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UNGA President to visit India from today to deepen multilateral ties on global issues

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New Delhi, Feb 4: United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President Philemon Yang is set to embark on an official visit to India from February 4 to February 8 at the invitation of the Government of India.

His visit aims to enhance bilateral relations and deepen multilateral cooperation on global issues such as international peace, security, and the ‘Pact for the Future’.

Yang is scheduled to visit New Delhi and Bengaluru, with the latter often referred to as the Silicon Valley of India.

During his stay, Yang will engage in high-level discussions, including a courtesy call on President Droupadi Murmu and meetings with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

His schedule also includes interactions with the UN Country Team in India, led by UN Resident Coordinator Shombi Sharp.

In addition to diplomatic engagements, President Yang will visit a public health facility in Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh.

In Bengaluru, he is expected to tour key institutions, including the Infosys campus and the Indian Institute of Science, along with other important sites in both cities.

Before his India visit, President Yang concluded an official tour of Japan from January 31 to February 4.

In Tokyo, he met with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, and JICA President Akihiko Tanaka.

He also paid tribute to the victims of the Hiroshima atomic bombing by laying a wreath at the cenotaph.

Born in the Republic of Cameroon, Philemon Yang previously served as the country’s Prime Minister.

In June 2024, he was elected as the President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. His tenure, which began in September 2024, will continue until September 2025.

His visit to India is expected to further strengthen India’s collaboration with the UN and reinforce global efforts on pressing international issues.

International News

One killed as three-storey building collapses in New York

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At least one person was killed and 10 others injured after a three-storey building collapsed in New York City’s Brooklyn neighbourhood, authorities said.

One person was pronounced dead at the scene, officials confirmed. Four people were taken to hospital in critical condition, while six others sustained minor injuries, according to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).

The FDNY said it received reports of people being trapped at around 4:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday after the building collapsed on the edge of a construction site in the Flatbush neighbourhood of Brooklyn.

Videos from the scene showed firefighters digging through the rubble and pulling at least one person out of the debris.

Firefighters continued their search for another person believed to be trapped beneath the rubble and remained in communication with them as rescue operations progressed.

Several injured construction workers were taken to Kings County Hospital for treatment, although their medical conditions were not immediately known. Search and rescue operations were still underway following the collapse.

According to reports citing FDNY radio communications, at least 10 other people were injured in the incident.

Emergency response teams rushed to the site following reports of a partial building collapse at an apartment building in Brooklyn, with people feared trapped inside, according to FDNY officials.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) urged residents and commuters to stay away from the area around Bedford Avenue and Flatbush Avenue following the incident.

In a post on X, the NYPD warned that road closures and traffic delays were expected in the area and advised motorists to use alternate routes to avoid disruption and allow emergency personnel to carry out rescue operations.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul expressed condolences to the family of the person who lost their life in the building collapse. In a post on X, she said, “My heart breaks for the family who lost a loved one in today’s building collapse in Brooklyn. My administration has reached out and offered its full support as authorities investigate what happened.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani also commented on the incident, saying that emergency responders were working to secure the site and assist those affected by the collapse.

In his post on X, Mamdani said, “Flatbush Avenue is closed from Clarendon Road to Bedford Avenue – please avoid the area so rescue crews can work.”

He further said that the city would provide additional information once officials were in a position to confirm the details of the incident.

Further details are awaited.

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International News

Iran designates Argentine Navy, Air Force as ‘terrorist organisations’

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Iran Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that the country has designated the Argentine Navy and Air Force as terrorist organisations.

The move came in response to the Argentine government’s decision in late March to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry described Argentina’s decision as “hostile and being in contradiction with the fundamental principles of international law,” saying Iran’s move was based on the principle of reciprocity and a domestic law on reciprocal action against the US designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.

The law calls for equivalent countermeasures against countries that comply with or support Washington’s actions against Tehran, the statement said, Xinhua news agency reported. The ministry held the Argentine government responsible for all consequences arising from the decision, stressing that the IRGC is an integral part of Iran’s armed forces.

The office of Argentine President Javier Milei announced on March 31 that Argentina had designated the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.

The decision followed calls by US President Donald Trump’s administration for its allies to designate the IRGC and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations.

The Argentine government said the measure had been adopted in response to the IRGC’s support for Hezbollah, a Lebanese armed group, which Buenos Aires blames for a deadly 1994 bombing attack on the AMIA Jewish community centre in the capital city. The attack killed 85 people and injured over 300 others.

Earlier this month, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Tehran had designated Britain’s Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Secret Intelligence Service as “terrorist and hostile” entities over the British government’s anti-Iran actions.

Meanwhile, Qatar said Tuesday that progress had been made in negotiations between the United States and Iran, describing recent White House talks involving Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani as positive, while cautioning that it was too early to predict when an agreement could be reached.

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India seen as credible broker for Russia-Ukraine peace talks: Report

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India is seen as a credible country that can help in the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine because it is one of few major powers with working relationships with both countries, according to a report in Al Jazeera.

It cited a foreign affairs expert as saying that India’s strategic autonomy puts it in a position to push for peace because New Delhi is “friends with both” sides.

India has also been even-handed. In July, it summoned Moscow’s charge d’affaires to condemn a Russian strike on a merchant vessel that killed 10 people, including four Indian crew members. Days later, it summoned Ukraine’s ambassador over an Indian seafarer killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on the MV Omorfi, the report observes.

It highlights that India is also an importer of goods from both Russia and Ukraine. In the 2025-26, India imported 1.46 million tonnes of sunflower oil from Russia and 443,000 tonnes from Ukraine, according to the Indian Solvent Extractors’ Association (SEA), alongside large volumes of Russian crude.

The article cites Maximilian Hess, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, as saying that Zelenskyy approached India “because they have leverage over Moscow, and they are still one of the few major buyers of its oil.”

He added that a large amount of Russian money sits in the Indian financial system, which Moscow wants to keep access to.

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, about a third of the world’s grain exports passed through the Black Sea, with Ukraine supplying a tenth of global wheat exports and 15 percent of maize. Disruption hits food-importing countries hardest, particularly in Africa and parts of Asia, the report states.

Indian officials point out that India as a leading voice of the Global South is keen that food exports to these developing nations resume to prevent adequate supplies and controlling rising inflation.

Both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have discussed the issue of opening the food corridor over a phone call.

“India is ready to mediate in establishing food corridors, and we are counting on these efforts to continue,” Zelenskyy posted on X after call. The leaders discussed Russia’s blocking of grain exports in the Black Sea, he said.

PM Modi said India was ready to contribute “in every possible way” towards a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, during a visit to Kyiv in September, spoke of a potential pause on strikes against Black Sea shipping and energy infrastructure. On October 4, he said India was talking to both Russia and Ukraine about shipping safety, grain and energy exports and “non-attack possibilities”.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha earlier called India’s proposal “the broadest”, because it covers both the Black Sea and energy infrastructure. The US plan offers only a halt to strikes on energy facilities.

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