Competing speeches from Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas commanded attention at the United Nations on Thursday, even though the Palestinian leader wasn’t there in person: The United States denied him a visa.
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States → compete → visa
Plenty of other stories unfolded Thursday that affect all parts of the world, as presidents and leaders and kings stand up, one after another, to speak to the U.N. General Assembly meetings.
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presidents → unfold → meetings
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A promise to stay home
Thursday marked Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella’s first chance to address the gathering of world leaders.
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Thursday → stay → leaders
He passed it up.
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He → pass → it
De la Espriella, who took office last month, promised on the campaign trail that if he won, he would forgo foreign trips so he could focus on the country’s internal problems, especially urban crime and the violence caused by illegal armed groups.
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he → take → groups
So on Thursday, Vice President Jose Manuel Restrepo took the rostrum to deliver a speech in his president’s stead.
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Restrepo → take → stead
He said it was the president’s own words that he would present.
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he → say → that
The speech began by hailing Colombia’s resilience in the wake of a powerful earthquake that killed at least 289 people last month.
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that → begin → people
On topics including security and economic growth, the leaders are trying to change the course of “a country that is well aware of its difficulties but also of its enormous potential.”
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that → include → potential
“Believe in Colombia,” de la Espriella said, via Restrepo.
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Espriella → believe → Restrepo
“I don’t promise you a perfect country, but I assure you that I am working tirelessly to build a nation that is safer, more prosperous and with more opportunities for its people.”
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that → promise → people
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‘Long live the fatherland, damn it!’
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fatherland → live → it
Only 10 months into his presidency, Bolivia’s Rodrigo Paz has faced turmoil at home.
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Paz → face → home
Many of his originally appointed ministers are gone after political ruptures, corruption scandals and street protests.
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Many → appoint → ruptures
His efforts to shore up Bolivia’s scarce fuel supplies backfired when contaminated gasoline damaged more than 10,000 vehicles.
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gasoline → shore → vehicles
The seat of his government came under siege for almost eight weeks as protesters demanded his resignation.
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protesters → come → resignation
But on Thursday, Paz struck a defiant tone.
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Paz → strike → tone
He said the economy is improving, the government is successfully managing fuel shortages, and people are looking to the future.
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people → say → future
Socialism “does not put food on the table” he said.
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he → put → table
Instead, he said, in electing him, Bolivia “decided to engage in a change and a transformation and to not turn back to the past.”
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Bolivia → say → past
He ended his speech with might be the quote of the assembly so far: “Long live the fatherland, damn it!
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fatherland → end → it
Long live Bolivia.”
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Bolivia → live → ?
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Referencing Trump’s ‘annihilate’ comment on Israel
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama seemed to reference Donald Trump’s speech on Tuesday when the U.S. president suggested he might “annihilate” Iran.
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he → reference → Iran
Said Mahama: “No human civilization deserves to be annihilated, and certainly not a member of the United Nations.”
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civilization → say → Nations
He touted recognition of a resolution to recognize the crimes of transatlantic slave trade, thanking 123 nations that voted to affirm it.
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that → tout → it
No child’s life is worth less because of the language they speak, the faith they profess, the color of their skin or the land of their birth,” he said.
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he → speak → birth
“This is the unyielding moral foundation upon which the United Nations must stand.”
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Nations → stand → which
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Fiery speakers brought the heat, but the building itself was cold
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building → bring → heat
As a cost-saving measure, U.N. Secretary-General kept the temperature in the sprawling U.N. headquarters complex warmer than some staffers would have liked in the summer heat.
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staffers → save → heat
But with fall just arriving and temperatures in New York significantly lower on Thursday, there were complaints during a press conference on the state of global education that the press briefing room felt like an icebox.
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room → arrive → icebox
One correspondent — yes, ours — went to get a shawl.
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correspondent → go → shawl
Others closed their jackets.
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Others → close → jackets
Everyone left with cold hands.
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Everyone → leave → hands
U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq, who moderated an event in the room, laughed and said of its very chilly temperature: “It’s whatever the weather is like outside – and more.”
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Paraguay stands with Taiwan
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Paraguay → moderate → Taiwan
During his speech to the U.N. General Assembly, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña spoke about the conflict in the Indo-Pacific region and reiterated his country’s support for the island of Taiwan.
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Peña → speak → Taiwan
“Paraguay stands, and I say this loud and clear, with Taiwan,” he said.
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he → stand → Taiwan
Paraguay is the only country in South America to recognize Taiwan and one of just 12 worldwide.
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Paraguay → recognize → 12
Beijing considers Taiwan its own territory and has ramped up a campaign over the past few years to lure away Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, in addition to increasing military pressure around the island.
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Taiwan → consider → island
Taiwan is the global hub of microchip manufacturing and, according to Peña, conflicts in the region impact the microchips that “drive industry, defense and artificial intelligence.”
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that → accord → industry
“What happens there is not merely a regional matter ...
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happens → happen → ?
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
