"united-nations"

Four candidates, including Michelle Bachelet and Rafael Grossi, faced tough questioning to succeed Antonio Guterres. With no clear frontrunner, the race highlights calls for reforms, stronger leadership, and restoring global trust in the UN

India has been elected to key United Nations Economic and Social Council subsidiary bodies, including science, NGO and coordination panels, while Ambassador Preeti Saran was re-elected to a rights committee, strengthening India’s role in global development governance

At the United Nations, India rejected a minority issues report criticizing the Waqf Amendment Act 2025, calling it inaccurate and biased. India defended the law as progressive, promoting transparency, gender equality, and inclusion while reaffirming its commitment to minority rights

India told the UN that the Indus Waters Treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan ends support for terrorism, while highlighting its water initiatives and stressing the need for cooperation on global water security goals.

Five candidates, including Michelle Bachelet and Rafael Grossi, have been nominated to succeed António Guterres as UN secretary-general, with interactive candidate sessions beginning April 20, announced Annalena Baerbock, president of the United Nations General Assembly

At the United Nations Security Council, US First Lady Melania Trump proposed a “single digital nation-state,” highlighting blockchain, AI and education’s role in peace. Presiding during America’s rotating presidency, she emphasised children, technology and global understanding amid geopolitical tensions

At an emergency UN Security Council meeting, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned US-Israel strikes on Iran risk wider war, as Washington and Tehran traded accusations. President Donald Trump confirmed Ayatollah Khamenei’s death, escalating regional tensions

Iran’s UN envoy warned that Tehran would respond decisively to any US aggression, citing self-defence under the UN Charter. Tensions rose after remarks by Donald Trump on Diego Garcia, amid ongoing nuclear talks and concerns over military build-up

Religious scholars in Quetta urged dialogue and transparent probes into missing persons cases in Balochistan. Activists, including members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, also raised human rights concerns at the Asma Jahangir Conference

Power is increasingly overriding law, morals, and values, exposing a ‘world without rules’ — an uncomfortable truth revealed as leaders gathered in the Swiss Alps amid rising global tensions

If the Gaza initiative focuses more on optics than meaningful action, it risks becoming another failed plan, collapsing under the harsh realities on the ground and threatening the authority of the United Nations

Israel issued a tender advancing the contentious E1 settlement near Jerusalem, drawing criticism for undermining a future Palestinian state, as Israel and Syria resumed US-brokered talks in Paris and the UN said Gaza aid stocks have reached minimum food needs amid ongoing restrictions

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued his 2026 New Year message in Hindi for the first time, urging global leaders to prioritise development over military spending. He warned of rising conflicts, humanitarian crises and soaring defence budgets, calling for peace and poverty reduction

UN experts warned that al-Shabab remains the biggest threat to peace in Somalia and the region, citing its undiminished capacity for complex attacks, extortion and recruitment. The group continues targeting Kenya, while ISIL-Somalia is also expanding despite smaller resources

Projections show Telangana’s Total Fertility Rate will fall to 1.5 by 2031-35, far below the replacement level. Reports by Census of India and the UN say the State is moving towards below replacement population and an ageing demographic

At the UN's annual summit, world leaders will tackle AI governance amid growing concerns over risks like disinformation and pandemics. New UN bodies aim to guide global cooperation, but experts question their effectiveness in regulating fast-moving AI technologies

President Donald Trump will address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, criticising “globalist institutions” for undermining world order while highlighting his second-term foreign policy record. His speech comes amid wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, and renewed concerns over US multilateral commitments.

The UN reports a 25 per cent rise in sexual violence during conflicts in 2024, with over 4,600 survivors documented. Armed groups carry out most abuses, while Israel and Russian forces are warned over allegations of violations against detainees.

Global negotiators in Geneva failed to finalize the world’s first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution after 11 days of talks. Disagreements over curbing plastic production and regulating toxic chemicals left nations deadlocked, delaying urgent action against escalating plastic pollution

The statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry also strongly condemned what it described as the “offensive and inappropriate remarks” and “conduct of the President of the United States” regarding the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the people of Iran.