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John Ashe, President of the 68th General Assembly, addresses the opening of the General Debate.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran's new foreign minister, Javid Zarif, are set to talk later this week at the United Nations as part of a meeting of world powers concerned about Tehran's nuclear program. Some analysts believe this may be the first step in a significant thaw in U.S.-Iran relations.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack at a shopping mall in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, and urged the perpetrators to be brought to justice as soon as possible.

Officials in Pakistan say the death toll from a twin suicide bombing outside a historic Christian church has risen to 81 while Christians protest the attack at sites across the country.

General Assembly President John Ashe and Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson spoke with more than 1,100 civil society representatives about their priorities for global sustainable development in the years following the end of the current development cycle in 2015.

Russia has accused the United States of trying to "blackmail" it into letting the U.N. Security Council authorize force against the Syrian government if Damascus fails to give up its chemical weapons.

Heavy gunfire has erupted at the Nairobi shopping mall, where Kenya's military is trying to end a two-day assault by Islamist gunmen.

Pakistan has freed Afghan Taliban deputy commander Abdul Ghani Baradar in a attempt to jumpstart a tumultuous peace process in neighboring Afghanistan as most NATO troops prepare to leave the war-torn country by the end of 2014.

Iran's newly elected President Hassan Rouhani has pledged to join in constructive dialogue with world powers.

The son of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf resigned his post as chairman of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL).