AFP - The Security Council is likely to vote Thursday on targeted UN sanctions on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and 13 of his cronies over a presidential election widely viewed as illegitimate, diplomats said Wednesday.

AFP - Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta told the UN Security Council Wednesday that a key factor behind the worsening security in his country was "the de facto truce" in neighboring Pakistan's tribal areas.

Reuters - Russia said on Thursday the United Nations war crimes tribunal in the Hague was biased and its activities should be phased out as soon as possible.

AFP - Afghanistan's government and the United Nations launched a 404-million dollar appeal on Wednesday to help feed 4.5 million vulnerable Afghans.

AFP - Holy sites in Israel, the residence of a former South Pacific island chief and an ancient Ottoman town in central Albania were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List on Tuesday.

AFP - The United States said Tuesday it was confident proposed sanctions against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's regime would be adopted by the UN Security Council this week despite strong objections from South Africa and Russia.

AP - A joint gathering of major developed and developing nations on Wednesday agreed that climate change was "one of the great global challenges of our time" and pledged to back a United Nations effort to conclude new climate pact by 2009. The major economies said they supported longterm and midterm goals for greenhouse-gas reductions, but endorsed no targets.