ASIA/NEAR EAST: In the Asian CIS and Afghanistan prospects are for a good harvest this year, owing mainly to favourable weather conditions. In Iraq, weather conditions are favourable for the development of winter crops. The recent earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean caused a large number of deaths and destroyed livelihoods of millions of people in several countries. The worst affected include Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, India and Thailand. More than 1.3 million people have received food assistance; relief operations have entered the recovery and reconstruction phase. In Korea DPR, despite a recovery in food production the country still needs international assistance to meet its minimum food needs.