United Nations, New York – Iran has been elected vice-chair of the United Nations Charter Committee, a body tasked with examining and strengthening the principles of the U.N. Charter, drawing criticism from Israel and renewed scrutiny of the organization’s selection processes.
The appointment was approved during the committee’s opening meeting as part of its executive composition, through an agreed procedure and without a formal vote.
At a U.N. press briefing, Fox News Digital asked whether Iran’s record aligns with the values of the Charter and whether the secretary-general would condemn the move.
UPROAR AFTER IRAN NAMED VICE-CHAIR OF UN BODY PROMOTING DEMOCRACY, WOMEN’S RIGHTS
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A view of the United Nations Headquarters building in New York City, N.Y., July 16, 2024.(Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“The election of any member state to a body is the result of voting by member states themselves,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the secretary-general said. “So, questions about who gets elected to which bodies is a question for member states. We expect every member state of this organization to uphold the Charter, to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, given that they themselves signed on to this club that the U.N. is and those are founding, some of our founding documents.”
Pressed on whether the secretary-general would condemn Iran’s election, the spokesperson added, “It is not for him to condemn the election of any member state to a body. He will condemn and has when member states, through their actions, he feels, violate the charter or human rights.”
The Charter Committee operates under the U.N. Legal Committee and meets annually. Its mandate includes examining issues related to the Charter and proposing ways to reinforce its implementation, though its work typically requires consensus among member states and rarely results in binding action.
ISRAELI UN AMBASSADOR SENDS STARK WARNING TO IRAN AMID GROWING UNREST
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U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz speaks with Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon before a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to consider a U.S. proposal for a U.N. mandate to establish an international stabilization force in Gaza at U.N. headquarters in New York City, N.Y., Nov. 17, 2025.(Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)
Anne Bayefsky, president of Human Rights Voices and director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, sharply criticized the move, linking it to longstanding concerns about the U.N.’s performance.
“The U.N. created a committee back in 1974 supposedly to ‘enhance the ability of the U.N. to achieve its purposes.’ The trouble is that, ever since, the U.N. has been a downward trajectory on actually achieving its primary purposes, namely, maintaining international peace and security and promoting respect for fundamental human rights,” Bayefsky said.
“Given that Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and a country committed to the annihilation of the Jewish state and the bloody repression of its own people, the U.N. appointment helps clarify that in our time, U.N. purposes are in fact antithetical to peace, rights and human dignity.”
Iranian security forces reportedly killed detainees and burned bodies during protests, with clashes continuing in Kermanshah, Rasht and Mashhad, Iran, despite government claims.(NCRI)
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Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon sharply criticized Iran’s appointment.
“This is a moral absurdity,” Danon said. “A regime that violates the basic principles of the U.N. cannot represent them.
“A country that systematically violates the basic principles of the U.N. cannot sit in a leadership position that deals with strengthening them. The U.N. cannot continue to grant legitimacy to regimes that violate the very principles of its own charter.”
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Protesters rally outside the United Nations during Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s speech at the 2025 United Nations General Assembly in New York City, N.Y., Sept. 24, 2025.(Alireza Jafarzadeh)
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The committee has in recent years served as a forum for political disputes among member states, including criticism directed at Israel, diplomats say. Iran’s selection to a leadership role comes amid ongoing debate over how the U.N. balances representation among member states with concerns about human rights records and adherence to the organization’s founding principles.
The U.N. maintains that leadership positions across its committees are determined by member states, not the secretariat, and reflect internal diplomatic processes rather than endorsement of any government’s policies or record.
Efrat Lachter is a world reporter for Fox News Digital covering international affairs and the United Nations. Follow her on X @efratlachter. Stories can be sent to efrat.lachter@fox.com.
Penguins rinkside reporter Hailey Hunter is out at SportsNet Pittsburgh after three seasons.
The network announced the decision on Wednesday evening.
“We are grateful for all of Hailey’s contributions during her time at SportsNet Pittsburgh. We wish her the very best in her future endeavors,” reads a statement from SportsNet Pittsburgh. “We will soon begin a nationwide search for a rinkside reporter for our Penguins coverage.”
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The daughter of former NHL player Tim Hrynewich (who played for Pittsburgh between 1982 and 1984), Hunter joined the network during the 2023-2024 NHL season.
Per TribLive’s Rob Owen, Hunter said she wasn’t given a concrete reason for the decision.
“Unfortunately, I was told the Penguins have decided that they simply wanted to move in a different direction with the role,” she wrote to Owen. “I really wasn’t given any details, but I understand that’s the business we are in.”
Hunter added that she “absolutely loved my time with SportsNet Pittsburgh. The network truly felt like family and everyone there will always be great friends of mine. I’ll be having a get-together with many of the people I worked with next week, from cameramen to producers to executives from our network, the Penguins org, and the Pirates org. Sounds like about 60 people are coming, which is so kind, but also speaks to how close friends I became with everyone. We are all pretty shocked, but everyone’s kindness and support has truly meant the world to me.”
Previous to her time with SportsNet Pittsburgh, Hunter worked for Golf Channel and PGA Tour Entertainment as well as a team reporter and host for the New York Islanders during the 2021-22 season.
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According to social media posts, Hunter and fiancé Gage Posey got married on May 16.
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Hartford Advocates and Community Members Gathered to Remember, Honor Path to Freedom
HARTFORD, Ct. — Today, Sierra Club Connecticut and State Representatives Minnie Gonzalez, Maryam Khan, and Jilian Gilchrist hosted Black Lungs Matter, a Juneteenth Press Conference, at the Connecticut Legislative Office Building.
The event highlighted the disproportionate impact of air pollution on Black residents in Connecticut and the broken promises that have contributed to this impact. Speakers included state representatives, public health and civil rights experts, plus local voices from Sierra Club Connecticut and the Connecticut Coalition for Economic and Environmental Justice.
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The groups are concerned that Governor Lamont is no longer moving ahead with eliminating all carbon emissions from state building heating and cooling systems, as he pledged in Executive Order 21-3. The Trump Administration has also cancelled at least $50 million in federal grants for environmental justice projects across New England, a substantial portion of which was slated to come to Connecticut environmental justice organizations.
Environmental injustice refers to the fact that environmental hazards, such as air and water pollution, and the health harms that they cause, are disproportionately experienced by people of color and low income people. Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, income, ethnicity, tribal affiliation or disability, in the environmental decision making which affects them.
“Just like the enslaved people in Texas were some of the last to gain their freedom, the asthmatic children of Hartford are likely to be the last to breathe clean air,” said Dr. Mark Mitchell, founder of the Connecticut Environmental Justice Leadership Collaborative. “The Governor should keep his clean air promise to Hartford, and help fight back against the environmental injustice of the Trump Administration.”
“As a Puerto Rican woman, I stand in solidarity with Black communities fighting for the right to breathe clean air and live healthy lives,” said Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, who represents the residents that are most exposed to the pollution from Capitol Area Systems.
“As a representative of Hartford, I am deeply committed to ensuring that every child in our city breathes clean air,” said Rep. Maryam Khan. “On this Juneteenth, we recognize the painful legacy of environmental injustice that has disproportionately harmed Black communities. Today, I stand with the Sierra Club in demanding action to tackle air pollution in Hartford. No child’s future should be stolen by the air they breathe.”
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“Connecticut has made commitments to Environmental Justice,” said Sharon Lewis, an Environmental Justice Advocate. “Juneteenth reminds us that commitments matter only when they reach the people they were intended to serve.”
“We cannot allow the environmental justice goals and objectives in this city to be ignored,” said Attorney Cynthia Jennings. “Any investment of our tax dollars must be used to improve the health and safety of residents in every Hartford community.”
“Let’s remind the Governor that Black Americans deserve to breathe clean air in Hartford,” said Sierra Club Connecticut Organizer Alycia Jenkins. “Once justice is won for Black Americans, justice will be won for all.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
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Yarmouth’s Ian Minnihan looks to shoot against Thornton Academy during a Class A boys lacrosse semifinal Wednesday in Saco. The Clippers face unbeaten Falmouth in Saturday’s state championship. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)
The Maine high school spring sports season reaches its conclusion with two days of excitement, as 14 state champions will be crowned Friday and Saturday. Some teams are hoping to win their first state title, while others are trying to repeat, and a few are seeking revenge after losing to the same foes in last year’s state finals.
We asked Varsity Maine reporters for something important to know about each state championship game matchup.Here’s what they said about the three boys lacrosse finals.
Class A: Falmouth (16-0) vs. Yarmouth (13-3)
Yarmouth needs to start fast. The Clippers never trailed by more than two goals in their semifinal against Thornton Academy, which kept the task manageable and allowed them to prevail late. But they fell behind 4-0 to top-ranked Falmouth in an 11-7 loss in the regular season, and against a team with the Navigators’ firepower, that’s too deep a hole. Falmouth has scored 33 goals in two tournament games, so keeping pace early is vital as Yarmouth seeks the upset.
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Class B: Marshwood (14-2) vs. York (11-5)
York intentionally played a brutally tough schedule with this state championship game in mind. Eight of the Wildcats’ 14 regular-season games were against Class A competition. Will the payoff be the team’s first state title since 2023, in its fourth straight state final?
Class C: North Yarmouth Academy (13-3) vs. Maranacook/Winthrop (10-6)
This is a rematch of last year’s final, which the Panthers won 9-7, but the scoreboard will probably be more active this time around. NYA bested Maranacook/Winthrop 17-10 on May 8, and has scored 39 goals this postseason, most coming from midfielders Stephen Connolly, Deagan Nadeau and Gavin Thomas. The Hawks have 32 playoff goals, paced by attackmen Ethan Chilton, Jacob Lyons and Caleb Morgan. With both offenses churning, possessions and defensive stops will be key.
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Drew Bonifant covers sports for the Press Herald, with beats in high school football, basketball and baseball. He was previously part of the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel sports team. A New Hampshire…
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Dave Dyer is in his second stint with the Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel. Dave was previously with the company from 2012-2015 and returned in late 2016. He spent most of 2016 doing freelance sports…
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Jimmy covers sports for the Sun Journal, primarily contributing to the Varsity Maine team. He is from Hagerstown, Maryland, and graduated from the University of Richmond in May of 2025 with a B.A. in journalism…
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