DUBAI, 23 July 2007 (IRIN) - CONTENTS:

AFGHANISTAN: Civilians paying the price in Taliban conflict AFGHANISTAN: Lack of institutional mechanisms to tackle human trafficking AFGHANISTAN: Malaria cases set to rise in 2007 KYRGYZSTAN: Health officials seek to contain malaria NEPAL: Emergency measures taken to control cholera outbreak PAKISTAN: Over 30,000 displaced by Sindh, Balochistan floods PAKISTAN: Leishmaniasis refuses to relinquish grip PAKISTAN: UN launches flash appeal for flood-hit provinces PAKISTAN: NGOs concerned about rising insecurity SRI LANKA: Malnutrition rising in Jaffna, aid deliveries struggling SRI LANKA: Children still forced to fight for Tamil Tigers TURKMENISTAN: Country joins regional efforts to combat drugs

AFGHANISTAN: Civilians paying the price in Taliban conflict

The nascent national Afghani army has struggled to provide protection to civilians living under strict Taliban rule in many towns and villages in the south, which have a long history of resistance to occupation forces. Traditional village schools, or madrassas, are the primary source of new Taliban fighters.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73252

AFGHANISTAN: Lack of institutional mechanisms to tackle human trafficking

For Ali Shah Paktiawal, a senior police official dealing with social crimes in Kabul, it is not very important whether his country has any specific law against human trafficking or not.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73300

AFGHANISTAN: Malaria cases set to rise in 2007

Flooding, armed conflict and population displacements are factors likely to increase malaria cases in Afghanistan this year, public health officials warn.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73312

KYRGYZSTAN: Health officials seek to contain malaria

Kyrgyzstan is seeking to contain a malaria outbreak which has seen over 40 people infected so far this year. However, health officials point to a 40 percent drop in cases compared to the same period last year as a promising sign they are making progress in the fight against malaria.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73271

NEPAL: Emergency measures taken to control cholera outbreak

Health bodies and UN agencies in Nepal have taken emergency measures in the capital, Kathmandu, and elsewhere to control a cholera outbreak first reported last week. Diarrhoeal diseases are endemic in the country but this monsoon season Kathmandu had a record 223 cases of cholera.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73294

PAKISTAN: Over 30,000 displaced by Sindh, Balochistan floods

Since floods hit at least 6,000 villages across the southern provinces of Sindh and Balochistan earlier this month, the misery of thousands of people has grown, villagers said. Heavy rains have aggravated damage caused by a cyclone that hit the coastal areas of the two provinces at the end of June, and the scale of the damage became clear only over the weeks that followed.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73256

PAKISTAN: Leishmaniasis refuses to relinquish grip

Shandana and Faiqa's family have never heard of leishmaniasis, a skin disease caused by the bite of the sandfly. While the disease, in its most common form, is completely curable and does not threaten life, left untreated it can cause permanent scars and brings with it considerable stigma.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73270

PAKISTAN: UN launches flash appeal for flood-hit provinces

The UN on 18 July launched a flash appeal for US$38 million to assist hundreds of thousands of victims of cyclone Yemyin, which ravaged Pakistan's Balochistan and Sindh provinces in late June.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73280

PAKISTAN: NGOs concerned about rising insecurity

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) have expressed strong concern over their ability to remain fully operational amid growing insecurity in the country.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73356

SRI LANKA: Malnutrition rising in Jaffna, aid deliveries struggling

Nutrition surveys by the Sri Lankan government and international agencies show rising levels of acute malnutrition in the northern Jaffna district. Livelihoods and markets have been disrupted by conflict and displacement, the closure of a major highway, and security-related restrictions on farming and fishing.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73286

SRI LANKA: Children still forced to fight for Tamil Tigers

Despite a ceasefire agreement signed in 2002 between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), child recruitment has continued by the LTTE and the Karuna faction, which broke away from the LTTE in 2004, according to JoAnna van Gerpen, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Sri Lanka representative.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73308

TURKMENISTAN: Country joins regional efforts to combat drugs

Turkmenistan has signed up to regional efforts to coordinate the fight against the drug trade, Turkmen media say. Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has signed an agreement with several regional states to set up a body to coordinate efforts to combat transnational crime, including the fight against drugs.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=73260

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