The United Nations health agency has called for heightened control measures against bird flu in Viet Nam following informal reports of a new human case, warning that increases in poultry marketing, transportation, and consumption with the approach of the Lunar New Year in February create conditions favouring its spread.

Responding to a decision by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to extend the term of his special adviser helping with issues affecting the Horn of Africa, the United Nations Security Council has agreed to the renewal of Mohamed Sahnoun's appointment for a year, according to documents released today.

Welcoming the recent decrease in African conflicts, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says the resulting increase in demand for peacekeeping missions on the continent carries challenges to expand the capacity of the African Union (AU), while rejecting mechanisms that limit the participation of non-African UN members.

With governments and international organizations having increased their combined pledges to help the victims of last Sunday's Asian tsunami to between $1.1 billion and $1.2 billion, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned today that the biggest challenge is now overcoming the logistics of distributing aid and relief supplies to the hardest-hit areas.