UN security changes spark chaos with hundreds of attendees forced to wait in long lines

• Increased security measures and a suspicious package investigation sparked chaos and delays on the opening day of the United Nations annual gathering in New York .
• UN security implemented a new requirement this year for all staff and lower-ranking diplomats to have their belongings scanned, causing frantic delays as hundreds queued for just two scanners.
• Traffic surrounding the UN complex was severely restricted to prioritize motorcades carrying world leaders, forcing diverted city traffic onto neighboring avenues.
• Gridlock worsened during the midafternoon Tuesday when police closed Third Avenue near East 43rd Street to investigate a report of a suspicious package.
• The NYPD bomb squad responded to the scene and confirmed that the package was harmless, resolving the security alert after adding to the day's traffic disruptions.