Gaza death toll rises as Ban Ki-moon steps in

Nov 19: ISRAELI strikes have killed 32 Palestinians today, taking the Gaza death toll to 109 as UN chief Ban Ki-moon joined efforts to end the worst violence in four years and Israel's inner circle of ministers mulled their next move.

As the violence raged for a sixth day, an Israeli missile killed a senior Islamic Jihad militant in a Gaza City tower housing Palestinian and international media, the second time in as many days it has been targeted.

With Ban in Cairo pushing for a ceasefire, Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal said his movement was committed to efforts to secure a truce, but insisted that Israel must lift its six-year blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Terrified and desperate, many Gaza families have fled their homes, some seeking haven in the south which has seen fewer strikes. But they know nowhere is safe.

Mourners flocked to the funeral of nine members of one family killed in a weekend strike on a Gaza City home, the tiny bodies of the five children carried through the streets wrapped in Palestinian flags.

Ban alarmed by North Korea missile claim

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon described North Korea's boast that it has missiles capable of reaching the US mainland as "alarming" and warned it would increase tension in the region.

Ban, a former foreign minister of South Korea, admitted he had no way of knowing if the claim issued by North Korea earlier on Tuesday was credible.

But in an interview, he said: "I read the report and it is quite an alarming statement by the DPRK (North Korea)."

"They should contribute to the reduction of tensions and this will only heighten tensions and create further distrust between South and North Korea," he added.

"Also, it is not the way to gain the trust of the international community. I sincerely hope that the DPRK authorities will sincerely engage in dialogue between the South and North as well as with neighbouring countries."

Ban said he concurred with the view of most analysts that the North Koreans were reacting to South Korea's announcement on Sunday of a new accord with the United States to almost triple the range of its missiles to 800 kilometres.

The deal will give the South the capacity to hit targets across the North, as well as bringing parts of Japan and China into reach.

"Their reaction seems to come from the recent agreement between the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the United States," Ban acknowledged.

"However that is a totally separate issue." asked if he thought the military-dominated Communist regime in North Korea was blustering, Ban recalled the failure in April of a rocket launch that Pyongyang said was aimed at placing a satellite in orbit but the US and UN saw as an test for a potential intercontinental missile.

"Since the late 1990s they have been developing nuclear technology that is known fact," Ban added.

"They have failed in their test but I don't have any credible information about the level of their technology at this time."

Reacting strongly to North Korea over the statement in which it said that its missiles can strike the US territory, US said the North Korean regime should spend its resources and energy on feeding its own people rather than bragging about its missile capabilities.

"Rather than bragging about its missile capability they ought to be feeding their own people, would be our first comment," Victoria Nuland, the State Department spokesperson told reporters at her daily news conference.

"The DPRK needs to understand that it will achieve nothing by threats or provocations. That's only gonna undermine their efforts to get back into conversation with the international community."

India wants UN members to ensure zero tolerance towards terror

NEW YORK, Sept 27: India will ask members of the United Nations to ensure a “zero tolerance” approach towards terrorism besides pressing for an early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism during the UN General Assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders.

Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said India also proposes to focus on the issue of terrorist financing at a special meeting of the UN Security Council’s Committee on Counter Terrorism in November.

Mathai said India would continue to stress the need for a “proactive campaign” against terrorism during the current session of the General Assembly and would work towards an early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

India, which chairs the UNSC’s counter-terrorism committee, would also “urge all member states to ensure zero tolerance towards terrorism and to take urgent action to prevent and combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” Mathai told reporters at India’s UN mission here.

India would also continue to emphasise its commitment to universal, non-discriminatory, phased and verifiable nuclear disarmament in a time bound manner.

Mathai said the ongoing 67th session of the General Assembly is taking place at a time when the world is facing continued economic and financial uncertainty and the Middle East and North Africa regions are in a “state of flux”.