Internet spreads hate speech like wildfire says UN chief Antonio Guterres

Agencies

April 13, 2019

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that hatred speech has been spreading like wildfire through the Internet, saying attention should be given to “physical aggressions” in the recent attacks against the Jewish, Christian or Muslim centres.

"This situation requires a huge investment, an investment in social cohesion and investment in diversity to make people feel that even if they are different from others ... the societies should accept them, integrate them and respect them," Xinhua quoted Guterres as saying to the inaugural United Nations Model UN Summit on Friday.

Citing the recent attacks against several religious sites in New Zealand and Pittsburgh of the US, the UN chief called on the international community to guard against both "extreme thinking and extreme political action."

Noting that diversity "makes our society more vibrant and more interesting," the UN chief urged the international community to address the root causes behind the rise of both hatred speeches and actions.

"We need to really go deep, look into the root causes of why things are wrong," he noted.

The UN chief stressed that young generation has "a fundamental role to play" in this regard.

The UN Secretary-General reiterated the importance of multilateralism in addressing global problems, noting that "no country alone can solve these problems."

"Whether people like the UN or not, whether people think that UN must be reforming this or that aspect, we still need UN as a fundamental tool for a better world," the secretary-general concluded.

Model United Nations (MUN) simulations are popular exercises for those interested in learning more about the UN.

It is estimated that more than 400,000 students worldwide participate every year in MUN at all educational levels -- from primary school to university. Many of today's leaders in law, government, business and the arts fields have participated in MUN as students.

The UN Department of Global Communications wants to see Model United Nations become an actual agent of positive change in communities across the globe. As a first step, it held the Inaugural United Nations Model UN Summit on Friday.

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In meeting with Zohran Mamdani, Trump repeats claim he stopped India-Pak war

Agencies

November 22,2025

New York/Washington: US President Donald Trump has again claimed to have solved the conflict between India and Pakistan, repeating his assertion during a meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office.

Mamdani flew to Washington DC for his first meeting with Trump in the White House on Friday. Trump said he “enjoyed” the meeting, which he described as “great.”

During remarks in the Oval Office, with Mamdani standing next to him, Trump repeated his claim that he solved the May conflict between India and Pakistan.

"I did eight peace deals of countries, including India and Pakistan,” he said.

On Wednesday, Trump had said he threatened to put 350 per cent tariffs on India and Pakistan if they did not end their conflict, repeating his claim that he solved the fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called him to say “we're not going to go to war.”

Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim over 60 times that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan.

India has consistently denied any third-party intervention. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.

Mamdani emerged victorious in the closely-watched battle for New York City Mayor, becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to be elected to sit at the helm of the largest city in the US.

He had been the front-runner in the NYC Mayoral election for months and defeated Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and political heavyweight former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent candidate and was officially endorsed by Trump just hours before the elections.

Indian-descent Mamdani is the son of renowned filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. He was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda and moved to New York City with his family when he was 7. Mamdani became a naturalised US citizen only recently, in 2018.

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