GULU, 19 August 2008 (IRIN) - Food insecurity in northern Uganda, a region recovering from two decades of conflict, is approaching crisis levels due to a combination of factors, including bad weather and lack of adequate farm inputs, agricultural officials have cautioned.

AN GIANG, 19 August 2008 (IRIN) - Vietnam is experiencing more frequent and powerful typhoons and floods, and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report 2007-2008 has said as many as 22 million Vietnamese could be displaced if sea levels rise by one metre.

NYANZALAC, 19 August 2008 (IRIN) - Although he looks frail, Cossan Ntabwigwa, in his late 60s, is a determined man. He recently returned from Tanzania, where he had been a refugee since 1972, and is seeking to resettle on a piece of land he left years ago.

PORT HARCOURT, 15 August 2008 (IRIN) - The deployment of additional troops to Nigeria's restive, oil-soaked delta has managed to improve security, but not even their commanders believe there can be a military solution to the armed young men in the creeks, willing to back their demands for a greater share of the wealth their region produces by attacking oil facilities and the soldiers guarding them.

SANAA, 14 August 2008 (IRIN) - Water availability in Yemen has been worsening by the year and the government has no clear strategy on how to deal with the problem, experts have said. They say water shortages are exacerbated by the high fertility rate, rapid urbanisation, the cultivation of `qat’ (a mild narcotic) a lack of public awareness, and the arbitrary digging of wells.