Pakistan PM Gilani cancels trip to US

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has cancelled a trip to next week\'s UN General Assembly in New York because of floods in Sindh province.His office said he was staying in the country to direct relief efforts.Pakistani leaders were accused of neglecting victims of floods that devastated the country last year.So far this year, about six million people have been affected by the monsoon floods, with fears some areas will remain submerged for months.Aid agencies are again warning of a disaster and have launched emergency appeals.The authorities are accused of being months behind schedule in repairing dams and embankments damaged by last year\'s floods.\'We\'re worried\'Mr Gilani has been in Iran in recent days, while President Asif Ali Zardari flew to London last week on a private visit.The prime minister\'s office now says he \"will visit flood-affected areas from tomorrow and supervise relief efforts\".Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will address the General Assembly in his place.President Zardari was heavily criticised for visiting the UK in August 2010 when Pakistan was hit by its worst floods in living memory.There is growing criticism of the country\'s leaders following this year\'s floods.The destruction in Sindh province is once again on a massive scale.More than two million people are suffering from flood-related diseases following the torrential rain, aid officials say. Cases of malaria and diarrhoea are increasing.At least 7,000 people are being treated for snake bites.\"We have assessed 16 out of 22 districts and roughly 1.8 million people have left their homes and 750,000 are living in temporary sites,\" a UN children\'s agency spokesman said on Thursday.People in Sindh have told the BBC they are angry with the authorities.They think especially after the disaster of 2010 flood prevention projects and proper drainage systems could have saved homes and lives and an awful lot of misery, the BBC\'s Aleem Maqbool who is in flood-hit areas reported.Many people have been taken into relief camps but many more are fending for themselves as the rains keep coming.\"We\'re on the road, no one has given us a tent,\" one homeless man, Abdul Latif Chandio, told the BBC.\"Our children are already ill and we\'re worried about the waters rising more.\"From / BBC