New York  - South African judge Navanethem Pillay was named Thursday High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN's top position that is tasked with promoting and protecting human rights worldwide.

The UN General Assembly will meet on Monday to approve the nomination made by UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon. If Pillay won approval by the 192-nation assembly, she would replace Louise Arbour, a former Canadian Supreme Court justice, beginning in August for a four-year term.

New York  - The US automaker Chrysler, the country's third largest and deep in the red, Wednesday said it planned to cut another 1,000 salaried jobs as sales tumbled 22 per cent in the first six months this year.

The company would use "retirements, special programs and attrition," to complete the reductions by September 30, spokesman Dave Elshoff was quoted as saying by Bloomberg financial news.

New York  - Somalia called on the UN Security Council on Wednesday to deploy an international peacekeeping force without delay in order to put an end to its 17-year-old civil war.

It asked for a much smaller force than the previously proposed operation of 26,000 military and civilian personnel, and for proper funding so the force can do a "good job under reasonable circumstances."

New York  - Violent actions have dropped in Gaza Strip in the past month while a number of "encouraging" developments have taken place across the Middle East, the United Nations said Tuesday.

The drop in violence in Gaza was "a significant, but fragile, achievement," B. Lynn Pascoe, the chief UN political affairs officer, told the UN Security Council.

New York  - US stocks edged lower Monday for the first decline in four days, after a key economic gauge declined and oil prices rose.

The private Conference Board's leading economic index dropped 0.1 per cent in June. Crude oil prices gained more than 2 dollars to close above 131 dollars per barrel in New York, after hitting a six- week low last week.

Health company shares dropped after a popular cholesterol drug sold by Merck & Co and Schering-Plough Corp was linked to cancer by new research.

New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed Monday the agreement between Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to hold talks on sharing power and ending the political crisis in that country.

"The secretary general encourages all sides to engage, in good faith, in serious talks that would lead to a lasting solution to the political crisis and address the urgent economic and humanitarian needs of the Zimbabwean people," UN spokeswoman Michelle Montas said.