Yangon - The UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights, Tomas Ojea Quintana, arrived in Myanmar Saturday evening, a day after two activists were given 15-year prison terms for saying the military regime did not really want democracy.

Mr Quintana wants to meet arrested opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners following a months-long spate of lengthy jail terms against scores of the military's critics ahead of a general election next year.

Geneva  - Having concluded on Friday the fourth session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the United Nations said that 64 countries have had their rights record publicly scrutinized.

"We are one third of the way to reviewing all of the 192 UN members states," Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi, the president of Human Rights Council told reporters.

The session saw 16 states reviewed, including so-called "heavyweights" such as China, Russia, Mexico and Germany.

New York/The Hague  - A panel of judges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague has decided to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, The New York Times reported, citing court lawyers and diplomats.

The court has notified United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki- moon that a warrant will be issued, officials at UN headquarters in New York told the Times.

New York  - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned Wednesday the attacks that killed at least 26 people in the Afghan capital of Kabul, calling the incident a heinous crime against innocent people.

"This horrendous crime against civilians is a total disrespect of human rights," Ban said in a statement. "The UN stands shoulder-to- shoulder with the Afghan people and government to condemn today's attacks."

Geneva, Feb. 11: The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has claimed that fierce fighting in Pakistan's tribal areas could drive over 600,000 people away from their homes within a few weeks.

"Latest estimates put the number of displaced people in the region at around 450,000, but the UN believes more than 600,000 could be displaced within weeks," UNHCR spokesman, Ron Redmond was quoted by The Nation, as saying.

Redmond said UN High Commissioner for Refugees would ramp up its relief work in northwestern Pakistan, where security has deteriorated sharply since last year.

New York, Feb. 11 : United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has asked for resumption of bilateral talks between India and Pakistan.

Addressing media persons at a monthly press conference, Moon said the resumption of dialogue between both countries is very important for establishing peace in the region.

Referring to his recent visit to Islamabad and New Delhi, Moon said the leaderships of both nations have assured of full co-operation with each other in connection with the Mumbai terror attack probe.

"I am `reasonably relieved and also gratified' that the leaders of the two countries had committed to fully co-operate with each other in investigating the Mumbai terror attacks," The Daily Times quoted Moon, as saying.