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The threat of terrorism, including so-called dirty bombs, has greatly increased the dangers of storing radioactive waste on or near the surface, the method now commonly used, instead of burying it deep below the ground, according to a position paper released by the United Nations nuclear watchdog today.

Secretary General Kofi Annan has named a senior Malaysian officer as the next commander of peacekeeping forces of the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET).

Even as China gave Secretary-General Kofi Annan an upbeat report on its latest demarche to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) over its decision to produce nuclear weapons, the United Nations nuclear watchdog today called the situation “currently the most immediate and most serious threat” to non-proliferation.

Recognizing the continuing fragile security situation in Africa's Mano River region, the Security Council today approved Secretary-General Kofi Annan's recommendation for a modified, four-stage reduction in military strength of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMISL), which would culminate in complete withdrawal by December 2004.

The main United Nations anti-terrorism body will strengthen its cooperation with international organizations in the drive to keep nuclear, chemical, biological and other deadly materials out of terrorists' hands, according to its latest 90-day report.

The United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has issued a subpoena ordering a former Prime Minister of the Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina to appear as a witness in an ongoing case.

Paying tribute to Nelson Mandela on the former South African President's 85th birthday, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said the only way to truly express gratitude for his contribution to humanity is for everyone to work daily to follow his example.

The top United Nations refugee official today discussed with Iraqi Kurdish leaders the return of hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Kurds, forcibly displaced under Saddam Hussein's devastating "Arabization" policy, calling it a priority but one that also needed a fair solution for the Arabs brought in to replace them.

Following a few days of tense calm, the United Nations reported today that the rumble of battle on the outskirts of Monrovia has again sent war-weary Liberians fleeing toward the beleaguered centre of the capital, which is already overflowing with thousands of frightened people displaced by months of fighting between rebels and government forces.

As the international community welcomed the inauguration of a new power-sharing government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), top United Nations officials told the Security Council today that immense challenges remain as the volatile, war-torn central African country edges toward peace and reconciliation.