Agence France-Presse - Table of Contents 'English'

2004

AFP maintains the most far-reaching network of any news service with journalists in 165 countries covering events 24 / 7. The AFP brand guarantees editorial quality and reliability, a reputation built since the agency was founded in 1835. The agency offers text, photo, graphic and video as well as multimedia products. AFP covers all the news worldwide, from politics and diplomacy to economy and finance, sports and culture to science, technology, health and people. Its clients include the world's major media organizations as well as corporations, governments and international agencies.

January February March April May June July
August September October November

December

The pope's on the phone!: Agence France-Presse - December 22, 2004; ROME, Dec 22 (AFP) - Christians with state of the art mobile phones can follow Pope John Paul II's annual midnight mass on Christmas Eve on their mobiles while contributing to the pope's anti-AIDS charity, Italy's H3G phone company said Wednesday.
New Roche drug given nod in Switzerland for hepatitis B sufferers: Agence France-Presse - December 22, 2004; BASEL, Switzerland, Dec 22 (AFP) - Sufferers of the life-threatening disease hepatitis B have a new treatment to hand after Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche said on Wednesday that Switzerland has approved its Pegasys drug.
South African court throws out cheaper drug pricing rules: Agence France-Presse - December 20, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Dec 20 (AFP) - A South African court Monday scrapped drug pricing regulations by the government aimed at slashing the cost of essential medicines pending an appeal by pharmacists who say the new prices will force them to close shop.
Zimbabwe camp offers AIDS orphans desperately-needed support: Susan Njanji; Agence France-Presse - December 19, 2004; MAPHISA, Zimbabwe, Dec 19 (AFP) - During every school vacation, the Sikhethimpilo Centre in remote southwestern Zimbabwe gathers dozens of children for week-long camps to help them deal with the trauma of losing their parents to HIV/AIDS.
Anti-AIDS alliance calls in Africa for free therapy: Agence France-Presse - December 18, 2004; DAKAR, Dec 18 (AFP) - An alliance of health experts, institutions and worldwide non-governmental organisations this week called for free healthcare for AIDS as well as anti-retroviral drugs in Africa and other developing regions.
Pope kick-starts AIDS foundation with 100,000 euro Christmas gift: Agence France-Presse - December 17, 2004; VATICAN CITY, Dec 17 (AFP) - Pope John Paul II has kick-started a new Roman Catholic charity for people with HIV/AIDS with a 100,000-euro (133,000-dollar) donation, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan announced here Friday.
AIDS ignorance high in Singapore: survey: Agence France-Presse - December 17, 2004; SINGAPORE, Dec 17 (AFP) - One in three Singaporeans believe they can acquire AIDS through a mosquito bite, according to a survey published Friday that said ignorance of the deadly disease had not improved in five years.
Church warns of refugees' plight amid new DR Congo fighting: Agence France-Presse - December 16, 2004; NAIROBI, Dec 16 (AFP) - New fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) threatens millions of refugees already affected by decades of unrest in the Great Lakes region, a pan-African church group warned Thursday.
Singapore hospitals begin HIV testing on pregnant mothers: Agence France-Presse - December 16, 2004; SINGAPORE, Dec 16 (AFP) - Singapore hospitals have begun testing pregnant women for HIV following a directive from the government concerned about the rising number of AIDS cases, the Ministry of Health said Thursday.
Erasure frontman says he is HIV-positive: Agence France-Presse - December 16, 2004; LONDON, Dec 16 (AFP) - The singer of the British pop group Erasure has said he is HIV-positive.
Ex-Serono director accused by US feds of AIDS drug kickbacks: Agence France-Presse - December 15, 2004; BOSTON, Massachusetts, Dec 15 (AFP) - A former director of a Swiss pharmaceutical group was charged Wednesday for rewarding US doctors with trips to France in exchange for prescribing a Serono AIDS medicine, prosecutors said.
German government proposes anti-discrimination law: Agence France-Presse - December 15, 2004; BERLIN, Dec 15 (AFP) - New legislation to be submitted to parliament by the German government next month will allow anyone discriminated against because of their skin colour, gender or religion, to sue for damages.
Winfrey hands over money saved by US girl to South African children's home: Agence France-Presse - December 15, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Dec 15 (AFP) - US talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey personally handed over money to a South African children's home to fulfil her pledge to the parents of a dead American girl who had been saving her lunch money for charity, a daily said Wednesday.
HIV infection rate soars in Portugal among those over 50: Daniel Silva; Agence France-Presse - December 15, 2004; LISBON, Dec 15 (AFP) - Portugal, the nation with the highest HIV infection rate in Europe, is facing a surge in infections among a previously little affected group -- those over 50.
Nearly a quarter of China gays have 100 partners and no AIDS knowledge: Agence France-Presse - December 15, 2004; BEIJING, Dec 15 (AFP) - Almost a quarter of China's gay men have more than 100 partners with about 80 percent of them admitting to total ignorance about HIV/AIDS, state media reported Wednesday.
Nordics call on other rich nations to give more development aid: Agence France-Presse - December 14, 2004; OSLO, Dec 14 (AFP) - The Nordic countries, which are among the world's most generous development aid contributors, called Tuesday on other rich nations to step up their efforts to reach millennium aid goals, stressing the link between reducing poverty and peace.
Eritrea dwarfs rest of Africa in level of child malnutrition: UNICEF: Agence France-Presse - December 14, 2004; ASMARA, Dec 14 (AFP) - The level of malnutrition among children in Eritrea, currently standing at 16 percent, is the highest in Africa, United Nation Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in Asmara on Tuesday.
Human Rights Watch allowed to participate in China meeting for first time: Agence France-Presse - December 14, 2004; SHANGHAI, Dec 14 (AFP) - International campaigner Human Rights Watch (HRW) Tuesday took part in a meeting in China for the first time, delivering a landmark speech at a conference on AIDS and law in Shanghai.
China bans planned daring TV show focusing on sex: Agence France-Presse - December 14, 2004; BEIJING, Dec 14 (AFP) - China has banned a planned groundbreaking television talk show which had promised to deal frankly with sexual issues, state media said Tuesday.
New condom quality control rules cause shortage in Uganda: Agence France-Presse - December 14, 2004; KAMPALA, Dec 14 (AFP) - New rules requiring that condoms be tested before and after shipment to Uganda have caused a shortage of the rubber prophylactic, which the east African country credits for curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS, a senior health ministry official said on Wednesday.
South African AIDS lobby group wins costs in case against government: Agence France-Presse - December 14, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Dec 14 (AFP) - South Africa's government was Tuesday ordered to pay the costs of a legal battle launched by the country's leading AIDS lobby group in the latest bid to speed up the rollout of free anti-retroviral drugs.
Papua New Guinea could dissolve into several criminal mini-states: report: Agence France-Presse - December 14, 2004; SYDNEY, Dec 14 (AFP) - Papua New Guinea could break up into around six lawless mini-states and destabilise much of the Pacific, a report warned Tuesday as Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer flew to the country for talks on a plan to restore order.
In Zimbabwe, the old and poor pay the price in raising AIDS orphans: Susan Njanji; Agence France-Presse - December 14, 2004; KEZI, Zimbabwe, Dec 14 (AFP) - Until a week ago, elderly Hannah Dube and her five grandchildren living in the dusty village of Kezi in soutwestern Zimbabwe had been surviving on small portions of dried white melon.
Swazi king buys himself 500,000-dollar luxury sedan: report: Agence France-Presse - December 12, 2004; MBABANE, Dec 12 (AFP) - Swaziland's King Mswati III has bought himself a 500,000-dollar (390,000 euros) luxury sedan while his debt-ridden country continues battling AIDS and crippling poverty, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
Tanzanian president pardons 3,656 prisoners: official: Agence France-Presse - December 10, 2004; DAR ES SALAAM, Dec 10 (AFP) - Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa has pardoned 3,656 prisoners, including the sick, elderly, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, to mark the country's 43rd independence anniversary, the home affairs ministry said late Thursday.
One billion children suffer from poverty, war, AIDS: UNICEF: Michelle Hoffman; Agence France-Presse - December 9, 2004; LONDON, Dec 9 (AFP) - More than one billion children, half of the world's population of children, suffer from poverty, violent conflict and the scourge of AIDS, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Thursday in its annual report.
Gene clue throws light on HIV vulnerability: Agence France-Presse - December 9, 2004; PARIS, Dec 9 (AFP) - Researchers said Thursday they had pinpointed gene variations that could explain why some people are more vulnerable to HIV than others, a finding which could also boost the quest for an AIDS vaccine.
Promising new antibiotic for TB: Agence France-Presse - December 9, 2004; WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (AFP) - A new antibiotic may speed up treatment of tuberculosis, the most deadly infectious disease in the world after AIDS, drugmaker Johnson and Johnson announced Thursday.
Libya asks Bulgaria for multi-million euro damages to drop AIDS case: Agence France-Presse - December 8, 2004; TRIPOLI, 8 Dec (AFP) - Libya said it would drop a case against five Bulgarian nurses condemned to death on charges of spreading AIDS if Sofia paid out 10 million euros for every child infected with the virus at a Libyan hospital.
UN readies small-islands conference in Mauritius: Agence France-Presse - December 8, 2004; UNITED NATIONS, Dec 8 (AFP) - The United Nations will host an international conference on the problems faced by developing small island nations in Mauritius next month, officials said on Wednesday.
Zambia's Mwanawasa says AIDS hampering free trade in Africa: Agence France-Presse - December 8, 2004; LUSAKA, Dec 8 (AFP) - Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa said Wednesday that AIDS was hampering free trade in Africa, the world's poorest continent.
Libya lists conditions for release of condemned Bulgarian nurses: Agence France-Presse - December 7, 2004; TRIPOLI, Dec 7 (AFP) - Libya Tuesday listed three conditions under which it is prepared to drop charges against five Bulgarian nurses condemned to death on suspect charges of spreading AIDS.
French media watchdog moves against Lebanese TV channel: Agence France-Presse - December 7, 2004; PARIS, Dec 7 (AFP) - French media authorities Tuesday launched a procedure against Lebanese television channel Al-Manar that could lead to sanctions against the broadcaster, which last month accused Israel of exporting AIDS to the Middle East.
Global Fund chief warns of catastrophe if China eases up on AIDS efforts: Agence France-Presse - December 7, 2004; BEIJING, Dec 7 (AFP) - The head of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria praised China Tuesday for its efforts in addressing HIV/AIDS, but warned that any letup could prove catastrophic.
Powell says US will not drop case of condemned Bulgarian nurses in Libya: Agence France-Presse - December 7, 2004; SOFIA, Dec 7 (AFP) - The United States will continue to push for the release of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death in Libya on suspect charges of spreading AIDS, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday.
Bulgaria refuses to buy release of nurses condemned in Libya: Agence France-Presse - December 6, 2004; SOFIA, Dec 6 (AFP) - The Bulgarian government on Monday rejected a proposal by Tripoli that it pay compensation to secure the release of five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya.
India, WFP to provide food aid to HIV/AIDS sufferers: Agence France-Presse - December 6, 2004; NEW DELHI, Dec 6 (AFP) - India has signed an agreement with the United Nations World Food Programme to provide food aid to those suffering from HIV/AIDS, a report said Monday.
United Nations needs 102m dollars for Africa's Great Lakes region: Agence France-Presse - December 6, 2004; NAIROBI, Dec 6 (AFP) - United Nations needs some 102 million dollars to address needs in the Africa's Great Lakes region, a vast zone that was been ravaged by conflicts for several decades, UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said here on Monday.
Mandela launches education drive for vulnerable African children: Agence France-Presse - December 6, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Dec 6 (AFP) - Former South African president Nelson Mandela on Monday kicked off a fund-raising drive to help children orphaned or left vulnerable by AIDS on the world's poorest continent.
UNICEF chief hails polio elimination efforts in Pakistan: Agence France-Presse - December 6, 2004; ISLAMABAD, Dec 6 (AFP) - The head of the United Nations Children's Fund on Monday praised the "exceptional" progress towards eradicating polio in Pakistan, one of only six countries where the disease is still endemic.
Oxfam wants more rich-world action on global poverty: Agence France-Presse - December 6, 2004; LONDON, Dec 6 (AFP) - Rich nations need to do much more to overcome global poverty, Oxfam said Monday in a report aimed at influencing Britain's turn at the helm of the Group of Eight leading industrialised nations.
Tripoli may review death sentences for five Bulgarians: Agence France-Presse - December 5, 2004; TRIPOLI, Dec 5 (AFP) - Tripoli said Sunday that it could review death sentences handed down to five Bulgarian nurses found guilty in an AIDS-tainting blood scandal, provided Sofia compensates families of the victims.
China, Myanmar sign border security accord: Agence France-Presse - December 5, 2004; BEIJING, Dec 5 (AFP) - China signed a memorandum of understanding with Myanmar Sunday to set up a mechanism to manage border affairs, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
TV show on sex issues to debut in China: Agence France-Presse - December 5, 2004; BEIJING, Dec 5 (AFP) - A groundbreaking daily television show dealing in a frank manner with sex issues will debut in more than 50 Chinese cities from January 1, reports said Sunday.
Singapore mulls HIV testing for couples planning to tie the knot: report: Agence France-Presse - December 5, 2004; SINGAPORE, Dec 5 (AFP) - Couples planning to get married in Singapore may have to undergo HIV testing as the government seeks to intensify measures against rising new infections in the city-state, the Sunday Times reported.
Two million elderly Tanzanian women risk exposure to HIV/AIDS: study: Agence France-Presse - December 4, 2004; DAR ES SALAAM, Dec 4 (AFP) - Over two million elderly Tanzanian women are at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS due to neglect, ignorance and poverty, a new study by HelpAge International has revealed.
Caribbean gets six-million euro grant from Germany to help combat HIV/AIDS: Agence France-Presse - December 3, 2004; GEORGETOWN, Dec 3 (AFP) - Germany on Friday gave the 15-nation Caribbean Community (Caricom) a six-million euro grant to help the region intensify the war against HIV/AIDS among the poor through education and increased condom use.
Woody Allen to give Rome clarinet concert to support AIDS fight: Agence France-Presse - December 3, 2004; ROME, Dec 3 (AFP) - US film director and comedian Woody Allen will give a clarinet concert in Rome on December 12 in support of research into the killer disease AIDS, organisers said on Friday.
Germany more than doubles pledge for Global Fund in 2005: Agence France-Presse - December 3, 2004; GENEVA, Dec 3 (AFP) - Germany has more than doubled a pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for 2005 to 82 million euros (109 million dollars) from this year, the fund said on Friday.
Zimbabwe's government hospitals suffer acute staff shortages: Agence France-Presse - December 3, 2004; HARARE, Dec 3 (AFP) - The shortage of health workers in Zimbabwe's government hospitals has reached alarming levels, the ruling ZANU-PF party heard Friday.
US report reveals dysfunction in teen sex ed classes: Charlotte Raab; Agence France-Presse - December 2, 2004; WASHINGTON, Dec 2 (AFP) - A congressional staff probe has revealed that sex ed classes, backed by the administration of President George W. Bush, that preach abstinence for US teens feature incorrect or misleading information about the safety of condoms and the risks of abortion.
OPCW gives go-ahead for Libyan chemical weapons factory conversion: Agence France-Presse - December 2, 2004; THE HAGUE, Dec 2 (AFP) - A request by Libya to convert chemical weapons production facilities into a pharmaceuticals plant has been given the go-ahead by an international weapons watchdog.
US and Nigeria are working together, Obasanjo says: Agence France-Presse - December 2, 2004; WASHINGTON, Dec 2 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush voiced support Thursday for Nigeria's efforts at helping to settle conflicts in Ivory Coast, and Darfur in Sudan, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said after a visit to the White House.
Croatian police investigate alleged deliberate HIV infection of prostitutes: Agence France-Presse - December 2, 2004; ZAGREB, Dec 2 (AFP) - Croatian police are investigating an anonymous letter from a sailor claiming to have deliberately infected prostitutes with the HIV virus that causes AIDS, a report said Thursday.
PM calls for ban on Arab TV channel over Israel AIDS remarks: Agence France-Presse - December 2, 2004; PARIS, Dec 2 (AFP) - French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin on Thursday called for a television channel close to the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah to be taken off air after accusing Israel of exporting AIDS to the Middle East.
Britain to tackle poverty, climate change, AIDS during G8 presidency: Agence France-Presse - December 2, 2004; LONDON, Dec 2 (AFP) - Britain will give priority to tackling global poverty, climate change and the AIDS epidemic when it assumes the presidency of the Group of Eight nations in 2005, the government said Thursday.
Bangladesh doctors urged to screen blood to curb spread of HIV: Agence France-Presse - December 2, 2004; DHAKA, Dec 2 (AFP) - Bangladesh's health minister appealed to doctors Thursday to test all donated blood to prevent transfusion patients from being infected with the HIV virus.
Donors pledge 3.4 billion dollars to Vietnam: Ben Rowse; Agence France-Presse - December 2, 2004; HANOI, Dec 2 (AFP) - International donors pledged 3.4 billion dollars Thursday to help Vietnam's poverty reduction and economic growth efforts in 2005 but called on the communist government to speed up structural reforms.
Many mainland Chinese prostitutes in Hong Kong not using condoms: survey: Agence France-Presse - December 2, 2004; HONG KONG, Dec 2 (AFP) - A large proportion of mainland Chinese prostitutes in Hong Kong are not using condoms because they fear police would use them as evidence, a sex workers' rights group said Thursday.
North Korea claims zero cases of HIV infection: Agence France-Presse - December 2, 2004; SEOUL, Dec 2 (AFP) - North Korea has no cases of AIDS and has adopted a plan to block infiltration of the killer syndrome from outside the country, a top Pyongyang health official said, according to a report monitored here Thursday.
HIV/AIDS cases up among US bisexual and homosexual men: CDC: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (AFP) - The number of HIV/AIDS cases is up in the United States among homosexual and bisexual men, according to government figures published Wednesday, suggesting a nationwide resurgence of the epidemic.
Groups mark World AIDS Day with call for women's empowerment: Charles Hoskinson; Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (AFP) - The world's deadliest year yet for AIDS was marked with concerts, processions and speeches Wednesday, as the United Nations focused on women, who are suffering a increasing share of new cases.
Bush's AIDS policy takes heat from gay group: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (AFP) - The largest US lesbian and gay civil rights group, Human Rights Campaign, on Wednesday called for change in President George W. Bush's AIDS prevention strategy, which puts abstinence ahead of emphasis on condom use.
World Bank calls for urgent action to prevent AIDS outbreak in Bosnia: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; SARAJEVO, Dec 1 (AFP) - A World Bank report called Wednesday for urgent action to prevent the outbreak of HIV among young people in Bosnia who lack the mechanisms and financial means for regular monitoring of the virus that causes AIDS.
Nations turn focus toward global AIDS pandemic for World AIDS Day: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (AFP) - The international community on Wednesday turned the spotlight on the devastating and increasing impact of AIDS on women and girls to mark World AIDS Day.
300 Russians demand free treatment on World AIDS day: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; MOSCOW, Dec 1 (AFP) - Some 300 Russians demanded free AIDS treatment at a demonstration held in front of the government building in Moscow Wednesday to mark World AIDS Day.
Southern African leaders call for mass action on World AIDS Day: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; CAPE TOWN, Dec 1 (AFP) - Southern African leaders at several events marking World AIDS Day on Wednesday called for mass mobilisation to take up the spear against the pandemic ravaging the worst-hit region in the world.
Health officials blame insurgency for spread of AIDS in Nepal: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; KATHMANDU, Dec 1 (AFP) - Thousands of people staged rallies across Nepal Wednesday to mark World AIDS Day, as government health officials blamed a Maoist insurgency for the spread of the disease in the country.
Blair pledges Britain's help in AIDS fight in Africa: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; LONDON, Dec 1 (AFP) - Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday called Britain's commitment to fighting AIDS in Africa a "moral question", pledging that the pandemic-stricken continent would receive the attention of his government and the Group of Eight nations.
Sex workers join Sri Lanka's AIDS awareness drive: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; COLOMBO, Dec 1 (AFP) - Dozens of Sri Lankan sex workers Wednesday distributed leaflets and collected money to boost AIDS awareness in a campaign to mark World AIDS day.
Iran's growing AIDS crisis shifts from the needle to the bed: Hiedeh Farmani; Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; TEHRAN, Dec 1 (AFP) - Health experts warned Wednesday that Iran's growing AIDS problem was moving away from drug users and into the bedroom, and appealed to Islamic authorities to go further in breaking a taboo over all things sexual.
Swedish HIV vaccine due to be tested in Tanzania next year: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; STOCKHOLM, Dec 1 (AFP) - An HIV vaccine being developed by Swedish researchers will soon be tested on HIV-negative people in Sweden and will then be tested on people in Tanzania in 2005, Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter reported on Wednesday.
Bollywood icon Bachchan joins Mandela's anti-AIDS campaign: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; PANAJI, India, Dec 1 (AFP) - Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan was Wednesday appointed a key player in an anti-AIDS campaign headed by South African former president Nelson Mandela during a World AIDS Day ceremony here.
Malawian president sets target of one million HIV tests for 2005: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; BLANTYRE, Dec 1 (AFP) - President Bingu wa Mutharika wants to see at least one million Malawians going for voluntary HIV tests in 2005, he said at an event marking World AIDS Day on Wednesday.
India plans all-out fight against AIDS: Palash Kumar; Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; NEW DELHI, Dec 1 (AFP) - Thousands took to the streets across India Wednesday to mark World AIDS Day as the government announced a huge media blitz to make the entire billion-plus population aware of the pandemic in six months.
Benin AIDS sufferers targeted by greedy and incompetent charities: Fiacre Vidjingninou; Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; COTONOU, Nov 30 (AFP) - Every week Africa's AIDS pandemic notches up new victims in the small west African republic of Benin while local doctors and health staff complain, generating a large income for a new breed of charlatan medical charities.
Miss World beauties call for awareness and education on World AIDS Day: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; SANYA, China, Dec 1 (AFP) - Miss World contestants Wednesday called for better awareness and education among women in the battle against AIDS, as they prepared to strut their stuff on China's tropical Hainan island.
Big increase in infected drug users prompts HIV/AIDS fears in Bangladesh: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; DHAKA, Dec 1 (AFP) - More than 5,000 people including sex workers rallied Wednesday to mark World Aids Day in Bangladesh where figures showed the number of infected drug users had more than tripled in six years.
Rate of HIV infection doubles in Philippines: Health Department: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; MANILA, Dec 1 (AFP) - The rate of new infections with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS has doubled in the Philippines as the disease spreads beyond sex workers to the public, the Health Department warned on Wednesday.
Australian company claims vaginal gel could halt spread of AIDS: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; SYDNEY, Dec 1 (AFP) - An Australian drug company announced Wednesday that it had developed a vaginal gel which could halt the spread of AIDS.
China's "first" TV documentary on AIDS to debut: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; BEIJING, Dec 1 (AFP) - China's first television documentary about AIDS has been completed and will air nationwide soon, state media Wednesday quoted the production company as saying.
AIDS low down on Asians' health concerns: survey: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; HONG KONG, Dec 1 (AFP) - AIDS is way down the list of health concerns for most people in East and Southeast Asia, according to a survey published Wednesday to coincide with World AIDS Day.
Sex between men now a significant cause of HIV infection in China: survey: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; BEIJING, Dec 1 (AFP) - Sex between men has become a significant cause of HIV infections in China but half of Chinese gays mistakenly believe they are safe from the virus, according to a first-ever government survey.
Premier Wen admits China facing "stark" AIDS situation: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; BEIJING, Dec 1 (AFP) - Premier Wen Jiabao Wednesday called for "unremitting efforts" in China's fight against AIDS, admitting the country was facing a "stark situation" in tackling the epidemic.
Malaysian researchers launch new AIDS test kit: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 (AFP) - Malaysian researchers said Wednesday they have developed the world's fastest home test kit for the HIV virus.
China still not doing enough to combat AIDS, critics say: Boris Cambreleng; Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; BEIJING, Dec 1 (AFP) - Despite growing political will to combat the march of HIV/AIDS in China, efforts to stem the deadly scourge and improve care for sufferers are still insufficient, victims and officials fighting the epidemic say.
Australian report sees progress, big problems in PNG: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2004; SYDNEY, Dec 1 (AFP) - The Australian government on Wednesday said the economic prospects for Papua New Guinea had brightened recently but it warned that corruption and mismanagement still undermined progress in the troubled Pacific nation.

November

AIDS back on the rise in the United States: Jean-Louis Santini; Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (AFP) - The United States is losing ground again in its fight against AIDS with blacks, particularly African-American women, suffering most from the resurgent spread of the virus.
AIDS poses same threat as nuclear terrorism: UN report: Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; UNITED NATIONS, Nov 30 (AFP) - AIDS is a global threat on a par with nuclear terrorism, according to a report on UN reform that warned of the potential of viral infections to claim tens of millions of lives worldwide in a matter of months.
Read the World: Novelists fight AIDS: Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; UNITED NATIONS, Nov 30 (AFP) - Nobel prize-winning novelist Nadine Gordimer launched Tuesday a literary-style Live Aid, with a short-story collection by some of world's most distinguished writers to benefit HIV/AIDS treatment.
Zimbabwe's Mugabe hits out at "neo-colonials" ahead of World AIDS Day: Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; HARARE, Nov 30 (AFP) - President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe Tuesday hit out at what he termed a "neo-colonial onslaught" against the southern African country that he said had affected the fight against AIDS.
HIV infection rates in China, India, Russia on verge of crisis: Charles Hoskinson; Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (AFP) - The number of HIV infections in China, India and Russia is on the verge of exploding into a crisis that could lead to tens of millions of new cases and threaten the stability of the world economy, the head of the UN AIDS program said Tuesday.
Vatican calls for chastity against AIDS: Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; VATICAN CITY, Nov 30 (AFP) - The Vatican on Tuesday reiterated its view that chastity and responsible sexual behaviour are the best way of avoiding AIDS, in a message on the eve of World AIDS Day.
EU presses Libya over Bulgarians on death row: Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; THE HAGUE, Nov 30 (AFP) - The EU pressed Libya Tuesday over the fate of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor facing death over an AIDS-tainted blood scandal, saying it hoped for a rapid solution to their plight.
Two AIDS drugs reinstated to help global fight as WHO focuses on quality: Deborah Haynes; Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; GENEVA, Nov 30 (AFP) - The World Health Organisation on Tuesday reinstated two generic AIDS drugs that had been withdrawn from an international list for failing to meet safety standards.
More Nigerians need quality HIV/AIDS treatment, not only drugs: MSF: Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; LAGOS, Nov 30 (AFP) - People living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria urgently need better access to anti-retroviral treatment, the international medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF - Doctors Without Borders) - said Tuesday.
Spanish bishops criticised over condom doubt in AIDS fight: Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; MADRID, Nov 30 (AFP) - Spain's Roman Catholic Church leadership came under fire Tuesday for appearing to doubt the effectiveness of condoms in the fight to prevent AIDS, focusing instead on fidelity.
EU warns young face unprecedented AIDS risk: Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; BRUSSELS, Nov 30 (AFP) - Young people face an unprecedented risk of catching AIDS, in particular because they missed the first wave of safe sex campaigning about the disease a decade or more ago, the European Commission warned Tuesday.
Abstinence message gets blasted ahead of World AIDS Day: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; PARIS, Nov 30 (AFP) - A US-backed approach of encouraging sexual abstinence among young people to protect them from HIV was caught in crossfire on Tuesday on the eve of World AIDS Day, devoted this year to the vulnerability of women and girls.
AIDS activists splash paint on Chirac's offices; eight arrested: Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; PARIS, Nov 30 (AFP) - Eight AIDS activists splashed red paint on the gates of French President Jacques Chirac's official residence Tuesday before being arrested by police, officers said.
China president shakes hands with AIDS patients, vows end to discrimination: Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; BEIJING, Nov 30 (AFP) - Chinese President Hu Jintao Tuesday shook hands with AIDS patients and vowed an end to discrimination, signalling a new drive to confront an epidemic which experts warn needs urgent attention.
Taiwan to launch AIDS prevention campaign amid alarming rise in female cases: Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; TAIPEI, Nov 30 (AFP) - Taiwan will launch a campaign to promote women's awareness of HIV/AIDS amid an alarming increase in the number of women affected with the deadly virus, health officials said Tuesday.
Hong Kong HIV, AIDS cases on the rise: Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; HONG KONG, Nov 30 (AFP) - The Hong Kong government said Tuesday the number of new HIV cases in the territory rose to 73 for the third quarter of 2004, from 56 cases in the same period last year.
Condom sales shrivel as Japan logs onto cyber porn: Ryan Nakashima; Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; TOKYO, Nov 30 (AFP) - Japanese condom sales are sagging as a passion for the Internet leads the Japanese to choose unprotected sex, if any sex at all, the nation's largest condom manufacturer said ahead of World Aids Day on Wednesday.
UN warns of growing HIV/AIDS threat among young adults in Vietnam: Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; HANOI, Nov 30 (AFP) - HIV/AIDS is spreading at an alarming rate in Vietnam, especially among young adults, a senior United Nations official said Tuesday.
AIDS overshadowing the economic progress of Estonia: Anneli Reigas; Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; TALLINN, Nov 30 (AFP) - Although Estonia is one of the biggest economic successes among the new EU countries, progress in the tiny Baltic state of just 1.4 million people is being undermined by one of the fastest growing rates of HIV/AIDS in Europe.
Pakistani woman battles to prevent HIV/AIDS explosion: Bronwyn Curran; Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; ISLAMABAD, Nov 30 (AFP) - Shukria Gul, a Pakistani woman infected with HIV by her late husband, campaigns fervently in this Islamic republic for funds and awareness to prevent it going down the path of rampant HIV/AIDS infection.
HIV infected Indian women band together to fight discrimination: Biman Mukherji; Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2004; NEW DELHI, Nov 30 (AFP) - Three months after she was married, 20-year-old Asha Ramiah was accused by her in-laws of being "unchaste" and thrown out of the house when her husband discovered he was HIV-positive.
Portugal to launch national study of HIV prevalence in 2005: Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2004; LISBON, Nov 29 (AFP) - Portugal, the only western European nation where HIV infections increased over the past decade, said Monday it would launch a major national study in 2005 into the prevalence rate of the disease in the country.
Italy seeks to postpone UNAIDS Fund payment: minister: Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2004; ROME, Nov 29 (AFP) - Italy's Health Minister Girolamo Sirchia said Monday that Rome was seeking to postpone a pledged 100 million euro (132 million dollars) contribution to the United Nations Global Fund to fight AIDS, because of domestic cutbacks.
Asia-Pacific societies could collapse under HIV/AIDS pandemic: UN envoy: Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2004; ISLAMABAD, Nov 29 (AFP) - Asia-Pacific societies could collapse like some in Africa as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, a top United Nations envoy warned at a regional conference in the Pakistani capital Monday.
Prototype French AIDS treatment seen as highly promising: Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2004; PARIS, Nov 29 (AFP) - French doctors have issued a highly encouraging report about a test treatment which slashed levels of the AIDS virus among a small group of HIV-infected volunteers.
China AIDS cases rising by 40 percent a year: report: Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2004; BEIJING, Nov 29 (AFP) - The number of HIV/AIDS cases in China is increasing at a rapid rate of 40 percent a year, a health ministry official was cited as saying by state media Monday.
South African AIDS orphans robbed of their childhood: Grant Clark; Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2004; MTUBATUBA, South Africa, (AFP) Nov 29 - Playing contently on a grass mat at her grandmother's feet, Anele Mtimkulu looks like any other one-year-old in this coastal village in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province.
In Malawi, AIDS 'cures' multiply amid growing despair: Felix Mponda; Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2004; BLANTYRE, Nov 29 (AFP) - Pearson Kamanga stopped taking anti-retroviral drugs four months ago when he started hearing about the wonders of "Chambe", a home brew of herbs from Malawi's tallest mountain sold by a healer who claims it can cure AIDS.
Swaziland's unconventional queen takes up spear in AIDS battle: Fienie Grobler; Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2004; NKOYOYO PALACE, Swaziland, Nov 29 (AFP) - Swazi Queen Sibonelo Mngomezulu takes on her kingdom's record-high AIDS rates with as much passion as she fights to bring women out of men's shadows in Africa's last absolute monarchy.
Gordimer, Grass, Rushdie: literature's best offer tales for AIDS: Carole Landry; Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Nov 29 (AFP) - One year after music stars took to the stage in Cape Town to raise AIDS awareness, the literary world's glitterati is making its mark, coming together to help fight the pandemic with some of their best stories.
In Zimbabwe, one woman's crusade to save girls from HIV: Ryan Truscott; Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2004; CHITUNGWIZA, Zimbabwe, Nov 29 (AFP) - The shyly smiling 11-year-old girl in a striped-blue T-shirt loitering outside a drab bungalow in the Zimbabwean town of Chitungwiza does not look like the victim of a horrendous crime.
Factfile on women and AIDS: Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2004; PARIS, Nov 29 (AFP) - Here is a factfile on women and AIDS:
Why are women so vulnerable to AIDS?: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2004; PARIS, Nov 29 (AFP) - No-one is immune to HIV. But this is not to say the peril is equal, for some people are at greater risk of getting infected by the AIDS virus than others.
China art exhibition to dispel discrimination against HIV/AIDS women: Agence France-Presse - November 28, 2004; BEIJING, Nov 28 (AFP) - An art exhibition depicting how women living with HIV are viewed in China has opened here in a bid to dispel strong public discrimination against AIDS patients, state media said Sunday.
Zimbabwe church pastors go for HIV tests: Agence France-Presse - November 28, 2004; HARARE, Nov 28 (AFP) - Twenty-seven church pastors in Zimbabwe underwent HIV testing in a working class suburb of Harare at the weekend to raise awareness of the AIDS pandemic ahead of World AIDS Day, according to a newspaper report.
Singapore fights rise in HIV infections with testing of pregnant women: Agence France-Presse - November 28, 2004; SINGAPORE, Nov 28 (AFP) - Singapore will carry out HIV tests on pregnant women from December onwards as part of intensified measures against the rising number of new infections in the city-state, the Sunday Times reported.
Singapore to advocate condom use by gays and sex tourists: Agence France-Presse - November 27, 2004; SINGAPORE, Nov 27 (AFP) - Singapore will encourage condom use by gays and men who pay for sex but will stop short of a high-profile campaign because it might encourage casual sex among youths, a senior official said Saturday.
Chinese authorities detain dozens ahead of activist's trial: Agence France-Presse - November 27, 2004; BEIJING, Nov 27 (AFP) - Dozens of people were detained or placed under house arrest Saturday as the trial of a high-profile Beijing activist opened in a local court, said some of the detainees.
Sierra Leone buys antiretrovirals for HIV/AIDS infected populations: Agence France-Presse - November 26, 2004; FREETOWN, Nov 26 (AFP) - Sierra Leone's health ministry announced Friday that it had purchased 200,000 dollars (150,000 euros) worth of antiretroviral drugs to distribute to populations living with HIV/AIDS.
Blair and Mandela meet in London to discuss Africa development plan: Agence France-Presse - November 26, 2004; LONDON, Nov 26 (AFP) - Former South African president Nelson Mandela met Prime Minister Tony Blair in London on Friday to discuss the British leader's personal project to spearhead development activities in Africa.
Concern in Singapore as new HIV cases hit record high: Agence France-Presse - November 26, 2004; SINGAPORE, Nov 26 (AFP) - Singapore health officials called Friday for an intensified effort against HIV/AIDS as the number of new infections hit a record high, with 257 cases reported in the first 10 months of the year.
South Africa's AIDS crisis will shake all of Africa: Lancet: Agence France-Presse - November 25, 2004; PARIS, Nov 25 (AFP) - The AIDS crisis gripping South Africa will have repercussions across Africa, troubling many economies and, in some countries, threatening political stability, a commentary published in next Saturday's Lancet says.
Mandela dons prison number for AIDS campaign: Agence France-Presse - November 25, 2004; LONDON, Nov 25 (AFP) - Nelson Mandela, South Africa's former president and apartheid hero, donned his former prison identification number 46664 on Thursday for a fundraising event aimed at fighting the AIDS/HIV epidemic.
Zimbabwe's economic outlook good, finance minister says: Agence France-Presse - November 25, 2004; HARARE, Nov 25 (AFP) - Zimbabwe's economic decline has been halted and the outlook for the coming year is good, the country's acting finance minister said Thursday as he presented the budget for 2005.
French prime minister to have AIDS test in awareness campaign: report: Agence France-Presse - November 25, 2004; PARIS, Nov 25 (AFP) - French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin will submit to an AIDS test early next year to encourage other people to follow his example, in a year devoted by France to the fight against the killer disease, a local official said on Thursday.
Progress in easing drugs toll may not last, European watchdog warns: Nicholas Gaudichet; Agence France-Presse - November 25, 2004; BRUSSELS, Nov 25 (AFP) - Drug consumption is at record high levels in Europe, where three million people a day smoke cannabis, and progress in curbing abuse may be short-lived, with potential addiction epidemics in new European Union members, a watchdog body warned Thursday.
China to test prisoners for HIV: Agence France-Presse - November 25, 2004; BEIJING, Nov 25 (AFP) - China will begin to test its prisoners for the HIV virus starting this month, state media said Thursday.
South African mines reeling from AIDS pandemic: Agence France-Presse - November 25, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Nov 25 (AFP) - South Africa's staggering AIDS rate is severely impacting on the profits of nearly two-thirds of mines surveyed in a study released on Thursday.
Designer lightbulbs spark hope for S Africa's HIV/AIDS women: Agence France-Presse - November 25, 2004; PARIS, Nov 25 (AFP) - Nearly 40 top world fashion designers from Jean Paul Gaultier to Calvin Klein and John Galliano have turned their creative talents to decorating a light bulb in support of South African women living with HIV/AIDS.
Free condom handout suspended by Beijing universities: Agence France-Presse - November 24, 2004; BEIJING, Nov 24 (AFP) - Two top Beijing universities have suspended a program to distribute free condoms to students to prevent HIV/AIDS, frowning on it as "inappropriate," state media reported Wednesday.
AIDS-ravaged Africa is victim of 'genocide by indifference': UN: Agence France-Presse - November 24, 2004; BERLIN, Nov 24 (AFP) - The AIDS pandemic ravaging Africa is tantamount to "genocide by indifference," says Stephen Lewis, the UN special envoy on AIDS in Africa.
Indian HIV prisoner surviving on food scraps in Calcutta jail, says official: Agence France-Presse - November 23, 2004; CALCUTTA, India, Nov 23 (AFP) - Shunned by staff and fellow convicts, a prisoner with HIV in eastern India is struggling to survive on rice and vegetables thrown through his cell window, jail officials said Tuesday.
UN report sounds grim new warning over AIDS: Agence France-Presse - November 23, 2004; BRUSSELS, Nov 23 (AFP) - The UN warned Tuesday that the world is facing a "unique development challenge," as new data showed nearly 40 million people now have HIV and over 3 million will die of AIDS this year, the highest tolls in the 23-year history of the killer disease.
Red Cross seeks to bolster health care in 2005 global appeal: Agence France-Presse - November 23, 2004; GENEVA, Nov 23 (AFP) - The international Red Cross federation on Tuesday appealed for 209 million Swiss francs (180 million dollars, 138 million euros) in funding for next year, about 40 percent of it for health care.
Singapore gay website offers "live" tips on safe sex: Agence France-Presse - November 23, 2004; SINGAPORE, Nov 23 (AFP) - Singapore's oldest gay Internet portal said Tuesday it had begun offering interactive online information about safe sex through its "live" chat forums.
First-ever Southeast Asian car rally rolls out of India's northeast: Agence France-Presse - November 23, 2004; GUWAHATI, India Nov 23 (AFP) - The first Southeast Asian car rally aimed at spurring regional trade links rolled out of India's northeast Tuesday with thousands of people cheering the drivers along on their historic journey.
Asia at critical stage of AIDS battle as infections top eight million: UN: Jack Barton; Agence France-Presse - November 23, 2004; BANGKOK, Nov 23 (AFP) - The booming sex trade has contributed to an HIV/AIDS crisis in Asia with more than eight million people now living with the virus and numbers rising sharply among women, the United Nations reported on Tuesday.
Beijing starts promoting condom use to fight HIV/AIDS: Agence France-Presse - November 23, 2004; BEIJING, Nov 23 (AFP) - China has begun promoting the use of condoms in the runup to World AIDS Day, allowing advertisements and condom dispensers to be prominently displayed in the Chinese capital at least.
Mandela to launch new anti-AIDS drive in South Africa: Agence France-Presse - November 22, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Nov 22 (AFP) - Nelson Mandela will Tuesday launch a campaign using the world's most famous prison number -- his own -- to try to raise an army of volunteers to fight HIV/AIDS in South Africa.
Namibia's chosen presidential successor wins election: official results: Brigitte Weidlich; Agence France-Presse - November 21, 2004; WINDHOEK, Nov 21 (AFP) - Namibian President Sam Nujoma's chosen successor, Hifikepunye Pohamba, won a landslide victory with more than 76 percent of the vote in the country's third elections since independence, according to final results released Sunday.
Another Indian company pulls cheap AIDS drugs from WHO listing: Peter Capella; Agence France-Presse - November 19, 2004; GENEVA, Nov 19 (AFP) - Another Indian pharmaceutical company, Hetero Drugs, has withdrawn its generic anti-AIDS drugs from special World Health Organisation certification amid doubts about tests designed to prove their effectiveness, the UN health agency said Friday.
Thailand to deport German at centre of HIV scare: Agence France-Presse - November 19, 2004; BANGKOK, Nov 19 (AFP) - A German at the centre of an HIV scare involving potentially hundreds of Thai women and girls will be deported to his home country next week, Thai police said Friday.
UNICEF hails Zambia study on AIDS treatment as "major breakthrough": Agence France-Presse - November 19, 2004; NEW YORK, Nov 19 (AFP) - The United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF) late Thursday hailed a study done in Zambia on a cheap, common antibiotic that greatly reduces the death rate among children with the AIDS virus as "a major breakthrough."
Ethiopian MPs turn to music and song to raise AIDS awareness: Agence France-Presse - November 19, 2004; ADDIS ABABA, Nov 19 (AFP) - More than 400 Ethiopian MPs, almost 80 percent of the country's parliament, have recorded a song in a bid to raise awareness of the problems and dangers of AIDS.
Global Fund agrees to consider releasing more funds next year: Agence France-Presse - November 19, 2004; NAIROBI, Nov 19 (AFP) - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said on Friday it had agreed to consider releasing another round of grants in September next year.
Cheap antibiotic slashes AIDS deaths among children: Zambian study: Agence France-Presse - November 19, 2004; PARIS, Nov 19 (AFP) - A common antibiotic that costs less than 10 US cents per person a day can dramatically cut the death rate among children with the AIDS virus, according to a study in Zambia published in next Saturday's issue of The Lancet.
Annan calls for greater urgency in efforts to help Africa AIDS sufferers: Agence France-Presse - November 18, 2004; ARUSHA, Tanzania, Nov 18 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has called for greater urgency in efforts to provide help for sufferers of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa.
Croatian gays demand legalisation of prostitution: Agence France-Presse - November 18, 2004; ZAGREB, Nov 18 (AFP) - An association of Croatian gays demanded Thursday the legalisation of prostitution to prevent AIDS and human trafficking.
Summit on AIDS opens Wednesday amid funding row: Bogonko Bosire; Agence France-Presse - November 16, 2004; NAIROBI, Nov 16 (AFP) - Four African heads of state are due in the Tanzanian town of Arusha on Wednesday at the start of a two-day board meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria amid debate over whether the fund will release another round of grants to health projects.
UN children's fund accepts first ever donation from oil firm: Agence France-Presse - November 16, 2004; LIBREVILLE, Nov 16 (AFP) - The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has broken with tradition and accepted money from an oil company, taking almost half a million dollars from US firm Marathon Oil Corporation, an UNICEF official has said.
MTV unveils 70 nominees for its Asian music awards: Agence France-Presse - November 16, 2004; BANGKOK, Nov 16 (AFP) - More than 70 artists were unveiled Tuesday as contenders for the 2005 MTV Asia music awards with rock band Jet and British group Keane both receiving three nominations.
African leaders call for help in fight against AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis: Christophe Parayre; Agence France-Presse - November 16, 2004; ARUSHA, Tanzania, Nov 16 (AFP) - Four African presidents appealed to the international community Wednesday for help in the battle against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, the continent's biggest killers.
AIDS: Lab success is good news for vaccine quest: Agence France-Presse - November 16, 2004; PARIS, Nov 16 (AFP) - French researchers announced on Tuesday that, in laboratory conditions, they had stimulated antibodies which dramatically barred the AIDS virus from infecting human immune cells.
Shortage of infectious disease specialists in Singapore: report: Agence France-Presse - November 15, 2004; SINGAPORE, Nov 15 (AFP) - Singapore has a major shortage of infectious disease specialists amid a rise in cases of communicable illnesses including AIDS, the Straits Times reported Monday.
Singapore will not promote condom use publicly to fight AIDS: report: Agence France-Presse - November 14, 2004; SINGAPORE, Nov 14 (AFP) - Despite facing an "alarming AIDS epidemic," Singapore will not go on a publicity blitz to promote condom use out of respect for residents who hold conservative views on sexual behaviour, a minister said in reports Sunday.
Namibia at a glance: Agence France-Presse - November 14, 2004; WINDHOEK, Nov 14 (AFP) - Namibians prepare to vote Monday and Tuesday in elections that are expected to hand a third victory to the country's ruling South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) and see President Sam Nujoma hand over power to his successor, Hifikepunye Pohamba.
Blair's Commission for Africa demands swift international action: Agence France-Presse - November 11, 2004; LONDON, Nov 11 (AFP) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair's personal organisation to spearhead development activities in Africa issued a call Thursday for massive international cooperation to assist the continent.
Sweden grants Kenya 101.6 million dollars for governance, AIDS: Agence France-Presse - November 11, 2004; NAIROBI, Nov 11 (AFP) - Sweden has granted Kenya 101.6 million dollars (8.2 billion shillings) to strengthen democratic governance and fight AIDS in the next two years, the finance ministry said in a statement.
Singapore facing "alarming AIDS epidemic": govt: Agence France-Presse - November 11, 2004; SINGAPORE, Nov 11 (AFP) - Singapore is facing an "alarming AIDS epidemic" with gay men's unsafe sexual practices the biggest cause of concern, the government has warned.
US signs 81 million dollar agreements on trade, HIV/AIDS prevention: Agence France-Presse - November 10, 2004; GEORGETOWN, Nov 10 (AFP) - A top official with the 15-nation Caribbean Community on Wednesday said the United States has allocated 81 million dollars (US) to improve the region's economic competitive edge and help fight the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Kenyan AIDS activists fear Global Fund may not release new funding: Agence France-Presse - November 10, 2004; NAIROBI, Nov 10 (AFP) - AIDS activists in Kenya on Wednesday expressed fear that the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria might not launch a new round of funding for poor countries at the end of this year.
Report sees rise in HIV-positive babies born in Lesotho: Agence France-Presse - November 10, 2004; MASERU, Nov 10 (AFP) - As many as 7,000 babies are born HIV-positive in Lesotho every year -- more than double the number two years ago, a joint report by the government and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday.
Judges keep up battle with Swazi monarchy: Agence France-Presse - November 10, 2004; MBABANE, Nov 10 (AFP) - A two-year feud between Swaziland's highest court and the monarchy showed no signs of abating on Wednesday after the judges renewed demands that an eviction order from King Mswati III be scrapped, a source said.
Indian company pulls cheap AIDS drugs from WHO listing amid test doubts: Agence France-Presse - November 9, 2004; GENEVA, Nov 9 (AFP) - India's top pharmaceutical group Ranbaxy has withdrawn all its anti-AIDS drugs from World Health Organisation certification after it found the laboratory tests proving their effectiveness were deficient, the UN health agency said Tuesday.
African leaders to discuss strategies against malaria, HIV/AIDS: Agence France-Presse - November 9, 2004; DAR ES SALAAM, Nov 9 (AFP) - At least five African presidents are to meet in the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha next week to strategize on ways to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, an official told AFP on Tuesday.
NGOs demand free treatment for HIV/AIDS in Russia: Agence France-Presse - November 9, 2004; SAINT PETERSBURG, Nov 9 (AFP) - Several dozen people held a rally Tuesday in Russia's second city Saint Petersburg to demand free treatment for HIV/AIDS sufferers, of which only a fraction qualify for such care.
Taiwanese gays march to protest discrimination: Agence France-Presse - November 6, 2004; TAIPEI, Nov 6 (AFP) - More than 2,000 gay activists marched in Taipei on Saturday calling for an end to discrimination as organisers accused police in the southern Kaohsiung city of infringing their rights by raiding a gay bar.
Irish victim of contaminated blood scandal appointed to watchdog: Agence France-Presse - November 4, 2004; DUBLIN, Nov 4 (AFP) - An Irish woman infected with Hepatitis C by a contaminated blood product was appointed a director of the Irish Blood Transfusion Board watchdog on Thursday.
AIDS death sparks panic in Bosnian town: Agence France-Presse - November 4, 2004; SARAJEVO, Nov 4 (AFP) - The death of a prostitute with AIDS has sparked panic in the southern Bosnian town of Mostar, police and residents said Thursday.
South African AIDS lobby group takes government to court: Agence France-Presse - November 4, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Nov 4 (AFP) - South Africa's leading AIDS lobby group went to court on Thursday to force the government to pay the costs of its latest legal bid to speed up the rollout of free anti-retroviral drugs.
African economic experts call for proper regulations for development: Agence France-Presse - November 3, 2004; NAIROBI, Nov 3 (AFP) - African economic and financial experts on Wednesday called on governments in the continent to establish well developed legal infrastructures essential for financial systems and economic development.
Botswana's Mogae pledges to fight AIDS, poverty in final term: Jean Batsy; Agence France-Presse - November 2, 2004; GABORONE, Nov 2 (AFP) - Botswana's President-elect Festus Mogae pledged to fight AIDS and poverty on Tuesday as he was sworn in for a second and final term at the helm of the diamond-rich southern African country.
Bacteria's increasing resistance to drugs worries international experts: Jean-Louis Santini; Agence France-Presse - November 2, 2004; WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (AFP) - World Health Organization and US medical experts warn that the increasing ability of bacteria to resist antibiotics threatens the existing arsenal of drugs against dangerous infectious diseases.
Nigerian president tells Japan more aid needed to meet development goals: Agence France-Presse - November 2, 2004; TOKYO, Nov 2 (AFP) - Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo urged Japan Tuesday to give more international aid to meet United Nations goals set in 2000 to reduce poverty and improve health.
Call for AIDS drugs adapted to children: Agence France-Presse - November 2, 2004; GENEVA, Nov 2 (AFP) - Children with HIV/AIDS are dying needlessly because of a lack of suitable drugs and the high cost of medicines adapted to their needs, the humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said Tuesday.
US grants Uganda 200 million dollars for HIV/AIDS: Agence France-Presse - November 1, 2004; KAMPALA, Nov 1 (AFP) - The United States has granted Uganda 200 million dollars (157 million euros) for HIV/AIDS programmes, including support to orphans and vulnerable children, the US embassy announced in a statement released Monday in Kampala.
Party in power for 38 years wins landslide in Botswana: Jean Batsy; Agence France-Presse - November 1, 2004; GABORONE, Nov 1 (AFP) - President Festus Mogae's party scored a landslide electoral victory in Botswana, winning a new mandate in the southern African country that it has ruled since independence in 1966, results showed Monday.
Thai PM claims success in bird flu "war" but warns fight must continue: Boonradom Chitradon; Agence France-Presse - November 1, 2004; BANGKOK, Nov 1 (AFP) - Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra claimed success Monday in his government's 30-day "war" on deadly bird flu but warned the fight must go on, as health officials also praised the kingdom's efforts.

October

Mogae, Botswana's 'CEO' and AIDS crusader: Jean Batsy; Agence France-Presse - October 31, 2004; GABORONE, Oct 31 (AFP) - The son of poor cattle farmers whose good school grades paved the way to Oxford University, President Festus Mogae describes himself as the 'CEO' of diamond-rich Botswana, the southern African country he has lead since 1998.
UN pledges 83 million dollars for Malawi orphans: Agence France-Presse - October 30, 2004; BLANTYRE, Oct 30 (AFP) - The United Nations (UN) on Saturday pledged 83 million dollars to support the growing number of orphans in Malawi, where HIV/AIDS has cut life expectancy to 36.
Sudan threatens HIV/AIDS tests on Nigerian troops in Darfur: Agence France-Presse - October 29, 2004; KHARTOUM, Oct 29 (AFP) - Sudan has given a contingent of Nigerian troops in Darfur until Saturday to produce certificates proving they are not infected with the HIV virus or undergo screening, the official SUNA news agency reported Friday.
EU Commission pushes exports of generic drugs to poor countries: Agence France-Presse - October 29, 2004; BRUSSELS, Oct 29 (AFP) - The European Commission has proposed a licensing system that would make it easier for European generic drug makers to provide treatments against killer diseases such as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis to developing countries, it said Friday.
Botswana at a glance: Agence France-Presse - October 29, 2004; GABORONE, Oct 29 (AFP) - Voters in Botswana go to the polls on Saturday for elections that are expected to hand another victory to President Festus Mogae's party, which has ruled the diamond-rich southern African country since independence in 1966.
Soviet legacy hard to overcome in Baltic states: Arturas Racas; Agence France-Presse - October 29, 2004; VILNIUS, Oct 29 (AFP) - Six months after entering the European Union, the three Baltic states are still struggling with the legacy of half a century of Soviet rule despite successful free-market reforms and rapid economic growth.
Malawi tells top UN official of poor access to AIDS funds: Agence France-Presse - October 29, 2004; BLANTYRE, Oct 29 (AFP) - Malawian health officials on Friday told UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis, that it had got very little money from the Global Fund to fight the pandemic, which has hit nearly 14 percent of the southern nation's 11 million people.
UN AIDS envoy begins working visit to Malawi: Agence France-Presse - October 27, 2004; BLANTYRE, Oct 27 (AFP) - UN special envoy for AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis Wednesday began a tour of Malawi to assess a programme for the free rollout of antiretrovirals in the impoverished AIDS-afflicted southern nation.
US gives Zambia 24 million dollars to fight HIV/AIDS: Agence France-Presse - October 27, 2004; LUSAKA, Oct 27 (AFP) - The United States has given Zambia 24 million dollars (18.7 million euros) to fight HIV/AIDS over a six-year period, a statement said Wednesday.
Botswana's Miss HIV fights stigma and ignorance: Carole Landry; Agence France-Presse - October 27, 2004; GABORONE, Oct 27 (AFP) - Meet Kgalalelo Ntsepe, a soft-spoken former nanny with a flashy smile and short-cropped hair who last year beat 13 other women to be crowned Miss HIV Stigma Free in Botswana.
UN AIDS envoy urges Blair to make G8 do more for Africa: Agence France-Presse - October 26, 2004; LONDON, Oct 26 (AFP) - The United Nations envoy on AIDS urged Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday to persuade the world's richest countries to provide more funds to step up treatment of the disease in Africa.
Heroin use stabilizes in EU, intensive use of cannabis rises: drugs agency: Agence France-Presse - October 26, 2004; LISBON, Oct 26 (AFP) - Heroin use has stabilized in the 15 older memmbers of the European Union following the sharp rises recorded throughout the 1980s and first half of the 1990s, the bloc's drugs monitoring agency said on Tuesday.
Sudan to check every new AU soldier for AIDS: Agence France-Presse - October 26, 2004; KHARTOUM, Oct 26 (AFP) - Sudan's health minister said an AIDS-free policy would be applied to African Union troops tasked with monitoring a ceasefire deal in crisis-hit Darfur who have earned a steamy reputation for assiduous off-duty mingling.
Botswana confronts AIDS head-on, says Mogae: Jerome Cartillier and Carole Landry; Agence France-Presse - October 26, 2004; GABORONE, Oct 26 (AFP) - At the helm of one of Africa's most successful democracies, Botswana's President Festus Mogae says his country is also making headway in dealing more openly with AIDS as the world's second most-affected country.
African Anglicans plot course, reject homosexuality as "abomination": Dave Clark; Agence France-Presse - October 25, 2004; ABUJA, Oct 25 (AFP) - Africa's top Anglican bishops Monday announced plans for a network of theological colleges to promote traditional beliefs after clashing with some Western churches over what one termed the "abomination" of homosexuality.
Africa's success story, Botswana, gears up for elections: Jean Batsy; Agence France-Presse - October 24, 2004; GABORONE, Oct 24 (AFP) - Africa's economic star Botswana is heading for elections this week that are set to be won by the party of President Festus Mogae, who has led a multi-front offensive on AIDS in the world's second-worst affected country.
Prodi calls for resolution of case of Bulgarians condemned to death in Libya: Agence France-Presse - October 22, 2004; SOFIA, Oct 22 (AFP) - European Commission President Romano Prodi said here Friday that the case of the five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor facing the death sentence in Libya "has to be resolved as soon as possible".
Downbeat Zambians to mark 40 years of independence: Dickson Jere; Agence France-Presse - October 22, 2004; LUSAKA, Oct 22 (AFP) - Despite the military parade, free open-air concerts and laudatory speeches, Zambians are marking 40 years of independence from Britain on Sunday in low spirit, mired in poverty and tormented by a feeling of lost opportunity.
Samoa claims rights to AIDS-fighting gene found in Pacific tree bark: Michael Field; Agence France-Presse - October 22, 2004; AUCKLAND, Oct 22 (AFP) - The Samoan government has claimed sole rights to a gene believed to fight AIDS and cancer which grows in trees found in several Pacific nations, risking the ire of its neighbours.
China shuts down illegal blood collection stations: Agence France-Presse - October 21, 2004; BEIJING, Oct 21 (AFP) - China has shut down more than 50 illegal or unsanitary blood collection stations as it steps up efforts to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, said state media Thursday.
Forty years after independence, Zambians are poorer: Dickson Jere; Agence France-Presse - October 21, 2004; LUSAKA, Oct 21 (AFP) - Forty years after independence, Zambians are poorer, their country having missed an opportunity to boost its economy with its rich copper reserves.
WFP launches fresh appeal for drought, AIDS-stricken southern Africa: Agence France-Presse - October 21, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Oct 21 (AFP) - The UN's food relief organisation on Thursday launched a fresh appeal to fund a three-year operation in five southern African countries it said was ravaged by "food shortages, AIDS and weakened capacity for governance."
Scientists announce slim breakthrough in war against AIDS: Agence France-Presse - October 20, 2004; KAMPALA, Oct 20 (AFP) - Scientists on Wednesday said they had discovered how the AIDS virus stealthily penetrates and degrades the protein cells that are key to the development of immunity in the human body.
Pfizer-funded AIDS research institute opens in Uganda: Agence France-Presse - October 20, 2004; KAMPALA, Oct 20 (AFP) - A state of the art facility to annually train 250 specialists from across Africa in the treatment, training, research and diagnosis techniques in HIV/AIDS opened in Uganda on Wednesday.
Asia-Pacific moving "too late and too slow" in fight against HIV/AIDS: Agence France-Presse - October 20, 2004; MANILA, Oct 20 (AFP) - Asia-Pacific risks an AIDS crisis similar in scale to Africa's unless governments across the region step up efforts to combat the spread of the disease, the United Nations warned on Wednesday.
Schwarzenegger breaks ranks with Republicans, backs stem cell research: Agence France-Presse - October 19, 2004; LOS ANGELES, Oct 19 (AFP) - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has broken ranks with his Republican party and backed a controversial three-billion-dollar ballot measure to fund embryonic stem cell research.
Seven European countries demand push on AIDS vaccine: Agence France-Presse - October 19, 2004; PARIS, Oct 19 (AFP) - Seven European countries issued a joint call here Tuesday for better lab coordination in the quest for an AIDS vaccine but sidestepped demands for commiting more money to the fight.
Global Fund approves 24 million dollars to fight malaria, TB in Somalia: Agence France-Presse - October 19, 2004; NAIROBI, Oct 19 (AFP) - The Global Fund on AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has approved a 24.4 million dollar grant to scale up health programmes in Somalia, an African country trying to emerge from 13 years of anarchy, officials said on Tuesday.
Vietnamese men caught with prostitutes face heavy fines: Agence France-Presse - October 19, 2004; HANOI, Oct 19 (AFP) - Vietnamese men caught using prostitutes will be fined up to 640 dollars under a new law aimed at curbing vice and the spread of HIV.
AIDS-ravaged Africa keenly awaits outcome of US polls: Florence Panoussian; Agence France-Presse - October 19, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Oct 19 (AFP) - Africa is keenly awaiting the outcome of the US elections and wondering how it will affect the fight against AIDS on the world's poorest continent, which is also the hardest hit by the deadly viral disease.
German at centre of Thai AIDS scare remanded in custody: Jack Barton; Agence France-Presse - October 18, 2004; CHAIYAPHUM, Thailand, Oct 18 (AFP) - A German at the centre of an HIV scare involving potentially hundreds of Thai women and girls was detained by a court Monday for overstaying his visa.
Libyan mustard gas plant may be converted into pharmaceuticals factory: Agence France-Presse - October 18, 2004; THE HAGUE, Oct 18 (AFP) - A mustard gas factory in Libya may be converted into a pharmaceutical plant producing low-priced vaccines and medicines to treat AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said Monday.
African musicians unite for song to combat AIDS and poverty: Agence France-Presse - October 17, 2004; DAKAR, Oct 17 (AFP) - Many of Africa's best-known musicians have joined forces for a continent-wide launch of a song they have composed that seeks to mobilise people in a campaign against poverty and AIDS, the scheme's organisers said Sunday.
In US senate race, AIDS-ravaged Kenyan village roots for native son: Bogonko Bosire; Agence France-Presse - October 17, 2004; NYANG'OMA, Kenya, Oct 17 (AFP) - A victory for Barack Obama in his battle for the US senate in the state of Illinois could spell hope for his ancestral Kenyan farming community, fractured by AIDS, years of poverty and illiteracy, villagers hope.
HIV infection rate in Eritrea worrying, UN says: Agence France-Presse - October 16, 2004; ASMARA, Oct 16 (AFP) - The AIDS situation in Eritrea is worrying, but there are reasons to be hopeful, UNAIDS has said here.
More than 80 percent of Russian prisoners ill: official: Agence France-Presse - October 15, 2004; MOSCOW, Oct 15 (AFP) - Disease and drug or alcohol addiction are soaring in Russian prisons, where over 80 percent of inmates are sick, RIA-Novosti news agency quoted a top justice ministry official as saying Friday.
Rock legend Freddie Mercury inspires summer fashion collection: Agence France-Presse - October 14, 2004; LISBON, Oct 14 (AFP) - One of Portugal's top fashion designers unveiled a summer 2005 collection Thursday inspired by flamboyant rock superstar Freddie Mercury who died of AIDS in 1991.
Russian-US crew goes to space, AIDS experiments planned: Viktoria Loginova; Agence France-Presse - October 14, 2004; BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan, Oct 14 (AFP) - A Russian-US crew blasted off from here Thursday bound for the International Space Station where they will spend six months conducting experiments including work on the search for an AIDS vaccine.
China vows to find and test all blood plasma sellers to control AIDS: Cindy Sui; Agence France-Presse - October 14, 2004; BEIJING, Oct 14 (AFP) - China will conduct its first nationwide study to learn the extent of an AIDS epidemic from blood selling, demanding local governments find and test every person who sold blood plasma, officials said Thursday.
Russia should spend more on children: UNICEF director: Claire Bigg; Agence France-Presse - October 13, 2004; MOSCOW, Oct 13 (AFP) - Nearly nine million Russian children live in poverty and the government has an obligation to use growing economic windfalls to take better care of them, UNICEF Director Carol Bellamy said here Wednesday.
US backs Libyan request to re-open chemical weapons plant to make drugs: Agence France-Presse - October 12, 2004; WASHINGTON, Oct 12 (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday threw its weight behind a Libyan request to amend the international treaty banning chemical weapons to allow it to convert a former mustard gas production factory into a pharmaceutical plant.
Bangladeshi government announces plans for first-ever condom factory: Agence France-Presse - October 12, 2004; DHAKA, Oct 12 (AFP) - The Bangladeshi government plans to set up the country's first-ever condom plant as part of a drive to combat AIDS and reduce the amount of foreign exchange spent on importing contraceptive devices.
Global sex survey shows South Africans careless of AIDS: Agence France-Presse - October 12, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Oct 12 (AFP) - A global online sex survey showed on Tuesday that almost 60 percent of South Africans engaged in unprotected sex despite the fact that the country has one of the highest AIDS rates in the world.
HIV/AIDS campaigns overlook rural Africa: experts: Agence France-Presse - October 12, 2004; ADDIS ABABA, Oct 12 (AFP) - Africa's farmers and rural communities have become the forgotten victims of HIV/AIDS, health experts and political leaders from the across the continent were told Tuesday at a conference in Addis Ababa.
Annan urges greater peacekeeping role for China: Agence France-Presse - October 12, 2004; BEIJING, Oct 12 (AFP) - UN secretary general Kofi Annan urged China to take a greater role in UN peacekeeping missions and to face up to its environmental problems on Tuesday ahead of a meeting with President Hu Jintao.
Uganda to distribute free mosquito nets to reduce malaria fatalities: Agence France-Presse - October 11, 2004; KAMPALA, Oct 11 (AFP) - The Uganda Health ministry will distribute some 4.5 million insecticide-treated nets (ITN) to children under five years and pregnant women to fight malaria, which claims between 70,000 and 100,000 lives annually, officials said on Monday.
EU lifts Libya arms ban but presses Tripoli over medics: Michael Thurston; Agence France-Presse - October 11, 2004; LUXEMBOURG, Oct 11 (AFP) - The European Union agreed Monday to lift an 18-year-old arms embargo on Libya, welcoming the country's renunciation of weapons of mass destruction and movement towards "responsible government."
Southern China offers gay men free HIV tests: report: Agence France-Presse - October 11, 2004; BEIJING, Oct 11 (AFP) - The southern province of Guangdong is offering free HIV tests to homosexual men as part of its fight against the spread of the virus which causes AIDS, state media reported Monday.
Annan praises China on poverty, AIDS, calls for human rights visit: Verna Yu; Agence France-Presse - October 11, 2004; BEIJING, Oct 11 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Monday praised China's role in reducing world poverty and combating AIDS, while expressing hope that the top UN human rights official would be allowed to visit the country soon.
Pain relief a human right, leading professor says: Agence France-Presse - October 11, 2004; GENEVA, Oct 11 (AFP) - Treatment to alleviate pain is a human right, whether people are suffering from cancer, AIDS or any other distressing condition, a leading medical authority said Monday, marking the first-ever Global Day Against Pain.
Once-conservative Beijing to install 1,000 condom vending machines: Agence France-Presse - October 10, 2004; BEIJING, Oct 10 (AFP) - The once-conservative city of Beijing plans to set up 1,000 condom vending machines in a bid to curb the spread of AIDS, state media said Sunday.
10 girls raped in four days in eastern South African province: police: Agence France-Presse - October 9, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Oct 9 (AFP) - At least 10 girls aged five to 14 were raped in a four-day period in South Africa's eastern Mpumalanga province, police said Saturday.
Mozambique ready to face challenges of the future, says outgoing president: Agence France-Presse - October 9, 2004; MAPUTO, Oct 9 (AFP) - Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, about to step down after an 18-year stint in power, said Saturday that he was leaving the country ready to face the challenges of the future.
Kenyan Nobel peace laureate claims AIDS virus deliberately created: Agence France-Presse - October 9, 2004; NAIROBI, Oct 9 (AFP) - Kenyan ecologist Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, on Saturday reiterated her claim that the AIDS virus was a deliberately created biological agent.
European, Asian leaders wrap up summit, sidestep Myanmar divide: Ben Rowse; Agence France-Presse - October 9, 2004; HANOI, Oct 9 (AFP) - Asian and European leaders wrapped up summit talks here Saturday by calling for the United Nations to lead the fight against terrorism while largely side-stepping a rift over military-ruled Myanmar.
US mutes praise for Kenyan Nobel laureate over AIDS statements: Agence France-Presse - October 8, 2004; WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (AFP) - The United States on Friday congratulated Kenyan ecologist Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, but tempered its praise over her claim that HIV/AIDS is a biological weapon aimed at wiping out the black race.
Little global progress in reducing child mortality rates, UNICEF warns: Agence France-Presse - October 8, 2004; DAKAR, Oct 8 (AFP) - Rampant HIV, poor prenatal care and a raft of other preventable illnesses mean children born today in sub-Saharan Africa are less likely to make it to their fifth birthdays than children born a decade ago, the UN children's agency UNICEF said in a new report out Friday.
US House joins Senate in seeking UN action against Myanmar: Agence France-Presse - October 7, 2004; WASHINGTON, Oct 7 (AFP) - The US House of Representatives passed a resolution Thursday calling on the United Nations Security Council to take immediate action to restore democracy and the rule of law in military-ruled Myanmar.
Blair in Ethiopia to outline vision for Africa: Agence France-Presse - October 7, 2004; ADDIS ABABA, Oct 7 (AFP) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair was on Thursday due to outline his personal vision for the future of Africa at a meeting of the organisation he set up to spur development efforts in the region.
Angola records sharp rise in AIDS infections: health minister: Agence France-Presse - October 6, 2004; LISBON, Oct 6 (AFP) - Angola, the southern African nation least hit so far by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, has recorded a sharp rise in the number of people infected with the deadly virus, the nation's health minister said Wednesday.
Nigerian vice-president set for trade talks in Uganda: Agence France-Presse - October 6, 2004; ABUJA, Oct 6 (AFP) - Nigerian vice president Atiku Abubakar is scheduled to leave Thursday for Uganda where he hold talks with his counterpart, Gilbert Bukenya, and officials on trade, an official statement said Wednesday.
Danish PM calls for more international aid to Africa: Agence France-Presse - October 5, 2004; COPENHAGEN, Oct 5 (AFP) - Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Tuesday called on rich countries to give more aid to Africa to avoid it becoming "a lost continent".
Norway's Crown Prince meets Cambodian PM during UN goodwill mission: Agence France-Presse - October 5, 2004; PHNOM PENH, Oct 5 (AFP) - Norway's Crown Prince Haakon met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen Wednesday during a three-day mission in the kingdom in his role as a UN goodwill ambassador focusing on fighting poverty.
UN agency calls for "strong leadership" to fight AIDS in Asia: Agence France-Presse - October 4, 2004; TOKYO, Oct 4 (AFP) - The United Nations agency fighting AIDS called on Asian countries Monday to exercise "strong leadership" to prevent the deadly disease from spreading at an alarming pace.
South Africa's ANC lost years in AIDS fight: De Klerk: Agence France-Presse - October 4, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Oct 4 (AFP) - South Africa's last white president Frederik de Klerk charged Monday that the post-apartheid government has lost years in the fight against AIDS by shunning an action plan draw up by his administration.
Kenyan drug firm strikes generics deal with second western pharma giant: Agence France-Presse - October 4, 2004; NAIROBI, Oct 4 (AFP) - A Kenyan pharmaceutical company said Monday it had reached a deal with a second western drug producer to make generic versions of a patented antiretroviral (ARV) drug.
Strong rise in syphilis cases reported in Germany: Agence France-Presse - October 4, 2004; BERLIN, Oct 4 (AFP) - Germany continued to see a strong rise in cases of syphilis last year with a 20 percent increase in the number of people who contracted the sexually transmitted disease, a health institute said Monday.
Two-thirds of Russian prisoners seriously ill: official: Agence France-Presse - October 4, 2004; MOSCOW, Oct 4 (AFP) - Some two-thirds of Russia's jail inmates suffer from mental illnesses, serious diseases from AIDS to tuberculosis and syphilis, or alcohol and drug addictions, a top justice ministry official said.
AIDS, trade top agenda of Ugandan leader's visit to Zimbabwe: Agence France-Presse - October 3, 2004; HARARE, Oct 3 (AFP) - Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is to pay a three-day visit to Zimbabwe this week to discuss a range of issues from trade to AIDS, reports here said Sunday.
Thailand to provide cheap anti-AIDS drugs to 300,000 people: report: Agence France-Presse - October 3, 2004; BANGKOK, Oct 3 (AFP) - Thailand has vowed to provide locally made cheap "copycat" anti-AIDS drugs to 300,000 HIV-positive people here and overseas within the next two years, media reported Sunday.
New EU member Estonia battles HIV: Anneli Reigas; Agence France-Presse - October 3, 2004; TALLINN, Oct 3 (AFP) - Martin, a 36-year-old homosexual, has lived under the shadow of death for 12 years after contracting the deadly HIV virus, a disease that is spreading at an alarming rate in the tiny Baltic state of Estonia.
Zimbabwe doctors hike fees: report: Agence France-Presse - October 2, 2004; HARARE, Oct 2 (AFP) - Doctors in Zimbabwe have doubled their consultation fees, the second such hike in recent months, putting medical care well out of the reach of most of the population, a newspaper reported Saturday.
G7 calls for more debt relief for poorest nations: Rob Lever; Agence France-Presse - October 1, 2004; WASHINGTON, Oct 1 (AFP) - The Group of Seven industrial powers called Friday for more debt relief for the world's poorest nations, but stopped short of endorsing a specific plan for writing off debt.
Global Fund gives Uganda 70 million dollars to fight AIDS: Agence France-Presse - October 1, 2004; KAMPALA, Oct 1 (AFP) - The Global Fund on Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria will give Uganda 70.35 million dollars (56.7 million euros) to fight AIDS in the country, following an agreement signed in Kampala on Friday.
Churches hamper condom campaign in Madagascar: Patrick Mercier; Agence France-Presse - October 1, 2004; ANTANANARIVO, Oct 1 (AFP) - Efforts to increase the use of condoms in Madagascar to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS have failed dramatically, largely because of the opposition of church leaders.
Rwanda's rape victims denied justice 10 years after genocide: rights group: Agence France-Presse - October 1, 2004; NAIROBI, Oct 1 (AFP) - Tens of thousands of women raped during and after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda have been denied any legal redress or help in dealing with their trauma and stigmatisation, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Friday.

September

Municipal elections in Brazil the first test of Lula's electoral strength: Jean-Claude Boksenbaum; Agence France-Presse - September 30, 2004; RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept 30 (AFP) - Brazilian municipal elections October 3 and 31 are seen as the first political test for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva since his left wing government came to power two years ago.
Australia says UN risks becoming irrelevant: Agence France-Presse - September 30, 2004; UNITED NATIONS, Sept 30 (AFP) - Australia on Thursday warned that the United Nations risked becoming irrelevant if it performed only aid work and did not find a way to cope with international problems such as terrorism.
Global Fund faces huge cash deficit for new malaria therapy: MSF: Agence France-Presse - September 29, 2004; NAIROBI, Sept 29 (AFP) - The Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria faces a 340-million-dollar deficit in the next two years if countries adopt an effective anti-malaria treatment, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warned on Wednesday.
Female-condom maker courts China: Agence France-Presse - September 29, 2004; CHICAGO, Sept 29 (AFP) - The US company that makes the female condom said Wednesday it is looking to launch its product in China, a country that experts say is facing a potential AIDS crisis.
Mozambique's religious leaders urged to join AIDS battle: Agence France-Presse - September 29, 2004; MAPUTO, Sept 29 (AFP) - The UN children's agency UNICEF on Wednesday urged religious leaders in Mozambique to play a more active role in fighting AIDS as the country braces for a dramatic increase in the number of AIDS orphans in coming years.
Mr. Condom tells Philippines: don't rely on government to fight AIDS: Agence France-Presse - September 28, 2004; MANILA, Sept 28 (AFP) - A leading Thai senator and anti-AIDS campaigner known as "Mr. Condom" in his own country has urged Filipinos not to rely on the government to lead the fight against HIV/AIDS.
European centre for disease prevention and control opens in Stockholm: Agence France-Presse - September 27, 2004; STOCKHOLM, Sept 27 (AFP) - European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection David Byrne on Monday opened the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control here, saying the new body would make the continent better prepared to face epidemics.
Child pornographer gets 100-year sentence: Agence France-Presse - September 24, 2004; MIAMI, Sept 24 (AFP) - A child pornographer who taped himself molesting children in Latin America while carrying the AIDS virus was sentenced to 100 years in prison, US authorities announced Friday.
Stricter anti-AIDS measures needed for Indian bloodbanks: minister: Agence France-Presse - September 24, 2004; NEW DELHI, Sept 24 (AFP) - Stricter measures have to be put in place to cut down the number of people in India contracting HIV/AIDS through contaminated blood transfusions, India's health minister said Friday.
Substance abuse in Asia-Pacific gives rise to social/health problems: WHO: Agence France-Presse - September 24, 2004; MANILA, Sept 24 (AFP) - Growing affluence in the Asia-Pacific region has been accompanied by rising substance abuse, partly helping spread the deadly AIDS virus, said a World Health Organisation (WHO) report released Friday.
Cestos City picks up the pieces in eastern Liberia: Zoom Dosso; Agence France-Presse - September 23, 2004; CESTOS CITY, Liberia, Sept 23 (AFP) - With handpumps, latrines and the unimaginable luxury of electricity, the inhabitants of Cestos City in eastern Liberia are slowly rebuilding their ruined town under the shadow of epidemic illness and rumors of weapons stashed in the forest.
Powell praises Libya on WMD decision, renews terrorism concerns with FM: Matthew Lee; Agence France-Presse - September 23, 2004; NEW YORK, Sept 23 (AFP) - US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday praised Libya's decision to renounce weapons of mass destruction but renewed persistant US concerns about terrorism in unprecedented talks with his Libyan counterpart, a senior State Department official said.
South African health ministry sees AIDS pandemic 'stabilising': Fienie Grobler; Agence France-Presse - September 23, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Sept 23 (AFP) - The AIDS pandemic in South Africa is "slowly stabilising", the health ministry said as it released figures showing that close to 28 percent of pregnant women tested positive for HIV in 2003.
US Senate approves resolution urging Security Council action on Myanmar: Agence France-Presse - September 23, 2004; WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (AFP) - The US Senate has unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the UN Security Council to address security, social, health and other threats posed by military-ruled Myanmar to the rest of the Southeast Asian region.
Space station crew to help search for AIDS vaccine: Agence France-Presse - September 23, 2004; MOSCOW, Sept 23 (AFP) - The next crew of the International Space Station (ISS) is to contribute to the Russian search for a vaccine against AIDS, Russian cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov said on Thursday.
Lesotho benefits from Prince Harry's AIDS documentary: Agence France-Presse - September 23, 2004; MASERU, Sept 23 (AFP) - The British Red Cross has set up a fund for AIDS victims in Lesotho after the screening of a documentary shot by Britain's Prince Harry during a visit earlier this year, a senior British diplomat said Thursday.
UNICEF seeks one billion dollars to help AIDS orphans: Agence France-Presse - September 22, 2004; CAPE TOWN, Sept 22 (AFP) - The UN children's agency UNICEF plans to launch a major campaign to raise one billion dollars to help AIDS orphans whose numbers are expected to continue to swell until 2010, an official said Wednesday.
Uganda insists AIDS deaths in decline: Agence France-Presse - September 22, 2004; KAMPALA, Sept 22 (AFP) - AIDS-related deaths have declined in Uganda from 100,000 in 2001 to 70,000 last year, Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) chief Kihumuro Apulli said on Wednesday.
GlaxoSmithKline allows Kenyan firm to make cheap AIDS drugs: Agence France-Presse - September 22, 2004; NAIROBI, Sept 22 (AFP) - British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline on Wednesday agreed to allow a Kenyan firm to start manufacturing generic copies of its patented AIDS drugs.
Thailand hands over AIDS drugs to Myanmar: Agence France-Presse - September 22, 2004; BANGKOK, Sept 22 (AFP) - Thailand handed over a million condoms and anti-retroviral drugs to Myanmar on Wednesday to help combat a growing AIDS crisis under the military-run regime.
Swazis discuss new constitution: Agence France-Presse - September 21, 2004; LUDZIDZINI, Swaziland, Sept 21 (AFP) - Thousands of people gathered in the small kingdom of Swaziland on Tuesday for the first public talks on the country's long-awaited new constitution, criticised by pro-democracy groups for not curbing the king's powers.
Annan, Bush clash in sombre start to UN meeting: Marc Carnegie; Agence France-Presse - September 21, 2004; UNITED NATIONS, Sept 21 (AFP) - The United Nations annual debate opened in sombre mood on Tuesday with a clash between George W. Bush's vision of global security and Kofi Annan's warnings about the collapse of international law.
California 'govern-ator' Schwarzenegger OKs sale of clean needles: Agence France-Presse - September 21, 2004; LOS ANGELES, Sept 21 (AFP) - AIDS activists on Tuesday praised California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for signing a bill allowing pharmacies to sell hypodermic needles to drug users in a bid to combat HIV and AIDS.
Dual fight against HIV and tuberculosis could save 500,000 Africans annually: Agence France-Presse - September 21, 2004; GENEVA, Sept 21 (AFP) - The lives of up to half a million AIDS sufferers in Africa could be saved each year if they were also treated for turberculosis, two UN agencies said on Tuesday.
India to hire private consultants to find out how many HIV-positive: Agence France-Presse - September 20, 2004; MADRAS, India, Sept 20 (AFP) - India will seek the help of private consultants to determine how many of its billion-plus population are HIV-positive after allegations its official estimate of 5.1 million is too low.
World leaders gather at UN in shadow of Iraq crisis: Marc Carnegie; Agence France-Presse - September 19, 2004; UNITED NATIONS, Sept 19 (AFP) - World leaders will gather at the United Nations for their annual debate on Tuesday with the aftershocks of the Iraq war still very much at the top of the international agenda.
HIV-positive Tunisian threatened with expulsion from France: Agence France-Presse - September 19, 2004; NANCY, France, Sept 19 (AFP) - A French rights group on Sunday condemned an official decision to expel an HIV-positive Tunisian who has lived in France for most of his life.
Increase in HIV infection in Singapore among gays: Agence France-Presse - September 19, 2004; SINGAPORE, Sept 19 (AFP) - The number of homosexuals infected with HIV, the virus that causes the deadly AIDS illness, is on the rise in Singapore, according to government statistics.
Uganda to put traditional healers in medical mainstream: Vincent Mayanja; Agence France-Presse - September 18, 2004; KAMPALA, Sept 18 (AFP) - The Ugandan government plans to include traditional and herbal healers in the general health sector by developing a national legal and regulatory framework within existing legislation, officials have said.
Activists urge African governments to outlaw female circumcision: Agence France-Presse - September 18, 2004; NAIROBI, Sept 18 (AFP) - Activists on Saturday intensified pressure on African governments to outlaw female circumcision, a custom that has afflicted up to 130 million women and children across the world.
California porn producers fined for allowing unsafe sex movies: Agence France-Presse - September 17, 2004; LOS ANGELES, Sept 17 (AFP) - California health authorities have slapped heavy fines on two pornography studios accused of allowing actors to perform unsafe sex, in the first such crackdown on the industry, officials said Friday.
Sacked HIV positive woman sues for discrimination in Kenya: Agence France-Presse - September 17, 2004; NAIROBI, Sept 17 (AFP) - A Kenyan HIV positive woman, who was allegedly sacked because of her status, has filed a case in the high court complaining that her former employer violated a constitutional ban on discrimination, her lawyer said Friday.
Britain's Prince Harry wants to carry on Diana's humanitarian work: Robert MacPherson; Agence France-Presse - September 17, 2004; LONDON, Sept 17 (AFP) - Prince Harry, who turned 20 this week, says in a documentary about his gap year in Lesotho that he wants to carry on the humanitarian work of his mother, the late Princess Diana.
Scarred Bond girl speaks out against female genital mutilation in Kenya: Bogonko Bosire; Agence France-Presse - September 17, 2004; NAIROBI, Sept 17 (AFP) - At the age of five, Waris Dirie was scarred for life by an extreme form of traditional genital mutilation. Now the Somali woman is using her fame as a Bond girl and model to speak out against the practice at a major conference in Nairobi.
US, Nigerian military in skills exchange training programme: Agence France-Presse - September 17, 2004; ABUJA, Sept 17 (AFP) - A small group of United States naval personnel is undergoing training with their Nigerian counterparts in the southeast of the country, the US public affairs department in Nigeria said Friday.
Half of Indian women married off by 15: government: Agence France-Presse - September 17, 2004; NEW DELHI, Sept 17 (AFP) - India has banned child weddings but half of the nation's women are still married off before the age of 15, according to a new government report obtained by AFP on Friday.
Nigeria pleads for relief for Africa's debt burden: Agence France-Presse - September 16, 2004; ABUJA, Sept 16 (AFP) - The vice president of Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, has pleaded for debt relief for the continent, an official statement said Thursday.
Mandela appoints Will Smith as global AIDS ambassador: Agence France-Presse - September 16, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Sept 16 (AFP) - Former South African president Nelson Mandela on Thursday appointed Hollywood actor and rap star Will Smith as a global ambassador for his 46664 AIDS awareness campaign, SABC television news reported.
WHO warns Asia it must take action or face AIDS epidemic: Agence France-Presse - September 16, 2004; SHANGHAI, Sept 16 (AFP) - AIDS in Asia could spread from high-risk groups to the general public and trigger a worsening crisis unless immediate measures are taken, the World Health Organization warned Thursday.
Indian president offers to help South Africa fight AIDS, poverty: Sivuyile Mangxamba; Agence France-Presse - September 15, 2004; CAPE TOWN, Sept 15 (AFP) - Indian President Abdul Kalam said Wednesday his country was ready to help South Africa battle AIDS and poverty as he embarked on a state visit aimed at deepening ties between the already close nations.
India sitting on AIDS "timebomb", says international funding agency chief: Agence France-Presse - September 15, 2004; NEW DELHI, Sept 15 (AFP) - India is sitting on top of a "grave, ticking HIV/AIDS timebomb," an international funding agency warned Wednesday, labelling official estimates of 5.1 million infections as "conservative."
WHO urges greater access to essential medicines for Asia's poor: Agence France-Presse - September 15, 2004; SHANGHAI, Sept 15 (AFP) - The World Health Organization (WHO) Wednesday said too many of Asia's sick are dying unnecessarily because they do not have access to essential medicines.
UN says more needed to fight population growth, poverty: Marc Carnegie; Agence France-Presse - September 15, 2004; UNITED NATIONS, Sept 15 (AFP) - A global effort to fight poverty with better population management that UN officials once hoped could "change the world" has made limited progress after one decade, a new UN study said on Wednesday.
India's first film on HIV/AIDS to hit Cannes Fest next year: Agence France-Presse - September 13, 2004; BOMBAY, Sept 13 (AFP) - The Indian film industry's first feature focusing on HIV/AIDS is likely to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival next year, the film's director said Monday.
WHO warns of Asian disease pandemics: Agence France-Presse - September 13, 2004; SHANGHAI, Sept 13 (AFP) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) opened a regional meeting here Monday calling for greater efforts in fighting potentially pandemic diseases in the region.
South African AIDS group wants government to disclose ARV plan: Agence France-Presse - September 13, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Sept 13 (AFP) - A South African AIDS lobby group is taking President Thabo Mbeki's government to court to force it to make public its targets and timetable for rolling out free anti-retrovirals, a lawyer said Monday.
Red Cross, Red Crescent conference adopts action plan for Africa: Agence France-Presse - September 13, 2004; ALGIERS, Sept 13 (AFP) - Delegates at the sixth Red Cross and Red Crescent conference on Africa adopted an action plan for the continent on Monday aimed at ensuring food security, fighting AIDS and reducing mortality due to famine.
Africa vulnerable to lurking menace of plague, say scientists: Stephanie Pailler; Agence France-Presse - September 11, 2004; ANTANANARIVO, Sept 11 (AFP) - Absorbed by myriad problems including the devastating rise of AIDS, scientists say African countries are neglecting the lurking threat of another, equally deadly disease: plague.
Sant'Egidio Dream project in Mozambique wins 1.3 million euro award: Agence France-Presse - September 10, 2004; ROME, Sept 10 (AFP) - The 1.3 million euro (1.6 million dollar) Balzan Prize for Humanity, Peace and Brotherhood among Peoples has been won by the Sant'Egidio Community for its Dream project aimed at` combating AIDS and denutrition in Mozambique, the International Balzan Foundation said in a statement Friday.
China, India at the tipping point in AIDS crisis, conference told: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - September 10, 2004; LONDON, Sept 10 (AFP) - China and India are at a crucial point in the fight against AIDS as the disease is poised to leap out of marginal infected groups and enter the mainstream population, experts said here Friday.
Major China decision looming on copycat AIDS drugs: Agence France-Presse - September 10, 2004; LONDON, Sept 10 (AFP) - China is mulling whether to invoke a controversial World Trade Organisation (WTO) deal on branded HIV drugs in order to combat its fast-growing AIDS epidemic, a top Chinese health official said here Friday.
Traditional healers swamp South Africa with drug applications: Agence France-Presse - September 10, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Sept 10 (AFP) - South Africa is processing some 13,000 applications to have traditional medicines -- some claimed to be AIDS cures -- listed as safe and effective, the Registrar of Medicines said Friday.
Hard-hit Chinese province doubles estimated HIV cases: Agence France-Presse - September 10, 2004; BEIJING, Sept 10 (AFP) - Almost 10 percent of the 280,000 people who sold blood samples in the central China province of Henan in the 1980s and 1990s are HIV positive, a news website reported on Friday.
USAID pledges 8.2 mln dollars to fight Ukraine's AIDS scourge: Agence France-Presse - September 9, 2004; KIEV, Sept 9 (AFP) - The US government's Agency for International Development (USAID) pledged Thursday more than eight million dollars (6.6 million euros) to finance a new project for fighting the rising scourge of AIDS in Ukraine.
AIDS is long-term threat to global security, experts warn: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - September 9, 2004; LONDON, Sept 9 (AFP) - AIDS is an enduring threat to world security, helping to pitch fragile, HIV-ravaged countries into turmoil and war and create potential havens for terrorists, a conference here was told on Thursday.
China to include AIDS prevention classes in all universities: Agence France-Presse - September 9, 2004; BEIJING, Sept 9 (AFP) - China will include AIDS prevention classes in the curriculum of all universities and secondary schools throughout the country from 2005, state media said Thursday.
Botswana AIDS activists criticise government election campaign: Agence France-Presse - September 8, 2004; GABORONE, Sept 8 (AFP) - Botswana AIDS organisations and opposition parties on Wednesday criticised the governing Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) for putting up billboards that link a vote for the BDP to free anti-AIDS drugs.
Red Cross formally opens key meeting on Africa in Algiers: Agence France-Presse - September 8, 2004; ALGIERS, Sept 8 (AFP) - The International Red Cross and Red Crescent on Thursday formally began their most important meeting on Africa -- held every four years -- on how to tackle AIDS, other diseases and hunger, officials said.
Red Cross begins key four-yearly meeting on Africa in Algiers: Agence France-Presse - September 8, 2004; ALGIERS, Sept 8 (AFP) - The international Red Cross began its most important meeting on Africa -- held every four years -- on Wednesday in Algeria to discuss how to tackle AIDS, other diseases and hunger, officials said.
WHO to provide care to 120,000 AIDS sufferers in Eastern Europe in 2005: Agence France-Presse - September 8, 2004; COPENHAGEN, Sept 8 (AFP) - The World Health Organization (WHO) will aim to provide AIDS treatment for 120,000 sufferers in eastern Europe and central Asia in 2005, the regional director for WHO's European office said on Wednesday.
AIDS worsens slowly but surely in Japan: Niels Planel; Agence France-Presse - September 8, 2004; TOKYO, Sept 8 (AFP) - For the last five years, gynecologist Tsuneo Akaeda has been venturing into the heart of Tokyo's clubland to raise the alarm over the spread of AIDS in Japan, a predicament he warns "is soon going to explode".
Alarm after blood donors test HIV-positive in India's Tripura state: Agence France-Presse - September 8, 2004; GUWAHATI, India, Sept 8 (AFP) - Almost 280 blood donors in India's northeastern state of Tripura have been found to be HIV-positive, raising fears that supplies from blood banks in the region could be infected, a government report said.
Licensed to heal: South Africa moves to recognize traditional healers: Jerome Cartillier; Agence France-Presse - September 8, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Sept 8 (AFP) - South Africa's 200,000 traditional healers are coming out of the shadows under new legislation that will bring them officially into the health care system and hopefully weed out the quacks.
Brunei wedding showcases royalty's enduring role in Asia: Martin Abbugao; Agence France-Presse - September 7, 2004; BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Sept 7 (AFP) - The lavish wedding of the heir to oil-rich Brunei's throne this week underscores the enduring importance of royal families in some Asian countries despite rapid modernisation.
Romania urged to guarantee education for HIV-positive, Gypsy children: Agence France-Presse - September 7, 2004; BUCHAREST, Sept 7 (AFP) - The UN's Children's Fund and the European Union on Tuesday called for an end to discrimination against HIV-positive and Gypsy children in Romanian schools.
China's Henan launches survey to find true extent of AIDS epidemic: Agence France-Presse - September 6, 2004; BEIJING, Sept 6 (AFP) - China's worst hit AIDS province, Henan, has initiated a wide-ranging survey of blood buying medical stations in an effort to credibly work out the extent of its AIDS epidemic, state press said Monday.
Swazi king picks 16-year-old girl as 12th wife: Agence France-Presse - September 5, 2004; MBABANE, Sept 5 (AFP) - Swazi King Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch, has picked a 16-year-old girl as his new wife, bringing to 12 the number of official spouses, sources in the royal household said Sunday.
Britain's Prince Harry makes Lesotho AIDS documentary: Agence France-Presse - September 5, 2004; LONDON, Sept 5 (AFP) - Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne and the youngest son of the late Princess Diana, has made a documentary film about the plight of the AIDS-stricken nation of Lesotho, a royal spokeswoman said.
Botswana parliament dissolved but no election date set: Agence France-Presse - September 3, 2004; GABORONE, Sept 3 (AFP) - President Festus Mogae of Botswana Friday dissolved parliament ahead of upcoming elections as opposition parties slammed the government for failing to announce a date for the polls.
Zambia declares AIDS emergency to produce generic drugs: Agence France-Presse - September 3, 2004; LUSAKA, Sept 3 (AFP) - The Zambian government on Friday declared a five-year emergency over the AIDS pandemic to allow for cheap generic anti-retroviral drugs to be produced locally.
Rwandan minister tells Sudan troops are to protect ceasefire team: Agence France-Presse - September 1, 2004; KHARTOUM, Sept 1 (AFP) - Rwandan Foreign Minister Charles Murigande assured Sudan's president on Wednesday that Rwandan troops in the troubled Darfur region were there to protect officials of the African Union ceasefire commission and not to police the region.
Zambian vice president takes AIDS test: Agence France-Presse - September 1, 2004; LUSAKA, Sept 1 (AFP) - Zambian Vice-President Nevers Mumba has taken an HIV test and urged others in this AIDS-afflicted southern African country to follow suit.

August

Tanzanian premier stresses role of traditional medicine: Agence France-Presse - August 31, 2004; DAR ES SALAAM, Aug 31 (AFP) - Tanzanian Prime Minister Frederick Sumaye on Tuesday deplored the practice of associating traditional medicine with witchcraft, instead of harnessing it for increased use in curing diseases.
Tanzanian president warns of complacency after free access to AIDS drugs: Agence France-Presse - August 31, 2004; DAR ES SALAAM, Aug 31 (AFP) - Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa said Tuesday his government will start distributing free anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs to people with HIV/AIDS from October, but warned against complacency to avoid new infections.
UN body urges women and youth to help researchers find AIDS vaccine: Agence France-Presse - August 31, 2004; GENEVA, Aug 31 (AFP) - Experts attending an international health conference in Switzerland urged women and young people on Tuesday to play a greater part in helping researchers to find a vaccine against AIDS and the HIV virus which causes it.
AIDS vaccine researchers appeal for boost in global funding: Agence France-Presse - August 30, 2004; GENEVA, Aug 30 (AFP) - Some 800 researchers gathered for an international AIDS conference in Switzerland called on Monday for up to 15 billion dollars (12.5 billion euros) over the next decade to develop a vaccine against AIDS.
Widespread rape, harassment still haunt Sudan's Darfur region: UN: Bogonko Bosire; Agence France-Presse - August 30, 2004; NAIROBI, Aug 30 (AFP) - Rape of women and girls and official harassment are still widespread in Sudan's western Darfur region, a senior United Nations official said here Monday, insisting that the government in Khartoum was not doing enough to protect displaced people.
Lesotho's central bank warns AIDS can roll back development: Agence France-Presse - August 30, 2004; MASERU, Aug 30 (AFP) - Nearly four decades of development in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho is under threat by the AIDS pandemic, the central bank warned in a report on Monday.
Swazi king angry at being listed among world's 10 worst dictators: Agence France-Presse - August 29, 2004; MBABANE, Aug 29 (AFP) - Africa's last absolute monarch, Swaziland's King Mswati III, has lashed out at being named one of the world's 10 worst dictators, a Mbabane-based newspaper reported Sunday.
Chinese law addresses AIDS for first time ever in legal amendments: Agence France-Presse - August 29, 2004; China's lawmakers have addressed the AIDS threat directly for the first time ever in a sign the government hopes to curb the disease before it becomes an epidemic, state media said Sunday.
Bollywood's first film on HIV/AIDS opens to slow business: Agence France-Presse - August 27, 2004; BOMBAY, Aug 27 (AFP) - The Indian film industry's first mainstream feature focusing on HIV/AIDS opened Friday to a lukewarm box office response, theatre owners said.
South African court rules in favor of cheaper drug prices: Agence France-Presse - August 27, 2004; CAPE TOWN, Aug 27 (AFP) - South African pharmaceutical companies lost a legal bid Friday to scrap the government's new drug pricing regulations, aimed at slashing the cost of essential medicines for the poor.
World Bank unveils 12 billion dollar plan to cut poverty in India: P. Parameswaran; Agence France-Presse - August 26, 2004; WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (AFP) - The World Bank unveiled plans Thursday to lend up to 12 billion dollars to India under a fresh four-year program beginning in 2005 to alleviate poverty in the world's second most populous nation.
Zimbabweans begin 100-hour dance record bid: Agence France-Presse - August 26, 2004; HARARE, Aug 26 (AFP) - Sixty Zimbabwean youths Thursday began a bid to dance their way into the Guinness Book of Records by staging what they hope will be the world's longest dance party, an AFP reporter witnessed.
Kenyan could give drugs to 181,000 AIDS patients in 2005: minister: Agence France-Presse - August 26, 2004; NAIROBI, Aug 26 (AFP) - The Kenyan government hopes to put some 181,000 AIDS patients in anti-retroviral (ARVs) treatment by next year if a healthcare bill currently in parliament is passed, an official statement said on Thursday.
South Africa's 'Yesterday' film shows pain of AIDS in Zululand: Grant Clark; Agence France-Presse - August 26, 2004; DURBAN, South Africa, Aug 26 (AFP) - It may be hailed as a moving piece of cinematic fiction but for millions of South Africans, its a frighteningly real story unfolding daily in the poverty-stricken countryside.
Indonesia urged to change attitudes towards gays in anti-AIDS drive: Agence France-Presse - August 26, 2004; JAKARTA, Aug 26 (AFP) - Clerics and officials in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-populated country, must change their attitudes towards homosexuals if it is to be successful in tackling HIV/AIDS, campaigners said Thursday.
Mozambique hit by bovine tuberculosis outbreak: Agence France-Presse - August 26, 2004; MAPUTO, Aug 26 (AFP) - Thousands of cattle in Mozambique's central Sofala province have been hit by an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis which can also affect humans if they eat contaminated meat, a provincial governor said Thursday.
HIV-AIDS is a disease, not a social evil: Vietnamese President: Agence France-Presse - August 25, 2004; HANOI, Aug 25 (AFP) - Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong Wednesday criticised local authorities for lack of awareness about HIV/AIDS and urged people to consider it as a disease and not a social evil.
Zambian bishops say AIDS is wreaking havoc in education: Agence France-Presse - August 25, 2004; LUSAKA, Aug 25 (AFP) - Ten Zambian Roman Catholic bishops Wednesday warned the government that AIDS and poor funding had severely affected the school system in the poor southern African country and urged speedy intervention.
China's AIDS orphans in dire need of efficient medication: Agence France-Presse - August 25, 2004; BEIJING, Aug 25 (AFP) - China's 76,000 AIDS orphans -- children who have lost one or both of their parents and are suffering from the lethal condition themselves -- are in dire need of medication, state media said Wednesday.
UN food agency says AIDS threatens Mozambique agriculture: Agence France-Presse - August 24, 2004; ROME, Aug 24 (AFP) - The UN food agency warned Tuesday that HIV-AIDS was threatening subsistence agriculture in Mozambique, and the country's food supply, with "long-term decline", and the trend is being repeated across southern and eastern Africa where the disease has hit hardest.
US pledges more aid to Nigeria to fight HIV-AIDS: Agence France-Presse - August 23, 2004; ABUJA, Aug 23 (AFP) - The United States is committed to offering more assistance to Nigeria in the global fight against HIV-AIDS, US Senator Chuck Hagel said Monday here.
Row erupts in Malaysia over marital rape: Agence France-Presse - August 23, 2004; KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 (AFP) - A row erupted Monday over comments made by Muslim leaders in Malaysia that a husband could not be guilty of raping his wife.
Australian discovery offers new hope of a hepatitis C vaccine: Agence France-Presse - August 23, 2004; SYDNEY, Aug 23 (AFP) - A vaccine to combat hepatitis C could be a decade away after Australian scientists discovered a naturally occurring antibody that immunises people at high risk against the potentially fatal disease.
Chinese city issues first local AIDS prevention regulation: Agence France-Presse - August 21, 2004; BEIJING, Aug 21 (AFP) - East China's Jiangsu province has become the first local government in the country to adopt a regulation to promote HIV/AIDS prevention and prohibit discrimination against sufferers, state media said Saturday.
Zimbabwe publishes bill banning rights groups: Agence France-Presse - August 20, 2004; HARARE, Aug 20 (AFP) - Zimbabwe's government Friday published a bill that, if passed by parliament, would see international human rights groups barred from the country and foreign funding cut off to local rights groups.
First-ever Bollywood film on HIV/AIDS wins rare praise from UN: Agence France-Presse - August 20, 2004; BOMBAY, Aug 20 (AFP) - India's Bollywood, known for its popcorn fare of romance and thrillers, has won rare praise from the United Nations for choosing for the first time to focus on HIV/AIDS in a mainstream film.
US falls short of full contribution to Global Fund to Fight AIDS: Agence France-Presse - August 20, 2004; WASHINGTON, Aug 20 (AFP) - Unless the rest of the world contributes at least 1.1 billion dollars (800 million euros) to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, the United States will not make its full contribution this year, said the US president's global AIDS coordinator Randall Tobias.
Delhi double murder reveals intolerance for homosexuals: rights activists: Bryan Pearson; Agence France-Presse - August 20, 2004; NEW DELHI, Aug 20 (AFP) - It had all the elements of an enthralling murder mystery: naked and near-naked bodies of two lovers, pools of blood, multiple stabwounds and sexual adventure gone horribly wrong at a posh Delhi address.
Rwandan troops in Darfur denounced as AIDS carriers: press: Agence France-Presse - August 19, 2004; KHARTOUM, Aug 19 (AFP) - The 150 Rwandan troops who form part of the first contingent of an African Union-led force in the war-torn region of Darfur were denounced Thursday in the Sudanese press as AIDS carriers and agents of ethnic cleansing.
Ghana registers nearly 11 million ahead of December polls: Agence France-Presse - August 19, 2004; ACCRA, Aug 19 (AFP) - Nearly 11 million of Ghana's 20 million citizens have registered to vote in December elections, which carry a price tag of some 24 million dollars (19.4 million euros), electoral officials said Thursday.
At least 80 percent of China's 30 million gays will marry: Agence France-Presse - August 19, 2004; SHANGHAI, Aug 19 (AFP) - At least 80 percent of China's estimated 30 million gays have already married members of the opposite sex or will do so in the near future, health officials said Thursday.
China admits illegal blood collection still a problem: Agence France-Presse - August 19, 2004; BEIJING, Aug 19 (AFP) - China has admitted that illegal blood sales, one of the main causes of its spiralling AIDS problem, are still rampant despite being outlawed in 1996, state media reported Thursday.
New test keeps US blood supply safer from AIDS, hepatitis: study: Agence France-Presse - August 18, 2004; WASHINGTON, Aug 18 (AFP) - A new method of screening for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C is making the US blood supply safer, according to a study released Wednesday.
One in 11 adults living with AIDS in the world is Nigerian: minister: Agence France-Presse - August 18, 2004; ABUJA, Aug 18 (AFP) - Around one in 11 adults living with AIDS in the world is a Nigerian, Health Minister Eyitayo Lambo said Wednesday as he appealed for foreign cash to help fight the disease.
Papua New Guinea, the world's next AIDS frontier: David Millikin; Agence France-Presse - August 17, 2004; PORT MORESBY, Aug 17 (AFP) - The old man lay unattended in the shack which served as a morgue for the General Hospital in Mount Hagen, a busy town in the restive highlands of central Papua New Guinea.
UN agency concerned over Nepal arrest of 39 gay rights campaigners: Agence France-Presse - August 16, 2004; GENEVA, Aug 16 (AFP) - A UN agency expressed concern Monday about the arrest of 39 members of a gay rights group in Nepal and urged the government to ensure other advocacy workers providing AIDS advice are able to work freely.
Zimbabwe's civic groups vow to fight tough new law: Susan Njanji; Agence France-Presse - August 16, 2004; HARARE, Aug 16 (AFP) - Civic and non-governmental groups in Zimbabwe have vowed to fight a tough new law proposed by the government, which could see them de-registered and cut off from much-needed foreign funding.
Thai monks teaching regional brethren to fight HIV/AIDS: Jack Barton; Agence France-Presse - August 15, 2004; CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Aug 15 (AFP) - His chanting and prostration complete, Lao Buddhist monk Phra Kornkan Chanthamaitry straightens his robe and prepares for the day's main task -- training to become a frontline fighter against HIV/AIDS.
Ireland warns Ugandan war threatens to hold back achievements: Agence France-Presse - August 12, 2004; KAMPALA, Aug 12 (AFP) - The civil war in northern Uganda threatens to stifle democratic achievements, Ireland, a major donor to the east African country, warned Thursday in a parliamentary report.
Zimbabwe's NGO bill will hurt ordinary persons more, says group: Agence France-Presse - August 12, 2004; HARARE, Aug 12 (AFP) - A bill that would ban human rights groups in Zimbabwe and cut off overseas funding to non-governmental organisations will hit ordinary Zimbabweans hard, an association of NGOs said Thursday.
Nepal to charge gay rights campaigners with 'perversion': Agence France-Presse - August 12, 2004; KATHMANDU, Aug 12 (AFP) - Thirty-nine members of a gay rights group who were rounded up in police raids on bars and clubs in Nepal face charges of spreading perversion, police said.
Australia to open a breast milk bank to help premature babies, ageing mums: Agence France-Presse - August 12, 2004; MELBOURNE, Australia, Aug 12 (AFP) - Australia's first breast milk bank will open for business next year to meet a growing demand from ageing mothers and premature babies, the centre's founder said Thursday.
Australia tackles its riskiest Pacific rescue effort: David Millikin; Agence France-Presse - August 12, 2004; PORT MORESBY, Aug 12 (AFP) - Australia will this week launch a high-risk campaign aimed at bringing law and order to one of the world's most dangerous places when police and civil servants begin arriving in the Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG).
South Africa wants to test AIDS vaccine on teenagers: Agence France-Presse - August 12, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Aug 12 (AFP) - South Africa hopes to begin testing a preventative AIDS vaccine on teenagers under a new program announced Thursday that targets the group highest at risk.
Cambodia PM orders halt to HIV vaccine trial: Agence France-Presse - August 12, 2004; PHNOM PENH, Aug 12 (AFP) - Cambodian sex workers on Thursday hailed a decision by Prime Minister Hun Sen to halt a planned Bill Gates-funded HIV human vaccine trial.
Release of gay, transgender rights advocates in Nepal demanded: Agence France-Presse - August 11, 2004; NEW YORK, Aug 11 (AFP) - A leading international human rights group on Wednesday demanded that Nepalese authorities should release 39 members of a group defending the rights of gay and trasgender people.
Roger Moore condemns Beijing hotels, schools for turning away "AIDS orphans": Agence France-Presse - August 11, 2004; BEIJING, Aug 11 (AFP) - Actor Roger Moore, goodwill ambassador of UNICEF, on Wednesday lashed out at the Beijing hotels and schools which have turned away a group of 71 "AIDS orphans" who came to the Chinese capital for a summer camp.
US general in Namibia to boost security cooperation: Agence France-Presse - August 11, 2004; WINDHOEK, Aug 11 (AFP) - The top US air commander for Europe held talks with Namibian leaders on Wednesday on enhancing security cooperation with the southern African country.
Zambia puts more than 12,000 AIDS sufferers on drugs: Agence France-Presse - August 10, 2004; LUSAKA, Aug 10 (AFP) - Zambia is providing partly subsidised AIDS drugs to more than 12,000 sufferers as part of its longterm goal to have 100,000 patients on life-prolonging treatment by next year, the health minister said Tuesday.
South African vice president opens official visit to Cape Verde: Agence France-Presse - August 10, 2004; PRAIA, Aug 10 (AFP) - South African Vice President Jacob Zuma opened a two-day official visit to Cape Verde on Tuesday aiming to reinforce relations between the island nation and Africa's largest economy.
Bulgarian nurses in Libyan AIDS case harrassed in jail: report: Agence France-Presse - August 10, 2004; SOFIA, Aug 10 (AFP) - Five Bulgarian nurses convicted by a Libyan court of deliberately infecting children with AIDS are complaining of harrassment by their fellow detainees, a Bulgarian press report said Tuesday.
AIDS activist released in China as village doctor arrested: Agence France-Presse - August 10, 2004; BEIJING, Aug 10 (AFP) - An AIDS activist who went missing in central China has been released, but a popular village doctor was arrested for handing out too much medicine to sufferers, a Beijing-based group said Tuesday.
Beijing hotels, schools turn away "AIDS orphans": Agence France-Presse - August 10, 2004; BEIJING, Aug 10 (AFP) - Beijing's hotels and schools have turned away a group of 71 "AIDS orphans" who came to the Chinese capital for a five-day summer camp, state media said Tuesday, blasting the move as discriminatory.
China's adult toy business wants to bare all: Benjamin Morgan; Agence France-Presse - August 9, 2004; SHANGHAI, Aug 9 (AFP) - Wu Wei, president of one of China's largest makers of adult sex toys, says it is only a matter of time before couples accept "marital aids" as being "just like drinking water".
Another AIDS activist goes missing in China: Agence France-Presse - August 9, 2004; BEIJING, Aug 9 (AFP) - A leading Chinese AIDS activist has gone missing in central Henan province, activists said Monday, accusing local government officials of abducting him to cover up a debilitating AIDS epidemic.
"Indian Muppet" to feature in new version of Sesame Street: Agence France-Presse - August 9, 2004; NEW DELHI, Aug 9 (AFP) - Children in India will soon be able to see a new version of popular television show Sesame Street featuring an "Indian Muppet", the US embassy here said Monday.
Only 8.7 percent of Chinese up to speed on AIDS: survey: Agence France-Presse - August 9, 2004; BEIJING, Aug 9 (AFP) - Just 8.7 percent of Chinese people are fully knowledgable about transmission and prevention of AIDS -- a problem that is fuelling the spread of the disease, according to a study released Monday.
King orders compassion for HIV positive in isolated Bhutan: Agence France-Presse - August 8, 2004; NEW DELHI, Aug 8 (AFP) - The king of Bhutan has issued an edict ordering compassion for HIV-positive people in a new AIDS-control measure in the isolated Himalayan state which has been largely spared by the epidemic, state media said Sunday.
Pacific summit ends endorsing plans on HIV/AIDS, Nauru: Agence France-Presse - August 7, 2004; APIA, Aug 7 (AFP) - Sixteen Pacific nations, among the smallest and poorest in the world, ended an annual summit here Saturday after endorsing a plan to fight HIV/AIDS and agreeing to find a way to help bankrupt Nauru.
South African Zulu leader reveals daughter died of AIDS: Agence France-Presse - August 7, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Aug 7 (AFP) - Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the veteran Zulu leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), on Saturday made an emotional appeal for South Africa to do more to halt the AIDS pandemic when he revealed his own daughter had died of the disease.
Two Chinese HIV patients released a month after arrest for helping orphans: Agence France-Presse - August 7, 2004; BEIJING, Aug 7 (AFP) - Two Chinese HIV-positive protesters arrested in July for helping children in central China orphaned by the epidemic were released after spending nearly a month in detention with little food, Beijing-based activists said Saturday.
Pacific leaders endorse vigorous new AIDS strategy: Agence France-Presse - August 6, 2004; SINELAI, Samoa, Aug 6 (AFP) - Leaders of 14 Pacific nation, which are among the world's smallest and poorest, agreed Friday at a summit here with Australia and New Zealand to a regional HIV/AIDS strategy in a bid to avoid an epidemic.
IMF chief urges Africa to reform to benefit from world economic growth: Agence France-Presse - August 6, 2004; ENTEBBE, Uganda, Aug 6 (AFP) - Africa must continue its path of economic reform to benefit from current global economic growth, IMF chief Rodrigo de Rato said on Friday.
Struggling Pacific nations seeking way out of political and economic mess: Michael Field; Agence France-Presse - August 5, 2004; APIA, Aug 5 (AFP) - Leaders of 14 Pacific Island nations, which are among the world's poorest and smallest, begin a summit with Australia and New Zealand here Friday, hoping to devise a strategy to promote better governance in the troubled region.
Guyana introduces legislation to fight trafficking in persons, protect US aid: Agence France-Presse - August 5, 2004; GEORGETOWN, Aug 5 (AFP) - Guyana, seeking to avoid the loss of US aid, on Thursday introduced legislation in parliament that would punish human trafficking with penalities ranging up to life in prison.
More young Germans having unprotected sex: report: Agence France-Presse - August 5, 2004; COLOGNE, Germany, Aug 5 (AFP) - An increasing number of young Germans are having unprotected sex despite figures showing that the use of condoms has helped stop thousands of cases of HIV, according to a report released Thursday.
Unsafe injections cause of 390,000 premature deaths in China: Agence France-Presse - August 5, 2004; BEIJING, Aug 5 (AFP) - Unsafe injections have led to a total of 390,000 premature deaths in China, the health ministry said Thursday, according to state media.
Slum-dweller sets Indian example by taking HIV-positive orphan: Bhagwan Singh; Agence France-Presse - August 5, 2004; MADRAS, India, Aug 5 (AFP) - An Indian slum dweller has opened her heart and home to an HIV-positive orphan, setting an example in a country where AIDS victims are shunned despite having the world's second-largest number of cases.
South African auto workers in wage deal after three-month deadlock: Agence France-Presse - August 4, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, Aug 4 (AFP) - More than 20,000 automobile workers in South Africa Wednesday signed a new wage deal with their employers after a three-month deadlock, averting a threatened strike.
Japan grants Kenya nine million dollars for health projects: Agence France-Presse - August 4, 2004; NAIROBI, Aug 4 (AFP) - Japan has donated 727 million Kenyan shillings (nine million dollars) to help control infectious and parasitic diseases, Japan's ambassador to Kenya, Makoto Asami, said on Wednesday.
Nigerian parents still refusing polio vaccine in Muslim north: Aminu Abubakar; Agence France-Presse - August 4, 2004; KANO, Nigeria, Aug 4 (AFP) - A renewed drive to immunise Nigerian children living amid the world's worst outbreak of polio has run into fierce opposition from parents and Islamic teachers, health workers here told AFP.
Pacific mired in economic, political mismanagement: Samoa: Michael Field; Agence France-Presse - August 3, 2004; APIA, Aug 3 (AFP) - South Pacific nations continue to be held back by political and economic mismanagement and are no better off now than they were almost two decades ago, a Samoan minister said Tuesday.
17 Thai women arrested in Taiwan as police say prostitution ring smashed: Agence France-Presse - August 3, 2004; TAIPEI, Aug 3 (AFP) - Police in Taiwan said Tuesday they had cracked a Thai prostitution ring after arresting 17 women, many of whom had travelled to the island through phoney marriages arranged by match-making agencies.
Cambodian PM sides with sex workers on HIV vaccine trial spat: Agence France-Presse - August 3, 2004; PHNOM PENH, Aug 3 (AFP) - Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday urged Cambodians to opt out of a Bill Gates-funded HIV vaccine trial claiming Asia's worst-hit nation was not a test bed for "out-of-date" technologies.
UN rights expert criticises Thailand over drugs policy: Agence France-Presse - August 3, 2004; BANGKOK, Aug 3 (AFP) - The United Nations special rapporteur on health rights expressed his concern Tuesday that Thailand's violent anti-drug strategy drove users underground and threatened to spread HIV/AIDS.
China to provide free condoms to HIV/AIDS patients: Agence France-Presse - August 2, 2004; BEIJING, Aug 2 (AFP) - Struggling to contain a looming public health catastrophe, the Chinese government Monday said it would provide free condoms to all sufferers of HIV/AIDS, state media reported.
China to send modern-day "barefoot doctors" to boost rural healthcare: Agence France-Presse - August 2, 2004; BEIJING, Aug 2 (AFP) - Residents in China's poverty-stricken countryside will soon benefit from basic healthcare provided by mobile hospitals, state media reported Monday.
IMF chief in Nigeria Monday for talks on HIV-AIDS: Agence France-Presse - August 1, 2004; LAGOS, Aug 1 (AFP) - International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Rodrigo Rato will arrive in Nigeria on Monday for two days of high-level talks on the country's economy and its programme to combat the scourge of HIV-AIDS, an IMF spokesman said.
Two HIV patients detained as Chinese officials seek to silence protest: Agence France-Presse - August 1, 2004; BEIJING, Aug 1 (AFP) - Two HIV-positive protesters in central China's AIDS-ravaged Henan province have spent weeks in jail as local authorities seek to stop protests about inadequate healthcare, a Beijing-based activist said Sunday.

July

Northern Uganda under siege from AIDS and rebels: UN special AIDS envoy: Agence France-Presse - July 31, 2004; KAMPALA, July 31 (AFP) - The UN Secretary General's envoy for AIDS in Africa said Saturday the population in northern Uganda was besieged by two enemies -- an 18-year-old rebel conflict and the AIDS pandemic.
Tanzanian president Mkapa drums up campaign against malaria: Agence France-Presse - July 31, 2004; DAR ES SALAAM, July 31 (AFP) - Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa has urged for increased effort in the fight against malaria, saying that in Tanzania, as in many other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the disease is killing more people than HIV/AIDS.
Leaders call for action, critics dismiss Asia summit as photo op: Agence France-Presse - July 31, 2004; BANGKOK, July 31 (AFP) - Asian leaders representing 1.3 billion people closed their first ever summit here Saturday with a united call for joint economic action but few concrete agreements other than a name change.
India failing to protect HIV/AIDS affected children: Human Rights Watch: Agence France-Presse - July 29, 2004; NEW DELHI, July 29 (AFP) - An international rights group Thursday accused India of failing to protect children affected by HIV/AIDS, saying they face widespread abuses including being denied entry to schools.
DNA research timeline: Agence France-Presse - July 29, 2004; LOS ANGELES, July 29 (AFP) - Major events in the history of DNA research whose structure was finally uncovered by Francis Crick, a British scientist who has died aged 88.
Asian leaders meet to build momentum for economic cooperation: Agence France-Presse - July 29, 2004; BANGKOK, July 29 (AFP) - The first summit of leaders from seven Asian nations representing 1.3 billion people starts here Friday to rejuvenate the slow process towards a free trade area by 2017.
Merck grants South Africa generic AIDS medication license: Agence France-Presse - July 29, 2004; MUNICH, Germany, July 29 (AFP) - US pharmaceutical giant Merck said Thursday it had granted a license to a South African company to produce a cheaper generic version of its AIDS medication Efavirenz.
Swaziland urged to restore court: Agence France-Presse - July 29, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, July 29 (AFP) - Amnesty International urged King Mswati II of Swaziland on Thursday to resolve an ongoing crisis over the resignation two years ago of appeal court judges in the southern African kingdom.
Brazil and Gabon sign health, cooperation deal: Agence France-Presse - July 28, 2004; LIBREVILLE, July 28 (AFP) - Brazil on Wednesday agreed to provide the central African state of Gabon with anti-retroviral drugs to fight AIDS and to help tackle malaria, at the end of a presidential visit to Libreville.
New treatment for patients with hepatitis C and AIDS: study: Agence France-Presse - July 28, 2004; WASHINGTON, July 28 (AFP) - Hepatitis C can be treated effectively in patients who also suffer from HIV/AIDS without compromising HIV treatments, according to a study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Risky sex, delays blamed for rise in sexually transmitted diseases in Britain: Agence France-Presse - July 27, 2004; LONDON, July 27 (AFP) - Public health officials on Tuesday blamed risky sex and long delays in patient treatment for a worrying long-term rise in sexually transmitted diseases in Britain.
Bulgaria rejects Libyan proposal for deal over death row AIDS nurses: Agence France-Presse - July 27, 2004; SOFIA, July 27 (AFP) - Bulgaria on Tuesday rejected a Libyan proposal for a deal to save five Bulgarian nurses convicted of deliberately infecting children with AIDS from a firing squad and insisted that they were innocent.
Indian AIDS children face segregation in government-aided school: Jay Shankar; Agence France-Presse - July 27, 2004; KOTTIYOOR, India, July 27 (AFP) - After fighting villagers and government officials for a year, 31-year-old T.K. Rema says she has won her battle to gain school admission for her HIV/AIDS-infected children -- but not yet the war.
Cape Verde to offer free HIV drug treatment: Agence France-Presse - July 26, 2004; LISBON, July 26 (AFP) - The government of Cape Verde said Monday it would start offering HIV-positive people free anti-retroviral drugs, which prolong the lives of those infected with the virus, starting in December.
Belgian dies swallowing cocaine in Peru: Agence France-Presse - July 26, 2004; LIMA, July 26 (AFP) - A Belgian man died after at least one of the 80 capsules of cocaine he had swallowed burst in his stomach before he could fly to Holland with them, Peru's anti-drug police said Monday.
Libyan FM calls for Sofia to negotiate with families for death row nurses: Agence France-Presse - July 26, 2004; TRIPOLI, July 26 (AFP) - Foreign Minister Abdelrahman Shalgham called Monday for Sofia to negotiate with victims' families on behalf of five Bulgarian nurses condemned to death by a Libyan court over an AIDS-poisoning case.
Nepal gay rights group fights possible ban: Kedar Man Singh; Agence France-Presse - July 26, 2004; KATHMANDU, July 26 (AFP) - A group championing the rights of homosexuals in conservative Nepal is frantically seeking international support to help it stave off a possible judicial ban, its president told AFP.
China conducts its first survey on homosexuals and AIDS: Agence France-Presse - July 26, 2004; BEIJING, July 26 (AFP) - An unprecedented survey on homosexuals and homosexual HIV carriers is being carried out in northeastern China, as the country struggles to contain an AIDS explosion, state media reported Monday.
Global AIDS Fund turns down Zimbabwe's appeal for money: Agence France-Presse - July 25, 2004; HARARE, July 25 (AFP) - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has turned down a Zimbabwean application for a multimillion-dollar grant because of "political" reasons, the country's health minister was quoted as saying Sunday.
ADB lends 37.1 mln dlrs for road connecting Mongolia to China: Agence France-Presse - July 24, 2004; MANILA, July 24 (AFP) - The Asian Development Bank said Saturday it is extending a loan of 37.1 million dollars to help develop a road linking Mongolia to China.
UN special AIDS envoy in week-long visit to Uganda: Agence France-Presse - July 24, 2004; KAMPALA, July 24 (AFP) - The United Nations secretary general's envoy for AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis, is on Sunday to start a week-long visit to Uganda, which will take him to the war-torn north, the UN said.
US asked to forge concerted strategy to combat AIDS in Asia: P. Parameswaran; Agence France-Presse - July 21, 2004; WASHINGTON, July 21 (AFP) - The United Nations asked the United States Wednesday to pour more resources to fighting AIDS in Asia, warning that the region was fast approaching a "critical tipping point."
Anthrax a major killer in chimpanzee colony: Agence France-Presse - July 21, 2004; PARIS, July 21 (AFP) - Anthrax has ripped through a colony of chimpanzees in West Africa, providing fresh evidence as to how rare primate species can be destroyed by outbreaks of exotic disease and a warning for humans who live in proximity to them.
Haiti promised 1.1 billion dollars in aid: Antonio Rodriguez; Agence France-Presse - July 20, 2004; WASHINGTON, July 20 (AFP) - International donors on Tuesday promised violence-ravaged Haiti 1.085 billion dollars in reconstruction aid to help the country overcome a debilitating crisis -- a pledge that exceeds earlier forecasts by 161 million dollars.
Denmark to grant Tanzania 93 million dollars for health: Agence France-Presse - July 20, 2004; DAR ES SALAAM, July 20 (AFP) - Denmark is to grant Tanzania 560 million kroners (93 million dollars or 75 million euros) to support healthcare services, following an agreement signed in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, an official said.
AIDS expert says vaccine will take five years to reach clinical use: Agence France-Presse - July 20, 2004; BEIJING, July 20 (AFP) - AIDS expert David Ho, who is visiting China, said it would take at least another five years for the AIDS vaccine he is researching to be put into clinical use, according to reports Tuesday.
Thai public backs drug campaign despite worldwide condemnation: Agence France-Presse - July 19, 2004; BANGKOK, July 19 (AFP) - The Thai public overwhelmingly backed the government's brutal and widely criticised anti-drug crackdown last year that left up to 3,000 people dead, according to a university poll Monday.
Myanmar blames Britain for its woes: Agence France-Presse - July 19, 2004; YANGON, July 19 (AFP) - Myanmar's military-run regime on Monday blamed its former colonial master Britain for all its woes, from HIV/AIDS to economic ruin, despite winning independence more than 50 years ago.
Sex education to start in kindergarten for Chinese kids: Agence France-Presse - July 19, 2004; BEIJING, July 19 (AFP) - With an AIDS timebomb ticking, at least one Chinese province has decided that sex education needs to be taught from kindergarten onwards.
23 years on, HIV-positive activist still cheating death: Michael Mathes; Agence France-Presse - July 18, 2004; BANGKOK, July 18 (AFP) - By any measure, Mark Milano should be a dead man. Yet 23 years after contracting HIV, the activist has defied the odds to stay one step ahead of the virus that has killed nearly all of its early victims and is ravaging the developing world.
Delegates fear lumbering AIDS roadshow fails to hit message: Jack Barton; Agence France-Presse - July 18, 2004; BANGKOK, July 18 (AFP) - As the dust settles on the world's largest ever AIDS conference, debate raged Sunday over whether the part-summit-part-carnival was an effective tool in fighting the virus or an unwieldy bureaucratic giant.
Fight against AIDS has largely failed: AIDS conference leaders: Agence France-Presse - July 17, 2004; BANGKOK, July 17 (AFP) - Political, religious and social leaders at the world AIDS forum on Friday painted a bleak picture of the campaign against the global pandemic, describing failure, cowardice and complacency at almost every turn in the 23-year-old tale.
US the world's biggest provider of condoms for AIDS-hit nations: Powell: Agence France-Presse - July 16, 2004; WASHINGTON, July 16 (AFP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell said Friday that United States is the world's biggest provider of condoms for poor countries hard-hit by AIDS, seeking to deflect criticism that US policies to combat the disease are overly focused on abstinence.
South Africa dicusses lack of burial space due to AIDS deaths: Agence France-Presse - July 16, 2004; DURBAN, July 16 (AFP) - South Africa's eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, worst-hit by AIDS in the country, faces a lack of burial space due the growing number of deaths from the disease, officials warned at a two-day conference that ended Friday.
Priorities now clearer in fight against AIDS after Bangkok conference: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 16, 2004; BANGKOK, July 16 (AFP) - A six-day council on the world's AIDS crisis has blown away much of the fog of the war against the pandemic, exposing priorities that until now have been ignored or smothered by the battle for money.
AIDS conference ends with calls for cash and commitment: Jack Barton; Agence France-Presse - July 16, 2004; BANGKOK, July 16 (AFP) - The leaders of the world's fight against AIDS called for renewed political and financial impetus to counter its inexorable march on Friday as they expressed their shame that 38 million people were still living with HIV.
Sonia Gandhi says India can and will control AIDS: Agence France-Presse - July 16, 2004; BANGKOK, July 16 (AFP) - India's ruling Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi told a world AIDS conference Friday that India, the country with the second largest number of HIV cases, will meet the challenge of its growing crisis.
I cannot rest until tide of AIDS has turned: Mandela: Agence France-Presse - July 16, 2004; BANGKOK, July 16 (AFP) - Nelson Mandela, two days away from his 86th birthday, declared on Friday he could never take his rest until he felt sure AIDS was being vanquished.
Human rights abuses fuelling AIDS pandemic: Amnesty: Agence France-Presse - July 16, 2004; BANGKOK, July 16 (AFP) - Government refusal to recognise the AIDS pandemic as a human rights crisis is fuelling its spread and putting vulnerable groups like migrant workers at greater risk, Amnesty International told the world AIDS forum Friday.
EU hits back in funding row with US over AIDS war chest: Agence France-Presse - July 16, 2004; BANGKOK, July 16 (AFP) - The European Union fired back Friday against complaints by the United States that it was having to bankroll the fight against AIDS.
US slashes funding to UN agency over China abortion links: P. Parameswaran; Agence France-Presse - July 16, 2004; WASHINGTON, July 16 (AFP) - The United States announced Friday it was withholding funding for the third consecutive year to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) over charges the money was used for forced abortions under China's strict population policies.
"People's Global Fund" launched in Bangkok: Agence France-Presse - July 16, 2004; BANGKOK, July 16 (AFP) - It was born in a blaze of publicity at the International AIDS Conference on Friday, given the grandest name with which to start life -- but, for the moment, has just a cardboard box to call home.
Global AIDS activists say summit has jolted Asia from AIDS slumber: Agence France-Presse - July 16, 2004; BANGKOK, July 16 (AFP) - Activists who heckled speakers and disrupted events at a global AIDS summit said Friday the event had awoken Asia to its spiralling health crisis.
World AIDS forum draws to close with call to arms: Jack Barton; Agence France-Presse - July 16, 2004; BANGKOK, July 16 (AFP) - The global AIDS forum closes Friday with rallying cries to the world to unite against the pandemic and to demand its leaders take on the challenge.
Building Mandela's humanitarian legacy: Carole Landry; Agence France-Presse - July 16, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, July 16 (AFP) - As Nelson Mandela fades from public view, his political legacy intact, work on his humanitarian legacy is taking off with plans to pour millions of dollars into improving lives in South Africa and beyond.
Strike, protests threaten South African motor industry: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, July 15 (AFP) - More than 20,000 auto workers in South Africa will launch an unlimited strike next week unless their salaries are raised and AIDS treatment is provided for HIV-positive staff, a leading trade union said Thursday.
Once in denial, China comes out at international AIDS conference: Cindy Sui; Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - To those familiar with China's history of dealing with HIV/AIDS, its considerable presence at the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok this week represents a sea change.
Myanmar's neighbors need to help in its democratization: Annan: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; UNITED NATIONS, July 15 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said Thailand and neighboring Asian nations had a "responsibility" to help military-ruled Myanmar speed up democratic reform, a UN spokesman said Thursday.
Mandela to world chiefs: show leadership on AIDS crisis: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - World statesman Nelson Mandela on Thursday branded the AIDS pandemic a crisis which touched humanity at its core and needed money, courage and leadership at every level.
"Angels in America" showered with Emmy nominations: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; LOS ANGELES, July 15 (AFP) - "Angels in America," the acclaimed mini-series about the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, starring the likes of Al Pacino and Emma Thompson, received a field-leading 21 Emmy nominations on Thursday.
Bill Gates hands 50 million dollars to global AIDS fund: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - US billionaire Bill Gates signed over 50 million dollars to the global war chest to fight AIDS on Thursday, a spokeswoman said, as his charity urged governments to boost their contributions to tackle the pandemic.
Condom hand-out scheme for inmates in crowded Thai jails: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - Thailand's prison system will distribute free condoms to inmates to try to reduce the spread of HIV infection among prisoners, a minister said Thursday.
Quotes from the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - Quotes from the fifth day of the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok<
Systematic rape fuels spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa's war zones: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - Tens of thousands of women and girls have been raped by fighters in African war zones in the last few months fuelling the spread of HIV/AIDS, non-governmental groups said at the world AIDS forum.
TV producers say soap operas the new weapon to fight AIDS: Jack Barton; Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - Viwe is the richest girl in town, bred on indulgence and money but hides a secret that her South African soap opera-loving audience suspects could only be AIDS.
EU Commission to boost funds for AIDS, tuberculosis: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BRUSSELS, July 15 (AFP) - The European Commission said on Thursday that it would give an extra 42 million euros (51 million dollars) to the international body set up to tackle the rapidly accelerating threat of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Complacent India missing out on AIDS cash says agencies: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - India has the second highest number of AIDS sufferers in the world but is missing out on aid because of its complacent government, the world AIDS forum was told on Thursday.
WHO warns state oppression of drug users fuelling AIDS rise: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - The World Health Organisation warned a global AIDS summit here Thursday that countries barring drug users from HIV treatment were potentially fuelling the world's fastest growing AIDS epidemics.
Hopes for anti-HIV gel in "five to 10 years", AIDS forum told: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - Efforts to find a vaginal cream that can kill or block the AIDS virus, thus protecting women during intercourse, are at last making progress and a "safe and effective" product may emerge within five to 10 years, the world AIDS forum heard Thursday.
Cultural condoms bridge divide in AIDS battle: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - Condoms packaged with a hint of humour and tailored towards specific cultural groups have proved an imaginative solution to help stem the spread of AIDS, a family planning charity said at the world AIDS forum on Thursday.
UN envoy blasts US for "ideological agenda" on abstinence to combat AIDS: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's envoy for AIDS in Africa has savaged the US promotion of abstinence and fidelity to combat HIV as an outmoded "ideological agenda" that threatened women's lives.
Japan trailing donor world in AIDS fight: activists: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - Activists urged Japan Thursday to do more to help the global fight against AIDS as they slammed the world's second largest economy for contributing just a tenth of its fair share.
China detains four HIV positive people asking for help: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BEIJING, July 15 (AFP) - Authorities in China's AIDS-hit Henan province have detained four people for trying to protest at inadequate healthcare and other services in the area, rights groups and local police said Thursday.
Nelson Mandela and Bill Gates team up to fight TB: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - The charisma of Nelson Mandela and the cheque book of Bill Gates joined forces at the world AIDS conference here Thursday to lay assault on tuberculosis, a companion killer disease to HIV.
Myanmar threatened by AIDS epidemic: UN: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - AIDS threatens to career out of control in Myanmar with a health infrastructure woefully inadequate to cope with the epidemic, the United Nations said Thursday.
Insurance to cover cost of AIDS drugs in Beijing: Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BEIJING, July 15 (AFP) - Medical authorities in Beijing will include 12 kinds of AIDS drugs on lists of medicines covered by medical insurance, making treatments much cheaper for patients, state media said Thursday.
Experts call for world's largest HIV vaccine trial to be scrapped: Jack Barton; Agence France-Presse - July 15, 2004; BANGKOK, July 15 (AFP) - Health experts and activists said Thursday that the world's largest HIV vaccine trial in Thailand is an expensive flop and demanded that it be scrapped.
Kerry pledges doubling of funds for AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria: Agence France-Presse - July 14, 2004; WASHINGTON, July 14 (AFP) - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry pledged Wednesday to double US funding for the global fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria amid complaints that Washington was not doing enough.
Quotes from the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok: Agence France-Presse - July 14, 2004; BANGKOK, July 14 (AFP) - Quotes from the fourth day of the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok
US calls for unity in AIDS fight: Jack Barton; Agence France-Presse - July 14, 2004; BANGKOK, July 14 (AFP) - The United States on Wednesday called for unity in the fight against AIDS after being the target of sustained complaints at the world forum here, as Europe stoked a row over cheap copycat drugs.
US calls for global unity as protests continue in AIDS fight: Michael Mathes; Agence France-Presse - July 14, 2004; BANGKOK, July 14 (AFP) - The United States AIDS czar was heckled by protestors Wednesday as he called on his country's critics to unite behind the global fight against the pandemic.
Abstinence message less than penetrating, say AIDS campaigners: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 14, 2004; BANGKOK, July 14 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush's dream of braking the spread of AIDS by encouraging sexual abstinence among young people came under withering fire at the global AIDS conference here Wednesday.
Thailand, China, Brazil among six nations to join cheap AIDS drugs pact: Agence France-Presse - July 14, 2004; BANGKOK, July 14 (AFP) - Six nations facing serious HIV/AIDS epidemics have forged a pact promoting low-cost drugs, officials at the world AIDS forum said Wednesday.
US under fire over patent deals at world AIDS forum: Jack Barton; Agence France-Presse - July 14, 2004; BANGKOK, July 14 (AFP) - The United States came in for sustained criticism at the world AIDS forum on Wednesday as Europe took aim in a growing row over cheap copycat drugs.
World AIDS forum issues call for women, at brunt of global AIDS epidemic: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 14, 2004; BANGKOK, July 14 (AFP) - Calls went out from the International AIDS Conference here Wednesday to give priority to women, now bearing the brunt of an HIV pandemic that has killed more than 20 million people and infected nearly 38 million others.
AIDS drug patent row hots up as Europe warns of 'danger' from US track: Agence France-Presse - July 14, 2004; BANGKOK, July 14 (AFP) - A transatlantic patent row heated up Wednesday as Europe said America's drive for bilateral trade pacts was a "danger" that could erode a vital pact to provide cheap HIV drugs to developing nations.
Cultural, religious beliefs fuel HIV spread: experts: Cindy Sui; Agence France-Presse - July 14, 2004; BANGKOK, July 14 (AFP) - When the young mother discovered she was HIV positive, her husband accused her of adultery, beat her up and then threw her out of their home.
It's Bangkok-a-go-go at AIDS meet: Michael Mathes; Agence France-Presse - July 14, 2004; BANGKOK, July 14 (AFP) - Hours before her normal dance slot at one of the Thai capital's go-go bars, bikini-clad Was hopped on stage, grabbed a silver pole, and started grinding through her favourite moves on the sidelines of the world AIDS forum.
Children are at disadvantage in getting vital AIDS drugs: Annie Hautefeuille; Agence France-Presse - July 14, 2004; BANGKOK, July 14 (AFP) - More than two million children live with HIV/AIDS but a shortage of specially adapted antiretroviral (ARV) drugs makes it harder for them to get vital treatment, according to doctors at the world AIDS forum.
AIDS slashes life expectancy in parts of Africa to just 33 years: Agence France-Presse - July 14, 2004; BANGKOK, July 14 (AFP) - AIDS has slashed the life expectancy in some African countries to just 33 years, the United Nations announced at the International AIDS Conference here Wednesday.
US defends efforts to contain AIDS problem after UN, French attacks: Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; WASHINGTON, July 13 (AFP) - The United States defended Tuesday its effort to fight the AIDS scourge after coming under criticism from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and French President Jacques Chirac.
South Africa to limit use of key AIDS drug: Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, July 13 (AFP) - South Africa will limit the use of the key anti-AIDS drug Nevirapine, which helps prevents transmission from mothers to their babies, and use it in conjunction with other drugs, an official said Tuesday.
France takes swipe at US over cheap anti-HIV drugs: Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; BANGKOK, July 13 (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac made a veiled attack on America at the International AIDS Conference here Tuesday, saying US demands on bilateral trade eroded a vital international deal to provide cheap HIV drugs to developing nations.
MTV chief says Bush AIDS policies will not halt condom adverts: Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; BANGKOK, July 13 (AFP) - The president of cable music giant MTV on Tuesday vowed not to stop the channel's hard-hitting AIDS and condom messages despite the US government promoting a sexual abstinence programme to counter the pandemic.
Quotes from the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok: Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; BANGKOK, July 13 (AFP) - Quotes from the third day of the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok
Annan calls on US to show commitment to AIDS battle: Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; BANGKOK, July 13 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Tuesday called on the United States to show the same commitment to the battle against AIDS as the war on terror.
Protests at AIDS forum amid row over cash, cheap drugs: Michael Mathes; Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; BANGKOK, July 13 (AFP) - Protesters disrupted the world AIDS forum with a series of demonstrations Tuesday targeting Western politicians and pharmaceutical companies to demand cheaper drugs and more money to tackle the pandemic.
HIV/AIDS cost S. Africa 70 billion dollars in decade to 2002: ILO: Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, July 13 (AFP) - The HIV/AIDS pandemic ravaging South Africa cost the economy more than 70 billion dollars in the 10 years to 2002, according to a report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Richard Gere says fighting AIDS more important than Tibet issue: Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; BANGKOK, July 13 (AFP) - Hollywood movie star Richard Gere said Tuesday the AIDS fight was more important to him than the Tibet issue, adding he had wept for the plight of infected youths since arriving here for a global summit.
"Window of opportunity" for Asia to avert AIDS disaster, conference told: Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; BANGKOK, July 13 (AFP) - Asian leaders have little time in which to avoid an AIDS disaster that will claim millions of lives, the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok was told on Tuesday.
Asia at high risk of developing drug resistant AIDS: experts: Cindy Sui; Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; BANGKOK, July 13 (AFP) - HIV patients in parts of Asia run a serious risk of developing resistance to antiretroviral drugs due to the range of drugs available to them, stop-start treatment and lack of counselling and monitoring, experts at the world AIDS forum warn.
Meeting UN's "Three by Five" goal on HIV drugs needs more than just cash: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; BANGKOK, July 13 (AFP) - Experts assessing the UN's goal of getting anti-HIV drugs to three million needy people by the end of 2005 agreed here Tuesday that the path lay littered with daunting hurdles that had rarely made the headlines.
AIDS orphans to surge to 18 million in Africa by 2010, warns UN: Michael Mathes; Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; BANGKOK, July 13 (AFP) - AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa will top 18 million by 2010 and the pandemic threatens a "tidal wave" of death affecting children worldwide, the UN and US warned Tuesday.
Indonesia raises spending on drugs for HIV/AIDS patients: Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; JAKARTA, July 13 (AFP) - Indonesian will more than double its spending on subsidising drugs for HIV/AIDS sufferers next year, a report said Tuesday.
French minister heckled, demonstrators clash at AIDS forum: Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; BANGKOK, July 13 (AFP) - Demonstrations rippled across the International AIDS conference here Tuesday for the second day running as protestors targeted western politicians to demand more funds for the war on AIDS and pharmaceutical giants for resisting cuts in drug prices.
PNG on brink of collapse, Australian academics warn: Agence France-Presse - July 13, 2004; SYDNEY, July 13 (AFP) - Papua New Guinea is on the brink of economic and social collapse and could become a dysfunctional state like Haiti after losing a generation to crime and unemployment, an Australian think tank said Tuesday.
Britain boosts development aid for Africa, AIDS fight: Agence France-Presse - July 12, 2004; LONDON, July 12 (AFP) - Britain unveiled a significant boost to its overseas aid on Monday to the delight of Third World campaigners.
Quotes from the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok: Agence France-Presse - July 12, 2004; BANGKOK, July 12 (AFP) - Quotes from the second day of the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, which opened Sunday.
Asia needs sharp spending increase to counter AIDS: report: Cindy Sui; Agence France-Presse - July 12, 2004; BANGKOK, July 12 (AFP) - Asia will have to spend more than five billion dollars a year fighting the AIDS pandemic by 2007, vastly more than its complacent leaders have released so far, according to research released Monday at the world AIDS forum.
Answer for HIV gel may grow on trees: Australian researchers: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 12, 2004; BANGKOK, July 12 (AFP) - Prayers for a vaginal gel to kill the AIDS virus, thus protecting millions of women from infected sex partners, may be answered by ... the humble lemon.
Demonstrators disrupt global AIDS conference in Bangkok: Agence France-Presse - July 12, 2004; BANGKOK, July 12 (AFP) - Several dozen protestors stormed the global AIDS summit here Monday and threw mock blood over posters of world leaders in protest over a shortfall in funding to tackle the epidemic.
Delegates get to work amid row over US role in AIDS crisis: Jack Barton; Agence France-Presse - July 12, 2004; BANGKOK, July 12 (AFP) - US policy promoting abstinence as a key plank of its AIDS strategy was criticised at a world forum here Monday as experts warned billions of dollars were needed to prevent the virus from raging out of control.
Dire funding warnings as AIDS forum gets down to business: Michael Mathes; Agence France-Presse - July 12, 2004; BANGKOK, July 12 (AFP) - The crisis over funding the global fight against AIDS emerged as a key issue at the world AIDS forum on Monday, as activists demanded billions more dollars for prevention and treatment and held wealthy nations accountable for the pandemic.
AIDS conference: US group strikes back against copycat drugs makers: Agence France-Presse - July 12, 2004; BANGKOK, July 12 (AFP) - A little-known US group headed by an advisor to President George W. Bush attacked copycat drugs makers at the world AIDS forum on Monday, accusing them of exaggerating claims about the costs, safety and effectiveness of their products.
Uganda sees HIV rates fall with abstinence campaign: Agence France-Presse - July 12, 2004; BANGKOK, July 12 (AFP) - Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni told the world AIDS forum on Monday that a sexual abstinence campaign had been successful in sharply cutting HIV rates in his country.
AIDS vaccine: Double funds to end a "global disgrace," conference told: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 12, 2004; BANGKOK, July 12 (AFP) - The agonising quest for an HIV vaccine needs a near-doubling of funds, to 1.2 billion dollars a year, if it is ever to meet its goal, the International AIDS Conference was told on Monday.
US Congresswoman criticises Bush AIDS at Bangkok summit: Agence France-Presse - July 12, 2004; BANGKOK, June 12 (AFP) - A US congresswomen launched a broadside against the AIDS policies of President George W. Bush's administration Monday, saying the White House's focus on abstinence was undermining attempts to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
New anti-HIV drug brings good news in long-term tests: Agence France-Presse - July 12, 2004; BANGKOK, July 12 (AFP) - The first new type of anti-HIV drug to be introduced in many years has proven to be remarkably effective in the first long-term trial of its benefits, according to data unveiled at the International AIDS Conference here Monday.
World AIDS forum opens to warnings, protest and a challenge to leaders: Paul Peachey; Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BANGKOK, July 11 (AFP) - The world's largest global forum on AIDS opened here on Sunday amid dire warnings that a shortage of cash and lack of leadership threatened a health crisis in the world's most populous continent of Asia.
Banner protest against Thai PM at start of global AIDS conference: Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BANGKOK, July 11 (AFP) - Demonstrators heckled Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the opening of the global AIDS conference here on Sunday and unfurled a banner saying: "Thaksin Lies".
US tells others to match its generosity for AIDS war: Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BANGKOK, July 11 (AFP) - US envoys to the world AIDS conference fought back against charges that Washington was a bystander in the war against acquired immune deficiency syndrome and challenged other countries to increase their own contributions.
Quotes from the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok: Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BANGKOK, July 11 (AFP) - Quotes from the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, which opened here on Sunday:
Australia pledges to more than double its funding to fight AIDS in Asia: Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BANGKOK, July 11 (AFP) - Australia on Sunday pledged to more than double its contribution to the regional fight against HIV/AIDS by 2010, warning that Asia risked becoming the new epicenter of the global pandemic.
Thai PM vows universal treatment for all with HIV/AIDS in Thailand: Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BANGKOK, July 11 (AFP) - Thailand on Sunday promised to provide drug treatment for everyone in the kingdom with HIV/AIDS as it played host to the world conference dedicated to tackling the pandemic.
Watch out Asia, world AIDS conference told: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BANGKOK, July 11 (AFP) - The International AIDS Conference flung down the gauntlet to Asian leaders on Sunday, challenging them to heed the early signs of a peril poised to wreck their societies and devastate their economies.
UN calls for global revamp of anti-AIDS policies for drug users: Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BANGKOK, July 11 (AFP) - Governments must include intravenous drug users in expanded AIDS prevention and treatment programmes or face an explosion of new HIV cases in the general population, the United Nations warned Sunday.
Warning of AIDS catastrophe over funding gap: Michael Mathes; Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BANGKOK, July 11 (AFP) - The global battle against AIDS faces catastrophic failure because of a lack of money, a senior official warned Sunday, as 17,000 people gathered here for the world's largest AIDS conference.
Chinese medical students fan out into countryside to teach AIDS prevention: Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BEIJING, July 11 (AFP) - About 1,300 medical students will fan out into the Chinese countryside this summer to teach farmers about how to avoid getting AIDS, state media reported Sunday.
World AIDS conference to open in Bangkok amid chilling warnings: Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BANGKOK, July 11 (AFP) - The largest global conference of AIDS experts, activists and leaders opens here Sunday amid chilling warnings about the growing threat to swathes of the world's population.
Nevirapine the choice for preventing mother-to-child transmission: Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BANGKOK, July 11 (AFP) - The standard way of administering anti-retroviral nevirapine remains the method of choice for preventing transmission of the AIDS virus from a pregnant woman to her baby, a study presented here Sunday showed.
UN head calls for united fight ahead of AIDS conference opening: Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BANGKOK, July 11 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan warned Sunday that Asia was at a crucial turning point in its battle against AIDS as thousands gathered here for the opening of the world's largest AIDS conference.
Quiet revolution as Iran widens arsenal in war on drugs: Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; TEHRAN, July 11 (AFP) - Iran has tried almost everything in its war on drugs: digging huge trenches along its porous borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan and even using helicopter gunships and tanks against well-armed traffickers.
AIDS orphans: The hidden cost of saving lives: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BANGKOK, July 11 (AFP) - James Nanuthep hauls himself up from the plastic toy car and with a proud smile shuffles a few steps, his weak leg holding up just long enough for him to tumble into the visitor's outstretched arms.
Annan lashes leaders on empty pledges as AIDS conference opens: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BANGKOK, July 11 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan told world leaders on Sunday to make good on their promise to tackle the AIDS pandemic, warning them that the disease was threatening global prosperity and now had populous Asia in its sights.
74 million workers to die of AIDS by 2015: ILO: Agence France-Presse - July 11, 2004; BANGKOK, July 11 (AFP) - As many as 48 million workers may be killed by AIDS by 2010, and the toll could rise to 74 million by 2015, inflicting a body blow to national economies, the UN's International Labour Organisation warned on Sunday.
Kerry promises, if elected, to lift ban on immigrants with AIDS as lead over Bush grows: Agence France-Presse - July 10, 2004; WASHINGTON, July 10 (AFP) - US Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry promised Saturday to lift a ban on immigration to the United Stated by people with AIDS and vowed to double US assistance to a worldwide campaign to combat the deadly and contagious disease.
France hots up anti-AIDS campaign: Agence France-Presse - July 10, 2004; PARIS, July 10 (AFP) - France launched a nationwide summer anti-AIDS campaign Saturday, urging people to use condoms and for the first time featuring a gay bar.
China executes its first HIV-positive criminal: Agence France-Presse - July 10, 2004; BEIJING, July 10 (AFP) - China executed its first HIV-positive criminal Friday, a 29-year-old drug addict arrested last year with 382 grams of heroin, the semi-official China News Service (CNS) reported Saturday.
Iraq appeals for one billion dollars to revive healthcare sector: Jay Deshmukh; Agence France-Presse - July 10, 2004; BAGHDAD, July 10 (AFP) - Faced with a severe shortage of funds and medicines, Iraq's interim government urged global donors Saturday to raise more than one billion dollars to revive the ailing healthcare sector.
Global testing for HIV branded a failure as threat grows: Michael Mathes; Agence France-Presse - July 10, 2004; BANGKOK, July 10 (AFP) - Global testing for HIV has been a failure, with the overwhelming majority of the 38 million people living with the virus unaware they are carriers, experts warned on Saturday.
Plans lagging for AIDS treatment for three million by end of 2005: WHO: Agence France-Presse - July 10, 2004; BANGKOK, July 10 (AFP) - An ambitious plan to provide AIDS treatment for three million people in developing countries by the end of 2005 is behind schedule and urgent action is needed to get back on track, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Saturday.
Fight against AIDS must be China's top priority: PM: Agence France-Presse - July 10, 2004; BEIJING, July 10 (AFP) - Premier Wen Jiabao warned that AIDS has spread to every level of Chinese society and that the world's most populous nation must make fighting the pandemic a top priority, reports said Saturday.
Thousands head to Thailand for world AIDS meeting: Agence France-Presse - July 10, 2004; BANGKOK, July 10 (AFP) - The world's biggest AIDS conference starts here on Sunday with calls for more money to fight the pandemic that now threatens a catastrophe in Asia.
Celebrities flock to Bangkok for AIDS conference: Agence France-Presse - July 9, 2004; BANGKOK, July 9 (AFP) - From musical performances to visits to condom factories, the world's celebrities are to play their biggest ever role at a global conference that starts here Sunday to highlight the worsening threat of AIDS.
Vietnam gets first ever condom-vending machine: Agence France-Presse - July 9, 2004; HANOI, July 9 (AFP) - Vietnam's first ever condom-vending machine was put into operation Friday as part of a campaign to cut unwanted pregnancies and prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
AIDS: A timeline: Agence France-Presse - July 9, 2004; BANGKOK, July 9 (AFP) - Here are landmarks in the history of AIDS:
Almost 3,500 Thai police prepared for global AIDS summit: Agence France-Presse - July 9, 2004; BANGKOK, July 9 (AFP) - Almost 3,500 Thai police will be on duty in Bangkok for a global AIDS summit starting on Sunday that includes high-profile politicians and celebrities among the delegates.
Activists, elephants, scientists and Mandela head for world AIDS parlay: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 9, 2004; BANGKOK, July 9 (AFP) - Organisers are making the final preparations for the world's biggest AIDS conference, an event that will pound the drum for more funds to fight the pandemic, highlight a looming catastrophe in Asia and showcase the latest research into the killer disease.
US women with AIDS show sharp increase amid mixed messages over sex: UN: Michael Mathes; Agence France-Presse - July 9, 2004; BANGKOK, July 9 (AFP) - The burden of HIV is shifting to the female population in the United States at a faster rate than anywhere else in the world amid a bombardment of cultural messages that "sex is cool", the UN warned Friday.
Model Thailand has lost momentum in AIDS battle, UN warns: Agence France-Presse - July 8, 2004; BANGKOK, July 8 (AFP) - Thailand has lost its momentum in the fight against AIDS and the pandemic is now threatening to undo progress which made the country a global model for HIV prevention, the UN warned Thursday.
Nigerian AIDS sufferers face drugs shortage despite local production: Joel Olatunde Agoi; Agence France-Presse - July 8, 2004; LAGOS, July 8 (AFP) - Millions of Nigerians trapped in their country's rapidly accelerating AIDS spiral still cannot find affordable treatment, despite the start of local production of generic anti-retroviral drugs.
Central Asia in denial as HIV starts to bite: Nick Coleman; Agence France-Presse - July 8, 2004; ALMATY, July 8 (AFP) - Hampered by poverty, drugs and their leaders' authoritarianism, the former Soviet Central Asian republics could be next in line for a sharp increase in HIV cases, health experts warn.
US panel proposes Peace Corps-like organization to fight AIDS: Agence France-Presse - July 8, 2004; WASHINGTON, June 8 (AFP) - The international community should created an organization modeled after the US Peace Corps in order to successfully fight the spreading AIDS epidemic, a US government-sponsored group recommended.
'Hundreds of millions' may have been exposed to contaminated polio vaccine: Agence France-Presse - July 7, 2004; PARIS, July 7 (AFP) - Hundreds of millions of people in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa may have been injected with a Soviet polio vaccine which was contaminated by a monkey virus that has now been linked to cancer, New Scientist says.
Hollywood star Gere launches project to spread AIDS awareness in India: Agence France-Presse - July 7, 2004; BOMBAY, July 7 (AFP) - Hollywood icon Richard Gere launched a social project here Wednesday aimed at spreading awareness about HIV through films, television and newspaper advertisements.
'Retired' Mandela to address Bangkok AIDS conference: Agence France-Presse - July 7, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, July 7 (AFP) - World statesman Nelson Mandela, who scaled down his public schedule last month ahead of his 86th birthday, is to address the 15th International Aids Conference in the Thai capital Bangkok next week.
South Africa rolls out AIDS drugs at snail's pace: Fienie Grobler; Agence France-Presse - July 7, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, July 7 (AFP) - South Africa started this year with the continent's biggest and most ambitious AIDS treatment programme but a few months later only a fraction of more than five million sufferers are getting free drugs.
South Africa's AIDS orphans live with their 'secret': Jerome Cartillier; Agence France-Presse - July 7, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, July 7 (AFP) - At 14, Sthandiwe already knows a lot about AIDS: how it killed her mother three years ago and might now rob her of the opportunity to watch the World Cup in 2010, and how people have turned their backs on AIDS orphans like her.
Africa slowly waking up to the economic costs of AIDS: Jan Hennop; Agence France-Presse - July 7, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, July 7 (AFP) - Africa is slowly waking up to the reality of the devastating AIDS pandemic that is shrinking its work force while businesses grapple with how to address the crisis.
AIDS patients to receive free drugs for first time in Egypt: Agence France-Presse - July 7, 2004; CAIRO, July 7 (AFP) - Egyptian HIV/AIDS patients will start receiving free antiretroviral drugs for the first time, the semi-official al-Ahram daily reported Wednesday.
AIDS in Asia: "Treatment anarchy" looms because of doctor shortage: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 7, 2004; PARIS, July 7 (AFP) - Shortages of trained doctors to distribute anti-HIV drugs in Asia may unleash "treatment anarchy" that would help breed resistant strains of the AIDS virus, a report to be issued at the upcoming International AIDS Conference says.
OECD, UN say AIDS aid on the rise: Agence France-Presse - July 7, 2004; PARIS, July 7 (AFP) - Aid to fight HIV/AIDS grew significantly over the period from 2000 to 2002, the OECD and the UN said Wednesday.
South Asia has low AIDS rates but conditions 'ripe' outside India: Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; NEW DELHI, July 6 (AFP) - South Asia has a low overall prevalence of AIDS but lack of sexual awareness coupled with intravenous drug use made conditions outside India ripe for the spread of the virus, a UN official said Tuesday.
AIDS fast becoming a 'globalised' epidemic: UN AIDS chief: Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; LONDON, July 6 (AFP) - AIDS is "a disease of our globalised world" and will continue to spread ever wider unless more leadership is shown to counter it, the head of the UN agency combatting the virus warned Tuesday.
EEurope, Central Asia ostrich-like as AIDS crisis worsens: UNAIDS: Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; PARIS, July 6 (AFP) - The countries of the former Soviet bloc are experiencing the world's fast-growing AIDS epidemic, yet many remain pitifully unready to face the peril, the UN agency UNAIDS warned on Tuesday.
Women hardest hit by AIDS in Africa: Jan Hennop; Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, July 6 (AFP) - Women are the number one target of AIDS in Africa, facing a greater risk of infection than men and many contracting HIV in their teen years when they start having sex, UN agencies said Tuesday.
Latest global estimates of HIV/AIDS: Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; PARIS, July 6 (AFP) - Following is an update of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, issued on Tuesday by the agency UNAIDS.
Latest regional estimates of HIV/AIDS: Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; PARIS, July 6 (AFP) - Following is a regional breakdown of the numbers of people living with HIV or AIDS at the end of 2003, according to an update issued on Tuesday by the agency UNAIDS.
Five million fewer AIDS deaths than thought, but danger just as bad: UNAIDS: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; PARIS, July 6 (AFP) - AIDS has claimed five million fewer lives in its history than was estimated two years ago but remains an incurable, fast-spreading peril, according to the latest data issued on Tuesday.
Opening of global AIDS summit in Bangkok to be marked by protest: Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; BANGKOK, July 6 (AFP) - The opening of a global AIDS conference in Bangkok this weekend will be marked by a protest against the failures of governments worldwide to do enough to halt the epidemic, activists said Tuesday.
AIDS means shorter lives in southern Africa: Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, July 6 (AFP) - Life expectancy in southern Africa, the world's hardest-hit region by AIDS, has dropped to 49 and without large-scale treatment programs could plummet to below 35 in some countries, a UN AIDS report said Tuesday.
AIDS spreads unchecked in parts of Asia as ignorance remains: UN: Paul Peachey; Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; BANGKOK, July 6 (AFP) - The AIDS epidemic is spreading unchecked throughout parts of Asia and threatens to top Africa as the world's worst-hit region unless its leaders act within three years, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
Rampaging AIDS pandemic has Asia, East Europe in its sights: UN: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; PARIS, July 6 (AFP) - Around 4.8 million people, the most ever recorded in a single year, became infected with HIV in 2003, a UN agency said on Tuesday, warning that after Africa, the plum targets for AIDS were now Eastern Europe and Asia.
China faced with HIV explosion as authorities finally face threat: Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; BANGKOK, June 6 (AFP) - China could see 10 million people infected with HIV within six years unless the authorities move quickly and effectively to curb its fast-growing crisis, the UN's major AIDS report for 2004 said on Tuesday.
Belgian doctor tells of life among the dying AIDS victims of Thailand: Pascale Trouillaud; Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; LOP BURI, Thailand, July 6 (AFP) - Ravaged by AIDS and weighing only 35 kgs (22 pounds), Sakchai Boonma has too little strength even to flick the flies off his face or wipe the tears that run down his cheeks as he tells how he was infected by his girlfriend.
Health system in potential AIDS hotspot China struggles to treat patients: Cindy Sui; Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; BEIJING, July 6 (AFP) - When farmer Cheng Guangshan went to his village clinic for treatment of two nagging symptoms of AIDS the doctor told him there was no medicine for his receding nails, and no needles for his anti-itch injections.
Dispersing Indian prostitutes will spread AIDS: Rights group: Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; WASHINGTON, July 6 (AFP) - Forced dispersal of thousands of prostitutes in the Indian state of Goa will drastically harm efforts to contain HIV/AIDS, an international human rights group warned Tuesday.
China moves to avert an AIDS catastrophe, but faces uphill battle: Cindy Sui; Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; BEIJING, July 6 (AFP) - China is finally acknowledging it has a serious HIV/AIDS problem, but while the government is beginning to take action, much more needs to be done to avoid an epidemic of catastrophic proportions in the most populous country, experts say.
Victims of one of world's worst HIV/AIDS scandals nowhere near justice: Cindy Sui; Agence France-Presse - July 6, 2004; BEIJING, July 6 (AFP) - Poor farmers in China infected with HIV/AIDS from selling blood are faring better since the government began offering help, officials claim, but many say they still suffer neglect and sometimes outright abuse.
OSCE urges Libya not to execute foreign medical workers: Agence France-Presse - July 5, 2004; LONDON, July 5 (AFP) - The parliamentary wing of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a pan-European security body, urged Libya on Monday not to execute six foreign medical workers convicted of infecting children with AIDS.
Critics blast Bush administration's distribution of AIDS funds: Pascal Barollier; Agence France-Presse - July 5, 2004; WASHINGTON, July 5 (AFP) - The United States is the largest donor in the fight against AIDS in developing countries, but also the most criticized by advocates in the field for the way politics slows down and limits its distribution of resources.
China, India, Indonesia become the focus of AIDS battle in Asia: Stephanie Wong; Agence France-Presse - July 5, 2004; HONG KONG, July 5 (AFP) - Three Asian countries that are alone home to 40 percent of humanity are at risk of seeing the HIV/AIDS epidemic jumping from narrow risk groups into the broader population, experts warn.
Thailand, once Asia's anti-AIDS model, faces resurgence in epidemic: Michael Mathes; Agence France-Presse - July 5, 2004; BANGKOK, July 5 (AFP) - Thailand was widely praised for launching Asia's most level-headed response to the AIDS crisis, but with sexual behaviour shifting, condom use falling, and awareness campaigns flagging, the kingdom faces a new catastrophe, experts warn.
First summit of national leaders over AIDS called off: Agence France-Presse - July 5, 2004; BANGKOK, July 5 (AFP) - The first summit meeting of national leaders on HIV/AIDS in Bangkok next week has been called off because only one of the invited leaders is showing up.
HIV/AIDS funding accelerates but lags behind the pandemic: Peter Capella; Agence France-Presse - July 4, 2004; GENEVA, July 4 (AFP) - Two years after the United Nations said a minimum of 10 billion dollars a year was needed to fight HIV/AIDS, the international community is coming up with less than half that amount and the pandemic is growing relentlessly.
AIDS and pharma: two steps forward, three steps back: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 4, 2004; PARIS, July 4 (AFP) - Scientists are dancing a dangerous tango with the AIDS virus, grappling a partner who is sly, murderous and mutating.
Council of war gathers for world AIDS crisis: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 4, 2004; PARIS, July 4 (AFP) - Top researchers, policymakers and activists head to Bangkok this week to assess the global AIDS pandemic as the killer disease is poised to ravage Eastern Europe and Asia's most populous countries.
India's HIV cases rise to 5.1 million, closing gap with South Africa: Elizabeth Roche; Agence France-Presse - July 3, 2004; NEW DELHI, July 3 (AFP) - India's cases of HIV/AIDS shot up to 5.1 million people last year, putting it just below South Africa as the country with the most HIV-positive people, official figures said Saturday.
Report slams South Africa's national AIDS programme: Agence France-Presse - July 3, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, July 3 (AFP) - South African health workers are committed to the implementation of a national plan to fight AIDS, but their efforts are being stymied by the lack of political will and a shortfall of drugs, a report said on Saturday.
Global Fund approves 180 million dollars to fight malaria in Kenya: Agence France-Presse - July 2, 2004; NAIROBI, July 2 (AFP) - The Global Fund on AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has approved some 186 million dollars to scale up malaria programmes in Kenya, Health Minister Charity Ngilu said in a statement on Friday.
Condoms join carbines as kit for Indonesian soldiers: report: Agence France-Presse - July 2, 2004; JAKARTA, July 2 (AFP) - Condoms are the newest piece of kit being issued to some Indonesian soldiers, a report said Friday.
Third World pharma companies unapologetic about cloning anti-HIV drugs: Uttara Choudhury; Agence France-Presse - July 2, 2004; NEW DELHI, July 2 (AFP) - Third world pharmaceutical companies are unapologetic about cloning Western anti-HIV drugs and selling them cheaply, believing they have a pivotal role in the battle against AIDS in developing countries.
Good news on AIDS drugs: Single-tablet generics as good as triple brands: Agence France-Presse - July 2, 2004; PARIS, July 2 (AFP) - A single dose of three copycat drugs is as effective in combatting the AIDS virus as the expensive triple cocktail of branded drugs made by pharmaceutical giants, a study says.
World needs 5.1-5.9 bln dlrs to meet AIDS drugs target: Agence France-Presse - July 1, 2004; PARIS, July 1 (AFP) - The world will need between 5.1 and 5.9 billion dollars (4.2 and 4.9 billion euros) to meet a UN target to ensure that three million poor people get access to anti-HIV drugs by the end of the 2005, experts say.
AIDS: A snapshot in quotes: Agence France-Presse - July 1, 2004; PARIS, July 1 (AFP) - Quotes illustrating the 23-year history of AIDS:
AIDS: A timeline: Agence France-Presse - July 1, 2004; PARIS, July 1 (AFP) - Here are landmarks in the history of AIDS:
History of AIDS marked by many setbacks, few victories: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - July 1, 2004; PARIS, July 1 (AFP) - Twenty-three years ago, alert American doctors spotted something strange: eight young gays fell sick in New York with Kaposi's Sarcoma, a skin cancer usually found among pensioners, and five in Los Angeles were diagnosed with a rare form of pneumonia.

June

Multivitamins slow advance of HIV: study: Agence France-Presse - June 30, 2004; WASHINGTON, June 30 (AFP) - Multivitamins slowed down the advance of HIV in a study of more than 1,000 pregnant women in Tanzania, according to findings in Thursday's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
World Bank accuses South Asia of sweeping AIDS problem under the carpet: P. Parameswaran; Agence France-Presse - June 30, 2004; WASHINGTON, June 30 (AFP) - The World Bank on Wednesday accused India and other South Asian nations of sweeping the ballooning HIV-AIDS problem under the carpet, warning that they would be devastated by an African-like crisis if no swift action is taken.
Indian men shunning condoms: health ministry: Uttara Choudhury; Agence France-Presse - June 30, 2004; NEW DELHI, June 30 (AFP) - Indian men have an "abysmal" lack of interest in safe sex and are shunning the use of condoms, the health ministry warned Wednesday at the launch of a campaign aimed at reversing the trend.
Activists fume over cost of 'access for all' AIDS conference in Bangkok: Agence France-Presse - June 29, 2004; BANGKOK, June 29 (AFP) - Activists railed Tuesday over the 1,000-dollar registration fee for next month's largest-ever AIDS conference, claiming thousands of key voices on the pandemic would not be heard.
Roaring illegal drugs trade poised to ravage Cambodia: UN report: Samantha Brown; Agence France-Presse - June 29, 2004; PHNOM PENH, June 29 (AFP) - A surge in trafficked methamphetamines and heroin into Cambodia is poised to ravage the kingdom as drug abuse here grows and transnational crime syndicates dig in, a UN report said Tuesday.
Turkmenistan boasts world-beating baby boom: Agence France-Presse - June 29, 2004; ASHGABAT, June 29 (AFP) - Turkmenistan on Tuesday claimed its population had increased by 43 percent over nine years, but Western diplomats said the report from the isolated nation seemed unreal and a part of a domestic propaganda campaign.
China close to inking deal with GlaxoSmithKline to make AIDS drug affordable: Agence France-Presse - June 29, 2004; BEIJING, June 29 (AFP) - China is close to inking a deal with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline which will make a key AIDS drug available to poor patients in the country this year, a top health official said Tuesday.
Central Asia warned of impending AIDS disaster: Agence France-Presse - June 28, 2004; ALMATY, June 28 (AFP) - A senior World Bank official warned the former Soviet Central Asian republics on Monday that they must face up to the impending threat of AIDS or face "unimaginable" consequences.
Chinese premier calls for greater democracy on global stage: Agence France-Presse - June 28, 2004; BEIJING, June 28 (AFP) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Monday marked the 50th anniversary of his nation's "foreign policy of peace" with a call for greater democracy on the world stage and less "hegemony and power politics" in international diplomacy.
Activists protest Thailand's free trade deals: Agence France-Presse - June 28, 2004; BANGKOK, June 28 (AFP) - Hundreds of Thai activists on Monday demonstrated against free trade agreements (FTAs) the government is negotiating with the United States and Australia, saying they would adversely affect millions of Thais.
Swaziland stumbles in much-awaited bid to reform: Fienie Grobler; Agence France-Presse - June 27, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, June 27 (AFP) - Swaziland is set to adopt a new constitution next month after three decades of monarchist rule but critics say the charter will only strengthen King Mswati III's hold on power in the poor southern African kingdom.
Bush to meet NATO with EU backing on Iraq: Olivier Knox; Agence France-Presse - June 26, 2004; ENNIS, Ireland, June 26 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush on Saturday won the European Union's unconditional backing for Iraq's new leaders just four days before they take power, as well as its support for NATO to train the fledgling Iraqi security forces.
Few seeking help as drug abuse sweeps India: study: Palash Kumar; Agence France-Presse - June 25, 2004; NEW DELHI, June 25 (AFP) - India has 62.5 million people dependent on alcohol and twice the global average of opiate addicts, and most of those who need help never seek it, a study said Friday.
ACP club of poor nations want globalisation for all: Abhik Kumar Chanda; Agence France-Presse - June 24, 2004; MAPUTO, June 24 (AFP) - Leaders of the 79-member African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) bloc of poor and developing nations ended a summit in Mozambique on Thursday by pressing calls for a level playing field in multilateral trade.
South African AIDS activists protest US military spending: Agence France-Presse - June 24, 2004; CAPE TOWN, June 24 (AFP) - South African AIDS activists sang and danced through the streets of Cape Town on Thursday as part of a worldwide campaign to get the US government to reduce military spending.
Monogamous women the new victims of AIDS, UN warns: Michael Mathes; Agence France-Presse - June 24, 2004; BANGKOK, June 24 (AFP) - Young married women in Asia have emerged as a fast-growing new group of AIDS sufferers despite remaining faithful to their husbands, the United Nations and health workers said Thursday.
Tourists to Thailand to be greeted with a smile and a condom: Agence France-Presse - June 24, 2004; BANGKOK, June 24 (AFP) - Tourists travelling to Thailand will be greeted with an "international" size condom along with the traditional smile in July to mark a global AIDS forum in Bangkok, a Thai senator said Thursday.
Vietnam hails President Bush's move to help with AIDS crisis: Agence France-Presse - June 24, 2004; HANOI, June 24 (AFP) - Vietnam Thursday hailed President George W. Bush's move to add Vietnam to the list of countries that can receive emergency US help to battle AIDS as he increased funds for the battle against the disease in the United States.
UN welcomes Thai initiative to fast-track development: Agence France-Presse - June 23, 2004; BANGKOK, June 23 (AFP) - Thailand unveiled ambitious development goals Wednesday, drawing praise from the United Nations which said they far exceeded UN regional targets that many countries are not expected to reach.
Bush adds Vietnam to emergency AIDS list: Agence France-Presse - June 23, 2004; PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, June 23 (AFP) - President George W. Bush on Wednesday promised increased funds for the battle against AIDS in the United States and added Vietnam to the list of countries that can receive emergency US help to counter the disease.
Thailand says world's biggest HIV vaccine trial delayed by a year: Agence France-Presse - June 23, 2004; BANGKOK, June 23 (AFP) - The results of the world's biggest HIV vaccine trial, which began in Thailand early this year, will be delayed by one year because it has failed to recruit enough participants, officials said Wednesday.
US to add Vietnam to its AIDS program: Agence France-Presse - June 22, 2004; WASHINGTON, June 22 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush will add Vietnam to a list of 14 countries that will benefit from a massive US assistance program designed to combat the AIDS epidemic, an administration official said Tuesday.
AIDS, food shortages in southern Africa cause world's worst crisis: UN: Jan Hennop; Agence France-Presse - June 22, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, June 22 (AFP) - AIDS and food shortages in southern Africa are responsible for the world's worst humanitarian crisis, UN special envoy James Morris said Tuesday at the end of a four-nation tour of the region.
UN envoy calls on Namibia to step up AIDS fight: Agence France-Presse - June 21, 2004; WINDHOEK, June 21 (AFP) - The UN's special envoy for humanitarian needs in southern Africa on Monday called on Namibia to do more to combat AIDS, which affects close to one in four people in the desert country.
AIDS conference organizers slam HIV discrimination at Thai hotel: Agence France-Presse - June 20, 2004; BANGKOK, June 20 (AFP) - Organizers of the world's largest AIDS conference due to take place in Thailand next month slammed Sunday a Bangkok hotel's attempts to isolate HIV-positive people as "completely unwarranted".
Humanitarian business as usual for Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party: Hla Hla Htay; Agence France-Presse - June 20, 2004; YANGON, June 20 (AFP) - Hungry children, tired mothers and workers dispensing food and medicine -- it's hardly a typical scene for the headquarters of a political party, but for Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) it's business as usual.
Uganda relocates displaced people from war-torn north to new camps: Vincent Mayanja; Agence France-Presse - June 20, 2004; GULU, Uganda, June 20 (AFP) - Uganda will next month start relocating internally displaced people from the war-ravaged north to new camps to reduce pressure on facilities and give them access to farmland, officials said on Sunday.
Many questions remain after Zimbabwe's first national AIDS conference: Ryan Truscott; Agence France-Presse - June 20, 2004; HARARE, June 20 (AFP) - With Zimbabwe's first national AIDS conference barely over, the question everybody is asking is why it took the country almost 20 years to face the epidemic caused by the HIV virus.
When the cream of Vietnamese state cinema takes lessons from Hollywood: Didier Lauras; Agence France-Presse - June 20, 2004; HANOI, June 20 (AFP) - The cash-strapped Vietnamese film industry, dominated by miserable state propaganda productions, is looking to new horizons by sending a group of professionals on Tuesday for a month-long trip to Hollywood.
President Gbagbo arrives in Togo for talks on Ivory Coast crisis: Agence France-Presse - June 19, 2004; LOME, June 19 (AFP) - President Laurent Gbagbo arrived in Lome Saturday for discussions with his Togolese counterpart General Gnassingbe Eyadema that are to kick off a weekend of talks among west African leaders about the 20-month crisis in Ivory Coast.
Zimbabwe's AIDS conference ends with call for united action: Susan Njanji; Agence France-Presse - June 18, 2004; HARARE, June 18 (AFP) - Zimbabwe's first national AIDS conference came to a close on Friday with a call for united action to curb the pandemic affecting one in four Zimbabweans.
Vodafone ploughs money into UN Foundation aid for world body: Agence France-Presse - June 17, 2004; GENEVA, June 17 (AFP) - The UN Foundation said Thursday it had secured its largest corporate pledge to finance aid projects through a five-year, 10 million pound (18.3 million dollars, 15.1 million euros) tie-up with the British mobile telecoms group Vodafone.
Zambia's Kaunda tells Zimbabwe to unite in fight against AIDS: Susan Njanji; Agence France-Presse - June 17, 2004; HARARE, June 17 (AFP) - Zambia's former president Kenneth Kaunda, whose son died of AIDS in 1986, on Thursday told Zimbabweans to put aside political differences in the fight against the pandemic.
Thai hotel accused of HIV discrimination ahead of AIDS conference: Agence France-Presse - June 17, 2004; BANGKOK, June 17 (AFP) - Thai AIDS activists accused a Bangkok hotel on Thursday of discriminating against HIV-positive people, just three weeks before some 20,000 delegates were to converge here for a global forum on the virus.
Thailand, Brazil pledge to work together on trade, AIDS: Agence France-Presse - June 16, 2004; BRASILIA, June 16 (AFP) - Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra wrapped up his official visit to Brazil with pledges to cooperate in making generic AIDS drugs and in a new round of global trade talks under the World Trade Organization.
Pope launches passionate appeal for Africa: Agence France-Presse - June 16, 2004; VATICAN CITY, June 16 (AFP) - Pope John Paul II on Wednesday launched a passionate appeal on behalf of the African continent, scarred in recent times by repeated wars and the AIDS virus.
South Africa honours Annan as it marks key anti-apartheid uprising: Jean-Jacques Cornish; Agence France-Presse - June 16, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, June 16 (AFP) - South Africa on Wednesday marked the anniversary of a landmark anti-apartheid protest nearly 30 years ago by conferring top civil awards on world leaders for their role in the country's long march to freedom, and paid tribute to liberation-era heros.
Mugabe says Zimbabwe can rise to the challenge of AIDS: Susan Njanji; Agence France-Presse - June 16, 2004; HARARE, June 16 (AFP) - President Robert Mugabe voiced confidence Wednesday that Zimbabwe can win the fight against AIDS, which he described as "one of the greatest challenges" facing the southern African nation.
China agrees to first official orphanage for AIDS children: Agence France-Presse - June 16, 2004; BEIJING, June 16 (AFP) - In a new sign that China is starting to face up to what could be a devastating AIDS epidemic, state media said Wednesday that the first orphanage will be built for children whose parents died of the disease.
Poverty, malnutrition hinder Zimbabwe's AIDS battle: Ryan Truscott; Agence France-Presse - June 15, 2004; HARARE, June 15 (AFP) - Poverty and malnutrition are undermining Zimbabwe's battle against HIV and AIDS, some 700 delegates heard at a conference that opened here on Tuesday.
South Africa's health minister promotes new condom as 'sexy and fun': Agence France-Presse - June 14, 2004; BENONI, South Africa, June 14 (AFP) - Declaring condoms "sexy and fun", South Africa's health minister on Monday launched a new free government-issued condom as part of the nation's campaign to battle AIDS.
Zimbabwe to hold first national AIDS conference: Susan Njanji; Agence France-Presse - June 14, 2004; HARARE, June 14 (AFP) - Zimbabwe, one of the countries worst hit by HIV and AIDS, will open its first national AIDS conference on Tuesday to take stock of efforts to fight the pandemic and find more ways of tackling the disease.
Uganda starts providing free drugs to AIDS patients: Agence France-Presse - June 12, 2004; KAMPALA, June 12 (AFP) - Uganda this week started providing free anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) to AIDS patients in the east African nation where about 100,000 people are in urgent need of them, Health Minister Jim Muhwezi said on Saturday.
Uzbek forces disperse protest in support of jailed journalist: Agence France-Presse - June 12, 2004; TASHKENT, June 12 (AFP) - Security forces in the hardline Central Asian republic of Uzbekistan on Saturday broke up a demonstration calling for the release of imprisoned journalist Ruslan Sharipov.
UNDP earmarks 24.3 million dollars for AIDS treatment in Liberia: Agence France-Presse - June 11, 2004; MONROVIA, June 11 (AFP) - The UN development agency UNDP is to spend some 24.3 million dollars in Liberia to help fight HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses in the west African state, UNDP officials said Friday.
IMF warns South Africa about high jobless rate: Agence France-Presse - June 11, 2004; CAPE TOWN, June 11 (AFP) - The International Monetary Fund warned South Africa on Friday that it will not succeed in bringing down high unemployment with its current economic growth rate.
UN special envoy to discuss humanitarian needs in Zimbabwe: Agence France-Presse - June 11, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, June 11 (AFP) - The UN special envoy for humanitarian needs, James Morris, will travel to Zimbabwe next week as part of a five-nation tour of southern Africa to discuss food security and AIDS.
WHO, UNAIDS welcome G8 endorsement for virtual consortium: Agence France-Presse - June 11, 2004; GENEVA, June 11 (AFP) - The World Heath Organization and UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, congratulated themselves Friday after the Group of Eight endorsed their call for a Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, aimed at coordinating research worldwide.
Veteran HIV campaigner takes his nutrition message to Eritrea: Sophie Mongalvy; Agence France-Presse - June 11, 2004; ASMARA, June 11 (AFP) - David Patient, who has lived with the virus that usually causes AIDS within eight years of contraction for almost three time that long, almost entirely without antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), gives new meaning to the term "HIV positive."
G8 agrees to "Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise": Agence France-Presse - June 10, 2004; SAVANNAH, Georgia, June 10 (AFP) - Leaders of the Group of Eight of the world's most industrialized nations agreed Thursday to build an enterprise to search for an HIV vaccine on a global scale.
US, France still at odds as G8 summit winds down: Stephen Collinson; Agence France-Presse - June 10, 2004; SEA ISLAND, Georgia, June 10 (AFP) - A G8 summit meant to enshrine a new era of trans-Atlantic unity wrapped up Thursday, with new cracks evident over Iraq, but commitments to battle global poverty and terrorism.
Action taken by the Group of Eight summit: Agence France-Presse - June 10, 2004; SEA ISLAND, Georgia, June 10 (AFP) - World leaders at the Group of Eight summit adopted a series of measures during their three-day summit here. Here is a brief rundown:
US expresses concern over arrest, assault of AIDS activists in China: Agence France-Presse - June 10, 2004; WASHINGTON, June 10 (AFP) - The United States expressed concern Thursday over reports that a leading AIDS and democracy activist in China has been placed under house arrest and roughed up by police preventing him from leaving his home.
Africa seeks respect at G8: debt, development, disease on the agenda: Agence France-Presse - June 10, 2004; SEA ISLAND, Georgia, June 10 (AFP) - World leaders meet here Thursday with the presidents of six African nations seeking debt relief, trade and development aid and most of all respect as more than gate crashers at a rich men's party.
UN urges shift in strategies to combat HIV/AIDS in Cambodia: Agence France-Presse - June 10, 2004; PHNOM PENH, June 10 (AFP) - Cambodia should implement fresh strategies to combat the rampant spread of HIV/AIDS in the kingdom, particularly among married women, the UN women's agency said Thursday.
US wages public relations war at G8: Olivier Knox; Agence France-Presse - June 9, 2004; SAVANNAH, Georgia, June 9 (AFP) - The United States has rolled out its big guns at the Group of Eight summit, waging an unprecedented public relations drive to showcase what some officials call the softer side of US power.
US, G8 partners, close to deal on non-proliferation: Olivier Knox; Agence France-Presse - June 8, 2004; SAVANNAH, Georgia, June 8 (AFP) - World leaders at the Group of Eight summit this week will approve plans for bolstering airline security and keeping nuclear weapons know-how from terrorists, US officials said Tuesday.
Zimbabwe starts producing anti-AIDS drugs: Agence France-Presse - June 8, 2004; HARARE, June 8 (AFP) - A Zimbabwean pharmaceutical company said Tuesday it had started manufacturing generic anti-retroviral drugs for the millions of HIV and AIDS sufferers in the southern African country.
Bollywood tackles AIDS for the first time: Shail Kumar Singh; Agence France-Presse - June 8, 2004; BOMBAY, June 8 (AFP) - India's Bollywood film industry, famed for its frothy romances and lavish song-and-dance sequences, is tackling for the first time AIDS and the social stigma attached to the illness.
Reagan legacy a bitter pill for gay community: Giles Hewitt; Agence France-Presse - June 8, 2004; NEW YORK, June 8 (AFP) - The death of Ronald Reagan has gone largely unmourned by America's gay community, which still harbours bitter memories of the former president's indifference to the emerging AIDs epidemic in the 1980s.
US wages G8 charm offensive: Olivier Knox; Agence France-Presse - June 7, 2004; SAVANNAH, Georgia, June 7 (AFP) - The United States opened a global charm campaign Monday, seeking G8 support for fistful of multilateral initiatives apparently aimed at showing that Washington is a good global citizen.
US gays strike discordant note over Reagan's death: Agence France-Presse - June 6, 2004; LOS ANGELES, June 6 (AFP) - As America mourned Ronald Reagan, gay activists struck a discordant note Sunday, lamenting his alleged insensitivity to AIDS when it struck devastatingly during his presidency.
China approves special jails for AIDS victims: report: Agence France-Presse - June 6, 2004; BEIJING, June 6 (AFP) - Southern China's Guangdong province has given the green light to open special detention centers for convicts suffering from AIDS, state media said Sunday.
Costly music gala on Senegal slave island to open Ebony Festival: Coumba Sylla; Agence France-Presse - June 4, 2004; DAKAR, June 4 (AFP) - The Coca-Cola Ebony Festival, billed as a celebration of the positive side of Africa, was due to open Friday on the island of Goree, near the Senegalese capital, with a gala musical soiree from which most locals will be excluded by the cost of tickets.
African business needs to do much more on AIDS: WEF: Agence France-Presse - June 3, 2004; MAPUTO, June 3 (AFP) - African business is acutely aware of the threat posed by AIDS but needs to turn "concern into action" in a continent with the highest number of sufferers in the world, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said Thursday.
Zimbabwe state hospital detains 28 babies over unpaid bills: Agence France-Presse - June 3, 2004; HARARE, June 3 (AFP) - Zimbabwe's largest state hospital is refusing to discharge 28 newborns and their mothers until they pay their bill, the hospital director was quoted as saying Thursday.
Vietnam, China launch UN-backed anti-trafficking campaign: Agence France-Presse - June 3, 2004; ANOI, June 3 (AFP) - Vietnam and China launched Thursday a joint campaign in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund to stop the trafficking of women and children between the communist neighbours.
Zimbabwe battles to provide schooling in former white farmlands: Susan Njanji; Agence France-Presse - June 3, 2004; CHEGUTU, Zimbabwe, June 3 (AFP) - Hundreds of schools have sprung up in Zimbabwe's former white farmlands but many of the black children they are meant to educate are not turning up at classes.
Leading AIDS activist and Tiananmen dissident roughed up by Chinese police: Agence France-Presse - June 2, 2004; BEIJING, June 2 (AFP) - Leading Chinese AIDS and democracy activist Hu Jia, who is under house arrest in Beijing, claimed Wednesday he was roughed up by police who are preventing him leaving his home.
South Africa's AIDS drugs program runs into trouble: Stuart Graham; Agence France-Presse - June 2, 2004; CAPE TOWN, June 2 (AFP) - The South African government is in hot water over its AIDS policy after it temporarily capped its national programme to dole out free drugs and blamed pharmaceutical firms for erratic supplies.
G8 should ease debt for poor, make AIDS top priority: analysts: Agence France-Presse - June 2, 2004; WASHINGTON, June 2 (AFP) - Wealthy Group of Eight (G8) nations should cancel all debt of poor countries and make HIV-AIDS a top security priority, experts and analysts said Wednesday ahead of a summit of the industrialised powers.
Afghanistan records first AIDS deaths: Agence France-Presse - June 2, 2004; KABUL, June 2 (AFP) - An Afghan father and his two children died of AIDS in Kabul last month, becoming war-shattered Afghanistan's first registered victims of the disease, a health official said Wednesday.

May

Many young Asians ignorant to AIDS risks: UNICEF: Agence France-Presse - May 31, 2004; BANGKOK, May 31 (AFP) - Many young people in the Asia Pacific region remain alarmingly ignorant about the risks posed by HIV-AIDS, while others continue to have unsafe sex after being warned of the dangers, UNICEF said Monday.
Anti-child labour programme in Malawi pays dividends: Jerome Cartillier; Agence France-Presse - May 30, 2004; NGALA, Malawi, May 30 (AFP) - A project to eradicate child labour in the impoverished southern African country of Malawi has paid off through a combination of increased access to water and food and the renovation of schools.
Irish compensation for blood scandals tops half a billion euros: Agence France-Presse - May 30, 2004; DUBLIN, May 30 (AFP) - Over half a billion euros in legal fees and compensation have been paid out so far to 1,763 Irish people as a result of contaminated blood scandals, a spokeswoman for a government funded tribunal said Sunday.
US domination worries EU, Caribbean Latin leaders: Francoise Kadri; Agence France-Presse - May 28, 2004; GUADALAJARA, Mexico, May 28 (AFP) - European Union, Caribbean and Latin American leaders on Friday opened their third summit with pleas for greater multilateral decision-making in world affairs.
Conflict in north threatens to undo Uganda's development success: UNICEF: Agence France-Presse - May 28, 2004; KAMPALA, May 28 (AFP) - UNICEF chief Carol Bellamy on Friday warned that a devastating conflict raging in northern Uganda threatens to undo development success in other parts of the east African nation.
US domination worries EU and Latin American leaders: Michel Leclercq; Agence France-Presse - May 28, 2004; GUADALAJARA, Mexico, May 28 (AFP) - European Union and Latin American leaders on Friday opened a summit with pleas for greater multilateral decision making in world affairs.
Serbia and Montenegro to mediate on Bulgarian nurses sentenced in Libya: Agence France-Presse - May 28, 2004; BELGRADE, May 28 (AFP) - Serbia and Montenegro's President Svetozar Marovic has promised his Bulgarian counterpart Georgy Parvanov that his country will mediate on behalf of five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya in a case involving AIDS-contaminated blood, BK TV station reported Friday.
Top Chinese AIDS activist under house arrest during US envoy visit: Agence France-Presse - May 28, 2004; WENLOU, China, May 28 (AFP) - A leading Chinese activist was under house arrest Friday to stop him speaking with US ambassador to China Clark Randt during the envoy's visit to AIDS villages, despite China pledging more transparency in fighting the spiralling crisis.
Strife, debt and trade stifle progress in poorest countries: UN: Agence France-Presse - May 27, 2004; GENEVA, May 27 (AFP) - A crippling debt burden, declining commodity prices, poor trade conditions, civil strife and HIV/AIDS are wiping out the benefits of improved economic performance in the world's poorest countries, the UN said Thursday.
Drugs shortage impedes South Africa's fight against AIDS: Agence France-Presse - May 27, 2004; CAPE TOWN, May 27 (AFP) - A shortage of anti-AIDS drugs is hampering a state-run programme to treat five million South Africans suffering from HIV and AIDS, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said Thursday.
China must tackle AIDS more aggressively, says UN expert: Agence France-Presse - May 27, 2004; SHANGHAI, May 27 (AFP) - China needs to tackle HIV/AIDS more aggressively if it is to prevent the deadly disease from affecting more than 10 million people by 2010, the United Nations top HIV/AIDS official said Thursday.
Irish rock star Bono enlisted for EU talks: Agence France-Presse - May 27, 2004; DUBLIN, May 27 (AFP) - Irish band U2's lead singer Bono has been drafted in by the Irish government to address EU development ministers in Dublin next week about issues related to Africa, including AIDS, trade and debt, a spokesman said on Thursday.
Poverty conference in China vows to renew fight: Agence France-Presse - May 27, 2004; SHANGHAI, May 27 (AFP) - An international conference aimed at alleviating poverty closed late Thursday in Shanghai with leaders and policymakers pledging to reinvigorate the fight against the global scourge.
South African business grouping launches anti-AIDS 'toolkit': Agence France-Presse - May 27, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, May 27 (AFP) - A South African business group set up to fight AIDS, one of the country's biggest killer diseases, on Thursday launched a "toolkit" to help companies handle the pandemic among workers.
Japan gives one million dollars to Zimbabwe AIDS programmes: Agence France-Presse - May 26, 2004; HARARE, May 26 (AFP) - Japan on Wednesday donated one million dollars (825,000 euros) to support HIV/AIDS programmes for children affected by the pandemic in Zimbabwe, the state news agency reported.
Thousands of Italian MDs take kickbacks in pharmaceutical swindle: police: Ljubomir Milasin; Agence France-Presse - May 26, 2004; ROME, May 26 (AFP) - Italy's anti-corruption police on Wednesday accused more than 4,400 doctors of taking kickbacks from GlaxoSmithKline in return for prescribing drugs made by the British pharmaceuticals giant.
War on terror used as smokescreen to attack rights: Amnesty report: Agence France-Presse - May 26, 2004; LONDON, May 26 (AFP) - The US-led "war on terror" is being used by Asian governments as a pretext to oppress millions of people, a report on the region's human rights by watchdog Amnesty International said Wednesday.
Cheap AIDS drugs to take spotlight at Bangkok conference: Agence France-Presse - May 26, 2004; BANGKOK, May 26 (AFP) - The fight between drug firms and producers of cheap generic treatments for HIV-AIDS is expected to be a focus at a global forum on the killer virus to be held in Thailand in July, organisers said Wednesday.
Amnesty slams China over little progress, and some steps back, on rights: Agence France-Presse - May 26, 2004; LONDON, May 26 (AFP) - China's rights record has made little progress in the past year and has worsened in areas such as the treatment of ethnic minorities, Amnesty International said Wednesday.
China becomes big exporter of AIDS drug raw material; to export cheap drugs: Cindy Sui; Agence France-Presse - May 25, 2004; BEIJING, May 25 (AFP) - China, which began making AIDS medicine less than two years ago, has become a major exporter of cheap raw material for AIDS drugs and is gearing up to export finished drugs to Third World countries.
HIV, AIDS on rise among HK gays: Agence France-Presse - May 25, 2004; HONG KONG, May 25 (AFP) - HIV and AIDS are on the rise among Hong Kong's gay community with fears that increasing numbers of visitors from China are spreading the virus, health officials said Tuesday.
Thailand to host first AIDS summit: PM: Agence France-Presse - May 24, 2004; BANGKOK, May 24 (AFP) - Thailand will host the first leaders' summit on HIV/AIDS in July on the sidelines of an international conference on the deadly disease, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Monday.
AFP Interview: UNAIDS chief warns China over disease "timebomb": Cindy Sui; Agence France-Presse - May 24, 2004; BEIJING, May 24 (AFP) - The United Nations' top official on HIV/AIDS Monday urged China to act immediately to defuse a "timebomb" with the country's number of new infections doubling in two years.
Singapore's AIDS prevention programmes to undergo revamp: Agence France-Presse - May 24, 2004; SINGAPORE, May 24 (AFP) - The Singapore government will review its AIDS prevention programmes after the number of new infections hit a record high last year, the city-state's Health Promotion Board said Monday.
British scientist accused of illegal study on Kenyan AIDS orphans: Agence France-Presse - May 23, 2004; NAIROBI, May 23 (AFP) - A British scientist in Kenya was in the spotlight Sunday after a report claimed he conducted a study on children suffering from AIDS in a Nairobi orphanage without consent from the government, a report said.
China to invest 121 million dollars to improve rural health care: Agence France-Presse - May 23, 2004; BEIJING, May 23 (AFP) - China will invest 1 billion yuan (121 million US dollars) in projects to improve public health care in the countryside, after last year's SARS outbreak exposed a woefully inadequate system, state media said Sunday.
Malaysian cleric refuses to bar 3,000 Muslim AIDS sufferers from marrying: Agence France-Presse - May 23, 2004; KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 (AFP) - An Islamic religious leader has refused to bar some 3,000 Muslims suffering from HIV/AIDS from marrying despite fears that the disease could spread to their offspring, a report said Sunday.
Health chiefs give boost to AIDS treatment in poor countries: Agence France-Presse - May 22, 2004; GENEVA, May 22 (AFP) - World Health Organisation member states on Saturday unanimously approved measures to scale up the treatment of HIV/AIDS in poor countries and to supply them with affordable, high quality anti-AIDS drugs.
UN health agency targets lifestyles in battle against ill-health: Peter Capella; Agence France-Presse - May 22, 2004; GENEVA, May 22 (AFP) - The World Health Organisation's 192 member states on Saturday gave a new thrust to global action on public health by broadening their focus from infectious diseases to ill-health linked to lifestyles or human behaviour.
Vietnamese drug detox official jailed for selling heroin: Agence France-Presse - May 22, 2004; HANOI, May 22 (AFP) - A drug rehabilitation official has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for selling heroin to drug addicts receiving treatment at a detoxification centre in southern Vietnam, state media said Saturday.
Stars offer songs, lunches and tennis lessons for Cannes AIDS charity bash: Agence France-Presse - May 21, 2004; CANNES, France, May 21 (AFP) - Celebrities including Sheryl Crowe, Liza Minelli and Rod Stewart have put on a star turn at the Cannes film festival to raise more than two million dollars (1.6 million euros) for AIDS research, charity organisers said Friday.
WHO moves to improve AIDS treatment in developing countries: Agence France-Presse - May 21, 2004; GENEVA, May 21 (AFP) - World Health Organisation member states on Friday paved the way for new measures aimed at scaling up the treatment of HIV/AIDS in poor countries and improving access to high quality anti-AIDS drugs.
Pope makes aid appeal for Africa: Agence France-Presse - May 21, 2004; ROME, May 21 (AFP) - Pope John Paul II on Friday launched an appeal for international aid for Africa, describing the continent as ravaged by the AIDS pandemic and "bloodied" by ongoing violence.
Bush to meet Gabon president May 26: Agence France-Presse - May 21, 2004; BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, May 21 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush will welcome President Omar Bongo Ondimba of Gabon to the White House on May 26, White House spokesman Trent Duffy said in a statement Friday.
Mbeki vows to tackle poverty in state-of-the-nation address: Stuart Graham; Agence France-Presse - May 21, 2004; CAPE TOWN, May 21 (AFP) - President Thabo Mbeki outlined ambitious plans on Friday to tackle poverty by boosting South Africa's economy in a state-of-the-nation address that also touched on crime and AIDS.
Mbeki promises AIDS drugs to 50,000 sufferers in coming year: Agence France-Presse - May 21, 2004; CAPE TOWN, May 21 (AFP) - President Thabo Mbeki on Friday promised that more than 50,000 AIDS sufferers would have access to free drugs by March next year as part of the national treatment plan in South Africa.
US to turn gays away from sperm banks: Agence France-Presse - May 20, 2004; WASHINGTON, May 20 (AFP) - The US government on Thursday said it would ban homosexuals from making anonymous donations to sperm banks, in the name of preventing transmittable diseases, in a move swiftly condemned by gay rights groups.
Sharon Stone, Liza Minelli at Riviera AIDS benefit: Agence France-Presse - May 20, 2004; CANNES, France, May 20 (AFP) - Actress Sharon Stone and singer Liza Minelli joined a crowd of 550 people Thursday evening for a 25,000-100,000 dollar per table dinner at this year's exclusive AIDS benefit on the Riviera.
Bulgaria seeks rapid solution to nurses condemned to death in Libya: Agence France-Presse - May 19, 2004; TRIPOLI, May 19 (AFP) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy said on Wednesday he had asked Libyan authorities to find a quick and just solution in the case of five Bulgarian nurses condemned to death by a Libyan court.
One million people with HIV-AIDS in Nigeria's economic capital: officials: Agence France-Presse - May 19, 2004; LAGOS, May 19 (AFP) - One million people have been infected with HIV or have full-blown AIDS in Lagos, Africa's largest city, state health officials said Wednesday.
EU and developing states call for boosted access to anti-AIDS drugs: Agence France-Presse - May 19, 2004; GENEVA, May 19 (AFP) - A group of European, Latin American and African countries on Wednesday called on the World Health Organisation's 192 member states to boost the treatment of HIV/AIDS by making full use of rules granting access to cheaper drugs.
Shanghai to provide free AIDS treatment to poor: Agence France-Presse - May 19, 2004; SHANGHAI, May 19 (AFP) - Shanghai will provide free or reduced cost HIV/AIDS treatment to the poor amid growing alarm about the spread of the disease among residents and migrant workers, state press reported Wednesday.
Bulgarian FM holds talks with Libyans on fate of condemned nurses: Agence France-Presse - May 18, 2004; SOFIA, May 18 (AFP) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy held talks in Tripoli with his Libyan counterpart Abdel Rahman Shalgham on the fate of five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death there earlier this month.
PNG leader sacks seven ministers amid political crisis: Agence France-Presse - May 18, 2004; PORT MORESBY, May 18 (AFP) - Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Michael Somare sacked seven of his 15 ministers Tuesday in a major cabinet reshuffle aimed at preventing the collapse of his government after less than two years in power.
Child prisoners face abuse in Asian jails: UNICEF: Agence France-Presse - May 18, 2004; BANGKOK, May 18 (AFP) - Child prisoners in Asia are experiencing inhumane treatment and are at risk of sexual exploitation and drug abuse, UNICEF warned Tuesday as it called for a regional judicial overhaul for the young.
Sweden to help pay for HIV/AIDS treatment for millions worldwide: Agence France-Presse - May 18, 2004; STOCKHOLM, May 18 (AFP) - Sweden will donate 40 million kronor (5.2 million dollars, 4.3 million euros) to help pay for the treatment of three million HIV/AIDS patients worldwide, the government announced ahead of a WHO meeting in Geneva on Tuesday.
Malawi, with nothing, takes care of AIDS orphans: Jerome Cartillier; Agence France-Presse - May 18, 2004; BLANTYRE, May 18 (AFP) - With very little money, no drugs and facing a daily struggle to find food, Zex Thambo takes care of AIDS orphans in a township of Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries and among the hardest hit by the pandemic.
Bulgarian FM to hold talks with Libyans on fate of condemned nurses: Agence France-Presse - May 17, 2004; SOFIA, May 17 (AFP) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy will visit Libya on Tuesday for talks with officials on the fate of five Bulgarian nurses who were sentenced to death there earlier this month, his office said.
Doctors Set World Guidelines for Fuzeon, Last-Ditch Drug for AIDS: Agence France-Presse - May 17, 2004; On Monday in Paris, a panel of experts presented international guidelines for treating HIV patients with Fuzeon, the first of a new class of drugs that can be a lifeline for people who develop resistance to other antiretrovirals. "By providing clear advice on the timing of Fuzeon initiation and patient support during therapy, these guidelines clarify the place of this breakthrough drug in current HIV treatment regimens and will enable more pre-treated patients to benefit," said Dr. Mike Young of London's Royal Free Hospital.
WHO starts annual assembly to tackle global health threats: Peter Capella; Agence France-Presse - May 17, 2004; GENEVA, May 17 (AFP) - The 192 World Health Organisation member states opened their annual assembly Monday, with a heavy agenda dominated by a renewed drive against HIV/AIDS, the threat of new infectious diseases and the growing impact of lifestyle on health.
AIDS on the rise in Singapore, govt to blame: advocacy group: Yasmine Yahya; Agence France-Presse - May 17, 2004; SINGAPORE, May 17 (AFP) - AIDS is on the rise in Singapore and the government is partly to blame for refusing to subsidise vital drugs and not doing enough to educate the community, a prominent advocacy group said Monday.
US to speed up authorisation process for anti-AIDS drugs: Agence France-Presse - May 16, 2004; GENEVA, May 16 (AFP) - The United States is to accelerate its procedure for authorising anti-AIDS drugs and funding them from a 15-billion-dollar fund, the US Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson said Sunday.
Vienna's Life Ball: high camp in support of AIDS victims: Robert Koch; Agence France-Presse - May 16, 2004; VIENNA, May 16 (AFP) - Celebrities such as Elton John and 30,000 other revellers donned leather, latex, fur and all things fetish for Vienna's 12th annual Life Ball on Saturday to raise money for the fight against AIDS.
Southern Africa leaders call for increased funding for agricultural sector: John Kulekana; Agence France-Presse - May 15, 2004; DAR ES SALAAM, May 15 (AFP) - A southern Africa development bloc on Saturday urged its 13 member states to increase agricultural funding to boost regional food production, according to a joint declaration issued at the close of a one-day summit in Tanzania.
Bulgarian doctors protest in support of condemned colleagues in Libya: Agence France-Presse - May 15, 2004; SOFIA, May 15 (AFP) - Bulgarian doctors and nurses staged protests across the country on Saturday in support of five Bulgarian nurses who were sentenced to death in Libya in a case involving AIDS-contaminated blood.
France to intervene on behalf of Bulgarians sentenced to die in Libya: Agence France-Presse - May 14, 2004; SOFIA, May 14 (AFP) - France has assured Bulgaria that it will intervene on behalf of five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death by a Libyan court in a case involving AIDS-contaminated blood, according to a letter obtained by AFP Friday.
Porn films roll again -- without condoms: Agence France-Presse - May 13, 2004; LOS ANGELES, May 13 (AFP) - Health authorities on Thursday lamented a decision by California's booming porn industry to film without condoms, despite a spate of HIV infection among its actors.
ADB unveils 7.0 billion dollar anti-poverty fund: Martin Abbugao; Agence France-Presse - May 13, 2004; JEJU, South Korea, May 13 (AFP) - The Asian Development Bank announced Thursday it was setting up a seven billion-dollar fund to help fight poverty, with China making a contribution for the first time to reflect its status as a rising economic power.
Zimbabwe opposition lawmaker, youth leaders arrested: lawyer: Agence France-Presse - May 13, 2004; HARARE, May 13 (AFP) - Zimbabwe police have arrested an opposition lawmaker and two other officials from the Movement for Democratic Change's (MDC) youth wing after they addressed a meeting on AIDS, their lawyer and the party said Thursday.
Council of Europe concerned over Bulgarians sentenced to die in Libya: Agence France-Presse - May 13, 2004; STRASBOURG, May 13 (AFP) - The Council of Europe on Thursday expressed its "grave concern" over Libyan death sentences against five Bulgarians and a Palestinian in a case involving AIDS-contaminated blood, and called on Tripoli to overturn the verdict.
Canada first to pass law to send cheap AIDS drugs to poor countries: Agence France-Presse - May 13, 2004; OTTAWA, May 13 (AFP) - Canada on Thursday became the first rich nation to pass pioneering legislation designed to funnel cheap generic drugs to sufferers of HIV/AIDS and other killer diseases in the developing world.
AIDS treatment a 'human right', African health ministers say: Agence France-Presse - May 13, 2004; ROME, May 13 (AFP) - Seventy percent of the world's AIDS victims are born and die in Africa, African health ministers said at a conference in Rome Thursday, appealing to wealthy countries to mobilise resources to help the world's poorest continent take on the pandemic.
Pre-election boost for Canadian PM as he is hailed by Bono: Agence France-Presse - May 12, 2004; OTTAWA, May 12 (AFP) - Irish rocker Bono praised Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin Wednesday for leading the developed world in efforts to combat HIV/AIDS and poverty in the developing world.
California porn industry resumes production after HIV outbreak: Agence France-Presse - May 12, 2004; LOS ANGELES, May 12 (AFP) - California's adult movie industry on Wednesday lifted the filming moratorium it imposed on itself after some of its actors became HIV-positive, getting back to work nearly a month earlier than anticipated.
African AIDS programs should focus on expectant mothers, conference hears: Agence France-Presse - May 12, 2004; ROME, May 12 (AFP) - Making HIV-positive pregnant women the focus of HIV/AIDS treatment programs in Africa has proven the most effective way to battle the pandemic on the continent, African health ministers heard Wednesday at a conference here.
Detained Chinese AIDS sufferers released: Agence France-Presse - May 12, 2004; BEIJING, May 12 (AFP) - Seven farmers detained for more than a week in central China's Henan province have been released, including several AIDS sufferers who demanded better government assistance, police said Wednesday.
Australian state seeks federal banking to trial pot as a therapy: Agence France-Presse - May 12, 2004; SYDNEY, May 12 (AFP) - An Australian state has sought central government backing to trial cannabis as a medicinal treatment for people suffering acute but otherwise untreatable pain, officials said here Wednesday.
Libya stops five Bulgarian doctors and a nurse from leaving the country: Agence France-Presse - May 11, 2004; SOFIA, May 11 (AFP) - Libya is refusing to grant exit visas to five Bulgarian doctors and a Bulgarian nurse, a week after five Bulgarian nurses were sentenced to death for spreading AIDS in a hospital, the Bulgarian ambassador in Tripoli said Tuesday.
HIV-AIDS rates for Asian children will soar unless action taken: UN: Agence France-Presse - May 11, 2004; BANGKOK, May 11 (AFP) - The United Nations warned Tuesday that HIV-AIDS infections rates among children in Asia were likely to soar unless governments implemented effective prevention strategies.
UNAIDS official rejects notion Vatican cardinals against condoms: Agence France-Presse - May 11, 2004; GENEVA, May 11 (AFP) - A senior UN official dealing with the fight against HIV/AIDS on Tuesday rejected suggestions that the Roman Catholic church was against the use of condoms, saying the issue was still the subject of hot debate in the Vatican.
India facing "catastrophic" HIV/AIDS epidemic: AIDS official: Agence France-Presse - May 11, 2004; GENEVA, May 11 (AFP) - A senior international health official warned Tuesday that HIV/AIDS is growing into a "catastrophic epidemic" in India, the world's second most populous country.
Malawi begins providing free AIDS drugs: Agence France-Presse - May 11, 2004; BLANTYRE, May 11 (AFP) - Malawi, where AIDS has cut life expectancy to 36, on Tuesday launched its first programme to provide free antiretroviral drugs, hoping to reach tens of thousands of HIV sufferers in the next five years.
UN health agency calls for boost in AIDS treatment to save millions: Peter Capella; Agence France-Presse - May 11, 2004; GENEVA, May 11 (AFP) - Less than seven percent of the six million AIDS victims worldwide who urgently need treatment actually receive medical care, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Tuesday as it called for a massive boost in the supply of life-saving drugs.
Bush to meet Angolan president May 12: Agence France-Presse - May 10, 2004; WASHINGTON, May 10 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush will welcome Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos here May 12th to discuss issues including the African nation's transition to democracy, the White House said Monday.
Libyans lash out at US for condemning AIDS case death sentences: Agence France-Presse - May 9, 2004; BENGHAZI, Libya, May 9 (AFP) - Libyans whose young relatives were infected with HIV/AIDS at a children's hospital here lashed out Sunday at US criticism of death sentences for five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor.
India's school for brides teaches servitude but no sex: Uttara Choudhury; Agence France-Presse - May 9, 2004; BHOPAL, India, May 9 (AFP) - A school for brides in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh teaches women how to be ideal wives by serving their husband and his family -- but keeps sex off the curriculum.
China announces new nationwide measures to boost fight against AIDS: Agence France-Presse - May 9, 2004; BEIJING, May 9 (AFP) - China on Sunday announced a set of new nationwide measures to intensify the fight against HIV/AIDS, including judging local officials' performance by how well they prevent the spread of the disease.
Bulgaria to appeal death sentences in Libyan AIDS case: Lilia Dimitrova; Agence France-Presse - May 8, 2004; SOFIA, May 8 (AFP) - Bulgaria said Saturday it will appeal death sentences handed down by a Libyan court on five Bulgarian nurses found guilty of infecting hundreds of children with AIDS, a verdict which could undermine Libya's improving ties with the West.
Libya hits back at US condemnation of death sentences in AIDS case: Agence France-Presse - May 8, 2004; TRIPOLI, May 8 (AFP) - Libya hit back at US condemnation of death sentences pronounced by a Libyan court on five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor for the spread of AIDS in a children's hospital.
Southern African officials begin week-long talks in Tanzania on food crisis: Agence France-Presse - May 8, 2004; DAR ES SALAAM, May 8 (AFP) - Senior officials in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) began a week of talks in Dar es Salaam on Saturday, ahead of an extraordinary summit on May 14 on regional food crises and economic investment, officials said.
Bulgarian nurses facing death penalty in Libya fear attack in prison: Agence France-Presse - May 7, 2004; SOFIA, May 7 (AFP) - Five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya but waiting for their appeal to be heard fear for their lives in prison, they said in interviews published Friday in Monitor newspaper in Sofia.
Lesotho launches first AIDS treatment center: Agence France-Presse - May 7, 2004; MASERU, May 7 (AFP) - Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili inaugurated on Friday the country's first AIDS treatment centre as part of a joint effort with a pharmaceutical giant to fight the disease in the world's hardest hit region.
Zimbabwe lawmakers go for HIV tests: Ryan Truscott; Agence France-Presse - May 7, 2004; HARARE, May 7 (AFP) - In a rare show of unity, several lawmakers from Zimbabwe's two rival parties Friday underwent voluntary HIV tests in a bid to inspire others to do the same to curb the AIDS pandemic in the southern African country.
US denounces Libyan court verdict against Bulgarian medics as 'unacceptable': Agence France-Presse - May 6, 2004; WASHINGTON, May 6 (AFP) - The United States on Thursday denounced as "unacceptable" the convictions and death sentences handed down by a Libyan court against five Bulgarian medical workers and a Palestinian doctor who had been accused of intentionally spreading the AIDS virus.
Man with HIV accused of putting 170 people at risk in Washington state: Agence France-Presse - May 6, 2004; SEATTLE, Washington, May 6 (AFP) - A man diagnosed with HIV in this northwestern state has been accused of putting 170 people at risk of contracting the virus that causes AIDS, local health officials said Thursday.
Sofia shocked over death sentences against Bulgarian health workers: Vessela Sergueva; Agence France-Presse - May 6, 2004; SOFIA, May 6 (AFP) - Sofia said it was shocked Thursday by the death sentence against five Bulgarian health workers in Libya, but expressed confidence they would not be executed as leader Moamer Kadhafi strives to open up to the West.
EU blasts Libyan death verdicts as 'shadow' over renewed ties: Michael Thurston; Agence France-Presse - May 6, 2004; BRUSSELS, May 6 (AFP) - The EU condemned Thursday Libyan death sentences handed down to five Bulgarian health workers and a Palestinian doctor for spreading AIDS, saying they cast a "shadow" over improving ties with Tripoli.
Libya condemns five Bulgarians, Palestinian doctor to death in AIDS case: Afaf el-Geblawi; Agence France-Presse - May 6, 2004; TRIPOLI, May 6 (AFP) - A Libyan court Thursday sentenced five Bulgarian women nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death by firing squad after convicting them of deliberately spreading AIDS in a children's hospital, sparking fierce reactions to a verdict that could damage Libya's improving ties with the West.
Germany offers help to lift Libyan death sentences: Agence France-Presse - May 6, 2004; BERLIN, May 6 (AFP) - Germany pledged its support Thursday to help lift a death penalty imposed by a Libyan court on six Bulgarian health workers and a Palestinian doctor convicted of spreading AIDS.
Libyan court sentenced one of six Bulgarians to prison, not death: minister: Agence France-Presse - May 6, 2004; SOFIA, May 6 (AFP) - One of the six Bulgarians sentenced by a Libyan court Thursday in an AIDS scandal received only prison time and not a death sentence like the five others, Bulgarian Vice Foreign Minister Georgana Grancharova said.
AIDS panic escalates in US porn industry as more performers test HIV-positive: Agence France-Presse - May 5, 2004; LOS ANGELES, May 5 (AFP) - More performers in the multibillion-dollar US pornography industry have tested positive for HIV, the virus which causes AIDS, fueling a panic that has paralyzed production the past month, industry sources said Wednesday.
US presses Libya for release of Bulgarians in AIDS case: Agence France-Presse - May 5, 2004; WASHINGTON, May 5 (AFP) - The United States is pressing Libya for the release of six Bulgarians and a Palestinian on trial potentially for their lives for allegedly intentionally spreading the AIDS virus at a hospital in Benghazi, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday.
Bulgaria awaits verdict on six citizens in AIDS case in Libya: Vessela Sergueva; Agence France-Presse - May 5, 2004; SOFIA, May 5 (AFP) - Bulgarians were anxiously awaiting a verdict set to fall in Libya Thursday on six Bulgarians and a Palestinian charged with purposely spreading AIDS in a hospital, risking the death penalty.
Media campaign to fight HIV-AIDS launched in Cambodia: Agence France-Presse - May 5, 2004; PHNOM PENH, May 5 (AFP) - A multi-million dollar mass-media campaign including television dramas and radio shows aimed at fighting HIV-AIDS in Cambodia was launched here on Wednesday.
Zimbabwe MPs to take up public HIV tests: Agence France-Presse - May 4, 2004; HARARE, May 4 (AFP) - A dozen Zimbabwean lawmakers will take voluntary HIV tests this week in a bid to remove the stigma attached to AIDS, the parliamentarians said Tuesday.
Canada powers ahead on cheap AIDS drugs for poor countries: Agence France-Presse - May 4, 2004; OTTAWA, May 4 (AFP) - Canada on Tuesday moved to the verge of becoming the first country to honor a WTO pledge to get cheap generic drugs to HIV/AIDS sufferers in the developing world, with a crucial vote in parliament.
Ill-prepared Cambodia grapples with mounting drug crisis: Samantha Brown; Agence France-Presse - May 4, 2004; PHNOM PENH, May 4 (AFP) - Slumped across a bag of rubbish near a busy Phnom Penh market as he awaits his first heroin hit of the day, Yim is one of a soaring number of drug addicts in Cambodia.
China turns to traditional medicine to treat AIDS: Agence France-Presse - May 4, 2004; BEIJING, May 4 (AFP) - The Chinese province worst-hit by HIV/AIDS is turning to traditional Chinese medicine because Western-style drugs proved to have too many side-effects and were too expensive, state media said Tuesday.
Philippines risking AIDS explosion by pandering to Catholic Church: HRW: Agence France-Presse - May 4, 2004; MANILA, May 4 (AFP) - The Philippine government is risking a "possible explosion" of the AIDS virus by pandering to the Catholic Church's strict birth control policy, Human Rights Watch warned Tuesday.
Media freedom in grim state in much of former Soviet Union: Agence France-Presse - May 3, 2004; MOSCOW, May 3 (AFP) - Death, torture, censorship -- working conditions for journalists in much of the former Soviet Union remain grim more than a decade after the break-up of the totalitarian superpower.
Birth control condom campaign to begin in conservative Afghanistan: Herve Bar; Agence France-Presse - May 3, 2004; KABUL, May 3 (AFP) - In the country which gave birth to the Taliban movement and where Islam rules supreme, a small revolution is taking place. Next week an aid agency will begin a major condom campaign in conservative Afghanistan -- without using the word 'sex'.
South Africa plods on with controversial health minister: Fienie Grobler; Agence France-Presse - May 2, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, May 2 (AFP) - South Africa's controversial health minister faces a tough five years in office after President Thabo Mbeki re-appointed her to cabinet last week as pressure mounts to speed up an AIDS rescue plan.
Veteran South African leader says son died of AIDS: Agence France-Presse - May 2, 2004; JOHANNESBURG, May 2 (AFP) - Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the leader of South Africa's second black party and a veteran Zulu politician, said that his son died of the country's biggest killer AIDS, the Sunday Independent reported.
Revealed: Domestic violence, a source for AIDS pandemic: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - May 2, 2004; PARIS, May 2 (AFP) - Sunlight and fresh air are beginning to enter the dark and dirty room of domestic violence, exposing it as one of the hidden sources of the world's AIDS crisis.
Zimbabwean workers call for tax cuts on May Day: Agence France-Presse - May 1, 2004; HARARE, May 1 (AFP) - Thousands of workers in Zimbabwe marked May Day Saturday with calls for tax cuts and more rights and warned of demonstrations against the current income tax level of 45 percent.
Australian hospital tested baby for HIV after feeding wrong mother's milk: Agence France-Presse - May 1, 2004; SYDNEY, May 1 (AFP) - A Sydney hospital admitted Saturday it had to test a baby for HIV and other infectious diseases after the newborn girl was fed the wrong breast milk.
Amnesty calls for release of arrested Chinese AIDS sufferers: Agence France-Presse - May 1, 2004; BEIJING, May 1 (AFP) - Rights group Amnesty International appealed to the Chinese government Saturday to immediately release six AIDS sufferers who were arrested after demanding aid promised by their local government.

April

At least six AIDS sufferers arrested in China for seeking government help

Agence France-Presse - April 30, 2004

BEIJING, April 30 (AFP) - At least six AIDS sufferers and others living in a village in central China devastated by the disease have been arrested for seeking government help, their families and police said Friday.

HIV/AIDS has killed 2.3 million Nigerians: health minister

Agence France-Presse - April 30, 2004

ABUJA, April 30 (AFP) - About 2.3 million Nigerians have so far died of HIV/AIDS while 3.8 million others are carriers of the disease, health minister Eyitayo Lambo said Friday.

Male violence towards women boosts HIV risk: South African study

Agence France-Presse - April 30, 2004

PARIS, April 30 (AFP) - Women who are beaten or dominated by their partner are much more likely to become infected by HIV when compared with women who live in non-violent households, a South African study says.

South African AIDS project puts 1,000th patient on drugs

Agence France-Presse - April 29, 2004

CAPE TOWN, April 29 (AFP) - An AIDS project in a poor township outside Cape Town put its 1,000th patient on anti-retroviral drugs on Thursday and was hailed as a model for South Africa, grappling with one of the world's highest HIV caseloads.

Mozambique president speaks out against killings linked to organ traffic

Evaristo Cumbane

Agence France-Presse - April 29, 2004

MAPUTO, April 29 (AFP) - Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano on Thursday condemned a recent wave of killings and mutilations allegedly linked to the trafficking in human organs in a province of the southeastern African country.

GlaxoSmithKline profits dip, hit by weak dollar

Agence France-Presse - April 29, 2004

LONDON, April 29 (AFP) - British pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline on Thursday said a weak dollar contributed to a five-percent fall in first-quarter profits but predicted a return to earnings growth by the end of the year.

South Africa's Mbeki retains core team in new cabinet with more women

Jan Hennop

Agence France-Presse - April 28, 2004

PRETORIA, April 28 (AFP) - South African President Thabo Mbeki unveiled a new cabinet for his second and final term on Wednesday, including more women and members of other parties, saying their focus would be on service delivery.

S.Africa's Mbeki slammed for retaining controversial health minister

Agence France-Presse - April 28, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, April 28 (AFP) - Opposition leaders Wednesday slammed South African President Thabo Mbeki for retaining his controversial health minister -- widely seen to have failed in tackling the country's number one killer, AIDS -- in his new cabinet.

Rights watchdog says harsh drug policies fuelling AIDS in Russia

Giles Hewitt

Agence France-Presse - April 28, 2004

NEW YORK, April 28 (AFP) - Russia's draconian drug policies are fuelling an AIDS epidemic by denying HIV-prevention services to the highest-risk segments of the population, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Wednesday.

Russian prisoners protest against maltreatment

Agence France-Presse - April 28, 2004

MOSCOW, April 28 (AFP) - Russian prisoners have staged a wave of recent protests, including hunger strikes and suicide attempts, against maltreatment by jail authorities, human rights organisations said Wednesday.

Bulgaria thanks EU for support over Libyan AIDS trial case

Agence France-Presse - April 27, 2004

SOFIA, April 27 (AFP) - Bulgaria on Tuesday thanked the European Union for asking Libyan Leader Moamer Kadhafi to release six Bulgarians on trial in Libya for allegedly spreading the virus that causes AIDS.

Action hero Jackie Chan becomes UN goodwill ambassador

Agence France-Presse - April 26, 2004

PHNOM PENH, April 26 (AFP) - Action hero Jackie Chan has been appointed a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the organisation's AIDS agency UNAIDS, officials said Monday.

HIV-positive Indian woman kills herself after taunts by office colleagues

Agence France-Presse - April 26, 2004

AHMEDABAD, India, April 26 (AFP) - An HIV-positive Indian woman committed suicide after taunts from co-workers about her illness, police said Monday.

UN chief warns Asia-Pacific of need to fight AIDS, environmental woes

Agence France-Presse - April 26, 2004

SHANGHAI, China, April 26 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Monday highlighted HIV/AIDS, the promotion of environmental sustainability and financing development as the key issues facing the Asia-Pacific.

Ambitious World Bank education initiative faces "moment of truth"

Nathaniel Harrison

Agence France-Presse - April 25, 2004

WASHINGTON, April 25 (AFP) - An ambitious World Bank initiative to ensure universal primary education by 2015 has gotten off to a rocky start and faces a "moment of truth" as rich countries have been slow to make good on financial commitments, Bank officials said here Sunday.

World Bank says poverty rate cut in half since 1981 but progress uneven

Nathaniel Harrison

Agence France-Presse - April 23, 2004

WASHINGTON, April 23 (AFP) - The proportion of people living in dire poverty was nearly halved in the two decades to 2001 but progress was strikingly uneven, with millions in Africa and Latin America left out of dramatic gains seen in Asia, the World Bank said here Friday.

South Africa re-elects Mbeki as president

Stuart Graham

Agence France-Presse - April 23, 2004

CAPE TOWN, April 23 (AFP) - South African President Thabo Mbeki was re-elected to a second term in office on Friday as parliament held its first session following last week's sweeping election win by the African National Congress (ANC).

Thabo Mbeki, the pragmatist, leads new South Africa

Fienie Grobler

Agence France-Presse - April 23, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, April 23 (AFP) - President Thabo Mbeki, who was re-elected to the top post by members of parliament on Friday, has dedicated his entire life to the anti-apartheid struggle and to rebuilding a new multi-racial South Africa.

Mozambique battles malaria, country's third biggest killer

Agence France-Presse - April 23, 2004

MAPUTO, April 23 (AFP) - Mozambique said Friday it is stepping up a prevention campaign against malaria, the country's third biggest killer after cholera and AIDS, by encouraging the use of mosquito nets and looking at new treatments.

Rights group: China must end abuse AIDS sufferers

Agence France-Presse - April 22, 2004

NEW YORK, April 22 (AFP) - China should do more to end abuse of people infected with HIV, the AIDS virus, Human Rights Watch said Thursday.

Cirque du Soleil settles HIV discrimination suit for 600,000 dollars

Agence France-Presse - April 22, 2004

LOS ANGELES, April 22 (AFP) - Cirque du Soleil agreed Thursday to pay 600,000 dollars to settle a lawsuit by an HIV-positive gymnast whom the circus fired as a health risk to other performers.

California authorities debate obligatory condom use in porn films

Maria Lorente

Agence France-Presse - April 22, 2004

LOS ANGELES, April 22 (AFP) - After two well-known pornographic film stars tested HIV-positive, California health authorities are thinking about requiring condom use in adult films.

US film star urges more donor aid for poor African communities

Agence France-Presse - April 22, 2004

IGANGA, Uganda, April 22 (AFP) - US film star Natalie Portman has urged donors aiding poor African countries to double their soft loans to boost recipients' ability to handle severe burdens, including catering for AIDS orphans.

South Africa's new ANC-dominated parliament to re-elect Mbeki

Stuart Graham

Agence France-Presse - April 22, 2004

CAPE TOWN, April 22 (AFP) - South Africa's second black president, Thabo Mbeki, is certain to be re-elected when parliament holds its inaugural session Friday, after elections last week put his African National Congress (ANC) party firmly in command.

US global AIDS tsar defends focus on abstinence

Deborah Cole

Agence France-Presse - April 22, 2004

BERLIN, April 22 (AFP) - US anti-AIDS coordinator Randall Tobias hit back Thursday at criticism that President George W. Bush's 15-billion-dollar program to fight AIDS abroad has an unrealistic focus on abstinence.

UNICEF and world legislators urge action against child exploitation

Agence France-Presse - April 21, 2004

MEXICO CITY, April 21 (AFP) - The United Nations Children's Fund and members of the Interparliamentary Union meeting here Wednesday urged concrete measures to fight child sexual exploitation around the world.

Theory AIDS came from contaminated polio vaccine is false: study

Agence France-Presse - April 21, 2004

PARIS, April 21 (AFP) - An international team of scientists says it has refuted a theory that AIDS originated in a contaminated oral polio vaccine used in the then Belgian Congo in the 1950s.

Zimbabwe ruling party calls for solidarity against West

Ryan Truscott

Agence France-Presse - April 21, 2004

HARARE, April 21 (AFP) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's ruling party Wednesday opened a conference of former liberation movements in southern Africa with a call for solidarity in standing up to the West.

Jackie Chan to visit Cambodia in support of UN

Agence France-Presse - April 21, 2004

PHNOM PENH, April 21 (AFP) - Hollywood action hero Jackie Chan is to pay a visit to Cambodia next week to show his support for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and UNAIDS, UNICEF said Wednesday.

Canada amends bill on cheap AIDS drugs for poor countries

Agence France-Presse - April 20, 2004

OTTAWA, April 20 (AFP) - The Canadian government said Tuesday it was amending planned legislation aimed at supplying cheap generic drugs to developing countries plagued by HIV/AIDS and other epidemics.

Health transition in China with non-communicable diseases now major killer

Cindy Sui

Agence France-Presse - April 20, 2004

BEIJING, April 20 (AFP) - China's economic growth has brought a health transition in which non-communicable diseases such as cancer are emerging as top killers thanks to triumphs over poverty-linked illness, but HIV/AIDS is still a threat, the head of the World Health Organization said Tuesday.

Mandela sees democracy as 'weapon' to tackle poverty, AIDS

Agence France-Presse - April 20, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, April 20 (AFP) - Former president Nelson Mandela said Tuesday that ten years of democracy had given South Africa a "weapon" to tackle AIDS, poverty and joblessness.

Debt-ridden Swaziland holds extravagant birthday bash for king

Lunga Masuku

Agence France-Presse - April 19, 2004

MBABANE, April 19 (AFP) - Swaziland, Africa's last absolute monarchy, on Monday celebrated King Mswati III's 36th birthday, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a party despite its crippling debt and AIDS crisis.

WHO director general in China to discuss AIDS, SARS

Agence France-Presse - April 19, 2004

BEIJING, April 19 (AFP) - World Health Organization Director General Lee Jong-wook arrived in Beijing Monday for discussions centerd on AIDS, bird flu and SARS.

Porn film industry reeling from production moratorium called to test for AIDS

Agence France-Presse - April 16, 2004

LOS ANGELES, April 16 (AFP) - The multi-million-dollar US pornographic film industry was reeling Friday from a two-month production shutdown after three X-rated actors tested positive for HIV.

Porn film industry reeling from production moratorium called to test for AIDS

Agence France-Presse - April 16, 2004

LOS ANGELES, April 16 (AFP) - The multi-million-dollar US pornographic film industry, shaken when two of its stars tested positive for the AIDS virus, was beginning a two-month production shutdown Friday to test some 45 other actors who had had on-camera unprotected sex with the two.

Ethiopia, Pfizer in partnership to provide free drugs to AIDS patients

Agence France-Presse - April 16, 2004

ADDIS ABABA, April 16 (AFP) - The Ethiopian government and US drug giant Pfizer on Friday signed a partnership agreement to provide free medicines to AIDS sufferers in the Horn of Africa country, the health ministry said.

Swedish PM to meet Bush in Washington

Agence France-Presse - April 15, 2004

STOCKHOLM, April 15 (AFP) - Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson is scheduled to meet with US President George W. Bush during a trip to New York and Washington on April 27 and 28, the Swedish government said on Thursday.

Verdict in Libyan AIDS trial is put off to May 6

Agence France-Presse - April 15, 2004

BENGHAZI, Libya, April 15 (AFP) - A Libyan court on Thursday postponed its verdict in the trial of six Bulgarian and one Palestinian health workers who face a possible death sentence if they are convicted of injecting blood tainted with the virus that causes AIDS into children in their charge.

Mbeki stands tall in South Africa after ANC's big win

Philippe Bernes-Lasserre

Agence France-Presse - April 15, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, April 15 (AFP) - President Thabo Mbeki is preparing for a second term following his party's third consecutive election triumph in 10 years of power, shedding his image as a distant leader and hoping to emerge from Nelson Mandela's shadow.

US, Vietnam armed forces work together on HIV/AIDS prevention

Agence France-Presse - April 15, 2004

HANOI, April 15 (AFP) - US military HIV/AIDS experts ended Thursday a four-day workshop in Hanoi aimed at raising awareness and knowledge of the disease within the Vietnamese military.

Little known oral ailment killing African kids due to poverty: WHO

Agence France-Presse - April 14, 2004

NAIROBI, April 14 (AFP) - A little known disease, noma, continues to kill children in Africa due to poverty, a top World Health Organisation (WHO) official said at an African health conference in Nairobi on Wednesday.

Mbeki to feel the heat on AIDS, crime and poverty

Abhik Kumar Chanda

Agence France-Presse - April 14, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, April 14 (AFP) - President Thabo Mbeki, headed for a triumphant win in South Africa's elections on Wednesday, faces an increasingly angry and impatient public fed up with his failure to stem burgeoning poverty, AIDS and crime.

Humane treatment sought for foreign sex-trade victims in Malaysia

Agence France-Presse - April 14, 2004

KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 (AFP) - Nearly 1,500 foreign women are being held in Malaysian prisons over prostitution -- a double punishment for some after being forced into the sex trade in the first place, a conference on human trafficking heard Wednesday.

South Africa votes 10 years after apartheid

Carole Landry

Agence France-Presse - April 14, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, April 14 (AFP) - Ten years after the end of apartheid, South Africans voted Wednesday in elections that are to hand President Thabo Mbeki's ANC party another resounding victory and a mandate to fight AIDS, crime and poverty.

Chinese government to pay for AIDS tests in worst affected regions

Agence France-Presse - April 14, 2004

BEIJING, April 14 (AFP) - In its second move this week to fight the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS, the Chinese government has offered to pay for voluntary AIDS testing in areas worst-hit by the disease, state media reported Wednesday.

Botswana president starts Lesotho visit, AIDS on agenda

Agence France-Presse - April 14, 2004

MASERU, April 14 (AFP) - Botswana President Festus Mogae arrived Wednesday in the tiny southern African kingdom of Lesotho on a three-day visit during which AIDS -- a major problem for his country -- will figure on the agenda.

AIDS, poverty shape up as mammoth challenges in South Africa

Abhik Kumar Chanda

Agence France-Presse - April 13, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, April 13 (AFP) - South African President Thabo Mbeki, set to return to power after Wednesday's landmark elections, will be under intense pressure to deliver on the herculean problems of grinding poverty and AIDS, analysts say.

HIV bomb plot foiled: Israeli security services

Agence France-Presse - April 13, 2004

JERUSALEM, April 13 (AFP) - An attempt by Palestinian extremists to carry out a suicide attack using a bomb laced with HIV-infected blood during the Passover holiday was foiled, Israel's Shin Beth security service said Tuesday.

China plans free distribution of condoms to stem the spread of AIDS

Agence France-Presse - April 12, 2004

BEIJING, April 12 (AFP) - China plans to start handing out free condoms at all entertainment venues in a bid to stem the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS, state media reported Monday.

Chinese AIDS victim kills eight after neighbours shun him

Agence France-Presse - April 12, 2004

BEIJING, April 12 (AFP) - A Chinese AIDS patient who felt discriminated against by his neighbours went on a rampage through his village, killing eight people before committing suicide, state media said Monday.

Mbeki, an enigma wrapped in South Africa's renaissance

Philippe Bernes-Lasserre

Agence France-Presse - April 11, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, April 11 (AFP) - President Thabo Mbeki, who succeeded Nelson Mandela five years ago, is credited with keeping South Africa on an even keel as it casts off the legacy of apartheid but for many of his countrymen he remains an enigma.

China faces serious shortage of medical workers

Agence France-Presse - April 9, 2004

BEIJING, April 9 (AFP) - China faces a serious shortage of qualified doctors and other medical workers, Vice Minister Gao Qiang has warned, state media said Friday.

South Africa's AIDS timebomb looms large in elections

Fienie Grobler

Agence France-Presse - April 9, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, April 9 (AFP) - South African politicians are targeting President Thabo Mbeki over his sluggish response to AIDS with hard-hitting campaigns that relentlessly remind voters that the disease kills 600 citizens every day.

Top Chinese leader threatens "severe punishment" for hiding AIDS

Agence France-Presse - April 8, 2004

BEIJING, April 8 (AFP) - China's health minister has called for nationwide efforts to combat the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS in China, warning of severe punishment for anyone who tries to cover-up the epidemic.

Justice must come for Rwanda genocide: Bush

Agence France-Presse - April 7, 2004

CRAWFORD, Texas, April 7 (AFP) - President George W. Bush used the 10th anniversary Wednesday of the massacres that killed up to a million Rwandans to call for justice against the perpetrators and aid for the victims.

World facing serious shortage of safe blood for transfusions

Cindy Sui

Agence France-Presse - April 7, 2004

BEIJING, April 7 (AFP) - The world is facing a severe shortage of blood for transfusions, experts said Wednesday as they met to rethink global strategies on how to encourage donors and deal with pressures of events such as the SARS outbreak or terror attacks.

Pope distributed five million euros to charities last year

Agence France-Presse - April 7, 2004

VATICAN CITY, April 7 (AFP) - Pope John Paul II distributed five million euros (6.08 million dollars) in aid last year to victims of war, especially in Iraq, as well to earthquake, drought and AIDS sufferers, the newspaper Osservatore Romano said Wednesday.

Ten percent of South African youth have HIV, survey shows

Abhik Kumar Chanda

Agence France-Presse - April 7, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, April 7 (AFP) - Ten percent of South African youth are infected with HIV and young women, often forced into having unwanted sex, are the worst affected, according to a new survey released Wednesday.

Elizabeth Taylor gives 25,000 dollars to South African AIDS clinic

Agence France-Presse - April 6, 2004

LOS ANGELES, April 6 (AFP) - US movie legend and anti-AIDS crusader Elizabeth Taylor has donated 25,000 dollars to buy critical drugs for a South African AIDS clinic, officials said Tuesday.

Rwanda faces potential for renewed conflict: Amnesty

Agence France-Presse - April 6, 2004

LONDON, April 6 (AFP) - The victims of Rwanda's genocide a decade ago remain marginalised while the country itself faces the potential for renewed conflict, human rights group Amnesty International warned on Tuesday.

Ten years after Rwandan genocide, survivors still wait for reparations

Francesco Fontemaggi

Agence France-Presse - April 6, 2004

KIGALI, April 6 (AFP) - Ten years after Rwanda's genocide, survivors of the killings, many of whom live in extreme poverty, are still waiting for reparations repeatedly promised by the government.

Clinton strikes deal to increase distribution of cheap AIDS drugs

Agence France-Presse - April 6, 2004

NEW YORK, April 6 (AFP) - The charitable foundation set up by former president Bill Clinton said Tuesday that it has signed agreements with three aid agencies to make cut-price AIDS drugs available to hundreds of thousands of people in the developing world.

South African opposition turns the heat on Mbeki over AIDS

Abhik Kumar Chanda

Agence France-Presse - April 5, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, April 5 (AFP) - The leader of a small but vocal opposition party underwent HIV testing on Monday and urged President Thabo Mbeki to follow suit as the campaign for the April 14 elections turned a spotlight on AIDS, South Africa's number one killer.

China to abolish forced isolation of AIDS patients

Agence France-Presse - April 5, 2004

BEIJING, April 5 (AFP) - China's parliament is to adopt an amendment to a law on the prevention of contagious diseases which will abolish the forced isolation of AIDS patients, Xinhua news agency reported Friday.

Verdict date set for Libyan AIDS trial against Bulgarians

Agence France-Presse - April 5, 2004

SOFIA, April 5 (AFP) - A Libyan court will hand down a verdict on April 15 in the case of seven health workers -- six Bulgarians and a Palestinian -- charged with spreading AIDS in a children's hospital, Bulgarian radio said Monday.

Chinese anti-AIDS activist arrested over Tiananmen gesture

Agence France-Presse - April 5, 2004

BEIJING, April 5 (AFP) - A Chinese anti-AIDS activist Monday said he was arrested for using a remembrance festival to commemorate those who died in the 1989 massacre of pro-democracy protestors in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

70 percent of hospital patients in Zimbabwe have HIV/AIDS: NGO

Agence France-Presse - April 2, 2004

HARARE, April 2 (AFP) - Around 70 percent of patients admitted to Zimbabwe's hospitals suffer from HIV and AIDS-related illnesses, a health expert said Friday.

Global shortage of safe blood for transfusions on agenda at Beijing meet

Agence France-Presse - April 2, 2004

BEIJING, April 2 (AFP) - A worldwide shortage of safe blood for transfusions will top the agenda when experts from around the globe gather in China's capital Saturday for a five-day conference, the Red Cross said.

Jackson feted by African diplomats

Justin Cole

Agence France-Presse - April 1, 2004

WASHINGTON, April 1 (AFP) - Embattled pop megastar Michael Jackson on Thursday will be honored by the African Ambassadors' Spouses Association here, as he plans a tour of Africa later this year to promote development and AIDS prevention.

MSF condemns continued sexual violence in post-war DR Congo

Agence France-Presse - April 1, 2004

NAIROBI, April 1 (AFP) - International medical charity Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF - Doctors without Borders) on Friday condemned the continued high incidence of rape in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a year after a peace deal was signed.

Asia facing higher HIV risk as youths become more sexually active

Yasmine Yahya

Agence France-Presse - April 1, 2004

SINGAPORE, April 1 (AFP) - Asia's youth are becoming increasingly susceptible to HIV through "boyfriend-girlfriend" relations as many become sexually active at a younger age, regional health experts warn.

S. Africa starts free anti-retrovirals for HIV patients in key province

Agence France-Presse - April 1, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, April 1 (AFP) - South African health authorities Thursday began distributing free anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs to HIV/AIDS patients in the country's richest province of Gauteng, a health department spokesman said.

March

Three percent of African AIDS patients have access to antiretrovirals

Marie-Laure Josselin

Agence France-Presse - March 31, 2004

DAKAR, March 31 (AFP) - Only three percent of the 3.9 million AIDS patients in Africa who could benefit from anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) have access to them, delegates at a forum were told here Wednesday.

Drugs "undermining existence of Afghan state": Karzai

Lorne Cook

Agence France-Presse - March 31, 2004

BERLIN, March 31 (AFP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned Wednesday that rampant illegal drugs production was undermining the existence of his fragile state and urged the international community to help tackle the scourge.

Police thwart anti-polio protests in northern Nigeria's largest city

Agence France-Presse - March 31, 2004

KANO, Nigeria, March 31 (AFP) - Police in Kano, northern Nigeria's largest city, on Wednesday banned a demonstration to support the regional government's rejection of a UN-administered polio vaccine for their children.

Michael Jackson feted by black US lawmakers for his contribution to kids

Agence France-Presse - March 30, 2004

WASHINGTON, March 30 (AFP) - Singer Michael Jackson on Tuesday began two days of visits to the US Congress to meet with black lawmakers and offer his support for the fight against AIDS and help for children in Africa.

Canadian researchers start trials for new anti-AIDS vaccine

Agence France-Presse - March 30, 2004

OTTAWA, March 30 (AFP) - Canadian researchers announced Tuesday the start of clinical trials for a new anti-AIDS/HIV vaccine aimed at replacing so-called drug cocktails.

Michael Jackson to be honored by African diplomatic spouses

Agence France-Presse - March 28, 2004

WASHINGTON, March 28 (AFP) - Pop star and accused child molester Michael Jackson is to be honored here Thursday for his humanitarian work by the African Ambassadors' Spouses Association, the group said.

Scientists to test gels in Africa that could prevent HIV: BBC

Agence France-Presse - March 27, 2004

LONDON, March 27 (AFP) - British scientists are to launch trials in five African countries for special new gels that may help prevent the transmission of the HIV virus, the BBC reported on Saturday.

FDA greenlights rapid HIV/AIDS detection test

Agence France-Presse - March 26, 2004

WASHINGTON, March 26 (AFP) - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved marketing a rapid oral test for HIV/AIDS, calling it an alternative for people averse to blood testing.

Greater effort needed by China to curb AIDS: UN

Agence France-Presse - March 25, 2004

BEIJING, March 25 (AFP) - China will have to step up its efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, particularly at the local level, if it is to reverse the spread of the pandemic by 2015, the United Nations said in a report Thursday.

AIDS cases rising in Germany

Agence France-Presse - March 24, 2004

BERLIN, March 24 (AFP) - The number of AIDS cases in Germany is on the rise because people are having more unprotected sex, a study by the Robert Koch institute for infectious diseases released Wednesday showed.

Tuberculosis on the rise in Central Africa: health minister

Agence France-Presse - March 24, 2004

BANGUI, March 24 (AFP) - The number of cases of tuberculosis in the Central African Republic has been rising steadily for the past 10 years, with the capital Bangui particularly hard hit by the disease, Health Minister Nestor Mamadou-Nali said Wednesday.

Indian PM calls for AIDS-like campaign to combat tuberculosis

Agence France-Presse - March 24, 2004

NEW DELHI, March 24 (AFP) - Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said Wednesday that India, which has the most tuberculosis cases in the world, needed a TB awareness drive like the one in place against AIDS.

One in three Cambodians still living in poverty: government

Agence France-Presse - March 24, 2004

PHNOM PENH, March 24 (AFP) - Cambodia's government conceded Wednesday that it had failed to significantly reduce the number of poor in the war-scarred kingdom, where about one in three people are still impoverished.

India clears 1.5-billion-dollar loan to fight AIDS in poor countries: report

Agence France-Presse - March 24, 2004

NEW DELHI, March 24 (AFP) - India's finance ministry has cleared a 1.5- billion-dollar soft loan package to help people affected by HIV/AIDS in 27 low-income countries, a report said Wednesday.

Vietnam controlling tuberculosis, but most countries should do more: study

Elizabeth Roche

Agence France-Presse - March 23, 2004

NEW DELHI, March 23 (AFP) - Vietnam is effectively controlling tuberculosis but most countries affected by the disease are making scant progress due to a lack of political commitment, an alliance of private anti-TB groups said Tuesday.

US to seek anti-China resolution at UN human rights commission

P. Parameswaran

Agence France-Presse - March 22, 2004

WASHINGTON, March 22 (AFP) - The United States said Monday it would seek a resolution condemning China for alleged human rights abuses at a key UN meeting, accusing Beijing of not living up to its international commitments to protect the rights of its citizens.

Southern Africa taking steps to fight terrorism, AIDS: official

Agence France-Presse - March 22, 2004

GABORONE, March 22 (AFP) - Southern Africa is gearing up to face the challenge of terrorism and AIDS, a top official said Monday in an address to nearly 1,000 civil activists from some 100 countries attending a global conference in Botswana to seek solutions to pressing international problems.

Canada grants Kenya 16.5 million Canadian dollars for education, AIDS

Agence France-Presse - March 22, 2004

NAIROBI, March 22 (AFP) - Canada is to grant Kenya 860.6 million shillings (16.55 million Canadian dollars - 11.09 million US dollars) to support free primary education and HIV/AIDS programmes in the country, following an agreement signed here on Monday.

Germans have sex 120 times a year: survey

Agence France-Presse - March 22, 2004

HAMBURG, Germany, March 22 (AFP) - Germans have sex an average 120 times a year, although not always with the same partner, according to an online survey released Monday.

Global civic meet in Botswana urges unity against terror, poverty, war

Agence France-Presse - March 22, 2004

GABORONE, March 22 (AFP) - Nearly 1,000 civil activists from some 100 countries Monday began a global conference in Botswana, aimed at seeking solutions to pressing world problems, with a call for a united fight against terrorism, war and poverty.

International AIDS meet in Thailand to focus on drugs access: organisers

Agence France-Presse - March 22, 2004

BANGKOK, March 22 (AFP) - A global meeting on HIV-AIDS to be held in Thailand in July is expected to be the largest yet and will focus on giving millions of sufferers access to drugs, organisers said Monday.

UN AIDS chief not optimistic about vaccine prospects

Agence France-Presse - March 22, 2004

SYDNEY, March 22 (AFP) - An HIV vaccine is not likely to be developed in the next decade, the head of the UN's AIDS prevention program said Monday, adding that any breakthrough would be the result of a long process of trial and error.

China, India need to do more to prevent AIDS: US health secretary

Agence France-Presse - March 22, 2004

TOKYO, March 22 (AFP) - The Chinese and Indian governments need to do more to prevent AIDS as the epidemic's spread in the populous nations could trigger social and economic disaster throughout Asia, the US health secretary said Monday.

UN says Pacific faces new wave of HIV, with PNG on the brink of epidemic

Neil Sands

Agence France-Presse - March 22, 2004

SYDNEY, March 22 (AFP) - The head of the UN's AIDS prevention program warned Pacific nations on Monday that they faced a new wave of HIV infection, with Papua New Guinea requiring urgent action to avoid going "the African way".

New coronavirus, a cousin to SARS, is found

Richard Ingham

Agence France-Presse - March 21, 2004

PARIS, March 21 (AFP) - Dutch scientists on Sunday announced they had uncovered a previously unknown virus, a cousin to SARS, that causes respiratory sickness and is likely to have spread around the world.

Good governance, AIDS in the spotlight as world civil society summit begins

Prof Malema

Agence France-Presse - March 21, 2004

GABORONE, March 21 (AFP) - Africa, the world's poorest continent, has to usher in good governance and tackle AIDS on a war footing if it is to catch up with the rest of the world, Bostwana President Festus Mogae said Sunday while inaugurating a global conference of civil society activists.

UN envoy slams Swaziland for ignoring AIDS timebomb

Agence France-Presse - March 21, 2004

MBABANE, March 21 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's special envoy for HIV and AIDS in Africa has slammed authorities for turning a blind eye to the pandemic, resulting in a record 40 percent prevalence rate, state radio said Sunday.

WFP delivers food to Myanmar AIDS sufferers

Agence France-Presse - March 19, 2004

YANGON, March 19 (AFP) - The UN World Food Programme on Friday began delivering food supplies for the first time to HIV/AIDS patients in Myanmar, which has one of Asia's highest infection rates, the WFP said.

African bushmeat could trigger another AIDS-style epidemic

Richard Ingham

Agence France-Presse - March 19, 2004

PARIS, March 19 (AFP) - Many Africans who hunt, butcher or sell apes and monkeys for food may have been infected with a little-known retrovirus, a scenario that chillingly recalls how AIDS leapt to humans from other primates.

Swaziland now tops the world in HIV/AIDS infection rates: UN official

Agence France-Presse - March 19, 2004

LOZITHA, Swaziland, March 19 (AFP) - Swaziland now has the world's highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate affecting about 40 percent of its people, an envoy of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan was quoted as saying by the state-run Radio Swaziland on Friday.

Nigerian capital has highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in the country: official

Agence France-Presse - March 18, 2004

LAGOS, March 18 (AFP) - Abuja, the Nigerian capital, has the highest incidence of cases of HIV/AIDS in the country, authorities in the city said, according to an official statement released Thursday.

Italy begins human testing of AIDS vaccine

Agence France-Presse - March 17, 2004

ROME, March 17 (AFP) - Clinical testing on humans has begun in Italy of a possible vaccine against AIDS, the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS) said Wednesday.

Nigerian govt throws its weight behind polio vaccination drive

Ola Awoniyi

Agence France-Presse - March 17, 2004

ABUJA, March 17 (AFP) - Nigeria's federal government on Wednesday threw its weight behind a drive to eradicate the crippling disease polio from Africa by the end of 2004, after an expert panel dismissed claims that UN-approved vaccines had been contaminated with anti-fertility agents.

Kenya urges US foundation to support its fight against AIDS

Agence France-Presse - March 17, 2004

NAIROBI, March 17 (AFP) - President Mwai Kibaki on Wednesday urged the Rockefeller Foundation, which spends 2.3 billion shillings (29.6 million dollars) in Kenya annually, to support key sectors in the war against HIV/AIDS in the country, a Presidential Press Service (PPS) statement said.

Tanzania is running out of condoms: official

Agence France-Presse - March 17, 2004

DAR ES SALAAM, March 17 (AFP) - Tanzania's National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) has called for increased donor assistance to replenish stocks of condoms, saying a looming shortage could adversely affect campaigns against HIV/AIDS.

UN calls on Laos to act now to avert HIV/AIDS crisis

Agence France-Presse - March 16, 2004

HANOI, March 16 (AFP) - Women in Laos are at an unacceptably high risk of contracting HIV and AIDS but a crisis can be averted if action is taken immediately, according to United Nations experts.

India's attempt at condom vending machines slides away

Jay Shankar

Agence France-Presse - March 16, 2004

BANGALORE, India, March 16 (AFP) - As he downs a pitcher of beer at a downtown pub in this southern Indian techology hub, Mrinal Kotia is blissfully unaware that his regular watering hole is part of an experiment to curb AIDS.

Drug-resistant TB raging in Eastern Europe, Central Asia

Agence France-Presse - March 16, 2004

GENEVA, March 16 (AFP) - Drug-resistant tuberculosis is raging in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and China may be next to follow suit, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Tuesday.

Zambia bans distribution of condoms in schools to prevent 'immorality'

Agence France-Presse - March 15, 2004

LUSAKA, March 15 (AFP) - Zambia on Monday banned the distribution of condoms in schools, started as part of a drive to combat the country's alarming HIV/AIDS problem, saying it was promoting immorality and pre-marital sex.

Female cut draws unlikely debate in Somaliland

Ali Musa Abdi

Agence France-Presse - March 13, 2004

HARGEISA, Somalia, March 13 (AFP) - The campaign to eradicate female circumcision in Africa's unrecognised state of Somaliland has taken an unlikely turn: pitting men against women, while young girls continue to undergo the cut that has been rejected across the globe.

African regional bloc must increase trade, economic integration: Tanzania

Agence France-Presse - March 12, 2004

DAR ES SALAAM, March 12 (AFP) - Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa on Friday called on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to increase trade and economic integration among member states, and warned that the ravages of AIDS could wipe out gains the bloc has already made.

Chirac meets Clinton on AIDS

Agence France-Presse - March 12, 2004

PARIS, March 12 (AFP) -- President Jacques Chirac of France met former American president Bill Clinton Friday for talks which focussed on the activities of the Clinton Foundation in tackling AIDS in developing countries, the Elysee palace said.

Nigeria starts local production of anti-retroviral AIDS drugs

Agence France-Presse - March 12, 2004

LAGOS, March 12 (AFP) - Nigeria has begun local production of anti-retroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, a growing menace in Africa's most populous country, health officials said Friday.

Bono's pressure group says Canada must live up to AIDS commitments

Agence France-Presse - March 11, 2004

TORONTO, March 11 (AFP) - An Africa action group founded by U2 frontman Bono has warned Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin that a draft parliamentary bill designed to get cheap generic drugs to poor countries is flawed.

Liberian peace and disarmament carnival begins

Agence France-Presse - March 11, 2004

MONROVIA, March 11 (AFP) - A five-day carnival to create awareness about disarmament, establish a "gun-free society" after 14 years of conflict, as well as the danger of AIDS, was set to begin Thursday in Liberia's capital Monrovia.

New smallpox vaccine promises to be safer: US researchers

Agence France-Presse - March 10, 2004

WASHINGTON, March 10 (AFP) - Tests of a new smallpox vaccine in mice and monkeys have produced encouraging results, which could lead to a vaccine that is better tolerated by people who cannot now be vaccinated against smallpox for health reasons, US researchers said Wednesday.

UN appeals for 5.8 mln-dollar-aid for poverty, AIDS-ravaged Namibia

Agence France-Presse - March 10, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, March 10 (AFP) - The United Nations Wednesday launched an emergency appeal for 5.8 million dollars of aid for more than 600,000 orphans and vulnerable children and women in Namibia hit by hunger, poverty and AIDS.

China province Hubei admits extent of AIDS cases from tainted blood

Agence France-Presse - March 10, 2004

BEIJING, March 10 (AFP) - The central Chinese province of Hubei revealed Wednesday the extent of its HIV/AIDS cases from tainted blood, as it prepares to send government employees to live in affected areas to tackle the problem.

Fiji must address AIDS threat to indigenous people: chief

Agence France-Presse - March 10, 2004

SUVA, March 10 (AFP) - It is vital that Fiji begins to address AIDS, which threatens to wipe out the nation's indigenous people, a top traditional leader said Wednesday ahead of a meeting here of 16 Pacific nations on the disease.

UN chief praises Canada for its independent international role

Agence France-Presse - March 9, 2004

OTTAWA, March 9 (AFP) - Canada won high praise Tuesday from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan over its independent role in international affairs, in remarks which drew an implicit comparison to the United States.

European Union donates six million euros for Uganda's displaced

Agence France-Presse - March 9, 2004

KAMPALA, March 9 (AFP) - The European Union (EU) announced Tuesday it is to grant six million euros (7.46 million dollars) to fund humanitarian programmes in war-ravaged northern and northeastern Uganda.

Kaliningrad faces uncertain future as enclave within EU

Henry Meyer

Agence France-Presse - March 9, 2004

KALININGRAD, Russia, March 9 (AFP) - Standing outside the Lithuanian consulate waiting for a visa in the freezing snow, Valentina Raduga remembers bitterly how easily she could travel from Kaliningrad in the past.

Women urge unity to advance rights as they mark International Women's Day

Agence France-Presse - March 8, 2004

WASHINGTON, March 8 (AFP) - International Women's Day was marked across the world Monday by denouncements of abuses against women and vibrant calls for gender equality.

Reject violence against women to help protect them from AIDS, UN urges men

Agence France-Presse - March 8, 2004

GENEVA, March 8 (AFP) - The United Nations called Monday on men to reject violence against women in order to protect their daughters from the AIDS pandemic.

New Zealand broadcaster apologies for anti-gay outburst

Agence France-Presse - March 8, 2004

AUCKLAND, March 8 (AFP) - A New Zealand community television station Monday formally apologised for broadcasting comments by a visiting Muslim lecturer who blamed homosexuals for the spread of AIDS and advocated anti-gay action.

UN says women becoming main victims of AIDS epidemic

Marc Carnegie

Agence France-Presse - March 8, 2004

UNITED NATIONS, March 8 (AFP) - Women are becoming the main victims of the global AIDS epidemic, Secretary General Kofi Annan said on Monday at a UN session to mark International Women's Day.

South African AIDS group threatens government with further court action

Agence France-Presse - March 8, 2004

CAPE TOWN, March 8 (AFP) - South Africa's leading AIDS lobby group promised Monday to launch court action against the government within two weeks if a programme aimed at treating five million who are infected with the virus was not speeded up.

UN warns HIV infections soaring among Asian women

Jack Barton

Agence France-Presse - March 8, 2004

BANGKOK, March 8 (AFP) - HIV infection rates among Asian women are soaring and being married is one of the biggest risk factors as many women are contracting the disease from their husbands, the United Nations said Monday.

Asia targets domestic violence on Women's Day

James Hossack

Agence France-Presse - March 8, 2004

HONG KONG, March 8 (AFP) - Domestic violence was the focus of International Women's Day in Asia Monday, while the United Nations took the occasion to warn that HIV rates were soaring among the continent's female population.

Iranian lovebirds to get first ever sex education CD

Agence France-Presse - March 7, 2004

TEHRAN, March 7 (AFP) - Young Iranian couples could soon be given a sex education compact disc (CD) under a government project aimed at easing a taboo topic that has led to poor sexual knowledge, a press report said Sunday.

Consolata, a Rwandan rape victim, fights HIV for her son's sake

Helen Vesperini

Agence France-Presse - March 7, 2004

NTARAMA, Rwanda, March 7 (AFP) - At the age of 28 Consolata went from being the healthy wife of a comfortably-off Rwandan businessman to being a widow for whom re-marriage will be impossible for as long as she lives.

Six-month-old WTO accord on AIDS drugs still having little pratical impact

Agence France-Presse - March 7, 2004

PARIS, March 7 (AFP) - A deal struck six months ago to change WTO rules on intellectual property rights to enable poor countries to import generic prescription drugs they cannot manufacture has yet to make any real impact in Africa, home to most of the world's AIDS sufferers.

Poor countries fail to take advantage of WTO accord on AIDS drugs

Emmanuel Duparcq

Agence France-Presse - March 7, 2004

PARIS, March 7 (AFP) - Poor countries that fought to be able to import generic prescription drugs have failed to use changes to the WTO rules on intellectual property rights, reviving a row over who is to blame for the lack of treatment for millions of AIDS sufferers.

China's AIDS whistleblower Gao Yaojie vows to continue helping sufferers

Cindy Sui

Agence France-Presse - March 7, 2004

BEIJING, March 7 (AFP) - With her heavy glasses and hobble 77-year-old Gao Yaojie looks an unlikely activist. But it is the memory of a child clutching its dead mother and countless other tragedies played out across her Henan province that drove her to become China's most outspoken AIDS campaigner.

India helping South African drugmakers slash costs of AIDS medicine

Agence France-Presse - March 5, 2004

NEW DELHI, March 5 (AFP) - India is working with South African pharmaceutical companies in a bid to give AIDS patients access to cheap anti-retroviral drugs, a South African foreign trade official said Friday.

UN AIDS chief calls for mobilisation to provide treatment

Hugh Nevill

Agence France-Presse - March 4, 2004

LIVINGSTONE, Zambia, March 4 (AFP) - UN AIDS chief Peter Piot called Thursday for political mobilisation to extend treatment for AIDS sufferers as UN agency heads met with southern African ministers to discuss solutions to the pandemic.

UN agencies start AIDS meeting in Africa with call to step up fight

Agence France-Presse - March 4, 2004

LIVINGSTONE, Zambia, March 4 (AFP) - Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa on Thursday called for the fight against AIDS to be stepped up as he opened a meeting between southern African ministers and UN agencies involved in battling the pandemic.

Mandela's native village faces huge problems despite the cachet

Jan Hennop

Agence France-Presse - March 4, 2004

QUNU, South Africa, March 4 (AFP) - The hamlet where Nelson Mandela spent his boyhood may have attracted big businesses keen to link up to South Africa's most famous name but it still faces huge social and economic problems that bedevil thousands of villages in the country.

Kenyan woman kills husband for inheriting AIDS widow

Agence France-Presse - March 4, 2004

NAIROBI, March 4 (AFP) - A woman in western Kenya allegedly murdered her husband because, in keeping with Luo tradition, he had "inherited" the widow of his brother, who is thought to have died of AIDS, police said Thursday.

Mother of AIDS victim ordered to pay two million to son's fiancee

Agence France-Presse - March 4, 2004

CHICAGO, March 4 (AFP) - In what may be a first-of-a-kind verdict, a US jury has awarded two million dollars to a woman who sued her fiance's parents for allegedly covering up the fact that he was dying of AIDS.

UNESCO boss sounds alarm on AIDS in south Asia

Hugh Nevill

Agence France-Presse - March 3, 2004

LIVINGSTONE, Zambia, March 3 (AFP) - UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura sounded an alarm Wednesday on the increase of AIDS in South Asia, saying it was rising "very rapidly" there.

Zimbabwe state radio slams 'revolutionary condoms'

Agence France-Presse - March 3, 2004

HARARE, March 3 (AFP) - Zimbabwe's state radio Wednesday accused an underground local rights movement of distributing "subversive" condoms in collusion with a US-based prophylactics manufacturer.

Senlis Council slams 2003 UN drug report as 'irresponsible'

Agence France-Presse - March 3, 2004

VIENNA, March 3 (AFP) - An international thinktank on Wednesday accused the UN agency on drugs of denying the worth of programmes that work with heroin addicts to prevent the spread of HIV and slammed it as "irresponsible."

Britain's Prince Harry appeals for aid for Lesotho

Jan Hennop

Agence France-Presse - March 3, 2004

MOHALE'S HOEK, Lesotho, March 3 (AFP) - Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne, on Wednesday pleaded for aid for "little-known" Lesotho, as he helped build a fence at an orphanage during a private visit to one of Africa's poorest countries.

Five AIDS patients sent to prison in case highlighting ignorance in China

Agence France-Presse - March 3, 2004

BEIJING, March 3 (AFP) - Five HIV/AIDS patients have been sentenced to prison terms of up three-and-a-half years for stealing in a case that underscores the problems China is facing in its struggle against the disease.

Officials say most China provinces could have AIDS from blood selling

Cindy Sui

Agence France-Presse - March 3, 2004

BEIJING, March 3 (AFP) - Most provinces in China could be affected by HIV/AIDS outbreaks from unsanitary blood sales, officials say, highlighting that Beijing does not know the extent of the epidemic it is grappling with.

Europe still the world's biggest user of party drugs

Agence France-Presse - March 3, 2004

VIENNA, March 3 (AFP) - Europe is the world's number one consumer of ecstasy and the second biggest consumer of cocaine, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) said in its annual report released here Wednesday.

Aghanistan's opium poppies fuel drug abuse and spread of AIDS

Emsie Ferreira

Agence France-Presse - March 3, 2004

VIENNA, March 3 (AFP) - Afghanistan's cultivation of opium poppies continues to rise, fuelling not only heroin abuse but also the rapid spread of AIDS and HIV, the UN agency on drugs said in its annual report released Wednesday.

India should be included in Bush's AIDS plan: US think tank

Agence France-Presse - March 2, 2004

NEW DELHI, March 2 (AFP) - With 4.58 million people living with HIV/AIDS, second only to South Africa with five million, India is a fit case for US President George W. Bush's "emergency plan" for AIDS relief, a Washington-based private think tank said Tuesday.

US specialists train Vietnamese doctors in HIV/AIDS care

Agence France-Presse - March 2, 2004

HANOI, March 2 (AFP) - American HIV/AIDS specialists Tuesday began a series of training courses in Vietnam for health care workers as part of a US-government funded project.

Only 10 percent of China's HIV/AIDS cases know they have disease: officials

Cindy Sui

Agence France-Presse - March 2, 2004

BEIJING, March 2 (AFP) - Just 10 percent of China's HIV-AIDS cases know they have the disease, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Tuesday as it launched a 15-million-dollar campaign to help fight the crisis.

UN, ministers, to assess progress in fighting AIDS

Hugh Nevill

Agence France-Presse - March 2, 2004

LIVINGSTONE, Zambia, March 2 (AFP) - The heads of nine UN agencies and ministers from around 20 African countries will meet from Wednesday to Friday in Livingstone, Zambia, to assess progress in the battle against AIDS.

AIDS, drought and war cause food shortages in half of Africa

Agence France-Presse - March 1, 2004

ROME, Mar 1 (AFP) - Drought, AIDS and conflict have combined to create serious food shortages in half the countries in Africa, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said in a report published Monday.

February

Africa's first sex conference ends with call to sexual rights for all

Agence France-Presse - February 28, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 28 (AFP) - Africa's first conference on sexual health and rights ended Saturday with delegates emphasising that sexual rights should extend to all people living on the continent, including gay communities and adolescents.

Nigeria seeks private sector support to fight AIDS

Agence France-Presse - February 27, 2004

LAGOS, Feb 27 (AFP) - Nigeria is seeking private sector support in its battle to prevent HIV/AIDS sapping the economic lifeblood of Africa's most populous nation, officials said Friday.

Former nurse, S. African health minister defend eccentric AIDS diet

Agence France-Presse - February 27, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 27 (AFP) - A former nurse who claims she inspired South Africa's Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang's prescription of an eccentric diet for HIV/AIDS sufferers told a leading daily on Friday that she was no quack.

Taiwan law to ask hotels, sauna parlors to offer condoms

Agence France-Presse - February 26, 2004

TAIPEI, Feb 26 (AFP) - All hotels and sauna parlors in Taiwan must make condoms available to their customers in the island's latest attempt to curb the spread of AIDS, a cabinet official said Thursday.

World Bank to revise cooperation with Belarus

Agence France-Presse - February 26, 2004

MINSK, Feb 26 (AFP) - The World Bank will need to revise its cooperation plan with Belarus following Minsk's decision to cancel loans for its AIDS and tuberculosis aid programs, WB officials said.

Canada offers Mozambique 26 million dollars to improve health system

Agence France-Presse - February 26, 2004

OTTAWA, Feb 26 (AFP) - Canada said Thursday it was providing 26 million dollars (19.5 million US dollars) in emergency health aid to Mozambique.

Africa's first sex congress opens with call to 'break the silence'

Agence France-Presse - February 26, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 26 (AFP) - The first African conference on sexual health and rights opened in Johannesburg Thursday with a strident call to "break the silence" on a slew of problems including the alarming HIV/AIDS rate, sexual abuse, gender inequality and gay rights.

Australian opposition leader meets PNG leaders

Agence France-Presse - February 26, 2004

PORT MORESBY, Feb 26 (AFP) - Australian Labor party chief Mark Latham Thursday stressed security issues and pledged greater support to Papua New Guinea's fight against HIV/AIDS during his first overseas trip since becoming opposition leader.

Researchers identify protein that blocks AIDS replication in monkeys

Agence France-Presse - February 25, 2004

WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (AFP) - Researchers on Wednesday said they identified a protein able to block the replication of the HIV virus in monkeys, a key discovery that sheds light on halting the spread of AIDS among humans.

India needs to defuse ticking AIDS bomb, sex workers told

Agence France-Presse - February 25, 2004

CALCUTTA, India, Feb 25 (AFP) - India must take swift action against HIV/AIDS by educating its population about the disease in order to prevent infection levels skyrocketing, Indian officials said at a conference Wednesday.

UNICEF urges global action to protect ethnic minority children

Agence France-Presse - February 25, 2004

BANGKOK, Feb 25 (AFP) - The United Nations' children's agency on Wednesday urged global action to ensure the survival of ethnic minority children which it said were among the most vulnerable and marginalised groups in the world.

Sexually transmitted disease affects mainly 15-24 year olds in US: study

Agence France-Presse - February 24, 2004

WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (AFP) - Sexually transmitted diseases mainly affect 15 to 24 year olds in the United States, amounting to nine million cases a year, according to a study released Tuesday.

Hong Kong HIV infections fall 12 percent in 2003

Agence France-Presse - February 24, 2004

HONG KONG, Feb 24 (AFP) - The government said Tuesday the number of new HIV cases in Hong Kong fell 12 percent in 2003.

15-billion-dollar US anti-AIDS plan underway

Agence France-Presse - February 23, 2004

WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (AFP) - The 15-billion-dollar US anti-AIDS program got officially underway with the release Monday of its first 350 million dollars and its five-year plan.

Leaders urge swift action to slow AIDS in Europe, Central Asia

Olivier Baube

Agence France-Presse - February 23, 2004

DUBLIN, Feb 23 (AFP) - Urgent action is needed to halt the increasingly swift spread of HIV and AIDS through Europe and Central Asia, a conference of 55 nations from the two continents in Dublin was warned on Monday.

AIDS, environment and gender gap to hamper China's development: UN

Agence France-Presse - February 23, 2004

BEIJING, Feb 23 (AFP) - HIV/AIDS, environmental sustainability and an ever-widening gender gap are the three major hurdles facing China in its development and poverty alleviation efforts, a leading UN official said Monday.

Britain to unveil restrictions on immigrants from new EU nations

Peter Walker

Agence France-Presse - February 23, 2004

LONDON, Feb 23 (AFP) - Britain was on Monday to unveil measures to control a feared influx of migrants from the 10 mainly former Soviet Bloc nations about to join the European Union, following intense pressure on Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Japanese tainted-blood trial halted over doctor's mental health

Agence France-Presse - February 23, 2004

TOKYO, Feb 23 (AFP) - The Tokyo High Court on Monday halted the trial of Japan's former leading authority on haemophilia implicated in the nation's deadly tainted blood scandal because of the doctor's poor mental health.

EU AIDS conference to focus on Europe, central Asia epidemic

Olivier Baube

Agence France-Presse - February 22, 2004

DUBLIN, Feb 22 (AFP) - Ireland, the current holder of the European Union presidency, opens a two-day conference on Monday focused on halting the spread of AIDS in Europe and central Asia, where more than two million people are infected with the incurable disease.

China honours leading AIDS campaigner for first time

Agence France-Presse - February 20, 2004

BEIJING, Feb 20 (AFP) - China on Friday honoured for the first time its leading AIDS campaigner, a 77-year-old doctor who has frequently been harassed by officials trying to hide the problem of "AIDS villages" in central China.

Brazil, Mozambique to build factory for AIDS drugs

Agence France-Presse - February 20, 2004

MAPUTO, Feb 20 (AFP) - A Brazilian delegation will visit Mozambique this month to complete plans to build a factory to produce HIV/AIDS generic drugs in the southern African state, a Mozambican cabinet minister said Friday.

China mulls setting up state-level body to fight AIDS

Agence France-Presse - February 20, 2004

BEIJING, Feb 20 (AFP) - China was Friday considering creating a new state-level committee to take charge of fighting HIV/AIDS in a move that suggests the government recognizes efforts so far have been inadequate.

Some 4,000 Kenyan women to meet Friday to discuss HIV/AIDS

Agence France-Presse - February 19, 2004

NAIROBI, Feb 19 (AFP) - Some 4,000 women from across Kenya are to gather in Nairobi on Friday for the first national AIDS conference to address AIDS issues, health ministry officials said.

Swaziland declares national disaster due to drought, AIDS

Agence France-Presse - February 19, 2004

MBABANE, Feb 19 (AFP) - Swaziland's prime minister has declared a national disaster due to the combined effect of AIDS, drought and hail and appealed to the international community for help.

Human rights abuses in Japan hit record high in 2003: survey

Agence France-Presse - February 19, 2004

TOKYO, Feb 19 (AFP) - The number of human rights violations in Japan hit a record high of 18,786 last year, according to a justice ministry survey released Thursday.

Indian media targeting stigma surrounding AIDS: population expert

Agence France-Presse - February 18, 2004

WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (AFP) - The Indian media has begun dispelling some of the stigma surrounding AIDS, but many Indians still believe the disease only affects prostitutes and drug users, a population expert said Wednesday.

South Africa promises billions to create jobs, fight AIDS and crime

Stuart Graham

Agence France-Presse - February 18, 2004

CAPE TOWN, Feb 18 (AFP) - South Africa's government announced its budget for 2004 on Wednesday, ahead of national elections in April, saying it would spend billions of dollars in the next five years on creating jobs and fighting AIDS and crime.

USAID earmarks 55.9 million dollars for southeast Asia, China projects

Agence France-Presse - February 18, 2004

BANGKOK, Feb 18 (AFP) - The United States plans to provide 55.9 million dollars in aid to Southeast Asia and China this year, the US embassy said as it opened a new Agency for International Development regional office Wednesday.

Top Chinese leader met with country's most famous AIDS activist

Agence France-Presse - February 18, 2004

BEIJING, Feb 18 (AFP) - Vice Premier and Health Minister Wu Yi recently held a three-hour private meeting with China's foremost AIDS activist Gao Yaojie, Gao told AFP Wednesday.

Australia donates 20 million dollars to global AIDS fund

Agence France-Presse - February 18, 2004

SYDNEY, Feb 18 (AFP) - Australia announced Wednesday it would donate 25 million dollars (19.97 million US) over the next three years to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Los Angeles reports first rise in AIDS in a decade

Agence France-Presse - February 17, 2004

LOS ANGELES, Feb 17 (AFP) - Health officials in the second biggest US city of Los Angeles said Tuesday that the area had posted its first increase in diagnosed AIDS cases in more than a decade.

Ex-head of Polish boys choir charged with abuse tested HIV positive: report

Agence France-Presse - February 17, 2004

WARSAW, Feb 17 (AFP) - The former head of a celebrated Polish boys choir facing charges of sexually abusing three minors is HIV-positive, a Polish newspaper said Tuesday.

Russia, Ukraine, Estonia face AIDS crisis, UN warns

Pierre Celerier

Agence France-Presse - February 17, 2004

MOSCOW, Feb 17 (AFP) - Russia, Ukraine, and the Baltic state of Estonia are suffering from some of the fastest growing rates of HIV/AIDS in the world, which could dramatically slow their economic recovery, a UN report warned Tuesday.

Mozambican president lets prime minister go to take up health agency job

Agence France-Presse - February 17, 2004

MAPUTO, Feb 17 (AFP) - Mozambique president Joaquim Chissano has relieved fellow independence war veteran Pascoal Mocumbi from his post as prime minister to allow him take up the top position in an international health body, in a decree published Tuesday.

UNICEF ambassador Belafonte asks poor nations to fund education

Agence France-Presse - February 17, 2004

NAIROBI, Feb 17 (AFP) - US calypso star and UNICEF goodwill ambassador Harry Belafonte on Tuesday urged poor nations to fund their own free education programmes themselves instead of relying on unfulfilled pledges of assistance from the developed world.

Montreal's archbishop anbandons plan for HIV tests for candidate priests

Agence France-Presse - February 16, 2004

MONTREAL, Feb 16 (AFP) - The archbishop of Montreal dropped Monday a plan to require candidates for priesthood to take HIV tests.

Prosecutors demand death penalty for foreigners in Libyan AIDS trial

Agence France-Presse - February 16, 2004

SOFIA, Feb 16 (AFP) - Prosecutors in Libya on Monday called for the death sentence for seven health workers, six Bulgarian and one Palestinian, accused of spreading AIDS in a children's hospital in the northern Libyan town of Benghazi, Bulgarian radio reported.

Pregnancy-related deaths up in Africa

Agence France-Presse - February 16, 2004

HARARE, Feb 16 (AFP) - The number of women dying from pregnancy complications has kept rising in Africa, from 870 per 100,000 expectant women in 1990 to 1,000 in 2001, international consultant on reproductive health Joseph Kasonde said Monday.

Germany begins its first AIDS vaccine trials

Agence France-Presse - February 16, 2004

BERLIN, Feb 16 (AFP) - Clinical tests on humans of a possible AIDS vaccine started in Germany for the first time Monday with the aim that it will one day combat the killer disease primarily in Africa and Asia.

Chinese province sends 76 officials to live in AIDS-stricken villages

Agence France-Presse - February 16, 2004

BEIJING, Feb 16 (AFP) - China's Henan province, worst affected by an AIDS outbreak caused by blood sales, is sending 76 officials to villages with large numbers of farmers suffering from the disease, state media said Monday.

After yoga and Sunday shopping, Croatia's Catholic Church targets condoms

Lajla Veselica

Agence France-Presse - February 15, 2004

ZAGREB, Feb 15 (AFP) - After "defeating" yoga classes for teachers and Sunday shopping, Croatia's Catholic Church is again testing its power in this conservative society by opposing a safe-sex programme in schools.

Sweden sees sharp increase in number of HIV cases

Agence France-Presse - February 14, 2004

STOCKHOLM, Feb 14 (AFP) - The number of HIV-positive people living in Sweden has increased dramatically over the past year, but in most of the new cases, people were infected outside of the country, Swedish Red Cross President Anders Milton said Saturday.

Africa's first ladies seek funding to fight HIV-AIDS

Agence France-Presse - February 14, 2004

KIGALI, Feb 14 (AFP) - The first ladies of five African countries appealed Saturday for more funds to battle the AIDS crisis that is ravaging the continent.

French AIDS researcher to be inducted into Inventors Hall of Fame

Agence France-Presse - February 13, 2004

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (AFP) - French researcher Luc Montagnier, who co-discovered the human immunio-deficiency virus (HIV), the cause of AIDS, will be inducted into the US National Inventors Hall of Fame, the organization said Friday.

Ukraine slams global fund for cutting off HIV/AIDS support

Agence France-Presse - February 13, 2004

KIEV, Feb 13 (AFP) - Ukraine Friday slammed the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria for cutting off funding to three AIDS organizations here for alleged inefficiency.

HIV/AIDS spreading in Mozambique despite campaigns: official

Agence France-Presse - February 13, 2004

MAPUTO, Feb 13 (AFP) - HIV/AIDS has spread rapidly in Mozambique despite heightened awareness campaigns by both local and international agencies to battle the epidemic, a senior government health official said Friday.

China grapples with worsening drugs problem

Martin Parry

Agence France-Presse - February 13, 2004

BEIJING, Feb 13 (AFP) - China is grappling with a worsening drugs problem as neighbouring countries flood the market with heroin and opium, sucking in increasing numbers of farmers and unemployed, experts said Friday.

HIV/AIDS spreading in Congo, particularly among women: report

Joseph Gouala

Agence France-Presse - February 12, 2004

BRAZZAVILLE, Feb 12 (AFP) - The AIDS virus is spreading in the main cities and towns of the Republic of Congo, with a higher average rate of HIV-positive people among women than among men, according to a survey published Thursday.

US life expectancy at all-time high, but infant deaths up - CDC

Agence France-Presse - February 11, 2004

ATLANTA, Georgia, Feb 11 (AFP) - Life expectancy in the United States hit an all-time high in 2002, but the rate of infant mortality that year also increased, for the first time in 44 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Wednesday.

AIDS prevention in the United States: a hit-and-miss affair

Pascal Barollier

Agence France-Presse - February 11, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 11 (AFP) - AIDS prevention policies in the United States have fallen short of their mark in large cities like New York, researchers told a medical conference here.

At least 137 Harare girls raped in January alone: activist

Agence France-Presse - February 11, 2004

HARARE, Feb 11 (AFP) - At least 137 young girls were raped in Harare last month alone, according to figures released by a rights activist on Wednesday, who described the figure as "staggering" for a capital of 1.5 million people.

UN draws Senegal into ambitious poverty reduction plan

Agence France-Presse - February 11, 2004

DAKAR, Feb 11 (AFP) - Senegal should tackle rural poverty as a priority in order to attain ambitious development goals by 2015, the visiting director of the UN Millennium Project, Jeffrey Sachs, said Wednesday in Dakar.

Nigerian experts leave for polio vaccine tests in three foreign countries

Agence France-Presse - February 11, 2004

KANO, Nigeria, Feb 11 (AFP) - Nigerian health officials have left for South Africa, India and Indonesia to conduct tests to determine if a World Health Organisation (WHO) oral polio vaccine is safe, a government spokesman said Wednesday.

Nearly 2,000 Chinese died from rabies last year, health ministry says

Agence France-Presse - February 11, 2004

BEIJING, Feb 11 (AFP) - China's health ministry Wednesday began new more regular reporting on infectious diseases, revealing that rabies was a leading cause of death, killing nearly 2,000 last year.

Malawi president urges end to AIDS stigma, silence at policy launch

Felix Mponda

Agence France-Presse - February 10, 2004

BLANTYRE, Feb 10 (AFP) - Malawi's President Bakili Muluzi on Tuesday urged Malawians to break the stigma attached to AIDS as a first step in fighting the disease, which has infected more than 14 percent of the country's 11 million people.

Bali has become a haven for foreign pedophiles, Australian report finds

Agence France-Presse - February 10, 2004

SYDNEY, Feb 10 (AFP) - Pedophile rings of Australians, Europeans and Americans are operating freely on the Indonesian island of Bali and pretend to adopt or foster poverty-stricken children to abuse them, a new report claimed Tuesday.

Mauritania's Malouma sings the blues, desert style

Marie-Laure Josselin

Agence France-Presse - February 10, 2004

DAKAR, Feb 10 (AFP) - Her roots lie deep in the tradition of West Africa's singer-poets, but Malouma, Mauritania's best-known performer, has long been delighting audiences abroad and shocking many at home with a repetoire that veers toward Western-style gospel and rhythm and blues.

Drug to prevent HIV in babies may harm mothers later

Agence France-Presse - February 9, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 9 (AFP) - A drug that dramatically cuts a baby's chances of catching HIV during childbirth makes the virus more resistant to drugs that the mother or child may need later, studies released Monday said.

AIDS experts urge African governments to boost screening

Pascal Barollier

Agence France-Presse - February 9, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 9 (AFP) - The fight against AIDS in developing countries has hit hurdles like access to medicine, but African governments must study ways to encourage wider screening in the face of the pandemic, experts attending a US conference said.

Brazil braces for carnival with handout of 10 million condoms

Agence France-Presse - February 9, 2004

BRASILIA, Feb 9 (AFP) - Brazil's Health Ministry will dole out 10 million free condoms to carnival revelers in an AIDS prevention campaign ahead of the country's biggest blowout of the year, Health Minister Humberto Costa announced Monday.

Malawi to launch long-awaited guidelines on combating HIV/AIDS

Agence France-Presse - February 9, 2004

BLANTYRE, Feb 9 (AFP) - Malawi's President Bakili Muluzi will on Tuesday launch the country's first-ever policy on HIV/AIDS amid claims by health officials that the alarming infection rates in the southern African nation have stabilised over the years.

S. African health minister again defends garlic and onion AIDS diet

Agence France-Presse - February 9, 2004

CAPE TOWN, Feb 9 (AFP) - South Africa's Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang defended an eccentric diet of garlic, lemon, onion and olive oil for HIV/AIDS sufferers Monday, saying it was important not to ridicule traditional medicine.

South Africa sets election for April 14

Stuart Graham

Agence France-Presse - February 9, 2004

CAPE TOWN, Feb 9 (AFP) - South Africa will go to the polls on April 14 for the third time since the end of apartheid in 1994, President Thabo Mbeki announced on Monday.

Libyan court sets date for closing arguments in AIDS case

Agence France-Presse - February 9, 2004

SOFIA, Feb 9 (AFP) - The closing defence arguments of seven mostly Bulgarian medical workers who are accused of spreading AIDS in a Libyan children's hospital will be heard on February 16, Bulgarian radio said Monday.

Leaders to meet in Rwanda for African economic summit

Agence France-Presse - February 7, 2004

KIGALI, Feb 7 (AFP) - Heads of state which have signed up to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) will gather for an annual summit on the economic plan next Saturday in Rwanda, a NEPAD spokesman said.

WHO urges Africa to see female genital mutilation as rights violation

Agence France-Presse - February 6, 2004

BRAZZAVILLE, Feb 6 (AFP) - The WHO on Friday called on African countries to recognise female genital mutilation as a violation of women's rights, saying that over 100 million women in the continent are victims of the practice.

AIDS conference comes to San Francisco as virus continues to kill millions

Pascal Barollier

Agence France-Presse - February 6, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 6 (AFP) - An AIDS conference opens here Sunday under gloomy circumstances.

Experts blast fears that unsafe injections fuelling AIDS in Africa

Agence France-Presse - February 6, 2004

PARIS, Feb 6 (AFP) - A top team of health experts has blasted a study that suggests up to 40 percent of HIV infections in Africa are caused by unsterilised needles that are used to give vaccinations or take blood samples.

Mbeki says poverty, joblessness major challenges 10 years after apartheid

Stuart Graham

Agence France-Presse - February 6, 2004

CAPE TOWN, Feb 6 (AFP) - South African President Thabo Mbeki said Friday poverty and joblessness remained major challenges a decade after the end of apartheid, during a state-of-the-nation address ahead of the country's third free elections.

Britain's international development minister due in Ethiopia

Agence France-Presse - February 6, 2004

ADDIS ABABA, Feb 6 (AFP) - Britain's international development secretary Hilary Benn is due in Addis Ababa Saturday for talks with Ethiopian officials on issues including Ethiopia's border dispute with Eritrea, an official statement said Friday.

Angry robbers allegedly inject South African woman with HIV

Agence France-Presse - February 5, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 5 (AFP) - Disgruntled robbers allegedly injected a South African woman with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, after finding nothing of value in her house, police told the SAPA news agency Thursday.

South Africa factfile

Agence France-Presse - February 5, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 5 (AFP) - South Africa is expected to hold parliamentary and provincial elections in April, the 10th anniversary of the first unrestricted voting which saw Nelson Mandela become the country's first black president.

EU drugs agency warns of "hidden epidemic" of hepatitis C infections

Agence France-Presse - February 4, 2004

LISBON, Feb 4 (AFP) - The European Union is facing a "hidden epidemic" of liver-destroying hepatitis C infections which threatens to overwhelm member states' health budgets, the bloc's drugs monitoring agency warned Wednesday.

Rwandan former minister of women's protection ordered rape, UN tribunal told

Agence France-Presse - February 4, 2004

ARUSHA, Tanzania, Feb 4 (AFP) - A witness told the UN tribunal trying suspected ringleaders of Rwanda's 1994 genocide that she had been repeatedly raped on the orders of the country's then minister of the family and women's protection, the independent Hirondelle news agency said Wednesday.

Sex-and-sun holidays pose major health risk, says study

Agence France-Presse - February 4, 2004

PARIS, Feb 4 (AFP) - Ibiza and other resorts that host "sex, music and sun" holidays beloved of young people from northern Europe are a major potential conduit for spreading AIDS and other diseases, a study warns.

Mad rush for condoms in Delhi offices

Agence France-Presse - February 4, 2004

NEW DELHI, Feb 4 (AFP) - Over 1,500 free condoms were picked up in two days when they were kept in toilets in offices of the Delhi government, officials said Wednesday.

South Africa's rocketing AIDS rates hit manufacturing sector

Agence France-Presse - February 3, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 3 (AFP) - South Africa's sky-high AIDS rates have cut profits in more than 40 percent of manufacturers surveyed in a domestic study released by the South African Coalition on HIV and AIDS (SABCOHA) on Tuesday.

Media campaign to highlight HIV/AIDS issues in Cambodia

Agence France-Presse - February 3, 2004

PHNOM PENH, Feb 3 (AFP) - A two-year mass-media campaign including television dramas and radio shows will be launched in Cambodia in May to promote awareness of HIV/AIDS and health issues, officials said Tuesday.

Eight-year-old boy sues Chinese hospital for transfusion causing HIV

Agence France-Presse - February 3, 2004

BEIJING, Feb 3 (AFP) - The parents of an eight-year-old boy have filed a lawsuit against a Beijing hospital claiming he was infected with the HIV virus after a blood transfusion during surgery to repair a cleft palate, state media said Tuesday.

IMF stresses commitment to low-income countries: official

Agence France-Presse - February 3, 2004

DAR ES SALAAM, Feb 3 (AFP) - A senior International Monetary Fund (IMF) official in Tanzania on Tuesday stressed the fund's commitment to pursue its support to low-income countries in Africa to enable them to reduce poverty.

Uganda receives 37 million dollars from US to combat AIDS

Agence France-Presse - February 2, 2004

KAMPALA, Feb 2 (AFP) - The United States embassy in Uganda announced Monday that the east African country had received 37 million dollars from Washington's fund to combat AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean region.

Heterosexual sex to become major transmission channel for AIDS in China

Agence France-Presse - February 2, 2004

BEIJING, Feb 2 (AFP) - In the next few years, heterosexual contact will become the major source of infection for AIDS in China, endangering the general population and not just high-risk groups, state media Monday quoted a top official as saying.

January

Tanzania counts livestock, studies HIV/AIDS impact

Agence France-Presse - January 31, 2004

DAR ES SALAAM, Jan 31 (AFP) - Tanzania is conducting a census on its livestock and is studying the impact of HIV/AIDS on the economy, Planning and Privatisation Minister Abdalah Kigoda said on Saturday.

Half of patients in S. African public hospitals HIV-positive: leaked report

Jan Hennop

Agence France-Presse - January 31, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 31 (AFP) - Nearly half of all patients in public hospitals in South Africa are HIV positive, according to a secret government report leaked to a South African newspaper.

Britain to give India AIDS package

Agence France-Presse - January 31, 2004

LONDON, Jan 31 (AFP) - Britain has promised India 123 million pounds (180 million euros, 223 million dollars) to help contain the spread of HIV/AIDS, London's Financial Times newspaper said Saturday.

Cirque du Soleil illegally sacked HIV positive acrobat: US authorities

Agence France-Presse - January 30, 2004

LOS ANGELES, Jan 30 (AFP) - Canada's famed Cirque du Soleil acrobatics act appears to have illegally sacked a trapeze artist because he was infected with the virus that leads to AIDS, US anti-discrimination authorities said Friday.

US to unveil allocation of new AIDS funding next week: Powell

Agence France-Presse - January 29, 2004

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (AFP) - The United States plans to announce next week how it will spend more than two billion dollars this year to stop the spread of HIV, targeted at 15 African and Caribbean nations, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday.

Vatican condemns drug companies' profiteering from AIDS crisis

Denis Barnett

Agence France-Presse - January 29, 2004

VATICAN CITY, Jan 29 (AFP) - The Vatican on Thursday condemned the "genocidal action" of pharmaceutical companies making massive profits from anti-AIDS drugs which remain unaffordable to millions dying from the disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

Romania a role model for the fight against AIDS: Albright

Agence France-Presse - January 28, 2004

BUCHAREST, Jan 28 (AFP) - Former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright said Wednesday that Romania was an international model for the fight against AIDS.

Croatia's Catholic church slams "safe sex" education on AIDS prevention

Agence France-Presse - January 28, 2004

ZAGREB, Jan 28 (AFP) - Croatia's influential Catholic church strongly condemned Wednesday a high school education programe on AIDS prevention advocating "safe sex," saying it was explicitly against the Christian morality.

Zambian police launch special unit to cope with child rape scourge

Agence France-Presse - January 27, 2004

LUSAKA, Jan 27 (AFP) - Zambian police Wednesday launched a special unit to cope with increasing child rape in Lusaka, where nearly 650 cases were reported last year.

Central Africa summiteers agree to set up free trade zone

Agence France-Presse - January 27, 2004

BRAZZAVILLE, Jan 27 (AFP) - Leaders of 11 central African countries on Tuesday wrapped up a summit meeting in the Republic of Congo capital at which they agreed to set up a free trade zone in their subregion by the end of 2007.

Killer flu: A greater threat than AIDS?

Richard Ingham

Agence France-Presse - January 27, 2004

PARIS, Jan 27 (AFP) - World health officials have a store of evidence to back their warning on Tuesday that if bird flu mutated into a more contagious form it could kill millions of people.

Sierra Leone government officials to submit to HIV/AIDS tests

Agence France-Presse - January 27, 2004

FREETOWN, Jan 27 (AFP) - All of Sierra Leone's government ministers and their deputies are to submit to HIV/AIDS tests in a bid to erase some of the stigma attached to the disease, Vice President Solomon Berewa has said.

Dionne Warwick receives US award for AIDS campaigning

Agence France-Presse - January 27, 2004

SINGAPORE, Jan 27 (AFP) - Singer Dionne Warwick received an award from the US government here Tuesday in recognition of her efforts in raising funds for AIDS research.

Gulf states may set up special hospital to treat HIV/AIDS and drug abuse

Agence France-Presse - January 25, 2004

MANAMA, Jan 25 (AFP) - The oil-rich Gulf states may establish a special a hospital to treat HIV/AIDS patients and drug addicts, Bahrain's health minister said Sunday.

South Africa's high AIDS toll fuels new invention: a refrigerated coffin

Agence France-Presse - January 25, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 25 (AFP) - South Africa's daunting AIDS toll has prompted a new invention: a refrigerated coffin in which a body can be stored up to a month, a daily reported Sunday.

Quebec parents worry for children treated by HIV-positive surgeon

Agence France-Presse - January 23, 2004

MONTREAL, Jan 23 (AFP) - Thousands of worried parents on Thursday called or showed up at a hospital specializing in children's care after it revealed that a former surgeon who operated on more than 2,600 patients was infected with HIV.

Thousands were treated by surgeon with HIV in Montreal hospital

Agence France-Presse - January 22, 2004

MONTREAL, Jan 22 (AFP) - A hospital specializing in children's care said on Thursday it was contacting more than 2,600 patients who were treated by a surgeon infected with HIV.

South African woman withdraws rape charge against judge

Agence France-Presse - January 22, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 22 (AFP) - A South African AIDS worker on Thursday withdrew a sensational rape charge she had brought against a prominent Cape Town judge at an anti-globalisation conference in India earlier this week.

Storm of controversy over "gay orgy" raid by Taiwan police

Stephanie Low

Agence France-Presse - January 22, 2004

TAIPEI, Jan 22 (AFP) - Television footage of nearly 100 homosexual men dressed in their underpants and hiding their faces after a police raid has triggered a storm of controversy in Taiwan over the rights of gay people suffering from HIV.

Schroeder arrives in South Africa to talk business

Jean-Jacques Cornish

Agence France-Presse - January 21, 2004

PRETORIA, Jan 21 (AFP) - Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, accompanied by 23 of Germany's top business executives, arrived in Pretoria Wednesday for a three-day visit to South Africa expected to focus on trade.

Clinton appeals for 'systematic' approach to global problems

Agence France-Presse - January 21, 2004

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 21 (AFP) - Former US president Bill Clinton called Wednesday on political and economic leaders meeting here to push for a "systematic" approach to the world problems such as poverty, disease and security.

South African judge accused of rape is victim of blackmail: lawyer

Agence France-Presse - January 21, 2004

BOMBAY, Jan 21 (AFP) - A prominent South African judge who has been accused of raping an AIDS activist during an anti-globalisation forum in Bombay is a victim of blackmail, his lawyer said Wednesday.

After Asia, anti-globalisation movement eyes Africa

Karine Perret

Agence France-Presse - January 21, 2004

BOMBAY, Jan 21 (AFP) - The anti-globalisation movement, after holding its annual convention for the first time in Asia, is looking to tap into Africa where the fights against AIDS and the heavy debt burden would top the agenda.

WHO to scale up measures to fight TB and HIV infections

Agence France-Presse - January 21, 2004

GENEVA, Jan 21 (AFP) - The World Health Organization on Wednesday said it planned to boost programmes aimed at curbing the growing pandemic of tuberculosis and HIV co-infections, with the main focus being in Africa, where 70 percent of the world's 14 million people who are co-infected live.

Taiwanese officials call for probe over HIV carriers in reported sex orgy

Agence France-Presse - January 20, 2004

TAIPEI, Jan 20 (AFP) - Health authorities in Taiwan called Tuesday for an investigation into 13 men reportedly infected with HIV/AIDS and accused of knowingly spreading the disease by taking part in a sex orgy, officials said.

Schroeder to discuss AIDS and Zimbabwe during South Africa visit

Jean-Jacques Cornish

Agence France-Presse - January 19, 2004

PRETORIA, Jan 19 (AFP) - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will discuss the current political situation in Zimbabwe and the AIDS pandemic in Africa during a visit to South Africa this week, a senior German official said Tuesday.

S. African nurse charged with injecting stepson with HIV-infected blood

Agence France-Presse - January 19, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 19 (AFP) - A South African nurse has appeared in court on charges of attempted murder after allegedly injecting her four-year-old stepson with HIV-contaminated blood, police said on Monday.

Anti-globalisation forum seeks alternatives to world economic order

Jay Deshmukh

Agence France-Presse - January 19, 2004

BOMBAY, Jan 19 (AFP) - Anti-globalisation activists sought alternatives Monday to the world economic order to benefit the poor as their annual meeting was marred by the arrest of a South African delegate on rape charges.

Head of French terror victims association reveals HIV infection

Agence France-Presse - January 19, 2004

PARIS, Jan 19 (AFP) - A leading French campaigner for victims of terrorism, Francoise Rudetzki, who survived a 1983 restaurant bombing in Paris, has revealed that she was infected with the HIV virus when in hospital after the attack.

Switzerland to offer HIV/AIDS test to all asylum seekers

Agence France-Presse - January 18, 2004

BERN, Jan 18 (AFP) - Switzerland plans to offer voluntary HIV testing to all new asylum applicants, a Swiss health official said on Sunday.

Sex workers, eunuchs rally at anti-globalisation forum in India

Agence France-Presse - January 18, 2004

BOMBAY, Jan 18 (AFP) - More than 1,000 sex workers, eunuchs and people living with HIV/AIDS rallied Sunday during an anti-globalisation meeting in India's financial hub Bombay, to demand an end to sexual discrimination.

US pharma giant gives up AIDS drug patent in Thailand

Agence France-Presse - January 17, 2004

BANGKOK, Jan 17 (AFP) - A US pharmaceutical firm has given up its patent in Thailand to produce a generic AIDS drug in a historic move that could see drug costs plunge, activists said Saturday.

WHO, Global Fund fight back in row over malaria drug policy

Agence France-Presse - January 17, 2004

PARIS, Jan 17 (AFP) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria fought back angrily on Friday after critics tarred them with "medical malpractice" for their policy towards anti-malaria drugs.

Zambia to give free AIDS drugs to 100,000 patients

Agence France-Presse - January 16, 2004

LUSAKA, Jan 16 (AFP) - Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa announced Friday his government will provide free anti-retroviral drugs to about 100,000 patients by next year through the public health system.

Struggle against society more painful than having HIV: Indian woman

Jay Shankar

Agence France-Presse - January 16, 2004

BOMBAY, Jan 16 (AFP) - Ujwala Deshmukh, who has battled AIDS for the past eight years, switched from being a housewife to a counselor after her diagnosis and her husband's death from the disease turned her into a social outcast.

World media giants join UN campaign to fight AIDS

Agence France-Presse - January 15, 2004

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 15 (AFP) - Media moguls from across the globe signed an agreement on Thursday to take part in a United Nations campaign to heighten public awareness and fight the spread of AIDS.

UN urges world media to take up fight against AIDS

Agence France-Presse - January 15, 2004

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 15 (AFP) - Microsoft founder Bill Gates and other media moguls from across the globe met with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Thursday for a high-profile summit on the fight against AIDS.

Bulgaria urges Libya to show good will by releasing six medical workers

Agence France-Presse - January 15, 2004

VIENNA, Jan 15 (AFP) - Bulgaria urged Libya Thursday to release six Buglarian medics who it said were wrongly accused by a Libyan court of spreading AIDS, adding that the trial was another test of Tripoli's resolve to change its behaviour.

World fails scorecard on UN development goals: WEF study

Deborah Haynes

Agence France-Presse - January 15, 2004

GENEVA, Jan 15 (AFP) - Countries last year did barely one-third of the work needed to meet a set of UN goals to fight poverty, hunger and disease by 2015, according to a report released Thursday by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

South Africa to regulate medicine prices with cuts of up to 70 percent

Agence France-Presse - January 15, 2004

PRETORIA, Jan 15 (AFP) - South Africa will announce draft regulations on Friday which aim to slash medicine prices by up to 70 percent, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said here.

Clinton reaches accord on costs of AIDS tests

Agence France-Presse - January 14, 2004

NEW YORK, Jan 14 (AFP) - Former US president Bill Clinton announced here Wednesday an agreement with five major medical testing companies to lower the cost, for poor countries, of equipment used to detect HIV/AIDS.

EU acts to help Bulgarians facing AIDS trial in Libya: minister

Agence France-Presse - January 14, 2004

SOFIA, Jan 14 (AFP) - The European Union has made representations to Libya over the trial in Libya of six Bulgarian medical workers who are accused of spreading AIDS in a hospital, Bulgaria's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

UN agency cautions against Kenyan study that halves HIV estimates

Agence France-Presse - January 13, 2004

PARIS, Jan 13 (AFP) - The UN's frontline agency for AIDS on Tuesday sounded caution over a study which implies Kenya's HIV infection rate has plunged or been exaggerated, conclusions that are ripe with implications for the fight against AIDS in Africa.

Belgian cardinal, pope hopeful, accepts condom use in AIDS-related cases

Agence France-Presse - January 12, 2004

THE HAGUE, Jan 12 (AFP) - Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels, a top cleric seen as a candidate to succeed Pope John Paul II, has said he will accept the use of condoms in order to counter the spread of AIDS.

International experts' views to be considered in Libyan AIDS case

Agence France-Presse - January 12, 2004

SOFIA, Jan 12 (AFP) - A Libyan court hearing the case of seven mostly Bulgarian health workers accused of spreading AIDS in a Libyan hospital has agreed to consider testimony by international experts, one of the accused said Monday.

S. African ruling party election promises "hollow": opposition

Agence France-Presse - January 12, 2004

PIETERMARITZBURG, Jan 12 (AFP) - South African opposition parties have voiced cynicism over the ruling African National Congress (ANC) election manifesto, saying it contained hollow promises that sounded all too familiar.

Tear gas and horsewhips at Nigeria's "Battle for Hope" over AIDS

Dave Clark

Agence France-Presse - January 11, 2004

ABUJA, Jan 11 (AFP) - Boxer Laila Ali cancelled, teen diva Ashanti cut short her set and rapper DMX had some harsh words for the crowd, but their young fans kept the party going amid teargas and horsewhips at Nigeria's biggest ever AIDS/HIV awareness gig.

Prisons in Baltic states fall short of EU standards

Jean-Luc Testault

Agence France-Presse - January 11, 2004

MARIJAMPOLE, Lithuania, Jan 11 (AFP) - Soviet-era open-air cages may have been phased out, but living conditions in Lithuania's dilapidated and overcrowded Marijampole prison fall far short of the standards expected of a country about to join the European Union on May 1.

South Africa's ANC promises more jobs, empowerment ahead of elections

Abhik Kumar Chanda

Agence France-Presse - January 10, 2004

DURBAN, South Africa, Jan 10 (AFP) - South African President Thabo Mbeki promised more jobs and black empowerment Saturday ahead of general elections coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the end of apartheid, as he unveiled the manifesto of the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

Main points of South African ruling party's election manifesto

Agence France-Presse - January 10, 2004

DURBAN, South Africa, Jan 10 (AFP) - South African President Thabo Mbeki released the manifesto of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in the east coast city of Durban Saturday ahead of general elections later this year coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the end of apartheid.

Victory claimed as Kenya agrees schools should lift ban on AIDS orphans

Agence France-Presse - January 9, 2004

NAIROBI, Jan 9 (AFP) - Kenyan authorities on Friday agreed that public schools in Nairobi must admit 72 children from an AIDS orphanage which had claimed its charges were denied their right to free education because of their possible HIV infection.

ANC to launch manifesto for landmark polls by pledging more jobs

Abhik Kumar Chanda

Agence France-Presse - January 9, 2004

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 9 (AFP) - South African President Thabo Mbeki will Saturday unveil the ruling party's manifesto for upcoming general elections -- which coincide with the 10th anniversary of the end of apartheid -- by pledging more jobs and black empowerment.

World set to miss key health goals unless action taken: WHO, World Bank

Agence France-Presse - January 8, 2004

GENEVA, Jan 8 (AFP) - Four international goals to improve global health by 2015 that include cutting child mortality by two-thirds and halving the number of hungry people will be missed unless the world acts now, two agencies warned Thursday.

Death nearly halves number of Kenyan AIDS sufferers

Agence France-Presse - January 8, 2004

NAIROBI, Jan 8 (AFP) - The number of people with HIV/AIDS in Kenya is estimated to have fallen around 40 percent from four years ago due to death and awareness slowing new infections, a health ministry official said Thursday.

Priest tackles Kenyan govt over alleged school ban for HIV kids

Agence France-Presse - January 7, 2004

An outspoken US priest who runs an AIDS orphanage in Nairobi took the Kenyan government to court Wednesday to force state schools to drop their alleged exclusion of HIV-infected children. Angelo d Agostino, whose Nyumbani orphanage is home to many HIV-positive children, claimed that many of his charges ....

Hundreds of Bombay police test positive for HIV

Agence France-Presse - January 7, 2004

Hundreds of policemen in Bombay tested positive for HIV in recent health examinations, prompting the police department to launch an AIDS awareness drive, an official said Wednesday.

India-Pakistan-facts: Facts about South Asian giants India and Pakistan

Agence France-Presse - January 5, 2004

ISLAMABAD, Jan 5 (AFP) - India's Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in landmark talks Monday as the leaders of seven South Asian nations continued a summit aimed at improving the quality of life of the region's 1.4 billion population.

Japan to help Zimbabwe, Swaziland fight AIDS

Agence France-Presse - January 5, 2004

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan will provide a total of 2.15 million dollars to a United Nations fund to help Zimbabwe and Swaziland prevent AIDS from spreading in their countries, the foreign ministry said Monday.

Libyan experts reject French doctor's testimony on hospital AIDS epidemic

Agence France-Presse - January 4, 2004

Libyan experts on Sunday rejected testimony by a French specialist blaming poor hygiene for the outbreak of an AIDS epidemic in a Libyan hospital which foreign medical staff stand accused of spreading, Bulgarian radio reported.

Not enough being done to fight AIDS, says UN's Annan

Agence France-Presse - January 2, 2004

Not enough is being done to fight the AIDS disease, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in Trinidad Friday. Annan, who spent Christmas and the New Year's holiday in the sister island of Tobago, called on the world community "to help in battle against the dreaded scourge".

AIDS spreading in south China

Agence France-Presse - January 2, 2004

HIV/AIDS is spreading through southern China with some 110 of Guangdong province's 122 counties and cities now reporting HIV-positive carriers, state media said Friday.

HIV-AIDS epidemic feared as prostitution takes off in Tibet

Agence France-Presse - January 1, 2004

BEIJING, Jan 1 (AFP) - Growing numbers of women in Tibet are being pushed into prostitution by grinding poverty in rural areas, raising fears of an HIV-AIDS epidemic on the roof of the world, Tibetan activists said Thursday.

Irish premier pledges to preside EU humbly but ambitiously

Agence France-Presse - January 1, 2004

DUBLIN, Jan 1 (AFP) - Prime Minister Bertie Ahern pledged on Thursday that his government would preside over the European Union for the next six months with "ambition and humility, but above all, with the determination to serve Europe well."

This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
Copyright © AFP or Agence France-Presse, 2008. AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, that no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP photos or materials. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP stories, photos or graphics. http://www.afp.com/

This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

©1980,2004 - AEGiS. AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.