The Latest: India to Pakistan: 'Give up terrorism'

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The latest developments from the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, where world leaders are grappling with a multitude of global crises, including the fight against terrorism - the Islamic State in particular - and easing the refugee crisis in the Middle East and North Africa (all times local):

___

2:45 p.m.

India says it is open to peace dialogue with Pakistan but demands the rival nation must "give up terrorism."

Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj delivered a tough response on Thursday to a four-point peace proposal made by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the U.N. General Assembly the previous day.

"We don't need four points, we need just one. Give up terrorism and let us sit down and talk. This will resolve all the problems," Swaraj said.

Among Sharif's proposals was the formalization of a fraying 2003 cease-fire along the disputed frontier in Kashmir.

___

2:30 p.m.

Germany's foreign minister slammed Russia's "lone decisions" to take direct military action in the war-ravaged nation of Syria, reminding the U.N. gathering of world leaders that a concerted global effort is needed to put an end to the "lethal stalemate" in Syria where "slaughter knows no end."

Addressing the U.N. General Assembly, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that neither "supposed eternal truths nor national interests must be allowed to obstruct" steps toward defusing Syria's conflict.

Steinmeier also urged the world to support Germany's efforts to address the global challenges posed by migration, the civil war in Syria and religious extremism.

He said that "nobody is investing so much hope in this spirit of good neighborliness" as millions of people fleeing from turmoil.

The German minister stressed that the principle of good neighborliness comprises "humanity and compassion" but also presupposes active political responsibility, respect for borders and sovereignty.

___

2:15 p.m.

Officials say Central African Republic's elections that had been scheduled for Oct. 18 have been delayed by a resurgence of sectarian violence, but they still hope the elections will be held by the end of the year.

The country's foreign minister and the U.N. peacekeeping chief spoke to reporters Thursday after a high-level meeting on the crisis in the impoverished, landlocked country.

Renewed deadly violence between Christians and Muslims in recent days has disrupted a political transition process.

Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous called the transition "imminent" but acknowledged that the Oct. 18 date for elections is "not feasible."

Foreign Minister Samuel Rangba blamed supporters of two former leaders for the new surge in violence.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon told the meeting the violence was "designed to destabilize the country."

___

1:45 p.m.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is vowing to continue to seek justice for the victims of Malaysia Airlines plane shot down over Ukraine last year.

Najib told the U.N. General Assembly that Malaysia was "extremely disappointed" that Russia vetoed a Security Council resolution in July to set up an international tribunal to prosecute those responsible for shooting down Flight MH17.

"We will continue to seek justice through other legal options because we owe it to the families of those who perished in this outrageous crime," Najib said, without elaborating.

Ukraine and the West suspect the plane, traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a surface-to-air missile fired by Russian soldiers or Russia-backed separatist rebels. All 298 people on board died. Russia denies that.

___

1:15 p.m.

The U.N. humanitarian agency says nearly 70,000 people have now been displaced by deadly violence between Christians and Muslims in the capital of Central African Republic.

The statement came Thursday as the U.N. secretary-general addressed a high-level U.N. meeting on the crisis.

Ban Ki-moon pleaded for international help for the country. The killing last week of a Muslim man whose body was left near a mosque in Bangui re-ignited sectarian violence.

At least 42 deaths have been confirmed in Bangui since sectarian clashes erupted Saturday, including a teenage boy who was decapitated. However, the head of the national Red Cross said that death toll is far from complete as its workers have not been able to get into some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods.

A transitional government is supposed to lead the country to elections on Oct. 18.

Ban said, "It is clear that the latest violence in Bangui is designed to destabilize the country and jeopardize the transition process."

___

1 p.m.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is criticizing the nuclear deal with Iran as empowering Tehran to foment radicalism in the Middle East while leaving the Islamic Republic close to the threshold of being able to make atomic arms.

Netanyahu says the billions of dollars that will flow to Iran through the deal that lifts sanctions will help it arm proxies in the region and foment terror worldwide.

In an address Thursday to this year's meeting of world leaders at the U.N., Netanyahu said Israel will not allow Iran to "sneak in ... to the nuclear weapons club."

Israel has long warned that it could strike militarily at Iran as a last resort if it deems that it is close to finishing work on a nuclear bomb.

Iran says it has no interest in such weapons.

___

11:50 a.m.

Greece's prime minister is drawing the world's attention to the economic, migration and security crises battering his country.

Sounding a familiar tune during his address to the U.N. General Assembly, the newly re-elected Alexis Tsipras charged that economic reforms his nation has been called to implement resulted in a "devastating social cost" and deepening economic and fiscal woes.

"What we faced was a firm commitment of some to the idea that Greece must exit the eurozone," Tsipras said, decrying austerity measures and proposing to replace them with a growth agenda "to protect the most vulnerable members of society."

Greece has depended on bailout loans since 2010.

The prime minister also told the U.N. gathering that Greece was "taken aback" by "unprecedented migration flows," which have brought more than 300,000 people, most of them fleeing violence in Syria, Afghanistan and Libya, to Greece's shores.

Tsipras praised his compatriots for showing "solidarity" with migrants and refugees and giving them food and shelter. But he also slammed racism, xenophobia and force used to repel people seeking safety.

___

10:45 a.m.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he is counting on the leaders of Pacific island nations to raise their voices and build momentum for an agreement to combat climate change.

He expressed hope that the world's nations will finalize "a new universal and meaningful climate change agreement" at a conference in Paris in December which would be "an important turning point." But he said it would not be "an end point for global climate action."

Ban said dangers to vulnerable small islands persist, citing this year's El Nino phenomenon which has caused strong droughts and cyclones in the Pacific.

He told a meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly ministerial meeting that he has been doing everything possible to raise the financing they need to mitigate climate change.

___

10:30 a.m.

Haitian President Michel Martelly is praising his country's progress now that long-awaited legislative elections were finally held this summer.

Addressing the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, the president called the Aug. 9 legislative elections "an important stage in the consolidation of democracy."

"The Haitian people proved their political maturity and their capacity to take charge of their destiny," he added.

The legislative elections had been postponed for nearly four years due to a political showdown between Haiti's executive and opposition, and they have been billed as a crucial test of the country's electoral system ahead of a presidential vote in late October.

___

10:19 a.m.

The chairman of the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina is pledging to spare no effort to preserve the country's democracy and multi-ethnic diversity as it seeks to enter the European Union.

The pledge by Dragan Covic comes as Serb authorities are trying to challenge the authority of the national court over the Serb half of the country, a move the U.S. and EU say would threaten Bosnia's sovereignty and security.

The peace agreement that ended Bosnia's civil war two decades ago split the country into two semi-autonomous mini-states along ethnic lines, one shared by Muslims and Croats and the other for Serbs.

Covic told the U.N. General Assembly's ministerial that Bosnia is intensively working on reforms to improve social and economic conditions and the rule of law.