Evacuation volunteers fan out in Bangladesh

DHAKA, 16 May 2013 (IRIN Asia) - Some 50,000 volunteers in coastal communities across southern Bangladesh are out and about warning people to move to higher ground ahead of Cyclone Mahasen. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated so far. full report

Cape Town's asylum seekers struggle to get documented

CAPE TOWN, 16 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - When Jean Baptiste*, a medical student from Lubumbashi, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), arrived in South Africa in September 2012, he headed straight for Cape Town, where he knew he would be able to stay with his brother. No one at the border told him that it was no longer possible to apply for asylum in Cape Town. full report

Landmine casualties rising in Kachin, Myanmar

LAIZA, 15 May 2013 (IRIN Asia) - Former rebel fighter Lahpai Hkam has been in pain every day since a landmine destroyed his lower right leg during a battle with government soldiers 18 months ago in Myanmar’s northern Kachin State. full report

Rohingya evacuation under way in Myanmar

BANGKOK, 14 May 2013 (IRIN Asia) - The government of Myanmar has launched a large-scale effort to relocate to higher ground tens of thousands of Rohingya internally displaced persons (IDPs) ahead of Cyclone Mahasen, says the UN. full report

Quelling xenophobia in South Africa's townships

PHILIPPI, 14 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - This week marks five years since tensions between foreigners and South Africans living in impoverished communities across the country erupted in xenophobic violence, leaving more than 60 people dead and tens of thousands displaced, their homes and businesses robbed and abandoned. full report

Briefing: Towards internal solutions to the DRC crisis

KAMPALA, 14 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - A UN intervention brigade will soon be deployed to the troubled eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a bid to neutralize militia groups operating there. full report

Bangladesh, Myanmar brace for Cyclone Mahasen

BANGKOK, 13 May 2013 (IRIN Asia) - Bangladesh and Myanmar are bracing for Cyclone Mahasen, a storm which could affect millions in the region, the UN has warned. full report

Analysis: Towards increased services for Syrian survivors of sexual violence

NIZIP, 8 May 2013 (IRIN Middle East) - Turkey's camps for Syrian refugees are, by many measures, a model of humanitarian assistance. But one important detail appears to have been overlooked: According to aid workers, nowhere in Turkey's 17 refugee camps can survivors of sexual violence find the level of specialized psychosocial support experts say they so desperately need. full report

Coffee and patience: a day in the life of a family hosting Syrian refugees

SAADNAYEL, BEKAA VALLEY, 8 May 2013 (IRIN Middle East) - The experiences of 1.4 million Syrian refugees are increasingly well-documented, but little is known about the people who open up their homes to host them. How do you organize your house to accommodate people you may only barely know? What are the stresses and strains? Do politics get in the way? IRIN spent a day in the life of a host family to bring you this portrait. full report