"The United Nations and the United States on Monday called the death of former Sudanese rebel leader John Garang a loss for the country and urged all factions to carry out the peace process he began.
The United Nations, which has sent troops to implement a landmark agreement in southern Sudan, helped retrieve Garang's body from a helicopter that crashed on Sunday while en route home from Uganda, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said.
"He is larger than life, rather charismatic and believed in his mission with all his being," Annan told reporters. "He lived and fought for his dream. And just as he was on the verge of it, he lost his life." [More]
CNN: "Ending a five-month standoff over a controversial nomination, President Bush on Monday used a recess appointment to name John Bolton the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations."
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan reacts: "We look forward to working with him as I do with the other 190 ambassadors and we will welcome him at a time when we are in the midst of major reform. I think it is the president's prerogative, and the president has decided to appoint him through this process."
By Anna Tibaijuka, UN Special Envoy on Human Settlement issues in Zimbabwe
"A recent United Nations fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe to assess Operation Murambatsvina has provided a road-map out of the crisis. The following is an edited extract from the report:
About 700 000 people in cities across the country have either lost their homes or their livelihoods or both. The government of Zimbabwe should immediately halt any further demolitions of homes and informal businesses and create conditions for sustainable relief and reconstruction for those affected.
There is an urgent need for the government of Zimbabwe to facilitate humanitarian operations within a pro-poor, gender--sensitive policy framework that provides security of tenure, affordable housing, water and sanitation, and the pursuit of small scale income--generating activities in a regulated and enabling environment." [Read more]