Nepal is planning to hold an informal meeting of foreign ministers from SAARC on the sidelines of the 74th UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in September this year, the country's foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali said on Monday.

He made the comments while responding to queries about Nepal's role in creating an environment for the commencement of the regional summit.

"A SAARC Foreign Ministers informal meeting has been planned on the sidelines of the 74th United Nations General Assembly session where we will be discussing its revival. We want SAARC to be active again," Gyawali, who is the group's co-chair, told reporters here.

The 18th SAARC summit was held in Kathmandu in 2014 and Pakistan was to host the next summit in 2016.

However, the summit was cancelled after India boycotted the meeting, in the wake of the terror attack at a military base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 19 soldiers.

Other countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan, also walked out following India's decision to exit the summit to step up diplomatic pressure on Pakistan.

India, the largest member of SAARC forum, has said it will participate in future summits if Pakistan took steps to tackle terrorism.

Nepal is planning to hold an informal meeting of foreign ministers from SAARC on the sidelines of the 74th UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in September this year, the country's foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali said on Monday.

Nepal is planning to hold an informal meeting of foreign ministers from SAARC on the sidelines of the 74th UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in September this year, the country's foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali said on Monday. He made the comments while responding to queries about Nepal's role in creating an environment for the commencement of the regional summit. "A SAARC Foreign Ministers informal meeting has been planned on the sidelines of the 74th United Nations General Assembly session where we will be discussing its revival. We want SAARC to be active again," Gyawali, who is the group's co-chair, told reporters here. The 18th SAARC summit was held in Kathmandu in 2014 and Pakistan was to host the next summit in 2016. However, the summit was cancelled after India boycotted the meeting, in the wake of the terror attack at a military base in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 19 soldiers. Other countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan, also walked out following India's decision to exit the summit to step up diplomatic pressure on Pakistan. India, the largest member of SAARC forum, has said it will participate in future summits if Pakistan took steps to tackle terrorism.

Nepal plans SAARC Foreign Ministers' informal meet on UN General Assembly sidelines

Free Balochistan Movement chief Hyrbyair Marri has attacked the United Nations for "ignoring" Balochistan despite Pakistan being involved in grave human rights violations in the region, including enforced disappearances of Baloch activists.&nbsp;

Marri said they were hoping that President of the UN General Assembly, María Fernanda Espinosa, would visit Balochistan during her recent visit to the Asia-Pacific and meet Baloch leaders and take up their issue.

"So far, there has been no report that she has taken up the issue of enforced disappearances and other human rights violations against the Baloch, Pashtun and Sindhi people during her meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan and other officials of the occupying state," he said.

Marri said that due to the "silence" of the UN and other international human rights groups, Pakistan was "encouraged to continue with crimes" in Balochistan (with international immunity).

''Pakistan is committing the worst forms of crimes in Balochistan. In January 2014, three mass graves containing more than a hundred bodies were discovered in Tootak, Khuzar. Another mass grave was discovered in Panjgur in July 2018. In 2019, at least ten dead bodies were discovered near Quetta and hurriedly buried in Dasht Tera Mill area of Quetta without ascertaining their identity,” he said in a statement.

He highlighted the protest by the families of missing Baloch persons, and added, “Many Baloch, including women and children, continue to protest in the cold weather, in hope of the recovery and release of their loved ones. Some of the abducted Baloch were seized as early as 2001. Yet, their families still don’t know whether they have been killed in custody or are still alive. They have a right to be informed about the condition and well-being of their abducted relatives but Pakistan has no respect for UN charter and International Conventions.”

Marrie said the UNGA chief had spoken about the Kashmir issue with Pakistani authorities during her visit to Pakistan and said that the issue should be resolved peacefully. She also met with Pakistan`s Chief of Army, General Bajwa. However, even after repeated requests, she did not visit Balochistan.

"The United Nations closed its eyes when the Pakistani Army used rape as a war tool against the Bengali people in the 1970s, and it continues to ignore Pakistan’s` dirty war in Balochistan,” he said.&nbsp;

"While she was visiting Pakistan, the Baloch social media users ran a four-day campaign in their efforts to draw UN’s attention to the plight of the Baloch nation and highlight the issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan. The Free Balochistan Movement had announced #UNVisitBalochistan hashtag and had urged Baloch and other human rights activists including Pashtun and Sindhis to support the Baloch campaign on social media," said Marri.

He said the failure of Espinosa to visit Balochistan has led to a sense of disappointment and anger against the UN for not taking the Balochistan issue seriously.&nbsp;

Free Balochistan Movement chief Hyrbyair Marri has attacked the United Nations for "ignoring" Balochistan despite Pakistan being involved in grave human rights violations in the region, including enforced disappearances of Baloch activists.

Free Balochistan Movement chief Hyrbyair Marri has attacked the United Nations for "ignoring" Balochistan despite Pakistan being involved in grave human rights violations in the region, including enforced disappearances of Baloch activists. Marri said they were hoping that President of the UN General Assembly, María Fernanda Espinosa, would visit Balochistan during her recent visit to the Asia-Pacific and meet Baloch leaders and take up their issue. "So far, there has been no report that she has taken up the issue of enforced disappearances and other human rights violations against the Baloch, Pashtun and Sindhi people during her meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan and other officials of the occupying state," he said. Marri said that due to the "silence" of the UN and other international human rights groups, Pakistan was "encouraged to continue with crimes" in Balochistan (with international immunity). ''Pakistan is committing the worst forms of crimes in Balochistan. In January 2014, three mass graves containing more than a hundred bodies were discovered in Tootak, Khuzar. Another mass grave was discovered in Panjgur in July 2018. In 2019, at least ten dead bodies were discovered near Quetta and hurriedly buried in Dasht Tera Mill area of Quetta without ascertaining their identity,” he said in a statement. He highlighted the protest by the families of missing Baloch persons, and added, “Many Baloch, including women and children, continue to protest in the cold weather, in hope of the recovery and release of their loved ones. Some of the abducted Baloch were seized as early as 2001. Yet, their families still don’t know whether they have been killed in custody or are still alive. They have a right to be informed about the condition and well-being of their abducted relatives but Pakistan has no respect for UN charter and International Conventions.” Marrie said the UNGA chief had spoken about the Kashmir issue with Pakistani authorities during her visit to Pakistan and said that the issue should be resolved peacefully. She also met with Pakistan`s Chief of Army, General Bajwa. However, even after repeated requests, she did not visit Balochistan. "The United Nations closed its eyes when the Pakistani Army used rape as a war tool against the Bengali people in the 1970s, and it continues to ignore Pakistan’s` dirty war in Balochistan,” he said. "While she was visiting Pakistan, the Baloch social media users ran a four-day campaign in their efforts to draw UN’s attention to the plight of the Baloch nation and highlight the issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan. The Free Balochistan Movement had announced #UNVisitBalochistan hashtag and had urged Baloch and other human rights activists including Pashtun and Sindhis to support the Baloch campaign on social media," said Marri. He said the failure of Espinosa to visit Balochistan has led to a sense of disappointment and anger against the UN for not taking the Balochistan issue seriously.

Baloch leader criticises UN for ignoring human rights violations by Pakistan in Balochistan

The UN General Assembly on Monday adopted by a wide majority a Global Compact on Refugees aimed at improving efforts to manage large refugee movements -- but without the support of the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-central-bank-expected-to-raise-rates-tuesday-trump-lashes-out-at-it-184903">United States</a> and Hungary.

The refugee pact, which did not provoke the controversy unleashed over a similar pact on migration, was approved by 181 countries.

Only two voted no -- the US and Hungary. Three others abstained -- the Dominican Republic, Eritrea and Libya.

Much like the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration -- the refugee pact is not legally binding.

The two global agreements stem from the so-called New York Declaration adopted unanimously by the UN General Assembly in September 2016, with the goal of better handling migrant and refugee flows worldwide.

The compact -- written under the auspices of the Geneva-based <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/250000-syrian-refugees-could-return-home-next-year-unhcr-183279">UN refugee agency (UNHCR)</a> -- hopes to ensure an adequate international response to large-scale refugee movements and extended displacement of refugees.

General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa told AFP the pact would help "strengthen the assistance to and protection of the 25 million refugees globally" and was based on burden -- and responsibility-sharing.

"Refugee-hosting countries continue to show extraordinary levels of generosity and commitment to refugee protection," said Espinosa, who is from Ecuador.

"It's a known fact that low and middle-income countries host over 85 per cent of all refugees. I believe that we must support the communities and states that host refugee."&nbsp;

In voting no, Hungary said no new agreement was needed. The US said recently that it backed most of the refugee pact, but not the part aimed at limiting detentions of asylum seekers.

Ahead of Monday's vote, two countries facing massive population flight addressed the assembly.

Syria said the debate should not be politicized and asked the UNHCR to do more to help Syrian refugees return to their war-wracked country.

Crisis-hit Venezuela, which has seen massive flight as its economic quagmire has deepened, urged the assembly to ensure that the new pact did not become a way for other countries to intervene in internal matters.

The document has four key objectives: ease pressure on refugee-hosting nations; improve refugee self-reliance; expand access to third countries for refugees via resettlement; and, support conditions for refugees to go home.

The compact is meant to set up a framework; national and regional solutions are supported, and it discusses financing and possible partnerships, as well as data sharing among nations.

It also includes systems to monitor progress, including a Global Refugee Forum held at ministerial level every four years.

Unlike the talks on the migration pact, the United States remained in the negotiations for the refugee pact.

The final text of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Legal Migration was agreed on in July, and it is to be formally ratified by the General Assembly on Wednesday.

Since July, a number of countries have either quit the pact or expressed serious reservations, including Hungary, Australia, Israel, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Latvia and Italy.

In Belgium, the migration pact sparked the collapse of the country's coalition government.

About 165 countries reaffirmed their commitment to the migration pact earlier this month in Morocco.

The UN General Assembly on Monday adopted by a wide majority a Global Compact on Refugees aimed at improving efforts to manage large refugee movements -- but without the support of the United States and Hungary.

The UN General Assembly on Monday adopted by a wide majority a Global Compact on Refugees aimed at improving efforts to manage large refugee movements -- but without the support of the United States and Hungary. The refugee pact, which did not provoke the controversy unleashed over a similar pact on migration, was approved by 181 countries. Only two voted no -- the US and Hungary. Three others abstained -- the Dominican Republic, Eritrea and Libya. Much like the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration -- the refugee pact is not legally binding. The two global agreements stem from the so-called New York Declaration adopted unanimously by the UN General Assembly in September 2016, with the goal of better handling migrant and refugee flows worldwide. The compact -- written under the auspices of the Geneva-based UN refugee agency (UNHCR) -- hopes to ensure an adequate international response to large-scale refugee movements and extended displacement of refugees. General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa told AFP the pact would help "strengthen the assistance to and protection of the 25 million refugees globally" and was based on burden -- and responsibility-sharing. "Refugee-hosting countries continue to show extraordinary levels of generosity and commitment to refugee protection," said Espinosa, who is from Ecuador. "It's a known fact that low and middle-income countries host over 85 per cent of all refugees. I believe that we must support the communities and states that host refugee." In voting no, Hungary said no new agreement was needed. The US said recently that it backed most of the refugee pact, but not the part aimed at limiting detentions of asylum seekers. Ahead of Monday's vote, two countries facing massive population flight addressed the assembly. Syria said the debate should not be politicized and asked the UNHCR to do more to help Syrian refugees return to their war-wracked country. Crisis-hit Venezuela, which has seen massive flight as its economic quagmire has deepened, urged the assembly to ensure that the new pact did not become a way for other countries to intervene in internal matters. The document has four key objectives: ease pressure on refugee-hosting nations; improve refugee self-reliance; expand access to third countries for refugees via resettlement; and, support conditions for refugees to go home. The compact is meant to set up a framework; national and regional solutions are supported, and it discusses financing and possible partnerships, as well as data sharing among nations. It also includes systems to monitor progress, including a Global Refugee Forum held at ministerial level every four years. Unlike the talks on the migration pact, the United States remained in the negotiations for the refugee pact. The final text of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Legal Migration was agreed on in July, and it is to be formally ratified by the General Assembly on Wednesday. Since July, a number of countries have either quit the pact or expressed serious reservations, including Hungary, Australia, Israel, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Latvia and Italy. In Belgium, the migration pact sparked the collapse of the country's coalition government. About 165 countries reaffirmed their commitment to the migration pact earlier this month in Morocco.

UN General Assembly adopts refugee pact, without support of US and Hungary

India has said that the UN Security Council needs to be reformed without delay or else it will be left to nurse its self-inflicted wounds of "diminishing relevance" in a world awash with challenges like armed conflicts, terrorism, refugee crises and climate change.

Participating in a General Assembly session on 'Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organisation' on Monday, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said the 15-nation council is all about primacy but with little purpose.

"Updating the current architecture of international institutions, which are so out of sync with the modern world, is imperative if new global challenges are to be met. Nowhere is this need for common purpose required more than in reforming the Security Council," Akbaruddin said here.

"We need to fix the flaws. We need to do it before it is too late. We need to do so before the technologies of the future sharpen the conflicts of the past, while the Council remains nursing its self-inflicted wounds of diminishing relevance," he said.

Akbaruddin asserted that nations cannot pose as guardians of a status quo that no longer exists.

"We need to undertake a new journey towards a reformed and reinvigorated multilateral system. Whether we do so or not will determine the destiny of this organisation. It is a decision that all of us who see the benefits of multilateralism will need to take, if we desire to stem the tide against it," he said.

Akbaruddin pointed out that during the recently concluded high-level week of the UN General Assembly, nations heard about pressing global challenges including armed conflicts, terrorism, large movements of peoples fleeing conflicts that are increasingly straining societies, climate change events becoming more regular, environmental challenges becoming more urgent and multiple ailments hamstringing efforts to improve global health.

"We also heard clearly that the uneven impacts of these cataclysmic changes are causing enormous discontent and all this churning is testing multilateralism as never before," he said.

Emphasising that the world is awash with challenges that the current institutional arrangements are ill-equipped to handle, Akbaruddin said new technologies were increasingly changing the nature and dynamics of international conflict.

Cyberwarfare, unmanned aerial drones, and combat robots are just three instances of technological change shaping the future of warfare and raising profound ethical and normative questions, he said.

"Similarly, there is no global approach in dealing with basic issues regarding frontier technologies," he said, questioning that while the internet is becoming ubiquitous, what rights do individuals have to privacy, how should tensions between individual liberties and collective security be mitigated.

Akbaruddin said that neither the General Assembly was addressing developmental and normative aspects nor was the Security Council addressing the peace and security implications.

"This is but one of the many new areas where international mechanisms for cooperation and collaboration are either weak or incomplete or non-existent," he said.

As in the case of frontier technologies, so in other areas such as climatic shifts, debt sustainability, counter terrorism, illicit financial flows and tackling pandemics, nations should be considering scenarios and preparing plans to prevent upheavals and taking stronger steps to mitigate risks.

"Many of these problems require continuous attention rather than one-shot solutions. To counter terrorism, for example, we need to establish a reliable and efficient set of controls for monitoring borders and financial flows. Such efforts will work only if appropriate standards are widely adopted and cooperation in implementing them becomes routine," he said.

Stressing that proliferating global problems demand new narratives and new forms of cooperation, Akbaruddin said international cooperation of a nature and kind not thought of before was needed to promote climate action required by the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released Monday.

"We cannot focus merely on exterminating bugs while allowing life-threatening wild beasts to roam free. We cannot spend our time in clearing the weeds, oblivious to the growth of the jungle all around us.

"If we do so, we will be nursing an establishment that has declined almost to the vanishing point with respect to overarching challenges that states acting on their own cannot hope to overcome," he said.&nbsp;

India has said that the UN Security Council needs to be reformed without delay or else it will be left to nurse its self-inflicted wounds of "diminishing relevance" in a world awash with challenges like armed conflicts, terrorism, refugee crises and climate change.

India has said that the UN Security Council needs to be reformed without delay or else it will be left to nurse its self-inflicted wounds of "diminishing relevance" in a world awash with challenges like armed conflicts, terrorism, refugee crises and climate change. Participating in a General Assembly session on 'Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organisation' on Monday, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said the 15-nation council is all about primacy but with little purpose. "Updating the current architecture of international institutions, which are so out of sync with the modern world, is imperative if new global challenges are to be met. Nowhere is this need for common purpose required more than in reforming the Security Council," Akbaruddin said here. "We need to fix the flaws. We need to do it before it is too late. We need to do so before the technologies of the future sharpen the conflicts of the past, while the Council remains nursing its self-inflicted wounds of diminishing relevance," he said. Akbaruddin asserted that nations cannot pose as guardians of a status quo that no longer exists. "We need to undertake a new journey towards a reformed and reinvigorated multilateral system. Whether we do so or not will determine the destiny of this organisation. It is a decision that all of us who see the benefits of multilateralism will need to take, if we desire to stem the tide against it," he said. Akbaruddin pointed out that during the recently concluded high-level week of the UN General Assembly, nations heard about pressing global challenges including armed conflicts, terrorism, large movements of peoples fleeing conflicts that are increasingly straining societies, climate change events becoming more regular, environmental challenges becoming more urgent and multiple ailments hamstringing efforts to improve global health. "We also heard clearly that the uneven impacts of these cataclysmic changes are causing enormous discontent and all this churning is testing multilateralism as never before," he said. Emphasising that the world is awash with challenges that the current institutional arrangements are ill-equipped to handle, Akbaruddin said new technologies were increasingly changing the nature and dynamics of international conflict. Cyberwarfare, unmanned aerial drones, and combat robots are just three instances of technological change shaping the future of warfare and raising profound ethical and normative questions, he said. "Similarly, there is no global approach in dealing with basic issues regarding frontier technologies," he said, questioning that while the internet is becoming ubiquitous, what rights do individuals have to privacy, how should tensions between individual liberties and collective security be mitigated. Akbaruddin said that neither the General Assembly was addressing developmental and normative aspects nor was the Security Council addressing the peace and security implications. "This is but one of the many new areas where international mechanisms for cooperation and collaboration are either weak or incomplete or non-existent," he said. As in the case of frontier technologies, so in other areas such as climatic shifts, debt sustainability, counter terrorism, illicit financial flows and tackling pandemics, nations should be considering scenarios and preparing plans to prevent upheavals and taking stronger steps to mitigate risks. "Many of these problems require continuous attention rather than one-shot solutions. To counter terrorism, for example, we need to establish a reliable and efficient set of controls for monitoring borders and financial flows. Such efforts will work only if appropriate standards are widely adopted and cooperation in implementing them becomes routine," he said. Stressing that proliferating global problems demand new narratives and new forms of cooperation, Akbaruddin said international cooperation of a nature and kind not thought of before was needed to promote climate action required by the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released Monday. "We cannot focus merely on exterminating bugs while allowing life-threatening wild beasts to roam free. We cannot spend our time in clearing the weeds, oblivious to the growth of the jungle all around us. "If we do so, we will be nursing an establishment that has declined almost to the vanishing point with respect to overarching challenges that states acting on their own cannot hope to overcome," he said.

UN Security Council needs to be reformed without delay: India

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has said that the LTTE militant group had planned to attack Colombo with an aircraft flying from Chennai in 2009.

"No one knew it better than me," said Sirisena, who was the acting defence minister during the last two weeks of the civil war with the LTTE in May, 2009 when the rebels were eventually defeated.

He was addressing the Sri Lankan community in New York where he spoke at the UN General Assembly.

"The former president was away, the former prime minister was away. There was no defence ministry secretary and army commander in the country at the time," he said.

Sirisena said it was a well-guarded secret that all senior leaders were out of the country fearing an LTTE air raid.

"The Tamil Tigers were going to operate an aircraft from Chennai or some other jungle area to bomb and destroy targets in Colombo," the president said, adding "I was the acting defence minister. All the others had fled because they feared air attacks".

"Even I did not stay in Colombo. I was at several locations outside Colombo in case the Tigers attacked the capital city," he said.

The LTTE had carried out two air raids in the capital in 2007 and 2009.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has said that the LTTE militant group had planned to attack Colombo with an aircraft flying from Chennai in 2009. "No one knew it better than me," said Sirisena, who was the acting defence minister during the last two weeks of the civil war with the LTTE in May, 2009 when the rebels were eventually defeated.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has said that the LTTE militant group had planned to attack Colombo with an aircraft flying from Chennai in 2009. "No one knew it better than me," said Sirisena, who was the acting defence minister during the last two weeks of the civil war with the LTTE in May, 2009 when the rebels were eventually defeated. He was addressing the Sri Lankan community in New York where he spoke at the UN General Assembly. "The former president was away, the former prime minister was away. There was no defence ministry secretary and army commander in the country at the time," he said. Sirisena said it was a well-guarded secret that all senior leaders were out of the country fearing an LTTE air raid. "The Tamil Tigers were going to operate an aircraft from Chennai or some other jungle area to bomb and destroy targets in Colombo," the president said, adding "I was the acting defence minister. All the others had fled because they feared air attacks". "Even I did not stay in Colombo. I was at several locations outside Colombo in case the Tigers attacked the capital city," he said. The LTTE had carried out two air raids in the capital in 2007 and 2009.

LTTE planned to attack Colombo targets with plane from Chennai: Sirisena

Venezuela's embattled President Nicolas Maduro said Friday that he would not pass up a chance to meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump, if that meant ironing out the countries' many disagreements.

Just back from his UN General Assembly trip, Maduro was speaking in response to remarks made by the US leader at the meeting that Venezuela was a "mess" that had to be "cleaned up".

"I'm told that the United States president once again mentioned me. My response is that I am brave enough, decisive enough and forceful enough to meet President Trump, greet him with respect and establish a high-ranking dialogue... If such an opportunity were to arise, I would not miss it," said the socialist leader, whose country is in an economic mega-crisis.

"I would be ready to meet any time, any place, extend my hand, speak, see him face to face and look in his eyes. And I know that if that were to happen, a lot of things would change," Maduro said at the international airport in Maiquetia, near Caracas.

While at the UN General Assembly, Trump also remarked that all options were on the table in the case of Venezuela. Thousands have fled hunger and economic collapse in the state-led economy.&nbsp;

On whether he would meet Maduro, Trump kept his cards close to his vest, saying only that he'd see what happens.&nbsp;

On Tuesday, the US Treasury announced new sanctions against Venezuelan first lady Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, an attorney and the president's wife, as one of the figures who has helped Maduro retain his grip on power, along with Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.

He said Maduro's socialism "has bankrupted the oil-rich nation and driven its people into abject poverty."

Venezuela's embattled President Nicolas Maduro said Friday that he would not pass up a chance to meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump, if that meant ironing out the countries' many disagreements.

Venezuela's embattled President Nicolas Maduro said Friday that he would not pass up a chance to meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump, if that meant ironing out the countries' many disagreements. Just back from his UN General Assembly trip, Maduro was speaking in response to remarks made by the US leader at the meeting that Venezuela was a "mess" that had to be "cleaned up". "I'm told that the United States president once again mentioned me. My response is that I am brave enough, decisive enough and forceful enough to meet President Trump, greet him with respect and establish a high-ranking dialogue... If such an opportunity were to arise, I would not miss it," said the socialist leader, whose country is in an economic mega-crisis. "I would be ready to meet any time, any place, extend my hand, speak, see him face to face and look in his eyes. And I know that if that were to happen, a lot of things would change," Maduro said at the international airport in Maiquetia, near Caracas. While at the UN General Assembly, Trump also remarked that all options were on the table in the case of Venezuela. Thousands have fled hunger and economic collapse in the state-led economy. On whether he would meet Maduro, Trump kept his cards close to his vest, saying only that he'd see what happens. On Tuesday, the US Treasury announced new sanctions against Venezuelan first lady Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, an attorney and the president's wife, as one of the figures who has helped Maduro retain his grip on power, along with Vice President Delcy Rodriguez. He said Maduro's socialism "has bankrupted the oil-rich nation and driven its people into abject poverty."

Venezuela's Maduro says he wouldn't miss 'chance' to meet Trump

The attitude of only one country is hampering the spirit of the SAARC, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Thursday as he accused India of being an obstacle in regional cooperation.

Qureshi's comments after he participated in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation council of foreign ministers meet here on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also attended the meeting but left early.

Qureshi said he did not talk to his Indian counterpart.&nbsp;

"She left the meeting midway. Maybe she was not feeling well," he told reporters after the meeting.

"She (Swaraj) talked about regional cooperation. My question is that how is regional cooperation possible if the nations in the region are ready to sit and you are the obstacle in those talks," he said.

Qureshi said of the nations want to achieve something from the SAARC forum they need to move forward.

"I am not hesitating in saying that for the progress and success of the SAARC and for the connectivity and prosperity of the region, there is only one obstacle. The attitude of only one country is hampering and not letting the spirit of the SAARC and of the founding fathers fulfilled," he said.

The remarks came days after cancellation of proposed talks between Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan by New Delhi.

The attitude of only one country is hampering the spirit of the SAARC, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Thursday as he accused India of being an obstacle in regional cooperation.

The attitude of only one country is hampering the spirit of the SAARC, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Thursday as he accused India of being an obstacle in regional cooperation. Qureshi's comments after he participated in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation council of foreign ministers meet here on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also attended the meeting but left early. Qureshi said he did not talk to his Indian counterpart. "She left the meeting midway. Maybe she was not feeling well," he told reporters after the meeting. "She (Swaraj) talked about regional cooperation. My question is that how is regional cooperation possible if the nations in the region are ready to sit and you are the obstacle in those talks," he said. Qureshi said of the nations want to achieve something from the SAARC forum they need to move forward. "I am not hesitating in saying that for the progress and success of the SAARC and for the connectivity and prosperity of the region, there is only one obstacle. The attitude of only one country is hampering and not letting the spirit of the SAARC and of the founding fathers fulfilled," he said. The remarks came days after cancellation of proposed talks between Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan by New Delhi.

The attitude of only 'one country' is hampering SAARC, says Pak foreign minister Qureshi

US President Donald Trump says the United Nations wasn't laughing at him when he boasted about his government's successes during a speech to world diplomats. They were just sharing a "good time."

"We had fun," he told journalists in New York on Wednesday.

"They weren't laughing at me, they were laughing with me," he said. "People had a good time with me."

The incident took place during Trump's speech to the annual UN General Assembly.

Trump had launched into what sounded more like a campaign speech ahead of November's congressional elections, boasting in trademark fashion of how "in less than two years my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country."

Assembled global dignitaries started to chuckle.

Trump then interrupted his prepared remarks and insisted, "So true," at which the laughter became audible.

Trump smiled and said, "I didn't expect that reaction, but that's okay."

Headlines quickly emerged about the world laughing at Trump. But on Wednesday, Trump said he had simply connected with an audience not known for levity -- "people who aren't big into clapping, applauding, smiling."

US President Donald Trump says the United Nations wasn't laughing at him when he boasted about his government's successes during a speech to world diplomats. They were just sharing a "good time.

US President Donald Trump says the United Nations wasn't laughing at him when he boasted about his government's successes during a speech to world diplomats. They were just sharing a "good time." "We had fun," he told journalists in New York on Wednesday. "They weren't laughing at me, they were laughing with me," he said. "People had a good time with me." The incident took place during Trump's speech to the annual UN General Assembly. Trump had launched into what sounded more like a campaign speech ahead of November's congressional elections, boasting in trademark fashion of how "in less than two years my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country." Assembled global dignitaries started to chuckle. Trump then interrupted his prepared remarks and insisted, "So true," at which the laughter became audible. Trump smiled and said, "I didn't expect that reaction, but that's okay." Headlines quickly emerged about the world laughing at Trump. But on Wednesday, Trump said he had simply connected with an audience not known for levity -- "people who aren't big into clapping, applauding, smiling."

Trump: UN wasn't 'laughing at me'

UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa cited the recent devastating floods in Kerala, among other natural disasters wrecking havoc across the world, to make a call to the world leaders to achieve progress on agreements aimed at slowing climate change.

Espinosa, who was elected this year as only the fourth woman to lead the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in over 70 years, also referred to heatwaves, forest fires and storms that are leaving behind a trail of death and destruction.

She formally inaugurated the 73rd General Debate of the UNGA on Tuesday.

In her address to the world leaders, she listed her priorities, saying she will work for gender equality and empowerment of women, implementation of the new global compacts on migration and refugees, creation of decent work opportunities for all as well as greater attention to environmental protection.

"We will work to give greater attention to environmental protection and to make progress on the agreements aimed at slowing climate change. Heatwaves, forest fires, storms and floods are leaving behind a trail of death and destruction," she said.

"In August, the state of Kerala in India suffered its worst monsoon flood in recent history, which killed 400 people and displaced a million more from their homes. Hurricanes killed thousands of people in 2017, making them one of the deadliest extreme climate disasters in history," she said.

Kerala was affected by the severe floods, the worst in nearly a century, due to unusually high rainfall during the monsoon season.

Around the world, millions of people are suffering from violence, war, want and the effects of climate change, she said, adding that "

We have a responsibility to slow the production and consumption policies and habits that are destroying our planet."

With a call to multilateralism and shared work towards sustainable development and equality for all, Espinosa affirmed that the contribution of the UN to humanity has been immense, citing the principles that govern the international coexistence emanated from the forum she leads.

"The reality is that the work of the UN remains as relevant as it was 73 years ago. Multilateralism is the only possible answer to the global problems we face. Weakening or putting it in question only generates instability and bewilderment, distrust and polarisation," she said.

Espinosa said that as the world becomes more interconnected, global dialogue and multilateral responses can tackle many of those issues, proposing that UN Member States take up the multilateral agenda with a renewed commitment.

Turning to the assembly's other priorities for the coming years, she also noted strengthening the political commitment with people with disabilities, the revitalisation of the UN and the role of young people in conflict prevention.

Espinosa called for more attention to be paid to the needs of the most vulnerable countries, so that they can reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensure respect of human rights. She urged leaders gathered in the Assembly to live up to the needs of the people and to build a more peaceful, secure and humane world order that guarantees the dignity of the people.

"Let us then build a United Nations that is more relevant to all people," the Assembly President said.

UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa cited the recent devastating floods in Kerala, among other natural disasters wrecking havoc across the world, to make a call to the world leaders to achieve progress on agreements aimed at slowing climate change.

UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa cited the recent devastating floods in Kerala, among other natural disasters wrecking havoc across the world, to make a call to the world leaders to achieve progress on agreements aimed at slowing climate change. Espinosa, who was elected this year as only the fourth woman to lead the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in over 70 years, also referred to heatwaves, forest fires and storms that are leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. She formally inaugurated the 73rd General Debate of the UNGA on Tuesday. In her address to the world leaders, she listed her priorities, saying she will work for gender equality and empowerment of women, implementation of the new global compacts on migration and refugees, creation of decent work opportunities for all as well as greater attention to environmental protection. "We will work to give greater attention to environmental protection and to make progress on the agreements aimed at slowing climate change. Heatwaves, forest fires, storms and floods are leaving behind a trail of death and destruction," she said. "In August, the state of Kerala in India suffered its worst monsoon flood in recent history, which killed 400 people and displaced a million more from their homes. Hurricanes killed thousands of people in 2017, making them one of the deadliest extreme climate disasters in history," she said. Kerala was affected by the severe floods, the worst in nearly a century, due to unusually high rainfall during the monsoon season. Around the world, millions of people are suffering from violence, war, want and the effects of climate change, she said, adding that " We have a responsibility to slow the production and consumption policies and habits that are destroying our planet." With a call to multilateralism and shared work towards sustainable development and equality for all, Espinosa affirmed that the contribution of the UN to humanity has been immense, citing the principles that govern the international coexistence emanated from the forum she leads. "The reality is that the work of the UN remains as relevant as it was 73 years ago. Multilateralism is the only possible answer to the global problems we face. Weakening or putting it in question only generates instability and bewilderment, distrust and polarisation," she said. Espinosa said that as the world becomes more interconnected, global dialogue and multilateral responses can tackle many of those issues, proposing that UN Member States take up the multilateral agenda with a renewed commitment. Turning to the assembly's other priorities for the coming years, she also noted strengthening the political commitment with people with disabilities, the revitalisation of the UN and the role of young people in conflict prevention. Espinosa called for more attention to be paid to the needs of the most vulnerable countries, so that they can reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensure respect of human rights. She urged leaders gathered in the Assembly to live up to the needs of the people and to build a more peaceful, secure and humane world order that guarantees the dignity of the people. "Let us then build a United Nations that is more relevant to all people," the Assembly President said.

UNGA president cites Kerala floods to urge faster action on climate change 

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has arrived here to represent India at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly and hold several bilateral and multilateral meetings with her global counterparts.

She will address the General Debate on the morning of September 29.

Swaraj, who arrived here on Saturday, will hold several bilateral and multilateral discussions with her global counterparts as well as with the top UN officials, besides participating in several meetings and discussions throughout the week on the sidelines of the General Assembly session.

"Destination #UNGA73. India's External Affairs Minister @SushmaSwaraj arrives in New York for High Level Segment of @UN," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin tweeted.

The General Debate commences on September 25. World leaders from 193 UN member states will address the global body.

US President Donald Trump will give his second address to the General Assembly on September 25.

In a tweet, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said "setting the stage for a week of hectic diplomacy! EAM @SushmaSwaraj arrives in New York to attend the 73rd Session of the #UnitedNations General Assembly and participate in several bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral meetings".

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Setting the stage for a week of hectic diplomacy! EAM <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SushmaSwaraj</a> arrives in New York to attend the 73rd Session of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UnitedNations?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UnitedNations</a> General Assembly and participate in several bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral meetings. <a href="https://t.co/UcINJtzwCd">pic.twitter.com/UcINJtzwCd</a>
— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/MEAIndia/status/1043604824229580800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Earlier, following India's acceptance of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's proposal for a meeting, Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi were slated to meet on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

However, the Indian government called off the meeting, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad releasing postage stamps "glorifying" militant Burhan Wani. Qureshi will address the UN General Assembly in the afternoon on September 29.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has arrived here to represent India at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly and hold several bilateral and multilateral meetings with her global counterparts.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has arrived here to represent India at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly and hold several bilateral and multilateral meetings with her global counterparts. She will address the General Debate on the morning of September 29. Swaraj, who arrived here on Saturday, will hold several bilateral and multilateral discussions with her global counterparts as well as with the top UN officials, besides participating in several meetings and discussions throughout the week on the sidelines of the General Assembly session. "Destination #UNGA73. India's External Affairs Minister @SushmaSwaraj arrives in New York for High Level Segment of @UN," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin tweeted. The General Debate commences on September 25. World leaders from 193 UN member states will address the global body. US President Donald Trump will give his second address to the General Assembly on September 25. In a tweet, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said "setting the stage for a week of hectic diplomacy! EAM @SushmaSwaraj arrives in New York to attend the 73rd Session of the #UnitedNations General Assembly and participate in several bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral meetings". Setting the stage for a week of hectic diplomacy! EAM @SushmaSwaraj arrives in New York to attend the 73rd Session of the #UnitedNations General Assembly and participate in several bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral meetings. pic.twitter.com/UcINJtzwCd — Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) September 22, 2018 × Earlier, following India's acceptance of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's proposal for a meeting, Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi were slated to meet on the sidelines of the General Assembly. However, the Indian government called off the meeting, citing the brutal killings of three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad releasing postage stamps "glorifying" militant Burhan Wani. Qureshi will address the UN General Assembly in the afternoon on September 29.

Swaraj arrives in New York for UN General Assembly session

India has called off the meeting between External Affairs Minister and Pakistani Foreign Minister that was scheduled to take place in New York later this month on the sidelines of annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York later this month, external affairs ministry said.&nbsp;

''Since yesterday's announcement of the meeting of foreign ministers of India and Pakistan, two deeply disturbing developments took place. Latest brutal killings of our security personnel by Pakistan entities and the recent release of series of 20 postal stamps by Pakistan glorifying terrorists,'' Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Friday.

Behind Pakistan's proposal for talks to make a fresh beginning, evil agenda of Pakistan stands exposed, he said.

"It's obvious that behind Pakistan's proposal for talks to make a fresh beginning, evil agenda of Pakistan stands exposed &amp; true face of new Prime Minister of Pakistan has been revealed to the world in his first few months in the office," MEA spokesperson said.&nbsp;

The government called off the talks after three Jammu and Kashmir cops were abducted and murdered by Pakistan backed terrorist organisation.&nbsp;

The thaw came in the wake of a letter by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in which he had sought a meeting between foreign ministers Sushma Swaraj and Shah Mehmood Qureshi on the sidelines of the UNGA.&nbsp;

The Indian government had said that the two leaders will meet at a mutually convenient date and time. But, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar made it clear that "the coming meeting was not resumption of the dialogue process".

 
&nbsp;

India has called off the meeting between External Affairs Minister and Pakistani Foreign Minister that was scheduled to take place in New York later this month on the sidelines of annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York later this month, external affairs ministry said.

India has called off the meeting between External Affairs Minister and Pakistani Foreign Minister that was scheduled to take place in New York later this month on the sidelines of annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York later this month, external affairs ministry said. ''Since yesterday's announcement of the meeting of foreign ministers of India and Pakistan, two deeply disturbing developments took place. Latest brutal killings of our security personnel by Pakistan entities and the recent release of series of 20 postal stamps by Pakistan glorifying terrorists,'' Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Friday. Behind Pakistan's proposal for talks to make a fresh beginning, evil agenda of Pakistan stands exposed, he said. "It's obvious that behind Pakistan's proposal for talks to make a fresh beginning, evil agenda of Pakistan stands exposed & true face of new Prime Minister of Pakistan has been revealed to the world in his first few months in the office," MEA spokesperson said. The government called off the talks after three Jammu and Kashmir cops were abducted and murdered by Pakistan backed terrorist organisation. The thaw came in the wake of a letter by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in which he had sought a meeting between foreign ministers Sushma Swaraj and Shah Mehmood Qureshi on the sidelines of the UNGA. The Indian government had said that the two leaders will meet at a mutually convenient date and time. But, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar made it clear that "the coming meeting was not resumption of the dialogue process".

True face of Imran Khan revealed, says MEA after calling off talks with Pak 

Terming as &quot;arrogant&quot; <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/will-india-pakistan-conflict-again-call-off-saarc-summit-20557" target="_blank">External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj&#39;s scathing attack on Islamabad </a>at the UN for being the pre-eminent&nbsp;terror factory, a state-run Chinese daily on Tuesday in a grudging admission said, &quot;there is indeed terrorism in Pakistan&quot;.

&quot;India and Pakistan became free within hours of each other. Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world, and Pakistan is&nbsp;recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?&quot;, Swaraj said in her speech at the UN General Assembly.

(Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-scientific-and-technical-superpower-pakistan-export-factory-for-terror-sushma-swaraj-at-un-20563" target="_blank">India scientific and technical superpower, Pakistan export factory for terror: Sushma Swaraj at UN</a>)

&quot;We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world. But what has Pakistan offered to the world and indeed to its own&nbsp;people apart from terrorism? We produced scholars, doctors, engineers. What have you produced? You have produced terrorists&quot;, she said referring to&nbsp;terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish- e-Muhammad.

Her speech riled all-weather friend of China. The official media of China termed it as &quot;bigotry&quot;.

&quot;There is indeed terrorism in Pakistan. But is supporting terror the country&#39;s national policy? What can Pakistan gain from exporting terrorism? Money&nbsp;or honour,&quot; said an editorial in the state-run daily Global Times.

&quot;With smooth development of its economy and foreign relations in recent years, an arrogant India has looked down on Pakistan and assumed a haughty&nbsp;air with China,&quot; said the editorial titled &#39;India&#39;s bigotry no match for its ambition&#39;.

It takes for granted that it should be feared by neighbours and wooed by the US and Europe. If smart enough, India should befriend China and respect&nbsp;Pakistan, preventing disputes from spilling over, it said.

&quot;She was also deemed by Indian media as having taken a veiled dig at China for blocking international efforts to blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammad chief&nbsp;Masood Azhar,&quot; the report said apparently referring to Beijing&#39;s blocking of India&#39;s efforts to declare Azhar as a terrorist by the UN.

The editorial also made references to the 73-day standoff between India and China at Doklam in the Sikkim section which ended on August 28.

&quot;India also seems to assess China&#39;s strategic hostility with its own logic. China&#39;s sound relations with Pakistan are to counter India. China&#39;s road&nbsp;construction in Doklam is to threaten the security of its Siliguri Corridor and China&#39;s Belt and Road initiative operates programmes with Pakistan and&nbsp;other South Asian countries to encircle India. In any case, India&#39;s interests always reside at the epicenter of this logic,&quot; it said.

Terming as 'arrogant' External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's scathing attack on Islamabad at the UN for being the pre-eminent?terror factory, a state-run Chinese daily in a grudging admission said, 'there is indeed terrorism in Pakistan'

Terming as "arrogant" External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's scathing attack on Islamabad at the UN for being the pre-eminent terror factory, a state-run Chinese daily on Tuesday in a grudging admission said, "there is indeed terrorism in Pakistan". "India and Pakistan became free within hours of each other. Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world, and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror?", Swaraj said in her speech at the UN General Assembly. (Also Read: India scientific and technical superpower, Pakistan export factory for terror: Sushma Swaraj at UN) "We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world. But what has Pakistan offered to the world and indeed to its own people apart from terrorism? We produced scholars, doctors, engineers. What have you produced? You have produced terrorists", she said referring to terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish- e-Muhammad. Her speech riled all-weather friend of China. The official media of China termed it as "bigotry". "There is indeed terrorism in Pakistan. But is supporting terror the country's national policy? What can Pakistan gain from exporting terrorism? Money or honour," said an editorial in the state-run daily Global Times. "With smooth development of its economy and foreign relations in recent years, an arrogant India has looked down on Pakistan and assumed a haughty air with China," said the editorial titled 'India's bigotry no match for its ambition'. It takes for granted that it should be feared by neighbours and wooed by the US and Europe. If smart enough, India should befriend China and respect Pakistan, preventing disputes from spilling over, it said. "She was also deemed by Indian media as having taken a veiled dig at China for blocking international efforts to blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar," the report said apparently referring to Beijing's blocking of India's efforts to declare Azhar as a terrorist by the UN. The editorial also made references to the 73-day standoff between India and China at Doklam in the Sikkim section which ended on August 28. "India also seems to assess China's strategic hostility with its own logic. China's sound relations with Pakistan are to counter India. China's road construction in Doklam is to threaten the security of its Siliguri Corridor and China's Belt and Road initiative operates programmes with Pakistan and other South Asian countries to encircle India. In any case, India's interests always reside at the epicenter of this logic," it said.

Swaraj's UN speech arrogant but there is terrorism in Pakistan: Chinese media

India has asked for an investigation into North Korea`s nuclear proliferation links.&nbsp;

India adding that those involved must be held accountable.&nbsp;

&quot;Those involved&quot; was a veiled reference to Pakistan.&nbsp;

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asked for the investigation during her trilateral meeting with United States secretary of state Rex Tillerson, and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on Monday on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session in New York.&nbsp;

When asked about the Democratic People`s Republic of Korea (DPRK), ANI reported the spokesperson for the ministry of external affairs, Raveesh Kumar, as saying the external affairs minister deplored its recent actions.&nbsp;

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EAM deplored North Korea&#39;s recent actions&amp;stated its proliferation linkages must be explored &amp; those involved must be held accountable: MEA <a href="https://t.co/VtjGqnAc75">pic.twitter.com/VtjGqnAc75</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/909954458066460672">September 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Kumar said that &quot;its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;I think I am giving you enough material to try to figure out what we are talking about,&quot; he added.

Sushma Swaraj asked for the investigation during her trilateral meeting with the US secretary of state and the Japanese foreign minister

India has asked for an investigation into North Korea`s nuclear proliferation links. India adding that those involved must be held accountable. "Those involved" was a veiled reference to Pakistan. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asked for the investigation during her trilateral meeting with United States secretary of state Rex Tillerson, and her Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on Monday on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly session in New York. When asked about the Democratic People`s Republic of Korea (DPRK), ANI reported the spokesperson for the ministry of external affairs, Raveesh Kumar, as saying the external affairs minister deplored its recent actions. EAM deplored North Korea's recent actions&stated its proliferation linkages must be explored & those involved must be held accountable: MEA pic.twitter.com/VtjGqnAc75 — ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2017 × Kumar said that "its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable." "I think I am giving you enough material to try to figure out what we are talking about," he added.

India asks for probe into nuclear proliferation links between Pakistan, N Korea

Russia failed to win a UN Human Rights Council seat on Friday, instead, Hungary and Croatia received&nbsp;votes to represent the eastern Europe group on the council.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

UN General Assembly&#39;s 193 states voted&nbsp;to fill in 14 seats at the 47-nation council for the year 2017.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Croatia and Hungary won the two seats for eastern Europe by 114 and 144 votes respectively. Russia received&nbsp;112 votes.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

More than 80 rights and aid agencies; including Human Rights Watch, CARE International and Refugees International appealed to the member countries, a week before elections to oust Russia from the council for repeated Human Rights violations, AFP reported.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The demand came&nbsp;after Moscow&#39;s continuous onslaught on the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo despite global condemnation.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

However, countries like Saudi Arabia, China, Egypt and Cuba criticised for rights abuses, won seats in the council.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Croatia, Iraq and Rwanda won seats for the first time.

&nbsp;

Britain, US won two seats representing the western group while Japan, South Africa, Tunisia won a seat each from their respective regions.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Croatia and Hungary won the two seats for eastern Europe by 114 and 144 votes respectively. Russia received?112 votes

Russia failed to win a UN Human Rights Council seat on Friday, instead, Hungary and Croatia received votes to represent the eastern Europe group on the council. UN General Assembly's 193 states voted to fill in 14 seats at the 47-nation council for the year 2017. Croatia and Hungary won the two seats for eastern Europe by 114 and 144 votes respectively. Russia received 112 votes. More than 80 rights and aid agencies; including Human Rights Watch, CARE International and Refugees International appealed to the member countries, a week before elections to oust Russia from the council for repeated Human Rights violations, AFP reported. The demand came after Moscow's continuous onslaught on the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo despite global condemnation. However, countries like Saudi Arabia, China, Egypt and Cuba criticised for rights abuses, won seats in the council. Croatia, Iraq and Rwanda won seats for the first time. Britain, US won two seats representing the western group while Japan, South Africa, Tunisia won a seat each from their respective regions. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Russia fails to win UN Human Rights Council seat

The European Union&#39;s budget commissioner and the last-minute candidate for the United Nations secretary-general Kristalina Georgieva&nbsp;said she has strong credentials to lead the UN and is as ready as any other candidate who has been in the race for months.&nbsp;

Gerogieva was a last-minute entrant in the race to succeed Ban Ki-moon, who steps down at the end of the year after serving two five-year terms.&nbsp;

Bulgaria&nbsp;on Wednesday switched its support from UNESCO chief Irina Bokova to Kristalina Georgieva as its candidate for UN secretary-general, potentially shaking up the race.&nbsp;

&quot;I hope to be judged on merits, not on the duration on the campaign trail,&quot; Georgieva told AFP in an interview on Friday.

&quot;I&#39;m a latecomer not by choice, but by necessity. The Bulgarian government has invited me to join the race now,&quot; said Georgieva.&nbsp;

Georgieva will go before the UN General Assembly for a two-hour question-and-answer session on Monday.

Giorgieva emphasised on the importance of having a woman security general for a job that has been represented by eight men.&nbsp;

Georgieva rose to the ranks of vice-president and corporate secretary in 2008 in the World Bank. She also held the position of European Commissioner for humanitarian aid from 2010 to 2014. A media-savvy person, she even mobilised Europeans to respond to world humanitarian crises including in Syria and Yemen.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Bulgaria?on Wednesday switched its support from UNESCO chief Irina Bokova to Kristalina Georgieva as its candidate for UN secretary-general

The European Union's budget commissioner and the last-minute candidate for the United Nations secretary-general Kristalina Georgieva said she has strong credentials to lead the UN and is as ready as any other candidate who has been in the race for months. Gerogieva was a last-minute entrant in the race to succeed Ban Ki-moon, who steps down at the end of the year after serving two five-year terms. Bulgaria on Wednesday switched its support from UNESCO chief Irina Bokova to Kristalina Georgieva as its candidate for UN secretary-general, potentially shaking up the race. "I hope to be judged on merits, not on the duration on the campaign trail," Georgieva told AFP in an interview on Friday. "I'm a latecomer not by choice, but by necessity. The Bulgarian government has invited me to join the race now," said Georgieva. Georgieva will go before the UN General Assembly for a two-hour question-and-answer session on Monday. Giorgieva emphasised on the importance of having a woman security general for a job that has been represented by eight men. Georgieva rose to the ranks of vice-president and corporate secretary in 2008 in the World Bank. She also held the position of European Commissioner for humanitarian aid from 2010 to 2014. A media-savvy person, she even mobilised Europeans to respond to world humanitarian crises including in Syria and Yemen. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Bulgaria's Georgieva shakes up United Nations general-secretary race

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

Myanmar&#39;s state counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, on Wednesday became country&#39;s first civilian leader in over five decades to address the UN General Assembly.&nbsp; 
 
Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi, without referring to the Rohingyas by name, spoke about the situation in Rakhine state where tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims are living in poor conditions in makeshift camps. The persecution of the minority community has drawn world&#39;s attention.&nbsp; 
 
Suu Kyi,who has been criticised for ignoring the plight of the Rohingyas, defended her government by saying that Myanmar does not fear international scrutiny.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We are committed to a sustainable solution that will lead to peace, stability and development for all communities within the state. Our government is taking a holistic approach that makes development central to both short and long-term programmes aimed at promoting understanding and trust.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
She also pointed out that she had appointed former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan to chair a commission which will look into the issue.&nbsp; 
 
Suu Kyi also insisted, according to international news agency Reuters, that her government faced &quot;persistent opposition from some quarters&quot; to the establishment of the commission.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;By standing firm against the forces of prejudice and intolerance, we are reaffirming our faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person,&quot; she added.&nbsp; 
 
She also spoke on the issue of migration, saying lack of peace and development forced people to migrate. And terrorism is also born out of lack of social and economic security which forces youths to be enamored by ideologies which promise security.&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;&quot;We also need to consider the possibility that lack of purpose, of a sense of direction in life, could also be a force that drives many, especially the young into the snare of ideologies that appear to offer certainty.&quot; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi spoke about the situation in Rakhine state where thousands of Rohingyas are living

Myanmar's state counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, on Wednesday became country's first civilian leader in over five decades to address the UN General Assembly. Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi, without referring to the Rohingyas by name, spoke about the situation in Rakhine state where tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims are living in poor conditions in makeshift camps. The persecution of the minority community has drawn world's attention. Suu Kyi,who has been criticised for ignoring the plight of the Rohingyas, defended her government by saying that Myanmar does not fear international scrutiny. "We are committed to a sustainable solution that will lead to peace, stability and development for all communities within the state. Our government is taking a holistic approach that makes development central to both short and long-term programmes aimed at promoting understanding and trust." She also pointed out that she had appointed former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan to chair a commission which will look into the issue. Suu Kyi also insisted, according to international news agency Reuters, that her government faced "persistent opposition from some quarters" to the establishment of the commission. "By standing firm against the forces of prejudice and intolerance, we are reaffirming our faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person," she added. She also spoke on the issue of migration, saying lack of peace and development forced people to migrate. And terrorism is also born out of lack of social and economic security which forces youths to be enamored by ideologies which promise security. "We also need to consider the possibility that lack of purpose, of a sense of direction in life, could also be a force that drives many, especially the young into the snare of ideologies that appear to offer certainty." (WION with inputs from agencies)

Myanmar's first civilian leader addresses UN in over 50 years

India today called Pakistan a &quot;terrorist state&quot; and accused it of carrying out &quot;war crimes&quot; against Indians through its &quot;long-standing policy&quot; of sponsoring terrorism, hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif raked up Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly session. 
 
In a strong rebuttal, India said the terrorists designated by the UN continued to roam Pakistan&#39;s streets freely and operate with State support. 
 
Exercising India&#39;s Right of Reply to Sharif&#39;s &quot;long tirade&quot; about the situation in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, first secretary in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN Eenam Gambhir said &quot;the worst violation of human rights is terrorism.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;When practised as an instrument of state policy it is a war crime. What my country and our other neighbours are facing today is Pakistan&#39;s long-standing policy of sponsoring terrorism, the consequences of which have spread well beyond our region,&quot; she said. 
 
Gambhir said India sees in Pakistan &quot;a terrorist state&quot; which channelises billions of dollars, much of it diverted from international aid, to training, financing and supporting terrorist groups as militant proxies against it neighbours. 
 
In a reference to terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar and Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, she said terrorist entities and their leaders, including many designated by the UN, continue to roam the streets of Pakistan freely and operate with State&#39;s support. 
 
&quot;With the approval of authorities, many terrorist organisations raise funds openly in flagrant violation of Pakistan&#39;s international obligations,&quot; Gambhir said. 
 
She said while Pakistan&#39;s nuclear proliferation record is marked by &quot;deception and deceit,&quot; it talks about restraint, renunciation and peace. 
 
&quot;Similar false promises it has made to us - the international community on terrorism. Perhaps renunciation of lies and self-restraint on threats could be a good place for Pakistan to start,&quot; Gambhir said. 
 
India also strongly slammed Sharif for glorifying Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani, who was killed on July 8 by the Indian forces. 
 
&quot;Even today we have heard support by the Prime Minister of Pakistan for a self-acknowledged commander of a known terrorist organisation,&quot; she said. 
 
Gambhir said Pakistan was a democracy deficit country and practises terrorism on its own people. 
 
&quot;It extends support to extremist groups, it suppresses minorities and women and denies basic human rights including through draconian laws,&quot; she added.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)&nbsp;

India said the terrorists designated by the UN continued to roam Pakistan's streets freely and operate with State support.

India today called Pakistan a "terrorist state" and accused it of carrying out "war crimes" against Indians through its "long-standing policy" of sponsoring terrorism, hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif raked up Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly session. In a strong rebuttal, India said the terrorists designated by the UN continued to roam Pakistan's streets freely and operate with State support. Exercising India's Right of Reply to Sharif's "long tirade" about the situation in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, first secretary in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN Eenam Gambhir said "the worst violation of human rights is terrorism." "When practised as an instrument of state policy it is a war crime. What my country and our other neighbours are facing today is Pakistan's long-standing policy of sponsoring terrorism, the consequences of which have spread well beyond our region," she said. Gambhir said India sees in Pakistan "a terrorist state" which channelises billions of dollars, much of it diverted from international aid, to training, financing and supporting terrorist groups as militant proxies against it neighbours. In a reference to terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar and Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, she said terrorist entities and their leaders, including many designated by the UN, continue to roam the streets of Pakistan freely and operate with State's support. "With the approval of authorities, many terrorist organisations raise funds openly in flagrant violation of Pakistan's international obligations," Gambhir said. She said while Pakistan's nuclear proliferation record is marked by "deception and deceit," it talks about restraint, renunciation and peace. "Similar false promises it has made to us - the international community on terrorism. Perhaps renunciation of lies and self-restraint on threats could be a good place for Pakistan to start," Gambhir said. India also strongly slammed Sharif for glorifying Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani, who was killed on July 8 by the Indian forces. "Even today we have heard support by the Prime Minister of Pakistan for a self-acknowledged commander of a known terrorist organisation," she said. Gambhir said Pakistan was a democracy deficit country and practises terrorism on its own people. "It extends support to extremist groups, it suppresses minorities and women and denies basic human rights including through draconian laws," she added. (PTI)

India to UN: Pakistan is a 'terrorist state', carries out war crimes

US President Barack Obama on Tuesday urged the world leaders at The UN Global Compact&nbsp;Leaders Summit&nbsp;2016 to &quot;welcome the stranger in our midst&quot; as 50 nations pledged to take in 360,000 refugees.&nbsp; 
 
Obama praised countries including Canada and Germany for taking in refugees fleeing from various conflicts, AFP news agency reported.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We are facing a crisis of epic proportion,&quot; Obama said. 
 
&quot;We cannot avert our eyes or turn our backs. To slam the door in the face of these families would betray our deepest values,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
Canada has granted asylum to more than 30,000 Syrian refugees since December and PM Justin Trudeau said this was a challenge as well as &quot;an opportunity,&quot; vowing &quot;there is more to come.&quot; 
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German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: &quot;I believe we cannot allow ourselves to stop here. We must finally get ahead in tackling this crisis,&quot; on Germany taking in more refugees.&nbsp; 
 
It&#39;s pertinent to mention that in its recent electoral polls, Angela Merkel&#39;s party has suffered a setback due to her &#39;open-door&#39; &nbsp;refugee policy amid rise in anti-refugees sentiments.&nbsp; 
 
Referring to Merkel&#39;s struggle, Obama said: &quot;the politics can be hard&quot; for leaders who open up to refugees and migrants.&quot; 
 
The number of refugees entering the United States will go up to 110,000 next year, up from 85,000 this year, the Obama administration said.&nbsp; 
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According to the UN refugee agency, the number is just a fraction of the 1.1 million refugees who are in need of resettlement this year.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, as per US officials, seven countries including Romania, Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic, Italy, France, Luxembourg will resettle at least 10 times more refugees this year than 2015.&nbsp; 
 
Financial contribution to UN appeals and international organisations have also increased since 2015 by about $4.5 billion.&nbsp; 
 
The pledges will include funds to send one million refugee children to schools and allow one million refugees to legally work.&nbsp; 
 
Over 65 million people are displaced in the world which include 21 million refugees fleeing from war strife countries like Syria. 
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Currently only eight countries are hosting half of the world&#39;s refugees: Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya and Uganda. 
 
Swipe at Trump 
 
Obama also said the refugee crisis was a &quot;test of our common humanity, whether we give in to suspicion and fear and build walls,&quot; in an apparent strike against US presidential candidate Donald Trump.&nbsp; 
 
Trump had threatened to build a wall on the US border with Mexico to keep out migrants and make them pay for it.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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'To slam the door in the face of these families would betray our deepest values,' the US President said talking about refugee crisis

US President Barack Obama on Tuesday urged the world leaders at The UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2016 to "welcome the stranger in our midst" as 50 nations pledged to take in 360,000 refugees. Obama praised countries including Canada and Germany for taking in refugees fleeing from various conflicts, AFP news agency reported. "We are facing a crisis of epic proportion," Obama said. "We cannot avert our eyes or turn our backs. To slam the door in the face of these families would betray our deepest values," he added. Canada has granted asylum to more than 30,000 Syrian refugees since December and PM Justin Trudeau said this was a challenge as well as "an opportunity," vowing "there is more to come." "We cannot avert our eyes or turn our backs. To slam the door in the face of these families would betray our deepest values" - Obama German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: "I believe we cannot allow ourselves to stop here. We must finally get ahead in tackling this crisis," on Germany taking in more refugees. It's pertinent to mention that in its recent electoral polls, Angela Merkel's party has suffered a setback due to her 'open-door' refugee policy amid rise in anti-refugees sentiments. Referring to Merkel's struggle, Obama said: "the politics can be hard" for leaders who open up to refugees and migrants." The number of refugees entering the United States will go up to 110,000 next year, up from 85,000 this year, the Obama administration said. As per US officials, seven countries including Romania, Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic, Italy, France, Luxembourg will resettle at least 10 times more refugees this year than 2015. ? According to the UN refugee agency, the number is just a fraction of the 1.1 million refugees who are in need of resettlement this year. Meanwhile, as per US officials, seven countries including Romania, Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic, Italy, France, Luxembourg will resettle at least 10 times more refugees this year than 2015. Financial contribution to UN appeals and international organisations have also increased since 2015 by about $4.5 billion. The pledges will include funds to send one million refugee children to schools and allow one million refugees to legally work. Over 65 million people are displaced in the world which include 21 million refugees fleeing from war strife countries like Syria. Currently only eight countries are hosting half of the world's refugees: Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya and Uganda. Swipe at Trump Obama also said the refugee crisis was a "test of our common humanity, whether we give in to suspicion and fear and build walls," in an apparent strike against US presidential candidate Donald Trump. Trump had threatened to build a wall on the US border with Mexico to keep out migrants and make them pay for it. (WION with inputs from AFP)

UN summit: Obama urges world leaders to 'welcome strangers', 50 nations pledge to take in 360,000 refugees

In his address at the United Nations on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the international community to take action against the US-based Islamist preacher Fetullah Gulen.&nbsp; 
 
Turkish authorities have accused the self-exiled leader of orchestrating Turkey&#39;s failed coup attempt in July. 
 
Erdogan told the UN General Assembly that Gulen had built up a terrorist network over decades that threaten international security.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I would like to call on all our friends to take the necessary measures against the Fethullah Terrorist Organization in their own countries for the future of their own people and their well-being,&quot; he said. 
 
Erdogan had launched a campaign to purge Turkey&#39;s schools and military of Gulen followers. He alleged that the FETO movement was present in 170 countries.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;This terrorist organization is in a deep mental heresy of subduing the whole world, far beyond Turkey. It is evident from our experience that if you do not fight against FETO now, tomorrow may be too late,&quot; he said. 
 
The preacher has strongly denied any involvement in the attempted coup in Turkey. He lives in a self-imposed exile in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999. He continues an active role in religious dialogue and charity.&nbsp; 
 
Erdogan on Monday said that the United States should &quot;not harbour a terrorist&quot; like Gulen and said his activities around the world should be banned. 
 
Turkish authorities have asked the United States to extradite or detain Gulen. A team of US officials is reviewing the evidence against the cleric.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Erdogan has demanded Gulen's extradition from the US, accusing the Islamist preacher of orchestrating Turkey's failed coup in July

In his address at the United Nations on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the international community to take action against the US-based Islamist preacher Fetullah Gulen. Turkish authorities have accused the self-exiled leader of orchestrating Turkey's failed coup attempt in July. Erdogan told the UN General Assembly that Gulen had built up a terrorist network over decades that threaten international security. "I would like to call on all our friends to take the necessary measures against the Fethullah Terrorist Organization in their own countries for the future of their own people and their well-being," he said. Erdogan had launched a campaign to purge Turkey's schools and military of Gulen followers. He alleged that the FETO movement was present in 170 countries. "This terrorist organization is in a deep mental heresy of subduing the whole world, far beyond Turkey. It is evident from our experience that if you do not fight against FETO now, tomorrow may be too late," he said. The preacher has strongly denied any involvement in the attempted coup in Turkey. He lives in a self-imposed exile in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999. He continues an active role in religious dialogue and charity. Erdogan on Monday said that the United States should "not harbour a terrorist" like Gulen and said his activities around the world should be banned. Turkish authorities have asked the United States to extradite or detain Gulen. A team of US officials is reviewing the evidence against the cleric. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Turkish President Erdogan calls for global action against US-based preacher Gulen at UNGA

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will discuss the country&#39;s stand on refugees at the first UN summit on refugees and migrants by the UN General Assembly on September 19-20, reported Bangladesh&#39;s bdnews24.com. 
 
She will highlight the nation&#39;s priorities and position on refugee issues, Bangladesh foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali told reporters. 
 
As the current chair of the &#39;Global Forum for Migration and Development&#39;, Bangladesh is particularly interested in the refugee crisis. 
 
On the sidelines of the UN summit, US President Barack Obama will be a part of the Leaders Summit, where Hasina will talk about Bangladesh&#39;s 10 million refugees, who have taken shelter in India after the 1971 Liberation war from Pakistan, Ali said. 
 
She will also discuss the situation of Myanmar refugees who have taken asylum in Bangladesh. 
 
According to UNHCR report 2011, Bangladesh is host to around 29,000 recognised refugees who were accommodated in camps and an estimated 36,000 unrecognised refugees who have congregated in makeshift&nbsp;sites to which UNHCR and other international and national humanitarian actors have limited access. In addition, there are thought to be at least 200,000 undocumented Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar.
<h2>UN summit on refugees and migrants</h2>
The UN General Assembly has for the first time organised a summit at the heads of state and government level to discuss large movements of refugees across nations and to respond to them in a humane manner.&nbsp; 
 
The aim 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;, the United Nations&#39; official website states. 
 
(WION)

This is the first such summit by the UN General Assembly aimed at 'strengthening governance of international migration'

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will discuss the country's stand on refugees at the first UN summit on refugees and migrants by the UN General Assembly on September 19-20, reported Bangladesh's bdnews24.com. She will highlight the nation's priorities and position on refugee issues, Bangladesh foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali told reporters. As the current chair of the 'Global Forum for Migration and Development', Bangladesh is particularly interested in the refugee crisis. On the sidelines of the UN summit, US President Barack Obama will be a part of the Leaders Summit, where Hasina will talk about Bangladesh's 10 million refugees, who have taken shelter in India after the 1971 Liberation war from Pakistan, Ali said. She will also discuss the situation of Myanmar refugees who have taken asylum in Bangladesh. According to UNHCR report 2011, Bangladesh is host to around 29,000 recognised refugees who were accommodated in camps and an estimated 36,000 unrecognised refugees who have congregated in makeshift sites to which UNHCR and other international and national humanitarian actors have limited access. In addition, there are thought to be at least 200,000 undocumented Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar. UN summit on refugees and migrants The UN General Assembly has for the first time organised a summit at the heads of state and government level to discuss large movements of refugees across nations and to respond to them in a humane manner. The aim 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", the United Nations' official website states. (WION)

Bangladesh prime minister to discuss migrants, refugee crisis at UN summit

Ten of the 12 candidates vying to be the next United Nations Secretary-General took part in live televised debates on Tuesday, a first for the world body, but attempts to bring unprecedented transparency to the race will not extend to the Security Council selection process. 
 
The 193-member UN General Assembly has sought to lift a veil of secrecy that has surrounded the election of the UN chief for the past 70 years by requiring public nominations and holding campaign-style town hall events with each candidate. 
 
That transparency extended to two debates, with five candidates in each group, in the General Assembly on Tuesday, which was broadcast live around the world on the Al Jazeera television network and on the UN website. 
 
Candidates were pressed by the Al Jazeera hosts, and took questions from the audience, on issues such as leadership style, climate change, the International Criminal Court, the civil war in Syria and the recent eruption of fighting in South Sudan, where UN peacekeepers are struggling to protect civilians.&nbsp; 
 
However, when the 15-member Security Council starts holding informal secret ballots next week to choose a candidate to recommend to the General Assembly for election later this year, the results of those closed-door polls will not be made public. 
 
Council members will be given a ballot for each candidate with the options of encourage, discourage and no opinion.&nbsp; 
 
The council will tally the ballots and inform the nominating states of the results for their candidate, but the overall results will not be made known to the public.&nbsp; 
 
Ultimately, the five nations that hold a veto on the security council - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - have to agree on a candidate and there is no requirement for them to pay attention to the popularity of candidates with the General Assembly. The council hopes to agree on a candidate by October, diplomats say.&nbsp; 
 
Since the power to authorize military force or sanctions lies with the Security Council, the UN chief has little more than a bully pulpit. Many diplomats say the veto powers prefer a &quot;secretary&quot; rather than a &quot;general&quot;. 
 
Strength wanted 
 
Yet Britain`s UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said on Tuesday that the more transparent process, particularly the individual candidate town halls with the General Assembly, had shown most member states wanted a strong secretary-general.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;That`s an emerging consensus which wouldn`t have been obvious without these changes in the (selection) process. I think it makes it harder for someone who isn`t that strong to be chosen,&quot; Rycroft said. 
 
The search for a successor to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a former South Korean foreign minister who steps down at the end of 2016 after two five-year terms, has sparked a push by more than a quarter of the 193 UN states for the world body`s first female leader. 
 
Discussion on the possibility of a female secretary-general and the role of women in the world body received enthusiastic applause during Tuesday`s debates.&nbsp; 
 
Half the candidates so far are women: UN cultural organization UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova of Bulgaria; former Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic; Moldova`s former Foreign Minister Natalia Gherman; former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who heads the UN Development Programme; Argentinian Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra; and former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica.&nbsp; 
 
Also in the race are Montenegro Foreign Minister Igor Luksic; former Slovenian President Danilo Turk; former UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, who is also a former Portuguese prime minister; former Serbian Foreign&nbsp; 
Minister Vuk Jeremic; former Macedonian Foreign Minister Srgjan Kerim; and Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak.&nbsp; 
 
Kerim and Lajcak did not take part in Tuesday`s debates. 
 
(Reuters)

UN General Assembly has sought to lift a veil of secrecy that has surrounded the election of the UN chief for the past 70 years

Ten of the 12 candidates vying to be the next United Nations Secretary-General took part in live televised debates on Tuesday, a first for the world body, but attempts to bring unprecedented transparency to the race will not extend to the Security Council selection process. The 193-member UN General Assembly has sought to lift a veil of secrecy that has surrounded the election of the UN chief for the past 70 years by requiring public nominations and holding campaign-style town hall events with each candidate. That transparency extended to two debates, with five candidates in each group, in the General Assembly on Tuesday, which was broadcast live around the world on the Al Jazeera television network and on the UN website. Candidates were pressed by the Al Jazeera hosts, and took questions from the audience, on issues such as leadership style, climate change, the International Criminal Court, the civil war in Syria and the recent eruption of fighting in South Sudan, where UN peacekeepers are struggling to protect civilians. However, when the 15-member Security Council starts holding informal secret ballots next week to choose a candidate to recommend to the General Assembly for election later this year, the results of those closed-door polls will not be made public. Council members will be given a ballot for each candidate with the options of encourage, discourage and no opinion. The council will tally the ballots and inform the nominating states of the results for their candidate, but the overall results will not be made known to the public. Ultimately, the five nations that hold a veto on the security council - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - have to agree on a candidate and there is no requirement for them to pay attention to the popularity of candidates with the General Assembly. The council hopes to agree on a candidate by October, diplomats say. Since the power to authorize military force or sanctions lies with the Security Council, the UN chief has little more than a bully pulpit. Many diplomats say the veto powers prefer a "secretary" rather than a "general". Strength wanted Yet Britain`s UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said on Tuesday that the more transparent process, particularly the individual candidate town halls with the General Assembly, had shown most member states wanted a strong secretary-general. "That`s an emerging consensus which wouldn`t have been obvious without these changes in the (selection) process. I think it makes it harder for someone who isn`t that strong to be chosen," Rycroft said. The search for a successor to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a former South Korean foreign minister who steps down at the end of 2016 after two five-year terms, has sparked a push by more than a quarter of the 193 UN states for the world body`s first female leader. Discussion on the possibility of a female secretary-general and the role of women in the world body received enthusiastic applause during Tuesday`s debates. Half the candidates so far are women: UN cultural organization UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova of Bulgaria; former Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic; Moldova`s former Foreign Minister Natalia Gherman; former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who heads the UN Development Programme; Argentinian Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra; and former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica. Also in the race are Montenegro Foreign Minister Igor Luksic; former Slovenian President Danilo Turk; former UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, who is also a former Portuguese prime minister; former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic; former Macedonian Foreign Minister Srgjan Kerim; and Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak. Kerim and Lajcak did not take part in Tuesday`s debates. (Reuters)

Next UN chief ballots remain secret, despite televised debates

The UN General Assembly on Thursday elected Italy to the Security Council under a deal that will see the Netherlands take over the seat in a year. 
 
The two countries agreed to split the two-year term on the council after five rounds of voting earlier this week ended with a tie. 
 
Under the deal, Italy will take up the seat on January 1 and then make way for the Netherlands to take over in 2018. 
 
The arrangement is rare but not unprecedented at the United Nations. 
 
The last split term was in 1964-65 between what was then Czechoslovakia and Malaysia. 
 
Italy was elected with 179 votes in the General Assembly, which has 193 member states. 
 
During elections on Tuesday, Kazkahstan was elected to the council for the first time along with Bolivia, Ethiopia and Sweden. 
 
The newly-elected countries will take their place alongside the five permanent council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. 
 
The other five non-permanent members are: Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay. 
 
(AFP)

The two countries agreed to split the two-year term after five rounds of voting ended with a tie

The UN General Assembly on Thursday elected Italy to the Security Council under a deal that will see the Netherlands take over the seat in a year. The two countries agreed to split the two-year term on the council after five rounds of voting earlier this week ended with a tie. Under the deal, Italy will take up the seat on January 1 and then make way for the Netherlands to take over in 2018. The arrangement is rare but not unprecedented at the United Nations. The last split term was in 1964-65 between what was then Czechoslovakia and Malaysia. Italy was elected with 179 votes in the General Assembly, which has 193 member states. During elections on Tuesday, Kazkahstan was elected to the council for the first time along with Bolivia, Ethiopia and Sweden. The newly-elected countries will take their place alongside the five permanent council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. The other five non-permanent members are: Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay. (AFP)

UN elects Italy, Netherlands to share Security Council seat

Two leading human rights groups urged UN member-states today to suspend Saudi Arabia from the UN Human Rights Council over the killing of civilians in Yemen and repression at home. 
 
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) said they would begin lobbying the UN General Assembly to hold a vote on suspending Saudi Arabia from the Geneva-based council, even though they admitted this was a long shot. 
 
&quot;Over the past few months, Saudi Arabia has gone beyond the pale and does not deserve anymore to sit on the Human Rights Council,&quot; said HRW deputy director Philippe Bolopion. 
 
Human Rights Watch accused Riyadh of targeting civilians in the war in Yemen, using cluster bombs banned by international conventions and laying siege to ports to prevent basic goods from reaching Yemen. 
 
The joint appeal again put the spotlight on Saudi Arabia, which has been leading an Arab coalition carrying out air strikes against Huthi rebels and their allies who seized much of Yemen. 
 
The coalition is supporting Yemen&#39;s President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in a war that the UN says has killed more than 6,400 people, about half of them civilians since March 2015. 
 
&quot;Saudi Arabia is in a league of its own,&quot; Bolopion told a news conference, adding that the kingdom is &quot;getting away with murder in a way that no other country has been able to do.&quot; 
 
The rights groups charged that Saudi Arabia had used its position as a council member to block an independent international investigation of war crimes in Yemen. 
 
Riyadh pressured UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to remove the coalition from a blacklist of child rights violators by threatening to withdraw funding to UN aid programs. 
 
Saudi Arabia has denied using pressure tactics and insists the coalition is not deliberately targeting civilians in Yemen. 
Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir dismissed the accusations as &quot;outrageous.&quot; 
 
&quot;The coalition is very cautious in selecting targets. We do not harm civilians,&quot; the minister told reporters in Paris.Amnesty International said the Saudi government had brutally cracked down on dissent at home and resorts to executions for offenses that under international law are not punishable by the death penalty. 
 
Since 2013, all prominent human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia have been either thrown into prison, threatened into silence or have fled the country, said Richard Bennett, Amnesty`s UN director. 
 
Saudi Arabia was elected by the assembly in 2013 to sit on the 47-member council and a two-thirds majority would be needed to remove it from the body, which the rights groups and UN diplomats admitted would be unlikely. 
 
Libya is the only country ever to suspended from the council by a vote held in 2011 to protest Moamer Kadhafi`s violent crackdown on protesters. 
 
The rights groups said Saudi Arabia had managed to get away with such violations because of support from the United States and Britain. 
 
HRW&#39;s director for the Middle East, Sarah Leah Whitson, said the United States and Britain had &quot;crossed the threshold to be part of this war&quot; in Yemen by supplying weapons and supporting operations. 
 
The rights group is asking the Pentagon to provide information on how it is supporting the coalition with the choice of targets, said Whitson. 
 
This form of military assistance would make the United States complicit in war crimes, she said. 
 
(AFP)

The groups accuse Riyadh of targeting civilians in the Yemen war & laying seige to the country's ports, blocking basic goods from getting in

Two leading human rights groups urged UN member-states today to suspend Saudi Arabia from the UN Human Rights Council over the killing of civilians in Yemen and repression at home. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) said they would begin lobbying the UN General Assembly to hold a vote on suspending Saudi Arabia from the Geneva-based council, even though they admitted this was a long shot. "Over the past few months, Saudi Arabia has gone beyond the pale and does not deserve anymore to sit on the Human Rights Council," said HRW deputy director Philippe Bolopion. Human Rights Watch accused Riyadh of targeting civilians in the war in Yemen, using cluster bombs banned by international conventions and laying siege to ports to prevent basic goods from reaching Yemen. The joint appeal again put the spotlight on Saudi Arabia, which has been leading an Arab coalition carrying out air strikes against Huthi rebels and their allies who seized much of Yemen. The coalition is supporting Yemen's President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in a war that the UN says has killed more than 6,400 people, about half of them civilians since March 2015. "Saudi Arabia is in a league of its own," Bolopion told a news conference, adding that the kingdom is "getting away with murder in a way that no other country has been able to do." The rights groups charged that Saudi Arabia had used its position as a council member to block an independent international investigation of war crimes in Yemen. Riyadh pressured UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to remove the coalition from a blacklist of child rights violators by threatening to withdraw funding to UN aid programs. Saudi Arabia has denied using pressure tactics and insists the coalition is not deliberately targeting civilians in Yemen. Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir dismissed the accusations as "outrageous." "The coalition is very cautious in selecting targets. We do not harm civilians," the minister told reporters in Paris.Amnesty International said the Saudi government had brutally cracked down on dissent at home and resorts to executions for offenses that under international law are not punishable by the death penalty. Since 2013, all prominent human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia have been either thrown into prison, threatened into silence or have fled the country, said Richard Bennett, Amnesty`s UN director. Saudi Arabia was elected by the assembly in 2013 to sit on the 47-member council and a two-thirds majority would be needed to remove it from the body, which the rights groups and UN diplomats admitted would be unlikely. Libya is the only country ever to suspended from the council by a vote held in 2011 to protest Moamer Kadhafi`s violent crackdown on protesters. The rights groups said Saudi Arabia had managed to get away with such violations because of support from the United States and Britain. HRW's director for the Middle East, Sarah Leah Whitson, said the United States and Britain had "crossed the threshold to be part of this war" in Yemen by supplying weapons and supporting operations. The rights group is asking the Pentagon to provide information on how it is supporting the coalition with the choice of targets, said Whitson. This form of military assistance would make the United States complicit in war crimes, she said. (AFP)

Amnesty, Human Rights Watch want Saudi Arabia off UN Human Rights Council

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