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Asia
IRIN-AS Weekly Round-Up 153
3 - 9 December 2007


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.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75645


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.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75655


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.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75696


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.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75703


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.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75722


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.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75647


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.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75648


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.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75679


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.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75698


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.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75735


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.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75570


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.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75719


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.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75716


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.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75699[END]


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