http://www.irinnews.org/irin-fp.aspxUpdated everydayen-gbWed, 16 May 2012 18:30:40 GMTWed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>KARACHI 16 May 2012 (IRIN) - The dead fish recently washed up on the shores of Lake Keenjhar, the largest fresh water lake in Pakistan, shocked nearby villagers in Thatta District in the southern province of Sindh.Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95460KARACHI 16 May 2012 (IRIN) - The dead fish recently washed up on the shores of Lake Keenjhar, the largest fresh water lake in Pakistan, shocked nearby villagers in Thatta District in the southern province of Sindh.]]>Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>GISENYI (WESTERN RWANDA) 16 May 2012 (IRIN) - In the last few weeks fighting between government troops and “mutineers” has ended three years of relative peace in North Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and thousands of refugees have been streaming across the border to Rwanda.Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95465GISENYI (WESTERN RWANDA) 16 May 2012 (IRIN) - In the last few weeks fighting between government troops and “mutineers” has ended three years of relative peace in North Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and thousands of refugees have been streaming across the border to Rwanda.]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>RAMALLAH/TEL AVIV 14 May 2012 (IRIN) - Israeli settlers east of the separation barrier in the central West Bank occupy the land most critical for any future final status agreement under a two-state solution. But instead of limiting settlement expansion, critics say the Israeli authorities are setting a dangerous precedent by legalizing new outposts and undermining the law.Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95445RAMALLAH/TEL AVIV 14 May 2012 (IRIN) - Israeli settlers east of the separation barrier in the central West Bank occupy the land most critical for any future final status agreement under a two-state solution. But instead of limiting settlement expansion, critics say the Israeli authorities are setting a dangerous precedent by legalizing new outposts and undermining the law.]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>SEBHA 14 May 2012 (IRIN) - A tenuous peace has taken hold in Libya’s southwestern city of Sebha more than a month after tribal clashes killed at least 70 people, with tensions still high between communities living here, many of whom have their own armed militias, according to local residents.Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95446SEBHA 14 May 2012 (IRIN) - A tenuous peace has taken hold in Libya’s southwestern city of Sebha more than a month after tribal clashes killed at least 70 people, with tensions still high between communities living here, many of whom have their own armed militias, according to local residents.]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>ISLAMABAD 14 May 2012 (IRIN) - Attacks on humanitarian workers in Pakistan have increased in the last four years, with five personnel abducted in the first two months of 2012, and three killed in separate incidents in Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab Provinces, the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum (PHF) has warned.Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95444ISLAMABAD 14 May 2012 (IRIN) - Attacks on humanitarian workers in Pakistan have increased in the last four years, with five personnel abducted in the first two months of 2012, and three killed in separate incidents in Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab Provinces, the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum (PHF) has warned.]]>Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 09 May 2012 (IRIN) - Africa’s crises are both honing and stalling the formation of the African Standby Force (ASF) of the African Union (AU) - a quick reaction force that could eventually number about 30,000 troops to be deployed in a range of scenarios, from peacekeeping to direct military intervention.Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95426JOHANNESBURG 09 May 2012 (IRIN) - Africa’s crises are both honing and stalling the formation of the African Standby Force (ASF) of the African Union (AU) - a quick reaction force that could eventually number about 30,000 troops to be deployed in a range of scenarios, from peacekeeping to direct military intervention.]]>Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>KABUL 03 May 2012 (IRIN) - A government plan to relocate an all-boys juvenile rehabilitation centre (JRC) in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, from the city centre to a site near Sarposa prison, where top Taliban leaders are held, could expose the children to significant risk, according to observers.Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95405KABUL 03 May 2012 (IRIN) - A government plan to relocate an all-boys juvenile rehabilitation centre (JRC) in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, from the city centre to a site near Sarposa prison, where top Taliban leaders are held, could expose the children to significant risk, according to observers.]]>Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>LONDON 02 May 2012 (IRIN) - The phenomenon of ‘shrinking humanitarian space’ is earnestly debated by aid workers. The often-heard complaint is that neutrality and independence is increasingly compromised by donors, peacekeepers and warring parties seeking to co-opt them, and they blame the growing toll of attacks on agency staff on the perception that they are no longer impartial.Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95394LONDON 02 May 2012 (IRIN) - The phenomenon of ‘shrinking humanitarian space’ is earnestly debated by aid workers. The often-heard complaint is that neutrality and independence is increasingly compromised by donors, peacekeepers and warring parties seeking to co-opt them, and they blame the growing toll of attacks on agency staff on the perception that they are no longer impartial.]]>Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 01 May 2012 (IRIN) - Aid agencies in northern Mali are debating how or whether they should negotiate with newly installed rebel groups such as the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and Ansar Dine, which is affiliated to Al Qaeda, to reach people in need.Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95390DAKAR 01 May 2012 (IRIN) - Aid agencies in northern Mali are debating how or whether they should negotiate with newly installed rebel groups such as the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and Ansar Dine, which is affiliated to Al Qaeda, to reach people in need.]]>Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>TRIPOLI 01 May 2012 (IRIN) - Six months after an uprising brought down Muammar Gaddafi's government, thousands of displaced Libyans are still living in abandoned construction sites, empty student dormitories or with host families, too afraid to return to their homes.Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95389TRIPOLI 01 May 2012 (IRIN) - Six months after an uprising brought down Muammar Gaddafi's government, thousands of displaced Libyans are still living in abandoned construction sites, empty student dormitories or with host families, too afraid to return to their homes.]]>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>MOROTO 30 April 2012 (IRIN) - The nomadic Karimojong ethnic group, once regarded as a low-risk HIV population because regional instability in northeastern Uganda and strong adherence to their culture kept them relatively isolated, have not been a priority on the country's HIV agenda, but recent statistics show prevalence among this community is now 5.8 percent, up from 3.5 percent five years ago.Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95383MOROTO 30 April 2012 (IRIN) - The nomadic Karimojong ethnic group, once regarded as a low-risk HIV population because regional instability in northeastern Uganda and strong adherence to their culture kept them relatively isolated, have not been a priority on the country's HIV agenda, but recent statistics show prevalence among this community is now 5.8 percent, up from 3.5 percent five years ago.]]>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>SANA'A 26 April 2012 (IRIN) - Two months after Yemen’s new government was sworn in, violence in the south appears to be increasing with attacks and kidnappings blamed on militants, while more than 10 million people are food insecure and almost half a million internally displaced. The UN says at least 800,000 children are acutely malnourished.Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95362SANA'A 26 April 2012 (IRIN) - Two months after Yemen’s new government was sworn in, violence in the south appears to be increasing with attacks and kidnappings blamed on militants, while more than 10 million people are food insecure and almost half a million internally displaced. The UN says at least 800,000 children are acutely malnourished.]]>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 26 April 2012 (IRIN) - Sierra Leoneans are relieved that former warlord and President of Liberia Charles Taylor has been convicted by the Special Court of Sierra Leone on 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95368DAKAR 26 April 2012 (IRIN) - Sierra Leoneans are relieved that former warlord and President of Liberia Charles Taylor has been convicted by the Special Court of Sierra Leone on 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.]]>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DUÉKOUÉ 26 April 2012 (IRIN) - President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire promised paved roads, an end to power cuts and water shortages, better mobile phone coverage, and a new university in the country’s west as part of an “emergency plan” to develop a region that has been steeped in violence and insecurity for a decade. But for some displaced Ivoirians still unable to return to their homes, the promises ring hollow.Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95366DUÉKOUÉ 26 April 2012 (IRIN) - President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire promised paved roads, an end to power cuts and water shortages, better mobile phone coverage, and a new university in the country’s west as part of an “emergency plan” to develop a region that has been steeped in violence and insecurity for a decade. But for some displaced Ivoirians still unable to return to their homes, the promises ring hollow.]]>Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>KINSHASA 24 April 2012 (IRIN) - Aid agencies are unable to access thousands of people displaced from the town of Mitwaba, in the southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) province of Katanga as a result of recent fighting between rebels and government forces.Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95350KINSHASA 24 April 2012 (IRIN) - Aid agencies are unable to access thousands of people displaced from the town of Mitwaba, in the southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) province of Katanga as a result of recent fighting between rebels and government forces.]]>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 23 April 2012 (IRIN) - After months of fighting in northern Mali, the Mouvement National de Libération de L’Azawad (MNLA) - National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad - declared an end to military operations. The rebels refer to the regions of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu in northern Mali as Azawad. However, following international and regional condemnation of the movement’s declaration of independence on 6 April, several factions have emerged, exposing deep divisions between Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Islamist groups, and Tuareg groups.Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95339DAKAR 23 April 2012 (IRIN) - After months of fighting in northern Mali, the Mouvement National de Libération de L’Azawad (MNLA) - National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad - declared an end to military operations. The rebels refer to the regions of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu in northern Mali as Azawad. However, following international and regional condemnation of the movement’s declaration of independence on 6 April, several factions have emerged, exposing deep divisions between Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Islamist groups, and Tuareg groups.]]>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DUBAI 23 April 2012 (IRIN) - It was 21 February 2006. The date is etched in Samia’s* mind. She was in her kitchen making tea for her brother’s family, who was visiting her at her home in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, when gunfire broke out in the sitting room.Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95336DUBAI 23 April 2012 (IRIN) - It was 21 February 2006. The date is etched in Samia’s* mind. She was in her kitchen making tea for her brother’s family, who was visiting her at her home in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, when gunfire broke out in the sitting room.]]>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DUBAI 23 April 2012 (IRIN) - The UN has presented a multi-million dollar plan to respond to humanitarian needs in Syria, but still lacks government approval to implement it.Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95332DUBAI 23 April 2012 (IRIN) - The UN has presented a multi-million dollar plan to respond to humanitarian needs in Syria, but still lacks government approval to implement it.]]>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DUBAI 23 April 2012 (IRIN) - Syria is home to the largest Iraqi refugee population in the world - an estimated one million people, of whom 102,000 are registered with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95338DUBAI 23 April 2012 (IRIN) - Syria is home to the largest Iraqi refugee population in the world - an estimated one million people, of whom 102,000 are registered with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).]]>Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BORNO STATE 20 April 2012 (IRIN) - So far this year 14 schools have been burnt down in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, northern Nigeria, forcing over 7,000 children out of formal education and pushing down enrolment rates in an already ill-educated region.Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95327BORNO STATE 20 April 2012 (IRIN) - So far this year 14 schools have been burnt down in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, northern Nigeria, forcing over 7,000 children out of formal education and pushing down enrolment rates in an already ill-educated region.]]>Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGUI 19 April 2012 (IRIN) - Pacifying the six rebel groups that hold sway across the north and northeast of the Central African Republic (CAR) is both a key component of the country’s security reform and a prerequisite for the economic development needed to end the spiral of violence and criminality that has dogged the state for almost two decades.Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95321BANGUI 19 April 2012 (IRIN) - Pacifying the six rebel groups that hold sway across the north and northeast of the Central African Republic (CAR) is both a key component of the country’s security reform and a prerequisite for the economic development needed to end the spiral of violence and criminality that has dogged the state for almost two decades.]]>Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BAHIR DAR 19 April 2012 (IRIN) - On the surface it had all the trappings of a gathering of current and former heads of state: Legions of presidential bodyguards speaking into their sleeves, electronic security at every entrance, rooftop snipers, road closures and a small army of waiters serving snacks and coffee on the banks of Ethiopia’s Lake Tana. Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95323BAHIR DAR 19 April 2012 (IRIN) - On the surface it had all the trappings of a gathering of current and former heads of state: Legions of presidential bodyguards speaking into their sleeves, electronic security at every entrance, rooftop snipers, road closures and a small army of waiters serving snacks and coffee on the banks of Ethiopia’s Lake Tana. ]]>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 18 April 2012 (IRIN) - Chidi Odinkalu, chair of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission, was summoned for an interview with police yesterday over remarks he made in March about the judiciary and the police.Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95314NAIROBI 18 April 2012 (IRIN) - Chidi Odinkalu, chair of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission, was summoned for an interview with police yesterday over remarks he made in March about the judiciary and the police.]]>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>HAJJAH 18 April 2012 (IRIN) - Mines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) have killed 27 people and injured at least 36 in the last two months in Hajjah Governorate, northwestern Yemen, according to a 14 April Interior Ministry report. Many of the injured will be left permanently disabled.Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95309HAJJAH 18 April 2012 (IRIN) - Mines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) have killed 27 people and injured at least 36 in the last two months in Hajjah Governorate, northwestern Yemen, according to a 14 April Interior Ministry report. Many of the injured will be left permanently disabled.]]>Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DUBAI 16 April 2012 (IRIN) - A sustained attack by militants on Afghanistan’s parliament and various targets in the diplomatic zone on 15 April temporarily shut down the capital, Kabul, to all movement by UN personnel and raised alarm among aid workers that the Taliban are now able to penetrate even the most secure parts of the city. Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95302DUBAI 16 April 2012 (IRIN) - A sustained attack by militants on Afghanistan’s parliament and various targets in the diplomatic zone on 15 April temporarily shut down the capital, Kabul, to all movement by UN personnel and raised alarm among aid workers that the Taliban are now able to penetrate even the most secure parts of the city. ]]>