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New York: Libya's claim that it will abide by this week's Security Council resolution, which calls for an immediate ceasefire and a halt to all attacks against civilians, still has to be verified, and the regime's current actions are unclear, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.

New York: A day before Haitians head to the polls to vote for a new president, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged them to 'take full advantage of this historic opportunity to shape the future of their country.'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Velikkakath Sankaran Achuthanandan won’t be denied no matter how hard his rivals within the party try. Velikkakath in Malayalam means inside the fence. Well, at the end of a day of dramatic developments, his rivals learnt to their dismay that it is virtually impossible to fence off VS, who rose, Phoenix-like, from the ashes!

It would be a “tragedy of errors”, to use a Shakespearean metaphor, if India’s nuclear power programme – the only area of advanced science where India is in the forefront world-wide – is slashed in response to the crisis imposed by nature’s fury in Japan. That would be a big blow to Indian economic development, opening power generation to the ravages of crippling environmental pollution from coal-based thermal plants, and still leave a big void in the target that nuclear power generation was expected to provide – a target of 63,000 MWe during the two decades ahead.

New York: The United Nations today welcomed the decision by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to suspend oil exploration in Africa’s oldest national park, home to numerous endangered species, including the mountain gorilla.

New York: With 1.8 billion people threatened by absolute water scarcity by 2025, and two-thirds of the world’s population facing potential shortages, countries must better protect and manage forests to ensure the provision of clean water to vulnerable communities, a United Nations-backed forum warned today.

New York: The head of the United Nations agency that coordinates global nuclear safety told Japanese leaders today that they must provide faster and fuller information about the country’s nuclear reactor crisis amid reported criticism that they have not been as open as they should.

New York: Senegal has made significant progress in improving human rights, but the country should put the former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré on trial for international crimes, and combat the trafficking of children across West Africa, the United Nations human rights chief said today.

A mission from the African Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) visited Tanzania during March 4-16, 2011, to conduct the 2011 Article IV consultation and the second review under Tanzania’s Policy Support Instrument (PSI). The mission met with Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Hon. Mustafa Mkulo; Governor of the Bank of Tanzania, Prof. Benno Ndulu; other senior government officials; private sector representatives; and members of civil society.

New York: The Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders met today and continued their discussion on the issue of citizenship, one of the topics on the agenda under the United Nations-sponsored talks seeking the reunification of the Mediterranean island.