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Despite lofty goals, Obama yet to fill nation’s top overseas aid job

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama faces increasing pressure to fill his administration’s vacant top foreign assistance post, but there’s no candidate in sight nine months into his term.

Ethiopia seeks $121 million in urgent food aid for more than 6 million people

NAIROBI, Kenya — Ethiopia said Thursday it needs emergency food aid for 6.2 million people, an appeal that comes 25 years after a devastating famine compounded by communist policies killed 1 million and prompted one of the largest charity campaigns in history.

Aid groups in Zimbabwe worry about impact of unity government squabbles

JOHANNESBURG — Aid workers said Wednesday the disarray of the government of Zimbabwe is putting its most vulnerable citizens at risk as hunger and disease threatens to sweep the country.

Irish aid worker says Darfur kidnappers terrorized her, Ugandan friend with ‘mock’ executions

DUBLIN — A freed Irish aid worker held captive for three months in Darfur said Monday that her captors terrorized her and a Ugandan friend by repeatedly staging their mock executions using live gunfire.

Irish, Ugandan aid workers freed by captors in Sudan’s Darfur region after more than 3 months

KHARTOUM, Sudan — Two foreign aid workers seized at gunpoint more than three months ago in Sudan’s Darfur were released Sunday by their captors in the third — and longest — kidnapping of aid workers in the arid region.

US aid flap exposes delicate dance between Pakistan’s civilian government and its military

ISLAMABAD — Just last week, Pakistan’s foreign minister was playing down his army’s objections to a multibillion dollar U.S. aid bill. Days later, after a session with the army chief, he was back in Washington urging U.S. lawmakers to address the very concerns he had dismissed.

Pakistani official says he’s satisfied that US aid bill won’t hurt his country’s sovereignty

WASHINGTON — Pakistan’s foreign minister said Wednesday that senior U.S. lawmakers have eased fears that a multibillion-dollar American aid package would interfere with Pakistan’s sovereignty.

Human rights groups: More than 1,000 killed and 900,000 displaced in eastern Congo

JOHANNESBURG — More than 1,000 civilians have been killed and nearly 900,000 displaced in eastern Congo by Rwandan Hutu militiamen and Congolese forces since January, humanitarian groups said Tuesday.

Pakistan’s military rejects strings on US aid, complicating efforts against al-Qaida

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s powerful military rejected U.S. attempts to link billions of dollars in foreign aid to increased monitoring of its anti-terror efforts, complicating American attempts to strike al-Qaida and Taliban fighters on the Afghan border.

Pakistani foreign minister: US aid is crucial, stronger talks needed with US on Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — Pakistan’s foreign minister said Wednesday that a proposed multibillion-dollar U.S. aid package is crucial to Islamabad’s efforts to fight terrorists.

Pakistan’s powerful military expresses ’serious concern’ over multibillion US aid package

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s powerful military on Wednesday rejected U.S. attempts to link billions of dollars in foreign aid to increased monitoring of its anti-terror efforts, complicating American attempts to strike al-Qaida and Taliban fighters on the Afghan border.

Pakistan braces for more suicide bombings ahead of expected offensive against Taliban

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan braced for more militant attacks ahead of an anticipated offensive against a Taliban stronghold, as the insurgents said they bombed a U.N. relief agency because international aid work was not in “the interest of Muslims.”

Pakistani Taliban claim responsibility for blast at UN food agency that killed 5

Taliban claim responsibility for deadly UN blast

Pakistani Taliban claim responsibility for deadly blast at UN food agency

ISLAMABAD — Taliban militants claimed responsibility Tuesday for the deadly suicide bombing at the U.N. food agency’s heavily fortified compound in Islamabad, saying international relief work in Pakistan was not in “the interest of Muslims.”

Indonesia calls off search for survivors under rubble, focuses on rebuilding after quake

PADANG, Indonesia — Helicopters dropped instant noodles and other aid to cutoff hillside communities that were without food for five days, as rescue workers gave up their search Monday for survivors from last week’s massive Indonesian earthquake.

IMF says it is committed to giving more voting power to developing countries

ISTANBUL — A key panel of the International Monetary Fund said Sunday that it supports giving more voting power to emerging market and developing countries, warning that the legitimacy of the institution was at stake.

Heavy rains hamper search for bodies in Indonesia’s quake-destroyed hamlets

Heavy rains hold up search for bodies in Indonesia