Agence France-Presse - Table of Contents 'English'

2006

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

South Korean scientists in AIDS breakthrough: Agence France-Presse - December 29, 2006; SEOUL, Dec 29, 2006 (AFP) - South Korean scentists said Friday they are closer to understanding how a protein found in both primates and humans blocks the progression of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the apes.
Libya rejects Western pressure over AIDS trial: Afaf Geblawi; Agence France-Presse - December 29, 2006; TRIPOLI, Dec 29, 2006 (AFP) - Libya accused the West on Friday of pressuring Tripoli to quash the death sentence passed on five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor convicted of deliberately infecting children with AIDS.
Algeria promotes condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS: Boubker Belkadi; Agence France-Presse - December 26, 2006; ALGIERS, Dec 26, 2006 (AFP) - Long taboo, condoms have made a startling entrance into the media in this conservative Muslim country once gripped by an Islamic insurgency but now taking on a very different threat: HIV/AIDS.
Libya, Bulgaria urged not to politicise AIDS trial: Agence France-Presse - December 23, 2006; CAIRO, Dec 23, 2006 (AFP) - The Arab League on Saturday urged all parties involved in the case of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death by a Libyan court in an AIDS case not to politicise the issue.
AIDS causes life insurers to take stock: Mariette le Roux; Agence France-Presse - December 22, 2006; CAPE TOWN, Dec 22, 2006 (AFP) - As AIDS continues to reap a grim toll among South Africans in their prime, life insurers are being forced to re-evaluate the products and services they offer.
India promotes female condoms to check AIDS: Agence France-Presse - December 19, 2006; KOLKATA, India, Dec 19, 2006 (AFP) - Sex workers in one of Asia's largest red light districts here are being shown how to use female condoms in a bid to contain the spread of HIV-AIDS, a first in India, officials said Tuesday.
South African centre eases pain on wallet of AIDS drugs: Fran Blandy; Agence France-Presse - December 17, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Dec 17, 2006 (AFP) - A new US-funded clinic in downtown Johannesburg is giving hundreds of South African HIV sufferers a first chance to afford anti-retroviral drugs by offering them at a third of the market rate.
Hong Kong alarmed by possible linked HIV infections: Agence France-Presse - December 14, 2006; HONG KONG, Dec 14, 2006 (AFP) - Hong Kong's health department said Thursday it had detected possible linked HIV infections in two groups of men, raising fears that more people could be infected and pushing the HIV risk in the city to a new high.
Circumcision reduces by half risk of contracting AIDS virus: studies: Agence France-Presse - December 13, 2006; WASHINGTON, Dec 13, 2006 (AFP) - Circumcision reduces by about half the risk of contracting the AIDS virus, according to two new studies released Wednesday and that could have significant implications in the fight against the deadly disease.
Global Fund says malaria "collapsing" in some areas as treatment improves: Agence France-Presse - December 13, 2006; GENEVA, Dec 13, 2006 (AFP) - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said on Wednesday that malaria is "collapsing" in some areas of the world as more families had access to bed nets that help prevent infection.
AIDS-hit Southern Africa mulls new combat strategies: Felix Mponda; Agence France-Presse - December 12, 2006; BLANTYRE, Dec 12, 2006 (AFP) - Southern African nations Tuesday mulled ways to rope high-risk groups into the fight against HIV/AIDS in the world's worst-affected region as they started a three-day meeting in Malawi.
UN special envoy vows to help Zimbabwe fight AIDS: Agence France-Presse - December 11, 2006; HARARE, Dec 11, 2006 (AFP) - UN special envoy James Morris on Monday pledged to help Zimbabwe fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic ravaging the economically blighted nation during a farewell tour of the region.
South African lifespans cut short by AIDS: Fran Blandy; Agence France-Presse - December 11, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Dec 11, 2006 (AFP) - South Africa, which has the world's second heaviest caseload of HIV/AIDS, has seen average life expectancy fall by 13 years since 1990 to 51, a new study has said.
Africa lacks skills, money to fight AIDS-related cancer: expert: Agence France-Presse - December 11, 2006; CAPE TOWN, Dec 11, 2006 (AFP) - Africa lacks the resources and skills to combat some kinds of cancers which are spreading due to HIV and AIDS, an expert said Monday.
UNAIDS calls for full probe of Moscow drug clinic blaze: Agence France-Presse - December 11, 2006; GENEVA, Dec 11, 2006 (AFP) - The United Nations agency leading the global campaign against HIV/AIDS on Monday called for a full investigation into the fire that swept through Russia's largest drug rehabilitation clinic in Moscow, killing 45 women.
South Africa failing its children: report: Agence France-Presse - December 10, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Dec 10, 2006 (AFP) - South Africa has failed to provide its children with a way out of poverty, damning them to a life of violence and deprivation, a new report cited by a Sunday newspaper said.
India's copycat drug firms bid for healthy future in basic research: Nicolas Revise; Agence France-Presse - December 10, 2006; MUMBAI, Dec 10, 2006 (AFP) - India's pharmaceutical companies, which amassed fortunes copying generic drugs from the West, are facing up to the challenge of developing their own medicines.
AIDS: Money crunch is looming, warns UN envoy: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - December 10, 2006; PARIS, Dec 10, 2006 (AFP) - African countries are now getting serious about fighting AIDS but their efforts are once more at threat from an impending funding crisis, United Nations envoy Stephen Lewis says.
UN's envoy hails Malawi for wider rollout of free AIDS drugs: Agence France-Presse - December 9, 2006; LILONGWE, Dec 9, 2006 (AFP) - James Morris, the United Nations special envoy for southern Africa, on Saturday hailed Malawi for expanding the rollout of anti-retroviral drugs to reach 70,000 AIDS sufferers by the end of this year.
AIDS: UN envoy hails South Africa shift as "breakthrough": Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - December 9, 2006; PARIS, Dec 9, 2006 (AFP) - UN Special Envoy Stephen Lewis says South Africa had made "a breakthrough" on AIDS after sidelining its controversial health minister and unveiling a new programme for helping people with HIV.
Condoms too big for most Indian men: report: Agence France-Presse - December 8, 2006; NEW DELHI, Dec 8, 2006 (AFP) - Indian men's penises do not match international sizes and most condoms on sale in the country are too big, according to a medical study reported on Friday.
Cambodian prostitute stabs client after he snubs condom: Agence France-Presse - December 8, 2006; PHNOM PENH, Dec 8, 2006 (AFP) - A 24-year-old Cambodian prostitute has been arrested for stabbing her client in the stomach after he refused to wear a condom, police said Friday.
Indian school expels HIV pupils: Agence France-Presse - December 8, 2006; NEW DELHI, Dec 8, 2006 (AFP) - A primary school in southern India has thrown out five HIV-positive children after the parents of other pupils threatened to remove them, a newspaper reported Friday.
Malaria, AIDS virus fueling each other in Africa: US study: Agence France-Presse - December 7, 2006; SEATTLE, Washington, Dec 7, 2006 (AFP) - Malaria and the AIDS virus appear to be fueling each-other's spread in sub-Saharan Africa in a kind of self-perpetuating loop, according to a new US study published Thursday.
New scientific study takes aim at charges in Libya's AIDS trial: Agence France-Presse - December 6, 2006; PARIS, Dec 6, 2006 (AFP) - A new study published in a top science journal says that six foreign medical workers, charged in Libya with deliberately infecting hundreds of children with the AIDS virus, are innocent.
Vietnam cheers Clinton on HIV/AIDS tour: Le Thang Long; Agence France-Presse - December 6, 2006; HANOI, Dec 6, 2006 (AFP) - Former US president Bill Clinton was greeted by cheering crowds Wednesday on an AIDS campaign stop in Vietnam, where he is fondly remembered as the first US leader to visit the communist nation.
WHO calls for more access to vaccines in developing nations: Agence France-Presse - December 6, 2006; BANGKOK, Dec 6, 2006 (AFP) - The World Health Organization on Wednesday called for more access to vaccines for life-threatening diseases such as yellow fever, influenza and hepatitis B in developing nations.
AIDS threatens half of Zambian youths: Red Cross: Agence France-Presse - December 5, 2006; LUSAKA, Dec 5, 2006 (AFP) - The Red Cross Society in Zambia warned Tuesday that half the country's youth risk dying of AIDS as it launched a 50 million dollar appeal to finance a scale-up of its fight against HIV.
Malaysia aims to cut HIV infection rate by 20 pct in next year: Agence France-Presse - December 5, 2006; KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5, 2006 (AFP) - Malaysia aims to cut its HIV infection rate by 20 percent in the next year with the implementation of several "high-impact" programs, Health Minister Chua Soi Lek said Tuesday.
Chinese AIDS patients win landmark compensation claim: Agence France-Presse - December 5, 2006; BEIJING, Dec 5, 2006 (AFP) - A group of Chinese AIDS sufferers who contracted the HIV virus from hospital blood transfusions will receive more than 2.5 million dollars compensation in a landmark case, state media said Tuesday.
Ex-US president Clinton made honorary Papua New Guinea chief: Agence France-Presse - December 4, 2006; SYDNEY, Dec 4, 2006 (AFP) - Former US president Bill Clinton has been made an honorary chief of Papua New Guinea during a visit aimed at promoting the fight against AIDS in the disastrously-stricken Pacific nation.
China's worst hit AIDS province plans HIV tests before marriage: Peter Harmsen; Agence France-Presse - December 3, 2006; BEIJING, Dec 3, 2006 (AFP) - Officials in China's worst hit AIDS province plan compulsory pre-marital HIV tests as part of a series of tough measures to stem the spread of the fatal virus, state media said Sunday.
Nigerian president takes HIV test on World AIDS Day: Agence France-Presse - December 2, 2006; LAGOS, Dec 2, 2006 (AFP) - Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, 69, took a voluntary HIV-AIDS test Friday in Abuja in a move to encourage Nigerians to emulate the practice, press reports said Saturday.
EU stresses young women, prevention in AIDS fight: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2006; HELSINKI, Dec 1, 2006 (AFP) - At a seminar marking World AIDS day in Helsinki on Friday the Finnish EU presidency urged an improvement in the status of young women and prevention in tackling the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Encouraging signs in Africa's anti-AIDS fight: WHO official: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Dec 1, 2006 (AFP) - There were encouraging signs in the African continent's fight against AIDS, with an apparent decline in adult prevalence in a number of countries, the World Health Organisation said Friday.
World AIDS Day: Sexual abstinence, condom debates flare anew: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Dec 1, 2006 (AFP) - Two ethical controversies flared into life on World AIDS Day on Friday as the United States and South Africa backed sexual abstinence in their mix of programmes to fight AIDS and British leader Tony Blair lashed at religious bans on condoms.
Rallies, condom carnival as world marks AIDS Day: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2006; NEW DELHI, Dec 1, 2006 (AFP) - AIDS sufferers marched in India, activists staged a carnival of condoms in Bangkok and UN chief Kofi Annan urged greater efforts to fight the disease as countries across the globe marked World AIDS Day Friday.
Aung San Suu Kyi's party throws feast for people with HIV: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2006; YANGON, Dec 1, 2006 (AFP) - Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party threw a feast for people with HIV to mark World AIDS Day on Friday, while urging the military government to do more to ease their suffering.
No AIDS in North Korea thanks to leader: Pyongyang: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2006; SEOUL, Dec 1, 2006 (AFP) - North Korea claimed on Friday on World AIDS Day that it has no cases of the incurable disease, attributing the absence to the wise guidance of the Stalinist state's leader Kim Jong-Il.
Condom carnival celebrates World AIDS Day in Thailand: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2006; BANGKOK, Dec 1, 2006 (AFP) - Thai activists created a carnival of condoms in a downtown Bangkok park Friday to mark World AIDS Day, hoping to reignite Thailand's celebrated prevention programs that some fear have begun to lag.
Marchers in India's northeast seek to stop AIDS "time-bomb": Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2006; GUWAHATI, India, Dec 1, 2006 (AFP) - Thousands of people in India's northeast which is in the grips of a worsening HIV-AIDs epidemic marched Friday calling for action to stop the spread of the deadly virus.
Australia vows 170 million dollars for Asia Pacific HIV battle: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2006; SYDNEY, Dec 1, 2006 (AFP) - Australia on Friday pledged an extra 215 million dollars (170 million US) to help its neighbours tackle one of the world's fastest growing HIV epidemics, amid signs it was losing its own battle.
China to promote condom use among gays: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2006; BEIJING, Dec 1, 2006 (AFP) - China will launch a five-year campaign next year to promote condom use among the country's millions of homosexuals amid data showing only one in five gays use them regularly, state media said Friday.
Stigma remains greatest hurdle in Kenya's fight against AIDS: Karen Calabria; Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2006; NAIROBI, Dec 1, 2006 (AFP) - Three-year-old Ibraham Akinyi pushes a toy car made of scrap metal across a makeshift wooden table, oblivious to the horrors that befell his mother, Beatrice, after his father's death from AIDS in 2003.
Senegal: clandestine sex workers linked to rising HIV/AIDS rates: Makiko Kitamura; Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2006; GUEDIAWAYE, Senegal, Dec 1, 2006 (AFP) - Senegal's bid to control HIV/AIDS has achieved one of Africa's lowest overall infection rates at less than one percent -- disguising a dangerous rise among vulnerable groups like sex workers and gay men.
AIDS to exact growing toll on global labour force: ILO: Agence France-Presse - December 1, 2006; GENEVA, Dec 1, 2006 (AFP) - HIV/AIDS will exact a growing toll on the world's labour force despite improved access to life-saving treatments and slow down economic growth in the hardest-hit countries, the International Labour Organisation warned on Friday.

November

New worries for AIDS success stories in Southeast Asia: Nanci Bompey; Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2006; BANGKOK, Nov 30, 2006 (AFP) - Nee's blind eyes stare out vacantly as she quietly recounts the day she discovered that she had contracted HIV.
Loans, empowerment training net slow gains among South African women: Agence France-Presse - November 30, 2006; PARIS, Nov 30, 2006 (AFP) - An innovative attempt to measure the effects of microlending and gender empowerment among poor women in Africa suggests the benefits are tangible but need time to take root.
Poor country AIDS treatment risks collapse without cheaper drugs: MSF: Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2006; GENEVA, Nov 29, 2006 (AFP) - International institutions need to "get serious" about cutting the cost of essential but expensive newer HIV/AIDS medicines otherwise treatment programmes in poor countries will court collapse, the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said Wednesday.
UN calls for action to cut massive TB deaths in Asia: Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2006; JAKARTA, Nov 29, 2006 (AFP) - The United Nations Wednesday called for concerted action to tackle tuberculosis which kills more than one million people every year in Asia and is also a major cause of death for those with HIV/AIDS.
Africa urged to break deafening silence on AIDS: Jerome Cartillier; Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2006; DURBAN, South Africa, Nov 29, 2006 (AFP) - South Africa's veteran Zulu leader Mangosutho Buthelezi, who has lost two children to AIDS, says the pandemic-blighted continent should stop sweeping the disease under the carpet.
South Africa finetunes AIDS policy to shore up battered image: Chris Otton; Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Nov 29, 2006 (AFP) - South Africa, ridiculed at home and abroad over its approach to the disease, will seek to silence its critics and paper over internal rifts with a major new strategy to combat AIDS.
AIDS in figures: Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2006; PARIS, Nov 29, 2006 (AFP) - Here are the latest figures for the global AIDS pandemic (source: UNAIDS/WHO, November 2006)
AIDS: Treatment campaign at critical point, experts warn: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2006; PARIS, Nov 29, 2006 (AFP) - Hard-won gains in the effort to get anti-HIV drugs to the world's poor face being wiped out by government inaction, experts are warning in the runup to World AIDS Day on Friday.
A quarter-century of AIDS: A timeline: Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2006; PARIS, Nov 29, 2006 (AFP) - Here are landmarks in the history of AIDS, ahead of World AIDS Day on Friday:
HIV/AIDS cases up by more than 70 percent in Shanghai: Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2006; SHANGHAI, Nov 29, 2006 (AFP) - The number of recorded HIV/AIDS infections in Shanghai has jumped by well over 70 percent this year compared with 2005, a sharper rise than the rest of China, state media said Wednesday.
Zimbabwe matchmaker vows to conquer HIV stigma: Fanuel Jongwe; Agence France-Presse - November 29, 2006; HARARE, Nov 29, 2006 (AFP) - Delia Masumbe's world caved in when she was ditched by her fiance of five years three years ago after she tested HIV-positive ahead of their marriage planned for weeks later.
Over 1.4 million South Africans test for AIDS: Agence France-Presse - November 28, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Nov 28, 2006 (AFP) - The number of South Africans going for voluntary HIV/AIDS counselling and tests has almost doubled to 1.7 million in the last year, the health ministry announced on Tuesday.
Tobacco deaths to surge over next 25 years: WHO: Agence France-Presse - November 28, 2006; WASHINGTON, Nov 28, 2006 (AFP) - Tobacco will kill 8.3 million people worldwide in 2030, as smoking-related deaths rise by 53 percent over the 25 years, according to a World Health Organization study published Tuesday.
Ex-US president Clinton to visit Cambodia for HIV/AIDS talks: Agence France-Presse - November 27, 2006; PHNOM PENH, Nov 27, 2006 (AFP) - Former US president Bill Clinton is expected to arrive in Cambodia this week for talks on the country's HIV/AIDS problem, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday.
Clinton to unveil progress in AIDS treatment for children: Agence France-Presse - November 27, 2006; WASHINGTON, Nov 27, 2006 (AFP) - Former US President Bill Clinton is to announce new progress in HIV/AIDS treatment for children in an event to mark World AIDS Day in India as part of an Asian trip, his foundation said Monday.
Police release Chinese AIDS activist after canceling public forum: Agence France-Presse - November 27, 2006; BEIJING, Nov 27, 2006 (AFP) - Leading Chinese AIDS activist Wan Yanhai was freed Monday after police detained him for three days for trying to hold a public forum on the disease, his Beijing-based non-government group said.
Pope condemns discrimination against AIDS victims: Agence France-Presse - November 26, 2006; VATICAN CITY, Nov 26, 2006 (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI condemned discrimination against AIDS victims Sunday, ahead of a December 1 World AIDS Day promoting awareness of the pandemic.
India's finance minister says HIV-AIDS biggest threat to economy: Agence France-Presse - November 26, 2006; NEW DELHI, Nov 26, 2006 (AFP) - HIV-AIDS and potential water shortages pose the biggest risks to India's economic future, India's finance minister told an international economic forum Sunday.
Uzbekistan rejects UN estimate on HIV rate: Agence France-Presse - November 23, 2006; TASHKENT, Nov 23, 2006 (AFP) - A United Nations agency report on the increase of people living with HIV in Uzbekistan is exaggerated, an Uzbek health official said Thursday rebuffing the estimate given by UNAIDS, the UN programme on HIV/AIDS.
We're only human? It's more complex than that, says gene study: Agence France-Presse - November 22, 2006; PARIS, Nov 22, 2006 (AFP) - New investigations into the code for life suggest the assumption that humans are genetically almost identical is wide of the mark, and the implications could be resounding.
African babies face uphill struggle for life: Fran Blandy; Agence France-Presse - November 22, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Nov 22, 2006 (AFP) - A baby born in Africa faces a harrowing struggle to survive even a day due to a lack of basic ante-natal care, a report by a group of international health organisations said on Wednesday.
Healers defend South Africa's 'Dr Beetroot' against AIDS critics: Agence France-Presse - November 22, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Nov 22, 2006 (AFP) - South Africa's controversial health minister, widely derided for advocating a diet of vegetables to help combat AIDS, received a show of support Wednesday at a march by traditional healers.
South African doctor in trouble over 'AIDS' death certificate: Agence France-Presse - November 22, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Nov 22, 2006 (AFP) - A South African pathologist faces a disciplinary hearing Thursday for attributing AIDS as the cause of death on a medical certificate in the first ever case of its kind in the country.
HIV/AIDS on the rise in China: Verna Yu; Agence France-Presse - November 22, 2006; BEIJING, Nov 22, 2006 (AFP) - China is experiencing a surge in the number of new HIV/AIDS infections as the virus spreads from high-risk groups to the general public, officials and the press said Wednesday.
Vatican 'health ministry' completes report on condoms for pope: Agence France-Presse - November 21, 2006; VATICAN CITY, Nov 21, 2006 (AFP) - The Vatican "health ministry" has completed a report on condoms requested by Pope Benedict XVI and handed it over to doctrinal authorities, a top cardinal said Tuesday.
UN highlights Asians' risky behaviour with HIV/AIDS: Peter Capella; Agence France-Presse - November 21, 2006; GENEVA, Nov 21, 2006 (AFP) - Some 8.6 million Asians are infected with the HIV virus, UNAIDS said on Tuesday, warning the disease is thriving on risky behaviour in Southeast Asia and slowly taking hold in China, the world's most populous nation.
No let up in AIDS spread: UN report: Patrick Baert; Agence France-Presse - November 21, 2006; GENEVA, Nov 21, 2006 (AFP) - HIV/AIDS tightened its deadly grip on the world in 2006 with 11,000 new infections every day and women increasingly at risk, the UN agency leading the global campaign against the disease said Tuesday.
UNAIDS 2006 update on state of HIV/AIDS worldwide: Agence France-Presse - November 21, 2006; GENEVA, Nov 21, 2006 (AFP) - Following is the latest statistical update from UNAIDS on the number of people living with HIV/AIDS across the world, as well as data on new infections and HIV-related deaths: 1) People living with HIV/AIDS in 2006 Worldwide: 39.5 million (ranging from 34.1 to 47.1 million), including 37.2
Africa still hardest hit by HIV-AIDS, women in frontline: Agence France-Presse - November 21, 2006; GENEVA, Nov 21, 2006 (AFP) - Sub-Saharan Africa is still bearing the brunt of the AIDS epidemic, accounting for almost two-thirds of all HIV infections and 72 percent of global AIDS deaths, the UN agency leading the battle against the disease said Tuesday.
HIV up 20-fold in less than 10 years in eastern Europe, Central Asia: Agence France-Presse - November 21, 2006; GENEVA, Nov 21, 2006 (AFP) - With drug use and non-sterile injection equipment still at large, the number of people living with HIV climbed to 1.7 million in eastern Europe and Central Asia in 2006, a twenty-fold increase in less than a decade, the latest UNAIDS epidemic survey said Tuesday.
Eight children die, scores infected, in AIDS scandal in Kazakhstan: Agence France-Presse - November 20, 2006; ALMATY, Nov 20, 2006 (AFP) - Eighty children in Kazakhstan have been infected with the AIDS virus due to negligent medical care, and eight of them have died from the disease, a children's AIDS charity told AFP Monday.
Dutch AIDS deaths down, but infection rate up: report: Agence France-Presse - November 20, 2006; THE HAGUE, Nov 20, 2006 (AFP) - The number of people dying from AIDS each year in the Netherlands has fallen considerably since the introduction of combination therapies a decade ago, but the rate of new HIV infections continues to rise, a report out on Monday warned.
Unsafe sex mainly to blame for rise in South Korea HIV infections: Agence France-Presse - November 20, 2006; SEOUL, Nov 20, 2006 (AFP) - New HIV infections in South Korea rose 13 percent in the first nine months of this year from a year earlier and unsafe sex was mainly to blame, a disease control agency said Monday.
Africa's hope depends on better health care: WHO: Peter Capella; Agence France-Presse - November 19, 2006; GENEVA, Nov 19, 2006 (AFP) - Africa will never climb out of poverty unless devastating health challenges such as a "silent epidemic" of maternal and child death are tackled, the World Health Organisation said in a report released on Monday.
AIDS-hit Zimbabwe has highest orphan rate: UN official: Godfrey Marawanyika; Agence France-Presse - November 19, 2006; HARARE, Nov 19, 2006 (AFP) - Zimbabwe has the highest number of orphans in the world in relation to its population, mainly due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic blighting the economically ravaged country, a UN official said Sunday.
AIDS, heroin two-pronged problem for Afghanistan: Catherine Jouault; Agence France-Presse - November 19, 2006; KABUL, Nov 19, 2006 (AFP) - With eight HIV positive cases in 2001 and 61 today, Afghanistan is worried a growing use of heroin will add the spread of AIDS to its long list of problems inherited from decades of war.
US to help ASEAN fight bird flu, AIDS: Agence France-Presse - November 17, 2006; HANOI, Nov 17, 2006 (AFP) - The United States vowed its support Friday to help Southeast Asian nations fight AIDS and bird flu and improve the region's ability to cope with the aftermath of natural disasters.
Greek HIV cases leap in 2006: Agence France-Presse - November 16, 2006; ATHENS, Nov 16, 2006 (AFP) - Greece's HIV rate leapt by more than 25 percent for the second year running in 2006 with 485 new cases, the centre of illness control and prevention (KEELPNO) announced on Thursday.
Uganda hit by soaring tuberculosis rates: Agence France-Presse - November 16, 2006; KAMPALA, Nov 16, 2006 (AFP) - Uganda is facing a steep rise in tuberculosis cases and must act to curb the spread of the disease that has been exacerbated by HIV/AIDS infections, Vice President Gilbert Bukenya said Thursday.
Drug prices for world's needy grow: MSF: Agence France-Presse - November 14, 2006; GENEVA, Nov 14, 2006 (AFP) - Drug prices have increased in the past five years despite a commitment by the World Trade Organisation's 149 members to make them more accessible to the world's poor, the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Tuesday.
Rich countries undermine WTO medicines deal: charities: Agence France-Presse - November 14, 2006; GENEVA, Nov 14, 2006 (AFP) - Several charities on Tuesday accused rich countries of undermining a World Trade Organisation agreement to improve access for the world's poorest people to cheaper drugs against diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
Fight against poverty will cement African democracy: Mandela: Fran Blandy; Agence France-Presse - November 13, 2006; MIDRAND, South Africa, Nov 13, 2006 (AFP) - Success in the battles against poverty, unemployment and AIDS is crucial to the viability of democracy in Africa, Nelson Mandela told a meeting of the continent's own parliament Monday.
South Africa says AIDS drugs rollout on course: Agence France-Presse - November 13, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Nov 13, 2006 (AFP) - South Africa on Monday sought to deflect criticism that it was dragging its feet on the rollout of AIDS drugs, saying some 60,000 people had been added to the programme in the past year.
Britain launches drive against surge in sexually-transmitted diseases: Agence France-Presse - November 11, 2006; LONDON, Nov 11, 2006 (AFP) - The British government launched a hard-hitting, multi-million pound campaign Saturday aimed at fighting a surge in sexually-transmitted diseases, particularly among 18 to 24 year olds.
New global health chief to focus on Africans and women: Agence France-Presse - November 9, 2006; GENEVA, Nov 9, 2006 (AFP) - Margaret Chan of China, who was elected to lead the World Health Organisation on Thursday, pledged to put health of Africans and of women worldwide at the heart of the agency's work
Lack of clean water strengthens poverty trap: UN report: Mariette le Roux; Agence France-Presse - November 9, 2006; CAPE TOWN, Nov 9, 2006 (AFP) - A lack of access to clean water kills nearly two million children a year and stunts prospects for economic growth in the world's poorest countries, a new United Nations report said Thursday.
Chan and secretive China gain WHO leadership: Peter Capella; Agence France-Presse - November 9, 2006; GENEVA, Nov 9, 2006 (AFP) - China's Margaret Chan was elected head of the World Health Organisation on Thursday, giving the world's most populous nation its most prestigious UN post ever and a leading role in global health strategy.
China gets first free AIDS clinic: Agence France-Presse - November 9, 2006; BEIJING, Nov 9, 2006 (AFP) - China's first free clinic for AIDS sufferers has opened in Beijing, state media reported Thursday, in the latest sign of increasing official willingness to openly address the growing problem.
Few Russian HIV-positives treated with antiretrovirals in 2005: Agence France-Presse - November 8, 2006; MOSCOW, Nov 8, 2006 (AFP) - Only about 10 percent of Russia's officially estimated 341,000 HIV-positive patients received treatment in 2005 with antiretroviral drugs to slow down the development of AIDS, a senior health official said Wednesday.
China's candidate nominated as world health chief: Peter Capella; Agence France-Presse - November 8, 2006; GENEVA, Nov 8, 2006 (AFP) - The World Health Organisation's 34-nation governing board on Wednesday nominated China's Margaret Chan as its new chief to guide the global struggle against a threatened flu pandemic, infectious disease and chronic illness.
Gorillas harbour AIDS-like virus, says study: Agence France-Presse - November 8, 2006; PARIS, Nov 8, 2006 (AFP) - Gorillas appear to be widely infected by a close relation to the AIDS virus, according to a study that appears on Thursday in the British journal Nature.
Genetically altered AIDS retrovirus has encouraging results: Agence France-Presse - November 6, 2006; WASHINGTON, Nov 6, 2006 (AFP) - A genetically altered AIDS retrovirus that impairs the replication of the HIV virus has shown encouraging results in a small clinical trial, US researchers said in a paper published Monday.
Arab religious leaders in Egypt to combat HIV/AIDS: Agence France-Presse - November 6, 2006; CAIRO, Nov 6, 2006 (AFP) - Over 300 religious leaders from 20 Arab countries gathered in Cairo Monday to discuss means of raising awareness in their communities of the spread of the HIV/AIDS.
19 detained in Ethiopian rally in Jerusalem: Agence France-Presse - November 6, 2006; JERUSALEM, Nov 6, 2006 (AFP) - Nineteen protestors were arrested and five policemen injured as hundreds of Ethiopian Israelis protested Monday in Jerusalem accusing the state of discrimination in rejecting blood donations.
Fight HIV/AIDS along with maternal, child health care: UN: Agence France-Presse - November 6, 2006; KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6, 2006 (AFP) - Asia-Pacific countries should fight the spread of the HIV/AIDS by integrating prevention and treatment of the disease into maternal and child health care, United Nations officials said Monday.
Laos battles scourge of synthetic drugs: Frank Zeller; Agence France-Presse - November 5, 2006; VIENTIANE, Nov 5, 2006 (AFP) - Laos this year claimed victory in the war on opium, but a wave of synthetic drugs is fast replacing heroin and turning tens of thousands of youths into addicts, UN and government experts warn.
Bhutan to fight spread of AIDS: Agence France-Presse - November 4, 2006; GUWAHATI, India, Nov 4, 2006 (AFP) - A fivefold rise in HIV infections in the last four years fueled by an increase in sex workers and low condom use has prompted Bhutan to launch a new anti-AIDS program, a report said Saturday.
Global health fund fails to select new director: Agence France-Presse - November 3, 2006; GENEVA, Nov 3, 2006 (AFP) - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said Friday it had failed to choose a new executive director among five candidates and would renew its search, postponing a decision until April 2007.
Eight-gigabyte "RED" iPod nano joins Bono's AIDS fight: Agence France-Presse - November 3, 2006; SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 3, 2006 (AFP) - Apple added an eight-gigabyte iPod nano to the host of hip products being marketed to help rocker Bono's "RED" project raise money to battle AIDS in Africa.
114 Nobel laureates voice concern over Libyan AIDS trial: Agence France-Presse - November 3, 2006; PARIS, Nov 3, 2006 (AFP) - More than 100 Nobel laureates have pleaded for a fair trial for five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor accused of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with the HIV virus.
AIDS-hit Botswana to start HIV tests on infants: Agence France-Presse - November 2, 2006; GABORONE, Nov 2, 2006 (AFP) - AIDS-afflicted Botswana will this month start conducting HIV tests on infants aged 16 weeks and above under a United States-funded programme, an official said Thursday.
Cost of Ireland's blood scandal mounts: Agence France-Presse - November 2, 2006; DUBLIN, Nov 2, 2006 (AFP) - More than 650 million euros (829 million dollars) in awards and legal fees has been paid out to Irish victims of blood contamination scandals, the government's compensation tribunal said Thursday.
Mandela presented top rights award by Nobel laureate Gordimer: Agence France-Presse - November 1, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Nov 1, 2006 (AFP) - South African writer Nadine Gordimer Wednesday bestowed rights group Amnesty International's highest honour on fellow Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela and hailed his lifelong fight for justice.
Red Cross unveils mass southern Africa AIDS project: Agence France-Presse - November 1, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Nov 1, 2006 (AFP) - The Red Cross unveiled ambitious plans Wednesday to help 50 million people in southern Africa combat the scourge of AIDS, as it appealed for hundreds of millions of dollars to fund the programme.

October

Bulgarian nurses AIDS trial adjourned in Libya: Afaf Geblawi; Agence France-Presse - October 31, 2006; TRIPOLI, Oct 31, 2006 (AFP) - The retrial of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor accused of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with the HIV virus heard renewed accusations of torture Tuesday, before the case was adjourned to November 4.
UN envoy hails South Africa's AIDS u-turn: Felix Mponda; Agence France-Presse - October 31, 2006; LILONGWE, Oct 31, 2006 (AFP) - South Africa's response to AIDS has undergone a sea change since the sidelining of its controversial health minister, according to the United Nations' top envoy for the pandemic in Africa.
Children raped, tortured by PNG police: Human Rights Watch: Agence France-Presse - October 30, 2006; SYDNEY, Oct 30, 2006 (AFP) - Police in Papua New Guinea regularly rape and torture children despite efforts to reform the juvenile justice system, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Monday.
UN envoy in Malawi to assess AIDS programmes: Agence France-Presse - October 29, 2006; LILONGWE, Oct 29, 2006 (AFP) - The United Nations' special envoy for HIV and AIDS in Africa accused the world's wealthiest countries on Sunday of failing to deliver on promises to increase aid to the most impoverished continent.
India flawed by focus on sex in campaign against AIDS: study: Agence France-Presse - October 27, 2006; PARIS, Oct 27, 2006 (AFP) - India is making perilous mistakes in its fight against AIDS by assuming the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is being spread overwhelmingly by sex and especially by prostitutes, a study warns.
UN could cut food aid to millions in southern Africa: Agence France-Presse - October 26, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Oct 26, 2006 (AFP) - The United Nation's food agency Thursday said a huge gap in funding could see food aid cut to up to 4.3 million people in the southern Africa region.
New study sheds light on South Africa's drug-resistant TB crisis: Agence France-Presse - October 26, 2006; PARIS, Oct 26, 2006 (AFP) - A new study published on Thursday casts light on perilous drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis that have erupted in South Africa, reaping a mortal harvest among people with the AIDS virus.
Libyan evidence against healthworkers is worthless: Nature: Agence France-Presse - October 25, 2006; PARIS, Oct 25, 2006 (AFP) - The evidence against six foreign healthworkers, accused in Libya of deliberately injecting more than 400 children with the AIDS virus, is worthless, the British science journal Nature said on Thursday.
Libyan child in Bulgaria AIDS case dies: Agence France-Presse - October 25, 2006; TRIPOLI, Oct 25, 2006 (AFP) - One of more than 400 Libyan children allegedly injected with the HIV virus by five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor has died, the association of victims' families has announced.
Wasteful diagnoses fail to trace TB in worst affected areas: WHO: Agence France-Presse - October 25, 2006; GENEVA, Oct 25, 2006 (AFP) - Large amounts of money are being wasted on ill- conceived diagnostic tools for tuberculosis that are failing to trace the disease in poor areas where they are most needed, the World Health Organisation said in a report on Wednesday.
South Africa's anti-TB fight hamstrung by constitution: Agence France-Presse - October 24, 2006; CAPE TOWN, Oct 24, 2006 (AFP) - A constitutional shield against compulsory testing and treatment is hampering South Africa's battle against a contagious and virulent form of tuberculosis, the health department said Tuesday.
Scientists urge Libya free accused in AIDS trial: Agence France-Presse - October 24, 2006; WASHINGTON, Oct 24, 2006 (AFP) - An international group of physicians and scientists urged Libya Tuesday to free five nurses and a doctor accused of deliberately injecting children with the AIDS virus, citing lack of proof.
AIDS could wreck post-indpendence progress: Zambia leader: Agence France-Presse - October 24, 2006; LUSAKA, Oct 24, 2006 (AFP) - The sourge of AIDS has the potential to undermine all progress made by Zambia since its independence from Britain more than four decades ago, President Levy Mwanawasa said Tuesday.
Foreign adoptions - answer for AIDS-stricken Africa?: Isaac Mangena; Agence France-Presse - October 22, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Oct 22, 2006 (AFP) - Madonna's bid to adopt a Malawian baby may have raised some hackles about foreign adoptions but the increasing number of African orphans underscores a pressing need to find suitable new parents.
Zanzibar adopts first-ever anti-HIV/AIDS policy but rejects Muslim amendments: Agence France-Presse - October 20, 2006; ZANZIBAR, Tanzania, Oct 20, 2006 (AFP) - Zanzibar's parliament Friday passed the islands' first-ever anti-HIV/AIDS policy but rejected conservative Muslim demands to shut all bars and ban skimpy clothing as part of the strategy.
China closes down HIV/AIDS group: Agence France-Presse - October 19, 2006; BEIJING, Oct 19, 2006 (AFP) - A non-government organization in China dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS and other health problems said Thursday it had been shut down because local authorities wanted to silence it.
4.2 million children are AIDS orphans in West, Central Africa: UN: Agence France-Presse - October 18, 2006; DAKAR, Oct 18, 2006 (AFP) - Some 4.2 million children have been orphaned by AIDS in central and western Africa, the UN children's agency UNICEF said Wednesday.
Malaysian women sues over false HIV diagnosis: report: Agence France-Presse - October 18, 2006; KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18, 2006 (AFP) - A Malaysian woman who said she was ostracised after being wrongly diagnosed with HIV while she was pregnant has won permission to sue her doctor and the government, a report said Wednesday.
Africa needs to wake up on killer TB strains: UN: Agence France-Presse - October 17, 2006; PRETORIA, Oct 17, 2006 (AFP) - Governments in Africa need to start paying more than lip service to combat a virulent form of tuberculosis, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday.
Mobile phones harnessed in the battle against AIDS, avian flu: Martin Abbugao; Agence France-Presse - October 17, 2006; SINGAPORE, Oct 17, 2006 (AFP) - Pilot projects are being carried out in Rwanda and Indonesia to develop a mobile phone software that can be used in the fight against HIV/AIDS, avian flu and potential health pandemics, industry players said Tuesday.
US gives Zambia 149 million dollars to fight AIDS: Agence France-Presse - October 16, 2006; LUSAKA, Oct 16, 2006 (AFP) - The United States is to give Zambia 149 million dollars to support the free distribution of AIDS drugs following "significant progress" in Lusaka's efforts to fight the pandemic, a statement said Monday.
Campaigners urge African leaders to set example in AIDS fight: Isaac Mangena; Agence France-Presse - October 15, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Oct 15, 2006 (AFP) - African leaders need to set an example and submit themselves publicly to tests for AIDS if they really want to demonstrate their determination to fight the disease, according to campaigners.
French virologist calls for use of therapeutic vaccines in AIDS treatment: Agence France-Presse - October 14, 2006; OUAGADOUGOU, Oct 14, 2006 (AFP) - Luc Montagnier, a French virologist who helped to first identify HIV, said on Saturday that antiretroviral drugs should be combined with a therapeutic vaccine to revive an AIDS patient's immune system.
Apple joins Bono's AIDS fight with "Red" iPod nano: Agence France-Presse - October 13, 2006; SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 13, 2006 (AFP) - Apple joined rocker Bono's charitable project Red on Friday with the unveiling of red iPod nano MP3 players to raise money to battle AIDS in Africa.
Criticism over Taiwan court ruling for removal of HIV refuge: Agence France-Presse - October 12, 2006; TAIPEI, Oct 12, 2006 (AFP) - A Taiwan district court's controversial ruling demanding the removal of a home for HIV carriers has sparked anger, campaigners said Thursday.
HIV rates surge to 10-year peak in Australia: report: Agence France-Presse - October 12, 2006; SYDNEY, Oct 12, 2006 (AFP) - New cases of HIV in Australia have surged to their highest point in a decade as advances in treatment dull fear of the disease among gay men, a report said Thursday.
Hopes in Myanmar for new fund to fight deadly diseases: Charlotte McDonald-Gibson; Agence France-Presse - October 11, 2006; YANGON, Oct 11, 2006 (AFP) - A new fund to fight deadly diseases in Myanmar has raised hopes of successfully treating the country's 50 million people without any money being funnelled to the repressive military government.
AIDS transforms Malawi youngsters into breadwinners: Isaac Mangena; Agence France-Presse - October 11, 2006; MWANZA, Malawi, Oct 11, 2006 (AFP) - If Madonna wants advice on adopting an AIDS orphan, she could do worse than turn to 13-year-old Caroline Chileka.
DRCongo patients die before drugs arrive: Isabelle Ligner; Agence France-Presse - October 11, 2006; GOMA, DRCongo, Oct 11, 2006 (AFP) - At an AIDS treatment center in this war-torn African city, doctor Nino Minani is still haunted by the despairing cry of a dying patient.
Airline tax to help 250,000 children with AIDS, TB: French FM: Agence France-Presse - October 9, 2006; GENEVA, Oct 9, 2006 (AFP) - The first beneficiaries of an international tax on air travel to help the world's poor will be 250,000 children suffering from HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Monday.
Bill Gates pledges aid to fight HIV/AIDS in talks with Nigerian leader: Agence France-Presse - October 8, 2006; LAGOS, Oct 8, 2006 (AFP) - US multi-billionaire Bill Gates promised to assist Nigeria in fighting HIV/AIDS in talks with President Olusegun Obasanjo, official News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported on Sunday.
More children found infected with HIV in Kazakh negligence scandal: Agence France-Presse - October 6, 2006; ALMATY, Oct 6, 2006 (AFP) - Seventy-five children and eight mothers have been found infected with the HIV virus due to medical negligence in Kazakhstan, the health ministry said Friday.
Madonna in Malawi to inspect AIDS orphans project: Felix Mponda; Agence France-Presse - October 4, 2006; BLANTYRE, Oct 4, 2006 (AFP) - Pop diva Madonna arrived in Malawi on Wednesday to inspect a five-million-dollar project she has funded to support the poor African country's growing number of AIDS orphans and possibly adopt an African child.
AIDS conference organisers bypass health minister: Agence France-Presse - October 3, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Oct 3, 2006 (AFP) - Organisers of a forthcoming major AIDS conference in South Africa have bypassed controversial Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang Tuesday by inviting her deputy and the country's vice-president instead.
Shoot the messenger: a sniper's rifle against disease: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - October 2, 2006; PARIS, Oct 2, 2006 (AFP) - Gene silencing, whose discovery earned two US researchers the world's paramount prize in medicine, holds out the entrancing vision of a cure for disease by the virtual flick of a switch.
Sierra Leone AIDS agency sacks 30 NGOs over funds abuse: Agence France-Presse - October 2, 2006; FREETOWN, Oct 2, 2006 (AFP) - Sierra Leone's national anti-AIDS coordinating agency, the National AIDS Secretariat (NAS), has terminated the contracts of 30 local non-governmental organisations for poor management of project funds.

September

69 children infected with HIV in Kazakh negligence scandal: Agence France-Presse - September 29, 2006; ALMATY, Sept 29, 2006 (AFP) - Sixty-nine children and five mothers are now known to have been infected by the HIV virus in a medical negligence scandal in Kazakhstan, the health ministry said Friday.
Irish PM inks 70m-euro Africa HIV/AIDS deal with Clinton: Agence France-Presse - September 29, 2006; DUBLIN, Sept 29, 2006 (AFP) - Ireland will provide 70 million euros (89 million dollars) to help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa under an agreement signed Friday by Prime Minister Bertie Ahern and former US president, Bill Clinton.
China to open 300 needle exchange centers in AIDS fight: Agence France-Presse - September 29, 2006; BEIJING, Sept 29, 2006 (AFP) - China will open 300 needle exchange centers over the next three months in a bid to lower the incidence of HIV/AIDS infections among drug users, the official Xinhua news agency reported Friday.
AIDS threatens Botswana's economic successes: Tshepo Moipolai; Agence France-Presse - September 28, 2006; GABORONE, Sept 28, 2006 (AFP) - As Botswana celebrates 40 years of freedom this weekend, the shadow of AIDS threatens much of its successes as a stable and prosperous nation: a rarity in poverty-stricken and restive Africa.
India to carry out children's tuberculosis count: report: Agence France-Presse - September 27, 2006; NEW DELHI, Sept 27, 2006 (AFP) - India is to survey 300,000 children for tuberculosis to gauge the effectiveness of its strategy to control the disease, a report said Wednesday.
AIDS body backs change in Indian anti-gay law: Agence France-Presse - September 27, 2006; NEW DELHI, Sept 27, 2006 (AFP) - India's state-run AIDS body has given fresh backing to a growing campaign against a law, forged in 1861 when the subcontinent was a British colony, that makes homosexuality a criminal offence.
Microbial resistance, AIDS hot topics at disease conference: Jean-Louis Santini; Agence France-Presse - September 25, 2006; WASHINGTON, Sept 25, 2006 (AFP) - Thousands of doctors and researchers are meeting Wednesday in San Francisco for the world's leading conference on infectious diseases, with growing microbial resistance to antibiotics and strategies to fight the AIDS scourge among the top discussion items.
Rice meets Libyan counterpart amid controversy over AIDS trial: David Millikin; Agence France-Presse - September 23, 2006; NEW YORK, Sept 23, 2006 (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met her Libyan counterpart here Saturday for the first time since Washington renewed full diplomatic relations with Libya following a 25-year rupture.
Sexually transmitted diseases on rise among Singapore's teens: Agence France-Presse - September 23, 2006; SINGAPORE, Sept 23, 2006 (AFP) - Sexually transmitted diseases including HIV infections are on the rise among Singaporean teenagers as a result of promiscuity and disregard for safe-sex practices, the Straits Times reported Saturday.
South Korea plans levy on airline tickets to raise aid to poor countries: Agence France-Presse - September 22, 2006; SEOUL, Sept 22, 2006 (AFP) - South Korea is planning a levy on international airline tickets to raise funds for international aid, Finance Minister Kwon O-Kyu said Friday.
US backs HIV/AIDS screening for all patients aged 13-64: Agence France-Presse - September 21, 2006; MIAMI, Sept 21, 2006 (AFP) - A US government agency on Thursday recommended routine screening for the virus that causes AIDS for all patients aged 13 to 64, instead of focusing on target areas and high-risk groups.
Armani guest edits British national newspaper: Katherine Haddon; Agence France-Presse - September 21, 2006; LONDON, Sept 21, 2006 (AFP) - Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani guest edited a British national newspaper Thursday, hours before he was set to stage a star-studded fashion show in London to help AIDS victims.
Bulgarian nurses AIDS trial adjourned in Libya: Agence France-Presse - September 21, 2006; TRIPOLI, Sept 21, 2006 (AFP) - The trial of six foreign medics accused of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with the HIV virus was adjourned on Thursday after the main defence lawyer was hospitalised.
Exclusive school for HIV/AIDS children in India: Agence France-Presse - September 21, 2006; BANGALORE, India, Sept 21, 2006 (AFP) - A non-profit organisation has set up a school in India for children infected with HIV/AIDS and barred from other institutions, an official said Thursday.
More effort should be dedicated to prevention of AIDS: Gates: Agence France-Presse - September 21, 2006; LONDON, Sept 21, 2006 (AFP) - Progress on the goal of universal free treatment of AIDS depends more on advancements in prevention than on improvements in treatments, according to Bill Gates.
Kazakh minister sacked over HIV infections in children's hospital: Agence France-Presse - September 20, 2006; ASTANA, Sept 20, 2006 (AFP) - Kazakh Health Minister Erbolat Dosayev and Bolat Jylkyshyev, governor of southern Kazakhstan, were sacked on Wednesday following the deaths of four children who were infected with the HIV virus at a paediatric hopital.
Jacob Zuma: a president-in-waiting rises from the ashes: Francais Suivra; Agence France-Presse - September 20, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Sept 20, 2006 (AFP) - South Africa's former deputy president Jacob Zuma is an anti-apartheid veteran whose presidential ambitions have been resurrected after his exoneration in a sensational corruption case.
Five countries launch cheap AIDS drugs initiative: Agence France-Presse - September 20, 2006; NEW YORK, Sept 20, 2006 (AFP) - Brazil, Britain, Chile, France and Norway formally announced a plan to fund cheap drugs for AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis for developing nations by raising taxes on airline tickets.
South African AIDS lobby turns up drive for minister's scalp: Mariette Le Roux; Agence France-Presse - September 19, 2006; CAPE TOWN, Sept 19, 2006 (AFP) - South Africa's main AIDS lobby group Tuesday stepped up a campaign for the ouster of the country's controversial health minister over her response to a pandemic affecting 5.5 million people.
Six South African miners isolated as TB scare grows: Agence France-Presse - September 19, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Sept 19, 2006 (AFP) - Six South African miners have been isolated after being diagnosed as having a virulent and drug resistant form of tuberculosis (XDR-TB) which has already killed 52 people in the country.
India takes condom campaign to the skies: Agence France-Presse - September 19, 2006; KOLKATA, India, Sept 19, 2006 (AFP) - Health activists are taking advantage of India's love of kite flying to try and boost condom usage in a country which has the world's highest number of HIV/AIDS sufferers, a campaigner said Tuesday.
HIV outbreak at Kazakh children's hospital: Agence France-Presse - September 18, 2006; ALMATY, Sept 18, 2006 (AFP) - Fifty-five children have been infected with the HIV virus in a paediatric hospital in Kazakhstan, likely through unsanitary use of needles, the health ministry said Monday.
Cambodia secures 32 million dollar grant from US for health: Agence France-Presse - September 18, 2006; PHNOM PENH, Sept 18, 2006 (AFP) - Cambodia secured 32 million dollars in health and education grants Monday from the United States, which is seeking to improve mother and child health in the impoverished country, officials said.
AIDS lobby campaign to axe minister doomed: SAfrica: Agence France-Presse - September 17, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Sept 17, 2006 (AFP) - The South African government warned the country's main anti-AIDS lobby on Sunday that a campaign to oust controversial Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang was doomed to failure.
India author Vikram Seth leads fight against anti-gay law: Parul Gupta; Agence France-Presse - September 16, 2006; NEW DELHI, Sept 16, 2006 (AFP) - Leading Indian writer Vikram Seth launched a campaign Saturday against legislation making homosexuality a criminal offence in India, saying the country must fight laws that abuse human rights.
WHO reverses tack, approves DDT to fight malaria: Agence France-Presse - September 16, 2006; GENEVA, Sept 16, 2006 (AFP) - The World Health Organisation has called for the renewed use of the insecticide DDT to control malaria, about 30 years after the chemical was phased out because of environmental and potential health risks.
GlaxoSmithKline offers cheap HIV drugs to Russia: Agence France-Presse - September 15, 2006; LONDON, Sept 15, 2006 (AFP) - British pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline said on Friday that it had agreed to supply the Russian government with HIV drugs at discounted prices.
US gives millions to controversial faith-based AIDS fight in Uganda: Agence France-Presse - September 14, 2006; KAMPALA, Sept 14, 2006 (AFP) - The United States on Thursday gave 15 million dollars (12 million euros) to a coalition of five Ugandan religious groups that advocate faith-based approaches in fighting the deadly AIDS virus.
Rwanda warns against HIV/AIDS complacency after prevalance drops: Agence France-Presse - September 14, 2006; KIGALI, Sept 14, 2006 (AFP) - Rwanda on Thursday warned its citizens against complacency in the fight against HIV/AIDS after a survey released this year showed a sharp decline in prevalence of the deadly disease.
Lab work opens way to swifter, more accurate TB tests: study: Agence France-Presse - September 14, 2006; PARIS, Sept 14, 2006 (AFP) - Laboratory research into one of the biggest problems in the world's tuberculosis crisis may open the way to a new generation of fast, cheap and accurate tools to diagnose the disease, a study says.
South African woman with virulent TB put in isolation: Agence France-Presse - September 13, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Sept 13, 2006 (AFP) - A Johannesburg woman with a drug resistant and highly contagious strain of tuberculosis was placed in isolation by South African health authorities on Wednesday.
Campaigners fight to place drug-linked allergy in spotlight: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - September 13, 2006; PARIS, Sept 13, 2006 (AFP) - It was a few days before Christmas -- and it would be a Christmas that would change Karine's life.
World Bank short-changing TB epidemic in Africa: report: Agence France-Presse - September 12, 2006; WASHINGTON, Sept 12, 2006 (AFP) - The World Bank came under fire Tuesday for neglecting Africa in a global campaign against the killer disease tuberculosis.
Libyan police found AIDS vials, porn: witnesses in Bulgaria case: Agence France-Presse - September 12, 2006; TRIPOLI, Sept 12, 2006 (AFP) - Libyan police found vials containing HIV along with booze and porn in the home of one of six foreign medics accused of infecting hundreds of children with the AIDS-causing virus, witnesses said Tuesday.
WHO urges action on HIV/AIDS treatment goals: Agence France-Presse - September 11, 2006; COPENHAGEN, Sept 11, 2006 (AFP) - The World Health Organisation's European director on Monday called for a redoubling of efforts to provide treatment for all people infected with HIV/AIDS.
UN AIDS chief presses China: Cindy Sui; Agence France-Presse - September 11, 2006; BEIJING, Sept 11, 2006 (AFP) - China's fight against HIV/AIDS cannot be won without giving more voice to patients and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the head of the UN agency dealing with the disease told AFP Monday.
HIV infections among Thai wives rising: report: Agence France-Presse - September 9, 2006; BANGKOK, Sept 9, 2006 (AFP) - Married women now make up the largest group of new HIV infections in Thailand, forcing health authorities to re-think prevention strategies.
Experts call for urgent steps to battle virulent TB strain: Abhik Kumar Chandha; Agence France-Presse - September 7, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Sept 7, 2006 (AFP) - Global experts Thursday called for urgent steps to fight deadly strains of drug-resistant tuberculosis which put HIV/AIDS sufferers at more risk and pose a worldwide threat.
South Africa defends its AIDS approach: Agence France-Presse - September 7, 2006; CAPE TOWN, Sept 7, 2006 (AFP) - The South African government defended its controversial approach to HIV/AIDS Thursday and sidestepped growing calls to axe Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang over her handling of the pandemic.
Rights campaigner detained in China: Cindy Sui; Agence France-Presse - September 7, 2006; BEIJING, Sept 7, 2006 (AFP) - Chinese police Thursday detained an AIDS and human rights campaigner who has fought a series of high-profile rights abuse cases, his wife told AFP, marking the latest step in an intensifying crackdown.
Rebels in India's northeast vow to execute drug traffickers: Agence France-Presse - September 7, 2006; GUWAHATI, India, Sept 7, 2006 (AFP) - Separatist rebels in India's northeast vowed Thursday to execute drug traffickers in the region which is home to rampant heroin use and fast-spreading AIDS.
TB experts will grapple with deadly new strains: WHO: Agence France-Presse - September 6, 2006; GENEVA, Sept 6, 2006 (AFP) - Experts grappling with the emergence of deadly strains of drug-resistant tuberculosis, which compound the woes of HIV/AIDS sufferers, will thrash out ways to fight the growing public health threat when they gather for talks later this week.
Top scientists urge Mbeki to sack health minister over AIDS policy: Agence France-Presse - September 6, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Sept 6, 2006 (AFP) - More than 80 scientists and a Nobel laureate have written to South African President Thabo Mbeki asking him to sack his controversial health minister for dragging her feet on AIDS, the presidency said Wednesday.
Libya AIDS trial adjourns in absence of defence lawyer: Afaf Geblawi; Agence France-Presse - September 5, 2006; TRIPOLI, Sept 5, 2006 (AFP) - A Libyan judge Tuesday adjourned for a week the retrial of six foreign medics accused of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with the AIDS virus after a Palestinian defendant appeared without legal counsel.
S Korean cabinet moves to ban HIV discrimination: Agence France-Presse - September 5, 2006; SEOUL, Sept 5, 2006 (AFP) - South Korea's cabinet on Tuesday adopted a draft law banning any kind of discrimination against HIV patients in the workplace, officials said.
WHO worried about increase of treatment-resistant tuberculosis: Agence France-Presse - September 5, 2006; GENEVA, Sept 5, 2006 (AFP) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday expressed concern about an increase in cases of tuberculosis resistant to antibiotics, calling for reinforced measures to avoid the spread of deadly strains of the disease.
Rising number of Finns contract AIDS in Thailand: Agence France-Presse - September 4, 2006; HELSINKI, Sept 4, 2006 (AFP) - Finland is set to see a two-fold increase over five years in HIV cases, due in part to men contracting the disease while on holiday in Thailand, the Finnish government said on Monday.
South Africa probes Canada AIDS asylum reports: Agence France-Presse - September 3, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Sept 3, 2006 (AFP) - The South African government said Sunday it had contacted authorities in Canada over reports that a large number of its nationals with HIV have sought asylum after a recent AIDS conference.
Protests as Notre Dame square named after Pope: Agence France-Presse - September 3, 2006; PARIS, Sept 3, 2006 (AFP) - Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe officially renamed the square in front of Notre Dame cathedral after the late pope John Paul II Sunday in a ceremony that was interrupted by AIDS protesters.
Africa braces for new, deadly, TB strains: Leon Engelbrecht; Agence France-Presse - September 3, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Sept 3, 2006 (AFP) - Africa is facing the prospect of a sharp increase in new and fatal strains of tuberculosis (TB) as drug-resistant forms of the disease find HIV sufferers easy victims, according to medical experts.
HIV-positive Indian has to abort her own foetus: report: Agence France-Presse - September 1, 2006; KOLKATA, India, Sept 1, 2006 (AFP) - Health authorities in eastern India began a probe into reports Friday that an HIV-positive woman was forced to perform an abortion on herself after doctors refused help.
Cancer surge overwhelming AIDS-crisis Botswana: Tshepo Moipolai; Agence France-Presse - September 1, 2006; GABORONE, Sept 1, 2006 (AFP) - Doctors in Botswana, already battling one of the highest levels of HIV per capita in the world, are being overwhelmed by a dramatic rise in cancer cases as a result of the epidemic.
Desperate HIV sufferers in Myanmar turn to weeds for cure: Hla Hla Htay; Agence France-Presse - September 1, 2006; YANGON, Sept 1, 2006 (AFP) - Aung Naing, a doctor of traditional medicine in Myanmar, believes in the healing power of herbs, but even he is worried about claims being made in the media about a common weed in the military-run nation.

August

Traditional doctors can help fight AIDS in Africa: WHO: Agence France-Presse - August 31, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Aug 31, 2006 (AFP) - Traditional medical practitioners need to be recruited to fight AIDS in Africa, which accounts for 60 percent of the world's cases, a senior United Nations official said Thursday.
Japan court awards damages over hepatitis C infections: Agence France-Presse - August 30, 2006; TOKYO, Aug 30, 2006 (AFP) - A court Wednesday ordered the Japanese government and drugmakers to pay 168 million yen (1.4 million dollars) to 11 people who contracted hepatitis C from tainted blood products.
UNHCR chief asks Thailand to tackle AIDS in refugee camps: Agence France-Presse - August 30, 2006; BANGKOK, Aug 30, 2006 (AFP) - The UN High Commissioner for Refugees asked Thailand on Wednesday to tackle the spread of AIDS inside refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar border, a Thai government spokesman said.
New Zealand offers residency to HIV infected Zimbabweans: Agence France-Presse - August 30, 2006; WELLINGTON, Aug 30, 2006 (AFP) - New Zealand will offer permanent residence to Zimbabweans in the country who are HIV-positive, making an exception to its policy of barring infected applicants, Health Minister Pete Hodgson said Wednesday.
Lawyers of Bulgarian nurses barred from AIDS case retrial: Agence France-Presse - August 29, 2006; PARIS, Aug 29, 2006 (AFP) - Some of the lawyers of the Bulgarian nurses facing the death penalty in Libya have not been received authorisation to take part in their retrial, one of the lawyers told AFP on Tuesday.
South African experts concerned over AIDS toll: Agence France-Presse - August 29, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Aug 29, 2006 (AFP) - South Africa's AIDS pandemic claimed a third of a million lives in the past year, a medical association told lawmakers Tuesday, as experts slammed the health minister for promoting a quirky diet as a cure.
Libyan retrial of nurses on AIDS charges resumes: Agence France-Presse - August 29, 2006; TRIPOLI, Aug 29, 2006 (AFP) - The retrial of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor accused of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with the AIDS virus resumed on Tuesday.
South Africa's 'Dr Beetroot' digs in against AIDS critics: Jerome Cartillier; Agence France-Presse - August 27, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Aug 27, 2006 (AFP) - South Africa's Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, dubbed "Dr Beetroot" for her championing of vegetables in the fight against AIDS, is facing growing calls to quit, both at home and abroad.
South Africa looks for gold lining to AIDS, malaria cloud: Jan Hennop; Agence France-Presse - August 27, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Aug 27, 2006 (AFP) - Scientists in South Africa are exploring whether one of the country's most precious commodities, gold, could hold the key in the battle against diseases such as AIDS, malaria and cancer.
Fanfare as US senator tackles AIDS in Kenyan father's hometown: Odhiambo Akombo; Agence France-Presse - August 26, 2006; KISUMU, Kenya, Aug 26, 2006 (AFP) - Thousands of people turned out to greet US Senator Barack Obama in the Kenyan city of Kisumu Saturday, some perched on trees and others breaking through police barriers at a hospital where the colourful politician took an HIV/AIDS test before heading to his grandmother's village.
US drugmaker Gilead to sell cheap AIDS drug in Thailand: Agence France-Presse - August 26, 2006; BANGKOK, Aug 26, 2006 (AFP) - US pharmaceutical firm Gilead is set to sell its AIDS-fighting tenofovir drug in Thailand at a price about 90 percent cheaper than in the United States and Europe, activists said Saturday.
Myanmar lashes at Britain over NLD meeting: Agence France-Presse - August 25, 2006; YANGON, Aug 25, 2006 (AFP) - Myanmar's military government Friday accused Britain of "lacking goodwill" in funding a new program to fight AIDS and other diseases because its ambassador here met with the pro-democracy opposition.
Portugal to set up supervised drug-injection sites: Agence France-Presse - August 24, 2006; LISBON, Aug 24, 2006 (AFP) - Portugal's government on Thursday approved the creation of neighbourhood drug-injection sites where addicts can shoot up under supervision.
S. Africa to change AIDS message as opposition calls for minister's head: Mariette le Roux; Agence France-Presse - August 24, 2006; CAPE TOWN, Aug 24, 2006 (AFP) - The South African government acknowledged Thursday it was struggling to defend its AIDS policies as opposition parties and activists demanded the health minister's sacking.
South Africa defends AIDS policy: Agence France-Presse - August 24, 2006; CAPE TOWN, Aug 24, 2006 (AFP) - South Africa on Thursday defended its programme to combat AIDS but acknowledged that it had to do more to win over its critics at home and abroad.
South African AIDS protestors demand minister's scalp: Agence France-Presse - August 24, 2006; CAPE TOWN, Aug 24, 2006 (AFP) - South Africa's main anti-AIDS lobby group the Treatment Action Campaign was staging a series of protests Thursday to demand the resignation of the country's controversial health minister.
US senator Obama cancels DRCongo visit: Agence France-Presse - August 23, 2006; WASHINGTON, Aug 23, 2006 (AFP) - Political rising star Barack Obama, the sole African-American in the US Senate, suffered a new hitch in his Africa tour when fierce fighting put paid to a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Chinese AIDS patient beaten while pleading for government help: Agence France-Presse - August 23, 2006; BEIJING, Aug 23, 2006 (AFP) - A Chinese woman who contracted HIV during hospital surgery said she was attacked Wednesday while she and other patients pleaded with the government for compensation.
Vietnam highlands face drug abuse, HIV threats: officials: Agence France-Presse - August 22, 2006; HANOI, Aug 22, 2006 (AFP) - Vietnam's poor northern highlands face the threat of "twin epidemics" of intravenous drug use and HIV/AIDS infection, national leaders and UN officials warned Tuesday.
Diplomats ask Uganda to act over AIDS fund graft probe: Agence France-Presse - August 22, 2006; KAMPALA, Aug 22, 2006 (AFP) - Foreign diplomats on Tuesday asked Uganda to act on an international panel's probe over alleged embezzlement of HIV/AIDS funds that led to the suspension of hundreds of millions of dollars in donations to fight the deadly disease in the country.
US senator joins chorus of disapproval over South Africa's AIDS policies: Agence France-Presse - August 21, 2006; CAPE TOWN, Aug 21, 2006 (AFP) - United States senator Barack Obama on Monday joined the chorus of criticism of South Africa's response to the AIDS pandemic, and called for some "clinical truth telling".
South African health minister faces axe call over AIDS row: Agence France-Presse - August 20, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Aug 20, 2006 (AFP) - South African President Thabo Mbeki was urged to axe his health minister Sunday after she took a beating over the government's AIDS policies at a global conference on the pandemic.
Canada mulls whether to close supervised heroin injection site: Deborah Jones; Agence France-Presse - August 20, 2006; VANCOUVER, Canada, Aug 20, 2006 (AFP) - North America's first and only supervised heroin injection site, which opened in 2003 in this west coast city, is threatened with closure if Canada's federal government does not renew a special permit that excludes the clinic from Canada's criminal drug laws.
Little to survive on for China's HIV/AIDS sufferers: Cindy Sui; Agence France-Presse - August 20, 2006; QULOU VILLAGE, China, Aug 20, 2006 (AFP) - Every day without fail, Cao Xiaoxian goes to a local government office, as he has for a year, to beg for help for his family.
Focus in AIDS war swings back to prevention, helping women: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - August 19, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 19, 2006 (AFP) - Like generals locked in strategic debate about how to prosecute a war where no end is in sight, campaigners in the global AIDS pandemic broadly divide into two camps.
South Africa government 'rejects with contempt' Lewis outburst on HIV policies: Agence France-Presse - August 19, 2006; JOHANNESBURG, Aug 19, 2006 (AFP) - The South African government on Saturday gave an angry response to the previous day's scathing attack on its HIV policies by Stephen Lewis, the United Nations special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa.
China touts initial success with first AIDS vaccine: Agence France-Presse - August 19, 2006; BEIJING, Aug 19, 2006 (AFP) - China Saturday said initial test results of its first AIDS vaccine showed it could protect people against the HIV virus.
South Africa's barred me, says UN envoy: Agence France-Presse - August 18, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 18, 2006 (AFP) - The United Nations' special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis, told here Friday how he had been barred from working in South Africa after falling out with its controversial health minister over AIDS policies.
UN envoy lashes S Africa's 'lunatic fringe' AIDS policies: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - August 18, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 18, 2006 (AFP) - UN AIDS envoy Stephen Lewis took the lash to South Africa here Friday at the end of the world's biggest AIDS conference, accusing its government of "lunatic fringe" policies on HIV and resorting to state coercion to quell dissenters.
UN AIDS special envoy accuses G8 of betraying South: Agence France-Presse - August 18, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 18, 2006 (AFP) - The United Nations special envoy for AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis, accused G8 leaders of a "betrayal" of developing countries for not keeping their funding promises in the fight against AIDS.
Grief, hope mingle at end of global AIDS talks: Michel Comte; Agence France-Presse - August 18, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 18, 2006 (AFP) - The 16th International AIDS Conference moved to a close here Friday after six days of workshops, presentations and grassroots networking, where grief for the 25 million lives claimed by AIDS mixed with hope and resolve for the future.
South African AIDS activists arrested for 'illegal' protest: Agence France-Presse - August 18, 2006; CAPE TOWN, Aug 18, 2006 (AFP) - South African police on Friday arrested 44 activists from the country's main AIDS lobby group for staging a protest over what they see as a slow response to the pandemic from controversial Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.
AIDS: Women and children in brunt of pandemic: Isabel Parenthoen; Agence France-Presse - August 18, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 18, 2006 (AFP) - From a disease that 25 years ago seemed only to target gays, AIDS today principally has women and children in its cross hairs, according to evidence and testimony presented at the 16th International AIDS Conference here.
New AIDS nightmare looms for gay men: study: Agence France-Presse - August 17, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 17, 2006 (AFP) - The gay community in the western world, mauled by the first wave of the AIDS pandemic, now faces a second storm, according to a forecast released at the International AIDS conference Thursday.
AIDS activists seek truce in US 'pharma war': Agence France-Presse - August 17, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 17, 2006 (AFP) - Activists Thursday demanded a truce in what they branded a US "pharma war" on AIDS patients as well as a moratorium on US free-trade deals that, they say, thwart local production of cheap, life-saving HIV drugs.
African traditions at risk in AIDS fight that pits healers versus drugs: Michel Comte; Agence France-Presse - August 17, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 17, 2006 (AFP) - Traditional African healers are struggling to keep alive ancient holistic ways threatened by western medicines used to combat the AIDS pandemic ravaging their continent, say activists.
New regimen slashes mother-to-baby HIV risk: study: Isabel Parenthoen; Agence France-Presse - August 17, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 17, 2006 (AFP) - The risk of an HIV-infected mother handing on the AIDS virus to her baby can be reduced to less than six percent under an innovative regimen that combines drugs and bottle feeding, French researchers said at the global AIDS conference here Thursday.
Stigma, taboo create conditions for stealthy Mideast AIDS epidemic: Catherine Hours; Agence France-Presse - August 17, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 17, 2006 (AFP) - The Middle East and North Africa are at risk of plunging into a silent epidemic of AIDS, despite so far having escaped the worst of the disease's deadly onslaught, experts warn.
Explicit online content needed to teach gay men HIV prevention: Agence France-Presse - August 17, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 17, 2006 (AFP) - The use of condoms in online pornography is more likely than tedious health warnings to coax gay men to take precautions against HIV, a US researcher said Thursday.
Stopping HIV: Could circumcision be the kindest cut of all?: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - August 17, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 17, 2006 (AFP) - Circumcision could be a highly effective way of braking the AIDS pandemic, experts said here Thursday, cautioning though that before surgeons everywhere reached for their scalpels, major questions had to be answered.
Researchers link music tastes to HIV risks: Michel Comte; Agence France-Presse - August 17, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 17, 2006 (AFP) - US boys hooked on gospel, techno and pop are more at risk of HIV infection than devotees of other musical styles, including "bling, bling" hip hop, according to a new study.
Bollywood star falls to earth in meeting AIDS orphan: Agence France-Presse - August 17, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 17, 2006 (AFP) - Bollywood legend Sharmila Tagore on Thursday told how she was humbled when she came face-to-face with a Ugandan AIDS orphan left alone to bring up her five siblings.
Glaxo withdraws AIDS drug patent plan in Thailand, India: Agence France-Presse - August 17, 2006; BANGKOK, Aug 17, 2006 (AFP) - British pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKlein has dropped its controversial application to patent a key AIDS drug in Thailand and India, the company and international HIV campaigners said Thursday.
HIV and TB are apocalyptic duo: AIDS conference: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - August 17, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 17, 2006 (AFP) - Co-infection by HIV and the tuberculosis germ is a fast-growing problem in the global AIDS epidemic, with the two pathogens working in tandem to end a quarter of a million lives every year, the 16th International AIDS Conference has heard.
AIDS is meal ticket in hunger-plagued Haiti: Clarens Renois; Agence France-Presse - August 17, 2006; LASCAHOBAS, Haiti, Aug 17, 2006 (AFP) - Outside the UN World Food Program warehouse, hungry Haitians form a line and wait for the rations coming to them as victims of tuberculosis or AIDS.
Drugs users in the cold in AIDS battle in Asia, Eastern Europe: Isabel Parenthoen; Agence France-Presse - August 16, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 16, 2006 (AFP) - Countries in Asia and Eastern Europe, notably China and Russia, jeopardise millions of lives by excluding drug addicts from anti-AIDS programmes, experts warned on Wednesday.
Condoms, cannabis, beads... and networking: Secrets of AIDS forum success: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - August 16, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 16, 2006 (AFP) - The audience is receptive as New York prostitute-turned-author Tracy Quan, curled on a makeshift double bed adorned with silk drapes, cushions, condoms and an assortment of strap-on dildos, reads from her latest book.
Study lifts lid on Kenya's child prostitution: Agence France-Presse - August 16, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 16, 2006 (AFP) - Child prostitutes in Kenya play a risky lottery with HIV infection, seeing up to five partners a night and using condoms only 60 percent of the time, a UNICEF researcher said Wednesday.
What they're saying at the 16th International AIDS Conference: Agence France-Presse - August 16, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 16, 2006 (AFP) - Quotes from the fourth day of the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto:
Trail-blazing Thailand is AIDS example to follow: World Bank: Stephen Collinson; Agence France-Presse - August 16, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 16, 2006 (AFP) - Trailblazing Thailand is offering life-saving HIV drugs to more than 90 percent of those in need, bucking global trends and setting an example for other developing states, the World Bank said Wednesday.
UN agency warns of critical food shortage for HIV patients: Isabel Parenthoen; Agence France-Presse - August 16, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 16, 2006 (AFP) - Despite pouring billions of dollars into life-saving AIDS drugs, the world is failing to ensure poor HIV patients have enough food to survive, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) warned Wednesday.
Sex workers show red light to AIDS at global forum: Catherine Hours; Agence France-Presse - August 16, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 16, 2006 (AFP) - With the crack of a whip and swish of maracas, dozens of prostitutes from Bangladesh to Brazil and from Cambodia to Canada demanded recognition here of their frontline role in the war on AIDS.
World AIDS conference serves up good news on HIV drugs: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - August 16, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 16, 2006 (AFP) - Drugs that tackle HIV are at last moving out to poor, AIDS-hit countries in significant volumes and new treatments are starting to emerge from the research pipeline, the International AIDS Conference heard Wednesday.
AIDS testing drive could infringe rights: activists: Agence France-Presse - August 16, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 16, 2006 (AFP) - The drive to expand HIV testing in the developing world must not bruise human rights or see people treated like "cattle," activists including Irish ex-president Mary Robinson said Wednesday.
AIDS drugs now reach 24 percent of poor people with HIV: WHO: Agence France-Presse - August 16, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 16, 2006 (AFP) - Antiretroviral drugs are now reaching 1.65 million people in poor countries who are badly infected with HIV, equal to almost one in four of those in need, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said here Wednesday.
AIDS temple offers solace to abandoned Thais: Shino Yuasa; Agence France-Presse - August 16, 2006; LOP BURI, Thailand, Aug 16, 2006 (AFP) - Pu, a 29-year-old Thai woman with AIDS, is all skin and bone. She is so weak that she cannot even brush away flies off her face.
Israeli, Lebanese, Palestinian, Iranian scientists unite to fight AIDS: Michel Comte; Agence France-Presse - August 15, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 15, 2006 (AFP) - The image of the Middle East is of a tense, fractured region, with Israelis and Arabs mired in fear and mutual hostility, dwelling on ancient memories of bloodshed, grief and destruction.
Prisoners barred help to fight AIDS: activists: Michel Comte; Agence France-Presse - August 15, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 15, 2006 (AFP) - The rampant spread of HIV in prisons around the world has been largely ignored or overlooked by officials, activists said Tuesday at the 16th international conference on the deadly disease.
China pledges steely fight against AIDS problems: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - August 15, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 15, 2006 (AFP) - Outlining its strategic shift in the combat against AIDS, China vowed on Tuesday to fight the disease at its source, using innovative measures that just a few years ago would have been taboo or illegal.
What they're saying at the International AIDS Conference: Agence France-Presse - August 15, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 15, 2006 (AFP) - Quotes on the third day of the 16th International AIDS Conference, in the Canadian city of Toronto on Tuesday:
Four million health workers needed to face AIDS crisis: WHO: Agence France-Presse - August 15, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 15, 2006 (AFP) - Developing countries that are worst hit by AIDS need more than four million health workers to help cope with the crisis, the UN's World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated on Tuesday.
MSF demands action for half a million AIDS infants: Isabel Parenthoen; Agence France-Presse - August 15, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 15, 2006 (AFP) - Urgent action is needed to treat more than half a million children in need of AIDS drugs and to slash the price of these life-saving treatments, a top medical relief agency warned Tuesday.
US blasts AIDS plan critics: Agence France-Presse - August 15, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 15, 2006 (AFP) - The United States Tuesday blasted claims by a UN official that its AIDS policy in Africa reeks of colonialism, and rejected charges it promotes abstinence over condoms for naked political reasons.
Don't give up on HIV vaccine quest, scientists urged: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - August 15, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 15, 2006 (AFP) - AIDS campaigners led by former US president Bill Clinton appealed to scientists Tuesday to pursue the quest for a vaccine against HIV, a path that has been sown with innumerable disappointments.
Sex sells AIDS prevention message at conference: Michel Comte; Agence France-Presse - August 15, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 15, 2006 (AFP) - Lessons in erotic art, pornography and talking dirty have been a spicy addition to the global AIDS forum here as campaigners try to make safe sex, well, sexy.
Male circumcision, microbicides -- and tenacity -- seen as keys to AIDS prevention: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - August 15, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 15, 2006 (AFP) - Male circumcision and an HIV-thwarting vaginal gel could revolutionise the flagging campaign to prevent the spread of HIV, experts at the global AIDS conference said Monday.
Chirac calls on world to keep AIDS promises: Agence France-Presse - August 15, 2006; PARIS, Aug 15, 2006 (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac called on the international community to "keep its promises" in the fight against AIDS, in a message to a global conference made public Tuesday.
Cheers, caution greet Gates at AIDS foray: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - August 14, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 14, 2006 (AFP) - Once demonised as a monopolistic mega-tycoon, Bill Gates has found a warm welcome among the tight-knit community of AIDS activists here.
What they're saying at the International AIDS Conference: Agence France-Presse - August 14, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 14, 2006 (AFP) - Quotes from the second day of the 16th International AIDS Conference, in the Canadian city of Toronto on Monday:
Licking the AIDS crisis: Stamps to raise cash for Global Fund: Agence France-Presse - August 14, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 14, 2006 (AFP) - The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Monday launched an innovative postage-stamp campaign to raise money to fight AIDS and deliver an upbeat message about a disease that has killed 25 million people and remains without a cure or a vaccine.
Black America's plight alarms world AIDS meet: Catherine Hours; Agence France-Presse - August 14, 2006; TORONTO, Canada, Aug 14, 2006 (AFP) - The high rate of HIV infections among African-Americans raised a thorny question at the world AIDS talks: has HIV become, as one prominent US activist said, a "black disease"?
Call for new religious dimension in anti-AIDS fight: Michel Comte; Agence France-Presse - August 14, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 14, 2006 (AFP) - Faith activists on Monday called on religious leaders to shun Biblical terms like "scourge" when discussing AIDS and to use places of worship to battle a disease that respects no creed.
Clinton the political performer rallies fight against AIDS: Catherine Hours; Agence France-Presse - August 14, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 14, 2006 (AFP) - Bill Clinton turned his political dazzle on the rampaging AIDS virus Monday, coaxing frontline scientists and caregivers over a "rocky road" towards victory against the murderous disease.
Suffer, little children: AIDS forum spotlights smallest victims: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - August 14, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 14, 2006 (AFP) - UN agencies joined the United States at the world AIDS conference on Monday in demanding help for Africa's army of AIDS orphans, warning its ragged rollcall could reach more than 15 million by the end of the decade.
Canada UN envoy: US must not 'dictate' Africa AIDS fight: Agence France-Presse - August 14, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 14, 2006 (AFP) - UN special envoy Stephen Lewis on Monday blasted the US global AIDS strategy, saying Washington was guilty of "insipient neocolonialism" by "dictating" how African governments stem the disease.
WHO calls for massive increase in global AIDS tests: Isabel Parenthoen; Agence France-Presse - August 14, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 14, 2006 (AFP) - A senior world AIDS expert Monday urged community doctors to crank up testing for the killer virus, bemoaning the "appalling" fact that nine in ten HIV carriers don't know they are infected.
AIDS researchers : single strategy won't work: Richard Ingham; Agence France-Presse - August 14, 2006; TORONTO, Aug 14, 2006 (AFP) - In an update on the AIDS pandemic, researchers Monday described a disease which was unfolding in myriad ways, advancing in some parts of Africa but held back in others, and which had South Asia and the countries of the former Soviet bloc in its sights.
Stop march of AIDS in South Asia : World Bank: Stephen Collinson; Agence France-Presse - August 14, 2006; TORONTO, Canada, Aug 14, 2006 (AFP) - South Asia's AIDS epidemic could smash through vulnerable populations unless India and its neighbours take the battle into high-risk areas, including the sex industry, the World Bank warned Monday.
Myanmar's military regime arrests HIV/AIDS workers: Agence France-Presse - August 14, 2006; WASHINGTON, Aug 14, 2006 (AFP) - Myanmar's military regime arrested 11 members of a local HIV/AIDS non-governmental group which wanted to organize its first program to he