MALI: Looting halts aid work in chaotic north

BAMAKO/DAKAR, 3 April 2012 (IRIN Africa) - Malians in the northern towns of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu are hiding in their homes in fear following the weekend takeover by rebel groups, during which hospitals, health clinics, government buildings, and most NGO and UN offices and warehouses were looted, and in some cases destroyed, leaving the bulk of humanitarian operations suspended. full report

DISASTERS: Over 50 million affected in Muslim world in 2011

DUBAI, 2 April 2012 (IRIN Middle East) - The Muslim world is increasingly in the “eye of the cyclone”, with disasters and crises affecting tens of millions of people in Muslim countries last year, a senior official with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) told a humanitarian conference in Dubai. full report

AID POLICY: A “new humanitarianism” at play in Syrian crisis

AMMAN, 30 March 2012 (IRIN Middle East) - In a trendy coffee shop in the Jordanian capital, Amman, 20- and 30-somethings smoking sheesha pipes are playing the role of international aid agencies from their laptops. full report

UGANDA: HIV services in western refugee camps overwhelmed

ISINGIRO, 29 March 2012 (PlusNews Global) - Health workers manning five health centres in two refugee camps in the southwestern Ugandan district of Isingiro say they are overwhelmed by the high number of refugees and local residents in need of HIV services. full report

Analysis: Reassessing international access in Myanmar

YANGON, 29 March 2012 (IRIN Asia) - Access for international aid workers in Myanmar shows signs of improving, but aid workers say huge challenges remain. full report

MYANMAR: Timeline post-independence

BANGKOK, 29 March 2012 (IRIN Asia) - As millions go to the polls across Myanmar, IRIN took a brief look at a chronology of key events that have impacted this nation of around 50 million since the country gained its independence from Britain in 1948. full report

MAURITANIA: “Nothing left but dust and sand”

KAEDI, 29 March 2012 (IRIN Africa) - Hunger has come again to the Sahel. “Since yesterday I have only drunk water,” said Houley Dia, 60, a widow who lives in Houdallah, a village of the Fula ethnic group in southern Mauritania on the border with Senegal. “I have lived through hard times before - no rain, animal diseases, locust swarms - but this year is worse than ever,” she told IRIN. full report

Analysis: Syrian Red Crescent fighting perceptions of partiality

DUBAI, 29 March 2012 (IRIN Middle East) - As it tries to improve its image and convince donors of its impartiality, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) is calling for more support in order to respond to growing humanitarian needs in Syria. full report

AID POLICY: Will pressure make Chinese aid more transparent?

LONDON, 26 March 2012 (IRIN Global) - Critics have long characterized China as a secretive donor in economically poor but resource-rich countries, funding infrastructure construction in an unspoken bid for business deals and access to natural wealth and land. While China disburses aid with a scant paper trail, analysts say strong-arming its government to boost transparency - and aid efficacy - may hurt countries in need. full report