ISLAMABAD — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday unveiled $500 million worth of civilian aid projects for key ally Pakistan , in an attempt to counter rampant anti-Americanism in the country by reaching out to the population with tangible help.

The aim of the projects was to show that the U.S. relationship “goes far beyond security,” and they ranged from restoring a historical fort to boosting mango exports. The money is part of the $1.5 billion a year pledged to Pakistan under the Kerry-Lugar bill, named for Sens. John Kerry , D- Mass , and Richard Lugar , R- Ind , the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee . It represents a tripling of U.S. civilian aid to the country.

Since 2001, Pakistanis have complained that the United States was using their country for U.S. security aims alone, with all benefits going to Pakistan’s dominant military apparatus. The Obama administration says it’s determined to change that perception.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan , a country of 170 million people, is threatened by a sinking economy, a fragile political system and an Islamist insurgency, making for a potential nightmare scenario for global security that some think is more pressing and difficult to tackle than Afghanistan is.

Clinton, in Islamabad for a two-day visit on her way to a major international conference in Afghanistan , asked for Pakistan’s help in return. She said she thought that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar and al Qaida chief Osama bin Laden were hiding in Pakistan .

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NEW YORK – After rotting trusses, faulty wiring and sagging ceilings were discovered in New York’s City Hall, the nearly 200-year-old national landmark is undergoing a major renovation that will displace the City Council and other operations for at least a year.

The city discovered deteriorating conditions during a minor renovation a few years ago, prompting a wider examination of the building, which once hosted Abraham Lincoln’s body for public viewing and is one of the nation’s oldest continuously-used city halls.

Officials found widespread failings and alarming decay: cracks through the trusses that support the roof, a rotting basement floor, wiring that was known to spark and dangerously sagging ceilings.

“It’s gotten to the point where it’s really bad,” said Philip J. Kelly, the city official overseeing the project. “It has to be done. It’s amazing no one’s been hurt or there hasn’t been a fire.”

Recently, just before repairs were to begin in a City Council hearing room, a 10-foot-long, 6-inch-wide piece of plaster molding broke away from the wall and crashed to the floor.

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TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli military investigation into Israel’s deadly raid on a Gaza -bound flotilla concluded Monday that there were “no failures, but mistakes were made.”

Nine activists, all Turks, died and dozens were wounded in the assault. One of those killed had dual U.S.-Turkish citizenship.

The investigation, which was headed by Maj. Gen. (Reserves) Giora Eiland , found that while high-level officials had committed errors in judgment, no one in the military had behaved negligently. The report avoids recommendations that would have led to the demotion of military personnel or other strong actions.

“We found that there were some professional mistakes regarding both the intelligence and the decision-making process and some operational mistakes,” Eiland said.

Parts of the report were declassified and given to reporters Monday by an official who insisted on being identified only as a senior military official involved in the investigation. The full, 100-page report was given directly to Israel Defense Forces head Gabi Ashkenazi and several other high-ranking military officials. Ashkenazi announced that he’d adopt all of its recommendations.

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WASHINGTON – It’s all so familiar. A technological disaster, then a presidential commission examining what went wrong. And ultimately a discovery that while technology marches on, concern for safety lags. Technology isn’t as foolproof as it seemed.

Space shuttles shatter. Bridges buckle. Hotel walkways collapse. Levees fail. An offshore oil rig explodes, creating the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

The common thread — which the new presidential oil spill commission will be looking for — often is technological arrogance and hubris. It’s the belief by those in charge that they’re the experts, that they know what they’re doing is safe. Add to that the human weaknesses of avoidance, greed and sloppiness, say academics who study disasters.

Even before the oil spill commission holds its first meeting Monday in New Orleans, panel co-chairman William Reilly couldn’t help but point out something he’s already noticed.

The technology to clean up after an oil spill “is primitive,” Reilly said. “It’s wholly disproportionate to the tremendous technological advances that have allowed deepwater drilling to go forward. It just hasn’t kept pace.”

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WASHINGTON – A review by federal health scientists reinforces potential ties between the diabetes pill Avandia and heart attack and death, opening the door for government action, including a possible withdrawal of the once blockbuster drug.

The Food and Drug Administration posted an exhaustive 700-page review of the GlaxoSmithKline drug online Friday ahead of a meeting next week to review the safety of Avandia, which is used by hundreds of thousands of diabetics in the U.S.

FDA scientists reviewed dozens of studies of Avandia, including one which Glaxo has pointed to as proof of the drug’s safety. But an FDA reviewer said the study was plagued by “serious flaws” and actually supports the case against Avandia.

The FDA holds a special two-day meeting starting Tuesday to help decide what course of action to take. A panel of outside expert physicians will vote on a range of recommendations for Avandia including:

• adding additional warning labels

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