Five international stories of the week

<p>People walk along a plaza at United Nations Headquarters Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. <strong>(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)</strong></p>

People walk along a plaza at United Nations Headquarters Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Editor’s Note: This listicle is part of a weekly series by The Ball State Daily News summarizing five stories from around the world. All summaries are based on stories published by The Associated Press.

The United Nations General Assembly, Israeli elections, tensions in the Persian Gulf region, the Hong Kong protests and the collapse of tour company Thomas Cook make up this week’s five international stories.

Temporary security barricades stand along 1st Ave. in New York in front of United Nations Headquarters Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, as the United Nations General Assembly gets underway today and into the coming week. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

‘Deficit of trust’: At UN, leaders of a warming world gather

This year’s General Assembly session starts Tuesday and ends Sept. 30 with 136 of the 193 United Nations (UN) member nations expected to be in attendance. Apart from discussions about climate change, this assembly comes amid fears of military action after attacks on oil installations in Saudi Arabia, the Israel-Palestine dispute, the Pakistan-India standoff over Kashmir and other global conflicts and crises from Syria and Yemen to Venezuela.

Read more: United Nations

Members of the Joint List Ayman Odeh, center, speaks to the press in the presence of Ahmad Tibi, right, and Mansour Abbas following their consulting meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, in Jerusalem, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019. Rivlin began two days of crucial talks Sunday with party leaders before selecting his candidate for prime minister, after a deadlocked repeat election was set to make forming any new government a daunting task. (Menahem Kahana/Pool via AP)

Arab lawmakers in Israel endorse Gantz for prime minister

The Arab bloc in Israel’s parliament endorsed former military chief Benny Gantz for prime minister. Following last week’s vote, Neither Gantz, leader of the centrist Blue and White party with, nor incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu, head of the conservative Likud movement, has a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. With the backing of the Arab parties, Gantz gained a slight advantage and could have as many as 57 backers, compared with Netanyahu’s 55.

Read more: Israel

In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani speaks at a military parade marking 39th anniversary of outset of Iran-Iraq war, in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019. Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri stands at left. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP) 

Iran asks West to leave Persian Gulf as tensions heightened
Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani called Sunday on Western powers to leave the security of the Persian Gulf to regional nations led by Tehran, criticizing a new U.S.-led coalition patrolling the region’s waterways. The U.S. alleges Iran carried out the Sept. 14 attack on the world’s largest oil processor in the kingdom and an oil field, which caused oil prices to spike by the biggest percentage since the 1991 Gulf War.

Read more: Persian Gulf tensions

Protesters vandalize a Chinese national flag during a protest at a mall in Hong Kong on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019. Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, now in their fourth month, have often descended into violence late in the day and at night. A hardcore group of the protesters says the extreme actions are needed to get the government's attention. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Hong Kong protesters trample Chinese flag, set street fires

Protesters in Hong Kong trampled a Chinese flag, vandalized two subway stations and set at least two street fires on Sunday, as pro-democracy demonstrations took a violent turn once again. A hardcore group of protesters says the extreme actions are needed to get the government’s attention, as the protests enter their fourth month. On Saturday, police used tear gas and rubber rounds against violent protesters.

Read more: Hong Kong

A Thomas Cook plane on the tarmac at Gatwick Airport in Sussex, England Monday Sept. 23, 2019. British tour company Thomas Cook collapsed early Monday after failing to secure emergency funding, leaving tens of thousands of vacationers stranded abroad. (Steve Parsons/PA via AP)

Travel chaos, jobs lost as UK firm Thomas Cook collapses

The 178-year-old British tour operator Thomas Cook collapsed after failing to secure rescue funding, and travel bookings for its more than 600,000 global vacationers were canceled early Monday. The British government said the return of the firm’s 150,000 British customers now abroad would be the largest repatriation in its peacetime history. The process is set to begin later Monday.

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