Buscador: Àsia i Pacífic

15/05/2008 WASHINGTON, May 15 (OneWorld) - As UN estimates of the number of Burmese affected by Cyclone Nargis rose from 1.5 to 2.5 million and the United States and United Nations continued to wrangle with Myanmar's rulers over visas for aid workers, Atlanta-based CARE received a $1 million donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to deliver humanitarian relief in Myanmar.

15/05/2008 The clearing of mangroves along Myanmar’s coast exposed communities to greater risks during cyclone Nargis, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Intact and dense coastal vegetation can reduce impacts of stormy waves and act as windbreaks in reducing devastation.

15/05/2008 A number of international aid organizations and foreign governments are helping Chinese authorities respond to the Monday earthquake that claimed over tens of thousands of lives and destroyed 3.5 million homes.

15/05/2008 Selling excess rice held in Japan and imported from the United States would incite a rapid drop in the global price of rice but requires immediate action from Tokyo and Washington, write former editor of The Rice Trader, Tom Slayton, and policy analyst, Peter Timmer.

15/05/2008 An ICT project in Sri Lanka is enabling people with disabilities to avail opportunities and live in an inclusive society. The eNABLE project – with Braille-equipped computers, a software to convert text into speech, a group hearing system and host of other facilities – links them with others at global and national levels.

15/05/2008 Indian Committee of Youth Organisations will be holding a national convention in partnership with UNICEF from May 28-30, 2008 in Bangalore, India. The event will provide a platform for various youth groups and networks across the country to take up issues concerning the fight against AIDS.

15/05/2008 The European Union’s plan for 'carbon equalisation' by imposing carbon tax on all imported items from countries not bound by Kyoto Protocol has not gone down well with countries like India. They see it as a new tariff barrier that will severely hamper international trade.

15/05/2008 Ever since it was first introduced in 1984 by the Australian government, the concept of gender-sensitive budget has spread far and wide with more than 50 countries embracing it, including India and Bangladesh. Women’s groups now want it to be extended to more countries.

15/05/2008 At a recent review meeting of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights held in Geneva after 17 years, India was adjudged a poor performer. A panel of observers found the progress in critical human development areas such as food, health, housing and education as ‘unsatisfactory’.

14/05/2008 This month marks the 60th anniversary of Israel's existence, but the organization Jewish Voice for Peace says it will not celebrate the establishment of a Jewish state until Palestinians are granted their fundamental human rights.

14/05/2008 Asian governments -- seen to have greater leverage with Myanmar authorities -- are being asked to increase the pressure on the military junta to effectively address the humanitarian crisis caused by Cyclone Nargis.

14/05/2008 A photoessay including award-winning photographs depicts the lives of girls in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Nepal who marry as children.

14/05/2008 Lack of jobs and unpaid debts have led to a spate of suicides among traditional goldsmiths in southern India. The mechanised jewellery making industry has ruined practitioners of this traditional craft, leading to hundreds of thousands living in penury.

14/05/2008 Global production of photovoltaic or solar cells -- which convert the sun's light directly to electricity -- increased 51 percent in 2007, reports an environmental research institute.

14/05/2008 The global food price rise is leading to further malnourishment among Indian children, UNICEF warns, as families reduce the number of meals in a day. India already has the worst indicators of child malnutrition in South Asia, along with 40% of the world’s underweight newborns.

14/05/2008 Recent military operations by US and NATO forces have displaced thousands of families in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan, forcing them to live without shelter, food and medical assistance. UN agencies and other international aid groups have been asked to provide humanitarian relief to the unfortunate victims.

14/05/2008 With a view to reach out to the ‘unbanked’ people and to improve overall financial services, major Indian banks are likely to introduce M-banking in a huge way. The only concern delaying the project is the security aspect.

14/05/2008 A documentary film titled My Daughter the Terrorist chronicles the lives of two female Tamil Tigers, taking a close look at war and its tragic consequences. The film has been acclaimed globally but the Sri Lankan government is upset saying it glorifies the act.

13/05/2008 The Uzbek government continues to persecute people believed to have ties to the 2005 Andijan massacre, when state security forces killed hundreds in an attempt to quell anti-government protests, says a new report from a human rights monitor.

13/05/2008 Across Bangladesh, poor rural women are building up their country's fragile democracy by methodically and discreetly eliminating the small inequities of their daily lives.
From: Ms. Magazine