NEPAL, 20 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - Nepals brutal conflict between Maoist insurgents and security forces has exacted a heavy toll on the civilian population, especially those in contested hill districts, many of whom already live near or on the global poverty threshold.Full report

NEPAL, 20 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - The 1 February 2005 takeover of executive powers by King Gyanendra has led to a new era of uncertainty in the tiny mountain kingdom of Nepal. The king now rules the impoverished country of 25 million directly as chairman of the Council of Ministers.Full report

QUETTA, 16 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - For two years, Faqir Hussain, 26, has been searching for a job. He goes about the task methodically from his tiny flat in the southern Pakistani city of Quetta, cutting out notices that appear each week in the Sunday newspapers and maintaining a meticulous list of the organisations he has already written to. Full report

KATHMANDU, 16 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - Nepals violent armed conflict between Maoist rebels and the government has been placing the civilian population in grave danger, said a report released on Thursday by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OCHCR) in Nepal. Full report

DUSHANBE, 16 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - The United Nations launched its appeal for Tajikistan for 2006 in the capital, Dushanbe, on Thursday, requesting more than US $51 million from international donors. Full report

OSH, 15 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - Kyrgyz security forces on Tuesday removed dozens of young women from a plane in the southern city of Osh set to transport them to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), allegedly for sexual exploitation.Full report

ASHGABAT, 15 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - Richard Young is the United Nations' new Resident Representative in Turkmenistan. In an interview with IRIN in the capital, Ashgabat he spoke about the need to formulate an emergency preparedness plan for the earthquake-prone republic and about new programmes to promote human rights in the country. Full report

HERAT, 13 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - A local Afghan rights body supporting free media in Afghanistan on Monday condemned the beating of two journalists by officials in the western province of Herat and called on the government to investigate the incident.Full report

ALMATY, 10 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - A new guide on civil society in Kazakhstan issued with assistance from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is gaining popularity among journalists in the Central Asian state, bridging the gap between the two sectors. Full report

KABUL, 8 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - Civic groups in Afghanistan expressed varying reactions to a decision by the government on Tuesday to de-register some 1,600 NGOs in the post-conflict country. Full report

TURKMENISTAN: Year in Brief 2005 - A Chronology of key events

IRAN: Year in Review 2005

NEPAL: Overview analysis: A peoples war?

NEPAL: The political context of the crisis in Nepal

TURKMENISTAN: Interview with United Nations Resident Representative

NEPAL: Interview with human rights activist, Subodh Pyakhurel

NEPAL: Testimony by a victim of Maoist torture