European politicians today demanded to know the exact locations of the secret prisons that the US president has revealed the CIA operated overseas to interrogate terror suspects.

In a widely expected vote, the UN General Assembly has approved a recommendation from its main budget committee to block reform proposals that would have given Secretary-General Kofi Annan more budget power.

The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly yesterday to replace its discredited human rights body with a new Human Rights Council, ignoring US objections that not enough was done to prevent abusive countries from becoming members.