http://www.irinnews.org/irin-fp.aspxUpdated everydayen-gbWed, 16 May 2012 07:30:43 GMTWed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 16 May 2012 (IRIN) - A Geographical Information System (GIS) is being used to map vegetable production in the greater Bangkok region, seat of Thailand’s capital, to analyse how urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) contribute to food security in the city of more than 14 million. http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95461BANGKOK 16 May 2012 (IRIN) - A Geographical Information System (GIS) is being used to map vegetable production in the greater Bangkok region, seat of Thailand’s capital, to analyse how urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) contribute to food security in the city of more than 14 million. ]]>Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>MAE SOT 04 May 2012 (IRIN) - Health workers carrying out malaria control activities - sometimes covertly - in conflict zones along the Thai-Myanmar border hope additional donor funding will help reduce infection rates that have remained almost impervious to health services.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95402MAE SOT 04 May 2012 (IRIN) - Health workers carrying out malaria control activities - sometimes covertly - in conflict zones along the Thai-Myanmar border hope additional donor funding will help reduce infection rates that have remained almost impervious to health services.]]>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 26 April 2012 (IRIN) - Resistance to an anti-malaria drug, artemisinin, is suspected along the Thailand-Myanmar border and in southern Vietnam, but scientists are hoping that it can be contained. Artemisinin resistance emerged on the Thailand-Cambodia border around eight years ago.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95358BANGKOK 26 April 2012 (IRIN) - Resistance to an anti-malaria drug, artemisinin, is suspected along the Thailand-Myanmar border and in southern Vietnam, but scientists are hoping that it can be contained. Artemisinin resistance emerged on the Thailand-Cambodia border around eight years ago.]]>Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 21 March 2012 (IRIN) - Even though public health experts recognize how deadly asbestos can be, its use is on the rise in the construction industry throughout Asia, according to the US Geological Survey.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95121BANGKOK 21 March 2012 (IRIN) - Even though public health experts recognize how deadly asbestos can be, its use is on the rise in the construction industry throughout Asia, according to the US Geological Survey.]]>Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 20 March 2012 (IRIN) - The World Health Organization (WHO) is bringing together on 19-21 March in Bangkok lawmakers from across Southeast Asia to discuss how to bolster their health systems back home.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95110BANGKOK 20 March 2012 (IRIN) - The World Health Organization (WHO) is bringing together on 19-21 March in Bangkok lawmakers from across Southeast Asia to discuss how to bolster their health systems back home.]]>Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 12 March 2012 (IRIN) - Heavy flooding across parts of Thailand in 2011 has fuelled outbreaks of a rice pest that can decimate harvests, experts say.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95058BANGKOK 12 March 2012 (IRIN) - Heavy flooding across parts of Thailand in 2011 has fuelled outbreaks of a rice pest that can decimate harvests, experts say.]]>Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 06 March 2012 (IRIN) - Malaria infection during the earliest months of pregnancy stunts foetal growth even when the mothers do not have any malarial symptoms, according to a large-scale study conducted along the Thai-Burmese border.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=95009BANGKOK 06 March 2012 (IRIN) - Malaria infection during the earliest months of pregnancy stunts foetal growth even when the mothers do not have any malarial symptoms, according to a large-scale study conducted along the Thai-Burmese border.]]>Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 14 February 2012 (IRIN) - With 60 percent of the world’s population, Asia has one of the largest concentrations globally of aging persons, creating a host of potential challenges, experts warn.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94856BANGKOK 14 February 2012 (IRIN) - With 60 percent of the world’s population, Asia has one of the largest concentrations globally of aging persons, creating a host of potential challenges, experts warn.]]>Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 10 February 2012 (IRIN) - Lack of access to reproductive health services in Myanmar has led to high rates of maternal deaths and unplanned pregnancies among the country's displaced, migrant and refugee populations, say health experts.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94839BANGKOK 10 February 2012 (IRIN) - Lack of access to reproductive health services in Myanmar has led to high rates of maternal deaths and unplanned pregnancies among the country's displaced, migrant and refugee populations, say health experts.]]>Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 09 February 2012 (IRIN) - The health of millions of indigenous people across Asia is at risk, experts say, as lack of recognition of their legal status hinders data collection, making their medical problems invisible in most national health surveys.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94816BANGKOK 09 February 2012 (IRIN) - The health of millions of indigenous people across Asia is at risk, experts say, as lack of recognition of their legal status hinders data collection, making their medical problems invisible in most national health surveys.]]>Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 09 February 2012 (IRIN) - While a number of Asian and Pacific countries are addressing legal barriers to accessing HIV information and treatment, there is still a gap between policy and implementation, say officials.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94817BANGKOK 09 February 2012 (IRIN) - While a number of Asian and Pacific countries are addressing legal barriers to accessing HIV information and treatment, there is still a gap between policy and implementation, say officials.]]>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 01 February 2012 (IRIN) - The Thai government is pressing ahead with efforts to mitigate the risk of flooding during the upcoming rainy season, but greater coordination is still needed, flood experts say.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94770BANGKOK 01 February 2012 (IRIN) - The Thai government is pressing ahead with efforts to mitigate the risk of flooding during the upcoming rainy season, but greater coordination is still needed, flood experts say.]]>Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 30 December 2011 (IRIN) - Natural disasters in Asia in 2011 could well prove to be the costliest ever, experts say. "Never before has this world suffered so much economic loss due to natural disaster, most of which has been in Asia and the Pacific," Sanjay Srivastava, UN regional adviser for disaster risk reduction, told IRIN in Bangkok.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94563BANGKOK 30 December 2011 (IRIN) - Natural disasters in Asia in 2011 could well prove to be the costliest ever, experts say. "Never before has this world suffered so much economic loss due to natural disaster, most of which has been in Asia and the Pacific," Sanjay Srivastava, UN regional adviser for disaster risk reduction, told IRIN in Bangkok.]]>Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 29 December 2011 (IRIN) - Computers and mobile phones are already essential to humanitarian planning, and 2011 saw the growth of technology-based humanitarian interventions, from the use of GPS (global positioning systems) to provide early weather warnings to real-time health reporting.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94565NAIROBI 29 December 2011 (IRIN) - Computers and mobile phones are already essential to humanitarian planning, and 2011 saw the growth of technology-based humanitarian interventions, from the use of GPS (global positioning systems) to provide early weather warnings to real-time health reporting.]]>Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 27 December 2011 (IRIN) - Volcanic flooding (rain mixed with lava) greeted us at the start of 2011 in Indonesia and we wrapped up the year with billions of cubic metres of water bearing down on Thailand’s capital, and the southern Philippines caught off-guard by storms, which killed more than 1,000 in December.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94547BANGKOK 27 December 2011 (IRIN) - Volcanic flooding (rain mixed with lava) greeted us at the start of 2011 in Indonesia and we wrapped up the year with billions of cubic metres of water bearing down on Thailand’s capital, and the southern Philippines caught off-guard by storms, which killed more than 1,000 in December.]]>Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 15 December 2011 (IRIN) - More than five months after heavy monsoon rains began inundating large parts of Thailand, an estimated two million people are still affected, with many communities isolated and dependent on aid.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94474BANGKOK 15 December 2011 (IRIN) - More than five months after heavy monsoon rains began inundating large parts of Thailand, an estimated two million people are still affected, with many communities isolated and dependent on aid.]]>Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>LONDON 14 December 2011 (IRIN) - New drugs, based on artemisinin combination therapies, have recently revolutionized malaria treatment, but so far they have not normally been available to women in the early stages of pregnancy because of fears they could damage the embryo. Now a large-scale study, carried out in northern Thailand and published in the London-based medical journal, the Lancet, has provided some reassurance that any risk of harm is outweighed by the benefits they provide.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94471LONDON 14 December 2011 (IRIN) - New drugs, based on artemisinin combination therapies, have recently revolutionized malaria treatment, but so far they have not normally been available to women in the early stages of pregnancy because of fears they could damage the embryo. Now a large-scale study, carried out in northern Thailand and published in the London-based medical journal, the Lancet, has provided some reassurance that any risk of harm is outweighed by the benefits they provide.]]>Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>MAE SOT 05 December 2011 (IRIN) - For decades, children of Burmese refugees and migrants in Thailand could not obtain an official birth certificate, vital to access healthcare and education. Even though legislation entitling them to a formal identity has been in place since 2008, registering and coaxing forth the undocumented has been "painstaking", according to community groups.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94382MAE SOT 05 December 2011 (IRIN) - For decades, children of Burmese refugees and migrants in Thailand could not obtain an official birth certificate, vital to access healthcare and education. Even though legislation entitling them to a formal identity has been in place since 2008, registering and coaxing forth the undocumented has been "painstaking", according to community groups.]]>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 02 December 2011 (IRIN) - As 16 billion cubic metres of flood water bore down on Bangkok in early October, international experts flew in to help the government deal with an unprecedented potential calamity. http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94367BANGKOK 02 December 2011 (IRIN) - As 16 billion cubic metres of flood water bore down on Bangkok in early October, international experts flew in to help the government deal with an unprecedented potential calamity. ]]>Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 28 November 2011 (IRIN) - Less than a year after Bangkok was chosen as a "role model city" by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) as part of the UN's 2010-2015 "Making Cities Resilient" campaign, the worst floods in half a century put that distinction to the test.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94319BANGKOK 28 November 2011 (IRIN) - Less than a year after Bangkok was chosen as a "role model city" by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) as part of the UN's 2010-2015 "Making Cities Resilient" campaign, the worst floods in half a century put that distinction to the test.]]>Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 18 November 2011 (IRIN) - From rooftops to railroad tracks, Asia's largest cities will need to maximize every bit of space to feed one of the world's fastest-growing populations, said experts at a UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) workshop in Bangkok on resilient food systems in Asia.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94233BANGKOK 18 November 2011 (IRIN) - From rooftops to railroad tracks, Asia's largest cities will need to maximize every bit of space to feed one of the world's fastest-growing populations, said experts at a UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) workshop in Bangkok on resilient food systems in Asia.]]>Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 17 November 2011 (IRIN) - Thousands of Thais - with noses pinched and fingers crossed - are tossing mud balls into fetid flood water, in the hope of improving the quality of stagnant water following weeks of flooding.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94224BANGKOK 17 November 2011 (IRIN) - Thousands of Thais - with noses pinched and fingers crossed - are tossing mud balls into fetid flood water, in the hope of improving the quality of stagnant water following weeks of flooding.]]>Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 08 November 2011 (IRIN) - While the Burmese government has re-opened a key border checkpoint between Thailand and Myanmar to accommodate thousands of migrants fleeing Thailand's flooded factories, undocumented - and now unemployed - migrants face extortion and abuse as they try to return home, according to migrants and activists.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94162BANGKOK 08 November 2011 (IRIN) - While the Burmese government has re-opened a key border checkpoint between Thailand and Myanmar to accommodate thousands of migrants fleeing Thailand's flooded factories, undocumented - and now unemployed - migrants face extortion and abuse as they try to return home, according to migrants and activists.]]>Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 01 November 2011 (IRIN) - Hospitals warn of possible drug shortages as prolonged flooding in Thailand has disrupted local production and delivery of medical supplieshttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94110BANGKOK 01 November 2011 (IRIN) - Hospitals warn of possible drug shortages as prolonged flooding in Thailand has disrupted local production and delivery of medical supplies]]>Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 27 October 2011 (IRIN) - The equivalent of 160,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools (400 million cubic metres of water) is set to run through Thailand's capital, which can only drain a small fraction daily, according to the government's flood relief operation centre on 26 October.http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=94085BANGKOK 27 October 2011 (IRIN) - The equivalent of 160,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools (400 million cubic metres of water) is set to run through Thailand's capital, which can only drain a small fraction daily, according to the government's flood relief operation centre on 26 October.]]>