Reuters - Israeli President Shimon Peres called Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a danger and a disgrace on Wednesday, rebuking the Iranian president for his vitriolic condemnation of Israel and Zionism at the United Nations.

Reuters - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday he was worried about the fate of a global pact banning nuclear tests and urged the United States, Iran, China and other holdouts to sign and ratify it.

Reuters - A day after being accused of making anti-Semitic comments at the United Nations, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met a fringe group of ultra-religious Jews who seek the dismantling of the state of Israel.

AP - Zimbabwe's president said Wednesday he sees no obstacles to carrying out a power-sharing agreement with rivals and hopes it will lead the West to ease sanctions, which he blamed for devastating the country's economy.

AFP - Japan's new Prime Minister Taro Aso rushed Thursday to a United Nations summit in New York less than a day after taking office, hoping to show Japan as an active global player.

AP - Zimbabwe's president is only four Cabinet posts away from carrying out a power-sharing agreement with the opposition, he said in an interview ahead of his Thursday address to the U.N. General Assembly.

AP - Afghanistan's president, who addresses the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, is urging the next American leader to send money, planes and equipment to strengthen the Afghan army.

AFP - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Wednesday that giving Iran a seat on the UN Security Council would be "absurd" given the insecurity its policies have caused.

AP - World leaders called for international action to combat the global financial crisis, urging cooperation even as the U.S. pressed ahead with unilateral action to stem a credit crunch that has engulfed global markets.

Reuters - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday he was worried about the fate of a global pact banning nuclear tests and urged the United States, Iran, China and other hold-outs to sign and ratify it.