Al Jazeera

By Joseph Stepansky and Lyndal Rowlands

Game of Thrones star monitoring Sumud attacks

    Irish actor Liam Cunningham has been monitoring the Sumud flotilla’s journey, including tonight’s attacks.

    In a series of posts on social media the Game of Thrones star described the latest incident as “criminal behaviour in international waters” by the “genocidal Tel Aviv regime”.

    “The world has to stop this criminal behaviour in international waters”, Cunningham wrote, noting that there “there are people from 44 different countries on this voyage.”

What are flashbangs

    As we’ve been reporting, the crew on board the Sumud flotilla have said that several ships have been hit with flashbangs tonight.

    Here is what the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has said about the use of flashbangs:

    Flashbangs are a kind of “disorientation device”, a group of weapons that create a loud sound, of 160 to 180 decibels, as well as a “very bright flash” of light.

    They can cause “temporary blindness, temporary loss of hearing and loss of balance, as well as a sense of panic”, according to the ACLU, and can also send shrapnel flying.

    The devices are made using magnesium-based pyrotechnic chemicals loaded into hand-held grenades with a short fuse.

    Other kinds of disorientation devices include concussion grenades and stun grenades.

    Such devices were originally developed as a military weapon by the British Special Air Service in the 1960s but have increasingly been used by police during protests and other crowd control situations in recent years.

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    Read about Trump’s speech at the UN General Assembly, in which he said that the war in Gaza must stop “immediately”.

    Watch Qatar’s emir accuse Israel of genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people in his speech at the UN.

    Watch Trump attacking the United Nations as he told the UNGA that he has helped to end seven wars – and complained about a faulty UN escalator.

Here’s what happened today

    US President Trump delivered a 55-minute speech in which he called for world leaders to rally nationalism within their own countries; dismissed the UN as ineffective; and described migration and renewable energy as the biggest threats facing the “free world”.

    Trump also announced a major pivot on Ukraine, saying he now believes Kyiv can win back all of its territory from Russia militarily.

    In his speech, UN chief Antonio Guterres said that “the scale of death and destruction” in Gaza is “beyond any other conflict in my years as secretary-general.” He also warned that the ability of the world body to do its work is “being cut from us”.

    Several Arab leaders met with Trump to discuss Gaza, with Turkish President Erdogan saying the exchange was “very fruitful”, despite no concrete developments being announced.

    European allies hailed Trump’s shift on Ukraine, with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy saying he was surprised by the change, but believed it means the US will stand by his country as it repels Russia’s invasion.

UN spokesperson addresses Trump’s escalator malfunction

    When US President Trump delivered his remarks to the UN General Assembly earlier today, he offered a withering assessment of the international body’s competence.

    “ All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that, on the way up, stopped right in the middle. If the First Lady wasn’t in great shape, she would’ve fallen,” Trump said, referencing his wife, Melania Trump.

    “These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter.”

    Trump was referring to an incident that happened after he entered the UN building, when the escalator appeared to stop seconds after he and Melania stepped onto it. The White House has called for an investigation into the malfunction.

    Now, the UN itself has weighed in on the incident.

    “In an effort to document their arrival, a videographer from the US delegation stepped on to the escalator ahead of the President and First Lady,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric wrote in a statement.

    Dujarric explained that the videographer may have accidentally set off one of the elevator’s safety functions.

    “A subsequent investigation, including a readout of the machine’s central processing unit, indicated that the escalator had stopped after a built-in safety mechanism on the comb step was triggered at the top of the escalator. The safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing.”

WATCH: Arab and Muslim leaders meet Donald Trump

    Leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkiye, Pakistan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan have met with US President Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

    The meeting came as world leaders discussed Israel’s war on Gaza from the UNGA stage — and questioned whether a ceasefire agreement is within reach.

    In the video below, Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra reports from the UN headquarters in New York City.

Arab and Muslim leaders meet Donald Trump: Ending Israel's war on Gaza at top of agenda at UNGA

HRW says countries should reject Trump’s proposals on migration, human rights

    Federico Borello, the interim executive director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), has said that Trump’s speech to the UNGA this morning showed an “obvious lack of respect for international organisations that promote human rights, like the UN”.

    In a statement, Borello noted that the United States played a central role in creating the UN.

    While the institution “has always had shortcomings”, Borello argued that the UN is also “essential globally to monitor human rights, deliver humanitarian aid, protect refugees, and promote international accountability”.

    “Countries should reject out of hand Trump’s nonsensical proposals, like to undermine the global asylum system,” said Borello.

    He also called on other governments to help fund the UN’s work amid the Trump administration’s decision to cut nearly $1bn in US funding.

    “Otherwise, we risk abandoning victims of abuses and war crimes while making the world a safe space for dictators, kleptocrats and human rights violators,” said Borello.

Pro-Palestine protesters continue to gather

By Ali Harb

Reporting from the United Nations

    The Palestine solidarity protest outside the UNGA has been ongoing since the start of the summit.

    Keffiyeh-draped demonstrators are holding Palestinian flags and chanting against the Israeli military and the starvation of Gaza.

    Mohammed Choudry told Al Jazeera that the recognition of Palestine by several Western countries at the UNGA is a small but welcome step.

    He called for sanctions and international boycotts of Israel to pressure an end to the assault on Gaza.

    “This has been two years in the making,” he said. “At what point is it enough ”

    Choudry also rebuked Trump for disparaging the UN in his speech earlier, which he said was filled with “random” and “bogus” statements, including a false claim that London is adopting Islamic law.

‘The existing international order is crumbling’: Poland’s president

    Poland’s Karol Nawrocki, elected in 2025, is making his first appearance before the UNGA as the country’s president.

    He described the current moment as a “turning point” for Europe and the world, and said his country was prepared to defend its borders. He also accused the Kremlin of embracing a “new imperialism” and violating Poland’s territorial borders earlier this month by flying drones in its airspace. The drones were ultimately shot down.

    “Russia has simply not abandoned its imperial ambitions,” Nawrocki told the assembly.

    “I believe that the root causes of Russian aggression are primarily ideological. Russia refers to an imperial vision that treats entire nations as a colonial property. It denies them subjectivity on a regular basis, claiming they are artificial constructs, and it justifies the invasion as a historical correction.”

    He described Russia’s incursions into territories like Ukraine as an existential crisis for international bodies, like the UN.

    “ The Russian invasion of Ukraine is not only the most serious conflict in Europe since World War II, but it is also a turning point,” Nawrocki said. “The existing international order is crumbling.”