The Joint Special Envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan, has issued a statement saying he is shocked and appalled by news coming out of the village of Tremseh, near Hama, of intense fighting, significant casualties, and the confirmed use of heavy weaponry, such as artillery, tanks and helicopters.

The Secretary-General will leave New York later today for a visit that will take him to China and to South-Eastern Europe. In Beijing, he will take part in a ministerial conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. In South-Eastern Europe, where he will promote the strong partnership between the United Nations and the countries of the region.

The Secretary-General arrived in Beijing a few hours ago and he has already taken part in a social media conversation with young people through the UN’s “Weibo” microblogging site with the help of Sina Weibo, China's largest network of that kind.

The Secretary-General met with President Hu Jintao and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Beijing today. He expressed his appreciation for China’s leadership and active participation in the United Nations. They also discussed ways to address global challenges through collective action and multilateralism.

For humanitarian assistance to be effective, disaster prevention and preparedness needed to be incorporated into international responses to humanitarian needs, stated Lydia Poole, Programme Leader of Global Humanitarian Assistance, at the launch today of the 2012 Global Humanitarian Assistance Report at a Headquarters press conference.

The Secretary-General this morning wrapped up his visit to Montenegro, where he met with the President and other senior officials. He said Montenegro's future is full of promise, and added that the European Union's decision to open accession negotiations illustrates the country's progress in the six years since its independence.

On Thursday, at the invitation of the London Olympic Organizing Committee and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Secretary-General will carry the Olympic Torch on the final leg of its journey in the United Kingdom, in the presence of the President of the IOC. On Friday, he will attend the opening ceremony.

The Secretary-General today began his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he met with the members of the Presidency, among other top officials, and also addressed the Parliamentary Assembly. Tomorrow, he will visit Srebrenica. Earlier today, he was in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The Secretary-General wrapped up his visit to South-Eastern Europe in Bosnia and Herzegovina this morning, running a lap around the Olympic Stadium in the capital and telling reporters he hoped to bring the “spirit of Sarajevo” to the London Games. Before departing, he visited the Memorial Centre at Srebrenica. He then left for London, where he will carry the Olympic Torch on the final leg of its journey in the United Kingdom.

The Secretary-General is attending a reception at Buckingham Palace in London before going to the Olympic Games opening ceremony. Earlier, he took part in an event with the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, to highlight the Olympic Truce.