Asia braces for spill-over of new bird flu strain

BANGKOK, 8 April 2013 (IRIN) - Officials throughout Asia are implementing measures to protect people from a new strain of bird flu - H7N9 - that has so far infected 24 people in China, killing seven. full report

In Brief: Bride trafficking to China could rise

PHNOM PENH, 19 March 2013 (IRIN) - Bride trafficking to China from Southeast Asian countries which do not border on that country looks set to grow, says the UN, with the first reported cases from Cambodia in 2012. full report

Analysis: Cambodian land rights in focus

PHNOM PENH, 15 March 2013 (IRIN) - Faced with widespread evictions and opaque private sector deals, activists in Cambodia are calling on the government to be more open and transparent about land concessions, beef up mechanisms for resolving land disputes, and abide by the rule of law. full report

Acid attack perpetrator sentenced under new Cambodian law

PHNOM PENH, 30 January 2013 (IRIN) - Nhem Sreyda feels fortunate that she is still able to see after being doused with acid by her ex-husband in 2012. "I am lucky that my body can still work, my eyes can still see," the 32-year-old told IRIN. full report

Cambodian bird flu deaths prompt awareness drive

PHNOM PENH, 28 January 2013 (IRIN) - Health authorities in Cambodia will bolster public awareness campaigns on H5N1 avian influenza after four people became infected in January, resulting in two fatalities. full report

No let-up in trafficking of Cambodian males

BANGKOK, 11 January 2013 (IRIN) - The trafficking of male Cambodians for labour exploitation purposes remains rife, says a report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). full report

Urban water woes

NEW YORK, 2 January 2013 (IRIN) - In Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare (population 3,000,000), a man relieves himself in the dirt next to his tin shack, holding his nose to ward off the stench of a nearby overflowing latrine. In Ramallah (population 300,000) in the occupied Palestinian territory a 14-year-old girl wakes with menstrual cramps - and skips class because her school lacks a washroom where she can clean herself in private. In Bangladesh’s mega-capital (population 12 million), a monsoon-season flash flood leaves thousands with cholera. full report

In Brief: Malaria summit opens in Sydney

BANGKOK, 31 October 2012 (IRIN) - More than 200 health experts have gathered in Sydney for a three-day conference to bolster political commitment to tackle the spread of malaria. full report

CLIMATE CHANGE: Human Rights Watch’s Jan Egeland calls for faster progress

BANGKOK, 9 October 2012 (IRIN) - On the sidelines of a recent presentation he made in Bangkok on disaster prevention and preparedness, IRIN spoke to Jan Egeland, deputy director of Human Rights Watch, about progress on the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS). full report