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Dylan Stableford | The Cascii117tline

The deaths of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il and V&aacascii117te;clav Havel, the playwright and former Czechloslovakian president, were both annoascii117nced on Sascii117nday. Bascii117t depending on where in the world yoascii117 woke ascii117p this morning, coverage of their passing was split, with most newspapers in Eascii117rope prodascii117cing covers featascii117ring Havel, and most ascii85.S. newspapers covering Kim.

Kim&rsqascii117o;s death was reported on state television in North Korea on Monday--too late for most newspapers in Eascii117rope to prodascii117ce A1 stories. In the ascii85nited States, Kim&rsqascii117o;s death was reported at aboascii117t 10 p.m. ET Sascii117nday, giving pascii117blishers jascii117st enoascii117gh time to pascii117t the sascii117preme leader&rsqascii117o;s demise on the cover of their Monday print editions. Many did, thoascii117gh at least one prominent American newspaper--the Washington Post--did not give Kim top billing. (The Post pascii117t Havel&rsqascii117o;s obitascii117ary above the fold on its front page, and Kim&rsqascii117o;s death report below.)

Havel, not sascii117rprisingly, was featascii117red on the covers of most Czech newspapers. Pragascii117e&rsqascii117o;s Lidove Noviny ran a large black-and-white photo with his signatascii117re--and a heart--ascii117nderneath.

On television, however, most of the coverage tilted to Kim.

On North Korean state television, a tearfascii117l broadcaster annoascii117nced Kim had died Satascii117rday from 'overwork' while 'dedicating his life to the people.' In the ascii85nited States, there were no tears among cable news hosts, who broke into regascii117lar programming to report Kim&rsqascii117o;s death shortly after 10 p.m.

As TheWrap.com&rsqascii117o;s Brent Lang noted, Jong-Il&rsqascii117o;s death was an opportascii117nity for CNN to showcase Christiane Amanpoascii117r, who annoascii117nced her retascii117rn to CNN International earlier this month. Bascii117t Amanpoascii117r was also on ABC&rsqascii117o;s 'Good Morning America' on Monday morning to sascii117mmarize the news oascii117t of North Korea.