UNITED NATIONS (AP) — World leaders will open their annual meeting at the U.N. General Assembly under the shadow of growing global divisions, major wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, and the threat of even greater conflict in the wider Middle East. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres previewed his speech titled “Our world is falling apart — and we need tough decisions to get back on track” in his opening state of the world address to presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and ministers at the “Summit of the Future” on Sunday. A notable moment at the opening assembly on Tuesday: U.S. President Joe Biden’s likely last major appearance on the world stage, a platform he has trodden and enjoyed for decades.

Lebanese health authorities have raised the death toll from two days of Israeli air strikes on Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon to 558. Palestinian officials in the Gaza Strip, meanwhile, said at least seven people were killed in new Israeli attacks on Tuesday in the southern city of Khan Younis.

PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Mexico (AP) — Tropical Storm John has slammed Mexico’s southern Pacific coast with life-threatening flooding. John quickly strengthened from a tropical storm to a major hurricane before making landfall near Punta Maldonado late Monday night. It has since weakened back to a tropical storm and is expected to weaken quickly.

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas man with a history of mental illness who has repeatedly tried to waive his right to appeal his death sentence faces execution for killing his 3-month-old son. Travis Mullis is scheduled to receive the lethal injection Tuesday night at Huntsville State Prison.

MUNICH (AP) — Non-alcoholic beer has become increasingly popular in recent years as beer consumption declines. At Weihenstephan, the world’s oldest brewery in Germany, non-alcoholic wheat beer and lager now account for 10 percent of volume. The increase in recent years, since it began producing non-alcoholic beverages in the 1990s, mirrors statistics for the rest of the German beer industry. At this year’s Oktoberfest, all but two of the 18 large festival tents are serving the drink.

The lines that have long defined the two parties’ policy priorities are blurring as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump seek to expand their coalitions in the final weeks of a hotly contested presidential election. The outcome of the contest could depend on how many disaffected suburban Republicans vote for Harris and how many of the Democrats’ traditional voters – African-Americans, Latinos, young people and union members – defect to Trump.

More news:

Texas jury acquits most “Trump Train” riders in civil case over bus encounter between Biden and Harris in 2020.

The man accused of apparent attempted murder left a note indicating that he intended to kill Trump.

The Biden administration wants to ban Chinese and Russian technology in autonomous vehicles in the United States.

The Fed considers its fight against inflation a success. Will the public ultimately agree?

In view of the increasing violence between Israel and Hezbollah, the US is sending more troops to the Middle East.

California is suing ExxonMobil, accusing the company of lying about plastics recycling.

The gunman in the Colorado supermarket shooting is the latest to fail on the grounds of insanity.

Boeing makes striking union members its “best and final offer.”

The co-founder of OceanGate hopes that the submarine tragedy will renew interest in exploring new ocean areas.

AP NFL history editor Rob Maadi reports that there are no more winless teams in the NFL.

The Bills and Commanders get great performances from their quarterbacks and score Monday night wins, the Phillies win their first NL East title in over a decade, while the tight race for the wild card in the American League becomes increasingly exciting.

Reggie Bush is suing USC, Pac-12 and NCAA to avoid compensation for his football career 20 years ago.

The Iranian president accuses Israel of seeking a broader war in the Middle East conflict and of setting “traps” to draw Iran into it.

Lebanon is experiencing its deadliest conflict since 2006: more than 270 people are killed in Israeli attacks.

— Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is senior editor of Lee Enterprises’ national news desk. In addition to producing the daily news podcast “Hot off the Wire,” Terry conducts regular interviews for the program “Behind the Headlines,” is co-host of the film and television program “Streamed & Screened,” and is a former producer of “Across the Sky,” a weather and climate podcast.