Tonight's meeting of the full Community Board 1 will test the evolving compromise between neighborhood representatives and the Occupy Wall Street protesters. Pulse, the group of drummer-protesters who have organized to assert their rights, agreed to limit their drumming to four hours a day during last night's General Assembly meeting. For a leaderless, nebulous movement, finite agreements are an important step. But CB 1's Quality of Life and Financial District committees didn't approve of four hours of drumming last week, they agreed on two. more ›

This afternoon, a contingent of Occupy Wall Street protesters will march to Washington Square Park for a massive general assembly at 3 p.m. They describe it as an opportunity to recruit new supporters: "The Washington Square Park thing is a great way to bring us to the next level," said Michael Fix, an organizer of the demonstration. Already, a flock of skateboarders have started making their way down Broadway. At the same time, the band Anti-Flag will perform an acoustic set at Zuccotti Park for protesters there. Below, you can watch the stream of this afternoon's events. [Updates Below] more ›

The Daily News reports, "A Nicaraguan diplomat was found dead with his throat slashed when his driver came to pick him up in the Bronx Thursday morning, police sources said. The 34-year-old man was found around 10:30 a.m. behind a door at a building on the Grand Concourse near E. 180th St." (The News' headline also says he was "nearly decapitated.") It's believed that the victim, who worked for the Nicaraguan Mission to the UN, lived at the building and was being picked up to go to the General Assembly. more ›

Ah, it's that time of the year when kids are back in school, days become darker earlier, and traffic is a complete mess on the East Side of Manhattan—yes, it's United Nations General Assembly time. With leaders from around the world in town to talk about global goals (or just arouse controversy), there's a heightened police presence and many street closures (see below). Also, if you're anywhere near Dag Hammarskjold Plaza—or a hotel where a world leader is staying...or most anywhere else—expect to see many protests. more ›

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just can't stay away from the Big Apple. After a big splash in May, when Chuck Schumer accused him of lying about his nuclear ambitions, the controversial leader touched down in New York today for the 65th United Nations General Assembly session. And on NBC's "Today" earlier this week, he cleared up some misconceptions about Iran. more ›

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be in NYC next month for the UN General Assembly meeting, which means the protest planning is well under way. The Post reports that one group, United Against Nuclear Iran, is upset that the Hilton Manhattan East is accepting "blood money" from Ahmadinejad and the Iranian delegation. Its president, a former homeland security official, Mike Wallace, sent letters to Hilton management saying, "The Hilton's short-term profit from hosting the Iranian delegation is far outweighed by the grave implications of supporting a terrorist state that is illegally developing nuclear weapons." During Mahmoud's UN speech last September, there were walkouts inside and protests outside. more ›

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrived at JFK Airport this afternoon as part of her quick five-hour visit to NYC and headed to the United Nations, where the Queen addressed the General Assembly. In her remarks, she noted her last visit there was in 1957, "When people in fifty-three years from now look back on us, they will doubtless view many of our practices as old-fashioned. But it is my hope that, when judged by future generations, our sincerity, our willingness to take a lead, and our determination to do the right thing, will stand the test of time." For fun, here's video of her 1957 visit: more ›

Yesterday, Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took to the United Nations General Assembly stage—and got the U.S., French, British, Canadian and other delegations to walk out when he referred to Israel in his speech: "It is no longer acceptable that a small minority would dominate the politics, economy and culture of major parts of the world by its complicated networks, and establish a new form of slavery, and harm the reputation of other nations, even European nations and the US, to attain its racist ambitions." more ›

President Bush addressed the United Nations General Assembly today. While he covered terrorism and Russia's invasion of Georgia, his main goal was to reassure the world that the U.S. was working to fix its economy. Some of his remarks:

Our nations must renew our commitment to open economies, and stand firm against economic isolationism. These objectives are being tested by turbulence in the global financial markets. Our economies are more closely connected than ever before, and I know that many of you here are watching how the United States government will address the problems in our financial system. more ›

The Decider in Chief arrived at JFK Airport yesterday: President Bush was welcomed by Mayor Bloomberg and other dignitaries at the start of a trip that will mark his final visit to the United Nations General Assembly as U.S. leader and his first visit to NYC since last week's financial market meltdown. According to NY1, Bush and Bloomberg "spoke about the turmoil on Wall Street, and the president thanked Bloomberg for his ideas on how to curb the current meltdown of the financial markets." more ›

Today's anti-Iran rally, which was to have included politicians but then didn't, attracted thousands of protesters, according to the Jerusalem Post. They gathered across from the United Nations, where the United Nations General Assembly is kicking off; Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is speaking there tomorrow. more ›

This week, Phillyist saw the waters of a landmark fountain run red for a Showtime marketing stunt, the Phils pull ahead, and some serious nostalgia. They also got a chance to review an awesome tribute album, reminded folks to see the King, and appreciated their beautiful skyline. more ›

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• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a child struck by a school bus on 102nd St. and 2nd Ave. in Manhattan, a serious trauma on 41st Ave. and Northern Blvd. in Queens, and a missing child on Wilson St. in Brooklyn.
• 4,000 respondents to a survey of service on the L train gave the line a grade of C, which is passing we suppose. The second line to be graded by riders improved on the C-minus that the 7 train earned and grades for the J, Z, 4, and 5 lines are expected next week.
• A Brooklyn woman's outdoor cats––Clyde, Inky and Blinky––were trapped by a neighbor tired of finding dead birds in her yard, and driven to a Queens park where they were discarded.
• Sen. Clinton proposed giving every child born in the U.S. $5,000 that they can let grow and cash in for a college education when they are 18. The Daily News reports that about four million children are born in the U.S. annually.
• The Teamsters are accusing FreshDirect of union-busting among warehouse workers. The grocery delivery company denies the allegation and points out that it has yet to turn a profit.
• West 57th St. between 7th Ave. and Broadway was closed this morning due to a transformer fire.
• A judge declined to help cab drivers fighting the installation of GPS devices in their cabs. The lawsuit was filed after a strike proved unsuccessful.
• It could be curtains for Broadway shows if stagehands and producers can't agree on a new contract.

Mayor Bloomberg is back from London, just in time to deliver an address at Cooper Union while the world's media is milling about NYC for the U.N.'s General Assembly. Bloomberg will be appearing as part of a panel near Astor Place to discuss national policy matters. According to The New York Sun, an online site is attracting a growing number of supporters to draft Mayor Bloomberg as a third party candidate in the 2008 Presidential election. Bloomberg resigned from the Republican Party in June, ending a five-year affiliation that allowed him to win consecutive elections for mayoral office without slogging through a Democratic primary race. more ›

This morning, President Bush is addressing the 62nd United Nations General Assembly. He is expected to discuss "global fight against terrorism, tyranny and poverty," as well as sanctions against Myanmar in support of the protest organized by Buddhist monks. However, he will only mention Iran briefly, and will opt to cover "broad themes." A White House spokesman said, "The president wanted this speech to focus on many other issues that are facing the world -- issues that people in Sudan and Zimbabwe and Burma and countless other countries are dealing with," referring to the United Nations' mission to ensuring freedom. more ›

We recommend avoiding the FDR until after Wednesday, as it will be closed during the day whenever the General Assembly is in session. Everything goes back to normal midtown traffic chaos on Thursday. more ›

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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is getting a lot of ink in our newspapers today after it was revealed that (A) he had requested a visit to Ground Zero - to lay a wreath, no less - and then shortly later that (B) the city had denied the request. Way to work fast, city agencies! more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a child was found at 115th St. and Nicholas Ave. in Manhattan, an unusual incident at Columbus Circle in Manhattan with a man atop the globe in front of the Trump International, and a double shooting on Hegeman Ave. in Brooklyn.
• A worker fired from her job at the substance-abuse outreach organization Odyssey House said that her former supervisor would talk of his sexual exploits constantly. One of the weirder boasts: he would have sex in front of his cats, which would really turn the pets on.
• The New York Post looks at the most international pick-up spot in town: the Delegates Lounge at the U.N. The view is great, the drinks are strong, and many are looking to practice their international language skills.
• The second thresher shark in a week washed up on Rockaway Beach yesterday. A park manager and police gently pushed the three- to six-foot shark back into the water and it swam away.
• Alain Mariduena, or the graffiti artist known as Ket, pleaded guilty last Monday to painting a subway train in Brooklyn. He received probation, but his deal stipulated that he owes the city one mural to be commissioned by the DA's office, as long as it does not "condemn graffiti as an art form."
• The Gowanus Lounge helpfully points out why it's never a good idea to loan your shoes to the random guy who's already had his shoes, phone, and watch stolen, or let him crash on your couch because he has no idea where he lives. You probably won't get your shoes back.
• World leaders will be descending on midtown Manhattan this week as the 62nd U.N. General Assembly begins Tuesday, and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be a featured speaker. Prepare for heightened security measures and nightmarish traffic situations.
• 21-year-old New Yorker and Mets fan Matt Murphy auctioned off the record-setting 756th home run ball, hit by Barry Bonds and that Murphy caught, for more than $750,000.

The United Nations is finally moving ahead with plans to renovate its headquarters on Manhattan's East Side. The organization selected Swedish contractor Skanska AB to head up the preconstruction phase of the $1 billion project. Never known for being quick on its feet, a U.N. renovation project has been talked about since the mid-90s and is scheduled to take place in three phases over seven years, starting in early 2008. more ›

He headed first to the United Nations, where he met with the secretary-general, Kurt Waldheim, and addressed the General Assembly. The pope then had lunch with the pope's representative to the United Nations, Archbishop Giovanni Cheli, at the legate's Manhattan apartment. It was then off to the seat of Catholicism in New York, St. Patrick's Cathedral, where John Paul II met with Cardinal Terrence Cooke before celebrating Mass. More than 3,000 priests, brothers, and nuns were in attendance. more ›

There's a fun NY Times City section article about the Queens Museum of Art's Panorama Challenge. The Queens Museum of Art's panorama is a to-scale model of New York City: One inch equals 100 feet (the Empire State Building is 15 inches tall) and the model was originally designed for the 1964 World's Fair, as a "helicopter" ride over New York City. (And, yes, Parks Commissioner Robert Moses commissioned the panorama in 1964, just as he commissioned the Queens Museum of Art's building, the former New York City Pavilion for the 1939's World Fair.) more ›

Score one for the Daily News for noticing UN Secretary General transportation habits. During a breakfast with business leaders, Ban said he wanted diplomats to take the subway like Mayor Bloomberg. But Ban himself was driven "the mere eight blocks" with his driver parked illegally in the "No Standing" zone outside the Grand Hyatt. more ›

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President Bush ended many New Yorkers' gridlock nightmares by leaving the city yesterday, but he - and the rest of the U.S. delgation to the United Nations - missed Venezulan President Hugo Chavez's speech. And what a speech it was: Chavez called Bush "the devil," said it smelled of sulfur (since Bush had stood there), and showed said Americans should be reading Noam Chomsky's Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance instead of "watching Superman and Batman movies." Yeah, a big F-U to Bush and Hollywood! The NY Times reported laughs and gasps during his speech, because the General Assembly is normally a staid crowd. (The NY Times also reported how Chavez's regret was that he never met Chomsky before he died, pointing out that Chomsky is actually alive.) And, to think, people were worried about what Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would say (though Chavez didn't deny the Holocaust happened in his speech.) more ›

What is a Presidential trip to New York without protest? During President Bush's United Nations General Assembly address (in which he tried to emphasize that the U.S. wanted a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear program), protesters rallied outside to speak out against the war in Iraq. After initially being prohibited from marching by the NYPD - which then allowed the march to take place if only on the sidewalk and on a different route - 3,000 people joined in. am New York reported that one marcher was disappointed in the turnout: Paul Rosa said, "I understand people have to work, but there are four or five million people in this city who are against the war. For protests to be effective, they have to be massive and sustained." Which makes us wonder how many people would have liked to marched but couldn't because of work. The police reported 15 arrests. more ›

It's global leader week in the city, and many who work, live and travel through East Midtown know that as intense security and more traffic are evident (plea from the Mayor: "Take mass transit"), especially as the President will address the United Nations today. Yesterday, President George Bush and First Lady Laura attended a conference on global literacy sponsored by the White House at the New York Public Library, but the bigger question was whether or not the President would come face to face with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Since Bush refuses to discuss Iran's nuclear program at the United Nations until Iran suspends uranium enrichment (though French President Jacques Chirac suggested that Iran doesn't necessarily need to suspend its program yesterday), people were atwitter at the possibility of a run-in. more ›