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TRIPOLI, Lebanon - Three U.S. transport planes carrying military aid to Lebanon's army arrived in Beirut Saturday, part of an international airlift to support troops fighting Islamic militants in a Palestinian refugee camp. At the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp on the outskirts of the northern city of Tripoli, a four-day-old truce mostly held up despite sporadic gunfire. A few dozen more Palestinians left the camp. Four ambulances entered the camp bearing medicine on Saturday, and trucks from the international Red Cross brought water, bread and candles. Souad Ali, 70, one of the people who left, said she had cancer and...

BERLIN - The world's biggest industrial countries are failing to keep up with financial promises they made to Africa, rocker-activist Bono said Tuesday, calling a new progress report "a cold shower" for the Group of Eight. G-8 members in 2004-2006 contributed less than half the amount needed to make good on promises to double Africa aid to $50 billion by 2010, according to a report released by DATA — Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa — an advocacy group founded by Bono, the 47-year-old frontman for Irish band U2. "The G-8 are sleepwalking into a crisis of credibility. I know the DATA...

Louis Michel, the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, is assessing the humanitarian situation in the Middle East, in the context of a five day visit to the region. In a speech on the humanitarian dimension of the Middle East Peace Process, delivered today at a conference in Jerusalem, the Commissioner underlined the need for all parties involved to respect the core element of international humanitarian law, the protection of civilians. In particular, he recalled the need to ensure access to the victims of conflict, and urged all parties to respect the humanitarian space. "I am more and more...

A suspicious package that sparked a bomb scare and evacuation of a New Zealand mail centre was later identified as a harmless sex aid, according to a newspaper report. An airport x-ray machine alerted staff about suspicious wiring in the parcel from China on Tuesday and it was placed in an explosives safe overnight. Emergency services were only notified the next morning, when they decided to evacuate the mail centre near Auckland airport. The New Zealand Herald reports the parcel was later identified as a sex aid. The incident has prompted a Customs investigation into why emergency services were not...

<p>WASHINGTON — Nearly $60 million in U.S. aid to help the Palestinian security forces has cleared congressional hurdles and is now ready to spend, the State Department said Tuesday.</p> <p>The $59 million package, reduced from $86 million over concerns that some money might go to radical groups, met with no objections from lawmakers and will soon be on its way to security apparatus controlled by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, spokesman Sean McCormack said.</p>

Congress Agrees to Train and Equip Abbas' Security Forces By Julie Stahl CNSNews.com Jerusalem Bureau Chief April 11, 2007 Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Congress has cleared the way for millions of American taxpayer dollars to be spent on security forces loyal to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas -- despite Abbas' involvement in the new Fatah-Hamas unity government. The U.S. and Israel support Abbas and his Fatah faction as "moderates" in the region, and they were backing him in his power struggle against Hamas until he joined forces with the terrorist organization. Now the U.S. Congress has agreed to beef...

BAGHDAD — Humanitarian assistance packages were delivered to displaced families at the Al-Salaam Neighborhood Advisory Council by Multi-National Division—Baghdad Soldiers March 29. Through coordination with the Neighborhood Advisory Council, U.S. Army Capt. Benjamin Morales, commander of Company B, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, and his paratroopers delivered boxes of food, oils and sanitation supplies. The NAC senior leadership insisted the exchange be made after the meeting, so residents of Al-Salaam could see the progress made through cooperation with Iraqi and Coalition security forces. “It will be good for the community to see...

JALALABAD AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, April 3, 2007 — The Laghman provincial government, Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition partners provided vital humanitarian assistance to flood victims in northeastern Afghanistan, March 31-April 1. The relief efforts came in the wake of severe flooding to the south of the provincial capital of Mehtar Lam. The flooding, which filled some areas with waist-high water, stranded around 200 Afghan civilians and left many without food, dry clothing or shelter. "My soldiers felt very good about the opportunity to deliver food, blankets and clothing in such a time of need.” Army Lt. Col. Steven Gilbert, the...

An Iraqi smiles after receiving a care package from Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, and elements from the Iraqi police in the Khadra neighborhood of Baghdad. These packages were provided throughout February and March to help Iraqis who have been unable to provide for themselves. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Jason Collins, Co. B, 1st Bn., 5th Cav. Reg. TALÂ’AFAR --Iraqi security forces and TalÂ’Afar civic leaders provided aid and humanitarian assistance to TalÂ’Afar citizens displaced by the terrorist bombing Wednesday.The Iraqi military coordinated and flew a...

New treatments for malaria were developed in response to a resurgence of the disease in the 1990s. Since then, funding for these treatments has increased significantly through bilateral and multilateral aid, corporate and private assistance, and national government programs in malarial countries. Yet problems in the drug purchase and delivery processes and threats to future treatments persist. These problems are relatively easy to solve, but the international community seems reluctant to tackle them, which means the funding is not being used as effectively as it should. In the mid-1960s, U.S. troops confined the peripatetic Vietcong (and many Vietnamese civilians) to...

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The United States said on Sunday its ban on direct aid to the Palestinian government would remain in place but it broke ranks with Israel by authorising contacts with some members of the new unity administration. The U.S. consulate in Jerusalem said Washington would continue to shun Hamas ministers in the power-sharing Palestinian cabinet but permit contacts with non-Hamas members on a case-by-case basis. The decision to allow some contacts marked a shift in U.S. policy and a split with Israel, which said it would boycott the new government in its entirety, including non-Hamas ministers. Israeli Prime...

U.S. Army Maj. Gordon Crawford of Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, gets his ear irrigated by Army Sgt. Heather M. Cusson of C Company, 710th, Brigade Support Battalion. U.S. Army photo by Army Pfc. Melissa M. Escobar New Aid Station Increases Quality Care Facility offers X-rays, dental care, physical therapy. By Army Pfc. Melissa M. Escobar 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, March 15, 2007 -- With the expansion of Jalalabad Airfield under way to support the growing numbers of troops coming into the expanding northeastern battle space of Task Force Spartan, the...

Palestinian minister admits aid millions lost By Josh Mitnick in Ramallah, Sunday Telegraph Last Updated: 12:25am GMT 11/03/2007 A former World Bank official who is about to become the Palestinian finance minister has warned foreign donors that he has no idea where much of their money has been spent. Salam Fayyad warned donors In the 14 months since Hamas won elections, Palestinian finances have descended into such chaos that there is now no way to confirm whether aid is going to its stated purpose, according to Salam Fayyad, 54, who is poised to start his second stint as treasury chief...

Zimbabwe new farmers to lose aid Subsistence farmers will continue to get subsidies Zimbabwe's government says it intends to end state subsidies for black-owned commercial farms resettled under its controversial land reform policy. Farmers allocated prime land over the past seven years should by now have enough experience to be self-financing, the Central Bank governor said. New farmers have been warned they could lose land if it is not used properly. Zimbabwe's food production has plummeted since land reforms that saw thousands of white-owned farms seized. The US-based Famine Early Warning System warned in January that Zimbabwe, once the breadbasket...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, March. 2, 2007 — Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldiers assisted in the medical evacuation of a two-year-old Iraqi girl March 1 after she fell from a truck near the city of Mushada, Iraq. Troopers from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment were on a patrol when they came upon a wounded child and her father, who told the soldiers his daughter had fallen from the vehicle. The soldiers immediately called for an urgent medical evacuation. Shortly afterward, the girl and her father were airlifted to the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad, where the girl underwent...

MND-CS, Iraq – Polish soldiers from Camp Echo in Ad Diwaniyah and soldiers from Camp Delta in Al Kut received humanitarian aid for Iraqi children Feb. 25. Action coordinator, Krzysztof Kolcz, from the crisis management branch from Wielkopolska province governorate from Poland had collected cleaning supplies, school equipment, toys and sweets, “At first, toys and school equipment were delivered”, said Edyta Gorlicka, coordinator of humanitarian aid from Civilian Military Cooperation group. “Earlier, the same humanitarian stuff was delivered to camp Delta in Al Kut in Wasit province. The Polish Brigade Combat Team and Salvadorian CIMIC group will soon carry out...

Splits emerge between U.S. and Europe over aid for Palestinians By Helene Cooper Thursday, February 22, 2007 BERLIN: Fractures between the United States and Europe have begun to appear over whether the new Palestinian unity government was likely to receive international economic support, even as the Middle East peace negotiators officially continued their wait-and- see approach. After the meeting here of representatives of the so-called quartet of Middle East peace negotiators — the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union — the group released a statement on Wednesday that "reaffirmed" its support for a Palestinian government that...

British 'quick fix' aid for Afghans brought to halt by insurgents By Tom Coghlan in Lashkargar Last Updated: 1:16am GMT 19/02/2007 Few foreign aid agencies are prepared work in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand. Two weeks ago, a white clad figure approached the sandbagged guard post outside the compound of one agency. Very politely the man explained that he was a suicide bomber. "I have no problem with you," he told the local guards, opening his jacket to show the bomb strapped to his body. "Just let me go inside and kill the foreigners." The nearest guard shot him in...

I want to make five short observations about finan­cial assistance for American college students. I'm an economic historian, and a historical perspective, I think, helps in an intelligent evaluation of public policy. My first observation is that the increase in access to higher education in America largely came before mas­sive federal involvement in student financial aid pro­grams. Second, I would argue that the incremental or marginal students that we have gained through sub­stantial federal programs likely have extremely poor records with respect to college completion, and prob­ably shouldn't have been in college in the first place. Third, I suspect that...

US military: Afghan leaders steal half of all aid By Gethin Chamberlain, Sunday Telegraph Last Updated: 11:44pm GMT 27/01/2007 Corrupt police and tribal leaders are stealing vast quantities of reconstruction aid that is intended to improve the lives of ordinary Afghans and turn them away from the Taliban, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt. In some cases, all the aid earmarked for an area has ended up in the wrong hands. Defence officials in the United States and Britain estimate that up to half of all aid in Afghanistan is failing to reach the right people. Nato forces in the south...