Pristina - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's plan for a revised European Union mission in Kosovo was unacceptable and irrelevant for Pristina, Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said Tuesday.

Ban's plan was agreed with Belgrade, which insists that Kosovo is Serbian soil, although Kosovo declared independence this year and was recognized by 52 countries, including the US and most EU states.

New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday sharply condemned an apparent coup attempt in Guinea-Bissau.

Soldiers opened fire on the home of Guinea Bissau President Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira in the early hours of Sunday morning, less than two days after the results of a recent parliamentary election were announced, reports said.

United Nations, Nov. 22 : United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has set up a high-level team to scrutinize the staging of parliamentary elections in Bangladesh next month.

According to a China View report, the panel has been tasked with assessing the preparations and conduct of the elections through visits to Bangladesh before and during the elections.

NEW YORK, MANAMA, 22nd, 2008: Secretary-General of The Nnited Nations Ban Ki-Moon

New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reiterated Friday a request to Israel to allow the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.

A UN spokeswoman said Ban "underscores the importance of having Israel urgently permit the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population of Gaza, and regrets that his calls have not yet been heeded."

The UN said living conditions in the Hamas-held Palestinian enclave have deteriorated because of the continued closure of major crossing points by Israel.

New York  - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday that Somali pirates have received 30 million dollars in ransom this year alone.

There has been a surge in piracy in 2008 - the latest being the hijacking of a Saudi supertanker, carrying about 100 million dollars worth of crude oil, on Saturday.

Ban called for a "pragmatic and effective" way to end piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia as it has weakened the transitional government and authorities in the autonomous Puntland areas in north Somalia.

Citing a report on the security situation in Somalia, Ban said that since January 2008, a total of 65 merchant ships with about 200 crew members each, have been hijacked off the Somali coast.