1. North Korea mourns Kim Jong-il and prepares for the 'great successor'
Country's state propaganda machine has been smoothing the way for Kim Jong-un to succeed his father as leader.
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 20 December 2011
Kim Jong-il's son and heir apparent has led mourners paying respects to North Korea's Dear Leader , as the country's propaganda machine sought to smooth the transition by ramping up the family personality cult.
State television showed Kim Jong-un bowing before the body of his father, as it lay draped in a scarlet flag, in a glass casket at the Kumsusan memorial palace. Sombre music echoed through the gloomy, marble-lined hall.
Honour guards stood by, and senior military and political figures followed as the "great successor" observed a moment's silence before circling the byre where Kim Jong-il lay in his trademark khaki suit, surrounded by the red kimjongilia begonias named in his honour.
The images appeared designed to cement the younger man's position as much as to honour the elder, who died on Saturday aged 69. As the tributes to the father piled up in the state media, so did the plaudits for the son, who is thought to be just 28.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) described him for the first time as a "great person born of heaven" – a phrase previously bestowed only on his father and grandfather - and "the eternally immovable mental mainstay of the Korean people".
"The Korean people now pledge themselves to remain true to the leadership of General Kim Jong-un while overcoming the greatest sorrow of the nation," it added.
The Rodong Sinmun newspaper described him as the people's "spiritual pillar and the lighthouse of hope".
But as significant as the domestic praise was, the note struck by Hillary Clinton, who told reporters the US wanted a "peaceful and stable transition", was perhaps more significant.
mourn: v哀悼
mourner: n哀悼者,送葬者
propaganda：n宣傳活動
heir: 繼承人
pay respect to 致意,關心
ramp up 提高
bow 鞠躬
drape: n 窗簾 ,v 覆蓋
casket(美)棺材
coffin 棺材
gloomy憂鬱的 ECB(European central bank) paint a gloomy picture of the future economy.歐洲央行對經濟未來前景非常悲觀
2. Russia clears final hurdle to WTO membership
DW-TV Dec.15, 2011
Russia is on the brink of becoming a member of the World Trade Organization. There are still some worries about how state-run industries will fare in a new, open market, but most observers think the step is long overdue.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is set to finally rubberstamp Russia's long-awaited membership on Friday, 18 years after negotiations were first taken up.
For Russia, accession to the WTO is not just a question of political prestige - it carries with it a host of economic advantages, according to Susan Stewart, researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).
"Membership is another step toward integration with the world economy, and away from marginalization," Stewart told Deutsche Welle. "Since Russia is not modernizing enough at the moment, marginalization is a real threat."
Accession to the WTO will also spur innovation in Russia. Stewart thinks that many companies and even whole industries like manufacturing could become more competitive.
However, the extra pressure to compete in a more open market also worries some Russian critics. Many parts of the Russian economy are, they point out, still state-controlled. They predict that old companies dating from the Soviet era will have problems facing international competition.
Others, like Rolf Langhammer of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), view accession as an opportunity for Russia, because the WTO will open the door to foreign investment - the key to Russia's modernization.
3. Flag-lowering ends controversial U.S. Iraq mission
CNN 2011-12-15
(CNN) -- American troops lowered the flag of command that flew over Baghdad Thursday morning, carefully rolled it, and placed it in a green and gray case, officially ending the controversial United States military mission in Iraq after nearly nine years.
The understated ceremony under the bright Iraqi sun was the very opposite of the nighttime shock and awe bombardment of Baghdad that began the war against Saddam Hussein in March 2003.
Justified by then-President George W. Bush on the grounds that Hussein was seeking weapons of mass destruction which he could share with terrorists such as al Qaeda, the invasion was deeply divisive in America and around the world.
Hussein's regime proved easy to topple, but no weapons of mass destruction were found, and the United States and its allies were left occupying a country where there were not greeted as liberators -- despite the prediction of Bush's vice president, Dick Cheney.
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