New Delhi, Oct 31 : U. N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed his appreciation for the commitment of India and Pakistan regarding the recently initiated cross-border trade.

Addressing a news conference here, Ban Ki-moon said, “I am encouraged by the commitment of the leaders of both the countries towards this direction. The recent opening of trade between India and Pakistan was encouraging as a result of summit meeting between the two countries. I hope these exchanges and dialogues as a part of composite dialogues initiated by India will continue to appear good results."

He also expressed his concern over the deteriorating security situation in Pakistan.

New Delhi, Oct 31 A two-day meeting of the Indo-UK Task force on Corporate Governance which concluded here today emphasized the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Corporate Governance in business value creation and sustainability.

UK was represented at this 3rd meeting of the Task force by an eight- member British delegation, led by Geoffrey Stanley Dart, Director, Corporate Law and Governance, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform(BERR), Government of UK, while the Indian side was led by Anurag Goel, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India.

Istanbul - The influence of the US and the EU in the Middle East and the Caucasus is dwindling, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Friday.

Speaking on the edges of the World Economic Forum meeting in Istanbul, Mottaki said the most recent Western attempts to intervene in the Caucasus following August's war in Georgia were "fruitless."

Regional efforts to solve the crisis would function better without them, he said.

"Perhaps what has recently occurred in Lebanon could serve as a model for the solution of conflicts by countries from within the region," said Mottaki.

London - Convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohammed al-Megrahi has applied for interim liberation pending the outcome of an appeal, British media reported Friday.

Kathmandu - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu Friday evening for a two-day visit.

During his stay in Nepal, Ban is scheduled to meet Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav and other politicians.

Talks with Nepalese leaders are expected to focus on the UN role in the country's peace process as well as hurdles seen in the integration of former Maoist rebels into the national army.

The UN formally became involve with Nepal's peace process following the signing of a peace accord between the Maoist rebels and the government led by then-prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala.

Amsterdam - Patrons visiting one of the Netherlands' red- light districts may soon find themselves on camera.

One by one, authorities in cities across the country are stepping up their efforts to regulate, scrutinize and generally clean up the country's sex business.

This week the mayors of the cities of Alkmaar and Utrecht followed moves by Amsterdam in 2007 to toughen regulation and reduce the ability of the sex trade to act as cover for and cause of other illegal activities.

Authorities have cited drug-dealing, money-laundering and the trafficking of women as crimes that are to be targeted.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance of sex districts is just one method that has been proposed.