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Iran secures UN role with backing from UK, France, Canada, Australia as US stands alone
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Western democracies, including the UK, France, Canada and Australia, are facing backlash after allowing Iran and other authoritarian regimes to secure seats on influential United Nations (U.N.) bodies, with the United States standing alone in opposition.
The controversy stems from decisions by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), a 54-member body that plays a central role in shaping U.N. policy and staffing key committees.
Critics warn the outcome could allow governments accused of human rights abuses to influence global policy and control which civil society groups are granted access to the United Nations.
TERROR SPONSOR IRAN GETS UN LEADERSHIP OVERSEEING CHARTER PRINCIPLES
Members of the United Nations Security Council vote on a resolution to unblock the Strait of Hormuz during a meeting on Iran and the Middle East at U.N. headquarters in New York on April 7, 2026. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
ECOSOC nominated the Islamic Republic of Iran to the U.N.’s Committee for Program and Coordination Wednesday, a body that helps shape policy on human rights, women’s rights, disarmament and counterterrorism.
The nomination is widely expected to be finalized, as the United Nations General Assembly typically approves such recommendations without a vote.
At the same session, ECOSOC elected China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia and Sudan to the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, which oversees accreditation and access for thousands of NGOs operating within the U.N. system.
The United States was the only member state to formally break from consensus.
MIKE WALTZ TURNS TABLES ON IRANIAN ENVOY AT HEATED UN MEETING
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting, after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, Feb. 28, 2026. (Heather Khalifa/Reuters)
In remarks delivered April 8, U.S. Representative to ECOSOC Ambassador Dan Negrea said the U.S. «disassociates from consensus» on both decisions, calling several of the countries involved unfit for such roles.
«The regime threatens its neighbors and has, for decades, infringed on the Iranian people’s ability to exercise their basic human rights,» Negrea said, adding that «we believe Iran is unfit to serve» on the committee.
The decision drew sharp criticism from UN Watch, a Geneva-based watchdog group.
Hillel Neuer told Fox News Digital: «By their cynical actions at the UN, major Western states have betrayed their own human rights principles, severely undermining the rules-based international order that they claim to support.»
«We note that the EU states clearly had another option. They did take action in recent years to stop Russia from getting elected to similar bodies, and so we deeply regret that they failed to do the same now to stop the election of serial violators such as Iran, China, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.»
«We salute the United States for their moral clarity and leadership in objecting to the election of the Islamic Republic of Iran and other brutal regimes.»
Neuer warned the composition of the NGO committee could allow authoritarian governments to influence which organizations are accredited, potentially sidelining independent human rights groups.
«This means dictatorships will have a majority on the committee in order to deny United Nations accreditation to independent organizations that call out their human rights violations, and to accredit more fake front groups created by the regimes,» he said.
Israel’s mission to the United Nations also pointed to political tensions surrounding the vote, saying Iran attempted to challenge Israel’s candidacy during the same ECOSOC session.
AMBASSADOR MIKE WALTZ LAYS OUT ‘AMERICA FIRST’ VISION FOR US LEADERSHIP AT THE UN
Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani attends a United Nations Security Council meeting, after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S. Feb. 28, 2026. (Heather Khalifa/Reuters)
Israel was elected to several U.N. bodies, according to the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations, including the Commission on the Status of Women and the NGO Committee, despite opposition.
«Iran also tried to turn the elections at the UN into an arena for incitement against Israel and failed,» Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon said. «Those who oppress women and trample on human rights in their own country will not teach us what women’s rights are.»
Ahead of the vote, around 70 civil society groups warned that countries with poor human rights records could secure seats on key oversight bodies, but the elections proceeded without a formal vote, a process known as approval «by acclamation.»
Critics argue that this procedure allows controversial candidates to secure influential roles with limited transparency or accountability.
The developments are likely to intensify scrutiny over how U.N. bodies are staffed and whether political considerations are outweighing human rights concerns.
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U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting, after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S. Feb. 28, 2026. (Heather Khalifa/Reuters)
Fox News Digital reached out to the UK, France, Canada, Australia and U.S. mission for comment but did not receive responses in time for publication.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations declined to comment.
united nations, france, war with iran, human rights united nations, iran, united kingdom
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‘Preaching as resistance’: Dem minister behind Satanist wedding now linked to anti-Trump sermon guide
Iowa Democrats seek to flip US Senate seat
FOX Business correspondent Grady Trimble reports on state Rep. Josh Turek and state Sen. Zach Wahls competing for the chance to challenge the GOP U.S. Senate candidate in a key race on ‘Special Report.’
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FIRST ON FOX: Democrat candidate Sarah Trone Garriott, a minister and state legislator running for one of the most competitive House seats in the nation, contributed to a «resistance preaching» guide that encouraged faith leaders to combat President Donald Trump and his supporters from the pulpit.
Trone Garriott authored a chapter in a 2018 collection titled, «Preaching as Resistance: Voices of Hope, Justice, and Solidarity,» in the aftermath of Trump’s 2016 presidential election victory — an event the book described as bringing the country «so closely to fascism.»
Responding to Trump’s presidency, «Many pastors find themselves drawn toward acts of resistance,» Phil Snider, a self-described «White male cishet pastor,» writes in the book’s introduction.
He argued that «pastors of the resistance» were working against a Trump-led coalition rooted in «White supremacy,» «exploitation,» «greed,» and «heteropatriarchy.»
State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat from Iowa and U.S. congressional candidate, speaks with attendees during a primary election night event at The Loft DSM in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 2, 2026. (Scott Morgan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
JOHN FETTERMAN DEFENDS TRUMP SUPPORTERS, CONDEMNS FELLOW DEMOCRATS’ ‘F— TRUMP’ STRATEGY
Trone Garriott, who was ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America in 2008, was among that cohort as an author of the collection.
Her contribution titled, «The Gospel of Resistance,» was described as the first sermon she delivered after the 2016 election and has not been previously reported.
Trone Garriott’s involvement comes as she faces mounting scrutiny from Republicans over her previous remarks on religion and cultural issues. The GOP views the Iowa House battleground held by Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, which incorporates the state capital of Des Moines, as critical to preserving its slim majority.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the contest as a «toss-up.» Trump carried the swing district by over four points in 2024, but a recent Fox News Poll showed his favorability is now underwater in the Hawkeye State.
Trone Garriott publicly discussed helping marry a Satanist couple as a minister-in-training during a love-themed storytelling event in 2023, Fox News Digital previously reported. She also defended a Wiccan-led prayer in the state legislature and tied public displays of Christianity to political violence in a 2023 sermon.
During that talk, she criticized private schools and parental rights in education while highlighting her efforts to seek out prayers in the state legislature that were not from the «White American Christian variety.»
The Republican National Committee (RNC) sharply criticized Trone Garriott’s participation in the «resistance» preaching collection.
«The Wicked Witch of Woke strikes again and admits what we all knew — she views the pulpit as a political weapon to advance her radical agenda,» RNC spokesman Zach Kraft said in a statement to Fox News Digital. «There isn’t a far-left cause Sarah Trone Garriott hasn’t claimed to have found in the Bible and attempted to force on Iowans.»
Trone Garriott did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment about why she chose to contribute to the collection or whether she agreed with the book’s introduction, which described Trump and his tens of millions of voters as rooted in racism.
The book described Trump and his tens of millions of voters as rooted in racism. (David Cliff/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
IOWA DEM ADMITS BEING ‘UNCOMFORTABLE’ WITH WHITENESS AS SHE SEEKS TO FLIP COMPETITIVE HOUSE SEAT
The sermon collection, described as «provocative» by its publisher, includes 30 sermons under titles that include «Transgressing the Gender Binary,» «Encountering Pharaoh — and Climate Change,» and «Wake Up and Stay Woke!»
Beyond criticism of Trump, pastors also condemned immigration enforcement, deportation policies, transphobia, and what one author calls «the worship of military-grade weaponry among the populace.»
In «When to Break the Law,» a minister urges sanctuary cities to defy the federal government and harbor illegal aliens to avoid deportation. In «Take a Knee,» the author rails against the «militarized border.» In «Overcome Evil with Good,» police departments are associated with White supremacy. In «Beloved Resistance,» the president is described as an «unrepentant sexual predator.»
Trone Garriott’s own sermon closes the collection. While less overtly political than some of the others, it was identified as the first sermon she delivered after Trump’s election.
In the sermon, Trone Garriott appears to encourage listeners who were upset by recent events, without explicitly mentioning Trump’s election win. She discusses periods when Christians felt detachment throughout history and turned to Matthew 24:36–44, a passage about Christ’s return in which he tells believers to remain ready.
Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 15, 2025. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg)
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«For those who are honestly praying for the kingdoms of this world to be destroyed and Christ’s kingdom to come…for those who are yearning to go with Christ wherever that may lead…for those hoping for new life…this is the good news,» she wrote.
politics, donald trump, religion us, faith values, midterm elections
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“Me siento en casa”: Salvadoreña regresa a Estados Unidos tras autodeportarse por caso de trata de personas
El bullicio habitual del aeropuerto se disolvió en un estallido de aplausos, llanto y abrazos contenidos durante más de un año. El día 7 de julio de 2026, con las maletas cargadas de una mezcla de alivio y nostalgia, la inmigrante salvadoreña Yessenia Ruano volvió a pisar el suelo que considera su hogar: los Estados Unidos.
Después de catorce meses de un exilio forzado que ella misma tuvo que elegir para proteger a su familia, el reencuentro con la comunidad de Milwaukee no solo marcó el fin de una pesadilla, sino el inicio de un capítulo donde la justicia, aunque incompleta, finalmente tocó a su puerta.
“Es como un sueño hecho realidad y le doy gracias a Dios primeramente por hacer esto posible. Es como que me siento en casa”, confesó Yessenia con la voz entrecortada, asimilando apenas el impacto de haber cruzado la terminal aérea no como una fugitiva de la deportación, sino como una mujer amparada por la ley.
A su lado, sus dos hijas gemelas de diez años, ciudadanas estadounidenses, miraban el entorno con una mezcla de asombro y familiaridad recuperada. El recibimiento fue abrumador. Rostros conocidos de la Escuela ALBA, el centro educativo público bilingüe donde Yessenia trabajó durante años como asistente de maestra, se congregaron para darle la bienvenida que las leyes migratorias le habían negado en el pasado.
En mayo de 2025, la presión del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE) se había vuelto insostenible. A pesar de que Yessenia tenía un trámite activo para obtener la Visa T, un visado humanitario otorgado a víctimas de trata de personas, las autoridades migratorias endurecieron sus políticas de supervisión.
Ante la inminente amenaza de ser arrestada y recluida en un centro de detención, lo que habría significado una separación abrupta y traumática de sus hijas menores de edad, Yessenia tomó una de las decisiones más desgarradoras que puede enfrentar una madre: la autodeportación.
La familia entera se trasladó a El Salvador, un país que para sus hijas era un territorio completamente desconocido y para Yessenia, un pasado que ya no le pertenecía. El choque cultural, el confinamiento en una vivienda precaria y la interrupción de la educación de las niñas marcaron catorce meses de resistencia silenciosa. Sin embargo, en los tribunales estadounidenses se gestaba una batalla legal decisiva.
Un juez federal, al evaluar una demanda colectiva que cuestionaba las agresivas tácticas de deportación del gobierno contra inmigrantes con solicitudes humanitarias vigentes, emitió un fallo histórico.
A pesar de la victoria jurídica, la felicidad en el hogar de los Ruano está incompleta. El fallo del juez federal, sumamente específico en sus alcances técnicos, solo amparó de forma directa a Yessenia y a sus hijas ciudadanas. Miguel, su esposo y el pilar que la sostuvo durante el difícil año de destierro en El Salvador, no fue incluido en la orden de retorno inmediato. Su estatus legal dependía de su condición de beneficiario colateral, un vacío legal que lo obligó a quedarse atrás en el aeropuerto de San Salvador.
Lejos de rendirse ante este nuevo obstáculo, Yessenia ya ha tomado cartas en el asunto. De la mano de sus abogados, ha presentado una petición formal ante las autoridades de inmigración solicitando de manera urgente que Miguel pueda unirse a ellas en los Estados Unidos.
El retorno a Milwaukee representa un triunfo, pero no el fin de la batalla. Yessenia es plenamente consciente de que regresar no significa haber obtenido la residencia automática y que el laberinto legal del ajuste de estatus sigue vigente.
Las autoridades y sus antiguos compañeros de la Escuela ALBA ya le han comunicado que tiene las puertas completamente abiertas para reincorporarse a su antiguo puesto. Pero esta vez, el objetivo de Yessenia es más ambicioso: inspirada por el proceso legal que la obligó a madurar y a defender sus derechos, se ha propuesto iniciar su certificación oficial para dejar de ser asistente y convertirse, finalmente, en una maestra titular.
corresponsal:Desde San Salvador, El Salvador
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Argentinian flight instructor jumps to death from plane, 22-year-old student forced to land alone
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A flight instructor jumped to his death out of a small aircraft over Argentina, forcing the student pilot he was teaching to land the plane herself.
Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, 42, was on board a two-seat Cessna 150G on Saturday when he made the decision to jump out over the province of Córdoba, according to CNN, which cited its Argentinian affiliate TN.
«He made this tragic decision on board an aircraft with another person by his side,» Eduardo Álvarez, director of the Flying Parrot Córdoba flying school where Bertazzo worked, told TN. «It’s impossible to think about it or understand it, but the human mind is so complex.»
An undated photo of Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, a 42-year-old pilot who jumped to his death from a plane on Saturday, July 4 in Argentina. (Instagram/Leandro Bertazzo)
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Rosario, the 22-year-old student, later told authorities that Bertazzo told her, «You know what you have to do, carry on,» before taking off his gear, opening the door and leaping out, according to Álvarez.
Opening the door of a plane midair is incredibly difficult. Álvarez said it would be akin to trying to open the door of a car traveling 124 miles per hour.
Cessna 150m FRA150M climbing out after take-off with flaps deployed and hills behind. (aviation-images.com/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
FRANTIC SEARCH UNDERWAY FOR CREW AFTER BOEING 737 WRECKAGE FOUND BY OFFICIALS
Álvarez said that Rosario managed to land the plane safely, despite being in «complete shock.» There was no damage to the plane, according to TN.
Álvarez noted that Bertazzo had gone on a flight with another student earlier in the day.
A view from the main road of the flight school Bertazzo worked at, Flying Parrot Córdoba. (Google Maps)
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Álvarez also told TN that Bertazzo had visited a psychiatric institute, something that was only known by his family prior to his death.
Prosecutors in Córdoba will lead the investigation into Bertazzo’s death. The plane he jumped from is now in police custody.
world, south america, trending news
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