Those comments echo earlier assessments by analysts here in Seoul, who say Kim Jong Il's apparent stroke about a year ago challenged perceptions of his complete command of the North's government.

VOA: standard.2009.06.22

French general Stephane Abrial takes over as supreme allied commander in Norfolk,Virginia, in the United States, just months after President Nicolas Sarkozy of France announced his country would rejoin the NATO military command more than 40 years after leaving it.

VOA: standard.2009.09.10