UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told world leaders that multilateralism was “under fire precisely when we need it most” in his opening address to UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
He told representatives attending the mostly full General Assembly hall that trust in international institutions “is at a breaking point”, just minutes before US President Donald Trump took the stage for his second UN speech and railed against the very multilateral bodies Mr Guterres was defending.
Under Mr Trump’s administration, Washington has pulled much of its funding for the UN, reducing the global body’s budget by 5 per cent next year. Mr Trump championed that his administration has the right to defend its sovereignty outside of multilateral commitments, such as recognition of the International Criminal Court.
The UN chief painted a grim picture of the state of the world, pointed to rising polarisation and populism, ebbing cooperation, and "outrage" at the inability to end wars in Syria and elsewhere.
“Individual leaders have the duty to advance the well-being of their people,” Mr Guterres said.
“But it runs deeper. Together, as guardians of the common good, we also have a duty to promote and support a reformed, reinvigorated and strengthened multilateral system.”
He called for a renewed commitment to a rules-based order with the United Nations at its center and warned against a spreading of "politics of pessimism".
In his speech to the world leaders in attendance, he harked back to Europe a century ago during the First World War and the emergence of a unity of nations to address global conflict.
He struck a much more sombre tone when he began talking about the disintegration of the global order in an “increasingly chaotic” world, where shifts could increase the potential for conflict.
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He made references to war in Syria and Yemen, the Rohingya crisis and the transfer of refugee status for the Palestinian people.
“There is outrage at our inability to end the wars in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere, the Rohingya people remain exiled, traumatised and in misery, still yearning for safety and justice,” he said. “Palestinians and Israelis are still locked in endless conflict, with the two-state solution more and more distant”.
The Secretary General has called upon countries to develop methodologies and commit to providing resources to deal with an increasingly displaced world.
He said member states must band together to avoid the humanitarian toll in those countries and to help remedy the violence that has taken place.
The UN chief also highlighted the need for member states to take climate action and to reinforce environment policy in their countries.
“Let’s touch upon a direct, existential threat. We have reached a pivotal moment, if we do not change course, we risk climate change, because it’s running faster than we are,” he said.
The UN heralded a victory in 2015 after the signing of the COP21 agreement in Paris, where 196 countries sealed a legally-binding agreement to reduce global warming to less than 2 degrees celsius by 2050.
However, countries have fallen short of their individually set targets to reduce their carbon emissions, creating a dire situation whereby climate change is slipping beyond the global community’s control.
“We as a community of world leaders are not doing enough, we must listen to the world’s best scientists, see what’s in front of our eyes, and we need greater ambition and sense of urgency,” he said.
According to the World Meteorological record, the past two decades have included 18 of the warmest years on record since record keeping began in 1850.
The Secretary General announced that he will hold a climate action summit next September to focus on climate action, just one year before the countries who signed up to the Paris Agreement are expected to further commit themselves to global warming mitigation.
“Only a higher level of ambition will do, we must act without delay, the world needs you to be climate champions,” he said in the closing statements of his speech.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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The%20Little%20Mermaid%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rob%20Marshall%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHalle%20Bailey%2C%20Jonah%20Hauer-King%2C%20Melissa%20McCarthy%2C%20Javier%20Bardem%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Brief scores:
Juventus 3
Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'
Frosinone 0
MATCH INFO
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday, 8.30pm UAE
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
BELGIUM%20SQUAD
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
