international gangsters puff their chests at the un

iran leader says 'american empire' near collapse

from ap: Iran's president accused "a few bullying powers" of trying to thwart his country's peaceful nuclear program and declared in a speech Tuesday before the U.N. General Assembly that "the American empire" is nearing collapse. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sharply attacked the United States and NATO, accusing them of acting as aggressors in Iraq and Afghanistan, and of starting those wars "in order to win votes in elections." "American empire in the world is reaching the end of its road, and its next rulers must limit their interference to their own borders," Ahmadinejad said. In a highly rhetorical speech, the Iranian leader again criticized archenemy Israel and showed no sign of reaching out to Western powers at the U.N., where the United States and its European allies are seeking a new round of sanctions if no agreement is reached on limiting Iran's nuclear capabilities. Some worry that Israel or the U.S. might resort to military strikes if they believe all diplomatic options have been exhausted.

un needed more urgently than ever, says bush

from guardian: George Bush today used his final speech to the UN before stepping down as the US president to defend the "war on terror" and urge other countries to support it. Bush said terrorism was the biggest challenge faced by the UN since its charter was drawn up in 1945. The US president - who ultimately ignored the UN in pressing ahead with the 2003 invasion of Iraq - said the scale of the threat illustrated that the UN and other multilateral organisations "are needed more urgently than ever". In a rebuff to those arguing that the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan had acted as a recruiting tool for extremists, Bush said: "Bringing the terrorists to justice doesn't create terrorism - it's the best way to protect our people."