This week, we're heading north from DC to New York, which is once again preparing to play host to the entire planet next month.
More than just a diplomatic meeting, the UN General Assembly – the world’s largest annual gathering of global leaders – is expected to be dominated by the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
Leaders and diplomats from about 80 countries and states are scheduled to speak during the high-level week starting on September 23, but the UN headquarters is already abuzz with activity.
“It is almost certain that all eyes will be on President [Donald] Trump as he returns to the UN,” Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group, told me this week.
Syria’s interim leader Ahmad Al Shara is also expected to attend. He will be the country's first head of state to attend a General Assembly. Mr Gowan described him as having "a charisma that most other leaders cannot bring right now", and he expects that Mr Trump, as well as European and Arab leaders, will be glad to welcome him into the UN club.
Meanwhile, members of the UN Security Council began debating this week on whether to extend the mandate of Unifil, the UN interim force in Lebanon, for another year.
The annual mandate renewal comes after Lebanese authorities, under heavy US pressure, committed to disarming Hezbollah by the end of the year, after a November ceasefire deal that sought to halt more than a year of hostilities between the Iran-backed group and Israel. The US holds a veto on the Security Council and has yet to make its position known.
As world leaders debate the fate of Lebanon, alarming statistics this week showed just how dangerous it is becoming to work in a humanitarian capacity in global hot spots, with the UN or otherwise.
Killings of aid workers jumped nearly a third to 383 last year, making 2024 the deadliest year since records began in 1997, UN data showed. Nearly half of those deaths occurred in the occupied Palestinian territories, including 173 in Gaza amid Israeli military operations.
“This is more than a statistical spike. It is a stain, the normalisation of violence,” said Tom Fletcher, UN humanitarian chief.
French President Emmanuel Macron, among European leaders in the White House on August 18. PA Photo
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that France will co-chair a reconvened conference on the two-state solution with Saudi Arabia in New York in September.
Mr Macron, who plans to recognise Palestine during this year's UN General Assembly, said a two-state solution is the only credible way forward “for the families of the hostages, for Israelis, and for Palestinians alike”.
Mr Macron said he had spoken to King Abdullah II of Jordan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to outline a road map for the de-escalation of the Gaza war, calling for a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, large-scale delivery of humanitarian assistance and the disarmament of Hamas, alongside the empowerment of the Palestinian Authority in the enclave.
Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey joined a growing chorus of states at the first iteration of the two-state conference in July in New York calling on Hamas to relinquish control and disarm in Gaza, supporting a UN-backed effort to halt the conflict and revive stalled peace talks.
What's New York talking about?
Mamdani v Cuomo The mayoral race between Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani is hotting up, with the latest polls showing Mr Mamdani with a commanding lead over his nearest competitors. The Indian-American Muslim Democrat, who identifies as a socialist, has vowed to freeze rents and make bus transport free. Mr Cuomo, a former New York governor and also a Democrat, said during a fundraiser this week that he thinks Mr Trump and other Republicans will direct support his way. The general election is set for November 4.
Migrant hotels New York will end operations at the last so-called migrant hotel, Mayor Eric Adams said in recent days. The Row NYC, a 1,300-room hotel in Times Square that began to be used as an emergency migrant housing site in 2022, will end operations as a shelter in April, City Hall said. The hotel houses about 3,400 people. "We have successfully helped more than 200,000 migrants leave our shelter system and take the next step towards self-sufficiency," Mr Adams said. "The migrant population in our care continues to decline."
Kodak accessories at the Precision Camera & Video store in Austin, Texas. Getty Images / AFP
Eastman Kodak, once among the most recognisable companies in the world, is blaming “misleading media reports” for causing concern after its second-quarter financial results.
Although Kodak recently reported a gross profit of $51 million, the Rochester, New York-based company included a “concern assessment” that warned that various conditions “raise substantial doubt about the company’s ability to continue”.
“It's the evolution of capitalism and it's just how things work," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth in Boston. He said that even companies such as Nvidia, which is experiencing unprecedented success, inevitably falter, and there is not one single moment to which it can be pegged.
Judge Frank Caprio delivers a speech at the Sharjah International Communication Forum in 2023
Rhode Island judge Frank Caprio, nicknamed "the nicest judge in the world", has died from cancer.
"Unfortunately I've had a setback. I'm back in the hospital now and I'm coming to you again asking you to remember me in your prayers once more," Mr Caprio said in a video posted to social media, referring to a previous bout with pancreatic cancer.
He earned his nickname after his stint on the show Caught in Providence, where he was the subject of frequent viral videos due to his compassionate responses to the defendants brought before him. He was a beloved community figure and had millions of followers on social media.
The judge travelled to the UAE in 2023, where he delivered a speech at the Sharjah International Communication Forum, telling the audience that his visit was motivated by a desire to further promote his message that understanding and compassion can unite human beings.
Governor Dan McKee ordered that Rhode Island flags fly at half-staff through the day of his interment, calling Mr Caprio a "treasure" who connected with people as "a symbol of empathy on the bench, showing us what is possible when justice is tempered with humanity", according to NBC's Boston affiliate.
The National produces 14 newsletters across an array of subjects. You can sign up here.
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors Power: 659hp Torque: 1075Nm On sale: Available for pre-order now Price: On request
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at. Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti withCoastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Duminy's Test career in numbers
Tests 46; Runs 2,103; Best 166; Average 32.85; 100s 6; 50s 8; Wickets 42; Best 4-47
The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 400hp
Torque: 500Nm
Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)
On sale: 2022
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
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024. It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine. Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages]. The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts. With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians. Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved. Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world. The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Getting there Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring:Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side 8 There are eight players per team 9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one. 5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls 4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Teams
India (playing XI): Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami
South Africa (squad): Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Rudi Second
![US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised the ICC’s 'politicisation, abuse of power [and] disregard for our national sovereignty'. Bloomberg](https://www.thenationalnews.com/resizer/v2/VXQCF74S3TD7X2OKZBCFYY7UEY.jpg?smart=true&auth=2ad595e1825c364cc3a3dd692aca3eb6189e66f0800923b7e47159356f0ce408&width=800&height=450)
