EU increases aid, UN's appeal met

The European Union on Saturday said Europe has boosted aid to flood-hit Pakistan but the country must rebuild infrastructure and replant forests if it is to withstand an increasing threat of climate disasters.

EU's crisis response chief Kristalina Georgieva will fly to Pakistan on Monday to assess how to channel 200 million euros of aid in flood-hit areas.

Georgieva said that Pakistan is among the top tier of countries in its vulnerability to climate variations.

She said that 18 of the European Union's 27-member countries had responded to the call for donations. She said that EU member states have beefed up their commitments to 130 million euros in the last 36 hours.

UN's appeal met

Donors have come forward with nearly $500 million to meet an emergency appeal for Pakistan, with the United States, Saudi Arabia and Britain leading the way, figures showed Friday.

The Financial Tracking Service, a UN database that aims to track all donations, showed late Friday that $490.7 million in funding has come in for Pakistan's floods, with another $325 million promised.

The total tops the $460 million sought in a UN emergency appeal.