Follow our live coverage on the UN General Assembly
The annual United Nations General Assembly begins on Tuesday at the world body's headquarters in New York, with global leaders gathering to address pressing international issues.
This year's high-level discussions are expected to focus heavily on the continuing conflicts in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, as well as the escalating climate crisis.
The event kicks off with a summit aimed at galvanising efforts towards the Summit of the Future, set for September 22-23.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called the summit a "once-in-a-generation" opportunity to renew multilateral co-operation. Delegates are expected to endorse the "Pact for the Future", a far-reaching document designed to reform the UN system to better address 21st-century challenges.
The General Debate, the key event of the session, begins on Tuesday, September 24, with speeches from leaders of the UN’s 193 member states. Each country will be given 15 to 20 minutes to speak before the international community.
As is tradition, Brazil’s president will be the first to take the podium, followed by the US President Joe Biden. Over the course of six days, a succession of world leaders will address the assembly, laying out their national priorities and views on global affairs.
This is the complete schedule of countries due to speak at the 79th UN General Assembly in New York:
Tuesday, September 24
Morning: Brazil, US, Turkey, Jordan, Guatemala, Switzerland, Colombia, Qatar, South Africa, Maldives, Uzbekistan, Lithuania, Tajikistan, Sierra Leone and Serbia.
Afternoon: Peru, Kyrgyzstan, Algeria, Argentina, Morocco, El Salvador, Iran, Estonia, Chile, Latvia, Paraguay, Vietnam, Angola, Poland, Monaco, Nauru and Nigeria.
Wednesday, September 25
Morning: Mongolia, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Ghana, Bulgaria, Suriname, Cyprus, Ecuador, Slovakia, Namibia, Libya, Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Romania, Brunei Darussalam, Democratic Republic of Congo, Honduras and France.
Afternoon: Cabo Verde, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Guyana, Panama, Mauritania, Senegal, Liberia, Togo, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Dominica, Marshall Islands, Guinea-Bissau and Bolivia.
Thursday, September 26
Morning: Malawi, Cameroon, Kenya, Yemen, Burundi, Gabon, Central African Republic, Palestine, Gambia, Haiti, Sudan, Sao Tome and Principe, Lesotho, South Sudan, North Macedonia, Uruguay and Fiji.
Afternoon: Micronesia, Djibouti, Mauritius, European Union, Cote d'Ivoire, Palau, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, Bahrain, Portugal, Japan, Netherlands, Armenia, Iraq, Israel, Georgia, Greece, Barbados and Nepal.
Friday, September 27
Morning: Slovenia, Pakistan, Italy, Spain, Bhutan, UK, Andorra, Bangladesh, Moldova, Canada, Vanuatu, Croatia, Papua New Guinea, Ireland, Malta and the Bahamas.
Afternoon: Montenegro, Antigua and Barbuda, Albania, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Laos, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Timor Leste, Tonga, Somalia, Eswatini, Tanzania and Chad.
Saturday, September 28
Morning: Grenada, Uganda, Guinea, Holy See, China, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, New Zealand, Luxembourg, Mali, Indonesia, Russia, Mexico, Norway, Hungary, Singapore, Cuba, Philippines, San Marino, Malaysia and Australia.
Afternoon: UAE, Turkmenistan, Germany, Liechtenstein, Saudi Arabia, Zambia, Sweden, Austria, India, Belarus, Iceland, Oman, Denmark, Thailand, Azerbaijan, Trinidad and Tobago, Ethiopia and Belize.
Monday, September 30
Morning: Syria, Venezuela, Eritrea, Nicaragua, Benin, Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, Costa Rica, Niger, South Korea, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Belgium, Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Congo and Sri Lanka.
Afternoon: Myanmar, North Korea and Kiribati.
The order of nations can change on a daily basis.
MATCH INFO
BRIGHTON 0
MANCHESTER UNITED 3
McTominay 44'
Mata 73'
Pogba 80'
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The years Ramadan fell in May
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGrowdash%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJuly%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESean%20Trevaskis%20and%20Enver%20Sorkun%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERestaurant%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24750%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Plus%20VC%2C%20Judah%20VC%2C%20TPN%20Investments%20and%20angel%20investors%2C%20including%20former%20Talabat%20chief%20executive%20Abdulhamid%20Alomar%2C%20and%20entrepreneur%20Zeid%20Husban%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.
Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Defending champions
World Series: South Africa
Women’s World Series: Australia
Gulf Men’s League: Dubai Exiles
Gulf Men’s Social: Mediclinic Barrelhouse Warriors
Gulf Vets: Jebel Ali Dragons Veterans
Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles
Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles
UAE National Schools: Al Safa School
International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack
Chelsea 2 Burnley 3
Chelsea Morata (69'), Luiz (88')
Burnley Vokes (24', 43'), Ward (39')
Red cards Cahill, Fabregas (Chelsea)
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Background: Chemical Weapons
T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat
UAE FIXTURES
Friday February 18: v Ireland
Saturday February 19: v Germany
Monday February 21: v Philippines
Tuesday February 22: semi-finals
Thursday February 24: final
The five pillars of Islam
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
1999 - 1st round
2000 - 1st round
2001 - Quarter-finalist
2002 - 1st round
2003 - Winner
2004 - Winner
2005 - Winner
2006 - Winner
2007 - Winner
2008 - Finalist
2009 - Winner
2010 - Quarter-finalist
2011 - Quarter-finalist
2012 - Winner
2013 - 2nd round
2014 - Finalist
2015 - Finalist
2016 - Semi-finalist
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
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