http://www.irinnews.org/Updated everydayen-gbTue, 07 May 2013 09:30:53 GMTTue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 07 May 2013 (IRIN) - Refugees and asylum seekers face a host of challenges when crossing borders, but the obstacles are particularly pronounced for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI) persons, say experts.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97989/The-plight-of-LGBTI-asylum-seekers-refugeesKATHMANDU 07 May 2013 (IRIN) - Refugees and asylum seekers face a host of challenges when crossing borders, but the obstacles are particularly pronounced for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI) persons, say experts.]]>Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 01 May 2013 (IRIN) - More work is needed to improve nutritional behaviour in Nepal, where nearly half of children under five are chronically malnourished, experts say.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97949/Behaviour-change-needed-to-combat-malnutrition-in-NepalKATHMANDU 01 May 2013 (IRIN) - More work is needed to improve nutritional behaviour in Nepal, where nearly half of children under five are chronically malnourished, experts say.]]>Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 26 April 2013 (IRIN) - It is the nightmare scenario aid workers and government officials have long feared: a massive earthquake striking Nepal’s densely populated Kathmandu Valley, with tens of thousands feared dead.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97925/Imagining-a-major-quake-in-KathmanduKATHMANDU 26 April 2013 (IRIN) - It is the nightmare scenario aid workers and government officials have long feared: a massive earthquake striking Nepal’s densely populated Kathmandu Valley, with tens of thousands feared dead.]]>Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 11 April 2013 (IRIN) - Experts have long predicted widespread devastation and death should a large earthquake hit Nepal, a country with vulnerable infrastructure and ill-equipped urban search-and-rescue teams. In an effort to prepare for such an event, officials have created a strategy to boost emergency responders’ skills.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97831/Nepal-to-boost-search-and-rescue-capabilitiesKATHMANDU 11 April 2013 (IRIN) - Experts have long predicted widespread devastation and death should a large earthquake hit Nepal, a country with vulnerable infrastructure and ill-equipped urban search-and-rescue teams. In an effort to prepare for such an event, officials have created a strategy to boost emergency responders’ skills.]]>Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 05 April 2013 (IRIN) - Nepal’s recently adopted policy of subsidizing renewable energy is the latest of many attempts to electrify long-deprived areas, but much more is needed, say experts.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97789/Nepal-turns-to-renewable-energyKATHMANDU 05 April 2013 (IRIN) - Nepal’s recently adopted policy of subsidizing renewable energy is the latest of many attempts to electrify long-deprived areas, but much more is needed, say experts.]]>Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 02 April 2013 (IRIN) - If an earthquake the magnitude of Haiti’s 2010 quake were to strike Nepal’s capital area, the country’s only international airport would be crippled, with no backup plan for receiving essential relief. But now, in response to long-standing predictions of such a catastrophe, the government has endorsed an earthquake preparedness plan for Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA); the plan is set to become public in one month.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97766/Earthquake-proofing-Nepal-apos-s-at-risk-airportKATHMANDU 02 April 2013 (IRIN) - If an earthquake the magnitude of Haiti’s 2010 quake were to strike Nepal’s capital area, the country’s only international airport would be crippled, with no backup plan for receiving essential relief. But now, in response to long-standing predictions of such a catastrophe, the government has endorsed an earthquake preparedness plan for Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA); the plan is set to become public in one month.]]>Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 21 March 2013 (IRIN) - Development assistance on its own will not resolve chronic levels of food insecurity in Nepal’s western Karnali Zone, described by many as a “silent emergency”. Rather, a more measured and integrated approach is required in some areas, including relief, say experts and government officials.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97693/Analysis-Rethinking-food-insecurity-in-Nepal-s-Karnali-regionKATHMANDU 21 March 2013 (IRIN) - Development assistance on its own will not resolve chronic levels of food insecurity in Nepal’s western Karnali Zone, described by many as a “silent emergency”. Rather, a more measured and integrated approach is required in some areas, including relief, say experts and government officials.]]>Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 18 March 2013 (IRIN) - While health experts applaud Nepal’s declining maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in recent years, they say this gain is unsustainable if the country does not address its lack of qualified health staff, especially midwives, to keep women in childbirth alive.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97667/Analysis-Nepal-s-maternal-mortality-decline-paradoxKATHMANDU 18 March 2013 (IRIN) - While health experts applaud Nepal’s declining maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in recent years, they say this gain is unsustainable if the country does not address its lack of qualified health staff, especially midwives, to keep women in childbirth alive.]]>Fri, 01 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 01 March 2013 (IRIN) - A large-scale road-widening project across Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu, one of the most seismically active cities in the world, has placed hundreds more buildings at risk of collapse in the event of an earthquake, experts warn.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97568/Kathmandu-road-scheme-demolitions-heighten-seismic-riskKATHMANDU 01 March 2013 (IRIN) - A large-scale road-widening project across Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu, one of the most seismically active cities in the world, has placed hundreds more buildings at risk of collapse in the event of an earthquake, experts warn.]]>Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 26 February 2013 (IRIN) - Dissent in Nepal over the role of ethnicity in a post-conflict state has put donor agencies under increased scrutiny, with politicians and analysts accusing them of meddling, taking sides and circumventing the government to push an agenda of “social cohesion”.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97551/Analysis-Politicians-donors-question-donor-neutrality-in-NepalKATHMANDU 26 February 2013 (IRIN) - Dissent in Nepal over the role of ethnicity in a post-conflict state has put donor agencies under increased scrutiny, with politicians and analysts accusing them of meddling, taking sides and circumventing the government to push an agenda of “social cohesion”.]]>Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 21 February 2013 (IRIN) - Safer-sex messaging on condoms is universal but the generally poor availability of lubricants, and awareness of them, is hindering HIV prevention, health activists warn.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97517/Lack-of-lube-hurts-HIV-preventionKATHMANDU 21 February 2013 (IRIN) - Safer-sex messaging on condoms is universal but the generally poor availability of lubricants, and awareness of them, is hindering HIV prevention, health activists warn.]]>Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 12 February 2013 (IRIN) - Girl child soldiers are often thought of only as “sex slaves”, a term that glosses over the complex roles many play within armed groups and in some national armies. This thinking contributes to their subsequent invisibility in the demobilization processes - in fact, girls are frequently the most challenging child soldiers to rehabilitate.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97463/Analysis-Girl-child-soldiers-face-new-battles-in-civilian-lifeJOHANNESBURG 12 February 2013 (IRIN) - Girl child soldiers are often thought of only as “sex slaves”, a term that glosses over the complex roles many play within armed groups and in some national armies. This thinking contributes to their subsequent invisibility in the demobilization processes - in fact, girls are frequently the most challenging child soldiers to rehabilitate.]]>Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 01 February 2013 (IRIN) - Stronger civil registration systems are needed in Asia, home to 60 percent of the world’s population, to ensure the legal and human rights of all, and facilitate health planning, experts say.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97389/Why-civil-registration-matters-in-AsiaBANGKOK 01 February 2013 (IRIN) - Stronger civil registration systems are needed in Asia, home to 60 percent of the world’s population, to ensure the legal and human rights of all, and facilitate health planning, experts say.]]>Wed, 23 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 23 January 2013 (IRIN) - Agriculture in Nepal suffers from years of under-investment, limited research, and scant inputs, technology and services for farmers. Unless things change, Nepal may fall into deeper food insecurity and poverty, say analysts.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97321/Analysis-The-trouble-with-Nepal-s-agricultureKATHMANDU 23 January 2013 (IRIN) - Agriculture in Nepal suffers from years of under-investment, limited research, and scant inputs, technology and services for farmers. Unless things change, Nepal may fall into deeper food insecurity and poverty, say analysts.]]>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 03 January 2013 (IRIN) - Insufficient, fragmented and misdirected investment in the water and sanitation sector has hindered the fight against diarrhoea, leaving it one of Nepal’s leading child killers despite hundreds of millions of dollars having been invested, say practitioners. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97164/Tracking-dollars-to-fight-diarrhoea-in-NepalKATHMANDU 03 January 2013 (IRIN) - Insufficient, fragmented and misdirected investment in the water and sanitation sector has hindered the fight against diarrhoea, leaving it one of Nepal’s leading child killers despite hundreds of millions of dollars having been invested, say practitioners. ]]>Fri, 14 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 14 December 2012 (IRIN) - The number of children in Nepal with acute malnutrition hovers near emergency levels, something that has not changed even after 15 years of efforts and millions of dollars invested, say local and international nutrition experts.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97046/Analysis-Five-reasons-malnutrition-still-kills-in-NepalKATHMANDU 14 December 2012 (IRIN) - The number of children in Nepal with acute malnutrition hovers near emergency levels, something that has not changed even after 15 years of efforts and millions of dollars invested, say local and international nutrition experts.]]>Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 06 December 2012 (IRIN) - Price Watch (Our lives)http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96695/BANGLADESH-KENYA-Our-Lives-A-survivors-apos-guide-to-hard-timesNAIROBI 06 December 2012 (IRIN) - Price Watch (Our lives)]]>Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>KOLPATA 06 December 2012 (IRIN) - Manbahadur Tamang’s family of six are subsistence farmers in Kolpata village, Sindupalchok District, 150km southeast of the Nepali capital Kathmandu. They lost this year’s entire maize crop to heavy monsoon rains in June, and now, for the first time ever, family members have been forced to look for work as day labourers. Two teenage sons have had to drop out of school.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96871/NEPAL-Manbahadur-Tamang-Farmer-NepalKOLPATA 06 December 2012 (IRIN) - Manbahadur Tamang’s family of six are subsistence farmers in Kolpata village, Sindupalchok District, 150km southeast of the Nepali capital Kathmandu. They lost this year’s entire maize crop to heavy monsoon rains in June, and now, for the first time ever, family members have been forced to look for work as day labourers. Two teenage sons have had to drop out of school.]]>Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 06 December 2012 (IRIN) - Kumari Magar, 30, earns US$90 a month cleaning houses in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu - barely enough to live on. She stays with her brother and sister, having moved from Dolalghat village, 100km northeast of Kathmandu, six years ago to escape the hard life of a subsistence farmer.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96868/NEPAL-Kumari-Magar-Maid-NepalKATHMANDU 06 December 2012 (IRIN) - Kumari Magar, 30, earns US$90 a month cleaning houses in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu - barely enough to live on. She stays with her brother and sister, having moved from Dolalghat village, 100km northeast of Kathmandu, six years ago to escape the hard life of a subsistence farmer.]]>Wed, 05 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>JALTHAL/KILINOCHICHI 05 December 2012 (IRIN) - Nepal and Sri Lanka share few similarities in their post-conflict experiences. The former has a peace deal, a government ministry overseeing post-war reconstruction, a national programme to trace missing persons and an NGO to advocate for their families - none of which exist in Sri Lanka. But the two do have something essential in common: grieving relatives of the missing who are now searching for answers.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96975/SRI-LANKA-Learning-from-Nepal-s-search-for-the-missingJALTHAL/KILINOCHICHI 05 December 2012 (IRIN) - Nepal and Sri Lanka share few similarities in their post-conflict experiences. The former has a peace deal, a government ministry overseeing post-war reconstruction, a national programme to trace missing persons and an NGO to advocate for their families - none of which exist in Sri Lanka. But the two do have something essential in common: grieving relatives of the missing who are now searching for answers.]]>Fri, 26 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 26 October 2012 (IRIN) - Radio stations in Nepal, critical sources of emergency information, are ill-prepared to withstand or operate in the event of an earthquake, experts warn.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96639/NEPAL-Radio-stations-ill-prepared-for-earthquakesKATHMANDU 26 October 2012 (IRIN) - Radio stations in Nepal, critical sources of emergency information, are ill-prepared to withstand or operate in the event of an earthquake, experts warn.]]>Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 18 October 2012 (IRIN) - Mismanagement of Nepal’s National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) and its lack of independence, as well as frequent changes of government and an ongoing constitutional stalemate, have weakened the group’s ability to pursue war-era crimes, say officials and activists.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96579/NEPAL-Government-hobbles-human-rights-commissionKATHMANDU 18 October 2012 (IRIN) - Mismanagement of Nepal’s National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) and its lack of independence, as well as frequent changes of government and an ongoing constitutional stalemate, have weakened the group’s ability to pursue war-era crimes, say officials and activists.]]>Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 09 October 2012 (IRIN) - Food losses in Asia due to disasters or poor storage, packing and delivery are set to worsen, and governments are ill-prepared to stem the wastage, according experts recently convened by the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies in Singapore.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96485/In-Brief-Southeast-Asia-wasting-too-much-foodBANGKOK 09 October 2012 (IRIN) - Food losses in Asia due to disasters or poor storage, packing and delivery are set to worsen, and governments are ill-prepared to stem the wastage, according experts recently convened by the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies in Singapore.]]>Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 09 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).http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96495/CLIMATE-CHANGE-Human-Rights-Watch-s-Jan-Egeland-calls-for-faster-progressBANGKOK 09 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).]]>Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DALEIKH/KATHMANDU 05 October 2012 (IRIN) - Women working as female healthcare volunteers often provide a vital service for the poorest in mountainous Nepal, and have contributed to a steady improvement in maternal and neonatal survival rates.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96462/NEPAL-Key-role-for-female-health-volunteersDALEIKH/KATHMANDU 05 October 2012 (IRIN) - Women working as female healthcare volunteers often provide a vital service for the poorest in mountainous Nepal, and have contributed to a steady improvement in maternal and neonatal survival rates.]]>