New York  - The Sudanese government should allowed relief organizations to return to Darfur before a humanitarian crisis breaks out, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday.

Khartoum has expelled at least 13 international relief organizations responsible for half of the humanitarian assistance in the war-torn Darfur region. More than 2 million Darfurians depended on those relief groups.

New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday North Korea's plan to launch a communication satellite would raise tensions with its neighbours.

New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday highly praised US President Barack Obama's commitment to UN programmes, like climate change and ending poverty around the world.

Ban and Obama met earlier this week for the first time since the president was inaugurated in January. Ban said he was encouraged by the talks "both in substance and in spirit."

"That it should come so early is a strong signal of the new administration's commitment to the United Nations and its cause," Ban told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday Haiti can break the impasse created by natural disasters and poverty, but it must act because international assistance is time bound.

Ban said in capital Port-au-Prince before leaving for Washington that the UN mission in that country and the United States' relief programme, known as US HOPE II Act, are not indefinite.

New York/Colombo  - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern over the increasing number of civilian victims in the fighting between government troops and Tamil separatist rebels in north-eastern Sri Lanka.

"The secretary general is extremely concerned over the deteriorating situation for civilians trapped in northern Sri Lanka," a statement released by Ban's office said Thursday.