The 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters in New York, 26 September 2024. (Keystone/EPA/Stephani Spindel)

☔UN feeling the blues as general assembly kicks off. As the United Nations prepares to open the 80th session of the General Assembly on Tuesday, reform efforts under the so-called UN80 initiative face criticism for being far too focused on the short term and failing to offer a clear strategic vision.

🛂US visa refusal for Palestinian delegation prompts calls to move UN meeting to Geneva. The push to relocate a conference on a two-state solution, where several western states are expected to recognise Palestine, follows the White House’s denial of entry to Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and 80 officials for the UN General Assembly.

‼️UN human rights chief condemns ‘mass killing of Palestinians in Gaza. Volker Türk expressed horror at “the open use of genocidal rhetoric” and “disgraceful dehumanisation” of Palestinians by senior Israeli officials, but stopped short of describing the war as a genocide, as UN staff had called on him to do.

🌐Ben Segal, a driving force behind the internet at Cern. The British engineer, who has lived in Switzerland for 50 years, has devoted most of his life to computer science. He played a crucial role in the adoption of the internet protocol by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research. Le Temps

📬UPU Congress gathers postal leaders as US tariffs upend global system. The Bern-based UN agency that coordinates international mail services opened its quadrennial assembly with a warning about the industry falling behind.