New York  - The Israel-Hamas fighting has inflicted a terrifying and psychological impact on the civilian population in Gaza Strip, particularly on children and their parents, the UN said Wednesday.

The Palestinian Health Ministry updated at the same time the number of casualties, as of Tuesday, in the fighting that erupted on December 27 with heavy Israeli airstrikes against targets in Gaza. It said 971 have been killed, of whom 311 are children and 76 women.

New Yor

New York  - The United Nations Security Council adopted Saturday a new resolution calling on Iran to "comply fully" with past UN demands to halt its uranium enrichment programmes, which Western governments suspect of being intended for producing nuclear weapons.

The 15-nation council unanimously adopted the resolution and asked Iran to meet its obligations "without delay" as a party to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.

New York  - India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Friday for expeditious negotiations to enlarge the UN Security Council, where India wants a permanent seat on a par with other nuclear powers.

Singh said the council, currently with 15 members, needs to change to reflect "contemporary realities of the 21st century."

New York  - Israeli and Palestinian officials traded accusations over who was to blame for the failure to achieve peace in the region, during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the Middle East on Friday.