Biden-Netanyahu rift grows, as Israel cancels delegation visit. Administration officials insist there was no US policy change, while expressing disappointment in Israel’s abrupt move to cancel a high-level official trip.

Biden, Netanyahu rift continues to grow

Relations between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sank to a wartime low on Monday with the US allowing passage of a Gaza ceasefire resolution at the United Nations and drawing a sharp rebuke from the Israeli leader.

Biden, Netanyahu on collision course over UNSC vote

Biden, Netanyahu on collision course after Gaza UN vote

India has once more chosen not to participate in the UN General Assembly's vote on a resolution denouncing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began a year ago. 141 countries supported the proposal, while 32 abstained and seven, including Russia, voted against it.

India at UN: Resolution not enough to acheive lasting peace

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishnakar on Monday declined to disclose India's stand on the upcoming draft resolution against Russia in the UN General Assembly.

WION Dispatch | EAM Jaishankar on upcoming UN vote: We don't predict our votes in advance

EAM Jaishankar refuses to disclose India's stance on UN vote against Russia

During a joint press conference, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishnakar on Monday (October 10) declined to disclose India's stand on the upcoming draft resolution against Russia in the UN General Assembly.&nbsp;

He said, "As a matter of prudence and policy, we don't predict our votes in advance." He continues, "We have been very clearly against the conflict in Ukraine," PTI reported.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-ukraine-conflict-live-updates-three-loud-blasts-rock-kyiv-report-523917">Also read |&nbsp;Russia-Ukraine conflict live updates | Zelensky says people 'dead and wounded' from strikes across Ukraine</a>

Jaishankar further added, " We believe that this conflict does not serve the interests of anybody neither the participants nor indeed of the international community. And as a country of the Global South, we have been seeing first-hand how much it has impacted low-income countries, the challenges that they are facing in terms of fuel and food and fertilisers."

The foreign minister said he agreed with what the Indian Prime Minister said at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit: that this is not the time for a war as it will affect everyone.

India till now hasn't condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine but has requested to solve the conflict through the matter of diplomacy and dialogue.&nbsp;Earlier this month, a draught resolution was presented to the UNSC to call for an immediate end to the violence while also stressing finding a resolution.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-reconnected-to-grid-a-day-after-line-was-cut-523869">Also read |&nbsp;Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant reconnected to grid a day after line was cut</a>

The diplomats said that the UN General Assembly is yet to decide on a draft resolution on Tuesday or Wednesday.&nbsp;

Russia-Ukraine has entered its seventh month. Till now the war has claimed the lives of thousands of people, forcing million to flee.&nbsp;

Several foreign countries have sent military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and collectively showed their disagreement against Russia bypassing sanctions. Russia being the target has still not reversed its actions.&nbsp;

(WIth inputs from agencies)

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During a joint press conference, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishnakar on Monday (October 10) declined to disclose India's stand on the upcoming draft resolution against Russia in the UN General Assembly.

During a joint press conference, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishnakar on Monday (October 10) declined to disclose India's stand on the upcoming draft resolution against Russia in the UN General Assembly. He said, "As a matter of prudence and policy, we don't predict our votes in advance." He continues, "We have been very clearly against the conflict in Ukraine," PTI reported. Also read | Russia-Ukraine conflict live updates | Zelensky says people 'dead and wounded' from strikes across Ukraine Jaishankar further added, " We believe that this conflict does not serve the interests of anybody neither the participants nor indeed of the international community. And as a country of the Global South, we have been seeing first-hand how much it has impacted low-income countries, the challenges that they are facing in terms of fuel and food and fertilisers." The foreign minister said he agreed with what the Indian Prime Minister said at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit: that this is not the time for a war as it will affect everyone. India till now hasn't condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine but has requested to solve the conflict through the matter of diplomacy and dialogue. Earlier this month, a draught resolution was presented to the UNSC to call for an immediate end to the violence while also stressing finding a resolution. Also read | Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant reconnected to grid a day after line was cut The diplomats said that the UN General Assembly is yet to decide on a draft resolution on Tuesday or Wednesday. Russia-Ukraine has entered its seventh month. Till now the war has claimed the lives of thousands of people, forcing million to flee. Several foreign countries have sent military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and collectively showed their disagreement against Russia bypassing sanctions. Russia being the target has still not reversed its actions. (WIth inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

EAM Jaishankar refuses to disclose India's upcoming UN vote on Russia

As India clinched a seat as a non-permanent member from the Asia-Pacific block at the UNSC, the battle for the African seat went into a second round with voting set for Thursday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-elected-unopposed-as-a-non-permanent-member-to-united-nations-security-council-306641">Also Read:&nbsp;India elected unopposed as a non-permanent member to United Nations Security Council</a>

Norway, Mexico, Ireland and India were elected as non-permanent members by the UN General Assembly, however, Kenya and Djibouti failed to garner two-thirds majority vote among the 192 members who voted at the UNGA.

India won a resounding victory with 184 votes out of the 192 countries that participated in the election. Mexico fared splendidly as well taking 187 votes as both India and Mexico ran unopposed.

However, the African region which was being keenly watched since there were set to be no clear winners threw up a challenge as Kenya got 113 votes and Djibouti managed just 78 votes.

With both Kenya and Djibouti highlighting their role in solving humanitarian issues including brokering peace in the Horn of Africa, both failed to convince the member states failing to get enough votes for their cause.

Canada was disappointed once again after failing to win in 2010 was pushed back by Norway which won 130 votes and Ireland which took 128 votes. It was&nbsp;a big blow&nbsp;to the Trudeau government which had invested heavily politically for a victory.

"As we move forward, we remain committed to the goals and principles that we laid out during this campaign," Trudeau said in a statement.

The UN Security Council has ten non-permanent members including the permanent members - Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States who have veto powers.

The UN General Assembly also elected Turkish diplomat Volkan Bozkir as its president for the 2020-21 session.

As India clinched a seat as a non-permanent member from the Asia-Pacific block at the UNSC, the battle for the African seat went into a second round with voting set for Thursday.

As India clinched a seat as a non-permanent member from the Asia-Pacific block at the UNSC, the battle for the African seat went into a second round with voting set for Thursday. Also Read: India elected unopposed as a non-permanent member to United Nations Security Council Norway, Mexico, Ireland and India were elected as non-permanent members by the UN General Assembly, however, Kenya and Djibouti failed to garner two-thirds majority vote among the 192 members who voted at the UNGA. India won a resounding victory with 184 votes out of the 192 countries that participated in the election. Mexico fared splendidly as well taking 187 votes as both India and Mexico ran unopposed. However, the African region which was being keenly watched since there were set to be no clear winners threw up a challenge as Kenya got 113 votes and Djibouti managed just 78 votes. With both Kenya and Djibouti highlighting their role in solving humanitarian issues including brokering peace in the Horn of Africa, both failed to convince the member states failing to get enough votes for their cause. Canada was disappointed once again after failing to win in 2010 was pushed back by Norway which won 130 votes and Ireland which took 128 votes. It was a big blow to the Trudeau government which had invested heavily politically for a victory. "As we move forward, we remain committed to the goals and principles that we laid out during this campaign," Trudeau said in a statement. The UN Security Council has ten non-permanent members including the permanent members - Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States who have veto powers. The UN General Assembly also elected Turkish diplomat Volkan Bozkir as its president for the 2020-21 session.

Canada disappointed as Kenya, Djibouti fail to win enough votes at UNSC

Israel has summoned the ambassadors of Spain, Slovenia and Belgium over their votes at a UN body calling for an international probe of the deadly shootings of dozens of Palestinians on the Gaza border, the foreign ministry said Monday.

The Spanish and Slovenian ambassadors were called in on Monday, while the Belgian envoy was to be summoned on Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement.

The UN Human Rights Council voted Friday to send a team of international war crimes investigators to probe the deadly shootings. The three European countries were among 29 that voted in favour.

The UN Human Rights Council voted Friday to send a team of international war crimes investigators to probe the deadly shootings.

Israel has summoned the ambassadors of Spain, Slovenia and Belgium over their votes at a UN body calling for an international probe of the deadly shootings of dozens of Palestinians on the Gaza border, the foreign ministry said Monday. The Spanish and Slovenian ambassadors were called in on Monday, while the Belgian envoy was to be summoned on Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement. The UN Human Rights Council voted Friday to send a team of international war crimes investigators to probe the deadly shootings. The three European countries were among 29 that voted in favour.

Israel summons ambassadors of Spain, Slovenia & Belgium over Gaza vote

The United States on Wednesday abstained for the first time in 25 years from a vote at the United Nations calling for an end to the US embargo against Cuba.

The UN General Assembly adopted the annual resolution by an overwhelming 191 votes in favour, with only the United States and Israel abstaining in the 193-nation forum.

The measure calls on all UN member states to refrain from applying the embargo and to &quot;reaffirm the freedom of trade and navigation.&quot;

Washington&#39;s abstention was in line with calls from President Barack Obama for the opposition-controlled Congress to lift the decades-old embargo as part of a historic normalisation of relations.

&quot;The United States has always voted against this resolution. Today the United States will abstain,&quot; US ambassador Samantha Power told the assembly, drawing loud applause.

&quot;After 55-plus years of pursuing the path of isolation, we are choosing to take the path of engagement.&quot;&nbsp;

Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez welcomed the US shift as positive, but said that Washington must take concrete steps that go beyond the &quot;vote of one delegation in this forum.&quot;

&quot;The blockade continues to be a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of the human rights of all Cuban men and women and qualifies as an act of genocide,&quot; Rodriguez said.

Embargo restrictions have prevented the sale of US medical equipment to treat Cubans suffering from Parkinson&#39;s disease and blocked a deal by a Cuban pharmaceutical company that would have allowed it to produce drugs locally, said the foreign minister.

The assembly has voted each year since 1992 to approve the resolution criticising the embargo that was imposed in 1960, at the height of the Cold War.

The United States restored diplomatic ties with Cuba in July 2015 and a month later re-opened its embassy in Havana. Obama made a landmark visit to the communist-ruled island in March.

But restoring full trade and financial ties with Cuba would require legislative action by the US congress, where the Republican majority has said human rights concerns must first be addressed.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Washington's abstention to the UN vote calling for end to Cuba embargo signals another step towards normalisation of relations

The United States on Wednesday abstained for the first time in 25 years from a vote at the United Nations calling for an end to the US embargo against Cuba. The UN General Assembly adopted the annual resolution by an overwhelming 191 votes in favour, with only the United States and Israel abstaining in the 193-nation forum. The measure calls on all UN member states to refrain from applying the embargo and to "reaffirm the freedom of trade and navigation." Washington's abstention was in line with calls from President Barack Obama for the opposition-controlled Congress to lift the decades-old embargo as part of a historic normalisation of relations. "The United States has always voted against this resolution. Today the United States will abstain," US ambassador Samantha Power told the assembly, drawing loud applause. "After 55-plus years of pursuing the path of isolation, we are choosing to take the path of engagement." Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez welcomed the US shift as positive, but said that Washington must take concrete steps that go beyond the "vote of one delegation in this forum." "The blockade continues to be a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of the human rights of all Cuban men and women and qualifies as an act of genocide," Rodriguez said. Embargo restrictions have prevented the sale of US medical equipment to treat Cubans suffering from Parkinson's disease and blocked a deal by a Cuban pharmaceutical company that would have allowed it to produce drugs locally, said the foreign minister. The assembly has voted each year since 1992 to approve the resolution criticising the embargo that was imposed in 1960, at the height of the Cold War. The United States restored diplomatic ties with Cuba in July 2015 and a month later re-opened its embassy in Havana. Obama made a landmark visit to the communist-ruled island in March. But restoring full trade and financial ties with Cuba would require legislative action by the US congress, where the Republican majority has said human rights concerns must first be addressed. (AFP)

US abstains for first time in UN vote on lifting Cuba embargo, allows easing of trade rules

Portugal&#39;s former prime minister Antonio Guterres held the lead in the race to be the next UN secretary-general after a second secret straw poll on Friday, diplomats said. 
 
Guterres received 11 &quot;encourage&quot; votes, two &quot;discourage&quot; votes and two &quot;no opinion&quot; during the informal vote by the 15-member Security Council, a slightly weaker showing than in the first round last month. 
 
But the 67-year-old Guterres managed to increase his lead over the other candidates in the race to succeed Ban Ki-moon, who steps down after 10 years as UN chief at the end of this year. 
 
Serbia&#39;s former foreign minister Vuk Jeremic made a surprisingly strong showing, taking the second spot with eight &quot;encourage&quot; votes, four &quot;discourage&quot; votes and three &quot;no opinion&quot;. 
 
Argentina&#39;s Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra climbed up the rankings, taking third place and becoming the leading woman in the race. 
 
Malcorra, a UN insider who was Ban&#39;s chief of staff, picked up eight encouragements, six discouragements and one no opinion, moving up from eighth place in the first round. 
 
Slovenia&#39;s ex-president Danilo Turk, who was the runner-up in the first round, dropped to fourth place, with seven encouragements, five discouragements and three &quot;no opinion&quot;. 
 
UNESCO chief Irina Bokova of Bulgaria also fell from her third-place ranking to fifth place, with seven encouragements, seven discouragements and one &quot;no opinion&quot;. 
 
Guterres, who served as the UN&#39;s refugee chief for 10 years and as Portugal&#39;s socialist prime minister from 1995 to 2002, came out on top during the first round with 12 &quot;encourage&quot; votes and three &quot;no opinion&quot;. 
 
Diplomats speculated that one of the two negative votes cast in this round may have come from veto power Russia in a bid to block or slow down his advance. 
 
&quot;Guterres is almost there,&quot; commented a diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity. 
 
 
Clark drops in ranking 
 
Lower down the rankings, New Zealand&#39;s ex-prime minister and head of the UN development program, Helen Clark, lost some ground as well, taking the number seven spot after Macedonia&#39;s ex-foreign minister Srgjan Kerim. 
 
Clark picked up six encouragements and eight &quot;discourage&quot; votes along with one &quot;no opinion.&quot; In the first-round rankings, she was sixth. 
 
The last four spots went to former UN climate negotiator Christiana Figueres, ex-foreign minister Natalia Gherman of Moldova, Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak and Igor Luksic, a former acting prime minister of Montenegro. 
 
The shakeup in this round meant that the council will still be holding several straw polls to try to reach a consensus on who should take the helm of the United Nations. 
 
Security Council members are facing calls to pick the first woman after eight men in the job, and to give preference to a candidate from eastern Europe, the only region that has yet to be represented in the post. 
 
Of the 11 candidates, seven are from eastern Europe. Five are women. 
 
The secret vote caps a new, more open process that for the first time in the UN&#39;s history allowed candidates to appear at hearings to make their pitch for the top job before the General Assembly. 
 
The results of the straw poll were not publicly announced, but the council president communicated them to the candidates to give them an indication of the level of support in the council. 
 
Some candidates privately said ahead of the vote that they would closely look at the results to decide whether to stay in the race. 
 
Croatia&#39;s ex-foreign minister Vesna Pusic pulled out on Thursday after she picked up the lowest score in the first round. 
 
Council diplomats are expecting a nominee to emerge in October, who will then be endorsed by the General Assembly. 
 
The new UN secretary-general will begin his or her five-year term on January 1. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Guterres is in a better position to replace Ban Ki-moon after the Security Council's second round of secret votes

Portugal's former prime minister Antonio Guterres held the lead in the race to be the next UN secretary-general after a second secret straw poll on Friday, diplomats said. Guterres received 11 "encourage" votes, two "discourage" votes and two "no opinion" during the informal vote by the 15-member Security Council, a slightly weaker showing than in the first round last month. But the 67-year-old Guterres managed to increase his lead over the other candidates in the race to succeed Ban Ki-moon, who steps down after 10 years as UN chief at the end of this year. Serbia's former foreign minister Vuk Jeremic made a surprisingly strong showing, taking the second spot with eight "encourage" votes, four "discourage" votes and three "no opinion". Argentina's Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra climbed up the rankings, taking third place and becoming the leading woman in the race. Malcorra, a UN insider who was Ban's chief of staff, picked up eight encouragements, six discouragements and one no opinion, moving up from eighth place in the first round. Slovenia's ex-president Danilo Turk, who was the runner-up in the first round, dropped to fourth place, with seven encouragements, five discouragements and three "no opinion". UNESCO chief Irina Bokova of Bulgaria also fell from her third-place ranking to fifth place, with seven encouragements, seven discouragements and one "no opinion". Guterres, who served as the UN's refugee chief for 10 years and as Portugal's socialist prime minister from 1995 to 2002, came out on top during the first round with 12 "encourage" votes and three "no opinion". Diplomats speculated that one of the two negative votes cast in this round may have come from veto power Russia in a bid to block or slow down his advance. "Guterres is almost there," commented a diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Clark drops in ranking Lower down the rankings, New Zealand's ex-prime minister and head of the UN development program, Helen Clark, lost some ground as well, taking the number seven spot after Macedonia's ex-foreign minister Srgjan Kerim. Clark picked up six encouragements and eight "discourage" votes along with one "no opinion." In the first-round rankings, she was sixth. The last four spots went to former UN climate negotiator Christiana Figueres, ex-foreign minister Natalia Gherman of Moldova, Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak and Igor Luksic, a former acting prime minister of Montenegro. The shakeup in this round meant that the council will still be holding several straw polls to try to reach a consensus on who should take the helm of the United Nations. Security Council members are facing calls to pick the first woman after eight men in the job, and to give preference to a candidate from eastern Europe, the only region that has yet to be represented in the post. Of the 11 candidates, seven are from eastern Europe. Five are women. The secret vote caps a new, more open process that for the first time in the UN's history allowed candidates to appear at hearings to make their pitch for the top job before the General Assembly. The results of the straw poll were not publicly announced, but the council president communicated them to the candidates to give them an indication of the level of support in the council. Some candidates privately said ahead of the vote that they would closely look at the results to decide whether to stay in the race. Croatia's ex-foreign minister Vesna Pusic pulled out on Thursday after she picked up the lowest score in the first round. Council diplomats are expecting a nominee to emerge in October, who will then be endorsed by the General Assembly. The new UN secretary-general will begin his or her five-year term on January 1. (AFP)

Portugal's former Prime Minister Guterres leads race to be next UN secretary general

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