United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on Saturday witnessed the conditions of tens of thousands of displaced Tamil civilians in northern Sri Lanka as he appealed to a triumphant government to 'heal the wounds' left by three decades of ethnic conflict. The Secretary General visited the camps in Vavuniya district today, where more than 300,000 people are staying, after escaping from the battle lines between government forces and Tamil Tigers.
The third nuclear test by a defiant North today drew sharp condemnation from the international community, including the UN, US, Japan as well as China, the reclusive nation's only major ally.
US President Barack Obama will meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon next week in Washington to discuss a host of issues, including the global economic crisis, Sudan conflict and situation in Afghanistan and West Asia
Pakistan has complained to United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon that the geographical coordinates notified by India of the Sir Creek estuary are "inconsistent" with international law and "impinge" upon Islamabad's territorial limits in the disputed area.
"I made clear to President (Mahinda) Rajapaksa that I intend to move forward on a Group of Experts which will advise me on setting the broad parameters and standards on the way ahead on establishing accountability concerning Sri Lanka," Ban told media-persons I New York, referring to a conversation he had with Sri Lankan President on Thursday.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri said a presentation on the tablet will be held on November 28 at the world body's headquarters here to which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will be invited.
Showing a side of his personality rarely seen in public, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon tried 'Gangnam Style' moves and said he was 'jealous' of Korean pop sensation Psy.
Russia's envoy to the UN and President of the Council for October Vitaly Churkin announced that after the sixth straw poll, Guterres has emerged as the "clear favourite" even as hopes for a woman to succeed Ban Ki-moon as the world's top diplomat suffered a major setback.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday said getting a binding agreement sealed on climate change was among his top priorities for the year after the Copenhagen conference that marked "an important step forward".
Acting on his pledge to achieve continuity with change, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has named four new senior officials to his Cabinet while retaining a dozen others.
Backing transition plans of new Libyan authorities, world leaders have pledged support to them in areas such as Constitution-making, elections, human rights and economic recovery, amid United States President Barack Obama's assertion that NATO will continue to protect people there.
United nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern over the 'highly dangerous' militarisation of conflict in Syria, even as the world body said that over 100,000 people fled the country last month.
The United Nations Media Department on Thursday made a faux pas when it identified Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma as his Cabinet colleague Kamal Nath.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, whose Iran visit to attend the Non-Aligned Movement summit has met with objections from the United States and Israel, will convey concerns of the global community over the country's nuclear programme and human rights during his trip to Tehran.
United Nations chief Ban Ki-Moon has criticised Zimbabwe's presidential run off election, in which President Robert Mugabe won another term, saying the outcome does not reflect the true and genuine will of the people nor produce a legitimate result.The observers, Ban said, confirmed that conditions were not in place for a free and fair election and the process was deeply flawed.
United Nations Secretary General Ban ki-moon "very much" hopes that Narendra Modi attends the UN General Assembly in New York later this year and particularly participate in the climate change summit, a top official of the world body said on Tuesday.
The United Nations Security Council and world leaders have strongly condemned the Mumbai serial blasts, saying terror acts are "criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation."
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has said that the country has taken a 'principled' stand on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and there is no scope for change in its position unless a number of other developments take place to address the concerns.This comes after a high-level conference on disarmament in the United Nations on Thursday, addressed by UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon, asked India and eight other countries to ratify the agreement.
Talking about helping countries meet the Millennium Development Goals, he said, "This is not charity. It is solidarity." In an interconnected world, it is also an expression of enlightened self-interest since we are all in this together.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hoped that India would find a way to build and strengthen partnerships of common ground with its neighbours and encouraged it to do "even more" in advancing peace and security.
With countries like the US restricting hiring of foreign workers on H-1B work visas, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday opposed imposition of restrictions on international migration.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon recently announced the appointment of Lakshmi Puri as the Assistant Secretary-General for Intergovernmental Support and Strategic Partnerships at the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women.
In a sharp criticism of the US$ 4.2 billion United Nations budget presented by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for 2008-09, India has slammed its emphasis only on peace, security and human rights rather than on resolving the basic causes of conflicts including lack of development and socio-economic inequities. Describing it as "technically inadequate and politically flawed," India's Ambassador to the UN Nirupam Sen bluntly told Ban that it needs to be fundamentally revised.
India on Friday said that the United Nations should ensure that Pakistan fulfills its commitment to end the terrorism emanating from its soil.External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said he had apprised UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday about the details of the Mumbai attacks, which were carried out by elements based in Pakistan. "I requested the UN Secretary General to look into those aspects and ensure that Pak fully implements its own commitments," he said.
The United Nations has asked India and Pakistan to de-escalate tension through dialogue and respect the ceasefire along the Line of Control, in the wake of the killing of two Indian soldiers during an attack by Pakistani troops.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday expressed concern over the recent developments in Sri Lanka, including the detention of two UN staff members without charges.
India will showcase the Aakash-2 tablet at the United Nations, amid clarification by the maker of the low-cost tablet over sourcing some parts from China.
The former UN refugee chief takes over from Ban Ki-moon on January 1.
Israel bombarded as many as 80 locations in the narrow Gaza enclave, flattening Gaza's police headquarters and taking the Palestinian death toll to nearly 100 in six days of onslaught.
Pakistan has formally communicated to the United Nations its protest and condemnation of the air-strike by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation that killed 24 soldiers and has strained ties between Washington and Islamabad. Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations Abdullah Hussain Haroon has written a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, informing him of the NATO attack of November 26 "on Pakistan's border posts (that) resulted in the martyrdom of 24 officers".
This was announced by United Nations chief spokesperson Michele Montas who said that dates for the visit would be announced shortly.
The world on Saturday condemned the three explosions that rattled Nigeria's 50th independence day in Abuja and claimed 15 lives. Condemning the attacks, Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan promised that those behind the act "will pay dearly for this heinous crime." Nigeria's former colonial master Britain condemned the act and promised to help the oil-rich African nation in bringing the attackers to book.
Rising prices and global economic slowdown are threatening Millennium Goals, necessitating an 'aggressive push' to achieve the anti-poverty targets by 2015, said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
India strongly condemned the 'barbaric' terror attack by the Taliban on a school in Pakistan that killed 141 people, mostly children, as United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council called for perpetrators of the blood-curdling attack to be brought to justice.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the world needs sustainable development.
Ban has not taken any stand on the fairness or otherwise of the trial, the UN said.
There are now one billion hungry people on the globe, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said recently.
Defying the United States, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas formally requested that the United Nations recognise the Palestinian state.
In a historic meeting on non-communicable diseases, the international community called on the food and beverages industry as well as the tobacco and pharmaceutical industry to be held accountable for putting profit ahead of public health.
Three years back they were rivals for the same job. Today, they were shaking hands in a meeting which, at least on surface, looked quite warm. United Nations Secretary-General Ban ki Moon shook hands with Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor in UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances