DUBAI, 10 December 2007 (IRIN) - CONTENTS:

AFGHANISTAN: Disabled people have tough time, lack education, jobs AFGHANISTAN: UN ready to aid dialogue to boost prospects for peace

AFGHANISTAN: UN prepares for repatriation of over half a million refugees AFGHANISTAN: Preparations under way for possible natural disasters this winter AFGHANISTAN: Hundreds flee fighting in Helmand Province BANGLADESH: Mohammad Hasan, Bangladesh: "Now I am alone" BANGLADESH: Muslim countries rush relief to cyclone-hit south BANGLADESH: Rice crop hit by recent cyclone BANGLADESH: International cyclone aid tops US$233 million BANGLADESH: Cyclone-damaged embankments urgently need repair NEPAL: Lack of toilets, poor hygiene fuel water-borne diseases NEPAL: Biogas technology beginning to make its mark PAKISTAN: Traditional marriages ignore HIV/AIDS threat SRI LANKA: Critical northern crossing point under pressure

AFGHANISTAN: Disabled people have tough time, lack education, jobs

Plagued by over two decades of war, poverty and underdevelopment, Afghanistan has about 800,000 people with disabilities out of an estimated total population of 24.5 million. Many of these are also illiterate, unemployed or lack access to health services and other opportunities.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75645

AFGHANISTAN: UN ready to aid dialogue to boost prospects for peace

The UN is ready to facilitate dialogue between the Afghan government and anti-government elements who want to end violence and be part of Afghanistan's current political process, with the aim of strengthening peace and development in the country, according to a top UN official.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75655

AFGHANISTAN: UN prepares for repatriation of over half a million refugees

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has asked for about US$100 million from donors for its Afghan operations in the coming two years, according to UNHCR Global Appeal 2008-2009.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75696

AFGHANISTAN: Preparations under way for possible natural disasters this winter

A national disaster management commission, comprised of several government and non-government organisations (NGOs) in Afghanistan, has allocated US$2.5 million for possible disaster management operations during the winter months.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75703

AFGHANISTAN: Hundreds flee fighting in Helmand Province

Hundreds of people have left their homes in Musa Qala District, Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, after Afghan and international forces intensified their joint military operations to drive Taliban insurgents out of the district, according to local residents and provincial officials.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75722

BANGLADESH: Mohammad Hasan, Bangladesh: "Now I am alone"

I will never forget the cyclone. It roared like a beast. We heard the cyclone warning three hours before it hit, but there were 300 people on the island at the time and not enough boats to take us ashore.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75647

BANGLADESH: Muslim countries rush relief to cyclone-hit south

Muslim countries and Islamic relief organisations have shown unprecedented solidarity with the people of Bangladesh after a devastating cyclone struck the country's southwestern coast on 15 November, killing over 3,000 and rendering millions more homeless.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75648

BANGLADESH: Rice crop hit by recent cyclone

According to a government estimate released on 1 December, of the 553,000 hectares of crops ravaged by Cyclone Sidr across 30 affected districts, 418,000 hectares belonged to this year's 'Aman' harvest – the largest of Bangladesh's rice harvests, occurring in November and December and usually accounting for more than half of annual production.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75679

BANGLADESH: International cyclone aid tops US$233 million

International assistance to victims of last month's devastating cyclone in Bangladesh has now reached more than US$233 million, a senior UN official has confirmed.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75698

BANGLADESH: Cyclone-damaged embankments urgently need repair

Millions of people in cyclone-affected Bangladesh face an increased risk of hunger unless an intricate network of protective river embankments is repaired now.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75735

NEPAL: Lack of toilets, poor hygiene fuel water-borne diseases

Schoolgirl Susmita Chettri is not alone in her embarrassment and disgust at the sight of men urinating in the middle of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu in broad daylight.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75570

NEPAL: Biogas technology beginning to make its mark

Over six million tonnes of carbon emissions could be avoided in the next five years by Nepal through large-scale use of biogas, according to climate change experts.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75719

PAKISTAN: Traditional marriages ignore HIV/AIDS threat

Bound by 'watta satta', a cultural tradition of exchanged marriage between two families, Nuzhat (not her real name), 22, cannot disclose her HIV status. The tradition of watta satta describes the exchange of brides between families, in which a brother and sister from one family are married to a pair from another family, often close relatives.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75716

SRI LANKA: Critical northern crossing point under pressure

The Omanthai crossing point 190km north of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, is the only gateway currently open between areas controlled by the Sri Lankan government and those controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and traffic through this key transit point falls off sharply each time the security situation deteriorates.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75699

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