Frequent travels, past displacement and current repatriation of millions of Afghans have put the Afghan population at risk of infection with novel, possibly drug-resistant strains of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and treatment for such infections may prove challenging for the development of effective vaccines and antiretroviral therapies, a recent study shows.

The study, Patterns of HIV infection among native and refugee Afghans, was aimed at characterising and comparing the HIV epidemics prevailing among the Afghan refugees in Pakistan and the native Afghans in Kabul.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) donated $1.8 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to support the agency’s efforts in building permanent one-room shelters for the displaced families of Orakzai Agency. Under the agreement, UNHCR will construct 1000 permanent one-room shelters for families returning to Orakzai Agency. The UN refugee agency, through its partner Children First, carried out an assessment survey to identify vulnerable families that will benefit from the project.

The United Nations announced Monday that Somalia’s famine had spread to a sixth area within the country, with officials warning that 750,000 people could die in the next few months unless aid efforts were scaled up.

Somalis lined up for food at a camp for the displaced south of Mogadishu.

UNHCR is working for provision of home facility to more than 45,000 vulnerable families affected by the devastating floods in the country. The UN agency has nearly completed construction on around 30,000 transitional shelters for families who plan to repair or rebuild their homes. Permanent shelters are being built to house some of the most vulnerable flood victims, those unable to restart their lives on their own.

The United Nations said on Tuesday it was struggling to keep up with an exodus of hungry Somali refugees and many emaciated children were dying of malnutrition along the way or after arriving in neighboring countries.

More than 11 million people in the Horn of Africa now need assistance to survive the crisis sparked by the worst drought in decades, U.N.

Ten million people in the Horn of Africa have been hit by the worst drought in 60 years, with some areas on the verge of famine and thousands on the march in seach of food and water, the UN said Tuesday.

A poor rainy season coupled with rising food prices have led to severe food shortages in countries including Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda.

Cattle and sheep are dying at high

AIZAWL, May 19

AIZAWL, May 15

JAMMU, Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation, Raman Bhalla today distributed cheques among the drought hit families of Samba district which has received Rs. 4 crore as the first installment to provide relief to the affected families of 2009 drought under CRF.

So far Rs. 32 lakh have been distributed among various affected families of the border district, which forms the part of Rs.

AGARTALA, April 12