Page 7 - United Nations

Waltz to face grilling over Signal chat row at Senate hearing for UN role

Mike Waltz, President Donald Trump's nominee for US ambassador to the United Nations, will face questioning from lawmakers Tuesday for the first time since he was ousted as national security adviser in the weeks after he mistakenly added a journalist to a private Signal chat used to discuss sensitive military plans. The former Republican congressman is set to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing, with Trump looking to fill his remaining Cabinet position after months of delay, including the withdrawal of the previous nominee. The hearing will provide senators with the first opportunity to grill Waltz over revelations in March that he added The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on an unclassified messaging app that was used to discuss planning for strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen. Waltz took responsibility even as criticism mounted against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who shared the sensitive plans in

Israeli strikes kill 31 in Gaza as UN agencies warn of fuel crisis

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight killed at least 31 people, according to local hospitals, as UN agencies warned that critical fuel shortages put hospitals and other critical infrastructure at risk. The latest attacks came after US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held two days of talks last week that ended with no sign of a breakthrough in negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage release. Twelve people were killed by strikes in southern Gaza, including three who were waiting at an aid distribution point on Monday, according to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, which received the bodies. Shifa Hospital in Gaza City also received 12 bodies, including three children and two women, after a series of strikes in the north, according to the hospital's director, Dr. Mohammed Abu Selmia. Al-Awda Hospital reported seven killed and 11 wounded in strikes in central Gaza. The Israeli military says it only targets militants and tries to avoid ...

14 million children did not receive a single vaccine in 2024, says UN

More than 14 million children did not receive a single vaccine last year about the same number as the year before according to UN health officials. Nine countries accounted for more than half of those unprotected children. In their annual estimate of global vaccine coverage, released Tuesday, the World Health Organization and UNICEF said about 89 per cent of children under one year old got a first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine in 2024, the same as in 2023. About 85 per cent completed the three-dose series, up from 84 per cent in 2023. Officials acknowledged, however, that the collapse of international aid this year will make it more difficult to reduce the number of unprotected children. In January, US President Trump withdrew the country from the WHO, froze nearly all humanitarian aid and later moved to close the US AID Agency. And last month, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said it was pulling the billions of dollars the US had previously ...

Europe unveils deal for more food, fuel for Gaza; Israeli strike kills 15

European officials reached a new deal with Israel to allow desperately needed food and fuel into Gaza, the European Union's foreign policy chief said Thursday, hours after an Israeli airstrike killed 15 people, including 10 children, waiting for help outside a medical clinic. The children's deaths drew outrage from humanitarian groups even as Israel allowed the first delivery of fuel to Gaza in more than four months, though still less than a day's supply, according to the United Nations. The killing of families trying to access life-saving aid is unconscionable, UNICEF's chief, Catherine Russell, said. These were mothers seeking a lifeline for their children after months of hunger and desperation. The Israeli military said it was targeting a militant when it struck near the clinic. Security camera footage outside the clinic in the central Gaza city of Deir al Balah showed about a dozen people squatting in front of the clinic when a projectile explodes a few meters (yards) away, ...

US issues sanctions against UN investigator probing abuses in Gaza

The Trump administration announced it is issuing sanctions Wednesday against an independent investigator tasked with probing human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories, the latest effort by the United States to punish critics of Israel's 21-month war in Gaza. The State Department's decision to sanction Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, comes after a recent US pressure campaign to force the international body to remove her from her post failed. Albanese, a human rights lawyer, has been vocal about what she has described as the genocide that Israel is waging against Palestinians in Gaza. Both Israel and the US, which provides military support, have strongly denied that accusation. In recent weeks, Albanese has issued a series of letters, urging other countries to pressure Israel, including through sanctions, to end its deadly bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The Italian national has also been a strong supporter of the International Crimina

As wars rage in Gaza, Iran and Ukraine, is the UN struggling for relevance?

The UN faces growing criticism for its limited role in major conflicts, as Gaza, Iran and Ukraine expose the body's structural weaknesses and crisis of legitimacy

Migrants deported from US to Salvadoran prison under US control: Officials

The government of El Salvador has acknowledged to United Nations investigators that the Trump administration maintains control of the Venezuelan men who were deported from the US to a notorious Salvadoran prison, contradicting public statements by officials in both countries. The revelation was contained in court filings Monday by lawyers for more than 100 migrants who are seeking to challenge their deportations to El Salvador's mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT. The case is among several challenging President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. In this context, the jurisdiction and legal responsibility for these persons lie exclusively with the competent foreign authorities, Salvadoran officials wrote in response to queries from the unit of the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The UN group has been looking into the fate of the men who were sent to El Salvador from the United States in mid-March, even after a US judge had ordered

UN adopts resolution on Afghanistan's Taliban rule despite US objections

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Monday over US objections calling on Afghanistan's Taliban rulers to reverse their worsening oppression of women and girls and eliminate all terrorist organizations. The 11-page resolution also emphasises the importance of creating opportunities for economic recovery, development and prosperity in Afghanistan, and urges donors to address the country's dire humanitarian and economic crisis. The resolution is not legally binding but is seen as a reflection of world opinion. The vote was 116 in favour, with two the United States and close ally Israel opposed and 12 abstentions, including Russia, China, India and Iran. Since returning to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have imposed harsh measures, banning women from public places and girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade. Last week, Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban's government. Germany's UN Ambassador Antje Leendertse, whose count

India abstains from UN resolution on Afghanistan, calls for end of terror

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on Afghanistan to uphold human rights, adhere to international law and take decisive action against terrorism amid a worsening humanitarian crisis

Iran mass expels Afghan refugees, raising alarms for women under Taliban

Iran's deportation of 250,000 Afghans, many of them women, has sparked a humanitarian crisis as returnees face deadly heat, Taliban restrictions, and limited support at overcrowded border crossings

Best of BS Opinion: US trade deal or not, India must cast its net wider

Today's pieces cover a wide expanse, from India's trade deals with the rest of the world to China's attempt to trip Indian manufacturing, to the world's struggle to enforce rules

IAEA team exits Iran after country halts cooperation with nuclear watchdog

The move comes almost 10 days after United States President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire deal between Iran and Israel, labeling it "THE 12 DAY WAR"

Aligning RE with development goals can lift 193 mn from poverty: UNDP study

A new study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has revealed that aligning renewable energy goals with broader development policies could lift 193 million people out of extreme poverty by 2060, while unlocking USD 20.4 trillion in cumulative savings for the global economy. The study, conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), University of Denver's Pardee Institute and Octopus Energy, was set up to explore how time-bound renewable energy targets, backed by coherent policies and financing mechanisms, could unlock triple wins: cutting emissions, boosting economies and delivering real social benefits. The report simulated three scenarios to assess outcomes for emissions, economic growth, and social progress. In a business-as-usual scenario, the global energy system remains dependent on fossil fuels, accounting for over 50 per cent of primary energy by 2060. This trajectory would push global warming to 2.6C, exacerbating poverty, malnutrition and lack

Iran's President orders halt to cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog IAEA

Iran's president on Wednesday ordered the country to suspend its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency after American and Israeli airstrikes hit its most-important nuclear facilities, likely further limiting inspectors' ability to track Tehran's programme that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels. The order by President Masoud Pezeshkian included no timetables or details about what that suspension would entail. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signalled in a CBS News interview that Tehran still would be willing to continue negotiations with the United States. I don't think negotiations will restart as quickly as that, Araghchi said, referring to Trump's comments that talks could start as early as this week. However, he added: The doors of diplomacy will never slam shut. Pressure tactic Iran has limited IAEA inspections in the past as a pressure tactic in negotiating with the West though as of right now Tehran has denied that there's any

Heatwaves grip Europe: Red alerts, wildfires, Eiffel Tower closed

Spain sees hottest June in a century; more than 50,000 people evacuated amid wildfires in Turkiye and the Balkans

Jaishankar arrives in DC, set to attend QUAD foreign ministers meeting

During the meeting, the leaders will build upon the discussions held during the last QFMM, which took place in Washington, DC on January 21

State-backed terrorism must be called out publicly, says Jaishankar at UN

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said it is imperative to call out terrorism publicly when it is supported by a state against a neighbour and is fuelled by the bigotry of extremism, a strong reference to Pakistan. Jaishankar, who is on a three-day visit to the US, made the remarks while inaugurating an exhibition titled The Human Cost of Terrorism' at the UN headquarters. The exhibition, which will be on display at two locations in the UN headquarters from June 30-July 3 and July 7-July 11, opened a day before Pakistan begins its Presidency of the UN Security Council for July on Tuesday. "When terrorism is supported by a state against the neighbour, when it is fuelled by the bigotry of extremism, when it drives a whole host of illegal activities, it is imperative to call it out publicly and one way of doing so is to display the havoc that it has wreaked on global society, Jaishankar said. A large number of UN ambassadors, senior UN personnel, officials and envoys ..

At least 1.2 mn Afghans forced to return from Iran, Pakistan this year: UN

At least 1.2 million Afghans have been forced to return from Iran and Pakistan this year, the UN refugee agency said Saturday, warning that repatriations on a massive scale have the potential to destabilise the fragile situation in Afghanistan. Iran and Pakistan in 2023 launched separate campaigns to expel foreigners they said were living in the country illegally. They set deadlines and threatened them with deportation if they didn't leave. The two governments deny targeting Afghans, who have fled their homeland to escape war, poverty or Taliban rule. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said that of the 1.2 million returning Afghans, more than half had come from Iran following a March 20 government deadline for them to leave voluntarily or face expulsion. Iran has deported more than 366,000 Afghans this year, including refugees and people in refugee-like situations, according to the agency. Iran's 12-day war war with Israel also has driven departures. The highest number of return

Iran rules out US talks, vows revenge, suspends UN nuclear oversight

Iranian lawmakers passed a "binding" bill to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog

Global Human Rights Groups slam China's ongoing crackdown on lawyers at UN

Crackdown started on July 9, 2015, when more than 300 lawyers and legal advocates were targeted by police, marking largest organised suppression of legal professionals in the China's's recent history