New York  - The UN General Assembly approved Monday South African judge Navanethem Pillay as the body's high commissioner for human rights, citing her struggle against apartheid and judicial career.

Pillay was selected by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who asked the 192-nation assembly to approve her nomination. Pillay will take over the post on August 1 for a four-year term, replacing Louise Arbour, a former Canadian Supreme Court justice. The office of the high commissioner for human rights is based in Geneva.

New York, July 28: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s ongoing visit, his first after becoming PM, to the US will give President George Bush an opportunity to recast relations with Islamabad, making it clear that Washington is committed to strengthening both Pakistan’s democracy and its ability to fight extremism.

That will require a lot more economic assistance and more carefully monitored military aid, said an article in the New York Times.

New York - Major US stock indices rose Friday on the back of some better-than-expected economic data, giving investors hope that a nationwide slowdown in growth may be slowly coming to an end.

The Commerce Department reported that durable goods orders rose 0.8 per cent in June, marking the first consecutive monthly rise since July of last year. Economists had expected a 0.3-per-cent decline.

New York  - China on Friday asked the international community for 33.4 million dollars for a first phase of recovery programmes for areas stricken by the devastating earthquake in Sichuan province.

The appeal was worked out by UN agencies based in China for mid- to-long-term assistance plans aimed at rebuilding the lives of earthquake victims, by paying for shelters, water and sanitation, health and nutrition, education and protection of vulnerable groups and the environment.

New York  - US small appliance maker Black & Decker said Friday profits shrank in the second quarter as declining demand in Western Europe and the United States coupled with rising costs.

Net profits fell 18 percent to 97 million dollars. Revenue fell 3 per cent to 1.6 billion dollars, and the Towson, Maryland-based firm predicted the week sales would continue in the second half of the year.

New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday sent a "warm welcome" to the decision by Cypriot leaders to restart full- fledged peace talks in September for a comprehensive solution to the ethnically divided island.

Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed to start the peace talks on September 3. They announced the new schedule for the peace talks in Nicosia Friday.