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China, Russia veto UN Strait of Hormuz resolution
China and Russia voted against a United Nations resolution that aimed to boost security in the Strait of Hormuz, as global trade remains impacted due to its closure. Of the 15-member security council, 11 countries voted in favour, China and Russia voted against, and two countries abstained. The resolution was submitted by Bahrain alongside Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. After the vote, Bahrain's foreign minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani expressed regret on their behalf. “The Council failed to shoulder its responsibility in relation to an illegal conduct that requires decisive action with no delay,” he said. “Failing to adopt this resolution sends the wrong signal to the world, to the peoples of the world, the signal that the threat to international waterways can pass without any decisive action by the international organisation responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security.” The resolution sought to strongly encourage States interested in the use of commercial maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz and to “coordinate efforts” defensively, to contribute to ensuring the safety and security of navigation there, including the use of escorts for merchant an
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UN declares era of water bankruptcy in new report
The United Nations released a report declaring that the world has entered an era of “global water bankruptcy” that is harming billions of people. The report found that nearly three-quarters of the global population live in countries classified as “water insecure” or “critically water insecure”, and 4 billion people face severe water scarcity at least once a month. Lead author on the report, Kaveh Madani, said this water scarcity will have global implications. “Water bankruptcy is also global because its consequences travel,” he said. “Agriculture accounts for the vast majority of freshwater use, and food systems are tightly interconnected through trade and prices.” According to the research, 410 million hectares of natural wetlands, almost equal in size to the entire European Union, have been erased in the past five decades, and 50% of large lakes have lost water since the early 1990s. As well as this, the annual value of lost wetland ecosystems has reached US$5.1 billion, and the current annual global cost of drought has reached US$307 billion. More than 170 million hectares of irrigated crop land are also under “high” or “very high” water stress, and economic damage from land degradation, groundwater depleti
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Putin asked to join Trump's Board of Peace
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been asked to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, according to the Kremlin. The Board of Prace is reportedly aimed at resolving global conflicts as well as overseeing governance and reconstruction in Gaza. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would consider the proposal to join the board. "President Putin has indeed received an offer through diplomatic channels to join this Board of Peace,” Peskov told Russian media news agency TASS. “We are currently studying all the details of this proposal. “We hope to contact the U.S. side to clarify all the details.” This comes as Russia is still in the midst of its own four-year war with Ukraine, where a peace deal remains elusive. Since returning to the White House, Trump has tried to end this war to no avail. Trump has invited several world leaders, like Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Argentine President Javier Milei, to join the Board of Peace for Gaza, which will be part of the larger Board of Peace. He has also reportedly invited a Putin ally and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. While Trump claims entry to the Board of Peace is free, his administration recently said it wants na
United Nations
Trump requests US$1bn for Board of Peace seats
United States President Donald Trump has requested that countries wanting a permanent spot on his new Board of Peace contribute at least US$1 billion (A$1.493 billion). Bloomberg cited a draft charter for the proposed group that said Trump would serve as the inaugural chairman and would decide on invited members. The Board of Peace is an international body that was endorsed by the United Nations Security Council in November and was established to oversee the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Decisions would be taken by a majority, with each member state present getting one vote, but all would be subject to the chairman’s approval. “Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman. The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force,” the draft said. Critics are concerned that Trump is trying to build an alternative to the United Nations, which he has long criticised. A U.S. official told CNBC that while there will be no cost to join the board, a US$1 billion contribution would secure perma
United Nations
UN votes in favour of adopting Trump's Gaza resolution
The United Nations Security Council voted in favour of adopting United States President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. The resolution received a unanimous 13 votes, with permanent members China and Russia abstaining as they complained the resolution doesn’t give a clear role to the UN in the future of Gaza. "In essence, the council is giving its blessing to a U.S. initiative on the basis of Washington's promises, giving complete control over the Gaza Strip to the Board of Peace and the ISF (international stabilisation force), the modalities of which we know nothing about so far," Russian ambassador Vasily Nebenzya told the council following the vote. The resolution includes the establishment of a Board of Peace, which will begin a temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF). Waltz said the ISF “will stabilise the security environment, support the demilitarisation of Gaza, dismantle terrorist infrastructure, decommission weapons and maintain the safety of Palestinian civilians”. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz said the peace plan helped chart a new course in the Middle East for Israeli’s and Palestinians. “Today’s resolution represents another significant step towards a stable Gaza that will be able to prosp

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BRICS+ climate change indifference exposed at COP30
With Brazil currently playing host to the 12-day United Nations Climate Change event (COP30) at Belém, capital of the state of Pará, the very least it could expect from fellow BRICS+ members – since assuming presidency of the alliance in July – is some sort of united front on balancing climate and economic priorities. However, nothing could be further from the truth, with the expanded BRICS bloc displaying a wildly divergent range of interests, ranging from oil dynasties to coal-dependent economies to rainforest guardians.BRICS lacks alignmentWhile close to 200 countries gathered at the COP30 summit on Monday, notably absent were founding BRICS members, India and China, which suggests a growing lack of alignment within the renegade trading bloc that was initially established to take on the world and win. Making Brazil even more unpopular with its BRICS counterparts was the criticism President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva dished out to fellow members during the recent Rio BRICS Summit for not fulfilling their COP commitments. “I believe you can—and must—show the world that it is possible to create a new financing model,” Lula said at the recent event in Rio. “The so-called austerity demanded by financial institutions has
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Fossil fuels 'flailing and failing', UN chief declares
In a landmark speech at United Nations Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General António Guterres declared the fossil fuel era “flailing and failing,” urging world leaders to embrace what he called an “unstoppable” clean energy revolution. The address, delivered on 22 July, marked a pivotal moment in global climate diplomacy ahead of the COP30 summit in Brazil this November. Guterres cited dramatic cost declines in solar and wind energy, now 41% and 53% cheaper respectively than fossil fuel alternatives, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). In 2024, renewables accounted for 92.5% of all new electricity capacity added globally, with every continent installing more clean power than fossil fuels. “There are no price spikes for sunlight. No embargoes on wind,” Guterres said, referencing energyy price shocks triggered by Russia’s Ukraine invasion.. He warned that fossil fuel dependence exposes economies to geopolitical turmoil and undermines energy sovereignty. The Secretary-General has also condemned continued fossil fuel subsidies, which outpace those for renewables by a ratio of 9 to 1. In 2023, fossil fuel subsidies reached $620 billion globally, compared to just $70 billion for clean ene
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WHO suggests health taxes that will raise global revenue
The World Health Organisation has launched a major campaign set to raise public revenue by US$1 trillion globally over the next decade. The “3 by 35” initiative urges countries to raise prices and add extra taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks by at least 50% by 2035 to help curb chronic diseases and generate critical public revenue. WHO assitant director-general, health promotion and disease prevention, Dr Jeremy Farrar, said health taxes are the most effective tool they have. “They cut the consumption of harmful products and create revenue governments can reinvest in health care, education, and social protection,” he said. “It’s time to act.” According to a recent analysis, a one-time tax increase of 50% could generate US$3.7 trillion in new revenue globally within five years, or on average US$740 billion, which is equivalent to 0.75% of global GDP. Some governments have already implemented similar health taxes and are seeing financial benefits. An example is the tobacco excise tax in the Philippines, which led to an increase in revenue from US$1 billion in 20212 to $2.9 billion in 2022. According to the WHO, many countries have expressed interest in transitioning toward more self-reliant, domestic
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UN flags Iran's possible uranium enrichment push
United Nations nuclear watchdog head, Rafael Grossi said Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, sparking speculation about how effective the United States' strikes to destroy Iran’s nuclear program have been. According to U.S. officials, their strikes obliterated key sites in Iran, and President Donald Trump said they would consider bombing Iran again if enriched uranium reached worrying levels. "The capacities they have are there. They can have, you know, in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that," Grossi told CBS News in an interview. This comes after Israel launched attacks on Iran earlier this month to prevent them from developing any nuclear weapons. The U.S. eventually joined the 12-day war, with Donald Trump bombing Iran and announcing a ceasefire. Grossi said that while the strikes significantly set back Iran’s ability to convert and enrich uranium, the country has gained plenty of knowledge, meaning that despite the bombings being a major setback, the advancements are permanent. "Iran is a very sophisticated country in terms of nuclear technology," Grossi said. "So you cannot disinvent this. You canno