Army chief dismisses UN report on alleged rights violations in Kashmir

Indian Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat on Wednesday slammed the UN report on alleged human rights violations in Kashmir, dubbing it as "motivated".

The human rights record of the Indian Army, he said, was well known to the people of Kashmir and to the international community

"I don't need to speak about the human rights record of the Indian Army. It is well known to all of you, it is well known to the people of Kashmir, and to the international community. I don't think we should get too concerned about the report, some of these reports are motivated," Rawat told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.

UN alarmed by 12th straight global monthly heat record

The United Nations has expressed alarm after scientists recorded the 12th straight global monthly heat record in a row.

The data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released Thursday confirmed earlier readings taken by NASA and the Japan Meteorological Agency. They showed that Earth's average temperature in April was 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the 20th-century average.

Historic pact to slow global warming is celebrated in Paris

Nearly 200 nations adopted the first global pact to fight climate change on Saturday, calling on the world to collectively cut and then eliminate greenhouse gas pollution but imposing no sanctions on countries that don't.

The "Paris agreement" aims to keep global temperatures from rising another degree Celsius (1.8 Fahrenheit) between now and 2100, a key demand of poor countries ravaged by rising sea levels and other effects of climate change.

Timeline of key events in UN effort against climate change

After decades of warnings from scientists that greenhouse gas emissions were warming the planet, governments started coming together in the 1980s to combat the problem. Here's a timeline of key moments in the diplomatic effort to stop global warming, leading up to the U.N. climate conference in Paris:

1987: MONTREAL — Governments adopt a treaty pledging to restrict emissions of chemicals damaging the ozone layer. While it doesn't deal with climate change specifically, the Montreal Protocol becomes a model for how to rein in man-made emissions through international agreements.

United Nations charter, signed in San Francisco, turns 70

Hundreds of people packed the rotunda of San Francisco City Hall to mark the 70th birthday of the signing of the United Nations charter.