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Saddened by the death of Ariel Sharon, former Prime Minister of Israel, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today praised the late statesman's political courage and determination, and urged the country to build on Mr. Sharon's legacy of pragmatism to press ahead with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Following the resignation of the Central African Republic's two interim leaders, the top United Nations official in the crisis-riven country called for calm today, urging the authorities to mobilze around the speedy election of new transitional leadership.

The United Nations human rights office today expressed concern about a decision by the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs to declare illegal a coalition of 54 mainly non-Islamic civil society groups focused on human rights known by the acronym COMANGO.

The United Nations refugee agency today warned that Israel could be breaking international law by limiting the rights of asylum-seekers with a new amendment to the country’s anti-infiltration law.

Strongly deploring recent clashes in the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah in Iraq’s Anbar province, the United Nations Security Council today condemned the attacks being carried out by Al-Qaida-linked militants and recognized the “great courage” shown by the Iraqi security forces and local leaders to counter the threat posed by the terrorist group.

United Nations independent human rights experts today urged the Spanish Government to reconsider its decision to extradite Alexsandr Pavlov, who oversaw security for a Kazakh businessman and prominent opposition leader, on grounds that he may be tortured or receive an unfair trial if extradited.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the international community to provide “more political attention, more resources, more support” for the United Nations as it faces “an overflowing inbox of conflicts and disasters of growing severity, frequency and complexity.”

Facing worsening refugee crises in strife-torn Central African Republic (CAR) and South Sudan, the United Nations today appealed for $99 million in additional funding to aid 1.3 million people for the next 100 days, less than three weeks after launching an initial $360-million appeal.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) confirmed today that it is seeking details from Australian authorities about recent media reports of the navy forcing boats, presumed to be carrying asylum-seekers on their way to Australia, back to Indonesian territorial waters, as well as reports of plans to buy and provide vessels for future “push-backs.”

The United Nations human rights office today said it hopes that Myanmar’s decision to commute all death sentences to life imprisonment will lead to the full abolition of the death penalty in the country.