UN Chief urges more support for Pakistan flood victims
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visiting Pakistan says the flood disaster is "beyond imagination" and is urging foreign donors to speed up aid.
The floods have killed up to 1,600 people, left millions homeless and disrupted life for a tenth of Pakistan's 170 million people.
Ban Ki Moom visited the flood-affected areas in Punjab and announced that he would allocate a further 10 million dollars from the United Nation's central emergency response fund.
"I have had the chance to see the tremendous destruction and profound suffering with my own eyes. It is heart-wrenching. The scale and magnitude is difficult to comprehend, beyond imagination."
More heavy rain is expected in Punjab and other aeas over the next two days and the UN has warned of a second wave of deaths among the sick and hungry if help does not arrive soon.

Tens of Thousands of US, South Korean Troops Launch Military Drills
Tens of thousands of South Korean and U.S. troops launched a fresh round of military drills despite North Korea's warning that it would retaliate.
The exercise follow massive joint naval drills last month off South Korea's east coast that Washington and Seoul said were a show of unity following the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship in March.
The 11-day drills, dubbed Ulchi Freedom Guardian, are annual computer-simulated war games that involve about 56,000 South Korean soldiers and 30,000 U.S. troops in South Korea and abroad.

Japan's Q2 Growth Lower than Expected, China to Overtake as Second Largest Economy
Japan's second-quarter GDP was less than China's before seasonal adjustments, underscoring expectations that China will overtake Japan as the world's second-largest economy this year.
Japan's economy grew just 0.1 percent in the April to June quarter, slowing sharply from the previous two quarters as export growth moderated and a stimulus-driven recovery in consumption ran out of steam.
China's top currency regulator had said last month that the country had already overtaken Japan as the world's second-biggest economy.

Beijing Starts Door-to-door Household Registration Survey
Beijing has launched a one-month household registration survey to recount the total number of Beijing residents and provide accurate information for China's once-a-decade census, which begins this November.
A total of 100 thousand census officials will collect data by going door-to-door in Beijing in the next 30 days.
Experts say that many households do not unregister their deceased family members so they can continue collecting social insurance funds from the government.
Also, some children born in violation of the country's "one child" policy have also not be registered.
Cai Jun is with the census' Beijing office.
"After paying the social compensation fees, a child born in violation of the one-child policy can be registered and get a resident permit. The exact amount of fees will be left to family planning bodies at different levels to decide. "
Foreigners and residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan living in Beijing will also be surveyed for the first time, except for those on short-term business or sightseeing trips.

No link between milk powder and infant breast growth: ministry
China's Health Ministry says clinical investigation have found no evidence that milk powder made by a Chinese company caused three infant girls to grow breasts.
Earlier this month, parents and doctors in Hubei Province reported that they believed milk powder produced by Synutra International had caused at least three infant girls to develop prematurely.
The ministry said doctors who examined the three infants found the cases of premature development were not serious and there were no national statistics suggesting a prevalence of premature development.

11 Killed in Elevator Crash at Hospital Construction Site
Eleven people died after an elevator at a hospital construction site in Meihekou City in northeast China's Jilin Province crashed.
The building has 12 floors but it is not known from what level the elevator fell at the Aimin Hospital construction site.
An investigation into the incident is underway.

Alleged 'Craiglist Killer' Found Dead in Jail Cell
A former medical student accused of killing a masseuse he met through Craigslist committed suicide in the Boston jail where he was awaiting trial in the US.
24 year old Philip Markoff was found unresponsive in his cell in the Nashua Street Jail.
Markoff, a former Boston University student, pleaded not guilty in the fatal shooting of a woman and the armed robbery in Boston.
Last weekend would have been Markoff's first wedding anniversary, but his nuptials were canceled after his arrest.

South Korean President Calls for 'Reunification Tax'
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak proposed a "reunification tax" to help fund the expected $1 trillion US dollar bill when the two Koreas eventually rejoin, but maintained his tough stance against the North.
Lee said it was now time to start saving for the massive cost of reuniting with the North, whose economy has been driven close to ruin.
There are no signs that North and South Korea are anywhere near close to reconciliation, with about 1 million soldiers facing off across the Cold War's last great divide.