Yemen: President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Yemeni opposition have agreed to sign the Gulf Cooperation Council’s reconciliation initiative, which includes a transfer of power and minor changes to the initiative that was proposed several weeks ago. This agreement came at the end of GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani’s visit to Yemen and after an intervention by American and European diplomats helped mediate the deal. However, Protestors, however, continued to rally in Yemeni streets and have rejected any initiative brokered by the GCC.

Libya: The Tunisian government threatened to report Libya to the United Nations after Libyan shells hit Tunisian territory near the Dhehiba border-crossing. NATO strikes on Gaddafi-controlled regions have now become regular and target vital regime facilities. Most recently, NATO warplanes launched a series of raids on several government buildings in the Libyan capital Tripoli, including the Anti-Corruption Ministry and the Internal Security headquarters.

Syria: President Bashar al-Assad has admitted that security forces made mistakes in dealing with protests over the past two months, during which over 800 people died. Assad said that thousands of policemen will attend new training sessions. The United States and the European Union said they will impose sanctions against Syria in response to the government’s violent crackdown on protestors. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia would not support any measures taken against Syria.

Gaza: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) closed its doors after its 11,000 employees called for a general strike. The strike was organized in protest of what is being referred to as the "arbitrary dismissal" of five employees. The agency closed all of its health clinics in Gaza, halting services to nearly 750,000 refugees. The strike is also affecting the more than 200,000 students enrolled in UNRWA-run schools.

2010 could go down in history as the year of natural and environmental disasters. We’ve witnessed earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, wildfires and a drought in Russia, a devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and now one fifth of Pakistan is submerged under water due to floods leaving more than 20 million people without potable water, food, shelter and medicine.

The United Nations general secretary, Ban Ki-moon, called this latest disaster a “slow-motion tsunami,” and appealed for swift aid.

"Make no mistake, this is a global disaster," Ban said at the UN general assembly. "Pakistan is facing a slow-motion tsunami. Its destructive powers will accumulate and grow with time," he warned.

Relief agencies say the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Pakistan is greater than this year's earthquake in Haiti; however, relief for Pakistan may be a long time coming.

"Although governments have been coming forward with increasing generosity, the public response has not been the immediate outpouring of generosity that we've seen for Haiti and the tsunami five years ago," the U.N. Under Secretary John Holmes said.

According to a CBS news report, sixteen days after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, aid commitments totaled $1.4 billion. Sixteen days after Pakistan's floods began, promises added up to just $200 million.

Yet despite the heart-wrenching television images

broadcast across the globe showing massive destruction and enormous human suffering, the world has been slow to react to calls for aid. Why has Pakistan been forsaken?

The most common answer to the slow response is “donor fatigue.” Many believe that there have been too many disasters in one year, and donors have reached their limit in giving, especially since many still suffer from the effects of the financial crisis. Another factor has been a low death toll.  But Pakistan's tarnished image plays a major role, according to a few Pakistani Americans I’ve spoken to.

“Zardari’s government is corrupt,” said Ali Khan, a financial analyst from San Jose. “Many people do not believe that their contributions will reach the right people,” he added.

Another Pakistani American I’ve spoken to placed the blame for the slow response on the anti-Muslim sentiments sweeping the Western world.

Meanwhile, the United States has pledged an additional $60 million to the U.N. flood-relief effort in Pakistan, bringing its contribution to $150 million in a move designed to encourage other governments and private donors to boost their aid.

In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has pledged $124.29 million in aid for Pakistan’s flood relief campaign, surpassing the western economic giants - and Islamabad’s allies in the war against terror – according to Al Arabiya TV. The UAE has also been leading a massive relief campaign to transport food and medicine to flood-stricken remote areas in Pakistan. Oil-rich Kuwait however,  has been criticized for it’s meager $10 million contribution.

Arab media has given the crisis extensive coverage and has played a major role in creating awareness during the holy month of Ramadan, a month known for giving.

Weather forecasts indicate that there could be four more weeks of rain, which could exasperate the situation even further.

We at Link TV have a set up a page on our website to keep you updated with the news in Pakistan and provide you with a useful guide so that you too can contribute in some way in the saving and rebuilding of lives there.

Get the latest updates and find out what you can do to help

Watch the Video

As the people of Haiti continue their overwhelming struggle in the aftermath of the tragic quake, our partners at YouthNoise are launching an online fundraiser for humanitarian aid.

From January 21 until February 4, YouthNoise will be asking bloggers everywhere to do what little they can to help the people of Haiti, whether it be donating to a nonprofit or supporting the Hope for Haiti telethon this Friday, January 22nd.

Share your story of how you helped on the YouthNoise site, and for every story about helping Haiti, YouthNoise will donate $1 to a nonprofit doing humanitarian aid work in Haiti, up to $200. Even if you can't afford to give, you can do your part to raise awareness of the issue.

Not a YouthNoise member? Now is the perfect time to join!

Image courtesy of the United Nations Development Programme.

The crisis in Haiti has been dominating the headlines since Tuesday's earthquake. Link TV has already given you some ideas of how you can help, and your help, particularly in the form of cash, is urgently needed by the aid agencies working to save lives in Haiti. Now, we've put together this list of some of the best sources for information and news on Haiti. Feel free to add more links to the comment section!

1. Democracy Now! on Link TV
Democracy Now! has been providing impressive coverage of the Haiti earthquake and its aftermath at democracynow.org (click here for broadcast times on Link TV). Today's show reveals a Haiti that is growing increasingly desperate for aid. DN! also looks at angles glossed over by the major media networks, such as the decades of U.S. policies that have contributed to Haiti's terrible poverty.

2. Twitter
The microblogging site Twitter is a natural source for real-time news on Haiti. You can search for all posts in the Twitter-sphere on Haiti, or avoid some noise by trying a Twitter list, such as the ones set up by the LA Times or CNN. You can also look back at Twitter posts from individuals -- like this feed from Christian missionary Troy Livesay -- to see a timeline of the disaster from the perspective of one individual.

3. NGOs
Relief NGOs such as Partners in Health and Direct Relief International have updates on the aid efforts in Haiti. See this blog post for more relief organizations on the ground, and to learn how you can help.

4. Boston.com's Big Picture with Photography from Various Sources
These are photos not for the faint-hearted, but they do convey the true horror in Haiti after the quake struck. Boston.com does a nice job with its photo essays as part of its "Big Picture" series.

5. Global Voices Online
Global Voices, an online network of bloggers around the world, has a webpage with special coverage of the Haiti disaster, including a list of Haiti-based bloggers covering the story.

6. The Miami Herald
Miami has a substantial Haitian population, and the Miami Herald is serving its local community well by providing information in Creole (which, along with French, is one of two official languages in Haiti). The Herald's "Haiti Connect" forum includes a gallery for photos of missing loved ones.

7. Ushahidi - "Crowdsourcing Crisis Information"
This open-source web platform aggregates data on Haiti to support the relief effort. The interface is a little tricky to follow, but it's a great use of the web, compiling user-generated incident reports from the ground including reports of missing persons, emergencies and other threats. The incident reports - such as "Collapsed School", "…Stuck Under Rubble" - will break your heart.

8. New York Times Interactive Map
This map is another great visualization from the New York Times' impressive interactive team, complete with photos and audio.

9. NewsTrust.net
The amount of news articles available on Haiti is overwhelming, but NewsTrust curates the best from the mainstream and independent media. You can weigh in on the quality of the news articles with a review of your own.

10. U.S. Geological Survey Podcast
If you're interested in the science behind this horrific natural disaster, check out this podcast with Michael Blanpied of the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. Here's the official USGS report on the Haiti 7.0 magnitude quake.

In Haiti, rescue workers are scrambling to save lives in the aftermath of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that caused widespread devastation in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. As aid agencies work within the critical 48-hour window to provide medical attention and to find survivors trapped in the rubble, the death toll estimates at this point are ranging widely. The Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive told CNN that deaths could number in the hundreds of thousands, and the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon declared a "major humanitarian emergency." According to the secretary general's statement, the U.N. headquarters in Haiti was destroyed in the quake, and many of its staff remain unaccounted for.

As today's sun rose on scenes of utter destruction in Port-au-Prince, the terrible reality of this humanitarian disaster became more clear. How can you help? Medical relief organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, International Medical Corps, Partners in Health, and Direct Relief International are among the many responding directly to the crisis. CNN and MSNBC have expanded lists of organizations providing relief on the ground. The U.S. State Department suggests that "for those interested in helping immediately, simply text "HAITI" to "90999" and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill." Musician Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund is also taking donations for the earthquake relief operation. Finally, if you are interested in volunteering firsthand in Haiti, check out Idealist.org's article on disaster relief volunteering to learn more. We encourage you to add more suggestions to the comment section! Haiti needs our help.