Leh protestsIt is saddening that idyllic Ladakh experienced violence (Front page, September 26). When Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated, as Union Territories, the streets in Leh erupted in jubilation. Just a few years later, the same streets have witnessed violent protests by locals demanding Statehood. Prolonged unrest in Ladakh is not good for the country as it borders Pakistan and China.Kshirasagara Balaji Rao,HyderabadState of the UNThe United Nations was meant to embody collective security. Instead, it has become hostage to the narrow interests of its five permanent members. The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China wield the veto not as a safeguard of peace but as a weapon of manipulation. Conflicts fester and humanitarian crises deepen because resolutions stand blocked at the altar of geopolitics. From Syria to Ukraine to Palestine, the United Nations stays reduced to a rhetoric of great powers playing out their rivalries. The U.S. President Donald Trump’s denunciation of the United Nations as ineffective could be bluntly amusing but for the two devastating wars now playing out endlessly and the institution being crippled by design. Until the veto is dismantled or diluted, the UN will be no arbiter of world order.R. Narayanan,Navi MumbaiFighting Russia’s warIt was not surprising to read the report, “Sri Lankans being trafficked to fight Russia’s war in Ukraine: UN expert” (‘World’ page, September 26). The world is now witness to all kinds of misadventures using unemployed youth in poor countries. What a terrible way to recruit a mercenary army. It deserves to be condemned by one and all. Unfortunately, the United Nations is a white elephant and unable to resolve conflicts of this nature. It dances to the tunes of major western countries. Russia should see reason and stop the war with Ukraine.Govardhana Myneedu,Vijayawada, Andhra PradeshPublished - September 27, 2025 12:24 am IST