New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed Wednesday "deep sadness" at the deaths and destruction caused by an earthquake in Pakistan's Baluchistan region, and offered UN assistance for the victims and families.

A spokesperson said Ban extended "his deepest condolences to the families of those who have been killed, injured or made homeless by the earthquake."

"The UN stands ready to lend its assistance to efforts to respond to humanitarian needs created by the disaster, including by using existing resources and providing grants from emergency funds, and to mobilize international support for that response, if required," Ban said.

Manila - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday urged African leaders to take "very decisive" steps to end a standoff between Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

The 15-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) has called for an urgent summit to end the deadlock between Mugabe and Tsvangirai over a unity government aimed at ending Zimbabwe's political crisis.

New York - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday expressed "extreme concern" over increasing attacks on UN peacekeepers and civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo's northern provinces.

Ban cited the situation in North Kivu, Rumangabo and Goma, where a local armed group called the National Congress for the Defence of People attacked UN peacekeepers and government military troops, in violation of a ceasefire.

Kathmandu, Oct 18 : UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will visit Nepal at the end of this month.

Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had formally extended an invitation to Ban Ki-moon when he met the latter on the sidelines of just concluded UN General Assembly.

According to the UN News Center, Ban Ki-moon''s tour itinerary includes stops in the Philippines, India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

During his Nepal visit, Ban Ki-moon will meet President Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, other officials and members of the Constituent Assembly.

New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called on the European Union to provide leadership in programmes fighting global warming through ambitious energy and climate change policy.

The EU is scheduled to meet in December under the French presidency to adopt more measures to cut down the bloc's carbon dioxide emissions, the main gas responsible for global warming. The EU agreed last year to reduce emissions by 20 per cent by 2020, to below 1990 levels.

New York - The current economic uncertainties gripping the world may drive an estimated 100 million people into poverty, the United Nations said Friday, also the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

An estimated 1.4 billion people currently live in extreme poverty. Spiralling food and energy prices may worsen living conditions for millions more, the UN said.

"Our efforts to eradicate poverty must pay close attention to respect for human rights and the dignity of all," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said.