PORT MORESBY, 09 October 2008 (IRIN) - For a country as disaster-prone as Papua New Guinea, with a history of deadly cyclones, earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis, it is surprising that the Centre for Disaster Reduction was not established until 2002.

DAKAR, 10 October 2008 (IRIN) - Sexual exploitation in African schools has become so widespread that children have come up with their own terms to refer to sexual relations with their teachers. From ‘Sexually Transmitted Grades’ to ‘BF’, or bordel fatigue, which refers to exhaustion from multiple sexual activities with teachers, this slang hints at the prevalence of exploitation in Africa’s learning environments.

PESHAWAR, 08 October 2008 (IRIN) - Karamullah Khan, aged five, can remember nothing of the day three years ago that changed forever the life of his family. The boy was only two when the devastating earthquake of 8 October 2005 hit North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, bringing the roof of his house crashing down. At least 72,000 were killed.

MALABO, 06 October 2008 (IRIN) - Equatorial Guinea is one of the world’s top 30 oil producers, according to its Ministry of Mines, but corruption watchdog group Global Witness says most in the country still live in poverty.

DAMASCUS, 07 October 2008 (IRIN) - Some 150,000 farmers have lost their harvest this season, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) which has launched an appeal for US$20 million to tackle the worst drought in four decades.