United Nations: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moonhas picked up Ian Martin of the United Kingdomas his Special Representative and Head of the UN Political Mission in Nepal.

"Martin has been serving as the Secretary-General's PersonalRepresentative in Nepalsince last August. We await the Security Council's response to theSecretary-General's letter," Ban's spokesperson Michele Montas toldreporters.

The Council established UNMIN late last month to assist with the follow-up tothe landmark Nepalese peace deal, reached in November between the Governmentand the Maoists, and also to support this year's planned elections in theHimalayan country where 10 years of civil war killed around 15,000 people anddisplaced over 100,000 others.