Results tagged “generalassembly”

       

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."

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.

Continue reading "Bush Speaks to U.N. General Assembly"

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."

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.

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

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!

• 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.

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.

Continue reading "Pope RSVPs to UN Invite"

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.)

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.

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.)

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.

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.

Donning blue UN "peace keeper" hats and protest signs, an estimated 20,000 people gathered in Central Park yesterday to demand the end to the genocide in Darfur. A large percentage of those present were college students who traveled in bus loads to attend. Timed to coincide with this week's opening of the 61st General Assembly of the United Nations. the rally was a part of the Global Day for Darfur, a day of assemblies in cities across the world, including Phnom Penh, Nairobi, and London. Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Actress Mira Sorvino, and Country music stars Big and Rich addressed the crowd, among many others.

The opening of the United Nations General Assembly today means a lot of gridlock and protests today. President Bush is addressing the UN tomorrow - but he'll be speaking at the NY Public Library this morning to discuss global literacy and will be raising money for the Republican party tonight.

Yesterday, the NYPD's counterterrorism head Richard Falkenrath said that the city is still viewed as "a prime target for another terrorist strike." The AP reports that Falkenrath was briefing security executives in prepartion for the UN General Assembly. And what do you know, a Al Jazeera airs a tape of Osama bin Laden and some September 11 hijackers (well, supposedly September 11 hijackers - their faces are masked). While the President sought to point out that Al Qaeda is not as strong as it used to and that it's still important to capture bin Laden, some wonder if the tape was released by new Al Qaeda head Abu Hamza al-Muhajer. As Middle East expert Marwan Shehadeh tells the times, “They released the videotape to prove to the Americans that their strategy in the war against terror has failed.”

Houstonist reports on cross-dressing thieves and undressing educators this week. A Peeping Tom defends himself with a papaya and an outraged onlooker asks Ken Lay, "TATER TOTS OR FRIES?" Also, FEMA wants it's money back.

Next Wednesday will be the 60th session of the General Assembly and the 2005 World Summit at the United Nations. Which means New York City is gonig to be under some serious security and gridlock for three days. As it will be the "largest single gathering of world leaders in history next week," there's a hell of a lot of planning going on at the city and federal levels. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "It will be a General Assembly like no other," and Secret Service agent A.T. Smith told Newsday, "I don't think we've ever been more prepared because there was a lot of emphasis placed on the fact that this is the highest-attended General Assembly in history." Which means that with 227 heads of state (plus an ex-president, like Bill Clinton) in the mix, there will be street closing, vehicle searches, even more subway security, a seven mile no-fly zone, and tons and tons of police officers on the street. Okay, now Gothamist understands a little better why the U.N. had to advertise its apologies.

The United Nations has launched effort to say sorry to New Yorkers. But the U.N. is not apologizing for oil-for-food or for delegates who don't pay their parking tickets (it's city revenue!): They are apologizing for the gridlock that will come with next week's World Summit. And they want to let New Yorkers know that serious stuff is going to be discussed. Hmm, we wonder if the UN's consulting firm told them to make this pre-emptive ad blitz after Donald Trump went to Congress last July to complain about the UN's development plans. But, really, people just want to know if Angelina Jolie will make an appearance.

As part of the 60th anniversary celebration of the United Nations, the international organization is giving free tours on Sundays this month. Gothamist went to the UN this past Sunday for a tour which lasted all of 30 minutes. During the tour, which seems to be English only (the regular tour costs $11.50 for adults and is in multiple languages), the guides point out several murals and gifts to the UN and visitors are shown the Security Council (pictured above), the Trusteeship Council, and the General Assembly.

Check out the NY Times' Elizabeth Bumiller's political memo about the differences between Bush and Kerry's speaking styles.