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World Countries

Pacific 

End secret detention of rights defender, independent experts urge Pakistani authorities

Village Reporter
The experts said they are seriously concerned for the life of Idris Khattak – an activist who worked on a number of reports on disappearances in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas – as he has not had contact with the outside world since he was taken into custody by Pakistani Military Intelligence on 13 November 2019.  On 16 June 2020,… Read More
Pacific 

Afghanistan: Near-record violence risks derailing imminent talks between Government and Taliban

Village Reporter
High stakes  “The stakes could not be higher”, said Deborah Lyons, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), describing the intra-Afghan talks as a historic moment in the country’s history, as she briefed the Security Council on Thursday.    The conflict, which has raged for four decades, continues to kill hundreds of… Read More
Europe 

Alleged poisoning of Russian opposition leader a ‘grave concern’, says chemical weapons watchdog

Village Reporter
Mr. Navalny, a prominent anti-corruption activist, remains in a coma two weeks after falling violently ill during a flight from the town of Tomsk, in Siberia, to Moscow. He was later airlifted to Berlin for treatment, after Russian authorities allowed him to be moved.  The German government reported on Wednesday that toxicology tests conducted by a special military laboratory revealed… Read More
Europe 

Belarus must stop torturing protesters and prevent enforced disappearances

Village Reporter
Thousands have been detained in the eastern European country, where largely peaceful rallies to demand the resignation of longtime authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko – whose recent re-election to a sixth term opposition leaders believe was rigged – have prompted a heavy crackdown by security forces.  “We are extremely alarmed at the hundreds of allegations of torture and other ill-treatment in… Read More
Europe 

UN agencies call for urgent disembarkation of hundreds of refugees and migrants rescued in Central Mediterranean

Village Reporter
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR,  also underlined the need  for regional agreement on safe disembarkation amid the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced search and rescue capacity. “The humanitarian imperative of saving lives should not be penalized or stigmatized, especially in the absence of dedicated state-led efforts,” they said in a joint statement. IOM and… Read More
Pacific 

The key to Viet Nam’s successful COVID-19 response: A UN Resident Coordinator blog

Village Reporter
“Despite a new wave which began on 25 July which Viet Nam is now also in the process of bringing under effective control, it is globally recognized that Viet Nam demonstrated one of the world’s most successful responses to the COVID-19 pandemic between January  and April 16. After that date, no cases of local transmission were recorded for 99 consecutive… Read More
Pacific 

Myanmar: Upcoming elections an opportunity to take a new inclusive democratic path

Village Reporter
According to James Rodehaver, Senior Human Rights Officer based in the OHCHR South-East Asia Regional Office, three years after the violence that forced over 700,000 Rohingyas from their homes in northern Myanmar into neighbouring Bangladesh, “conditions inside the country have deteriorated and little has been done to create viable conditions for their safe return.”  Meanwhile, a new conflict has flared… Read More
Pacific 

Address root causes of the Rohingya refugee crisis, urges UN chief

Village Reporter
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, the Secretary-General said the UN will continue to stand in solidarity with all those affected by the crisis, and that it is committed to working with all stakeholders, including regional actors, towards a future of sustainable development, human rights and peace in Myanmar.  Mr. Guterres called for greater urgency to the crisis by… Read More
Pacific 

Three years after exodus, Rohingya refugees ‘more vulnerable than ever’

Village Reporter
According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), almost all refugees remain entirely dependent on food assistance to survive.   “The availability of foods in camps, outside of WFP assistance, has been shrinking and prices rising,” Elisabeth Byrs, a spokesperson for the UN agency, told a media briefing on Tuesday.  Disrupted supply chains due to COVID-19 lockdown measures are also affecting… Read More
Pacific 

First Person: Tourism in Hawaii grounded during pandemic

Village Reporter
Eli Hobbs is the Chief Pilot for Jack Harter Helicopters based on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. He spoke to UN News as part of the International Labour Organization’s photography project “Dignity at Work: The American Experience”. “When Hawaii went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the middle of March, our activities were totally shut down. Obviously, tourists… Read More
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