Tag: Asia News

They ask heartbreaking questions: “What will happen to us?” “Is it true they will deport us?” “We don’t want to go back. How can I live in Afghanistan?” The words of Sumaiya, who staffs a helpline for refugees and asylum-seekers living in Pakistan but facing the eventuality of having to return to neighbouring Afghanistan. Source UN News Read More

The UN-mandated independent human rights fact-finding mission on Iran has urged authorities to immediately restore internet access and halt the violent crackdown of the ongoing, nationwide protest. Source UN News Read More

An independent human rights expert has urged the international community to reject the electoral process organised by Myanmar’s military government, after the first round of voting revealed widespread coercion, exclusion and violence. Source UN News Read More

As protests in the Iranian capital, Tehran – sparked by increasing economic hardship and a cost-of-living crisis – continued for a ninth day, the UN Secretary-General said he was “deeply saddened by the reported loss of life and injuries,” resulting from clashes between security forces and protesters. Source UN News Read More

Nearly a month after Cyclone Ditwah tore across Sri Lanka, more than a million people – including over half a million children – remain in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, as floods, landslides and renewed rainfall continue to compound one of the country’s worst disasters in decades. Source UN News Read More

At a meeting to discuss nuclear non-proliferation on Tuesday, the Security Council’s stance on Iran’s nuclear activities remained divided on the issue, split between those who support the reinstatement of sanctions, and the members who believe the sanctions should be permanently lifted, whilst questioning the legality of the meeting itself. Source UN News Read More

As Myanmar approaches elections scheduled for 28 December, the UN’s top human rights official has said that civilians are being coerced from all sides – forced by the military to vote and threatened by armed opposition groups to boycott – in a climate of fear, violence and mass repression. Source UN News Read More

The United Nations has urged calm in Bangladesh after the killing of a prominent youth protest leader sparked fresh unrest, raising concerns about political violence and the safety of civic space as the country prepares for elections early next year. Source UN News Read More

Intensifying air strikes and heavy artillery fire across Thailand and Cambodia have left civilians increasingly at risk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned on Thursday.   Source UN News Read More

Despite widespread suffering driven by conflict, displacement and disasters, Myanmar’s humanitarian emergency has become “almost invisible” to the world, the UN’s senior official in the country has warned. Source UN News Read More