UN chief attacked over Chinese dissident

Human Rights Watch has criticised the UN secretary general for not pressing China's President to release the jailed Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo, accusing Ban Ki-moon of caring more about his own re-election than the protection of dissidents.

Mr Ban asked China to play a greater role in solving African crises during a meeting on Monday with President Hu Jintao, but did not discuss the country's human rights record or the imprisonment of Mr Liu, who is serving an 11-year prison sentence for subversion.