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Sep272026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

TN: Karur marks first anniversary of crowd crush that killed 41

Karur, Sep 27 (IANS) A year after 41 people died at a rally addressed by Vijay in Tamil Nadu's Karur, the families of the victims and those who survived the crush are marking an anniversary that remains painful for the city. On September 27, 2025, supporters of Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) gathered from the morning at Velusamypuram. Many hoped to see the actor-turned-politician in person. Families had brought children, and party songs played as the crowd waited for his arrival. Vijay reached the area that evening. As people moved towards his campaign vehicle, the gathering became dangerously congested. Some fell and were trapped beneath others. Members of the public and police pulled people from the crowd and took the injured to hospitals.What had begun as a political gathering e...

Sep272026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

UN urged to prevent crises, not count dead

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United Nations, Sep 27 (IANS) Leaders from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean have urged the United Nations to move beyond responding to wars and humanitarian disasters and invest more heavily in diplomacy that can prevent crises before they erupt.The demand emerged repeatedly during the General Assembly debate as countries questioned whether the UN had become more effective at managing the consequences of conflict than stopping violence.Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan delivered one of the sharpest assessments.He said the UN too often responded “only after disaster has arrived. We count the dead. We deliver supplies.”The international community would then rebuild what had been destroyed while waiting for another crisis, he said.“We must move from reaction to prevention,” Hasan...

Sep272026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

UNGA targets borderless crime, online scams

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United Nations, Sep 27 (IANS) Cambodia, India and other countries have called for stronger international cooperation against online scam centres, terrorism, trafficking and criminal networks that use technology and cross-border financial systems to operate beyond the reach of individual governments.The warnings at the UN General Assembly reflected an expanding definition of international security. Speakers said threats were no longer confined to conventional warfare and could move across borders through mobile phones, financial channels and loosely connected criminal organisations.Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said artificial intelligence and digital innovation could speed development but could also fuel insecurity, inequality and transnational crime whe...

Sep272026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

India joins UN push to secure sea lanes

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United Nations, Sep 27 (IANS) India has joined maritime and Gulf nations in calling for the protection of international sea lanes as leaders at the UN warned that attacks on ships and disruptions at strategic waterways were threatening energy supplies, food security and global trade.External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar voiced deep concern over continuing hostilities in the Gulf and the targeting of commercial vessels and maritime crews in international waters.He called for restraint, de-escalation and the uninterrupted movement of energy and commerce. India also sought greater protection for ships and seafarers caught in regional conflicts.The warnings extended across speeches delivered during several days of the UN General Assembly debate this week. Ministers from Oman, Saudi Arabia, B...

Sep272026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

Global South demands financial reset

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United Nations, Sep 27 (IANS) Developing countries from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific have demanded an overhaul of global lending and climate-finance rules, saying the present system forces vulnerable nations to borrow repeatedly to repair damage they did little to cause.The calls during the UN General Assembly debate linked climate disasters, rising debt and stalled development to an international financial system that speakers said no longer reflected the needs of the Global South.Cameroon Foreign Minister Mbella Mbella said resources for development were available but remained difficult for poorer countries to access.“This means reforming the international financial architecture to give countries of the Global South a fair shot,” he said.Cameroon also called for the implementati...

Sep272026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

Saudi FM calls for Strait of Hormuz to return to pre-Feb 28 status

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United Nations, Sep 27 (IANS) Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud stressed the importance of restoring the situation in the Strait of Hormuz to its pre-February 28 status without the imposition of any fees or restrictions.Speaking during the general debate of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Faisal called for freedom of navigation in international waterways, highlighting the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and rejected their use by any party as an instrument of pressure or threat.He said the security of the Gulf region is part and parcel of the security of the region and the world at large, adding that stability in the Gulf is directly connected to global energy security, international trade and supply chains, Xi...

Sep272026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

At UNGA, EAM Jaishankar calls for peace, warns India will defend itself against terrorism

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United Nations, Sep 27 (IANS) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar used his UN General Assembly address to make a broad case for peace, but with a warning: India would defend itself against terrorism, and poorer nations should not bear the costs of wars and decisions in which they have little say.The speech moved from conflicts in the Gulf and Ukraine to food and energy security, development, artificial intelligence and reform of global institutions. Running through it was a single argument. Peace depends on stability and fair access to resources as much as it does on ending wars.EAM Jaishankar’s sharpest words were reserved for an unnamed country he called a “serial practitioner of terrorism”. He accused it of misrepresenting facts before the assembly a day earlier and said arguments h...

Sep272026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

India, developing nations warn UN distant wars hit global food, fuel costs

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United Nations, Sep 27 (IANS) India and several developing countries have warned the UN that wars are inflicting economic damage far beyond the battlefield, driving up food and energy prices and disrupting trade in nations with little influence over the conflicts.External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said countries distant from fighting were being penalised through interruptions to food, fuel, fertiliser, finance and commerce.“Those most impacted often have the least say,” he told the UN General Assembly.EAM Jaishankar said the failure to maintain peace was weakening security, threatening progress and slowing development. The effects were particularly severe across the Global South.India expressed concern over the war in Ukraine and continuing hostilities in the Gulf. It called for restr...

Sep272026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

Middle powers push back against rival blocs

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United Nations, Sep 27 (IANS) Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and several smaller countries have used the UN General Assembly to demand greater strategic autonomy as intensifying competition among powerful nations places economic cooperation and national sovereignty under pressure.The speeches reflected growing concern that countries could be forced to choose between competing power centres or become excessively dependent on a single security or economic partner.Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand delivered one of the strongest warnings.“We are facing a rupture, not a transition,” Anand said, accusing major powers of retreating from global economic cooperation and dismantling economic integration.Canada wanted a peaceful, prosperous and predictable international environment, she said....

Sep272026 by TheStateLineNo Comments

India backs sovereign AI models at UN

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United Nations, Sep 27 (IANS) India has defended every nation’s right to develop its own artificial intelligence models as countries at the UN warned that control over the technology must not remain concentrated among a few governments and corporations.External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told the UN General Assembly that AI could become “a transformational driver” of human empowerment and economic prosperity.He also cautioned that the misuse of AI was sharpening bias and eroding mutual respect. Countries should be free to create their own models in line with their national priorities, Jaishankar said during the General Debate on Saturday.His remarks were part of a wider discussion at the UN over who controls AI, who writes its rules and whether developing countries will have a meaningf...