UN General Assembly concludes General Debate
The General Debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly concluded on Monday.
In his closing remarks, General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman said that 194 delegations took part in the debate, with speakers including 113 heads of state and government, one crown prince, 11 vice presidents, seven deputy prime ministers and 48 ministers.
He said the debate covered a range of issues, including peace, development, human rights, UN reform, and the selection of the next secretary-general. Artificial intelligence, which was on the margins of previous debates, moved to the center of this year's discussions.
Restoring trust, the theme of this year's debate, resonated widely in the speeches, he said.
UN chief calls for unity, action to tackle racism
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for unity and tangible action from member states to tackle racism.
The United Nations is guided by a simple yet profound purpose of helping build a more peaceful, just and equal world where the dignity and rights of every person are upheld, he told the opening of a high-level meeting to mark the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
"This is a moral imperative and a shared responsibility. Member states have made a solemn pledge to combat racism, to eradicate discrimination in all its forms, and to advance the dignity, human rights and equality of all those affected by racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance," said Guterres.
Guterres said racism is even more rampant than 25 years ago when the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action was adopted.
"Today, and every day, let's take a stand. Together, let's fight for the dignity, rights and belonging of all people. Together, let's reject injustice. Together, let's build societies where racism and discrimination have no place -- today and for all time," said Guterres.
DR Congo Ebola cases top 8,000 as WHO warns outbreak still expanding
Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have surpassed 8,000, the DRC health authorities said Monday, as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the outbreak remains large, geographically expanding and marked by sustained transmission.
As of Saturday, the country had recorded 8,067 confirmed cases, including 3,901 deaths, with a case fatality rate of 48.4 percent, according to the latest government situation report released on Monday. A total of 2,070 patients have recovered.
In its latest Disease Outbreak News published Friday, the WHO said the number of new cases reported each day remained high, while transmission intensity varied considerably across affected provinces and health zones.
Since it was declared in May, the outbreak has evolved into the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the DRC and the second-largest Ebola outbreak globally, after the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic.
13 dead in fireworks factory blaze in Russia
The death toll from a fire at a fireworks manufacturing enterprise in the Yaroslavl region has risen to 13, the press service of Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations said Monday in a statement.
"Thirteen people were killed in the blaze. A total of 15 people were present at the facility," it said.
The fire broke out at a fireworks factory in the village of Kubrinsk, near Pereslavl-Zalessky. Two buildings on the fireworks production site were ablaze, and the fire was contained.■
