ASIA: IRIN-ASIA Weekly round-up 153 for 3 - 9 December 2007
DUBAI, 10 December 2007 (IRIN) - CONTENTS:
AFGHANISTAN: Disabled people have tough time, lack education, jobs
AFGHANISTAN: UN ready to aid dialogue to boost prospects for peace
AFGHANISTAN: UN prepares for repatriation of over half a million refugees
AFGHANISTAN: Preparations under way for possible natural disasters this winter
AFGHANISTAN: Hundreds flee fighting in Helmand Province
BANGLADESH: Mohammad Hasan, Bangladesh: “Now I am alone”
BANGLADESH: Muslim countries rush relief to cyclone-hit south
BANGLADESH: Rice crop hit by recent cyclone
BANGLADESH: International cyclone aid tops US$233 million
BANGLADESH: Cyclone-damaged embankments urgently need repair
NEPAL: Lack of toilets, poor hygiene fuel water-borne diseases
NEPAL: Biogas technology beginning to make its mark
PAKISTAN: Traditional marriages ignore HIV/AIDS threat
SRI LANKA: Critical northern crossing point under pressure
AFGHANISTAN: Disabled people have tough time, lack education, jobs
Plagued by over two decades of war, poverty and underdevelopment, Afghanistan has about 800,000 people with disabilities out of an estimated total population of 24.5 million. Many of these are also illiterate, unemployed or lack access to health services and other opportunities.
full report
AFGHANISTAN: UN ready to aid dialogue to boost prospects for peace
The UN is ready to facilitate dialogue between the Afghan government and anti-government elements who want to end violence and be part of Afghanistan's current political process, with the aim of strengthening peace and development in the country, according to a top UN official.
full report
AFGHANISTAN: UN prepares for repatriation of over half a million refugees
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has asked for about US$100 million from donors for its Afghan operations in the coming two years, according to UNHCR Global Appeal 2008-2009.
full report
AFGHANISTAN: Preparations under way for possible natural disasters this winter
A national disaster management commission, comprised of several government and non-government organisations (NGOs) in Afghanistan, has allocated US$2.5 million for possible disaster management operations during the winter months.
full report
AFGHANISTAN: Hundreds flee fighting in Helmand Province
Hundreds of people have left their homes in Musa Qala District, Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, after Afghan and international forces intensified their joint military operations to drive Taliban insurgents out of the district, according to local residents and provincial officials.
full report
BANGLADESH: Mohammad Hasan, Bangladesh: “Now I am alone”
I will never forget the cyclone. It roared like a beast. We heard the cyclone warning three hours before it hit, but there were 300 people on the island at the time and not enough boats to take us ashore.
full report
BANGLADESH: Muslim countries rush relief to cyclone-hit south
Muslim countries and Islamic relief organisations have shown unprecedented solidarity with the people of Bangladesh after a devastating cyclone struck the country’s southwestern coast on 15 November, killing over 3,000 and rendering millions more homeless.
full report
BANGLADESH: Rice crop hit by recent cyclone
According to a government estimate released on 1 December, of the 553,000 hectares of crops ravaged by Cyclone Sidr across 30 affected districts, 418,000 hectares belonged to this year’s `Aman’ harvest – the largest of Bangladesh’s rice harvests, occurring in November and December and usually accounting for more than half of annual production.
full report
BANGLADESH: International cyclone aid tops US$233 million
International assistance to victims of last month's devastating cyclone in Bangladesh has now reached more than US$233 million, a senior UN official has confirmed.
full report
BANGLADESH: Cyclone-damaged embankments urgently need repair
Millions of people in cyclone-affected Bangladesh face an increased risk of hunger unless an intricate network of protective river embankments is repaired now.
full report
NEPAL: Lack of toilets, poor hygiene fuel water-borne diseases
Schoolgirl Susmita Chettri is not alone in her embarrassment and disgust at the sight of men urinating in the middle of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu in broad daylight.
full report
NEPAL: Biogas technology beginning to make its mark
Over six million tonnes of carbon emissions could be avoided in the next five years by Nepal through large-scale use of biogas, according to climate change experts.
full report
PAKISTAN: Traditional marriages ignore HIV/AIDS threat
Bound by 'watta satta', a cultural tradition of exchanged marriage between two families, Nuzhat (not her real name), 22, cannot disclose her HIV status. The tradition of watta satta describes the exchange of brides between families, in which a brother and sister from one family are married to a pair from another family, often close relatives.
full report
SRI LANKA: Critical northern crossing point under pressure
The Omanthai crossing point 190km north of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, is the only gateway currently open between areas controlled by the Sri Lankan government and those controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and traffic through this key transit point falls off sharply each time the security situation deteriorates.
full report
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Theme(s):
(IRIN) Children, (IRIN) Conflict, (IRIN) Early Warning, (IRIN) Environment, (IRIN) Food Security, (IRIN) Gender Issues, (IRIN) Governance, (IRIN) Health & Nutrition, (IRIN) HIV/AIDS (PlusNews), (IRIN) Natural Disasters, (IRIN) Refugees/IDPs, (IRIN) Urban Risk
[ENDS]
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