United Nations, June 4 (IANS) In a contentious race to succeed Pakistan for a seat earmarked for the Asia Pacific region on the UN Security Council, Kyrgyzstan has defeated the Philippines after four rounds of voting. To be elected, countries have to get a two-thirds majority. In elections held in the General Assembly on Wednesday, Portugal and Austria defeated the European powerhouse, Germany, for the two Western European seats.With the combination of votes for the two seats, Portugal received …
Latest Security Council News & Updates
United Nations, June 4 (IANS) Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe were elected non-permanent members of the UN Security Council on Wednesday for a two-year term.The election marked the first time Kyrgyzstan would serve on the Security Council.The newly elected members will replace the outgoing non-permanent members — Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia — and assume their seats on January 1, 2027, and serve until December 31, 2028.A candidate must obtain t…
United Nations, May 27 (IANS) Even as the Security Council, frozen in the world of 1945, faces a crisis of credibility, India has said that “entrenched interests” are blocking reforms needed to make it capable of meeting contemporary challenges.“Lack of progress in the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) on Council reforms is indicative of entrenched interests of several member states to maintain the status quo and retain the eight-decade-old UNSC architecture”, India’s Permanent Rep…
United Nations, May 27 (IANS) Warning Pakistan of India’s resolve to defend itself against cross-border terrorism, India said Islamabad would have to face the repercussions of sponsoring terrorism.“Pakistan must credibly and irrevocably end its support for all forms of terrorism”, India’s Permanent Representative P Harish demanded on Tuesday at the Security Council.“Pakistan will have to accept that there are consequences to its sponsorship of cross-border terrorism”, he said.He decl…
United Nations, May 27 (IANS) United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of “a dangerous erosion” of respect for international law.”Core principles — sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, the prohibition of the threat or use of force — are being challenged or ignored. Violations go unanswered. Impunity is spreading,” he told a high-level open debate of the Security Council on upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and strengtheni…
Stockholm, May 22 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Iran imposing tolls for transit in the Strait of Hormuz is “simply unacceptable” and “cannot happen”. If this were to occur in the Strait of Hormuz, he said during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Sweden’s Helsingborg, then it would also happen in five other places around the world.”Why shouldn’t countries around the world say ‘we want to do that too?’ Not to mention how vital and crucial that Strait is for ever…
United Nations, May 20 (IANS) India has criticised the record-keeping of the negotiations for Security Council reforms, pointing out that the document from the last meeting obfuscated the extent of support for expansion of permanent and non-permanent membership.Most UN members support the expansion in both categories, but “characterising this support as merely ‘significant’ does not accurately reflect the views of the majority”, India’s Permanent Representative P Harish said on Tuesday.H…
United Nations, April 30 (IANS) Warning of a steep fall in economic growth and a rise in poverty around the world due to the Iran war, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his demand for the immediate restoration of free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”As with every conflict, the whole of humanity is paying the price – even if a few are reaping huge profits,” he told reporters. “The pain will be felt for a long time to come.”The war’s “consequences are not cumulative. They ar…
Tehran, April 30 (IANS) Six of the 28 crew members of the Iranian container ship Touska, seized earlier this month by the United States, have been released and have returned to Iran, the semi-official Tasnim news agency has reported. Efforts are underway to secure the release of the remaining crew, whom Iran describes as hostages of the “terrorist” US government, Tasnim said on Wednesday (local time).The Iranian-flagged vessel was boarded and seized by US forces off the coast of Iran’s southeast…
Tehran, April 29 (IANS) The continued US maritime “piracy and banditry” in the form of naval blockade against Iran will soon be met with “practical and unprecedented military action,” Iran’s state-run Press TV reported on Wednesday. Iran’s armed forces maintain that “patience has limits,” and a “punishing response” will be necessary if the United States continues its “illegal” naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, it said, citing a high-ranking security source, Xinhua news agency reported.Acco…