The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will give Pakistan a 451 million-dollar loan to help the country recover from devastating floods. The IMF in a statement said the board has approved the immediate disbursal of the full amount of this emergency assistance. The IMF said it is hopeful that the cash will help Pakistan manage the immediate aftermath of the massive and devastating floods that have hit the country and spur more lending by international donors. The monsoon floods, which began six weeks ago, have left 10 million people without shelter across the country. According to UN figures, nearly 21 million people have been affected by the devastation across Pakistan. Hillary Clinton to meet Mahmoud Abbas today US secretary of State Hillary Clinton will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah today in connection with the Middle East peace process. The US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell told in a press conference after the latest round of talks concluded in Jerusalem on Wednesday night that Palestinian and Israeli leaders have agreed that their negotiators will continue the talks next week. US envoy said that substantial progress has been made and both sides are tackling the core issues. Terming the discussions as serious, productive and comprehensive, he added that US will continue to make sustained efforts to secure peace and will stand by both parties. He said that peace is possible and goal of two states for two people can be achieved through negotiations. US envoy Mitchell will visit Damascus and Beirut today to meet Syrian and Lebanese leaders on the same issue. It was the second meeting of top Israeli and Palestinian leaders, which was held in Jerusalem on Wednesday, one day after talks in Egypt. The peace process was resumed in Washington on 2nd of the month. The Palestinians are demanding halt on Jewish settlement construction in Occupied Palestinian lands. Another Palestinian group Hamas, which controls Gaza, is opposed to the talks, as it does not recognise existence of Israel.World Ozone Day Today is World Ozone Day. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki- moon in his message has said that good governance plays a key role in pursuit of environmental goals. He said that successful environment agreements require a broad framework, clear targets and a gradual approach to implementation. The UN Chief pointed out that the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the Ozone Layer which was ratified last year, is an excellent example towards this process.