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United Nations

United Nations
The UN is an international organisation founded after World War II that aims to provide a dialogue platform between countries, fortifying international corporation and preventing future wars. There are currently 193 members led by five permanent members of the Security Council - US, Russia, UK, France and China. The organisation currently has six principal organs: General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Secretariat, International Court of Justice, and the Trusteeship Council.
Member state flags fly outside the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Photo: Getty Images
United States

US to allow Iranian leaders to attend UN meeting amid wartime stand-off

US again imposes strict conditions on the Iranian delegation for the UN General Assembly in New York.

US, Israel war on Iran

UN investigators cite US over Iran strikes that constituted war crimes

Yemen

Who is Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the elusive commander driving the Saudi blitz?

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Mainland China

As US slashes funding, UN peacekeeping head says global body can rely on China

Jean-Pierre Lacroix tells Beijing’s Xiangshan Forum that UN is struggling with fewer resources and a shrinking field presence.

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The UN's peacekeeping chief Jean Pierre Lacroix delivers remarks on the second day of the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing on Wednesday. Photo: AP
Middle East

‘Red line’: Saudi coalition accuses Houthis of targeting Mecca with drone

Drone intercepted heading towards the Saudi holy city, but Houthi official rejects claim as a ‘worn-out lie’.

Cambodia

Cambodia, Thailand take US$300 billion seabed dispute to UN

A rarely invoked UN legal process is trying to untangle the two countries’ row over 27,000 sq km of oil- and gas-rich waters.

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Artificial intelligence

UN Security Council to meet on AI threat as rights chief warns of ‘unprecedented risks’

France calls high-level session during General Assembly amid urgent pleas to govern frontier models.

The UN Security Council chamber in New York. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

US blocks Iran nuclear chief from Vienna meeting

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Mohammad Eslami was blocked from entering Austria because he was a ‘sanctioned individual’.

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France

France apologises for criticising US’ human rights record after backlash

France’s permanent mission to the UN expressed regret over a social media post questioning Washington’s commitment to human rights.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | The Global South cannot afford to let its maritime border disputes fester

Cambodia’s compulsory conciliation with Thailand under UN sea law shows how international law can deliver peaceful outcomes before tensions boil over.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Climate change

Opinion | Cop31: Forget climate pledges, countries like Nepal need actual cash

No payout from the loss and damage fund has reached vulnerable nations. Cop31 must focus on delivering the money already promised.

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People cleaning up flood-ravaged houses in Dhunge Bazaar, Nuwakot, Nepal. Photo: Bibek Bhandari
Extreme weather

August was hottest month ever recorded globally, scientists say

UN warns of ‘spiralling price’ of fossil fuels after Earth’s record-shattering summer temperatures.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Nuclear agency board refers Iran to UN Security Council for first time in 20 years

IAEA remains blocked from key sites damaged during June 2025 military strikes by the US and Israel.

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China-Latin America relations

Marco Rubio arrives in Colombia with China ties, trade deals on agenda

Washington’s top diplomat lands in Barranquilla on first leg of three-country tour, with critical minerals, civil nuclear deals to be signed.

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Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Barranquilla, Colombia, on Tuesday. Colombia is the first stop on Rubio’s three-nation South American trip that will also include Ecuador and Peru. Photo: EPA
China-UK relations

China’s Xi Jinping urges deeper UK ties in first call with new PM Andy Burnham

Xi asks to ‘transcend differences’, while British leader speaks of will to restore ties to ‘highest historical level’, Xinhua reports.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has spoken officially with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham for the first time. Photo: Xinhua, Reuters
European Union

Nicaragua accuses Germany of ‘multiple violations’ of law in Gaza genocide case

Nicaragua says Germany has breached the 1948 UN Genocide Convention with its support, notably arms shipments, for Israel.

Hong Kong society

Beijing sends record 16 Hong Kong civil servants for UN roles

Officers sent under UN Junior Professional Officer scheme come from 13 grades and departments, topping earlier deployments in 2019 and 2023.

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United States

UN demands accountability over deaths in US immigration custody

Human rights chief voices alarm over rising detention fatalities and reported ICE plans to deploy electric shock gear.

ICE agents escort a handcuffed detainee outside the Ventura County Government Centre in Ventura, California in July. Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

Evidence of Israel’s ‘atrocity crimes’ risks being removed, UN expert warns

Francesca Albanese says rubble in Gaza is ‘material record’ of war, and implications of Israel’s large-scale debris removal are ‘profound’.

Science

PLA highlights ‘major danger signal’ from Japan in nuclear terror study

Study by a rocket force medical team also warns there is a risk of attacks on cities ‘driven by geopolitical or religious conflicts’.

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Artificial intelligence

UN rights chief warns AI could pose ‘existential’ risk to humanity’

Volker Turk calls for ‘cast-iron guarantees’ to secure AI against risks that his office says includes disruptions to critical infrastructure.

UN High commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivers a speech during the 63rd session of UN Human Rights Council, in Geneva, on Monday. Photo: AFP
Germany

Germany urges UN’s top court to dismiss Gaza genocide case

Berlin says judges lack the jurisdiction to rule on the case and dismisses Nicaragua’s accusations as ‘inaccurate and distorted’.

The logo of the International Court of Justice displayed on the judges’ bench, in The Hague, Netherlands, in May. Photo: AP
Nepal

Nepal puts UN climate fund to test after fatal US$2.5 billion flood

Nepal has petitioned the UN Loss and Damage Fund to ‘respond rapidly, directly and effectively’ after its worst natural disaster in decades.

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Middle East

Hundreds killed in deadliest Yemen fighting since 2022 truce collapsed

Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed forces fight over control of a key Red Sea gateway.

Serbia

Commemoration held for late Serb war criminal Ratko Mladic

The ‘Butcher of Bosnia’ will be buried in Belgrade on Monday in a ceremony expected to draw thousands despite international condemnation.

A photo of Ratko Mladic is displayed during a commemoration ceremony in Belgrade, Serbia on Saturday. Photo: Darko Vojinovic / AP
Israel-Gaza war

US ambassador calls violent Israeli settlers ‘terrorists’ after West Bank unrest

Mike Huckabee on Saturday met Palestinian American residents who described the impact of the violence on their lives and properties.

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US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee speaks to journalists on Saturday after he met residents of Turmus Ayya, a Palestinian town near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Photo: Reuters
United Nations General Assembly

UN adopts new map: Africa bigger, North America and Europe smaller

The US was the only vote against the resolution for a shift to the Equal Earth cartographic projection over the traditional Mercator map.

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Pacific nations

France digs in on Pacific islands claim as Vanuatu turns to World Court

Vanuatu says it will seek UN General Assembly opinion if Paris does not accept the ICJ’s jurisdiction on the disputed outcrops.

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