The Government today pledged to donate €2m in humanitarian aid to Gaza and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin said the cash injection will fund assistance, recovery and reconstruction in the conflict-hit region.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon met the leader of Burma’s ruling junta today, hoping to persuade him into allowing full international access to 2.5 million cyclone survivors.

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said today that his embattled Hamas-led government had no intention of stepping down, despite a sweeping civil service strike and an economic crisis that a top UN official said has brought the Gaza Strip to a “point of near meltdown".

The UN agency helping feed tsunami victims said today it was sending its first ship to deliver food to ravaged west coast areas in Indonesia’s Aceh province - a sign that civilian groups are preparing to fill the gap as foreign troops begin pulling out.