Full Coverage: Asia and the Pacific

31.03.2008 Relief agencies are mobilizing in Sri Lanka's Batticaloa region, where recent torrential rains forced more than 7,000 Sri Lankans -- many of whom were already displaced by fighting between the government and a rebel group -- to flee their homes.

31.03.2008 Tens of thousands of Armenians -- many forced to flee their homes during the 1988 earthquake or the 1990s war with Azerbaijan -- are still struggling to survive in makeshift homes originally established as temporary housing.

31.03.2008 A state level tribal women leader’s summit was organised by Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD) at Bhubanewar, Orissa in eastern India. Several women tribal leaders and stakeholders representing government and civil society emphasised the need to empower tribal women with decision-making and elevate their social status.

31.03.2008 A young village girl from Rajasthan has become a role model for her community by protesting against her own marriage as a child, a tradition generally accepted as norm in rural India. For her act of heroic defiance, Congress Kanwar was given the National Bravery Award on the Indian Republic Day on January 26.

31.03.2008

30.03.2008 A new generation of Bus Rapid Transit Systems has opened in China, says Karl Fjellstrom.

29.03.2008 Thousands of children in Pakistan succumb to measles every year. All these deaths can be easily prevented with effective immunisation. The government has launched a comprehensive campaign against the disease, which will help protect 63 million children in the country.

28.03.2008 Young students in Afghanistan unable to afford rentals and other expenses are forced to work on illicit poppy fields to earn some money. Not only do their studies suffer due to grueling work, but they also get exposed to the dangerous addiction of drugs.

28.03.2008 The Slow Food Movement is globally picking pace amidst the fast food culture. Traditional and organic food is healthier, culture-specific and in tandem with one's natural environment, its proponents claim.

28.03.2008 Despite being the locomotive of the global economy, the Asia-Pacific region still faces enormous challenges like food, energy and water security. UNESCAP’s Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2008 reveals that by making agriculture both economically and socially viable, the region can achieve sustainable and inclusive growth.

28.03.2008 Battle in India against polio is far from over. This year until February, 82 new cases have been detected despite the fact that the country has the largest ever mass immunisation campaign in the world going on since 2003.

28.03.2008 South Asians for Human Rights is organising a consultation on the Concerns of the Bhutanese Refugees in South Asia on March 31, 2008, in New Delhi, India. The consultation will provide a forum to deliberate on the present state of the Bhutanese refugees in India and Nepal and the recently held elections to the National Assembly.

28.03.2008 Bunkar Vikas Sanstha in Chanderi town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has changed the lives of weavers by helping them earn better incomes. Once bound by poverty and exploited by traders, the community now aspires to use media tools to create more livelihood opportunities.

28.03.2008 At least 40 civilians have fallen prey to aerial bombings by US-led forces in Afghanistan in last two weeks alone. Aid agencies say more than 12,000 people have been killed since 2001. Anger among the people against NATO forces is mounting and they have begun to equate them with the Russians.

28.03.2008 Revitalisation of agriculture is crucial to eradicate poverty, says UNESCAP’s Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2008 released globally on March 27. The survey highlights key challenges arising from economic hardships and social inequality in the Asia-Pacific region and calls for concerted policy actions.

28.03.2008 A handbook released by SANHITA, a women’s group in eastern India, tries to address the dynamics of sexual harassment at work, an issue that is often hidden and yet present in all kinds of organisations. The book, through its testimonies of women’s experiences, is a somber attempt to integrate a human rights perspective within the workplace.

27.03.2008 The power of the "Israel lobby" in the US is hard to measure exactly. But its hawkish positions do conflict with the views, and interests, of most American Jews. So why isn't there a more dovish lobby to counter it? One is, finally, about to be unveiled, says Gershom Gorenberg.
From Prospect magazine

27.03.2008 Revitalisation of agriculture is crucial to eradicate poverty, says ESCAP’s Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2008 released globally on March 27. The survey highlights key challenges arising from economic hardships and social inequality in the Asia-Pacific region and calls for concerted policy actions.

27.03.2008 At least 40 civilians have fallen prey to aerial bombings by US-led forces in Afghanistan in last two weeks alone. Aid agencies say more than 12,000 people have been killed since 2001. Anger among the people against NATO forces is mounting and they have begun to equate them with the Russians.

27.03.2008 Greenpeace has warned that if current levels of emissions of greenhouses gases are not curtailed and global warming is not kept below 2-degree point, a major humanitarian crisis is awaiting the South Asian region. This can result in massive displacement of 125 million people in India and Bangladesh alone.