The meeting of 15 nations was held amidst growing unease that Burma's new election laws would not allow a vote that free and fair. One of the newly published election laws bans prisoners convicted of a crime from voting or running for office. This just qualifies the detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from taking part in the poll. Mr.Ban said he told Burma's military government that without full participation of political prisoners, especially Mrs. Suu Kyi, the election may not be regarded as credible.

A United Nations' report says that the rate of deforestation around the world has fallen in the past decade. Some of the improvement was due to the planting of new forests, particularly in China, India and Vietnam. But despite this positive news, the UN said the rate of deforestation remained alarmingly high in many countries.

An American built replica of the slave ship Amistad has arrived in the Cuban capital Havana as the centerpiece of events commemorating the victims of the transatlantic slave trade. The replica of the 19 century Cuban ship flew the flags of the United Nations, Cuba and the United States in a symbolic active international friendship, but also to mark the countries’ shared history of slavery. The original Amistad whose name means friendship in Spanish, set sail for Havana in 1839, carrying a cargo of slaves from Sierra Leone.

BBC News.

遭遇美国罗马天主教堂神父性虐待的儿童的亲属指控教皇本笃在90年代未对此事采取行动。纽约时报报道称，当时他是红衣主教Joseph Ratzinger，当时有信件揭发Lawrence Murphy神父在1950至1974年间对聋儿学校200名小学生进行骚扰，而Joseph Ratzinger没有对此作出回应。Christ Ferrando报道。