Food and Drug Administration fined the Red Cross $4.6 million after the latter did not make it to test blood donations and questioning donors.

The fighting in Chad has caused at least 20 thousand Chadians to flee to neighboring Cameroon and as many as three thousand to Nigeria. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the Red Cross are providing assistance to the new arrivals in Cameroon.

In Kenya, the government and opposition have resumed talks on the dispute over the elections that sparked a month-long wave of violence. Relief officials say the humanitarian toll continues to rise and are calling for a speedy solution. VOA's Scott Bobb reports from Nairobi.

Lebanese officials say a car bomb blast in a Christian suburb of the capital Beirut has killed at least six people, including a top security official. Edward Yeranian reports from Beirut

Zambia is one of the southern African countries affected by torrential rains and floods. Exact figures are not available yet, but it’s believed thousands of people have been displaced or otherwise affected so far. Officials expect that figure to climb much higher.

The Red Cross estimates 10 million people have been affected by the latest typhoon damage and floods in Vietnam, and has launched an emergency appeal for $3 million in relief aid.

A pilot scheme was undertaken by the British Red Cross in the South West to test PageOne's paging system and prove its resilience and capability to its staff and volunteers. A training package was then produced for experienced staff and volunteers who manage all requests from the emergency services or local authorities.

Afghan officials say Taleban militants have released four International Red Cross employees who were abducted earlier this week in central Afghanistan.

Afghan authorities say four International Red Cross employees have been abducted in central Wardak province. Officials say the Red Cross workers were kidnapped on Wednesday while they were traveling back to Kabul.

The International Committee of the Red Cross is appealing for nearly $30 million to substantially increase its humanitarian work in Iraq. The ICRC says it has spent almost all the money it had allocated for its assistance operations in Iraq this year. The additional funds requested will bring the organization's total budget for 2007 to about $75 million.

National Semiconductor Corporation, through its charitable foundation, is pledging $15,000 to the Red Cross through WGME's Flood Aid telethon benefiting those affected by last week's Nor'easter storm.

The multinational forces lead by USA has improved the security in some places of Iraq, nevertheless the situation for civilians is "ever-worsening", the international Red Cross said Wednesday.