Care International suspends work in Iraq

Humanitarian group Care International has suspended its work in Iraq after the kidnapping of Margaret Hassan, the woman in charge of the program. Hassan, who holds dual citizenship in Iraq and Britain, is one of the most widely known humanitarian officials in the Middle East. A video broadcast on Al-Jazeera shows that Hassan is still alive; the group holding her has not announced its name or its intentions. At this time, Care International is not planning to evacuate workers from Iraq, opting instead to shut down its operations for a time. Iraq's national security advisor is urging other groups not to pull out of Iraq as a result of the kidnapping.

African Union to send more troops for Darfur

The African Union has agreed to increase the number of troops in the Darfur region of Sudan from fewer than 400 to more than 3,000. The organization hopes to have the new troops deployed to Darfur by next month. Sudan has agreed to accept the troops, but opposes their use as a peacekeeping force. The exact role of the troops was not announced.

Bird flu ravages Thai zoo

An outbreak of the bird flu among tigers at a private zoo in Thailand has prompted health officials there to propose killing 80 more tigers to stop the disease. The tigers that would be killed are already exhibiting early symptoms of the disease, which is untreatable, and doing so would prevent the zoo from becoming "a reservoir for the disease." More than thirty tigers in the zoo have already died from the bird flu, which killed at least 11 people in Thailand earlier this year. The World Health Organization has said, however, that the infected animals do not pose a threat to human health.

Lebanese prime minister resigns, dissolves cabinet

Rafik Hariri, Lebanon's prime minister, unexpectedly dissolved his cabinet and announced his resignation. Hariri also said that he will not seek a position in a new government in Lebanon. Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, widely regarded as a rival of Hariri, accepted his resignation without comment. The conflict between Lahoud, who is pro-Syrian, and Hariri, who is not, has led some observers to comment that Hariri's move is designed to get him more power from the parliament. The United Nations has urged Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.