Bangladesh: UN urges peaceful transition as PM resigns and flees the country
Secretary-General António Guterres “continues to closely follow developments in the country,” UN Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said in a statement. “He urges calm and restraint by all sides and emphasizes the importance of a peaceful, orderly and democratic transition,” he…
Iran’s protest crackdown disproportionately targeting minorities: UN experts
The paper highlights several ways Iranian security forces violated the rights of minorities including through “extrajudicial executions, unnecessary use of lethal force, arbitrary arrests, torture, rape” and other crimes against humanity. The mission says this is the “direct result of…
Middle East: UN rights chief warns against wider war, appeals for urgent de-escalation
“I am deeply worried about the rising risk of a wider conflict in the Middle East and plead with all parties, along with those States with influence, to act urgently to de-escalate what has become a very precarious situation,” Volker…
Shocking violence in Bangladesh must stop: UN rights chief
More than 80 people, including at least 13 police personnel, are said to have been killed in clashes between security forces and protesters, according to media reports. Authorities have imposed a curfew and restricted internet access. A police station in…
UN condemns deadly suicide attack on Somalia beach
The Al-Shabaab terrorist group reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place late on Friday night (local time) and involved a suicide bombing followed by a gun battle between militants and security forces. At least 37 people were killed…
UN envoy urges action to address ‘growing risk of a serious escalation’ in the Middle East
Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, issued a statement saying he has engaged in “critical discussions with the relevant parties and Member States in the region, including Lebanon, Egypt and Qatar, in support of regional de-escalation”….
Humanitarians call for greater support for Sudan following famine declaration
A $2.7 billion plan to support nearly 15 million people this year is less than a third funded, resulting in huge shortfalls, which also impact local organizations at the forefront of the response. “To stop a large-scale famine from taking…
Fight bigotry whenever and wherever it appears, UN chief declares
On the night of 2 August 1944, the last 4,300 Roma and Sinti in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp were murdered by the Nazi forces, despite their fierce resistance. That marked the killing of more than 500,000 members of the community,…
Heat claims more than 175,000 lives annually in Europe, latest data shows
Across Europe, more than 50 countries “are paying the ultimate price”, said WHO Regional Director Dr. Hans Kluge, only days since Earth recorded its warmest average temperature yet, at 17.16 degrees Celsius (62.89 Fahrenheit), and as exhausting summer heatwaves hit…
UNICEF reports 32 children killed, many injured and detained in Bangladesh protests
Last month, students in Bangladesh staged massive protests against the Government, demanding an end to a “quota system” for government jobs amid rising unemployment. More than 200 people were killed in clashes with security forces, including bystanders, according to media…