The man expected to be voted in as the next UN secretary-general tomorrow says 'migration is necessary, better to organise it'

“I’ve never seen a Portuguese taking care of my mother,” Antonio Guterres says, with a tinge of exasperation at the ongoing debate in Europe and North America about migration. His 93-year-old mother needed a caregiver, so he contracted one from a private agency. “They are all migrants,” he says. And then he drives home his point. “There is no way Europe, an ageing continent, can deal with the problems of the elderly people without migration.” Guterres would know. The 67-year-old is a former prime minister of Portugal and former United Nations high commissioner for refugees. In an exclusive interview in New Delhi on July 22, the day after he emerged as the front runner to become the next United Nations secretary-general -- he is expected to be formally voted in as the next UN chief on Friday -- Guterres insisted that migration is part of the solution to global problems. And he has a compelling argument against the insular, myopic and at times hypocritical debates, bordering, some would say, on xenophobia and racism, which have engrossed and agitated Britain, Hungary and France in Europe and across the Atlantic in the United States. The fertility rate in most European countries is below 1.5. In my country Portugal it is between 1.2 and 1.3. There is no way these countries can survive without immigration × Fertility rate is the ratio of births to the population, expressed per 1,000 population per year. “So if migration is necessary, (it is) better to organise it,” Guterres wonders aloud. He concedes that there may be some truth to the claims that smugglers and people traffickers are manipulating the migration of millions into Europe and that, in turn, is causing social tensions in local communities and aiding some terrorist organisations. But he is categorical that the alternative is not to say no to refugees. “Several leaders in Europe and North America say we don’t need Muslim refugees. This is the worst thing you can say in a country that has millions of Muslims. This is the best propaganda for Daesh,” Guterres says, taking the Arabic name for the so-called Islamic State. “Those that are saying these things are helping terrorists recruit people. They are telling Muslims that you don’t belong and this is absolutely crazy. Xenophobic populist leaders are the best allies of terrorist organisations,” he adds. Guterres has in the past said that the migration debate in Europe is irrational and schizophrenic. He wants migration to be made legal and structured. He is equally critical of some leaders in Europe and North America for failing to, what he calls, create "the conditions for Muslim communities to feel that they belong". He says the fight against the so-called Islamic State is a battle for values which needs to be waged on two fronts – by the Muslim and the non-Muslim worlds alike. On the one hand, the Islamic religious scholars and civil society should fight radicalism and the rise of extremist tendencies with as much intensity and effective propaganda as the terrorist organisations. On the other hand, governments must realise that if they “start discriminating against Muslims you are only helping these terrorist organisations". He cautions that the use of force against the so-called Islamic State “is legitimate (and) is necessary but it will not alone solve the problem". Guterres feels the need for a surge in diplomacy to make the UN a more effective organisation. “The Oslo accord and the Iran (nuclear) agreement are good examples of discreet diplomacy,” he says. “I see the need in today’s world for an honest broker; someone that is independent; someone that wants to cooperate with States and is at the disposal of the States, to create the bridges that are necessary. Today’s wars are wars that nobody wins.” He speaks about the centrality of prevention of conflicts as opposed to the policy of pre-emption, which some countries such as the United States have espoused and practised before. “The problem with prevention,” he says, “is that TV cameras are not there when prevention takes place. TV cameras are there when a crisis erupts. So prevention is normally not a political priority for parliaments, for governments and for international organisations.” “We also need to have a comprehensive approach to prevention. To invest in adaptation for climate change is a way to prevent conflicts. To make sure that human rights are respected is a way to prevent conflicts. Then there are inequalities of development. “We need to bring all of this together and then use the classical instruments of diplomacy and political dialogue to avoid conflicts and to make sure that parties are able to resolve their contradictions peacefully.” In sharp contrast, pre-emption is rooted in suspicion and miscalculation. “We need dialogue to prevent misunderstandings. Some countries believe that what some other countries are doing can be a threat to them but it can be completely false, it can be their imagination so they strike first. We need to avoid misunderstandings and misperceptions that have contributed to so many conflicts in the world.” So are Syria and Iraq among some of the UN’s failures? The diplomat ventures only so far as to say that they represent “a failure of the international community” and “to that extent they are also a failure of the UN. But the UN would never be able to solve the problem if those key stakeholders that have an influence on the parties to the conflict would not be able to come together and solve the problem.” In the straw poll conducted by the United Nations security council in New York on July 21, Guterres got 12 out of 15 votes. The Council is composed of five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the UK and the US - and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General assembly currently consist of Angola, Egypt, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Senegal, Spain, Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela. There are 12 candidates in the fray, half of them women. In the UN’s 70-year history there have been eight secretary-generals, all male and none from eastern Europe. Eight of the 12 candidates this year hail from eastern Europe, including three women. So should the next secretary-general be a woman and/or from eastern Europe? Guterres has this to say: “I understand the symbolic value of having a woman secretary-general and if I have to be a victim of my own convictions in relation to gender equality I am ready to accept it. I believe that if elected I will be totally committed to gender parity in the organisation and to effective protection and empower of women in everything the UN does.” (WION)

Migration is a solution to global problems: Antonio Guterres

Top UN court today rejected an epic case brought by the tiny Marshall Islands against India for allegedly failing to halt the nuclear arms race.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its ruling in the country&#39;s case against India, the first to be decided, said it had accepted Indian arguments that ICJ&nbsp;should not have jurisdiction in the case, international news agency Reuters reported.

&nbsp;

The 16-judge bench was quoted as saying by Reuters&nbsp;that while the Marshall Islands may not be satisfied with progress on nuclear disarmament, it had failed to show that it has any ongoing legal dispute with India fit for the court&nbsp;to adjudicate.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It later rejected the Marshall Islands&#39; suit against Pakistan on the same grounds. The third suit, against Britain, was still to be decided.

&nbsp;

The Pacific archipelago, whose territory was used for dozens of atomic-bomb tests by the United States after World War Two, had argued that nuclear powers weren&#39;t doing enough to adhere to the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In a majority verdict by nine votes to seven, &quot;the court upholds the objection to jurisdiction raised by India,&quot; presiding judge Ronny Abraham was quoted as saying by AFP, and therefore the tribunal &quot;cannot proceed to the merits of the case.&quot;

&nbsp;

The tribunal found it lacked the jurisdiction in the case as there had been no prior recorded dispute or negotiations over the nuclear issue between the Marshall Islands and India.

&nbsp;

Majuro in 2014 accused nine countries of failing to comply with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

However, ICJ failed to take up cases against other countries --China, France, Israel, North Korea, Russia and the United States -- as they have not recognised the court&#39;s jurisdiction.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It&#39;s also pertinent to mention that India and Pakistan have not signed the NPT, that &nbsp;commits all nuclear weapon states &quot;to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament.&quot;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP, Reuters)&nbsp;

The top UN court said it had accepted the Indian arguments that ICJ should not have jurisdiction in the case

Top UN court today rejected an epic case brought by the tiny Marshall Islands against India for allegedly failing to halt the nuclear arms race. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its ruling in the country's case against India, the first to be decided, said it had accepted Indian arguments that ICJ should not have jurisdiction in the case, international news agency Reuters reported. The 16-judge bench was quoted as saying by Reuters that while the Marshall Islands may not be satisfied with progress on nuclear disarmament, it had failed to show that it has any ongoing legal dispute with India fit for the court to adjudicate. It later rejected the Marshall Islands' suit against Pakistan on the same grounds. The third suit, against Britain, was still to be decided. The Pacific archipelago, whose territory was used for dozens of atomic-bomb tests by the United States after World War Two, had argued that nuclear powers weren't doing enough to adhere to the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. In a majority verdict by nine votes to seven, "the court upholds the objection to jurisdiction raised by India," presiding judge Ronny Abraham was quoted as saying by AFP, and therefore the tribunal "cannot proceed to the merits of the case." The tribunal found it lacked the jurisdiction in the case as there had been no prior recorded dispute or negotiations over the nuclear issue between the Marshall Islands and India. Majuro in 2014 accused nine countries of failing to comply with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. However, ICJ failed to take up cases against other countries --China, France, Israel, North Korea, Russia and the United States -- as they have not recognised the court's jurisdiction. It's also pertinent to mention that India and Pakistan have not signed the NPT, that commits all nuclear weapon states "to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament." (WION with inputs from AFP, Reuters)

International Court of Justice rejects Marshall Islands suit against India, Pakistan

&nbsp;

United Nations secretary-general Ban ki-moon on Friday urged India and Pakistan resolve their differences through diplomacy and dialogue, and even offered to act as a mediator.&nbsp;

He asked both South Asian nations &quot;to exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation.&quot;

The UN chief&#39;s statement comes after Pakistan&#39;s envoy Maleeha Lodhi prompted Ban to personally mediate the situation.&nbsp;

Lodhi told AFP &quot;This is a dangerous moment for the region,&quot; referring to the recent &quot;surgical strikes&quot; by India on militant launchpads near the Line of Control (LoC), inside Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.&nbsp;

&quot;The time has come for bold intervention by him if we are to avoid a crisis, because we can see a crisis building up.&quot;

India&#39;s mission to the United Nations defended its actions saying &quot;our response was a measured counter-terrorist strike.&quot;

&quot;India has no desire to aggravate the situation,&quot; and that &quot;it is reflective of our desire to respond proportionately to clear and imminent threat posed by terrorists in that instance. With our objectives having been met that effort has since ceased.&quot;&nbsp;

Tensions have been rife between the two neighbours since India&#39;s surgical strike on Wednesday, which was in response to the Uri attack on September 18 in which four militants had infiltrated the Indian army base and killed 19 Indian soldiers.&nbsp;

Stephane Dujarric, UN spokesman said the secretary-general &quot;would welcome all proposals&quot; or initiatives aimed at de-escalation.&quot;

He added that the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which looks into ceasefire violations along the LoC, will report to the UN chief on the latest incidents of ceasefire violations.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

UN's observer mission to report on ceasefire violations in Kashmir as tension escalates between India and Pakistan

United Nations secretary-general Ban ki-moon on Friday urged India and Pakistan resolve their differences through diplomacy and dialogue, and even offered to act as a mediator. He asked both South Asian nations "to exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation." The UN chief's statement comes after Pakistan's envoy Maleeha Lodhi prompted Ban to personally mediate the situation. Lodhi told AFP "This is a dangerous moment for the region," referring to the recent "surgical strikes" by India on militant launchpads near the Line of Control (LoC), inside Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. "The time has come for bold intervention by him if we are to avoid a crisis, because we can see a crisis building up." India's mission to the United Nations defended its actions saying "our response was a measured counter-terrorist strike." "India has no desire to aggravate the situation," and that "it is reflective of our desire to respond proportionately to clear and imminent threat posed by terrorists in that instance. With our objectives having been met that effort has since ceased." Tensions have been rife between the two neighbours since India's surgical strike on Wednesday, which was in response to the Uri attack on September 18 in which four militants had infiltrated the Indian army base and killed 19 Indian soldiers. Stephane Dujarric, UN spokesman said the secretary-general "would welcome all proposals" or initiatives aimed at de-escalation." He added that the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which looks into ceasefire violations along the LoC, will report to the UN chief on the latest incidents of ceasefire violations. (WION with inputs from AFP)

UN urges India, Pakistan to exercise restraint, offers to mediate over Kashmir issue

Pakistan has approached the World Bank to step in and prevent India from abrogating the Indus Waters Treaty.&nbsp;

&quot;In the meeting&nbsp;with the Pakistani delegation&nbsp;the World Bank committed itself to timely fulfilling its obligations under the treaty while remaining neutral,&quot; a statement released by the Pakistan Embassy in Washington read, The Dawn reported.&nbsp;

Pakistan also urged the World Bank to set up a court of arbitration quickly&nbsp;by selecting three judges in order to thwart India&#39;s plans to make maximum use of waters of rivers that are governed by Pakistan.&nbsp;

New Delhi&#39;s threat to pull the plug on the water-distribution treaty had come a few days after 18 soldiers stationed in Uri, Kashmir, were killed by four armed men, who India believe&nbsp;were helped by Pakistan.&nbsp;

Back in Washington, a Pakistani delegate, led by attorney general&nbsp;Ashtar Ausaf Ali, told the World Bank that India&#39;s threat was a breach of Article IX of the Indus Waters Treaty.

The Article IX of the treaty deals with arbitration of disputes between the parties concerning the interpretation or application of the treaty or the existence of any fact which, if established, might constitute a breach of the treaty.

World Bank has been asked to initiate the&nbsp;arbitration process because it had originally brokered the treaty in 1960.&nbsp;

Under the IWT, India has&nbsp;control of three &#39;eastern&#39;&nbsp;rivers&nbsp;&mdash; Ravi, Sutlej and Beas&nbsp;&mdash; and Pakistan has rights over the &#39;western&#39;&nbsp;rivers&nbsp;&mdash; Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, though India can use 20 per cent of the &#39;western&#39;&nbsp;rivers for power generation purposes.

But there has been a protracted issue about how&nbsp;Kishanganga and Rattle&nbsp;power projects have been set up by India despite mediation by the International Court of Justice in 2013.

Pakistan has objected to the power&nbsp;plant being built on Kishanganga river because India has planned to build a 24-km tunnel to divert water for generating more electricity. Islamabad say they will get less water if water is diverted.

Kishanganga river is in the Kashmir region and eventually meets Jhelum river in Pakistan.

Islamabad has also objected to the Rattle power project on Chenab river for its faulty designs.&nbsp;

But the Indian government is keen on revoking the treaty&nbsp;because they feel Pakistan has failed to rein in jihadist groups from launching cross-border attacks.&nbsp;

Pakistan&#39;s top diplomat Sartaj Aziz reacted strongly, saying India&#39;s threat of ignoring the agreement would be seen as an &quot;act of war&quot;.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

 
&nbsp;

After the September 18 Uri attack India plans to make maximum use of waters that feed into Pakistan

Pakistan has approached the World Bank to step in and prevent India from abrogating the Indus Waters Treaty. "In the meeting with the Pakistani delegation the World Bank committed itself to timely fulfilling its obligations under the treaty while remaining neutral," a statement released by the Pakistan Embassy in Washington read, The Dawn reported. Pakistan also urged the World Bank to set up a court of arbitration quickly by selecting three judges in order to thwart India's plans to make maximum use of waters of rivers that are governed by Pakistan. New Delhi's threat to pull the plug on the water-distribution treaty had come a few days after 18 soldiers stationed in Uri, Kashmir, were killed by four armed men, who India believe were helped by Pakistan. Back in Washington, a Pakistani delegate, led by attorney general Ashtar Ausaf Ali, told the World Bank that India's threat was a breach of Article IX of the Indus Waters Treaty. The Article IX of the treaty deals with arbitration of disputes between the parties concerning the interpretation or application of the treaty or the existence of any fact which, if established, might constitute a breach of the treaty. World Bank has been asked to initiate the arbitration process because it had originally brokered the treaty in 1960. Under the IWT, India has control of three 'eastern' rivers — Ravi, Sutlej and Beas — and Pakistan has rights over the 'western' rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, though India can use 20 per cent of the 'western' rivers for power generation purposes. But there has been a protracted issue about how Kishanganga and Rattle power projects have been set up by India despite mediation by the International Court of Justice in 2013. Pakistan has objected to the power plant being built on Kishanganga river because India has planned to build a 24-km tunnel to divert water for generating more electricity. Islamabad say they will get less water if water is diverted. Kishanganga river is in the Kashmir region and eventually meets Jhelum river in Pakistan. Islamabad has also objected to the Rattle power project on Chenab river for its faulty designs. But the Indian government is keen on revoking the treaty because they feel Pakistan has failed to rein in jihadist groups from launching cross-border attacks. Pakistan's top diplomat Sartaj Aziz reacted strongly, saying India's threat of ignoring the agreement would be seen as an "act of war". (WION with inputs from agencies)

Indian threat to dam up Indus waters makes Pakistan seek World Bank help

North Korea&#39;s foreign minister&nbsp;on Friday&nbsp;said North Korea will continue to strengthen its &quot;national nuclear armed forces in both quantity and quality&quot; despite UN sanctions.&nbsp; 
 
Ri Yong Ho during his address to the United Nations General Assembly said the country&#39;s nuclear weapons are a &quot;a righteous self-defence measure&quot; against &quot;constant nuclear threats of the United States&quot;. 
 
&quot;Going nuclear-armed is the policy of our state,&quot; Yong Ho said. 
 
North Korea is the &quot;most dangerous hotspot, which can even ignite the outbreak of nuclear war&quot; and the blame will lie &quot;squarely&quot; with the US, the foreign minister said. 
 
&quot;As long as there exists a nuclear-weapon state in hostile relations with the DPRK (Democratic People&#39;s Republic of Korea), our national security and peace on the Korean peninsula can be defended only with reliable nuclear deterrence,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
Ri also said the UN Security Council&#39;s decision to impose sanctions was only &quot;covering up the high-handedness and arbitrariness of the United States&quot;. 
 
The country conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test on September 9, igniting global ire and condemnation. This has led to talks on imposing new UN sanctions against the isolated country.&nbsp; 
 
No negotiations on THAAD 
 
Daniel Russel, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asia, said there will be no negotiations regarding the THAAD anti-missile system, which is set to be deployed in South Korea, as part of the UN sanctions agreement. &nbsp; 
&quot;No. The two countries have made a decision,&quot; he told Reuters. 
 
Although China remains opposed to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, it has agreed to work with the UN on imposing tough sanctions on North Korea.&nbsp; 
 
According to The Diplomat, THAAD is particularly well-suited to intercept and destroy short, medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

US says THAAD missile deployment system not negotiable as part of new sanctions on the country

North Korea's foreign minister on Friday said North Korea will continue to strengthen its "national nuclear armed forces in both quantity and quality" despite UN sanctions. Ri Yong Ho during his address to the United Nations General Assembly said the country's nuclear weapons are a "a righteous self-defence measure" against "constant nuclear threats of the United States". "Going nuclear-armed is the policy of our state," Yong Ho said. North Korea is the "most dangerous hotspot, which can even ignite the outbreak of nuclear war" and the blame will lie "squarely" with the US, the foreign minister said. "As long as there exists a nuclear-weapon state in hostile relations with the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), our national security and peace on the Korean peninsula can be defended only with reliable nuclear deterrence," he said. Ri also said the UN Security Council's decision to impose sanctions was only "covering up the high-handedness and arbitrariness of the United States". The country conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test on September 9, igniting global ire and condemnation. This has led to talks on imposing new UN sanctions against the isolated country. No negotiations on THAAD Daniel Russel, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asia, said there will be no negotiations regarding the THAAD anti-missile system, which is set to be deployed in South Korea, as part of the UN sanctions agreement. "No. The two countries have made a decision," he told Reuters. Although China remains opposed to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, it has agreed to work with the UN on imposing tough sanctions on North Korea. According to The Diplomat, THAAD is particularly well-suited to intercept and destroy short, medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase. (WION with inputs from agencies)

North Korea defies UN, vows to strengthen nuclear capability

The Democratic Republic of Congo plans to quell the anti-Kabila protests and punish those involved.&nbsp; 
 
Attorney general Flory Kabange Numbi told reporters, &quot;The Congolese national police are actively seeking out the ... authors of these grave acts of murder and plunder.&quot; 
 
He also said migration officials will prevent the perpetrators from escaping the country.&nbsp; 
 
For months, the opposition has been organising protests against President Joseph Kabila, who they fear might hold on to power even after his term is over. Scores of people were killed in the riots, Reuters reported.&nbsp; 
 
According to the Human Rights Watch, the riots left at least 37 protesters and six policemen dead. The police however said 32 people had died inlcuding four policemen.&nbsp; 
 
Etienne Tshisekedi, who organised the protests told a Belgian television channel that around 100 were killed.&nbsp; 
 
The protests are still taking place in Kinshasa, and on Wednesday 50 troops were deployed to stop the protests.&nbsp; 
 
The President&#39;s office issued a statement calling for calm and asked the citizens to go about their daily activities, now that security is ensured, Reuters reported.&nbsp; 
 
UN asks Congo to show restraint 
 
The UN Security Council warned the Congolese government not to aggravate the situation and show restraint.&nbsp; 
 
The US Special Envoy for Africa&#39;s Great Lakes region said targeted sanctions will imposed on people who are involved in the violence.&nbsp; 
 
Moise Katumbi, exiled leader said, &quot;Without sanctions, they will continue killing people like mosquitoes.&quot; 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

For months protests have been organised against President Joseph Kabila, who they fear might hold on to power even after his term is over

The Democratic Republic of Congo plans to quell the anti-Kabila protests and punish those involved. Attorney general Flory Kabange Numbi told reporters, "The Congolese national police are actively seeking out the ... authors of these grave acts of murder and plunder." He also said migration officials will prevent the perpetrators from escaping the country. For months, the opposition has been organising protests against President Joseph Kabila, who they fear might hold on to power even after his term is over. Scores of people were killed in the riots, Reuters reported. According to the Human Rights Watch, the riots left at least 37 protesters and six policemen dead. The police however said 32 people had died inlcuding four policemen. Etienne Tshisekedi, who organised the protests told a Belgian television channel that around 100 were killed. The protests are still taking place in Kinshasa, and on Wednesday 50 troops were deployed to stop the protests. The President's office issued a statement calling for calm and asked the citizens to go about their daily activities, now that security is ensured, Reuters reported. UN asks Congo to show restraint The UN Security Council warned the Congolese government not to aggravate the situation and show restraint. The US Special Envoy for Africa's Great Lakes region said targeted sanctions will imposed on people who are involved in the violence. Moise Katumbi, exiled leader said, "Without sanctions, they will continue killing people like mosquitoes." (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Congo threatens to punish those behind anti-Kabila riots

Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) is to meet on the sidelines of the 71st session of UN General Assembly in New York on Friday to discuss human rights standards and political situation in the Maldives.&nbsp; 
 
The CMAG, a body of foreign ministers from nine member countries, is set to review Maldives&#39; progress on a six-point reform agenda - progress in political dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition, release of political prisoners, put an end to the government using the country&rsquo;s anti-terrorism act to jail political opponents and dissidents, a separation of powers and an independent judiciary, and freedom and space for civil society - it had proposed earlier this year. 
 
To avoid being put on the CMAG formal agenda, which is a step towards suspension or expulsion from the multilateral body, Maldives needed to take certain steps by September. 
 
On September 18, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) submitted a report to CMAG after a visit to Maldives earlier this month.&nbsp; 
 
The review said the Maldives government had failed to make progress on priority areas identified by the Commonwealth action group in February.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It is clear that the government is not engaging sincerely with the Commonwealth or the United Nations to implement reforms that will strengthen democratic institutions and enable realization of fundamental rights&quot; the report stated.&nbsp; 
 
CHRI has urged CMAG to suspend Maldives from the Councils of the Commonwealth, exclude the country from all Commonwealth inter-government meetings and events and halt all Commonwealth technical assistance, other than the mandate of the Secretary General&rsquo;s Special Envoy. 
 
CMAG had done a similar review in April and had expressed concern regarding the lack of progress.&nbsp; 
 
But the action group had decided not to take action against Maldives. Instead, it gave the island nation time till September to make &quot;clear, measurable progress&quot; in its polity and human rights standards.&nbsp; 
 
India on the horns of a dilemma 
 
India has kept quiet on Maldives despite the continuing political instability in the country.&nbsp; 
 
During the CMAG extraordinary meeting held in February, India along with Pakistan spoke in defence of the Maldives. Their backing helped the country avoid facing action.&nbsp; 
 
President of the Maldives Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom had thanked India and Pakistan for helping them avoid action.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;There were some who attacked us. But we were saved because of the work done by both of our neighbouring powers,&rdquo; he said a few days after the CMAG meeting.&nbsp; 
 
During the visit to India few days ahead of the CMAG meeting in April, in a joint press statement with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Yameen said the main reason for his visit was to express gratitude for India&rsquo;s role in helping the Maldives avoid actions by CMAG. &nbsp; 
 
&quot;Mr Prime Minister, the reason I visited India today is to express my appreciation for the very steadfast leadership India has shown in protecting Maldives in the CMAG deliberations,&quot; he had said.&nbsp; 
 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed at India&#39;s role as &quot;the net security provider&quot; in the Indian Ocean.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The Maldives is among India&rsquo;s closest partners&hellip; The stability and security of the Maldives are in the interest of India&quot; he said. 
 
While India has played a vital role in preventing CMAG actions against Maldives till now, Maldives former president Mohamed Nasheed has urged the CMAG to base its decision on facts rather than political considerations of the stakeholder states. &nbsp; 
 
On September 23, a decision will be made about putting Maldives on the CMAG formal agenda.&nbsp; 
 
India, the largest democratic nation in the region, has a choice to make: whether to support Maldives or base their decision on the report made by the action group.&nbsp; 
 
(WION)

An NGO report says the island nation has failed to improve on priority areas despite the deadline stretched to September

Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) is to meet on the sidelines of the 71st session of UN General Assembly in New York on Friday to discuss human rights standards and political situation in the Maldives. The CMAG, a body of foreign ministers from nine member countries, is set to review Maldives' progress on a six-point reform agenda - progress in political dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition, release of political prisoners, put an end to the government using the country’s anti-terrorism act to jail political opponents and dissidents, a separation of powers and an independent judiciary, and freedom and space for civil society - it had proposed earlier this year. To avoid being put on the CMAG formal agenda, which is a step towards suspension or expulsion from the multilateral body, Maldives needed to take certain steps by September. On September 18, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) submitted a report to CMAG after a visit to Maldives earlier this month. The review said the Maldives government had failed to make progress on priority areas identified by the Commonwealth action group in February. "It is clear that the government is not engaging sincerely with the Commonwealth or the United Nations to implement reforms that will strengthen democratic institutions and enable realization of fundamental rights" the report stated. CHRI has urged CMAG to suspend Maldives from the Councils of the Commonwealth, exclude the country from all Commonwealth inter-government meetings and events and halt all Commonwealth technical assistance, other than the mandate of the Secretary General’s Special Envoy. CMAG had done a similar review in April and had expressed concern regarding the lack of progress. But the action group had decided not to take action against Maldives. Instead, it gave the island nation time till September to make "clear, measurable progress" in its polity and human rights standards. India on the horns of a dilemma India has kept quiet on Maldives despite the continuing political instability in the country. During the CMAG extraordinary meeting held in February, India along with Pakistan spoke in defence of the Maldives. Their backing helped the country avoid facing action. President of the Maldives Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom had thanked India and Pakistan for helping them avoid action. "There were some who attacked us. But we were saved because of the work done by both of our neighbouring powers,” he said a few days after the CMAG meeting. During the visit to India few days ahead of the CMAG meeting in April, in a joint press statement with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Yameen said the main reason for his visit was to express gratitude for India’s role in helping the Maldives avoid actions by CMAG. "Mr Prime Minister, the reason I visited India today is to express my appreciation for the very steadfast leadership India has shown in protecting Maldives in the CMAG deliberations," he had said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed at India's role as "the net security provider" in the Indian Ocean. "The Maldives is among India’s closest partners… The stability and security of the Maldives are in the interest of India" he said. While India has played a vital role in preventing CMAG actions against Maldives till now, Maldives former president Mohamed Nasheed has urged the CMAG to base its decision on facts rather than political considerations of the stakeholder states. On September 23, a decision will be made about putting Maldives on the CMAG formal agenda. India, the largest democratic nation in the region, has a choice to make: whether to support Maldives or base their decision on the report made by the action group. (WION)

Dismal human rights record: Maldives faces Commonwealth ouster

World leaders are arriving in New York today to attend &nbsp;The UN Global Compact&nbsp;Leaders Summit&nbsp;2016 addressing &quot;large movements of refugees and migrants&quot; for the first time.&nbsp; 
 
The UN General Assembly is organising &nbsp;the Leaders summit on Tuesday where heads of the states will discuss large movements of refugees across nations and ways to respond to them in a humane manner.&nbsp; 
 
The aim of the meet is to &quot;strengthen governance of international migration and a unique opportunity for creating a more responsible, predictable system for responding to large movements of refugees and migrants,&quot; according to the United Nations.&nbsp; 
 
The leaders are expected to approve a document for a coordinated approach that will protect the human rights of refugees and migrants, Indian news agency PTI reported.&nbsp; 
 
UN&#39;s high commissioner for refugees, Fillipo Grandi told the Associated Press: &quot;It&#39;s very interesting because if we are able to translate that paper into a response in which many actors are going to participate, we will solve a lot of problems in emergency responses and in long-term refugee situations like the Syrian situation.&quot; 
 
However, the document is not legally binding and it plays a crucial role now when the United States and Europe are grappling with migrant issues.&nbsp; 
 
An earlier draft had called on countries to resettle 10 per cent of the refugee population each year. The draft was rejected by a number of countries drawing heavy criticism from human rights group as missed opportunity.&nbsp; 
 
The nations had objected to the language used in the draft which stated that &quot;children should never be detained&quot;. In the new agreement, this has been amended to &quot;children should seldom,if ever, be detained. &quot; 
 
Amnesty International secretary general Salil Shetty said: &quot;Instead of sharing responsibility, world leaders shirked it. The UN summit has been sabotaged by states acting in self-interest, leaving millions of refugees in dire situations around the world on the edge of a precipice.&quot; 
 
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, whose report on refugees and migrants forms the basis of summit document, said: &nbsp;&quot;While we all wish it could be a stronger outcome document ... All 193 member states had to agree on their commitment. As you will see, my report was a strong one.&quot; 
 
&quot;I hope that, as the two compacts are adopted over the coming year and a half, some stronger language and commitment and elements from the report will reappear in the course of this negotiation,&quot;he added.&nbsp; 
 
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly summit, the US President Obama will host the Leaders&#39; Summit on Refugees on September 20. 
 
The event will be co-hosted by Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, Jordan, Mexico and Sweden. The Leaders Summit will discuss refugees only and will &quot;appeal to all governments to pledge significant new commitments on refugees.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from PTI) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

World leaders are expected to approve a document at the Leaders summit for a coordinated approach to respond to refugees in a humane manner

World leaders are arriving in New York today to attend The UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2016 addressing "large movements of refugees and migrants" for the first time. The UN General Assembly is organising the Leaders summit on Tuesday where heads of the states will discuss large movements of refugees across nations and ways to respond to them in a humane manner. The aim of the meet is to "strengthen governance of international migration and a unique opportunity for creating a more responsible, predictable system for responding to large movements of refugees and migrants," according to the United Nations. The leaders are expected to approve a document for a coordinated approach that will protect the human rights of refugees and migrants, Indian news agency PTI reported. UN's high commissioner for refugees, Fillipo Grandi told the Associated Press: "It's very interesting because if we are able to translate that paper into a response in which many actors are going to participate, we will solve a lot of problems in emergency responses and in long-term refugee situations like the Syrian situation." However, the document is not legally binding and it plays a crucial role now when the United States and Europe are grappling with migrant issues. An earlier draft had called on countries to resettle 10 per cent of the refugee population each year. The draft was rejected by a number of countries drawing heavy criticism from human rights group as missed opportunity. The nations had objected to the language used in the draft which stated that "children should never be detained". In the new agreement, this has been amended to "children should seldom,if ever, be detained. " Amnesty International secretary general Salil Shetty said: "Instead of sharing responsibility, world leaders shirked it. The UN summit has been sabotaged by states acting in self-interest, leaving millions of refugees in dire situations around the world on the edge of a precipice." UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, whose report on refugees and migrants forms the basis of summit document, said: "While we all wish it could be a stronger outcome document ... All 193 member states had to agree on their commitment. As you will see, my report was a strong one." "I hope that, as the two compacts are adopted over the coming year and a half, some stronger language and commitment and elements from the report will reappear in the course of this negotiation,"he added. On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly summit, the US President Obama will host the Leaders' Summit on Refugees on September 20. The event will be co-hosted by Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, Jordan, Mexico and Sweden. The Leaders Summit will discuss refugees only and will "appeal to all governments to pledge significant new commitments on refugees." (WION with inputs from PTI)

UN to hold first-ever summit on refugees, migrants in New York to protect their rights

India and Pakistan are gearing up for a stormy debate on Kashmir during a United Nations session on Wednesday (September 21). 
 
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif plans to make the Kashmir issue central to&nbsp;his address next week&nbsp;at the&nbsp;United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).&nbsp; 
 
The Indian delegation, headed by foreign&nbsp;minister Sushma Swaraj, is expected to give a &quot;befitting&quot; reply to Pakistan&#39;s concerns. 
 
Kashmir has been on the boil ever since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was gunned down by Indian security forces on July 8. Hizbul Mujahideen is deemed as a terrorist organisation in India. 
 
Violent protests erupted across the India-administered&nbsp;Kashmir valley in the aftermath of Wani&#39;s killing.&nbsp; 
 
So far, 81 people have died during the unrest in the valley. A teenager named&nbsp;Momin Altaf Ganai became the latest casualty in the ongoing crisis, with&nbsp;Indian reports suggesting he succumbed to pellet injuries.&nbsp; 
 
On Friday, Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif vowed to &quot;highlight&quot; the Kashmir issue after meeting Kashmiri leaders in Muzaffarabad.&nbsp; 
 
Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Office reasserted Sharif&#39;s intent to &quot;focus on the the continuing grave violations of human rights by Indian occupation forces&quot; in Kashmir. 
 
&ldquo;He (PM Sharif) will call upon the international community and the United Nations to live up to their promise [about] the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,&rdquo; the Foreign Office further said, according to Pakistani media. 
 
The Indian side, meanwhile, expects Pakistan to make &quot;provocative&quot; statements at the world meet but they are confident of &quot;effectively&quot; countering their claims. 
 
(WION)

Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif is expected to make the Kashmir issue central to his address, India is preparing a 'befitting' reply

India and Pakistan are gearing up for a stormy debate on Kashmir during a United Nations session on Wednesday (September 21). Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif plans to make the Kashmir issue central to his address next week at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The Indian delegation, headed by foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, is expected to give a "befitting" reply to Pakistan's concerns. Kashmir has been on the boil ever since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was gunned down by Indian security forces on July 8. Hizbul Mujahideen is deemed as a terrorist organisation in India. Violent protests erupted across the India-administered Kashmir valley in the aftermath of Wani's killing. So far, 81 people have died during the unrest in the valley. A teenager named Momin Altaf Ganai became the latest casualty in the ongoing crisis, with Indian reports suggesting he succumbed to pellet injuries. On Friday, Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif vowed to "highlight" the Kashmir issue after meeting Kashmiri leaders in Muzaffarabad. Pakistan's Foreign Office reasserted Sharif's intent to "focus on the the continuing grave violations of human rights by Indian occupation forces" in Kashmir. “He (PM Sharif) will call upon the international community and the United Nations to live up to their promise [about] the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” the Foreign Office further said, according to Pakistani media. The Indian side, meanwhile, expects Pakistan to make "provocative" statements at the world meet but they are confident of "effectively" countering their claims. (WION)

India-Pak set for showdown over Kashmir at UN General Assembly

As the world leaders gather at United Nations (UN) next week to attend the 71st General Assembly&#39;s high-level meet, Syria war would remain the talking point with the United States and Russia trying to shore up a fragile truce deal, Reuters reported today.&nbsp; 
 
US President Obama, who is likely to push for a boost in global refugee aid in the coming week, would be among the 135 heads &nbsp;of state attending the General Assembly.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;While many conflicts are causing enormous pain, none is causing so much death, destruction and widespread instability as the worsening war in Syria,&quot; &nbsp;UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who will step down at the end of 2016 after a decade in the job, told reporters on Wednesday.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Major countries with influence have a duty to use their influence and seize this latest opportunity to pursue a political solution.&quot; 
 
About 5 million Syrians have fled the country, and some 6.5 million have been internally displaced during the conflict that has spanned for more than five years, according to Reuters.&nbsp; 
 
Differences crop up&nbsp; 
 
At the high-level meet, &nbsp;Russia had wanted the council to endorse its Syria truce deal with the United States. However, on Friday, it said a resolution was unlikely because &quot;Washington did not want to share the documents detailing the &nbsp;Syria ceasefire agreement with the 15-member UN security council.&quot; &nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
The ceasefire outlined a joint agreement, signed by the US secretary of state John Kerry and his foreign counterpart Sergey Lavrov on September 9, aims at halting the fight in Syria. 
 
Disagreements over the joint deal between the two countries led to an abrupt cancellation of a council meeting that was supposed to happen on Friday. 
 
Russia, Syria&#39;s main ally, had been pushing for a resolution to endorse the agreement, but the United States has been reluctant to release the details of the agreement, citing security concerns for some US-backed groups fighting in Syria. &nbsp; 
 
&quot;Most likely we are not going to have a resolution at the Security Council because the United States does not want to share those documents with the members of the Security Council,&quot; Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin said. 
 
Churkin said he had presented two separate draft resolutions endorsing the deal, but said the American side had tried to introduce changes. 
 
&quot;They in their typical way came up with a completely different thing -- which is trying to interpret and re-interpret the agreement,&quot; he said adding that &ldquo;they are not doing the right thing&rdquo;. 
 
More Syria meetings next week&nbsp; 
 
John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov will attend a special council meeting on Syria on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting. 
 
&quot;We believe the Security Council can play an important role in the resolution of the crisis in Syria,&quot; the US spokesman said. 
 
&quot;However, right now we are focused on the implementation of the agreement brokered by Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Lavrov, particularly the urgent need for humanitarian aid to reach Syrians in need.&quot; 
 
Obama expresses concern over deal&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama on Friday voiced &quot;deep concern&quot; that key elements of a Syria ceasefire are not being upheld. 
 
The White House has said that despite decreased violence across the war-ravaged country, the Syrian regime continues to block the flow of critical humanitarian aid.&nbsp; 
 
Obama reportedly told aides that the next steps in the deal, closer military coordination with Russia, &nbsp;will require &quot;seven continuous days of reduced violence and sustained humanitarian access.&quot; 
 
Some within the Pentagon have expressed deep reservations about the agreement forcing Obama to referee disputes. 
 
White House has repeatedly argued that the ceasefire will offer the desperately needed respite from a brutal five-year civil war that has killed 300,000 people. 
 
It says that talks are the only way the Syrian war will come to an end. 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters, AFP) 
 
 
&nbsp;

About 5 million Syrians have fled the country and some 6.5 million have been internally displaced during the five-year conflict

As the world leaders gather at United Nations (UN) next week to attend the 71st General Assembly's high-level meet, Syria war would remain the talking point with the United States and Russia trying to shore up a fragile truce deal, Reuters reported today. US President Obama, who is likely to push for a boost in global refugee aid in the coming week, would be among the 135 heads of state attending the General Assembly. "While many conflicts are causing enormous pain, none is causing so much death, destruction and widespread instability as the worsening war in Syria," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who will step down at the end of 2016 after a decade in the job, told reporters on Wednesday. "Major countries with influence have a duty to use their influence and seize this latest opportunity to pursue a political solution." About 5 million Syrians have fled the country, and some 6.5 million have been internally displaced during the conflict that has spanned for more than five years, according to Reuters. Differences crop up At the high-level meet, Russia had wanted the council to endorse its Syria truce deal with the United States. However, on Friday, it said a resolution was unlikely because "Washington did not want to share the documents detailing the Syria ceasefire agreement with the 15-member UN security council." The ceasefire outlined a joint agreement, signed by the US secretary of state John Kerry and his foreign counterpart Sergey Lavrov on September 9, aims at halting the fight in Syria. Disagreements over the joint deal between the two countries led to an abrupt cancellation of a council meeting that was supposed to happen on Friday. Russia, Syria's main ally, had been pushing for a resolution to endorse the agreement, but the United States has been reluctant to release the details of the agreement, citing security concerns for some US-backed groups fighting in Syria. "Most likely we are not going to have a resolution at the Security Council because the United States does not want to share those documents with the members of the Security Council," Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin said. Churkin said he had presented two separate draft resolutions endorsing the deal, but said the American side had tried to introduce changes. "They in their typical way came up with a completely different thing -- which is trying to interpret and re-interpret the agreement," he said adding that “they are not doing the right thing”. More Syria meetings next week John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov will attend a special council meeting on Syria on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting. "We believe the Security Council can play an important role in the resolution of the crisis in Syria," the US spokesman said. "However, right now we are focused on the implementation of the agreement brokered by Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Lavrov, particularly the urgent need for humanitarian aid to reach Syrians in need." Obama expresses concern over deal Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama on Friday voiced "deep concern" that key elements of a Syria ceasefire are not being upheld. The White House has said that despite decreased violence across the war-ravaged country, the Syrian regime continues to block the flow of critical humanitarian aid. Obama reportedly told aides that the next steps in the deal, closer military coordination with Russia, will require "seven continuous days of reduced violence and sustained humanitarian access." Some within the Pentagon have expressed deep reservations about the agreement forcing Obama to referee disputes. White House has repeatedly argued that the ceasefire will offer the desperately needed respite from a brutal five-year civil war that has killed 300,000 people. It says that talks are the only way the Syrian war will come to an end. (WION with inputs from Reuters, AFP)

World leaders to discuss Syria war at UN next week as US, Russia try to shore up 'fragile' truce deal

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is set to raise the problems unfolding in India&#39;s Kashmir at the United Nations. 
 
&quot;The prime minister has expressed grave concern over India&#39;s use of excessive force in Kashmir,&quot; a spokesperson of his office told Pakistan newspaper Dawn. 
 
The issue will be raised at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session, the spokesperson further said, adding that it was a top priority issue for Sharif. 
 
The 71st session of UNGA will commence in New York from September 13. 
 
More than 70 people have been killed in Kashmir following the killing of&nbsp;Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani by Indian security forces on July 8. 
 
The killing unleashed a wave of protests that devolved into clashes between India&#39;s security personnel and agitators.&nbsp; 
 
This is the worst civilian crisis in the restive state since 2010.&nbsp; 
 
(WION) 
 
&nbsp;

The premier has been concerned about India's use of 'excessive force' to quell protests in Kashmir

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is set to raise the problems unfolding in India's Kashmir at the United Nations. "The prime minister has expressed grave concern over India's use of excessive force in Kashmir," a spokesperson of his office told Pakistan newspaper Dawn. The issue will be raised at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session, the spokesperson further said, adding that it was a top priority issue for Sharif. The 71st session of UNGA will commence in New York from September 13. More than 70 people have been killed in Kashmir following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani by Indian security forces on July 8. The killing unleashed a wave of protests that devolved into clashes between India's security personnel and agitators. This is the worst civilian crisis in the restive state since 2010. (WION)

Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif to raise Kashmir issue in UN

About 50 million children across the world have been &#39;uprooted&#39; from their homes &nbsp;by war, violence or persecution&nbsp;and millions more are migrating in the hope of &quot;finding a better, safer life,&quot; United Nation&#39;s children program said today.&nbsp; 
 
In its new released report &nbsp;&#39;Uprooted: The growing crisis for refugee and migrant children&#39;, the United Nations International Children&#39;s Emergency Fund &nbsp;(UNICEF) underlines that millions of children all over the world, traumatised by the conflicts and violence, face further dangers during their including the &quot;risk of drowning on sea crossings&quot;, &quot;malnourishment&quot; and &quot;dehydration&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Indelible images of individual children &ndash; Aylan Kurdi&rsquo;s small body washed up on a beach after drowning at sea or Omran Daqneesh&rsquo;s stunned and bloody face as he sat in an ambulance after his home was destroyed &ndash; have shocked the world,&rdquo; says UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;But each picture, each girl or boy, represents many millions of children in danger &ndash; and this demands that our compassion for the individual children we see be matched with action for all children.&rdquo; 
 
Children make up about a third of the world&#39;s population but about half of all refugees. 
 
The children account for a &quot;disproportionate and growing proportion&quot; of people seeking refuge outside their home countries. 
 
A grim picture of the world &nbsp; 
 
The report paints a grim picture of children and families, affected by violent conflict and other crises, who find it &quot;safer to risk everything on a perilous journey than remain at home&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
The analysis of global data reveals that 28 million of those children were displaced by violence and conflict, including 10 million child refugees. 
&nbsp;
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Staggeringly enough, more and more children, among those at the highest risk of exploitation and abuse including by smugglers and traffickers, are crossing borders on their own.&nbsp;</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Staggeringly enough, more and more children, among those at the highest risk of exploitation and abuse including by smugglers and traffickers, are crossing borders on their own.?
" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
 
 
Staggeringly enough, more and more children, among those at the highest risk of exploitation and abuse including by smugglers and traffickers, are crossing borders on their own.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
&ldquo;I tell them we are people just like you&rdquo; Mustafa, 14, adjusts to life in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Germany?src=hash">#Germany</a> after <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash">#Syria</a> <a href="https://t.co/NGpzp8olg8">https://t.co/NGpzp8olg8</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChildrenUprooted?src=hash">#ChildrenUprooted</a>
&mdash; UNICEF (@UNICEF) <a href="https://twitter.com/UNICEF/status/773342546466570240">September 7, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
 
 
In 2015, over 100,000 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum in 78 countries &ndash; triple the number in 2014, the report reads.&nbsp; 
 
About 20 million other international child migrants have left their homes for a variety of reasons including extreme poverty or gang violence, the report states. 
 
 
Largest number of recent refugees in Turkey&nbsp; 
 
Turkey hosts the largest total number of recent refugees, and very likely the largest number of child refugees in the world, according to Uprooted.&nbsp; 
 
Further, relative to its population, Lebanon hosts the largest number of refugees by an overwhelming margin: Roughly 1 in 5 people in Lebanon is a refugee.&nbsp; 
 
In United Kingdom (UK), &nbsp;there is roughly 1 refugee for every 530 people by comparison while 1 in every 1,200 in the United States.&nbsp;
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Turkey hosts the largest total number of recent refugees, and very likely the largest number of child refugees in the world, according to Uprooted.&nbsp;</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=
Turkey hosts the largest total number of recent refugees, and very likely the largest number of child refugees in the world, according to Uprooted.?" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
 
 
&quot;When considering refugee-host countries by income level, however, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and Pakistan host the highest concentration of refugees,&quot; UNICEF report points out.&nbsp; 
 
In 2015, about 45 percent of child refugees under the UN refugee agency`s care came from Syria and Afghanistan. 
 
Impact of migration 
 
Migration can offer opportunities for both the children who migrate and the communities they join, the report argues.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;An analysis of the impact of migration in high-income countries found that migrants contributed more in taxes and social payments than they received; filled both high- and low-skilled gaps in the labour market; and contributed to economic growth and innovation in hosting countries,&quot; it states.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>The UN report has also pointed out how legal barriers pose a challenge for the children to claim equal benefits as the children who are native to a country.&nbsp;</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The UN report has also pointed out how legal barriers pose a challenge for the children to claim equal benefits as the children who are native to a country.?" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
 
 
children who have left or are forcibly displaced from their homes often lose out on the potential benefits of migration, such as education &ndash; a major driving factor for many children and families who choose to migrate. A refugee child is five times more likely to be out of school than a non-refugee child. When they are able to attend school at all, it is the place migrant and refugee children are most likely to encounter discrimination &ndash; including unfair treatment and bullying. 
 
The UN global data has also pointed out how legal barriers pose a challenge for the children to claim equal benefits as the children who are native to a country.&nbsp; 
 
It has been observed that in the worst cases, &quot;xenophobia can escalate to direct attacks. In Germany alone, authorities tracked 850 attacks against refugee shelters in 2015&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, the international body has said it will take up the issue of migration in two late-September meetings on the sidelines of this year&#39;s UN general assembly. 
 
&quot;We&#39;d like to see some clear commitments and practical measures,&quot; UNICEF deputy executive director Justin Forsyth told journalists in New York. 
 
&quot;The burden sharing of this crisis is not fair: the greatest burden is supported by neighboring countries or the poorest countries.&quot; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

'50 million children throughout the world have been displaced from their home countries by war, violence or persecution'

About 50 million children across the world have been 'uprooted' from their homes by war, violence or persecution and millions more are migrating in the hope of "finding a better, safer life," United Nation's children program said today. In its new released report 'Uprooted: The growing crisis for refugee and migrant children', the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) underlines that millions of children all over the world, traumatised by the conflicts and violence, face further dangers during their including the "risk of drowning on sea crossings", "malnourishment" and "dehydration". "Indelible images of individual children – Aylan Kurdi’s small body washed up on a beach after drowning at sea or Omran Daqneesh’s stunned and bloody face as he sat in an ambulance after his home was destroyed – have shocked the world,” says UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake. “But each picture, each girl or boy, represents many millions of children in danger – and this demands that our compassion for the individual children we see be matched with action for all children.” Children make up about a third of the world's population but about half of all refugees. The children account for a "disproportionate and growing proportion" of people seeking refuge outside their home countries. A grim picture of the world The report paints a grim picture of children and families, affected by violent conflict and other crises, who find it "safer to risk everything on a perilous journey than remain at home". The analysis of global data reveals that 28 million of those children were displaced by violence and conflict, including 10 million child refugees. Staggeringly enough, more and more children, among those at the highest risk of exploitation and abuse including by smugglers and traffickers, are crossing borders on their own. Staggeringly enough, more and more children, among those at the highest risk of exploitation and abuse including by smugglers and traffickers, are crossing borders on their own. “I tell them we are people just like you” Mustafa, 14, adjusts to life in #Germany after #Syria https://t.co/NGpzp8olg8 #ChildrenUprooted — UNICEF (@UNICEF) September 7, 2016 In 2015, over 100,000 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum in 78 countries – triple the number in 2014, the report reads. About 20 million other international child migrants have left their homes for a variety of reasons including extreme poverty or gang violence, the report states. Largest number of recent refugees in Turkey Turkey hosts the largest total number of recent refugees, and very likely the largest number of child refugees in the world, according to Uprooted. Further, relative to its population, Lebanon hosts the largest number of refugees by an overwhelming margin: Roughly 1 in 5 people in Lebanon is a refugee. In United Kingdom (UK), there is roughly 1 refugee for every 530 people by comparison while 1 in every 1,200 in the United States. Turkey hosts the largest total number of recent refugees, and very likely the largest number of child refugees in the world, according to Uprooted. "When considering refugee-host countries by income level, however, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and Pakistan host the highest concentration of refugees," UNICEF report points out. In 2015, about 45 percent of child refugees under the UN refugee agency`s care came from Syria and Afghanistan. Impact of migration Migration can offer opportunities for both the children who migrate and the communities they join, the report argues. "An analysis of the impact of migration in high-income countries found that migrants contributed more in taxes and social payments than they received; filled both high- and low-skilled gaps in the labour market; and contributed to economic growth and innovation in hosting countries," it states. The UN report has also pointed out how legal barriers pose a challenge for the children to claim equal benefits as the children who are native to a country. children who have left or are forcibly displaced from their homes often lose out on the potential benefits of migration, such as education – a major driving factor for many children and families who choose to migrate. A refugee child is five times more likely to be out of school than a non-refugee child. When they are able to attend school at all, it is the place migrant and refugee children are most likely to encounter discrimination – including unfair treatment and bullying. The UN global data has also pointed out how legal barriers pose a challenge for the children to claim equal benefits as the children who are native to a country. It has been observed that in the worst cases, "xenophobia can escalate to direct attacks. In Germany alone, authorities tracked 850 attacks against refugee shelters in 2015". Meanwhile, the international body has said it will take up the issue of migration in two late-September meetings on the sidelines of this year's UN general assembly. "We'd like to see some clear commitments and practical measures," UNICEF deputy executive director Justin Forsyth told journalists in New York. "The burden sharing of this crisis is not fair: the greatest burden is supported by neighboring countries or the poorest countries." (WION with inputs from AFP)

About half of all refugees in the world are children: UNICEF report

A Baloch leader today, August 27 alleged that Pakistani forces were engaging in a &quot;tsunami of human rights violations&quot; in Balochistan. 
 
The leader has asked for the international community&#39;s (including India) intervention in the Baloch natiolist movement. 
 
Baloch Republican Party president Brahumdagh Bugti thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recently raising concern over the situation in Balochistan. 
 
&quot;Pak forces are engaged in tsunami of human rights violations. We do not want to live with Pakistan anymore,&quot; said the Switzerland-based Bugti. 
 
He insisted on a referendum of Baloch people under the supervision of the United Nations. 
 
He made an appeal to the US, NATO countries, Israel and India, to help them in their fight for independence. 
 
He said he is ready for a dialogue with the Pakistani government but insisted that there is no going back on freedom movement. 
 
Balochistan, of the size of France, is Pakistan&#39;s largest province which has been under &#39;illegal Pakistani occupation for the last seven decades&#39;, he said. 
 
Bugti called Modi&#39;s recent remarks the &quot;most powerful statement&quot; in the last seven decades. 
 
&quot;It is for the first time that an Indian Prime Minister has spoken. We believe that India should have taken this step a long time ago,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;I am thoroughly indebted to Prime Minister Modi. I thank Prime Minister Modi for speaking raising the voice of Baloch people in his Independence Day address,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
He claimed that the use of aerial bombardment, and gases against the people of Balochistan was a routine, calling Balochistan the world capital of missing people. 
 
&quot;We are political people. We want to solve this with peaceful means. But there is no way we are going to be part of the Pakistan any more. We want freedom from Pakistan. We are not fools to try our luck again and again with Pakistan. We are ready to negotiate through peaceful means,&quot; Bugti said. 
 
&quot;So far we have never received any support from any international countries including India. We want to request India and other countries to help Balochistan. It is genocide of (the) Baloch (people) in Pakistan going on,&quot; he said. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Baloch Republican Party president Brahumdagh Bugti has sought international intervention in the Balochistan issue

A Baloch leader today, August 27 alleged that Pakistani forces were engaging in a "tsunami of human rights violations" in Balochistan. The leader has asked for the international community's (including India) intervention in the Baloch natiolist movement. Baloch Republican Party president Brahumdagh Bugti thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recently raising concern over the situation in Balochistan. "Pak forces are engaged in tsunami of human rights violations. We do not want to live with Pakistan anymore," said the Switzerland-based Bugti. He insisted on a referendum of Baloch people under the supervision of the United Nations. He made an appeal to the US, NATO countries, Israel and India, to help them in their fight for independence. He said he is ready for a dialogue with the Pakistani government but insisted that there is no going back on freedom movement. Balochistan, of the size of France, is Pakistan's largest province which has been under 'illegal Pakistani occupation for the last seven decades', he said. Bugti called Modi's recent remarks the "most powerful statement" in the last seven decades. "It is for the first time that an Indian Prime Minister has spoken. We believe that India should have taken this step a long time ago," he said. "I am thoroughly indebted to Prime Minister Modi. I thank Prime Minister Modi for speaking raising the voice of Baloch people in his Independence Day address," he added. He claimed that the use of aerial bombardment, and gases against the people of Balochistan was a routine, calling Balochistan the world capital of missing people. "We are political people. We want to solve this with peaceful means. But there is no way we are going to be part of the Pakistan any more. We want freedom from Pakistan. We are not fools to try our luck again and again with Pakistan. We are ready to negotiate through peaceful means," Bugti said. "So far we have never received any support from any international countries including India. We want to request India and other countries to help Balochistan. It is genocide of (the) Baloch (people) in Pakistan going on," he said. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Baloch leader hits at Pakistani forces, calls Balochistan 'world capital of missing people'

Thousands of rebels and civilians prepared to evacuate the Syrian town of Daraya today ahead of its takeover by government forces. &nbsp;Ambulances and Red Crescent vehicles reached the town to aid evacuation. 
 
Ending one of the longest standoffs in the five-year conflict, rebels and Syria&#39;s army agreed a deal on Thursday to evacuate all residents and insurgents. The town, situated near the capital Damascus and the government&#39;s Mazzeh air&nbsp;base, has been under rebel control since 2012. 
 
Meanwhile, the agreement to evacuate residents is being seen as a defeat for the opposition&nbsp;forces. 
 
Evacuation could take up to four days&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Seven hundred armed men with their personal weapons will leave Daraya to&nbsp;head to the (rebel-controlled) city of Idlib, while thousands of men and women&nbsp;with their families will be taken to reception centres,&quot; Syrian State News&nbsp;Agency SANA reported. 
 
Around 8,000 people have been living in the town, despite a four-year-long&nbsp;government siege and frequent bombardments. 
 
The rebels, belonging to Ajnad al-Sham and the Martyrs of Islam, will have to&nbsp;surrender their armaments to the army. 
&nbsp;
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>According to the United Nations, nearly 600,000 live under siege across Syria,&nbsp;owing to government forces, rebels and Islamists.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=According to the United Nations, nearly 600,000 live under siege across Syria,?owing to government forces, rebels and Islamists.
" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
 
The entire evacuation could take up to four days. 
 
&quot;The civilians will go to regions under regime control around Damascus,&nbsp;rebels will go to Idlib &quot;or sort out their situation with the regime&quot;, a rebel&nbsp;official told AFP news agency.&nbsp; 
 
Only one humanitarian food aid convoy has entered Daraya since government&nbsp;forces began their siege of the town in late 2012. 
 
A UN aid convoy carrying medicine but no food had entered earlier. 
 
According to the United Nations, nearly 600,000 live under siege across Syria,&nbsp;owing to government forces, rebels and Islamists. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Ending one of the longest standoffs in the five-year conflict, rebels and Syria's army agreed a deal on Thursday to evacuate all residents

Thousands of rebels and civilians prepared to evacuate the Syrian town of Daraya today ahead of its takeover by government forces. Ambulances and Red Crescent vehicles reached the town to aid evacuation. Ending one of the longest standoffs in the five-year conflict, rebels and Syria's army agreed a deal on Thursday to evacuate all residents and insurgents. The town, situated near the capital Damascus and the government's Mazzeh air base, has been under rebel control since 2012. Meanwhile, the agreement to evacuate residents is being seen as a defeat for the opposition forces. Evacuation could take up to four days "Seven hundred armed men with their personal weapons will leave Daraya to head to the (rebel-controlled) city of Idlib, while thousands of men and women with their families will be taken to reception centres," Syrian State News Agency SANA reported. Around 8,000 people have been living in the town, despite a four-year-long government siege and frequent bombardments. The rebels, belonging to Ajnad al-Sham and the Martyrs of Islam, will have to surrender their armaments to the army. According to the United Nations, nearly 600,000 live under siege across Syria, owing to government forces, rebels and Islamists. The entire evacuation could take up to four days. "The civilians will go to regions under regime control around Damascus, rebels will go to Idlib "or sort out their situation with the regime", a rebel official told AFP news agency. Only one humanitarian food aid convoy has entered Daraya since government forces began their siege of the town in late 2012. A UN aid convoy carrying medicine but no food had entered earlier. According to the United Nations, nearly 600,000 live under siege across Syria, owing to government forces, rebels and Islamists. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Rebels, civilians prepare to evacuate Syrian town of Daraya under deal

Pakistan&#39;s top diplomat at the United Nations has said that the country had&nbsp;taken &quot;exemplary measures&quot; to establish nuclear safety and must thus be&nbsp;included in the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group. 
 
Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan&#39;s permanent representative to the UN, on Tuesday said&nbsp;that the country had implemented an export control regime and also&nbsp;participated in the Nuclear Security Summit process, the Dawn reported. 
 
Pakistan had also ratified the 2005 amendment to the Convention on Physical&nbsp;Protection of Nuclear Material and reinforced that it was keen on a bilateral&nbsp;arrangement on non-testing with India. 
 
The NSG is a group of nuclear suppliers that regulate global trade in nuclear&nbsp;technology. 
 
&quot;Pakistan is fulfilling its responsibility toward non-proliferation of nuclear&nbsp;weapons with utmost dedication,&quot; she was reported saying. 
 
&quot;We expect that a non-discriminatory, criteria-based approach is followed for&nbsp;extending NSG membership which strengthens the non-proliferation regime,&quot;&nbsp;she added. 
 
&quot;Differences in state capacities compounded challenges to addressing the&nbsp;proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,&quot; she said. 
 
Pakistan and India are the two non-NPT States aspiring for the membership of&nbsp;the elite group. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Pakistan and India are the two non-NPT States aspiring for the membership of?the elite group

Pakistan's top diplomat at the United Nations has said that the country had taken "exemplary measures" to establish nuclear safety and must thus be included in the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group. Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN, on Tuesday said that the country had implemented an export control regime and also participated in the Nuclear Security Summit process, the Dawn reported. Pakistan had also ratified the 2005 amendment to the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and reinforced that it was keen on a bilateral arrangement on non-testing with India. The NSG is a group of nuclear suppliers that regulate global trade in nuclear technology. "Pakistan is fulfilling its responsibility toward non-proliferation of nuclear weapons with utmost dedication," she was reported saying. "We expect that a non-discriminatory, criteria-based approach is followed for extending NSG membership which strengthens the non-proliferation regime," she added. "Differences in state capacities compounded challenges to addressing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," she said. Pakistan and India are the two non-NPT States aspiring for the membership of the elite group. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Pakistan diplomat at UN pitches for inclusion in NSG

A Pakistani court today reserved its verdict over a petition filed by Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief seeking directives for the government to take up the&nbsp;Kashmir issue at the UN Security Council forum. 
 
Saeed had filed the petition in the Lahore High Court on August 12. 
 
Lahore High Court Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali heard the petition and&nbsp;reserved the judgement after hearing arguments from Saeed&#39;s counsel advocate&nbsp;A K Dogar. 
 
Saeed in his petition alleged that India had been committing &quot;atrocities&quot; on&nbsp;Kashmiris and &quot;violating&quot; the resolutions passed by the UN. 
 
The petetion alleged that India also did not give Kashmiris their right to self-determination. 
 
Saeed sought a court order for the federal government to take up the Kashmir&nbsp;issue at the Security Council to force India to obey the Security Council&#39;s&nbsp;resolution passed in April 1948. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

The petition sought directives for the government to raise the Kashmir issue with the UN Security Council

A Pakistani court today reserved its verdict over a petition filed by Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief seeking directives for the government to take up the Kashmir issue at the UN Security Council forum. Saeed had filed the petition in the Lahore High Court on August 12. Lahore High Court Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali heard the petition and reserved the judgement after hearing arguments from Saeed's counsel advocate A K Dogar. Saeed in his petition alleged that India had been committing "atrocities" on Kashmiris and "violating" the resolutions passed by the UN. The petetion alleged that India also did not give Kashmiris their right to self-determination. Saeed sought a court order for the federal government to take up the Kashmir issue at the Security Council to force India to obey the Security Council's resolution passed in April 1948. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Pakistan court reserves verdict over JuD chief's petition regarding Kashmir issue

Following North Korea&#39;s missile firing, foreign ministers of Japan, China and South Korea met in Tokyo on Wednesday, August 24 to talk about closer multilateral cooperation. 
 
Hours before the meeting, North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile that flew 500 km (311 miles) towards Japan. The country has in the recent past conducted a series of such launches despite UN sanctions. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s unforgivable that North Korea launched a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). Japan immediately protested against the North Korean missile launch and would like to cooperate closely with China and South Korea to lead the international community&#39;s response to it,&quot; Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said at the meeting. 
 
&quot;North Korea&#39;s recent nuclear test and continual missile launches have been an urgent and grave threat to this region. In such situations, solidarity and cooperation among three countries is more important than ever,&quot; said South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. 
 
Chinese Foreign minister Wang Yi said that it was China&#39;s responsibility to promote economic development, lead regional cooperation and maintain regional peace and stability. &quot;China insists that in the spirit of squarely facing history and advancing toward the future,&quot; he said. 
 
Two days ago, South Korea and the United States began annual military exercises in the South which North Korea condemns as a preparation for invasion, and has threatened retaliation. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

North Korea has in the past conducted a series of missile launches despite UN sanctions

Following North Korea's missile firing, foreign ministers of Japan, China and South Korea met in Tokyo on Wednesday, August 24 to talk about closer multilateral cooperation. Hours before the meeting, North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile that flew 500 km (311 miles) towards Japan. The country has in the recent past conducted a series of such launches despite UN sanctions. "It's unforgivable that North Korea launched a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). Japan immediately protested against the North Korean missile launch and would like to cooperate closely with China and South Korea to lead the international community's response to it," Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said at the meeting. "North Korea's recent nuclear test and continual missile launches have been an urgent and grave threat to this region. In such situations, solidarity and cooperation among three countries is more important than ever," said South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. Chinese Foreign minister Wang Yi said that it was China's responsibility to promote economic development, lead regional cooperation and maintain regional peace and stability. "China insists that in the spirit of squarely facing history and advancing toward the future," he said. Two days ago, South Korea and the United States began annual military exercises in the South which North Korea condemns as a preparation for invasion, and has threatened retaliation. (With inputs from agencies)

China, Japan and South Korea meet following North Korea's missile launch

A UN expert accused China on Monday of staging a &quot;pincer movement&quot; to curb the influence of lawyers, activists, and non-governmental organisations and limit their ability to protest against abuses. 
 
While China has made significant progress towards its ambitious goal of eliminating poverty by 2020, it has often ignored the harm done to individuals as it pursues greater economic development, said Philip Alston, the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. 
 
At the same time, he said, Beijing has cracked down on civil society, limiting the space for individuals and groups to influence public policy and air grievances. 
 
Since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012, the ruling Communist Party has arrested hundreds of activists and lawyers in a sweeping campaign that has closed avenues for the legal activism which emerged in recent years. 
 
Recently introduced laws have combined with police action against protesters and lawyers in &quot;a pincer movement designed to systematically narrow and control the space for citizens to express discontent over matters such as land rights, workers&#39; rights, and environmental threats&quot;, Alston wrote in a statement. 
 
In later remarks to reporters, he chided Beijing for asserting that governments should be able to choose which human rights to respect and which to ignore, depending on cultural practices. 
 
&quot;That approach is simply incompatible with the international human rights system,&quot; Alston said. 
 
&quot;Given that China insists that it is part of the system... it would be very dangerous if we were to understand human rights with Chinese characteristics as authorising a fundamental departure from the full range of internationally agreed rights and standards.&quot; 
 
Alston&#39;s comments came at the end of a nine-day tour of China, where he was invited to study the government&#39;s poverty alleviation efforts. 
 
He praised China&#39;s commitment to reducing extreme poverty -- defined as an income of less than $2.30 per day -- but said it faces serious challenges, including inequality levels that are &quot;deeply problematic&quot;. 
 
Questions about the quality of Chinese data, however, made it difficult to assess the true nature of the challenges the country faces, Alston said. 
 
&quot;There is a need to focus more on the importance of getting accurate data and on greater transparency,&quot; he said. 
 
Chinese authorities also did not respond to his requests to meet academics and other private citizens, he said, instead advising them that they &quot;should be on vacation&quot; during his trip. 
 
&quot;We did not reach a common understanding of the role of a UN Special Rapporteur,&quot; he said, adding that he was followed by a security detail during the visit. 
 
(AFP)

He accused the country of staging a 'pincer movement' to curb the influence of lawyers, activists, and NGOs

A UN expert accused China on Monday of staging a "pincer movement" to curb the influence of lawyers, activists, and non-governmental organisations and limit their ability to protest against abuses. While China has made significant progress towards its ambitious goal of eliminating poverty by 2020, it has often ignored the harm done to individuals as it pursues greater economic development, said Philip Alston, the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. At the same time, he said, Beijing has cracked down on civil society, limiting the space for individuals and groups to influence public policy and air grievances. Since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012, the ruling Communist Party has arrested hundreds of activists and lawyers in a sweeping campaign that has closed avenues for the legal activism which emerged in recent years. Recently introduced laws have combined with police action against protesters and lawyers in "a pincer movement designed to systematically narrow and control the space for citizens to express discontent over matters such as land rights, workers' rights, and environmental threats", Alston wrote in a statement. In later remarks to reporters, he chided Beijing for asserting that governments should be able to choose which human rights to respect and which to ignore, depending on cultural practices. "That approach is simply incompatible with the international human rights system," Alston said. "Given that China insists that it is part of the system... it would be very dangerous if we were to understand human rights with Chinese characteristics as authorising a fundamental departure from the full range of internationally agreed rights and standards." Alston's comments came at the end of a nine-day tour of China, where he was invited to study the government's poverty alleviation efforts. He praised China's commitment to reducing extreme poverty -- defined as an income of less than $2.30 per day -- but said it faces serious challenges, including inequality levels that are "deeply problematic". Questions about the quality of Chinese data, however, made it difficult to assess the true nature of the challenges the country faces, Alston said. "There is a need to focus more on the importance of getting accurate data and on greater transparency," he said. Chinese authorities also did not respond to his requests to meet academics and other private citizens, he said, instead advising them that they "should be on vacation" during his trip. "We did not reach a common understanding of the role of a UN Special Rapporteur," he said, adding that he was followed by a security detail during the visit. (AFP)

UN expert chides China for limiting people's ability to protest

The Philippines is not leaving the United Nations, the foreign minister said on Monday, a day after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to quit the body after it called for an end to the wave of killings unleashed by his war on drugs. 
 
Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay said Duterte&#39;s statement &quot;is a statement expressing profound disappointment and frustration&quot;. 
 
&quot;We are committed to the U.N. despite our numerous frustrations with this international agency,&quot; Yasay told a news conference. 
 
(Reuters)

The statement came after President Rodrigo Duterte had threatened to quit the body

The Philippines is not leaving the United Nations, the foreign minister said on Monday, a day after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to quit the body after it called for an end to the wave of killings unleashed by his war on drugs. Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay said Duterte's statement "is a statement expressing profound disappointment and frustration". "We are committed to the U.N. despite our numerous frustrations with this international agency," Yasay told a news conference. (Reuters)

Philippines not leaving United Nations: Foreign minister

Aid convoys have not reached Syria&#39;s besieged areas with desperately needed food and medicine for the past month, the UN envoy to the war-ravaged country, Staffan de Mistura, said today. 
 
In protest at the failure of warring parties to allow aid to reach civilians, de Mistura cut short the weekly meeting of the Geneva-based humanitarian taskforce, which is headed by the United States and Russia. 
 
&quot;Not one single convoy in one month has reached any of the humanitarian besieged areas,&quot; de Mistura told reporters, blaming relentless fighting. 
 
Today&#39;s taskforce meeting lasted just eight minutes before it was &quot;suspended&quot;, de Mistura said, explaining that the move was symbolic and that the group would meet again next week. 
 
The envoy re-issued the United Nations&#39; call for a weekly 48-hour humanitarian pause in Aleppo, where an estimated 1.5 million civilians are trapped as fierce fighting rages between Syria President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces and rebels. 
 
Aleppo, Syria&#39;s second city and former economic hub, has emerged as a top concern for the UN and aid agencies since regime troops seized control of the last supply route into rebel-held areas in mid-July. 
 
De Mistura said the 17 countries that make up the International Support Group for Syria (ISSG), which sit on the humanitarian taskforce, would hold another meeting later today on the issue of a humanitarian pause in Aleppo. 
 
Since the beginning of the year, the UN and its Red Cross partners have delivered aid to nearly 1.3 million Syrians living in areas defined as besieged or hard-to-reach. 
 
But the movement of convoys has primarily been hampered by access restrictions imposed by Assad&#39;s government. 
 
Deir Ezzor, which is partially controlled by the Islamic State group, has continued to receive aid over the last month through World Food Programme air drops, de Mistura said. 
 
Four besieged areas -- Madaya, Zabadani, Foah and Kafraya -- have not been reached by a convoy in 110 days, the UN envoy added. 
 
More than 290,000 people have been killed and more than half the population has been displaced since Syria&#39;s conflict erupted in March 2011 with anti-government protests that escalated into a brutal multi-front war. 
 
(AFP)

Four besieged areas, Madaya, Zabadani, Foah and Kafraya, have not been reached by a convoy in 110 days

Aid convoys have not reached Syria's besieged areas with desperately needed food and medicine for the past month, the UN envoy to the war-ravaged country, Staffan de Mistura, said today. In protest at the failure of warring parties to allow aid to reach civilians, de Mistura cut short the weekly meeting of the Geneva-based humanitarian taskforce, which is headed by the United States and Russia. "Not one single convoy in one month has reached any of the humanitarian besieged areas," de Mistura told reporters, blaming relentless fighting. Today's taskforce meeting lasted just eight minutes before it was "suspended", de Mistura said, explaining that the move was symbolic and that the group would meet again next week. The envoy re-issued the United Nations' call for a weekly 48-hour humanitarian pause in Aleppo, where an estimated 1.5 million civilians are trapped as fierce fighting rages between Syria President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebels. Aleppo, Syria's second city and former economic hub, has emerged as a top concern for the UN and aid agencies since regime troops seized control of the last supply route into rebel-held areas in mid-July. De Mistura said the 17 countries that make up the International Support Group for Syria (ISSG), which sit on the humanitarian taskforce, would hold another meeting later today on the issue of a humanitarian pause in Aleppo. Since the beginning of the year, the UN and its Red Cross partners have delivered aid to nearly 1.3 million Syrians living in areas defined as besieged or hard-to-reach. But the movement of convoys has primarily been hampered by access restrictions imposed by Assad's government. Deir Ezzor, which is partially controlled by the Islamic State group, has continued to receive aid over the last month through World Food Programme air drops, de Mistura said. Four besieged areas -- Madaya, Zabadani, Foah and Kafraya -- have not been reached by a convoy in 110 days, the UN envoy added. More than 290,000 people have been killed and more than half the population has been displaced since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 with anti-government protests that escalated into a brutal multi-front war. (AFP)

No humanitarian convoys in Syria in a month: UN

Government soldiers and security forces in South Sudan executed civilians and gang-raped women and girls during and after ethnically-charged fighting last month in the capital Juba, the United Nations said on Thursday. 
 
Zeid Ra&#39;ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on the government of President Salva Kiir to prosecute perpetrators and urged world powers in the UN Security Council to take &quot;urgent action&quot; to halt the&nbsp;violence. &quot;While some civilians were killed in crossfire between the fighting forces, others were reportedly summarily executed by Government (SPLA) soldiers, who appear to have specifically targeted people of Nuer origin,&quot; Zeid said in a statement. 
 
Human rights spokesman Rupert Colville reiterated the statement in an interview with Reuters on Thursday. &quot;The majority of these violations, the great majority of these violations appeared to have been committed by government forces, by the SPLA.&nbsp;They include killings, summary executions of civilians, as well as fighters; they include a lot of looting and destruction of property, and perhaps most disturbing a very high number of attacks on women, apparently, on an ethnic basis for the most part... 217 cases that we are aware of so far and obviously there could well be many more,&quot; he said. 
 
He described his office&#39;s investigation, citing two separate incidents on 11 July in which SPLA soldiers reportedly arrested eight Nuer civilians during house-to-house searches in Juba&#39;s Munuki area and took them to two nearby hotels,&quot; and four of them were shot&quot;. 
 
On the same day, SPLA soldiers broke into another hotel where they shot and killed a Nuer journalist. At least 73 civilian deaths have been documented so far by the UN, but it is believed the civilian death toll may turn out to be &quot;much higher&quot;, Zeid said, adding that at least 217 cases of sexual violence in Juba had been documented during the period of July 8-25. 
 
&quot;On this one road heading to the south-west, the&nbsp;heart of Juba towards a town called Yei, and that road seems to be particularly, particularly bad. We know of around at least a hundred cases of women who were raped or gang-raped on that road in various different locations, sometimes (by) large groups, and it was mainly at checkpoints, it was government checkpoints presumably set up to catch opposition fighters fleeing the city but they were using their position to prey on women,&quot; Colville said. 
 
Kiir fired six ministers allied to his long-time rival Riek Machar late on Tuesday, widening a political rift in the world&#39;s newest state and drawing threats of more fighting. 
 
(Reuters)

Human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said they were aware of 217 cases of killings, executions, looting, and attacks on women so far

Government soldiers and security forces in South Sudan executed civilians and gang-raped women and girls during and after ethnically-charged fighting last month in the capital Juba, the United Nations said on Thursday. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on the government of President Salva Kiir to prosecute perpetrators and urged world powers in the UN Security Council to take "urgent action" to halt the violence. "While some civilians were killed in crossfire between the fighting forces, others were reportedly summarily executed by Government (SPLA) soldiers, who appear to have specifically targeted people of Nuer origin," Zeid said in a statement. Human rights spokesman Rupert Colville reiterated the statement in an interview with Reuters on Thursday. "The majority of these violations, the great majority of these violations appeared to have been committed by government forces, by the SPLA. They include killings, summary executions of civilians, as well as fighters; they include a lot of looting and destruction of property, and perhaps most disturbing a very high number of attacks on women, apparently, on an ethnic basis for the most part... 217 cases that we are aware of so far and obviously there could well be many more," he said. He described his office's investigation, citing two separate incidents on 11 July in which SPLA soldiers reportedly arrested eight Nuer civilians during house-to-house searches in Juba's Munuki area and took them to two nearby hotels," and four of them were shot". On the same day, SPLA soldiers broke into another hotel where they shot and killed a Nuer journalist. At least 73 civilian deaths have been documented so far by the UN, but it is believed the civilian death toll may turn out to be "much higher", Zeid said, adding that at least 217 cases of sexual violence in Juba had been documented during the period of July 8-25. "On this one road heading to the south-west, the heart of Juba towards a town called Yei, and that road seems to be particularly, particularly bad. We know of around at least a hundred cases of women who were raped or gang-raped on that road in various different locations, sometimes (by) large groups, and it was mainly at checkpoints, it was government checkpoints presumably set up to catch opposition fighters fleeing the city but they were using their position to prey on women," Colville said. Kiir fired six ministers allied to his long-time rival Riek Machar late on Tuesday, widening a political rift in the world's newest state and drawing threats of more fighting. (Reuters)

South Sudan's government forces executed civilians and raped women: UN

Government security forces in South Sudan executed civilians and gang -raped women and girls during and after heavy fighting last month in the capital Juba, the United Nations human rights chief said on Thursday. 
 
Zeid Ra&#39;ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on the government of President Salva Kiir to prosecute perpetrators and urged world powers to take &quot;urgent action&quot; to halt violence in the world`s newest state. 
 
&quot;While some civilians were killed in crossfire between the fighting forces, others were reportedly summarily executed by Government (SPLA) soldiers, who appear to have specifically targeted people of Nuer origin,&quot; Zeid said in a statement.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The fighting also resulted in widespread sexual violence, including rape and gang rape by soldiers in uniform and men in plain clothes.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on the South Sudanese government to prosecute those responsible

Government security forces in South Sudan executed civilians and gang -raped women and girls during and after heavy fighting last month in the capital Juba, the United Nations human rights chief said on Thursday. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on the government of President Salva Kiir to prosecute perpetrators and urged world powers to take "urgent action" to halt violence in the world`s newest state. "While some civilians were killed in crossfire between the fighting forces, others were reportedly summarily executed by Government (SPLA) soldiers, who appear to have specifically targeted people of Nuer origin," Zeid said in a statement. "The fighting also resulted in widespread sexual violence, including rape and gang rape by soldiers in uniform and men in plain clothes." (Reuters)

Security forces in South Sudan killed civilians, gang-raped women, says UN

Burundi said it would refuse to allow United Nations police onto its territory to monitor the security and human rights situation after the UN Security Council voted to send 228 officers. 
 
More than 450 people have been killed since President Pierre Nkurunziza won a third term last year, a move his opponents say violated both the constitution and a peace deal that ended a civil war in 2005. Government and opposition officials were among those killed in tit-for-tat violence by rival sides. 
 
About a quarter of a million people have fled the violence, which has alarmed neighbouring countries in a region where memories of Rwanda&#39;s 1994 genocide remain raw. Like Rwanda, Burundi has an ethnic Hutu majority and a Tutsi minority. 
 
The Security Council voted on Friday to authorise the police deployment, though four of the 15 members abstained. 
 
&quot;Concerning the deployment of the police force, the government of Burundi reminds the Security Council that...every resolution...has to be approved by the host country, which was not, unfortunately, the case,&quot; government spokesman Phillipe Nzobonariba said in a statement late on Tuesday. 
 
&quot;The government...rejects any resolution measure in connection with sending any force on its territory in violation of elementary rules governing the family of United Nations and especially violating the sovereignty of its territory.&quot; 
 
Burundi&#39;s UN Ambassador Albert Shingiro said in July his country would only accept up to 50 unarmed UN police. 
 
(Reuters)

More than 450 people have been killed since President Pierre Nkurunziza won a third term last year. Many thousands have fled the violence

Burundi said it would refuse to allow United Nations police onto its territory to monitor the security and human rights situation after the UN Security Council voted to send 228 officers. More than 450 people have been killed since President Pierre Nkurunziza won a third term last year, a move his opponents say violated both the constitution and a peace deal that ended a civil war in 2005. Government and opposition officials were among those killed in tit-for-tat violence by rival sides. About a quarter of a million people have fled the violence, which has alarmed neighbouring countries in a region where memories of Rwanda's 1994 genocide remain raw. Like Rwanda, Burundi has an ethnic Hutu majority and a Tutsi minority. The Security Council voted on Friday to authorise the police deployment, though four of the 15 members abstained. "Concerning the deployment of the police force, the government of Burundi reminds the Security Council that...every resolution...has to be approved by the host country, which was not, unfortunately, the case," government spokesman Phillipe Nzobonariba said in a statement late on Tuesday. "The government...rejects any resolution measure in connection with sending any force on its territory in violation of elementary rules governing the family of United Nations and especially violating the sovereignty of its territory." Burundi's UN Ambassador Albert Shingiro said in July his country would only accept up to 50 unarmed UN police. (Reuters)

Burundi rejects UN police deployment after Security Council vote

Over 300 anti-narcotics and human rights groups from around the world on Tuesday called for the United Nations to condemn Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte&#39;s war on drugs that has already killed hundreds of people. 
 
The appeal, directed to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), came as an influential Philippine senator called for an investigation into the killings of suspected drug pushers that Duterte has endorsed. 
 
Senator Leila de Lima and the foreign organisations cited reports of police killing hundreds of people since Duterte won May elections largely on a platform to wage a bloody war on drugs. 
 
&quot;Instead of ensuring the protection and rights of people who use drugs... President Duterte has called for them to be killed,&quot; said the statement from groups such as the Australian Drug Foundation and Canadian Drug Policy Coalition. 
 
&quot;Instead of ensuring the rights of people suspected of committing drug-related crimes... the President has called for them to be executed on the spot.&quot; 
 
The statement called on the INCB and the UNODC to condemn the killings and &quot;demand an end to the atrocities&quot;. 
 
De Lima, in a speech before Senate, also lashed out at the killings. &quot;We cannot wage the war against drugs with blood. We will only be trading drug addiction with another more malevolent kind of addiction.&nbsp;This is the compulsion for more killing,&quot; said the senator, a former justice minister who also headed the nation&#39;s human rights body. De Lima said police were summarily killing even innocent people, using the anti-drug campaign as an excuse. 
 
Since assuming the presidency on June 30, Duterte has promised to protect police and soldiers from sanctions for killing criminals and even urged ordinary citizens and communist rebels to join in the bloodshed. 
 
While his campaign has been widely popular in the impoverished Philippines, more groups have begun criticising Duterte, with De Lima calling for a congressional probe into the killings. 
 
But the president has dismissed human rights concerns while police have insisted that they only acted in self-defence. In June, even UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon condemned Duterte&#39;s apparent support of extra-judicial killings. 
 
Police figures showed that as of Tuesday, 402 drug suspects had been killed a month into Duterte&#39;s presidency. 
 
The figure does not include those slain by suspected vigilantes. The country&#39;s top broadcaster, ABS-CBN, reported that 603 people had been killed since Duterte was elected, with 211 murdered by unidentified gunmen. 
 
(AFP)

While his campaign has been popular in the impoverished Philippines, more international groups have begun criticising President Duterte

Over 300 anti-narcotics and human rights groups from around the world on Tuesday called for the United Nations to condemn Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs that has already killed hundreds of people. The appeal, directed to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), came as an influential Philippine senator called for an investigation into the killings of suspected drug pushers that Duterte has endorsed. Senator Leila de Lima and the foreign organisations cited reports of police killing hundreds of people since Duterte won May elections largely on a platform to wage a bloody war on drugs. "Instead of ensuring the protection and rights of people who use drugs... President Duterte has called for them to be killed," said the statement from groups such as the Australian Drug Foundation and Canadian Drug Policy Coalition. "Instead of ensuring the rights of people suspected of committing drug-related crimes... the President has called for them to be executed on the spot." The statement called on the INCB and the UNODC to condemn the killings and "demand an end to the atrocities". De Lima, in a speech before Senate, also lashed out at the killings. "We cannot wage the war against drugs with blood. We will only be trading drug addiction with another more malevolent kind of addiction. This is the compulsion for more killing," said the senator, a former justice minister who also headed the nation's human rights body. De Lima said police were summarily killing even innocent people, using the anti-drug campaign as an excuse. Since assuming the presidency on June 30, Duterte has promised to protect police and soldiers from sanctions for killing criminals and even urged ordinary citizens and communist rebels to join in the bloodshed. While his campaign has been widely popular in the impoverished Philippines, more groups have begun criticising Duterte, with De Lima calling for a congressional probe into the killings. But the president has dismissed human rights concerns while police have insisted that they only acted in self-defence. In June, even UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon condemned Duterte's apparent support of extra-judicial killings. Police figures showed that as of Tuesday, 402 drug suspects had been killed a month into Duterte's presidency. The figure does not include those slain by suspected vigilantes. The country's top broadcaster, ABS-CBN, reported that 603 people had been killed since Duterte was elected, with 211 murdered by unidentified gunmen. (AFP)

UN must condemn Philippine drug killings: Rights groups

Yemeni government negotiators said they were leaving peace talks in Kuwait on Monday after Houthi militia foes rejected a United Nations proposal aimed to ending their country&#39;s war. 
 
Foreign Minister Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi insisted the government was not abandoning the peace process, but suggested it would only return if the Houthis and a powerful local ally lifted their objections to the UN plan. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve agreed to the initiative ... we are now leaving the territory of the brotherly state of Kuwait but we&#39;re not leaving the talks,&quot; Mekhlafi said while announcing the move. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ll return at any moment, even an hour after our departure, if the other side agrees to sign this document which the (U.N.) envoy presented.&quot; 
 
UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed proposed that the government&#39;s foes in the armed Houthi movement quit three main cities they hold, including the capital Sanaa. Under this plan, new talks would then be convened on forming a government that would include the Houthis, delegates said. 
 
The envoy said in a statement the talks would continue. &quot;The departure of the Government of Yemen delegation from Kuwait is not a departure from the Peace Talks,&quot; Ould Cheikh Ahmed said. 
 
&quot;We agreed with the parties to keep the talks ongoing until we agree on next steps in the coming days which shall be dedicated to intensive meetings&quot; with the government&#39;s foes as well as international diplomats, he said. 
 
The Houthis dismissed the UN proposal as a non-starter on Sunday, saying in a statement that any agreement would need to be comprehensive and not postpone a resolution on major issues. 
 
They said they would stay in Kuwait for the talks. 
 
The negotiations started in April have slowed the nationwide fighting that has killed at least 6,400 people and caused one of the world&#39;s worst humanitarian crises. 
 
(Reuters)

The United Nations proposed that government's foes in the armed Houthi movement quit three main cities they hold, including capital Sanaa

Yemeni government negotiators said they were leaving peace talks in Kuwait on Monday after Houthi militia foes rejected a United Nations proposal aimed to ending their country's war. Foreign Minister Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi insisted the government was not abandoning the peace process, but suggested it would only return if the Houthis and a powerful local ally lifted their objections to the UN plan. "We've agreed to the initiative ... we are now leaving the territory of the brotherly state of Kuwait but we're not leaving the talks," Mekhlafi said while announcing the move. "We'll return at any moment, even an hour after our departure, if the other side agrees to sign this document which the (U.N.) envoy presented." UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed proposed that the government's foes in the armed Houthi movement quit three main cities they hold, including the capital Sanaa. Under this plan, new talks would then be convened on forming a government that would include the Houthis, delegates said. The envoy said in a statement the talks would continue. "The departure of the Government of Yemen delegation from Kuwait is not a departure from the Peace Talks," Ould Cheikh Ahmed said. "We agreed with the parties to keep the talks ongoing until we agree on next steps in the coming days which shall be dedicated to intensive meetings" with the government's foes as well as international diplomats, he said. The Houthis dismissed the UN proposal as a non-starter on Sunday, saying in a statement that any agreement would need to be comprehensive and not postpone a resolution on major issues. They said they would stay in Kuwait for the talks. The negotiations started in April have slowed the nationwide fighting that has killed at least 6,400 people and caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. (Reuters)

Yemen government leaves Kuwait talks after Houthis reject UN plan

The Yemeni government said today it has accepted a UN-proposed peace agreement to end more than a year of armed conflict, but there has been no word from the rebels. 
 
The announcement by the Saudi-backed government came after a high-level meeting in Kuwait&#39;s capital chaired by Yemen&#39;s President Aberabbo Mansour Hadi. 
 
&quot;The meeting approved the draft agreement presented by the United Nations calling for an end to the armed conflict and the withdrawal (of rebels) from Sanaa... and the cities of Taez and Al-Hudaydah,&quot; said a statement after the meeting, cited by the Saba news agency. 
 
Yemen&#39;s foreign minister Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi, who is leading the government negotiating team, said he has sent a letter to the UN special envoy informing him the government backed the &#39;Kuwait Agreement&#39;. 
 
One pre-condition, however, is that the Iran-backed Huthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh sign the deal by August 7. 
 
There has been no official reaction to the deal by the rebels. Huthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam said on Twitter before the government announcement that the rebels insist on a comprehensive and complete solution, and rejected what he called &quot;half solutions&quot;. 
 
A political dialogue between various Yemeni factions will start 45 days after the rebels withdrawal, according to the government. UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed on Saturday managed to extend the talks for a week after the government delegation said it was leaving, and submitted the peace deal draft to both sides. 
 
The approval also came hours after seven Saudi troops were killed in border clashes with Yemeni rebels. More than 6,400 people have been killed in the Arabian Peninsula state since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in March last year in support of Hadi&#39;s government. 
 
Another 2.8 million people have been displaced and more than 80 per cent of the population urgently needs humanitarian aid, according to UN figures. 
 
(AFP)

One pre-condition is that the Iran-backed Huthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh sign the deal by August 7

The Yemeni government said today it has accepted a UN-proposed peace agreement to end more than a year of armed conflict, but there has been no word from the rebels. The announcement by the Saudi-backed government came after a high-level meeting in Kuwait's capital chaired by Yemen's President Aberabbo Mansour Hadi. "The meeting approved the draft agreement presented by the United Nations calling for an end to the armed conflict and the withdrawal (of rebels) from Sanaa... and the cities of Taez and Al-Hudaydah," said a statement after the meeting, cited by the Saba news agency. Yemen's foreign minister Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi, who is leading the government negotiating team, said he has sent a letter to the UN special envoy informing him the government backed the 'Kuwait Agreement'. One pre-condition, however, is that the Iran-backed Huthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh sign the deal by August 7. There has been no official reaction to the deal by the rebels. Huthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam said on Twitter before the government announcement that the rebels insist on a comprehensive and complete solution, and rejected what he called "half solutions". A political dialogue between various Yemeni factions will start 45 days after the rebels withdrawal, according to the government. UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed on Saturday managed to extend the talks for a week after the government delegation said it was leaving, and submitted the peace deal draft to both sides. The approval also came hours after seven Saudi troops were killed in border clashes with Yemeni rebels. More than 6,400 people have been killed in the Arabian Peninsula state since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in March last year in support of Hadi's government. Another 2.8 million people have been displaced and more than 80 per cent of the population urgently needs humanitarian aid, according to UN figures. (AFP)

Yemen government accepts UN peace deal

United Nations deputy Syria envoy Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy on Sunday invited Damascus to new peace talks with the opposition at the end of August, drawing a positive response from the government. 
 
On Tuesday, the world body&#39;s special envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters in Geneva he wanted &quot;to proceed with a third round of intra-Syrian talks towards the end of August&quot; after two previous rounds of talks this year ended in failure. 
 
De Mistura has struggled to keep the peace process alive amid a surge in fighting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces and rebel groups. 
 
&quot;I informed the minister and his deputy of the intention of the special envoy De Mistura to reconvene the inter-Syrian talks towards the end of August,&quot; Ramzy said after meeting foreign minister Walid Muallem and his deputy Faisal Muqdad. 
 
&quot;I explained to the minister how we intend to proceed, and we discussed how to render this process of political transition which has already been endorsed by the Security Council to be a credible one, and we exchanged views on that,&quot; Ramzy said. 
 
He said Muallem &quot;confirmed the intention of the Syrian government to participate in these talks once they are held&quot;. 
 
Muqdad said Syria&#39;s government was &quot;ready to resume the talks with no preconditions in an inter-Syrian context with no foreign interference&quot;, the official SANA news agency reported him as saying. 
 
De Mistura&#39;s announcement comes with the armed opposition facing difficulties, especially in the northern city of Aleppo where government forces are besieging rebel-held districts. 
 
A peace roadmap, endorsed in December by the UN, called for the creation of a transitional body, which should have occurred on August 1, a new constitution and elections by mid-2017. 
 
The UN-brokered talks have so far been deadlocked over Assad&#39;s fate. 
 
The government has ruled out negotiations on his possible departure, while the main opposition High Negotiations Committee has said it will not agree to any deal that leaves Assad in power. 
 
Since Syria was plunged into chaos in 2011, more than 280,000 people have been killed and upwards of half the population has been displaced. 
 
(AFP)

UN special envoy has struggled to keep the peace process alive amid a surge in fighting between Syrian forces and rebel groups

United Nations deputy Syria envoy Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy on Sunday invited Damascus to new peace talks with the opposition at the end of August, drawing a positive response from the government. On Tuesday, the world body's special envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters in Geneva he wanted "to proceed with a third round of intra-Syrian talks towards the end of August" after two previous rounds of talks this year ended in failure. De Mistura has struggled to keep the peace process alive amid a surge in fighting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebel groups. "I informed the minister and his deputy of the intention of the special envoy De Mistura to reconvene the inter-Syrian talks towards the end of August," Ramzy said after meeting foreign minister Walid Muallem and his deputy Faisal Muqdad. "I explained to the minister how we intend to proceed, and we discussed how to render this process of political transition which has already been endorsed by the Security Council to be a credible one, and we exchanged views on that," Ramzy said. He said Muallem "confirmed the intention of the Syrian government to participate in these talks once they are held". Muqdad said Syria's government was "ready to resume the talks with no preconditions in an inter-Syrian context with no foreign interference", the official SANA news agency reported him as saying. De Mistura's announcement comes with the armed opposition facing difficulties, especially in the northern city of Aleppo where government forces are besieging rebel-held districts. A peace roadmap, endorsed in December by the UN, called for the creation of a transitional body, which should have occurred on August 1, a new constitution and elections by mid-2017. The UN-brokered talks have so far been deadlocked over Assad's fate. The government has ruled out negotiations on his possible departure, while the main opposition High Negotiations Committee has said it will not agree to any deal that leaves Assad in power. Since Syria was plunged into chaos in 2011, more than 280,000 people have been killed and upwards of half the population has been displaced. (AFP)

UN initiates third round of peace talks with Syria

The use of hoods, restraints and teargas on Australian aboriginal children in youth detention centres by police, as shown in footage released this week, could violate the United Nations (UN) treaty barring torture, a top UN official said today. 
 
Australia&#39;s Northern Territory on Wednesday suspended the use of hoods and restraints on children after the broadcasting of CCTV footage showing guards at a juvenile detention centre teargassing aboriginal inmates and strapping a half-naked, hooded boy to a chair. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has ordered a Royal Commission in the treatment of children in the detention centre, the most powerful inquiry in the country, rejecting calls for a national inquiry. 
 
UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, told Australia&#39;s Radio National today that the video suggested torture may have taken place and welcomed the inquiry but warned against limiting its scope. &quot;It&#39;s hard to tell only from the video or the press coverage but I do think that it&#39;s a very worrisome development that can amount to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment under any circumstance,&quot; he said. 
 
He said there was no question that very severe pain and suffering had occurred and that the perpetrators seem to be representatives of the state. If others knew and did nothing, they too could be punished alongside those who actually committed the violence, he said. 
 
The footage, showing six aboriginal boys being stripped naked, strapped to a chair with a hood, thrown by the neck into a cell and held for long periods in solitary confinement, was shot between 2010 and 2014 at the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre near Darwin in the Northern Territory. 
 
A report into some of the incidents by the Northern Territory Children&#39;s Commissioner in 2015 found fault with the guards&#39; behaviour, but the findings were disputed by the then head of prisons and not acted upon, said Australian Broadcasting Corp, who aired the footage. The Northern Territory&#39;s corrections minister was sacked on Tuesday, just hours after the broadcast. 
 
The case highlights concern about the disproportionate numbers of aboriginal youth in custody, with indigenous leaders calling for politicians to deal with the wider issue of the treatment of aborigines in Australia. Aborigines comprise just three per cent of Australia&#39;s population but make up 27 per cent of those in prison and represent 94 per cent of the Northern Territory&#39;s juvenile inmates. Australia&#39;s roughly 700,000 indigenous citizens track near the bottom of almost every economic and social indicator for the country&#39;s 23 million people. 
 
(Reuters)

CCTV footage showed guards at a juvenile detention centre tear-gassing aboriginal inmates and strapping a half-naked, hooded boy to a chair

The use of hoods, restraints and teargas on Australian aboriginal children in youth detention centres by police, as shown in footage released this week, could violate the United Nations (UN) treaty barring torture, a top UN official said today. Australia's Northern Territory on Wednesday suspended the use of hoods and restraints on children after the broadcasting of CCTV footage showing guards at a juvenile detention centre teargassing aboriginal inmates and strapping a half-naked, hooded boy to a chair. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has ordered a Royal Commission in the treatment of children in the detention centre, the most powerful inquiry in the country, rejecting calls for a national inquiry. UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, told Australia's Radio National today that the video suggested torture may have taken place and welcomed the inquiry but warned against limiting its scope. "It's hard to tell only from the video or the press coverage but I do think that it's a very worrisome development that can amount to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment under any circumstance," he said. He said there was no question that very severe pain and suffering had occurred and that the perpetrators seem to be representatives of the state. If others knew and did nothing, they too could be punished alongside those who actually committed the violence, he said. The footage, showing six aboriginal boys being stripped naked, strapped to a chair with a hood, thrown by the neck into a cell and held for long periods in solitary confinement, was shot between 2010 and 2014 at the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre near Darwin in the Northern Territory. A report into some of the incidents by the Northern Territory Children's Commissioner in 2015 found fault with the guards' behaviour, but the findings were disputed by the then head of prisons and not acted upon, said Australian Broadcasting Corp, who aired the footage. The Northern Territory's corrections minister was sacked on Tuesday, just hours after the broadcast. The case highlights concern about the disproportionate numbers of aboriginal youth in custody, with indigenous leaders calling for politicians to deal with the wider issue of the treatment of aborigines in Australia. Aborigines comprise just three per cent of Australia's population but make up 27 per cent of those in prison and represent 94 per cent of the Northern Territory's juvenile inmates. Australia's roughly 700,000 indigenous citizens track near the bottom of almost every economic and social indicator for the country's 23 million people. (Reuters)

Australia prison abuse could violate torture conventions: UN

The United Nations called for a humanitarian truce in Yemen&#39;s&nbsp;province of Taiz after government forces captured a town from Iran-allied Houthi militia in heavy fighting that has spurred allegations of war crimes.

The fighting has complicated UN-sponsored peace talks, as envoys for the Houthis have delayed responding to UN&nbsp;proposals calling for Houthi pullouts from cities they control, including the capital Sanaa, and the creation of an inclusive government. 
 
James McGoldrick, the UN&nbsp;Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, voiced alarm at increasing bloodshed in the southwestern Taiz province, particularly the al-Sarari area, and the closure of Taiz city, the regional capital. 
 
He urged all warring parties to agree immediately to a &quot;humanitarian pause&quot; to protect civilians and cooperate with humanitarian agencies to help treat and evacuate war-wounded and deliver urgently needed medicine into the embattled zone. 
 
McGoldrick warned both parties that holding civilian populations hostage and depriving them of humanitarian assistance was illegal under international humanitarian law. 
 
Hadi supporters control most of Taiz, Yemen&#39;s third largest city with an estimated pre-war population of 300,000, but it is sealed off by Houthi forces on three sides. 
 
There were conflicting reports on the fighting in al-Sarari, a Houthi stronghold southeast of Taiz captured by troops loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi earlier this week. 
 
A Houthi envoy on a ceasefire committee assigned to oversee a shaky truce in Taiz wrote to the UN&nbsp;that Sarari residents had been subjected to &quot;war crimes&quot; including house burnings and the detention of 49 civilians including women and children. 
 
&quot;We call on you to swiftly intervene to stop these gangs and limit the massacres they have begun to commit against unarmed civilians,&quot; Ahmed al-Msawa said in the letter, seen by Reuters.

Two residents of a hamlet adjacent to Sarari said that at least 15 Houthi combatants were killed or wounded in the fighting. 
 
They said 40 other Houthis were taken prisoner but denied that any women or children were among them. They said most Sarari residents had fled to neighbouring communities. 
 
Hadi supporters have denied setting fires to houses and accused the Houthis of booby-trapping a Sarari mosque to try to kill as many Hadi supporters as possible. 
 
A Saudi-led alliance intervened in Yemen&#39;s conflict in March 2015 to try to restore Hadi to power after the Houthis seized Sanaa and advanced on his temporary headquarters in Aden, forcing him to flee to Saudi Arabia.

A ceasefire accord between the Houthis and Hadi loyalists has repeatedly been violated since it took effect in April. 
 
Peace talks in Kuwait since then have done little to end fighting that has killed more than 6,200 people and displaced more than 2.5 million in the Arabian Peninsula state. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

The fighting between government forces and Houthi forces regarding the control of Taiz has spurred allegations of war crimes

The United Nations called for a humanitarian truce in Yemen's province of Taiz after government forces captured a town from Iran-allied Houthi militia in heavy fighting that has spurred allegations of war crimes. The fighting has complicated UN-sponsored peace talks, as envoys for the Houthis have delayed responding to UN proposals calling for Houthi pullouts from cities they control, including the capital Sanaa, and the creation of an inclusive government. James McGoldrick, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, voiced alarm at increasing bloodshed in the southwestern Taiz province, particularly the al-Sarari area, and the closure of Taiz city, the regional capital. He urged all warring parties to agree immediately to a "humanitarian pause" to protect civilians and cooperate with humanitarian agencies to help treat and evacuate war-wounded and deliver urgently needed medicine into the embattled zone. McGoldrick warned both parties that holding civilian populations hostage and depriving them of humanitarian assistance was illegal under international humanitarian law. Hadi supporters control most of Taiz, Yemen's third largest city with an estimated pre-war population of 300,000, but it is sealed off by Houthi forces on three sides. There were conflicting reports on the fighting in al-Sarari, a Houthi stronghold southeast of Taiz captured by troops loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi earlier this week. A Houthi envoy on a ceasefire committee assigned to oversee a shaky truce in Taiz wrote to the UN that Sarari residents had been subjected to "war crimes" including house burnings and the detention of 49 civilians including women and children. "We call on you to swiftly intervene to stop these gangs and limit the massacres they have begun to commit against unarmed civilians," Ahmed al-Msawa said in the letter, seen by Reuters. Two residents of a hamlet adjacent to Sarari said that at least 15 Houthi combatants were killed or wounded in the fighting. They said 40 other Houthis were taken prisoner but denied that any women or children were among them. They said most Sarari residents had fled to neighbouring communities. Hadi supporters have denied setting fires to houses and accused the Houthis of booby-trapping a Sarari mosque to try to kill as many Hadi supporters as possible. A Saudi-led alliance intervened in Yemen's conflict in March 2015 to try to restore Hadi to power after the Houthis seized Sanaa and advanced on his temporary headquarters in Aden, forcing him to flee to Saudi Arabia. A ceasefire accord between the Houthis and Hadi loyalists has repeatedly been violated since it took effect in April. Peace talks in Kuwait since then have done little to end fighting that has killed more than 6,200 people and displaced more than 2.5 million in the Arabian Peninsula state. (Reuters)

UN?calls?for?humanitarian?truce?in?Yemen's?Taiz province

Civilians are being killed and wounded in record numbers in Afghanistan, the United Nations reported today, just days after one of the deadliest attacks ever in Kabul. 
 
&quot;UNAMA engages in ongoing dialogue with all parties to the conflict and the report has been shared in advance,&quot; said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the top UN official in Afghanistan, at a news conference today, referring to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. 
 
&quot;We share our report to ensure its accuracy and to include different perspectives, but above all our primary objective is to promote change,&quot; he added. 
 
Overall at least 1,601 civilians were killed and 3,565 wounded in the war in the first six months of 2016, the United Nations reported, as insurgent groups like the Taliban try to topple the government installed in Kabul after the 2001 US-led military intervention. 
 
The director of the UN Human Rights Program in Afghanistan, Danielle Bell, said this represented a &quot;four per cent increase in overall civilian casualties compared to the same period in 2015&quot;. 
 
The report was sharply critical of the Taliban. &quot;Anti-government elements including the Taliban nonetheless continued to carry out attacks against persons and locations that are clearly civilian under international humanitarian law,&quot; Bell said. 
 
Anti-government groups, the largest of which is the Taliban, accounted for at least 60 percent of non-combatants killed and wounded. 
 
Casualties caused by pro-government forces increased 47 per cent over the same period last year, the United Nations said. 
 
Afghan forces were responsible for 22 per cent of casualties overall, and the international troops remaining in the country caused 2 per cent, while 17 per cent could not be attributed to one side or the other. 
 
For the first time, the Afghan air force killed or wounded more civilians in its operations than air strikes carried out by international forces, the United Nations reported. 
 
UN officials said they had heard more commitments by both sides, but few effective actions to improve protection of civilians. 
 
Twin blasts on July 23 were claimed by Islamic State militants and killed at least 80 people and injured more than 230, most of them civilians. 
 
Those numbers are not included in the UN report, but the attack highlighted its finding that suicide bombings and complex attacks are now harming more civilians than are roadside bombs, Bell told reporters. 
 
Islamic State, a group that has made some limited inroads in Afghanistan, accounted for 122 casualties in the first six months of 2016 compared with 13 casualties attributed to it in the same period last year. 
 
(Reuters)

Anti-government groups, the largest of which is the Taliban, accounted for at least 60 percent of non-combatants killed and wounded.

Civilians are being killed and wounded in record numbers in Afghanistan, the United Nations reported today, just days after one of the deadliest attacks ever in Kabul. "UNAMA engages in ongoing dialogue with all parties to the conflict and the report has been shared in advance," said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the top UN official in Afghanistan, at a news conference today, referring to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. "We share our report to ensure its accuracy and to include different perspectives, but above all our primary objective is to promote change," he added. Overall at least 1,601 civilians were killed and 3,565 wounded in the war in the first six months of 2016, the United Nations reported, as insurgent groups like the Taliban try to topple the government installed in Kabul after the 2001 US-led military intervention. The director of the UN Human Rights Program in Afghanistan, Danielle Bell, said this represented a "four per cent increase in overall civilian casualties compared to the same period in 2015". The report was sharply critical of the Taliban. "Anti-government elements including the Taliban nonetheless continued to carry out attacks against persons and locations that are clearly civilian under international humanitarian law," Bell said. Anti-government groups, the largest of which is the Taliban, accounted for at least 60 percent of non-combatants killed and wounded. Casualties caused by pro-government forces increased 47 per cent over the same period last year, the United Nations said. Afghan forces were responsible for 22 per cent of casualties overall, and the international troops remaining in the country caused 2 per cent, while 17 per cent could not be attributed to one side or the other. For the first time, the Afghan air force killed or wounded more civilians in its operations than air strikes carried out by international forces, the United Nations reported. UN officials said they had heard more commitments by both sides, but few effective actions to improve protection of civilians. Twin blasts on July 23 were claimed by Islamic State militants and killed at least 80 people and injured more than 230, most of them civilians. Those numbers are not included in the UN report, but the attack highlighted its finding that suicide bombings and complex attacks are now harming more civilians than are roadside bombs, Bell told reporters. Islamic State, a group that has made some limited inroads in Afghanistan, accounted for 122 casualties in the first six months of 2016 compared with 13 casualties attributed to it in the same period last year. (Reuters)

Civilian casualties soar to record high in Afghanistan, says UN report

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi met with Burmese State Counselor and foreign minister Aung San Suu Kyi on the sidelines of the ongoing 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) and Post-Ministerial Conferences (PMC) in Vientiane, Laos on Sunday, both promising to strengthen ties and cooperation. 
 
Wang conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping&rsquo;s greetings to Suu Kyi. 
 
He said that China and Myanmar have a deep friendship and maintain understanding, respect, and support for one another. 
 
Wang congratulated Suu Kyi&rsquo;s new government for keeping an upbeat situation in its first 100 days and wished Myanmar further progress in its development. 
 
Wang expressed China&rsquo;s goodwill to become a trusted partner of Myanmar in its development progress, saying that China is willing to increase high-level communication and push forward practical cooperation in all fields. 
 
Suu Kyi said that China is Myanmar&rsquo;s largest friendly neighbour, and the people from two countries share strong links with each other, adding that Myanmar appreciates China&rsquo;s support and aid in its economic development as well as national reconciliation. 
 
Suu Kyi said she hopes China will continue to give Myanmar support as a good friend of the country. Myanmar is willing to work with China to continue to strengthen their relationship and pass down the traditional friendship between the two nations to later generations, she added. 
 
&#39;Media focus on South China Sea very strange&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Wang during bilateral meetings with ASEAN members on Sunday said he thought the media focus on the South China Sea issue was &quot;very strange&quot;. 
 
&quot;You should focus on China-ASEAN cooperation,&quot; he said. 
 
Southeast Asian nations failed to agree on maritime disputes in the South China Sea on Sunday after Cambodia blocked any mention to an international court ruling against Beijing in their statement, diplomats said. 
 
Foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met for the first time since the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration handed an emphatic legal victory to the Philippines in the dispute this month. 
 
The ruling by the court in The Hague denied China&#39;s sweeping claims in the strategic seaway, through which more than $5 trillion in global trade passes each year. 
 
China claims most of the sea, but ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have rival claims. Beijing says the ruling has no bearing on its rights in the sea, and described the case as a farce. 
 
(Reuters)

Foreign ministers of 10-member ASEAN met for first time since the Hague ruling on maritime disputes in the South China Sea

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi met with Burmese State Counselor and foreign minister Aung San Suu Kyi on the sidelines of the ongoing 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) and Post-Ministerial Conferences (PMC) in Vientiane, Laos on Sunday, both promising to strengthen ties and cooperation. Wang conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s greetings to Suu Kyi. He said that China and Myanmar have a deep friendship and maintain understanding, respect, and support for one another. Wang congratulated Suu Kyi’s new government for keeping an upbeat situation in its first 100 days and wished Myanmar further progress in its development. Wang expressed China’s goodwill to become a trusted partner of Myanmar in its development progress, saying that China is willing to increase high-level communication and push forward practical cooperation in all fields. Suu Kyi said that China is Myanmar’s largest friendly neighbour, and the people from two countries share strong links with each other, adding that Myanmar appreciates China’s support and aid in its economic development as well as national reconciliation. Suu Kyi said she hopes China will continue to give Myanmar support as a good friend of the country. Myanmar is willing to work with China to continue to strengthen their relationship and pass down the traditional friendship between the two nations to later generations, she added. 'Media focus on South China Sea very strange' Wang during bilateral meetings with ASEAN members on Sunday said he thought the media focus on the South China Sea issue was "very strange". "You should focus on China-ASEAN cooperation," he said. Southeast Asian nations failed to agree on maritime disputes in the South China Sea on Sunday after Cambodia blocked any mention to an international court ruling against Beijing in their statement, diplomats said. Foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met for the first time since the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration handed an emphatic legal victory to the Philippines in the dispute this month. The ruling by the court in The Hague denied China's sweeping claims in the strategic seaway, through which more than $5 trillion in global trade passes each year. China claims most of the sea, but ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have rival claims. Beijing says the ruling has no bearing on its rights in the sea, and described the case as a farce. (Reuters)

China promises to strengthen ties with Myanmar

Un, News on Un, stories on Un, articles on Un, Un stories at Wion, Un news, Un latest news