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As it happened: Day two at UN General Assembly, Iran's ‘malign activity’ in focus

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Day two of the plenary sessions at the UN General Assembly is under way on Wednesday. (AFP)
Updated 25 September 2019
Arab News
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As it happened: Day two at UN General Assembly, Iran's ‘malign activity’ in focus

  • Day two (Wednesday) of the plenary sessions at the UN General Assembly is now under way
Updated 25 September 2019
Arab News

NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia is in consultation "with friends and allies about the next steps to take" after an attack on Sept. 14 on the world's biggest crude oil processing facility, but is waiting for the findings of an investigation, Saudi Arabia's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir told reporters on Wednesday.

"The United Nations sent people to be part of the investigation, other countries have sent experts to be part of the investigation so when the team that’s investigating has concluded its investigations we will make the announcements publicly," he said on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN.

He also said that Iran's attack on Saudi Aramco facilities "cannot go answered" and that there had to be "consequences for what they did."

Elsewhere, Iraq's president Barham Salih told the Assembly that Iran's ongoing "malign activity" in the Middle East region had to stop and condemned the recent targeting of Saudi security, adding that Gulf security is “vital” to Iraq.

To follow how day one unfolded, scroll below...

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21:00 - And that is that for day two. Check back with Arab News for a round up of Wednesday's action.

20:45 - Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel Al-Jubeir, said that the Kingdom is investigating and consulting with all parties, and will work to respond to the attacks against the oil installations in Abqaiq and Khurais. 

Al-Jubeir was speaking during a joint press conference with the United Nations Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Marc Lowcock, on the sidelines of the 74th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

"We are considering political, economic and military options against Iran, after the investigation is over. This regime must change for the benefit of the Iranians before anyone else," Al-Jubeir said.

18:15 - Don't forget to check out Arab News' special spotlight for the UN General Assembly or the latest stories, including the US decision to impose sanctions on Chinese entities for their dealing with Iran announced earlier on Wednesday by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

READ MORE: SPOTLIGHT - UN General Assembly 2019

US slaps new sanctions on Chinese entities over Iranian oil

17:10 - Saudi Arabia's minister of state for foreign affairs Adel Al-Jubeir spoke on the sidelines of the Assembly earlier on Wednesday with Mark Lowcock, UN Relief chief, about the humanitarian situation in Yemen. He said the Kingdom had donated $14 billion to supporting Yemen since the hostilities began, and that Saudi Arabia was committed to working with the OCHA to continue its humanitarian efforts in Yemen.

He added the Kingdom will continue to help as much as possible "its Yemeni brethren" as well as the work of the UN envoy Martin Griffiths.

Lowcock said at the seminar, that Yemen is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, but also it also constitutes the UN’s biggest humanitarian operation, which only happens because of generous donations from countries like Saudi Arabia.

He said the UN's relief efforts are reaching 11 million people per month.

16:20 - Iran's president Hassan Rouhani admits that US sanctions have affected the Islamic Republic's economy, but that the Iranian regime will never agree to negotiations with Washington about its nuclear program if it is under pressured conditions.

16:00 - Away from the main hall, and on the sidelines of today's plenary session, the Saudi Arabian foreign minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf met with Russia's FM Sergei Lavrov to discuss bilateral relations and "areas of common interest."

15:25 - Michel Aoun, Lebanon's president, now addresses the audience.

Aoun decries the impact of conflict in the Middle East region, and how its people always end up paying the price - economically, socially, with their security and peace - and how the displacement of peoples in Syria and Palestine is having a huge impact on Lebanon's own security, political, social, economic and environmental development.

14:40 - Iraq's president Bahram Salih takes to the podium to address the General Assembly audience.

The Iraqi president makes a thinly-veiled reference to Iran's ongoing malign activity in the Middle East region, by condemning the recent targeting of Saudi security, adding that Gulf security is “vital” to Iraq.

Salih said he wanted to make sure that Iraq would not be a starting point of aggression against neighboring countries and that the solution to tensions in the regions is based on non-interference in internal affairs of other countries.

He also thanks the international community for its efforts in helping Iraq overcome terrorism.

14:30 - Romania's president takes to the podium, as we await the address from Barham Salih, which gives us time to look at one of the biggest talking points from day one's meetings - Iranian president Hassan Rouhani talking with leaders from the UK, France and Germany.

Boris Johnson raised "deep concern" about Iran's destabilising activity in the region, including the attacks on the Aramco oil facilities, and insisted it must stop. Along with Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, he stressed support for the Iran nuclear deal and the need for dialogue, "including on a comprehensive successor deal." 

Macron said he believed that the conditions for the leaders of the United States and Iran to meet were now in place, but it was still up to them to decide whether to move forward.

Merkel said that Iran's demands for US sanctions relief were "unrealistic." She said: "I would naturally be happy if there were talks between the United States and Iran," but dismissed Iran's demands that us lift all its sanctions before any high-level talks can take place.

14:00 - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo makes an address on the sidelines at a United Against Nuclear Iran panel. He says the economic pressure US is putting on Iran has prompted them to resort to sabotage attempts in the region, including the attacks on Saudi Aramco, and their actions are increasing the risk of conflict in the region.

Pompeo adds that US action against Iran has drawn international attention to the country's constant threat to peace, and that many countries are now ready to face its threats to regional navigation and international security.

Pompeo also announced sanctions on Chinese companies, saying: "Today we're imposing sanctions on certain Chinese entities for knowingly transporting oil from Iran contrary to United States sanctions." Read the full story here.

13:45 — Good afternoon. Key speakers for today include Barham Salih, president of Iraq, Iran's president Hassan Rouhani and Michel Aoun of Lebanon. Later on Wednesday, we'll hear from the Libyan Council of National Accord president Faiez Mustafa Serraj and the prime minister of Kuwait Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

Topics: UN General Assembly 2019 UN UN General Assembly Iran tensions Iran

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Bangladesh probe into Hasina-era abuses warns ‘impunity’ remains

Updated 6 sec ago
AFP
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Bangladesh probe into Hasina-era abuses warns ‘impunity’ remains

  • Ex-PM Sheikh Hasina’s government was accused of widespread human rights abuses
  • That includes extrajudicial killing of political opponents, abduction and disappearances
Updated 6 sec ago
AFP

DHAKA: A Bangladesh government-appointed commission investigating hundreds of disappearances by the security forces under ousted premier Sheikh Hasina on Monday warned that the same “culture of impunity” continues.

The Commission of Inquiry into Enforced Disappearances is probing abuses during the rule of Hasina, whose government was accused of widespread human rights abuses.

That includes the extrajudicial killing of hundreds of political opponents and the unlawful abduction and disappearance of hundreds more.

The commission was established by interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, 84, who is facing intense political pressure as parties jostle for power ahead of elections expected early next year.

Bangladesh has a long history of military coups and the army retains a powerful role.

“Enforced disappearances in Bangladesh were not isolated acts of wrongdoing, but the result of a politicized institutional machinery that condoned, normalized, and often rewarded such crimes,” the commission said, in a section of a report released by the interim government on Monday.

“Alarmingly, this culture of impunity continues even after the regime change on August 5, 2024.”

The commission has verified more than 250 cases of enforced disappearances spanning the 15 years that Hasina’s Awami League was in power.

Commission chief Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury said earlier this month that responsibility lay with individual officers, who were “involved in conducting enforced disappearances,” but not the armed forces as an institution.

Earlier this month, a joint statement by rights groups — including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch — called on the security forces to “fully cooperate with the commission by guaranteeing unfettered and ongoing access to all detention centers... and providing free access to records regarding those seized or detained.”

Hasina,77, remains in self-imposed exile in India, where she fled after she was ousted last year.

She has defied orders to return to Dhaka to face charges amounting to crimes against humanity. Her trial in absentia continues.

Topics: Dr. Muhammad Yunus former bangladesh prime minsiter sheikh haseena

US citizens in Qatar told to ‘shelter in place’ as Iran mulls reprisals

Updated 53 min 50 sec ago
AFP
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US citizens in Qatar told to ‘shelter in place’ as Iran mulls reprisals

  • Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said warnings by foreign embassies ‘do not necessarily reflect the existence of specific or credible threats’
Updated 53 min 50 sec ago
AFP

DOHA: The United States embassy in Qatar advised Americans there to “shelter in place” Monday, with other Western embassies echoing the warning after Tehran threatened to retaliate for US strikes on its nuclear sites.
Qatar, which lies 190 kilometers (120 miles) south of Iran across the Gulf, is home to the US’s largest military base in the region, Al-Udeid.
“Out of an abundance of caution we recommend American citizens shelter in place until further notice,” the US embassy said on its website.
Britain and Canada later cited the US security alert in their own recommendations to nationals.

“Following a US security alert for US nationals in Qatar, out of an abundance of caution, we recommend that British nationals in Qatar shelter in place until further notice,” the UK Foreign Office said on Monday.
Iran’s armed forces threatened on Monday to inflict “serious, unpredictable consequences” on the US after its heavy strikes on three nuclear sites.
In Bahrain, a close neighbor of Qatar that hosts the US Fifth Fleet, the American embassy “temporarily shifted a portion of its employees to local telework,” it said on X.
Bahraini authorities had already told most government employees to work from home until further notice, citing “regional circumstances.”
Following the US warning in Doha, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said warnings by foreign embassies “do not necessarily reflect the existence of specific or credible threats.”
“We would like to reassure the public that the security situation in the state remains stable,” he wrote on X. “Qatar continues to exert intensive diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.”
On Sunday, the US State Department advised Americans worldwide to “exercise increased caution” because of the war between Israel and Iran.
After Israel’s first strikes on Iran on June 13, the US embassy in Qatar had told its staff and other Americans to “exercise increased caution” and “limit non-essential travel to Al Udeid Air Base.”

Topics: Iran-Israel Conflict Qatar US

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Bangladesh probe into Hasina-era abuses warns ‘impunity’ remains

Updated 23 June 2025
AFP
Follow

Bangladesh probe into Hasina-era abuses warns ‘impunity’ remains

  • The Commission of Inquiry into Enforced Disappearances is probing abuses during the rule of Hasina, whose government was accused of widespread human rights abuses
Updated 23 June 2025
AFP

DHAKA: A Bangladesh government-appointed commission investigating hundreds of disappearances by the security forces under ousted premier Sheikh Hasina on Monday warned that the same “culture of impunity” continues.
The Commission of Inquiry into Enforced Disappearances is probing abuses during the rule of Hasina, whose government was accused of widespread human rights abuses.
That includes the extrajudicial killing of hundreds of political opponents and the unlawful abduction and disappearance of hundreds more.
The commission was established by interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, 84, who is facing intense political pressure as parties jostle for power ahead of elections expected early next year.
Bangladesh has a long history of military coups and the army retains a powerful role.
“Enforced disappearances in Bangladesh were not isolated acts of wrongdoing, but the result of a politicized institutional machinery that condoned, normalized, and often rewarded such crimes,” the commission said, in a section of a report released by the interim government on Monday.
“Alarmingly, this culture of impunity continues even after the regime change on August 5, 2024.”
The commission has verified more than 250 cases of enforced disappearances spanning the 15 years that Hasina’s Awami League was in power.
Commission chief Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury said earlier this month that responsibility lay with individual officers, who were “involved in conducting enforced disappearances,” but not the armed forces as an institution.
Earlier this month, a joint statement by rights groups — including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch — called on the security forces to “fully cooperate with the commission by guaranteeing unfettered and ongoing access to all detention centers... and providing free access to records regarding those seized or detained.”
Hasina,77, remains in self-imposed exile in India, where she fled after she was ousted last year.
She has defied orders to return to Dhaka to face charges amounting to crimes against humanity. Her trial in absentia continues.

Topics: Bangladesh

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Greenpeace joins protests against gala Bezos wedding in Venice

Updated 23 June 2025
Reuters
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Greenpeace joins protests against gala Bezos wedding in Venice

  • Some locals see the celebration as the latest sign of the brash commodification of a beautiful but fragile city that has long been overrun with tourism while steadily depopulating
Updated 23 June 2025
Reuters

VENICE: Global environmental lobby Greenpeace added its voice on Monday to protests against this week’s celebrity wedding in Venice between American tech billionaire Jeff Bezos and journalist Laura Sanchez.
The event, expected to attract some 200 guests including US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as scores of stars from film, fashion and business, has been dubbed “the wedding of the century.”
But some locals see the celebration as the latest sign of the brash commodification of a beautiful but fragile city that has long been overrun with tourism while steadily depopulating.
Activists from Greenpeace Italy and UK group “Everyone hates Elon” (Musk) unfolded a giant banner in central St. Mark’s Square with a picture of Bezos laughing and a sign reading: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding you can pay more tax.”
Local police arrived to talk to activists and check their identification documents, before they rolled up their banner.
“The problem is not the wedding, the problem is the system. We think that one big billionaire can’t rent a city for his pleasure,” Simona Abbate, one of the protesters, told Reuters.
Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and regional governor Luca Zaia have defended the wedding, arguing that it will bring an economic windfall to local businesses, including the motor boats and gondolas that operate its myriad canals.
Zaia said the celebrations were expected to cost 20-30 million euros ($23-$34 million).
Bezos will also make sizable charity donations, including a million euros for Corila, an academic consortium that studies Venice’s lagoon ecosystem, Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper and the ANSA news agency reported on Sunday.
Earlier this month, anti-Bezos banners were hung from St. Mark’s bell tower and from the famed Rialto bridge, while locals threatened peaceful blockades against the event, saying Venice needed public services and housing, not VIPs and over-tourism.
The exact dates and locations of the glitzy nuptials are being kept confidential, but celebrations are expected to play out over three days, most likely around June 26-28.

Topics: Jeff Bezos Italy

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Beijing issues weather warning for hottest days of year

Updated 23 June 2025
AFP
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Beijing issues weather warning for hottest days of year

  • An orange heat warning — the second-highest in a three-tier system — was issued on Monday as officials encouraged people to limit outdoor activity and drink more fluids to avoid heatstroke
Updated 23 June 2025
AFP

BEIJING: Beijing residents sought shade and cooled off in canals on Monday as authorities issued the second-highest heat warning for the Chinese capital on one of its hottest days of the year so far.
China has endured a string of extreme summers in recent years, with heatwaves baking northern regions even as parts of the south have seen catastrophic rain and flooding.
Authorities in the city of 22 million people urged the public to take precautions, with temperatures expected to peak at around 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday.
“It’s been really hot lately, especially in the past few days,” intern Li Weijun told AFP on Monday afternoon.
The 22-year-old said he had stopped wearing formal clothes to work and delayed his daily exercise until after 10:00 p.m. to stay safe.
“I think it’s related to climate change, and maybe also to the damage done to nature,” he said.
An orange heat warning — the second-highest in a three-tier system — was issued on Monday as officials encouraged people to limit outdoor activity and drink more fluids to avoid heatstroke.
Construction workers should “shorten the amount of time consecutively spent at labor,” while elderly, sick or weakened individuals ought to “avoid excessive exertion,” according to the guidelines.
Zhang Chen, 28, said she carried an umbrella outdoors to prevent sunburn.
“I used to ride a bike, but once it gets this hot, I basically stop doing that,” the IT worker told AFP.
Despite the beating sun, legions of delivery drivers zipped through downtown areas at noon to bring sustenance to Beijing’s office workers.
A few lazed on the backs of their scooters in a shady spot, while elsewhere, people cooled off with ice creams or by taking a dip in the city’s canals.


Beijing is still a few degrees short of breaking its record for the hottest-ever June day, set at 41.1C in 2023.
Human greenhouse gas emissions are driving climate change that causes longer, more frequent and more intense heatwaves.
China is the world’s largest producer of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas, though it has pledged to bring its emissions to a peak by the end of this decade and to net zero by 2060.
The country has also emerged as a global leader in renewable energy in recent years as it seeks to pivot its massive economy away from highly polluting coal consumption.
In a shady spot near an office building, 42-year-old Lucy Lu spent her lunch break with friends, kicking a shuttlecock through the air — a traditional Chinese game known as “jianzi.”
“I was born and raised in Beijing, and summer here has always been like this,” she said.
“But I do think when the temperature goes over 40C, there should be some time off or work-from-home options to reduce the risk of heatstroke.”

Topics: China weather

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