North America

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Authorities and residents in Florida were keeping a cautious eye on Tropical Storm Ian as it rumbled through the Caribbean on Sunday, expected to continue gaining strength and become a major hurricane in the coming days on a forecast track toward the state.

Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for all of Florida the previous day, expanding an initial order that had covered two dozen counties. He urged residents to prepare for a storm that could lash large swaths of the state with heavy rains, high winds and rising seas.

(AP) --- Few men in power have delved deeply into gender equality on the main stage of the United Nations this month, but the ones who did went there boldly: claiming feminist credibility, selling “positive masculinity” and resolutely demanding an end to The Patriarchy.

On the first day of the General Assembly gathering of world leaders, Bolivian President Luis Arce touted 2022 as “The Year of the Cultural Revolution for Depatriarchalization” for his country, and urged the United Nations to adopt a decade-long effort to do the same.

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian troops are being sent to assist the recovery from the devastation of storm Fiona, which swept away houses, stripped off roofs and knocked out power across the country’s Atlantic provinces.

After surging north from the Caribbean as a hurricane, Fiona came ashore before dawn Saturday as a post-tropical cyclone, battering Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Quebec with hurricane-strength winds, heavy rains and huge waves.

NEW YORK, Sep 24 (APP): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif left New York for London Friday night after leading Pakistan’s delegation to the 77th session of United Nations General Assembly(UNGA).

He was seen off by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Munir Akram, Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan, Consul General in New York, Ayesha Ali, and other senior officials.

During his 5-day hectic visit, he met a number of world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, attending the 193-member’s high-level debate.

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 24 (APP): A Pakistani diplomat has categorically rejected India’s allegations about Pakistan’s involvement in terrorist acts, citing instances of the Indian sponsorship of terrorism and aggression against all its neighbours that makes New Delhi the “principle perpetrator, sponsor, financier and abettor” of terrorism in South Asia.

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 24 (NNN-PSM) – Maldives Foreign Minister, Abdulla Shahid, yesterday, called for climate action and reform of the multilateral system, to address global challenges.

The raging climate crisis remains an existential threat, especially to small island developing states, Shahid told the General Debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.

He said, the country is pursuing a national plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2030, a goal it can only meet with international support.

NEW YORK, Sept 23 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia has called for the veto power of the United Nations (UN) Security Council to be abolished in line with the principle of one country one vote.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said as an organisation that brings the spirit and symbol of democracy to the world, the UN needs to return to its foundation.

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 24 (Reuters) - China supports all efforts conducive to the peaceful resolution of the "crisis" in Ukraine, its foreign minister Wang Yi told the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, adding that the pressing priority was to facilitate peace talks.

"The fundamental solution is to address the legitimate security concerns of all parties and build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture," Wang said in his address.

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the United States of "playing with fire" around Taiwan on Saturday in a speech sharply critical of Washington at the annual gathering at the United Nations.

The United States was now trying to "subjugate" Asian areas, Lavrov said in an address to the United Nations General Assembly, criticizing Washington's formation of "closed format" country groupings in the Indo-Pacific.

"They're playing with fire around Taiwan. On top of that, they're promising military support to Taiwan," Lavrov said.

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic and an unequal recovery have cost the world three years of development progress, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday at the 46th Annual Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77 and China.

Guterres said that advancing the Sustainable Development Goals "has been his focus during high-level week" when world leaders converge in New York to discuss solutions to the pressing challenges facing the global community.