
Global leaders gather at UN headquarters as conflicts, climate crises, and technological disruptions overshadow the annual session.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres opens the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, featuring speeches by world leaders including US President Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and French President Emmanuel Macron amid global uncertainty.
AI-generated summary
The UN General Assembly is an annual gathering of world leaders at UN headquarters in New York to discuss pressing global issues.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will officially open the world body's 81st General Assembly — which runs through next Monday — at its New York Headquarters on Tuesday
US President Donald Trump will feature among Tuesday's speakers, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron also speaking throughout the day
Trump is expected to address the war he launched against Tehran and the fall out it has brought for the global economy
The General Assembly comes at a time of global uncertainty as global conflict, environmental crisis and massive technical disruption foist uncertainty upon the global population
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Assembly President Khalilur Rahman will open the UN's 81st General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Tuesday morning as world leaders gather for their annual six-day confab.
As Guterres puts it, "In a world marked by turbulence, division and uncertainty, the United Nations is more necessary than ever."
This year's session comes as war — mainly in Ukraine and Iran — climate catastrophe, and the specter of artificial intelligence overshadow the world's myriad other problems.
The session offers an opportunity for leaders to politick in person with numerous bilateral meetings expected to take place on the main stage's sidelines.
The event will likely get off to a rousing start when US President Donald Trump — who has delivered belligerent and fantastical addresses in the past — takes the stage after Brazilian President Inacio Lula Da Silva in the morning session and before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Further speakers will include leaders from Africa, Central Asia, Europe, Scandinavia, South America and the Middle East.
The day's schedule includes an opening address from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that comes at a time when the body itself is under threat from US President Donald Trump — who has repeatedly expressed his willingness to renege on US financial obligations to the body if it does not bend to his will — and in the face of myriad global crises ranging from financial and environmental disasters to spreading conflict, rampant disease and the looming threat of so-called artificial intelligence.
Among those who will join Guterres and Trump are Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as the leaders of Finland and Lithuania, and France's President Emmanuel Macron.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The 81st UN General Assembly session will conclude on September 28, 2026.
Very likely · Within days

The Left Party's victory in Berlin's September election has revived efforts to expropriate large real estate holdings under a 2021 referendum, but the federal government under Chancellor Merz opposes the move and may block it through federal legislation, creating a potential coalition stumbling block despite legal assessments finding the plan constitutional.
The DOJ is defending the Trump administration's decision to revoke White House access for CNN, Politico, and MS NOW, citing national security concerns and professional standards. The outlets have sued, alleging violations of the First and Fifth Amendments.

The 81st UN General Assembly enters its second day, with debates centered on AI regulation, the ongoing US-Iran war, and climate change. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa addressed the assembly, while leaders from Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan pushed for UNSC reform.

Family members of jailed former Pakistani PM Imran Khan report severe health concerns and isolation. As the PTI party prepares for protests on September 27, authorities have detained Khan's sisters, citing public order, amid rising political tensions.

Slovak PM Robert Fico warned of a wider European war and questioned the necessity of NATO's Article 5, prompting criticism from Czech President Petr Pavel and domestic opposition who argue his rhetoric undermines alliance solidarity and national security.

Following state elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, the SPD is divided. While Manuela Schwesig's victory provides a model for success, party leaders Lars Klingbeil and Bärbel Bas face pressure to challenge coalition partner CDU/CSU on pension reforms.