http://www.IRINnews.org Updated every day en-gb Wed, 22 May 2013 01:43:48 GMT United Nations Integrated Regional Information Networks, http://www.IRINnews.org Tue, 21 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>NAIROBI, 21 May 2013 (IRIN) - The hunger afflicting millions of people in the world's poorest regions will not end unless there is radical shift in governance and development work toward narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor, says a new report by the aid agency Oxfam. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98075 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98075 NAIROBI, 21 May 2013 (IRIN) - The hunger afflicting millions of people in the world's poorest regions will not end unless there is radical shift in governance and development work toward narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor, says a new report by the aid agency Oxfam.]]> Tue, 21 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>LONDON, 21 May 2013 (IRIN) - Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are forced from their homes by violence or natural disasters. But the face of displacement is changing: While the popular view of displacement is one of sprawling rural camps, displaced people are now just as likely to be living in urban areas, often hidden from view. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98074 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98074 LONDON, 21 May 2013 (IRIN) - Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are forced from their homes by violence or natural disasters. But the face of displacement is changing: While the popular view of displacement is one of sprawling rural camps, displaced people are now just as likely to be living in urban areas, often hidden from view.]]> Tue, 21 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>MANILA, 21 May 2013 (IRIN) - The oppressive summer heat bore down on this impoverished southern Philippine town on Mindanao Island as thousands gathered to hear a "proxy candidate" of the country's largest Muslim rebel force address the crowd on the eve of recently concluded mid-term elections. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98072 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98072 MANILA, 21 May 2013 (IRIN) - The oppressive summer heat bore down on this impoverished southern Philippine town on Mindanao Island as thousands gathered to hear a "proxy candidate" of the country's largest Muslim rebel force address the crowd on the eve of recently concluded mid-term elections. ]]> Tue, 21 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>SUKKUR, 21 May 2013 (IRIN) - Since 2010, monsoon rain in Pakistan has brought with it some of the biggest seasonal flooding in living memory. Two months from this year's rains, weather forecasters are already predicting above normal rainfall and in some areas standing water has yet to drain away from last year's monsoon. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98071 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98071 SUKKUR, 21 May 2013 (IRIN) - Since 2010, monsoon rain in Pakistan has brought with it some of the biggest seasonal flooding in living memory. Two months from this year's rains, weather forecasters are already predicting above normal rainfall and in some areas standing water has yet to drain away from last year's monsoon.]]> Mon, 20 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>MONROVIA, 20 May 2013 (IRIN) - The Liberia Land Commission, which was set up in 2009 to help settle land disputes between returning refugees and their neighbours, is making significant headway, say land experts, but non-conflict related land disputes are increasing, most of them as a result of weak land laws. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98070 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98070 MONROVIA, 20 May 2013 (IRIN) - The Liberia Land Commission, which was set up in 2009 to help settle land disputes between returning refugees and their neighbours, is making significant headway, say land experts, but non-conflict related land disputes are increasing, most of them as a result of weak land laws.]]> Mon, 20 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>KAMPALA, 20 May 2013 (IRIN) - Gaps in the healthcare system in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are hampering the fight against malaria, a leading killer of children, say experts. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98069 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98069 KAMPALA, 20 May 2013 (IRIN) - Gaps in the healthcare system in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are hampering the fight against malaria, a leading killer of children, say experts.]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>GARISSA-NAIROBI, 17 May 2013 (IRIN) - The presence of foreign militias in parts of northeastern Kenya, and their collusion with security officials and business people there, may be to blame for a rise in insecurity in the region, where multiple gun and grenade attacks have been reported over the past two years. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98059 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98059 GARISSA-NAIROBI, 17 May 2013 (IRIN) - The presence of foreign militias in parts of northeastern Kenya, and their collusion with security officials and business people there, may be to blame for a rise in insecurity in the region, where multiple gun and grenade attacks have been reported over the past two years.]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>JOHANNESBURG, 17 May 2013 (IRIN) - A month after the Indian Ocean tsunami struck in December 2004, affecting millions, 168 countries signed on to a 10-year plan to make the world safer from natural hazards. Yet the plan, the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015, focused primarily on “what to do to prevent disasters, but not enough on how to implement it,” says Neil McFarlane, chief coordinator and head of all regional programmes at the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98058 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98058 JOHANNESBURG, 17 May 2013 (IRIN) - A month after the Indian Ocean tsunami struck in December 2004, affecting millions, 168 countries signed on to a 10-year plan to make the world safer from natural hazards. Yet the plan, the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015, focused primarily on “what to do to prevent disasters, but not enough on how to implement it,” says Neil McFarlane, chief coordinator and head of all regional programmes at the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>LAHORE/DUBAI, 17 May 2013 (IRIN) - Hamza Mazhar, a 35-year-old teacher from Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, says he never wants to see the inside of a government hospital again. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98055 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98055 LAHORE/DUBAI, 17 May 2013 (IRIN) - Hamza Mazhar, a 35-year-old teacher from Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, says he never wants to see the inside of a government hospital again.]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>OUAGADOUGOU, 17 May 2013 (IRIN) - Earlier this year Denis Ouedraogo, a tailor living in the Tampouy neighbourhood just north of Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou, connected his mud-walled home to the water network for the first time. “Even without electricity, having enough water can make you happy,” he said. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98054 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98054 OUAGADOUGOU, 17 May 2013 (IRIN) - Earlier this year Denis Ouedraogo, a tailor living in the Tampouy neighbourhood just north of Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou, connected his mud-walled home to the water network for the first time. “Even without electricity, having enough water can make you happy,” he said.]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>NAIROBI, 16 May 2013 (IRIN) - Pastoralism is often regarded as an antiquated practice ill-suited to the modern economy, yet trade between pastoral communities in Africa - much of it informal and illegal - generates an estimated US$1 billion each year, according to a new book published by the Futures Agriculture Consortium. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98052 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98052 NAIROBI, 16 May 2013 (IRIN) - Pastoralism is often regarded as an antiquated practice ill-suited to the modern economy, yet trade between pastoral communities in Africa - much of it informal and illegal - generates an estimated US$1 billion each year, according to a new book published by the Futures Agriculture Consortium.]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>CAPE TOWN, 16 May 2013 (IRIN) - 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. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98051 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98051 CAPE TOWN, 16 May 2013 (IRIN) - 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.]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>TOLIARA, 16 May 2013 (IRIN) - Justine Sija, 60, begins her day at 4am, when she buys catch from local fishermen to hawk on the streets of St Augustin Village, in Madagascar's southern Atsimo-Andrefana Region. The work is hard, but in the last year, access to microcredit has boosted both her business and her hope for the future. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98050 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98050 TOLIARA, 16 May 2013 (IRIN) - Justine Sija, 60, begins her day at 4am, when she buys catch from local fishermen to hawk on the streets of St Augustin Village, in Madagascar's southern Atsimo-Andrefana Region. The work is hard, but in the last year, access to microcredit has boosted both her business and her hope for the future.]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>DHAKA, 16 May 2013 (IRIN) - 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. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98046 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98046 DHAKA, 16 May 2013 (IRIN) - 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.]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>CAIRO, 16 May 2013 (IRIN) - Until government and revolutionary forces attacked the Libyan town of Bani Walid, about 170km southeast of the capital Tripoli in October last year, Abdullah Warfella had been determined never to leave. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98045 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98045 CAIRO, 16 May 2013 (IRIN) - Until government and revolutionary forces attacked the Libyan town of Bani Walid, about 170km southeast of the capital Tripoli in October last year, Abdullah Warfella had been determined never to leave.]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>BRAZZAVILLE, 15 May 2013 (IRIN) - Congo, which is heavily dependent on revenue from the oil industry, has been declared as “conforming to” a global standard that aims to ensure transparency of payments for natural resources; NGOs hope the announcement will improve the lives of the poor. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98044 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98044 BRAZZAVILLE, 15 May 2013 (IRIN) - Congo, which is heavily dependent on revenue from the oil industry, has been declared as “conforming to” a global standard that aims to ensure transparency of payments for natural resources; NGOs hope the announcement will improve the lives of the poor.]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>LAIZA, 15 May 2013 (IRIN) - 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. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98040 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98040 LAIZA, 15 May 2013 (IRIN) - 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.]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>RIO DE JANEIRO, 15 May 2013 (IRIN) - In slums where killings, rape, kidnappings and other criminal violence are commonplace, say researchers, lives and livelihoods are hampered by a force that is tough to measure: Fear. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98039 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98039 RIO DE JANEIRO, 15 May 2013 (IRIN) - In slums where killings, rape, kidnappings and other criminal violence are commonplace, say researchers, lives and livelihoods are hampered by a force that is tough to measure: Fear.]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>RIO DE JANEIRO, 15 May 2013 (IRIN) - In a move that experts say could open the door to a more robust aid response to chronic violence in urban areas, the European Commission's humanitarian aid arm, ECHO, has approved 2 million euro in funding for interventions in cases of violence outside of conventional war in Central America and Mexico until the end of 2014. If large-scale aid work in so-called 'other situations of violence' is the way of the future, there are certain things humanitarian workers will have to keep in mind. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98038 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98038 RIO DE JANEIRO, 15 May 2013 (IRIN) - In a move that experts say could open the door to a more robust aid response to chronic violence in urban areas, the European Commission's humanitarian aid arm, ECHO, has approved 2 million euro in funding for interventions in cases of violence outside of conventional war in Central America and Mexico until the end of 2014. If large-scale aid work in so-called 'other situations of violence' is the way of the future, there are certain things humanitarian workers will have to keep in mind.]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>KAMPALA, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - 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. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98036 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98036 KAMPALA, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - 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.]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>PHILIPPI, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - 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. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98035 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98035 PHILIPPI, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - 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.]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>BANGKOK, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - 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. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98034 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98034 BANGKOK, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - 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.]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>KAMPALA, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - Ugandan children are going unimmunized as the country grapples with persistent and widespread vaccine shortages, the result of insufficient funds and inefficient procurement and supply systems, officials say. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98033 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98033 KAMPALA, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - Ugandan children are going unimmunized as the country grapples with persistent and widespread vaccine shortages, the result of insufficient funds and inefficient procurement and supply systems, officials say.]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>KANO, NIGERIA, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - Around 15,000 children in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, have stopped attending classes since February 2013, according to a Borno State Ministry of Education official who preferred anonymity, as Boko Haram extremists continue a wave of attacks on state schools. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98032 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98032 KANO, NIGERIA, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - Around 15,000 children in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, have stopped attending classes since February 2013, according to a Borno State Ministry of Education official who preferred anonymity, as Boko Haram extremists continue a wave of attacks on state schools.]]> Tue, 14 May 2013 05:05:05 GMT ]]>CAIRO, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - The Egyptian government has taken tentative steps towards reducing the roughly US$20 billion subsidy system that supporters say provides vital aid to the one-in-four Egyptians in poverty, and critics say is unsustainable and enriches the corrupt. http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98031 http://www.IRINnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=98031 CAIRO, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - The Egyptian government has taken tentative steps towards reducing the roughly US$20 billion subsidy system that supporters say provides vital aid to the one-in-four Egyptians in poverty, and critics say is unsustainable and enriches the corrupt.]]>