The United Nations is rushing aid to refugees pouring into the Central African Republic (CAR) from the troubled Darfur region of Sudan, a spokesperson said today.

A published report says Sudan is secretly working with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to spy on insurgents in Iraq. The Los Angeles Times reports that Sudan's Mukhabarat intelligence service has inserted spies into Iraq using the flow of foreign fighters who travel through Sudan as cover.

The United Nations and the African Union have tentatively agreed on the outline of a joint peacekeeping operation for Darfur. But as VOA's Peter Heinlein reports from U.N. headquarters, the 23,000 strong force faces several obstacles that will delay deployment until at least the middle of next year.

A group of British-based relief organizations has launched an urgent public appeal for funds to help some 4.5 million Africans affected by the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region and surrounding countries. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie and actor Brad Pitt have donated $1 million towards the humanitarian effort assisting millions of people affected by the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region, the agency has announced.

China has appointed a special Africa envoy whose first task will be to focus on the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region. The appointment was announced after U.S. lawmakers warned China of a backlash if it does not do more to pressure Sudan.

U.S. officials say China is willing to send hundreds of engineers to Sudan's troubled Darfur region as part of a planned United Nations-backed deployment of peacekeepers.

Organized protests took place around the world Sunday to mark the fourth anniversary of the deadly conflict in Sudan's Darfur region. Demonstrators in dozens of cities chanted slogans calling for world leaders to take action to stop the bloodshed.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair says the U.N. Security Council must be ready to impose new sanctions on Sudan if it rejects a U.N. plan to end the violence in Darfur. Speaking at a news conference in London Tuesday, Mr. Blair said the only thing that will make the Sudanese government understand its responsibilities is pressure.

Sudan has agreed to the first large deployment of U.N. peacekeepers and equipment in Darfur to bolster a beleaguered African Union force. But as VOA's Peter Heinlein reports from U.N. headquarters, western diplomats reacted cautiously to the announcement, and Khartoum's U.N. ambassador appeared to contradict it.

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on Sunday spoke to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon via telephone to discuss the future status of Darfur and Kosovo. In the telephone conversation, Li stressed that the settlement of the Darfur issue in southern Sudan is at a key stage.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, John Negroponte is expected to arrive in the Sudanese capital Khartoum Thursday. While in Sudan, Negroponte is expected to press Sudanese officials on the continuing crisis in Darfur.