forest Service
Thursday, 25 January 2018, 10:01 am | Forest Peoples Programme
Calls are being made for the Finnish government to suspend a €9.5 million fund to the Kenya Forest Service because of escalating human rights abuses of the country’s indigenous Sengwer people. More >>
UN report on benefits of investing in better migration data
Thursday, 25 January 2018, 9:33 am | UN News
24 January 2018 – Investing in value-based migration data that squarely focuses on impact can benefit the world to the tune of $35 billion dollars, according to a new report launched Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland, by the United Nations migration ... More >>
Vulnerable countries on track to achieve universal internet
Thursday, 25 January 2018, 9:30 am | UN News
24 January 2018 – The world’s least developed countries are narrowing ‘digital divide,’ and with millions of people now taking advantage of smart phones and other digital devices, keeping up this momentum can put their societies on the fast track ... More >>
The Last Swiss Holocaust Survivors: Keeping the memory alive
Thursday, 25 January 2018, 9:27 am | UN News
24 January 2018 – After the Second World War, 90 per cent of the Holocaust survivors were between 16 and 45 years old. Today, the youngest survivors, who were born in the last phase of the war, are over age 70. More >>
2018 is ‘year of implementation for Somali' reforms
Thursday, 25 January 2018, 9:21 am | UN News
24 January 2018 – Grappling with turbulent politics, persisting terrorism and the risk of famine, Somalia must make 2018 a year of carrying out reforms, a senior United Nations official said Wednesday, urging more international financial and technical ... More >>
Central African Republic: UN, partners seek $515 million aid
Thursday, 25 January 2018, 8:45 am | United Nations
24 January 2018 – With more than half the population in the Central African Republic (CAR) projected to need humanitarian assistance in 2018, the United Nations, the Government and partners are seeking $515.6 million in contributions to address the ... More >>
Somalis must make 2018 ‘year of implementation’
Thursday, 25 January 2018, 8:41 am | United Nations
With new leadership committed to reforms, Somalis must make 2018 ‘year of implementation’ – UN envoy More >>
