US President Joe Biden and dozens of other world leaders were headed to New York on Monday for an annual UN gathering dominated by fears of climate change, Covid-19, the nuclear programmes of Iran and North Korea, and Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers.
Mr Biden will address the UN for the first time as US president on Tuesday in a speech that asserts American leadership on cutting emissions of planet-heating gases and bringing more coronavirus vaccines to the developing world.
His tone will doubtless differ sharply from his predecessor Donald Trump’s “America First” rhetoric, but other leaders in the UN hall will be mindful of the chaotic US pullout from Afghanistan last month and China’s growing economic and military clout.
Other highly anticipated speakers on Tuesday include Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
Over the course of the week, more than 100 world leaders are expected to address the assembly hall in person and take part in bilateral meetings and a host of side-events on everything from Covid-19 vaccines and climate change to conflicts in Libya and Yemen.
Amid concerns that the assembly would become a Covid-19 superspreader event, the UN urged governments to limit the size of their diplomatic entourages, ensure all attendees in their delegations wear masks and self-certify that they have been vaccinated or are virus-free.
Many leaders have decided to stay home and send pre-recorded videos.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres later hosted a meeting of some three dozen leaders to raise ambitions on tackling climate change before a key summit in Glasgow in November.
After the meeting, Mr Guterres said that mankind was badly off track in efforts to keep global temperature rises below the agreed upon 1.5°C and that the “world is on a catastrophic pathway to 2.7°C of heating”.
The 1.5°C goal was “still in reach”, he added, but required countries to cut heat-trapping gas emissions even further while sending more assistance to poor countries trying to adapt to a hotter planet and stave off the worsening impacts of drought, fires and storms.
Speaking with The National before the UN’s high-level week, Francesco Rocca, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), urged leaders in Manhattan to work for the collective good rather than play to their home crowds.
“This is not about taking only the interests of their own countries, it is about taking care of the world, and the fragility and the desperation of the most exposed and the most poor,” Mr Rocca told The National.
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
Winner: Shafaf, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Ahmed Al Mehairbi (trainer)
5,30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
Winner: Noof KB, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed (TB) Dh380,000 1,400m
Winner: Taamol, Jim Crowley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Group One (PA) Dh2,500,000 2,200m
Winner: Rmmas, Tadhg O’Shea, Jean de Roualle
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Listed (PA) Dh230,000 1,600m
Winner: Ihtesham, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Mekhbat, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20SCE%20Studio%20Cambridge%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%2C%20PlayStation%204%20and%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
