World Bank pledges US$2 billion for flood-ravaged Pakistan

The World Bank said it will provide about US$2 billion in aid to Pakistan, ravaged by floods that have killed more than 1,600 people this year, the largest pledge of assistance so far. Unprecedented monsoon rains and flooding this year -- which many experts attribute to climate change -- have also injured some 13,000 people across the country since mid-June. The floods have displaced millions and destroyed crops, half a million homes and thousands of kilometres (miles) of roads. The World Bank's