Live updates: UN General Assembly

They spoke at the sidelines of the United Nations in New York on Wednesday after touring Columbia Universitys Irving Medical Centre in the northern Manhattan neighbourhood of Washington Heights while their husbands attended the UN General Assembly session.The visit was part of the Biden administrations Cancer Moonshot, an ambitious initiative to halve cancer death rates in the next 25 years.The president and his wife lost their oldest son, Beau, to brain cancer in 2015.The tour was also a follow-up to when Jill Biden and Letizia met in Madrid in June before a NATO summit.

First lady Jill Biden and Queen Letizia of Spain have highlighted the importance of global cooperation in efforts to find a cure for cancer.

Both women are advocates for cancer patients. They spoke at the sidelines of the United Nations in New York on Wednesday after touring Columbia University's Irving Medical Centre in the northern Manhattan neighbourhood of Washington Heights while their husbands attended the UN General Assembly session.

The visit was part of the Biden administration's "Cancer Moonshot," an ambitious initiative to halve cancer death rates in the next 25 years.

The president and his wife lost their oldest son, Beau, to brain cancer in 2015.

The tour was also a follow-up to when Jill Biden and Letizia met in Madrid in June before a NATO summit. The queen invited the first lady to see some of Spain's cancer research efforts.

The first lady said Wednesday that she wanted to bring the queen to the Columbia University centre so she could learn about cancer research being done in the United States. The Columbia centre collaborates with researchers in Spain.

___ Zambia's president is warning that even a few months of war "can erase decades of progress" in the global fight against poverty.

Hakainde Hichilema's comments to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday come as countries across Africa are experiencing dramatic spikes in food prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"War in any part of the world...has a damaging effect on economic activity, which derails our collective fight against poverty and hunger," he said. "A few months of war can erase decades of progress." Hichilema also provided a stark example of climate change's devastating effects in his southern African country: Half of Zambia experienced total crop failures because of severe drought, while the other half suffered flooding.

"Such extreme weather events are a timely reminder of the grave consequences of climate change," he told the General Assembly, adding that developing countries need help mitigating the side effects.

___ French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to declare a partial military mobilisation in the face of setbacks in its war in Ukraine, saying it will further isolate Moscow.

Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Macron expressed dismay at a decision that would ''to drag (Putin's) country, and in particular his country's youth, into the war".

Macron added: "And so today, Russia is increasingly isolated." Putin ordered a partial mobilisation of reservists Wednesday. It's a risky and deeply unpopular step that follows humiliating setbacks for his troops nearly seven months after invading Ukraine.

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