The European Commission is raising the amount of humanitarian aid it is giving to Pakistan from 7 to 72 million euros. The money is to be used among other things to ease the plight of refugees from the Swat Valley and other regions where government troops are fighting Taliban rebels.

The pledge was made in Brussels during the first summit between the European Union and Pakistan. Commission President José Manuel Barroso praised Pakistani President Ali Asif Zardari for his work for democracy and his fight against extremism in Pakistan.

photo EU flag: flickr/OpenDemocracy