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Small bites from the UN: Defiance, fiery language and a cold building

inquirer.com · 6h · first reportShare

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — 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. 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. Here are a few: ___ A promise to stay home Thursday marked Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella’s first chance to address the gathering of world leaders. He passed it up. 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. So on Thursday, Vice President Jose Manuel Restrepo took the rostrum to deliver a speech in his president’s stead. He said it was the president's own