Four candidates vying to lead the United Nations have spent hours being grilled about their views on issues from restoring global peace to ending escalating poverty.

Four candidates to be the next secretary-general of the United Nations will audition for the job this week, far fewer than there were 10 years ago when António Guterres was selected as U.N. chief.

Many of the world’s nations, but not the United States, gathered on Monday in Spain to tackle the growing gap between rich and poor nations.

Top Russian and U.N. officials are holding talks in Switzerland to try to iron out the extension of a deal allowing Ukrainian grain shipments and Russian food and fertilizer exports.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin about exporting Russian fertilizer through Black Sea ports to address a growing global food crisis.

The United Nations chief is sharply criticizing the “grotesque greed” of oil and gas companies for making record profits from the energy crisis on the back of the world’s poorest people.