US President Joe Biden and scores of other world leaders are braving the Covid-19 danger and heading to New York to deliver their speeches at the UN General Assembly in person this year.
The National highlights the key issues to watch for during the toughest week in global diplomacy.
1. South Korea's BTS rally for UN targets
Move over Mr Biden - the real stars of this UN General Assembly have already danced and sang their way through the UN's domed meeting place.
South Korean seven-piece boy band BTS broadcast from UN headquarters on Monday, promoting global goals tackling poverty, inequality, injustice and climate change as world leaders headed to New York.
The group filmed a music video for their song Permission to Dance at the UN at the weekend, dancing through the General Assembly Hall and out into the gardens. It quickly garnered a few million views on social media.
2. Joe Biden tries to salvage America’s battered reputation
President Biden’s first speech as US leader to the UN General Assembly comes only weeks after Washington’s ignominious retreat from Afghanistan as the Taliban swept back to power.
Mr Biden is a multilateralist supporter of UN-style diplomacy. His speech on Tuesday will probably contrast to his predecessor Donald Trump’s go-it-alone “America First” rhetoric and try to reassert US leadership.
Still, US allies were shocked by how sharply Mr Biden pulled the plug on their joint military enterprise in Afghanistan and have big qualms about US leadership. All the while, China grows richer and mightier.
A US-led conference on sharing Covid-19 vaccines on September 22 may burnish Washington’s credentials, but Mr Biden still has a diplomatic mountain to climb in New York.
“Trump took a vicious line towards China and attacked its trade policies,” said Richard Gowan, a UN expert at the International Crisis Group think tank.
“Biden won’t be as nasty towards Beijing. But I think we probably will hear the president … talk about the need to protect a rules-based world order led by the US against Chinese competition.”
3. Embattled UN buoyed by opinion poll findings
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is struggling to keep a divided world on track to tackle climate change and the coronavirus pandemic — but a new poll suggests people broadly support his leadership of the world body.
A Pew Research survey found last week that about two thirds of people in wealthier nations in North America, Europe and Asia view the organisation favourably.
UN spokeswoman Melissa Fleming called the results “encouraging".
4. Could the real Afghan and Myanmar envoys please stand up?
The Taliban’s rapid return to power last month in Afghanistan and the military coup in Myanmar in February have far-reaching consequences for those two countries.
They also pose a troubling question at the coming General Assembly: Who is the correct representative for each nation?
Both UN members have ambassadors in place at UN headquarters in New York. But Myanmar’s envoy Kyaw Moe Tun openly defies the junta that seized power back home, and Afghanistan’s envoy Ghulam Isaczai likewise abhors the Taliban.
Myanmar’s new military rulers have tried to replace Mr Kyaw Moe Tun and there has even been a plot to kill him. The Taliban are expected to send their own envoy to New York once they have consolidated a government in Kabul.
A UN committee is in charge of deciding the rightful envoy for a UN member. But time is short, and it may not be clear who speaks for Myanmar and Afghanistan until it is their turn at the podium on September 27.
5. Vaccination frustration
The UNGA was scaled back this year for fear of becoming a Covid-19 superspreader event. Still, dozens of leaders are headed to Manhattan and even with trimmed down entourages, this adds up lots of officials from the world’s four corners crammed into a big hall.
Under UN rules, participants must vouch that they are vaccinated or recently tested and infection-free when they enter the headquarters building. Everyone must wear masks under the General Assembly hall's golden dome.
But, in true UN fashion, divisions have developed in recent days. New York officials, who host the world body, say participants must be vaccinated. Their call for vaccinations was endorsed by the UN’s new General Assembly president, Abdulla Shahid.
But naysayers have blasted the vaccine demand. Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said it was a “clearly discriminatory” infringement of nations’ rights at the UN — which is supposed to follow internationally agreed upon rules, not those imposed by US officials.
6. How to keep your foreign minister busy at a scaled-back UNGA
Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE’s Ambassador to the UN, and other New York-based envoys have a problem for this year’s UNGA – keeping their presidents, prime ministers and ministers occupied at the week-long diplomatic jamboree.
On a normal year, UN headquarters and the surrounding streets are bustling with side events, conferences and bilateral sit-downs as huge entourages of officials snake their way through endless security checkpoints.
But the second UNGA during the coronavirus pandemic will have fewer in-person events and fewer officials travelling to New York. For Ms Nusseibeh and others responsible for planning their boss’s itineraries, this is a headache.
UN envoys “are stressing currently about the high-level week that is about to start, and the delegations of heads of states and foreign ministers who are about to arrive, and potentially the lack of meetings they have to send them to,” Ms Nusseibeh said this week.
“We're all going through a little bit of stress thinking about their schedules.”
7. UK's Johnson seeks pledges in run-up to Glasgow climate talks
To put it mildly, global efforts to cut emissions of planet-heating gases are not going well.
World leaders have agreed to keep temperature rise below 1.5°C against pre-industrial levels, but none of the big world economies has cut back on carbon enough to make this anywhere close to a realistic outcome.
The responsibility for fixing this currently lies with the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who will host a climate summit in Glasgow in November that is, for many activists, the last chance to put global efforts on the right track.
Mr Johnson and Mr Guterres will gather with about three dozen world leaders on Monday, hoping to raise ambitions for scrapping coal and other dirty fuels at the coming talks in Scotland.
Speaking on background with reporters, a UN climate official said it would be a “frank, closed-door discussion” where the UN chief would “raise the alarm” and demand not only long-term pledges but also near-term plans for cutting carbon drastically.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Dunki
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The five pillars of Islam
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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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
More coverage from the Future Forum
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
Scores:
Day 4
England 290 & 346
Sri Lanka 336 & 226-7 (target 301)
Sri Lanka require another 75 runs with three wickets remaining
THE SPECS
BMW X7 xDrive 50i
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed Steptronic transmission
Power: 462hp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh600,000
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
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
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
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Conflict, drought, famine
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.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Scoreline
Swansea 2
Grimes 20' (pen), Celina, 29'
Man City 3
Silva 69', Nordfeldt 78' (og), Aguero 88'
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):
Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa
The chef's advice
Troy Payne, head chef at Abu Dhabi’s newest healthy eatery Sanderson’s in Al Seef Resort & Spa, says singles need to change their mindset about how they approach the supermarket.
“They feel like they can’t buy one cucumber,” he says. “But I can walk into a shop – I feed two people at home – and I’ll walk into a shop and I buy one cucumber, I’ll buy one onion.”
Mr Payne asks for the sticker to be placed directly on each item, rather than face the temptation of filling one of the two-kilogram capacity plastic bags on offer.
The chef also advises singletons not get too hung up on “organic”, particularly high-priced varieties that have been flown in from far-flung locales. Local produce is often grown sustainably, and far cheaper, he says.
SPAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)
Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Results
2pm Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,800m
Winner AF Al Baher, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner Alla Mahlak, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
3pm Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner Davy Lamp, Adrie de Vries, Rashed Bouresly.
3.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 1,400m
Winner Ode To Autumn, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
4pm Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner Arch Gold, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
4.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,800m
Winner Meqdam, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
5pm Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner Native Appeal, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
5.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner Amani Pico, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
Read more about the coronavirus
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdullah%20Khan%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPenguin%20Random%20House%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E304%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
RESULT
Wolves 1 (Traore 67')
Tottenham 2 (Moura 8', Vertonghen 90 1')
Man of the Match: Adama Traore (Wolves)
The BIO
Favourite piece of music: Verdi’s Requiem. It’s awe-inspiring.
Biggest inspiration: My father, as I grew up in a house where music was constantly played on a wind-up gramophone. I had amazing music teachers in primary and secondary school who inspired me to take my music further. They encouraged me to take up music as a profession and I follow in their footsteps, encouraging others to do the same.
Favourite book: Ian McEwan’s Atonement – the ending alone knocked me for six.
Favourite holiday destination: Italy - music and opera is so much part of the life there. I love it.
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
About%20My%20Father
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The years Ramadan fell in May
