Follow for live UN General Assembly coverage
US President Joe Biden, his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and other world leaders addressed a gloomy session of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday amid worrying forecasts about the coronavirus pandemic and climate change.
Mr Biden, Mr Xi and most other leaders taking part in the UN General Assembly dialled back the rhetoric and offered to work with neighbours against crises, even amid ongoing tension between the US and China.
The US president said the world was “mourning more than 4.5 million” lives claimed by the pandemic, which underscored how “our collective future will hinge on our ability to recognise our common humanity, and to act together”.
“This is the clear and urgent choice that we face here at the dawning of what must be a decisive decade for our world,” he added.
The US president announced plans to double the financial aid given to developing countries vulnerable to the worsening impacts of climate change — an $11 billion pledge towards the UN’s $100bn annual target.
His speech contrasted sharply with his predecessor Donald Trump’s “America First” rhetoric. He said little to offend rivals China and Russia and even stated that he wanted to avoid a new “Cold War”.
Still, Mr Biden has faced criticism for sidelining allies, including during last month’s hasty military exit from Afghanistan and by freezing France out of a nuclear submarine deal with Britain and Australia.
In his speech, Mr Xi said China would stop funding coal projects overseas, reducing a key source of heat-trapping gases that lead to climate change.
"China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low carbon energy and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad," he said in a recorded address.
Mr Xi did not refer to the US directly in his speech. He barely hinted at differences between Beijing and Washington by calling for a "true multilateralism" in world affairs.
“China has never and will never invade or bully others, or seek hegemony," he said.
At the podium, Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said the Paris climate agreement would be presented to the Turkish Parliament for approval next month, which would make it the last of the G20 major world economies to ratify the deal.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres earlier struck a gloomy note upon the opening of the session, saying that humanity was on the “edge of an abyss — and moving in the wrong direction”.
Mr Guterres told a hall filled with world leaders that they were failing to share coronavirus vaccines with the poorest countries and were not cutting back hard enough on the emission of planet-heating gases.
“I am here to sound the alarm. The world must wake up,” Mr Guterres said.
“We face the greatest cascade of crises in our lifetimes. The Covid-19 pandemic has supersized glaring inequalities. The climate crisis is pummelling the planet.”
Portugal’s former prime minister spoke of political crises and war ravaging much of the world. He also highlighted US-China tension, conflicts in Ethiopia, Yemen and Syria, and the fears of ordinary Afghans after the Taliban swept back to power last month.
He also said that future wars could involve a “massive cyber attack” and the use of robot warriors that can “choose targets and kill people without human interference”. Without a legal framework to govern them, such autonomous weapons should be banned, he said.
Leaders should try to keep global temperature rise below the target of 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial times, he said, and bridge the gap between rich and poor nations with a global Covid-19 vaccination plan.
Mr Guterres, who was elected to a second five-year term in June, co-hosted closed-door talks with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to urge three dozen leaders to increase their climate ambitions before key talks in Glasgow in November.
Instead of scrapping coal-fired power stations and other polluting technologies, countries are instead burning fossil fuels. Emissions are expected to rise by 16 per cent by 2030.
“That would condemn us to a hellscape of temperature rises of at least 2.7°C above pre-industrial levels”, with worsening fires, droughts, storms and other devastating weather tragedies.
Though other leaders chose to focus on climate change and Covid, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi took a different route in a pre-recorded statement, hailing the end of US “hegemony” in world affairs. He pointed to America’s political divisions and its military withdrawals from Afghanistan and Iraq.
Last year’s annual UN meeting was scaled back owing to the coronavirus pandemic. This year’s event has a hybrid feel, with about 100 leaders in New York but with many meetings being held online amid fears of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
Record breaker
- The most total field goals made in NBA history, as well as the most consecutive games scoring 10 or more points
- The only player in NBA history to reach 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists
- Four-time regular season MVP and four-time NBA Finals MVP
- Six-time NBA All-Defensive selection. Rookie of the Year in 2004
- The most All-NBA selections with 21 in a row, including a record 13 first team selections
- The most consecutive All-Star selections with 21
- The only player to play alongside his son; Bronny James was chosen by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft
Results:
5pm: Baynunah Conditions (UAE bred) Dh80,000 1,400m.
Winner: Al Tiryaq, Dane O’Neill (jockey), Abdullah Al Hammadi (trainer).
5.30pm: Al Zahra Handicap (rated 0-45) Dh 80,000 1,400m:
Winner: Fahadd, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi.
6pm: Al Ras Al Akhdar Maiden Dh80,000 1,600m.
Winner: Jaahiz, Jesus Rosales, Eric Lemartinel.
6.30pm: Al Reem Island Handicap Dh90,000 1,600m.
Winner: AF Al Jahed, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel.
7pm: Al Khubairah Handicap (TB) 100,000 2,200m.
Winner: Empoli, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap Dh80,000 2,200m.
Winner: Shivan OA, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Profile Idealz
Company: Idealz
Founded: January 2018
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Size: (employees): 22
Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)
UAE%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3EMuhammad%20Waseem%20(captain)%2C%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20Aryan%20Lakra%2C%20Ashwanth%20Valthapa%2C%20Asif%20Khan%2C%20Aryansh%20Sharma%2C%20CP%20Rizwaan%2C%20Hazrat%20Billal%2C%20Junaid%20Siddique%2C%20Karthik%20Meiyappan%2C%20Rohan%20Mustafa%2C%20Vriitya%20Aravind%2C%20Zahoor%20Khan%20and%20Zawar%20Farid.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
%3Cp%3EElena%20Rybakina%20(Kazakhstan)%0D%3Cbr%3EOns%20Jabeur%20(Tunisia)%0D%3Cbr%3EMaria%20Sakkari%20(Greece)%0D%3Cbr%3EBarbora%20Krej%C4%8D%C3%ADkov%C3%A1%20(Czech%20Republic)%0D%3Cbr%3EBeatriz%20Haddad%20Maia%20(Brazil)%0D%3Cbr%3EJe%C4%BCena%20Ostapenko%20(Latvia)%0D%3Cbr%3ELiudmila%20Samsonova%0D%3Cbr%3EDaria%20Kasatkina%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EVeronika%20Kudermetova%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3ECaroline%20Garcia%20(France)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EMagda%20Linette%20(Poland)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3ESorana%20C%C3%AErstea%20(Romania)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EAnastasia%20Potapova%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EAnhelina%20Kalinina%20(Ukraine)%E2%80%AF%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EJasmine%20Paolini%20(Italy)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Navarro%20(USA)%E2%80%AF%0D%3Cbr%3ELesia%20Tsurenko%20(Ukraine)%0D%3Cbr%3ENaomi%20Osaka%20(Japan)%20-%20wildcard%0D%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Raducanu%20(Great%20Britain)%20-%20wildcard%3Cbr%3EAlexandra%20Eala%20(Philippines)%20-%20wildcard%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
FIGHT CARD
Fights start from 6pm Friday, January 31
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) v Ahmed Saeb (IRQ)
Women’s bantamweight
Cornelia Holm (SWE) v Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (JOR) v Vitalii Stoian (UKR)
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) v Ali Dyusenov (UZB)
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) v Delfin Nawen (PHI)
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) v Mohamed El Mokadem (EGY)
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Ramadan Noaman (EGY)
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) v Reydon Romero (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Juho Valamaa (FIN)
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) v Austin Arnett (USA)
Super heavyweight
Roman Wehbe (LEB) v Maciej Sosnowski (POL)
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Lecce v SPAL (6pm)
Bologna v Genoa (9pm)
Atlanta v Roma (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Hellas Verona (3.30pm)
Juventus v Brescia (6pm)
Sampdoria v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sassuolo v Parma (6pm)
Cagliari v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Torino (11.45pm)
In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
