Sport arenas and concert halls have opened up and New Yorkers are enjoying a largely post-coronavirus summer, but the UN is not taking any chances when it comes to hosting gatherings in a pandemic.
The annual UN General Assembly, which ordinarily draws large delegations of world leaders and diplomats to midtown Manhattan, has been scaled back this September, with Covid-19 and its variant strains making travel for international events risky.
The latest rules state that world leaders can deliver speeches in the General Assembly Hall flanked by up to three delegates during the high-level part of the summit, which runs from September 21-30. Yet many will avoid the risk, stay home and send pre-recorded video messages instead.
UN representative Amy Quantrill on Tuesday said an “honour system” would operate, meaning presidents, princes, prime ministers and their entourages would be taken at their word that they have been vaccinated or are Covid-free upon entering the building.
Arriving delegates should “adhere to the restrictions” placed by the US government on foreign arrivals and follow the UN’s own rules, Ms Quantrill said in answer to a question from The National.
Meanwhile, the many meetings and side events that typically cram diplomats’ calendars during the UN’s high-level week have been nixed and will “be held off-site or virtually”, Ms Quantrill added.
Volkan Bozkir, who holds the ceremonial role of General Assembly president, says the lack of facetime between leaders carries a diplomatic cost, especially in a world with widening geopolitical rifts between the US, China and others.
As such, Mr Bozkir has made booths available at UN headquarters for leaders, foreign ministers and others to hold “bilateral” sit-downs with their counterparts from overseas, the latest guidance from his office said.
Last year, Covid-19 kept world leaders away from midtown for their annual meeting for the first time in the UN’s 75-year history. Instead, pre-recorded speeches from leaders of the body’s 193 member countries were shown in a largely empty General Assembly Hall.
The headquarters building has been eerily quiet ever since. Only some 1,700 people swipe their security passes into the building nowadays, compared to more than 5,000 before the pandemic reached New York in early 2020.
Mask-wearing remains mandatory at UN headquarters, but that is in contrast to the coffee shops on the other side of First Avenue, where most Covid-19 restrictions were lifted more than a month ago.
In March 2020, New York was the global epicentre of the pandemic, but a successful vaccination campaign has led to nearly three quarters of the state’s residents having received at least one shot, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday that the “greatest city in the world” was enjoying a summer of “rebirth”, including an August 21 concert in Central Park featuring Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen.
Still, the same day, he tightened rules on more than 300,000 city personnel, including police officers, firefighters and teachers, requiring them to be vaccinated or take a weekly coronavirus test, as the Delta variant fuels an increase in cases in the metropolis.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Dubai World Cup draw
1. Gunnevera
2. Capezzano
3. North America
4. Audible
5. Seeking The Soul
6. Pavel
7. Gronkowski
8. Axelrod
9. New Trails
10. Yoshida
11. K T Brave
12. Thunder Snow
13. Dolkong
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
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- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Cracks in the Wall
Ben White, Pluto Press
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
The five pillars of Islam
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Results
Catchweight 60kg: Mohammed Al Katheeri (UAE) beat Mostafa El Hamy (EGY) TKO round 3
Light Heavyweight: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) no contest Kevin Oumar (COM) Unintentional knee by Oumer
Catchweight 73kg: Yazid Chouchane (ALG) beat Ahmad Al Boussairy (KUW) Unanimous decision
Featherweight: Faris Khaleel Asha (JOR) beat Yousef Al Housani (UAE) TKO in round 2 through foot injury
Welterweight: Omar Hussein (JOR) beat Yassin Najid (MAR); Split decision
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Sallah Eddine Dekhissi (MAR); Round-1 TKO
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali Musalim (UAE) beat Medhat Hussein (EGY); Triangle choke submission
Welterweight: Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) beat Sofiane Oudina (ALG); Triangle choke Round-1
Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Saleem Al Bakri (JOR); Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Nawras Abzakh (JOR); TKO round-2
Catchweight 63kg: Rany Saadeh (PAL) beat Abdel Ali Hariri (MAR); Unanimous decision
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Awar Qalb
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Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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More on animal trafficking
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
Read more about the coronavirus
Infiniti QX80 specs
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
