Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has launched an immediate internal investigation backed by outside expertise to determine how potentially hazardous material removed by United Nations arms inspectors from Iraq in 1996 ended up in a UN office instead of a properly equipped laboratory and remained there undetected for the past 11 years.

A Russian member of a United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) said the commission could decide on Russia's claim for a large portion of the Arctic shelf in three years.

Several small containers of potentially hazardous chemicals, originating from an Iraqi chemical facility, have been found in a UN building but posed no immediate risk, a UN spokesperson said at the United Nations.

United Nation's Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday formally announced his plans to travel to Sudan next week. From VOA's United Nation's bureau, Suzanne Presto reports on the U.N. chief's three-point plan for Sudan's Darfur region.

The second IGF will take place in Rio de Janeiro from 12- 15 November 2007.

Top Chinese executives to discuss trends in business, technology at United Nations on August 23

United Nations Disaster Reduction officials say the effects of climate change are having a dangerous impact now and governments must urgently take action to protect their communities from floods and other hazards provoked by extreme weather. They say steps must be taken to reduce current risks and to prepare for a worsening future under a changed climate.

The Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution expanding the United Nations' role in Iraq. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the document sets the stage for an "enhanced" UN role in key areas.

The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote Friday on a resolution that would expand the U.N. role in Iraq. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Zalmay Khalilzad, told reporters that the vote - originally scheduled for Thursday - was delayed to give members of the Iraqi government time to review some minor changes made to the documents.

The president of the UN Security Council says the council wants more information before it holds an emergency meeting on Georgian allegations that Russia launched a missile attack on Georgian territory.

Last week, the United Nations Security Council approved plans to send an expanded peacekeeping force to Sudan's Darfur region. From VOA's New York bureau, Suzanne Presto reports that officials say preparations are already underway to deploy U.N. peacekeepers to create a joint United Nations-African Union force.

The U.N. Security Council Friday voiced concern about reports of arms smuggling from Syria into Lebanon and also called on the Syrian government to step up security controls along its border with Lebanon. VOA's Suzanne Presto in New York reports the Council also offered support to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).