Top news: Visiting flood-ravaged Pakistan, Sen. John Kerry says the U.S. will boost emergency aid to the country by $150 million. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to announce the new aid at a special meeting of the U.N. General Assembly today.
The United Nations has doubled the estimate of people left homeless by the flooding from 2 million to 4 million, underlining the need for more funds. Around 6 million people are currently relying on humanitarian assistance to survive.
The U.N. says it has received less than half of the $460 million it needs for relief efforts, despite increased commitments from the United States and European Union. Pakistani opposition leader Nawaz Sharif has blamed the slow flow of aid on the international community's mistrust of the current Pakistani government and has proposed setting up an independent coalition to distribute aid. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has promised to make sure relief funds end up in the right hands.
Blood diamonds: The former chief of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund has stepped down as a trustee for the organization after admitting to receiving conflict diamonds from model Naomi Campbell.
Middle East
- The last officially designated U.S. combat unit has left Iraq.
- Hezbollah has handed over the evidence it says proves that Israel was behind the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
- Egyptians blocked a major highway to protest power outages.
Asia
- A bomb attack killed 7 in China's Xinjiang region.
- Indian troops say Pakistan violated a ceasefire agreement in Kashmir.
- North Korea has confirmed that it is holding a South Korean fishing boat.
Europe
- Colder temperatures and rain are helping to clear skies over Moscow.
- France has begun its deportations of Roma.
- Two men in Germany have been charged with violating the arms embargo on Iran.
Americas
- The mayor of Santiago, Mexico was found dead, three days after he was kidnapped.
- U.S. activist Lori Berenson has returned to jail in Peru after a court reversed her parole.
- The first of a new contingent of National Guard troops have been deployed along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Africa
- Government workers have gone on stike in South Africa.
- Sudan confirmed that it will deport a number of foreign aid workers from Darfur.
- Nigerian police intercepted a shipment of dozens of automatic rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
BANARAS KHAN/AFP/Getty Images
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