Wednesday Briefing: The U.N. General Assembly convenes

September 25, 2024

	By Gaya Gupta

Good morning. We’re covering the start of the U.N. General Assembly and more Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

Plus, news outlets experiment with WhatsApp.

Joe Biden at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. Dave Sanders for The New York Times

The U.N. General Assembly convened

World leaders gathered in New York to hear President Biden and other speakers address the 79th meeting of the United Nations assembly, in the shadow of war and turmoil across the world.

The wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan are set to dominate the weeklong meeting, though resolutions for the conflicts feel well out of reach. António Guterres, the secretary general of the U.N., warned in his opening remarks that “a powder keg risks engulfing the world.”

In his fourth and final address to the General Assembly, Biden cast his decision to step down from the presidential ticket as a larger lesson for the world’s leaders: “Some things are more important than staying in power.”

Ukraine: The U.N. Security Council convened a session on the war, a last-minute addition after Ukrainian diplomats raised concerns that it might be falling off the agenda with so much attention fixed on the Middle East. President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to share a new peace proposal and an appeal for more military support to strike deeper into Russia.

Middle East: Biden urged the acceptance of a cease-fire deal in Gaza, saying he put one forward with Qatar and Egypt that has been endorsed by the U.N. Security Council. The U.N. Security Council will meet later today on the escalation in fighting in Lebanon.

A long line of vehicles sitting in traffic. In the background a large mountain ridge.

Vehicles in Damour, south of the capital, Beirut, on Tuesday, as people fled southern Lebanon. Ibrahim Amro/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Thousands try to flee southern Lebanon

Thousands of people tried to escape southern Lebanon as Israel’s military pounded the region with more strikes against Hezbollah, including in the densely populated neighborhoods south of Beirut. Six people were killed and 15 others injured, Lebanon’s health ministry said.

Panicked by the intensity of two days of Israeli attacks, civilians streamed out of the country’s south. U.N. and Lebanese officials said on Tuesday that 27,000 displaced people had already been settled in temporary shelters.

The Israeli military claimed that one strike killed Ibrahim Mohammad Qobeisi, which it identified as a senior commander who oversaw Hezbollah’s missile apparatus. It wasn’t clear how Israel had confirmed his death, and Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the claim. Hezbollah also continued to fire at northern Israel, but most of the rockets were intercepted.

Analysis: Some experts on Hezbollah suggested that Israel’s recent attacks had largely debilitated the group.

Donald Trump, wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat, walks out of a black S.U.V. toward the camera, as two men in dark suits and sunglasses look on.

Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

These voters are anti-Trump. But will they support Harris?

In a bitterly divided nation, relatively few Americans are genuinely torn between Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Instead, some crucial undecided voters have ruled out Trump but are grappling with whether to support Harris, write in someone else or skip the presidential election entirely.

In recent elections, center-right voters who have recoiled at the direction of the Republican Party have played significant roles in Democratic victories, helping propel President Biden in 2020 and shaping key 2022 midterm elections. Many of these voters told The Times that they were weighing their anxieties about a second Trump term against unease with Harris, who ran well to Biden’s left in the 2020 presidential primary before moderating some of her positions.

More on the U.S. election

Americans head to the polls in less than 50 days.

Harris reiterated that she supported eliminating the Senate filibuster to pass abortion rights legislation.
The pop star, Janet Jackson, who challenged Harris’s racial identity this weekend, doubled down on her false claims.
Polls show voters want to know more about what Harris would do in office. This week she plans to ramp up her economic policies.

Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us, and we’ll find the answers.

A MESSAGE FROM SAP

Put sustainability at the core of your business

Sustainability is a key driver of success and strategic differentiation in the modern economy. SAP is fully committed to helping organizations turn sustainability goals into real-world results with technology that's AI-enabled, cloud-based, and ERP-centric. Let's optimize your business performance with superior carbon management, smooth material transitions, consistent operational compliance, and accurate ESG reporting and management. Contact us to accelerate your sustainable business journey.

EXPLORE MORE

MORE TOP NEWS

A man in blue pants and a taupe shirt waves as he walks on a red carpet, flanked and followed by other men.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday. Eranga Jayawardena/Associated Press

Sri Lanka: Here’s how Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leftist who won the presidential election, delivered the biggest jolt to the nation’s political landscape in decades.
West Africa: Russia’s space agency signed satellite deals with the military juntas of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
Russia: A 200-foot-wide crater at a launch site suggested that its next-generation nuclear missile failed a test.
Economy: Dockworkers on the East and Gulf Coasts of the U.S. could go on strike, which would cost the country about 6 percent of its daily gross domestic product.
Business: Visa is facing a U.S. antitrust lawsuit. The Justice Department plans to argue that it broke the law to shut out rival payment processors.
Singapore: S. Iswaran, the country’s first minister to be charged with corruption in nearly 50 years, pleaded guilty to lesser counts.
Tech: Mark Zuckerberg is done with politics. And his company, Meta, is distancing itself from politics too.

China

Economy: The central bank cut interest rates and mortgage down payments and also freed commercial banks to lend more money in an effort to boost the stagnant economy.
Trade: Beijing struck deals with regional neighbors to develop new rail and sea links, including a new rail line across Central Asia.
Xinjiang: The Ministry of Commerce said that it would investigate whether PVH, which owns the Calvin Klein brand, has avoided purchases from the region.

Sports

Sachin Gupta and Karl-Anthony Towns standing at center court in a basketball arena.

Sachin Gupta and Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2022. David Sherman/NBAE, via Getty Images

Premier League: Chelsea hired Sachin Gupta, one of the most highly regarded analytical minds in the N.B.A.
Formula 1: Daniel Ricciardo’s post-race demeanor this weekend indicated an imminent end to his F1 career.
Baseball: The Chicago White Sox have lost 120 games, tying the Major League Baseball record. Watching them do it was strangely glorious.

MORNING READ

A woman in shorts and a soccer jersey prepares to kick a soccer ball that a man nearby has apparently just kicked to her. Several other women look on.

Demonstrating proper ball handling technique in Mae Sot, Thailand. Lauren DeCicca for The New York Times

For dozens of women who fled Myanmar and settled in Thailand, soccer has become a refuge. It’s a way to forget, even just for a little while, the civil war that has ravaged their native land. And for some, it’s a revolutionary act to defy conservative cultural norms.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Meet Moo Deng: The pygmy hippopotamus, currently residing at a zoo in Thailand, is the internet’s favorite diva.
Wild bull chase: All eight of the bulls that escaped from a rodeo at a mall in Massachusetts this weekend have been located.
National treasure: A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution that was found in a file cabinet goes up for auction this week. It’s predicted to be sold for millions.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

An illustration of a man sitting on a green chair reading a newspaper called “World News” as he looks at his phone behind it.

Jackson Gibbs

Delivering the news, right to your WhatsApp

Many digital news publishers have been desperately searching for a life raft. Traffic to news sites has fallen sharply, partly because Google and Facebook have made news less prominent on their platforms.

Now, some publications have found a glimmer of hope elsewhere: WhatsApp, the world’s most popular messaging app.

Late last year, the app introduced WhatsApp Channels, a kind of one-way broadcasting system that allows publishers to send links and headlines directly to followers. Numerous outlets are using it as a way to draw in readers and build direct relationships with an audience that is largely outside the U.S.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Ginger-scallion tofu and greens are shown on a white oval platter.

Mark Weinberg for The New York Times

Cook: Ginger-scallion tofu and greens shines with a classic, aromatic Chinese condiment.

Brew: There are a lot of ways to make coffee. Take this Wirecutter quiz to figure out which is right for you.

Read: What if jurors could see life through the defendants’ eyes? That’s the legal system Jesse Ball imagines in his Kafkaesque novel, “The Repeat Room.”

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Gaya

P.S. The Times is introducing podcast subscriptions on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.

Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance.

You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition from The New York Times.

To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request.

Subscribe to The Times Get The New York Times app

Connect with us on: