New UN head sworn in

SOUTH Korea’s Ban Ki-moon was sworn in as the eighth UN Secretary-General yesterday, pledging to be a “bridge-builder” and lead a dynamic and courageous United Nations when he takes over on January 1.

Mr Ban, 62, took the oath of office in a ceremony in the 192-nation UN General Assembly that also honoured the outgoing Secretary-General, Kofi Annan of Ghana, 68.

“My first priority will be to restore trust. I will seek to act as a harmoniser and bridge-builder,” Mr Ban said.