"A frantic search for survivors is continuing after a strong earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Java, killing more than 4,200 people.... Unicef said it was sending emergency supplies including 2,000 tents, 9,000 tarpaulins and hygiene kits." [More]
FT: "Zimbabwe on Thursday rejected a fledgling initiative by Kofi Annan, UN secretary general, to broker a solution to the country's economic and political crisis.
George Charamba, spokesman for president Robert Mugabe, told the state-owned Herald newspaper that Zimbabwe was "not a UN issue", and described a previous invitation to Mr Annan, issued during its controversial slum clearance operation, as "stale". He said the Harare government was "unaware of any UN intervention on Zimbabwe", and that the UN should instead be challenging "illegal sanctions imposed on it".
"Some 90 experts in early warning systems and natural disaster risk management met at a United Nations symposium in Geneva today to strengthen global mechanisms, especially for less developed countries, that have already helped to reduce the number of fatalities by nearly two-thirds at a time when such catastrophes have increased four-fold.
"Human rights in Iraq are being "severely undermined" by growing insecurity, violence and a "breakdown of law and order" caused by militias and criminal gangs, the U.N. mission here said Tuesday.
"Dr. Lee Jong-wook, who led the U.N. health agency's battles against SARS and bird flu, died Monday following surgery for a blood clot in the brain. He was 61.
Tributes praised Lee for his effectiveness in spurring the world to build its defenses against a potentially deadly flu pandemic during his tenure as director-general of the World Health Organization.
"Dr. Lee worked tirelessly to improve the health of millions of people, from combating tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS to his aggressive efforts to eradicate polio," President Bush said in a statement.
"The world has lost a great man today," said U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "He tackled the most difficult problems head on, while upholding the highest principles."