In brief

Programme summary:

The second half of 2009 has been a very busy but productive period as the Asia Pacific zone office has responded to multiple disasters simultaneously, while carrying forward its aim to introduce several new initiatives designed to increase the impact of its work with Asia Pacific national societies. Many national societies across the zone have maintained a high level of programming as they continue to carry out comprehensive post-disaster recovery activities while others have started reviewing their development activities in line with the International

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, signed by President Obama on March 11, 2009, provided $75 million in agriculture funds targeted to food security. These funds provide essential continuity to programs begun in 2008 and allow new investments to build a foundation for the launch in 2010 of a broader long-term strategy to sustainably reduce hunger and malnutrition.

A larger food security strategy is currently being developed under the leadership of the Department of State. This will be global in scope and will incorporate significant input from USAID.

SRINAGAR, India, Dec 30, 2009 (AFP) -

Violence in the Himalayan region of Indian Kashmir, wracked by an insurgency for the last 20 years, was down 25 percent this year, the area's police chief said Wednesday.

In a New Year's message to the people of Indian Kashmir, Kuldeep Khuda said the number of violent incidents had fallen dramatically from 2008 levels, confirming a trend that has led to signs of normal life returning in the area.

"The graph of terror violence in the state is rapidly coming down year after year," said Khuda, director

Islamabad_(dpa) _ At least 11 people were killed and dozens injured in a suicide bombing that ripped through a gathering of Shiite Muslims in the Pakistani part of disputed Kashmir region on Sunday, officials said.

Separately, a bombing killed a government employee in Pakistan's tribal region near Afghan border and five of his family.

The suicide bomber detonated his explosives in a procession of Shiite Muslims in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

"When the volunteers spotted the

By Katherine Baldwin

LONDON, Dec 25 (Reuters) - Five years on from the Indian Ocean tsunami, the region has its own early warning system but experts say the new technology will not save lives unless local communities are more involved in planning how to respond.

The 230,000 people killed in Africa and Asia by the 2004 tsunami received no formal warning of the approaching waves.

Since then, millions of dollars have gone into building a vast network of seismic and tsunami information centres, setting up sea and coastal instruments and erecting warning towers.

- Cruz Roja seguirá trabajando con los afectados hasta 2011.

- Se ha ejecutado el 86 por ciento el total de fondos disponibles para la operación.

El 26 de diciembre de 2004, un terremoto de 9 grados en la escala Richter golpeó las costas de Sumatra (Indonesia) generando una serie de tsunamis que barrieron las poblaciones costeras del Índico, desde Indonesia a Somalia.

Fallecieron más de 225.000 personas y la devastación afectó a todos los ámbitos de la vida de los supervivientes: más de 500.000 viviendas fueron destruidas y millones de personas perdieron

On 26 December 2004, a massive earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia (of magnitude Richter scale 9.0) led a tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean. Almost 226,000 people lost their lives across 13 countries. In its wake came extraordinary generosity, the Hong Kong Red Cross (HKRC) has received over HK$660 million in donations (including bank interests) and assisted almost 5.3 million person-times in 8 countries.

To date, HKRC has allocated a total of approximately HK$620 million to support programs in Indonesia, Sri Lanka,

UNISDR 2009/24

Geneva - On December 26, 2004, a massive tsunami reared up in the Indian Ocean and spread towards millions of people on the surrounding coasts. For those nearby, in Aceh, Indonesia, the Thai coastal resorts, and the island communities, there was little warning. With no knowledge or preparedness, people faced a terrifying situation as they tried to escape the growing wall of turbulent water, forcing its way across beaches, harbours, and towns. The earthquake that caused the tsunami was a warning to those who felt it, but only a few people recognized

Written by Alan Whelan on Mon, 2009-12-21 16:09

The sheer devastation caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, 2004, was unprecedented. It hit the coastlines of eight different countries. It killed a quarter of a million people and it wreaked unimaginable havoc on the lives of millions.

Also unprecedented in scale was the global response: billions of Euro were pledged internationally. Trócaire alone received €28.7 million from the Irish public (including Stg£5,561,668.68 from the people of Northern Ireland) for its response. The Irish government,