For the past week, New York once again became the temporary capital of the world. Motorcades choked midtown streets, police barricades redirected commuters, and diplomats filed into the green-marbled hall of the UN to deliver their allotted 15-minute appeals to the international community.
The General Assembly’s annual debate is, at its best, a barometer of the global mood. This year, it was consumed by Gaza.
Algeria, the final Arab state to address the assembly, voiced support on Monday, the closing day of the UN General Assembly, for US-brokered negotiations to end the war in Gaza, while cautioning that the Palestinian cause faced its “greatest threat ever” from annexation and displacement.
Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf told member states the question of Palestine is as old as the UN itself, citing more than 1,000 resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and close to 100 Security Council resolutions.
UAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh said on Saturday that “nothing can justify targeting tens of thousands of civilians or besieging them and forcibly displacing them”.
Nor “can anything excuse the pursuit of unacceptable expansionist ambitions, including the threat of annexing the West Bank”, she added.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan denounced “the suffering of the Palestinian people and the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza”, condemning “the brutal and unchecked practices of the occupying forces, including starvation, forced displacement and systematic killing”.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi called for the UN to place sanctions on Israel.
“For too long, this conflict has persisted, the suffering has grown unbearable, and the time has come to end the occupation, to undo the injustice, and to restore the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people through the implementation of the two-state solution,” he said.
As attention shifts to Washington and the Trump administration’s latest Gaza peace plan, the days ahead will reveal whether the rhetoric in New York translates into action or fades into another round of deadlock.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, said Palestinian officials stood ready to work with Mr Trump and Arab countries in bringing an end to the war.
“Let us not delay a single minute more in doing what is necessary for this just peace to replace the unbearable reality of today,” Mr Mansour said during a Security Council meeting on the Middle East.
Mr Trump unveiled on Monday a 21-point plan to end the nearly two-year war, free hostages held by Hamas and disarm the Palestinian militants.
He had discussed the plan with Arab and Islamic leaders in New York last week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
It doesn’t include the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza and includes the establishment of an international security force to take over law enforcement in postwar Gaza.
“We have just come through a week of speeches, theatre and spectacle, now it is the time to step away from the stage and face reality,” Israel’s UN envoy Danny Danon told Security Council members on Monday.
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RESULT
Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3
Chelsea: Willian (40'), Batshuayi (42', 49')
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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