Wednesday Briefing: The U.N. General Assembly convenes

Plus, news outlets experiment with WhatsApp.

View in browser|nytimes.com September 25, 2024 By Justin Porter Good morning. We're covering the first day of the U.N. General Assembly and thousands fleeing southern Lebanon. Plus: News outlets experiment with WhatsApp. President Biden addressed the U.N. yesterday. Dave Sanders for The New York Times World leaders face global turmoil at the U.N. World leaders gathered in New York to hear President Biden and other speakers address the 79th meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. Calls to end the Middle East conflict and wars in Ukraine and Sudan were expected to dominate the weeklong conference, all goals that still look out of reach. António Guterres, the secretary general, said in his opening remarks that "a powder keg risks engulfing the world." Biden, who was addressing the General Assembly for the last time, warned that the world was facing an "inflection point." "Our task, our test, is to make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than those that are pulling us apart," Biden said. "For the choices we make today will determine our future for decades to come." Middle East: The newly elected president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, told the assembly that he aimed to usher his country into "a new era" of domestic reform and constructive engagement with the world. He slammed Israel for what he called "crimes against humanity" and presented Iran's support of a network of proxy militia groups as support for freedom fighters. Many speakers criticized Israel over the war in the Gaza Strip — which has killed more than 41,000 people, according to the local health authorities — as well as a steeply escalating conflict with the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was expected to arrive today and speak tomorrow. Ukraine: The Security Council convened a last-minute session on Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to the 15 members to continue supporting his country's defense. "Russia can only be forced into peace," Zelensky said. He also claimed to have information that Russia was planning to attack Ukraine's three nuclear plants. He said he had put together a new victory plan based on the principles and values of the U.N. charter, but did not elaborate on its details other than to say that he was organizing a peace conference. Vehicles yesterday in Damour, south of the capital, Beirut. 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, in areas including 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. Israel said it killed Ibrahim Mohammed Qobeisi, who the military claimed was in charge of the group's missile apparatus. Hezbollah confirmed his death, but did not provide any details about his role. The group referred to him by an honorific title reserved only for its senior members. Analysis: Some experts on Hezbollah suggested that Israel's recent attacks had largely debilitated the group. Donald Trump at a rally last weekend in Wilmington, N.C. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times These voters are anti-Trump. 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 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 seven weeks. 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. Send them to us, and we'll find the answers. Stay up to date: See our poll tracker. Listen to "The Run-Up" podcast. Sign up for the On Politics newsletter. MORE TOP NEWS Anura Kumara Dissanayake, center. 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 had failed a test. Crypto: Caroline Ellison, a former top adviser to Sam Bankman-Fried and the star witness in his trial, was sentenced to two years in prison in the FTX case. 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 the company 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 bolster 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 NEWS 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 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. Lives lived: 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. ARTS AND IDEAS 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. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS 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 the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. See you tomorrow. — Justin P.S. The Times is introducing podcast subscriptions on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Reach Justin and the team 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: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. 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