PAKISTAN began evacuating half a million people from flood-risk areas in the south yesterday as the overall number hit by the country’s worst floods in living memory rose to more than four million.

Ireland's Rapid Response Corps has been put on standby in case they are needed in the Pakistan flood relief effort.

A recruitment drive was launched today for skilled volunteers who want to be deployed to humanitarian emergencies around the world.

OVER 235,000 people have fled the ravaged streets of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince to seek food and shelter in makeshift camps in rural areas.

MORE than 80 tonnes of government aid including blankets, water tanks and tents have arrived in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

A Government consignment of more than 80 tonnes of emergency humanitarian supplies has arrived in Haiti, Minister of State for Overseas Development Peter Power confirmed today.

DONATIONS for earthquake-stricken Haiti flooded into Irish charities yesterday as rescue workers on the ground struggled to help survivors and deliver much-needed aid to the country.

The Government has announced that it is putting its Rapid Response Corps on standby for travel to Haiti.

The Government has scrambled an aid expert to war-torn Sri Lanka to help distribute humanitarian supplies.

Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin is visiting Georgia this week to meet Irish peace observers in the country, it emerged today.

EU observers, including four Irish personnel, will begin monitoring a ceasefire between Georgia and Russia in the former Soviet state today.

Ireland is supplying four people to a 200-member EU observer group being deployed to Georgia next week, it emerged today.

The fall-out from last month's war in Georgia is set to dominate talks in Dublin today between Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

A member of the Government’s Rapid Response Corps is being despatched to Georgia to help victims of the conflict with Russia.

The Government wants more recruits for its international disaster response unit.

Foreign Affairs Minster Dermot Ahern tonight paid tribute to one of the country’s leading aid workers who died in Sri Lanka.

The Irish Government today began deploying emergency supplies of tents, blankets and cooking equipment to earthquake-ravaged Peru.

A HIGHLY trained Rapid Response Corps will go on high alert from September and respond to any worldwide disasters on behalf of the Government, the Foreign Minister said yesterday.

A new crack team of humanitarian experts will be ready to be deployed to a disaster zone by the Autumn, the Government said today.

The aid agency GOAL is seeking a meeting with Minster for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern to discuss concerns about the new Rapid Response Corps launched by the Government yesterday.

GOVERNMENT moves to set-up a 50-strong expert volunteer team for rapid deployment in global disaster areas drew criticism from relief agencies last night.