The United Nations is appealing for $144 million to help victims of three back-to-back storms in the Philippines.
This updated appeal nearly doubles the $74 million originally requested in October.
According to a statement by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, just $26 million has been raised so far, limiting the ability of aid agencies to effectively help those in need.
Tropical storm Ketsana swept across the Philippines on September 26 and was followed by Typhoon Parma a week later. On October 31, a third storm, Typhoon Mirinae, dumped even more rain onto the island nation.
The storms caused floods and mudslides that killed more than 900 people, and affected nearly nine million others.
The U.N. says 1.7 million people are still displaced or living in areas that remain flooded, putting them at risk for disease outbreaks. It also says the storms severely disrupted the critical planting season, leading to further long-term implications of food security.

A Sino-American summit in Beijing has produced no breakthroughs, but vows of cooperation from the leaders of the two countries.
President Barack Obama spent several hours Tuesday in closed-door talks with his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao.
The two met after a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, where a Chinese military honor guard stood in formation as rows of dignitaries looked on.
The ceremony was formal and brief, leaving as much time as possible for a set of meetings with a full agenda.

No breakthroughs
There were no breakthroughs. Instead, there was a continuation of a process.
President Hu says they talked about everything from the global economy, to non-proliferation, to climate change.
He says they made progress and stressed the need for concrete action to meet what he calls common challenges.
President Obama said, with all that is happening in the world today, cooperation between the United States and China has never been more important. He said, "That is why the United States welcomes China's efforts in playing a greater role on the world stage - a role in which a growing economy is joined by growing responsibilities."
Mr. Obama says China's partnership is critical in ending the current global economic recession. He mentioned the ongoing dispute over the value of China's currency and spoke once again of the need to seek more balanced economic growth around the world.
In his prepared statement, President Hu never mentioned the currency controversy. But he did talk about areas of agreement. He says the United States and China are expanding cooperation in a number of fields, most notably in the promotion of clean energy.

Climate issues
President Obama says there can be no solution to the global challenge of climate change without the active involvement of Washington and Beijing. He also spoke about the need to work together to deal with Iran and North Korea and their nuclear ambitions. China has played a key role in negotiations with the North Koreans and there were indications, leading into the talks in Beijing, that President Obama would seek China's help in increasingpressure on Tehran. He said, "Iran has an opportunity to present and demonstrate its peaceful intentions, but if it fails to take this opportunity, there will be consequences."

Human rights
However, while extolling the benefits of ties with Beijing, Mr. Obama made clear that when there are differences, he will speak up with China's leaders. He talked about human rights in general, and Tibet in particular.
The president said, "While we recognize that Tibet is part of the People's Republic of China, the United States supports the early resumption of dialogue between the Chinese government and representatives of the Dalai Lama to resolve any concerns and differences that the two sides may have."
After conferring with China's leaders today, Mr. Obama visited the heart of the nation's imperial past. Like many first-time visitors to Beijing, he toured the Forbidden City - the vast compound where Chinese emperors lived and ruled for centuries.

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Pacific Rim leaders have ended their annual APEC gathering with a vow to seek a sustained economic recovery and reject protectionism.
The leaders of 21 Pacific Rim economies gathered around the conference table in Singapore.
But the big news came outside their formal sessions - in closed door meetings and one-on-one talks.
President Barack Obama focused on the sidelines, engaging in almost non-stop personal diplomacy.

Obama Discusses Climate Change
He began early Sunday, with an unexpected meeting on climate change called by the leaders of Mexico and Australia.
Over breakfast, the prime minister of Denmark urged the group to back a different approach to save the upcoming international climate conference in Copenhagen.
With negotiations on a new global climate agreement in trouble, there was consensus behind an alternative: adopt a political framework in Copenhagen and fill in the details later.
Obama Discusses Nuclear Issues
President Barack Obama meets with Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Singapore, Sunday, 15 Nov. 2009
There was also an effort to push forward talks on arms control, with President Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev meeting to talk about a successor to the soon-to-expire 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
Mr. Obama said he still believes they can get an agreement by the end of the year. The president said, "I am confident if we work hard, and with a sense of urgency about it that we should be able to get that done and I very much feel as if both sides are trying to work through some difficult technical issues but are doing so in good faith."
They also talked about Iran's nuclear program. President Obama urged Iran once again agree to a deal to ship its uranium out of the country for processing. "We are now running out of time with respect to that approach. And so I discussed with President Medvedev the fact that we have to continue to maintain urgency," said Mr. Obama.
President Medvedev said he still hopes to convince Iran to accept the nuclear deal. The Russian leader said, "We are prepared to work further and I hope that our joint work will yield positive results."

Obama Discusses Burma
A short time later, Mr. Obama became the first American president to meet with all 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asia nations - including Burma.
He called for political reform in Burma and the release of democracy advocate Aug San Suu Kyi, saying, "I reaffirmed the policy I put forward yesterday in Tokyo with regard to Burma."
Mr. Obama's last meeting before leaving Singapore was with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
President Obama spent a good bit of his childhood in Indonesia, and has referred to himself as America's first Pacific president.
In 2011, he will host the annual meeting of Pacific Rim leaders. And the president announced in Singapore that he plans to host the gathering in his native state, Hawaii.

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Image via Wikipedia, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney

Infectious disease specialists from Australia, Japan and Vietnam are addressing an international seminar in Sydney. Doctors are sharing their experience of caring for patients with the H1N1 virus. The H1N1 virus, which is commonly known as swine flu, has spread rapidly around the world since emerging in North America earlier this year, yet still much of what makes it so potent a threat remains a mystery.
Sharing expertise will help scientists build up a more comprehensive picture of this contagious respiratory condition.
In Australia more than 130 people have died of swine flu and the number of infections is in excess of 32,000 as the country approaches the end of the southern hemisphere winter.
At Sydney's Royal North Shore hospital a video linkup has allowed doctors from Vietnam and Japan to present case studies and to share their experiences in dealing with a potentially fatal illness.
Professor Chris Dennis, a respiratory physician, who is chairing the seminar, says international cooperation is a vital ingredient in the fight to conquer swine flu.
"Oh, I think it is very important. Obviously this is going to be a disease that affects the entire globe, if it has not already. So, that I think it is extremely important that we have a global strategy, as much as possible, to deal with it," said Dennis.
Vietnam has reported more than 2,000 cases of swine flu and so far two patients have died.
Recent deaths in Japan prompted the government to warn that a "full-fledged epidemic" of swine flu may have started. It is estimated that there are about 110,000 confirmed H1N1 cases in Japan.
Australia's defenses against the outbreak of the H1N1 virus will be boosted when mass flu vaccinations start next month after officials fast-tracked a scheme capable of covering it's entire population of 21 million people.
The process has been speeded up after promising results were recorded in human trials that began in late July. Health officials say trials have gone smoothly and Australia could be the first country anywhere to start a mass immunization program.

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People in Asia woke Friday to news of the death of Michael Jackson, an American pop icon who left behind fans throughout the region.
The music sounds like the 1983 Michael Jackson-Paul McCartney duet, "Say, Say, Say." The singer though is China's top rocker Cui Jian, who recorded this cover in the 1990s.
Throughout Asia, people were saddened by news of the death of the pop superstar.
In Taipei, Claire Chen said she at first did not believe it.
Chen says her sister called her Friday morning and told her the news. She says she thought Jackson was going back on tour soon, but after she realized the singer was indeed dead, she went to watch all of his videos on YouTube.
In Seoul, 49-year-old Jung Ji-Sun remembers he was able to become wealthy, even though he was black, because he was a brilliant singer.
Jung says she remembers songs like "Billie Jean" and "Beat It."
She says she used to imitate his gestures and moves during aerobic dance sessions. Now, she says she feels grief and sorrow.
In China, 28-year-old musician Ray Wang says he heard his first Michael Jackson song, "Dangerous," when he was 14 years old.
He didn't like it at the time, but grew to like and appreciate Jackson' music more as he got older.
Wang says there are many musicians in China who were influenced by him. He says all Chinese musicians have at least heard the American singer's songs.
At the same time, he says it has been hard for Chinese fans to separate the man from the music.
Wang says many Chinese people don't like how the black singer lightened his skin, in what they saw as an unnatural effort to become white.
Although that is one of the strongest memories Chinese people have, Wang says they also will remember Jackson's dancing and the unique way he sang. Wang says although another person may try to sing a Jackson song, he will never be able to give it the same feeling.

The Philippine military said it has cut supply lines to Islamist militants who have held three Red Cross workers hostage on the southern island of Jolo since January.
A military spokesman said Tuesday that government troops have cut food, water and other supplies to keep pressure on the Abu Sayyaf militants. The spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Edgardo Arevalo, said soldiers are maintaining their cordon around the dense jungle area where the militants are holding the aid workers.
Also Tuesday, the family of one of the hostages, Swiss national Andreas Notter, released an open letter critical of Philippine Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey's handling of the hostage crisis. Notter's brother said Calmy-Rey should ask Philippine President Gloria Arroyo to call off the military operation.
In another development, Philippine defense officials Tuesday defended the general leading the operation for taking two weeks' vacation.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said Major General Juancho Sabban is traveling to South America on official business. Teodoro said the general's leave was approved before the kidnapping. 
Last week, the local chairman of the Red Cross in the Philippines blamed the military for the collapse of a deal to release one of the hostages. Senator Richard Gordon said he had negotiated the release of a hostage in exchange for the military repositioning its troops. Philippine media reported conflicting details about whether government troops moved too early, or refused to change their positions.
The negotiations came just days after Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad threatened to behead Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Philippine Mary Jean Lacaba if government forces pursued the rebels.
Clashes between the two sides killed at least three soldiers and two militants.