U.N. Assembly Honors Kim Jong Il With Moment of Silence

[ via Fox News ] 24 Dec

The United Nations General Assembly honored Kim Jong Il with a moment of silence, in the latest international tribute to the late dictator who operated one of the most repressive countries in the world. 

Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, president of the U.N. General Assembly, granted the request for the moment of silence Thursday. As the United States and other western delegations boycotted, the rest of the delegates and officials in the chamber stood in silence for about 25 seconds, some bowing their heads. 

Read more: Fox News

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Iran Complains to UN over of U.S. Drone Incursion

[ Tehran Times ] 9 Dec

The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations has called on the UN to condemn the recent violation of Iranian airspace by a U.S. spy drone RQ-170, that intruded some 250 kilometers inside Iranian territory up to the northern region of the city of Tabas, where it was eventually shot down.

Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Khazaii made the plea in a letter sent Thursday to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, and Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s UN ambassador who holds the rotating Security Council presidency for December.

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UK Isolated as Europe agrees on new Fiscal Union

[ Reuters ] 9 Dec

Europe divided on Friday in a historic rift over building a fiscal union to preserve the euro, with a large majority of countries led by Germany and France agreeing to move ahead with a separate treaty, leaving Britain isolated.

UK Isolated as Europe agrees on new fiscal union

Twenty-three of the 27 leaders agreed to pursue tighter integration with stricter budget rules for the single currency area, but Britain said it could not accept proposed amendments to the EU treaty after failing to secure concessions for itself.

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