WASHINGTONNews (Updated
January 3, 2010)
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Hepatitis B is endemic in
Ministry spokesman Mao
Qun'an said a soon-to-be-released government policy will strike hepatitis B off
such standard health checks, and prohibit other restrictions or limits on
hepatitis B carriers from education and work, acknowledging that many still face
unfair treatment.
"According to
experts, the current society's misunderstanding of hepatitis B virus carriers is
mainly due to the lack of knowledge about hepatitis B," Mao said. He
pointed out that hepatitis B is transmitted by blood, sexual contact or from a
mother to a child. "Daily work, study or live contact will not lead to the
spread of hepatitis B."
The non-governmental
organization Yirenping, which fights discrimination against people with the
disease, welcomed the announcement but said the move should have come sooner and
warned that tight supervision was required for the rule to be implemented
successfully.
"I think the
government's decision is just a passive response to the cries of the people.
Such a response is also too slow," said the group's founder, Lu Jun.
"I'm also worried about the supervision for this new policy. If no
punishment would be carried out for companies or health organizations doing the
screening, the policy might not be effective."
Despite official
recognition of the need to address discrimination against people with diseases
like HIV/AIDS or hepatitis, Chinese authorities often harass activists who try
to fight for equal rights for affected individuals.
Yirenping has assisted
individuals in filing over 40 lawsuits, mostly discrimination claims, since it
was founded in 2006, according to its Web site. In July, authorities raided the
group's offices and seized dozens of newsletters in apparent retribution for the
group's legal advocacy work.
By SHARON THEIMER and
LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writers Sharon Theimer And Larry Margasak,
Associated Press Writers Jan 1, 2010
WASHINGTON
The donor list disclosed
by the William J. Clinton Foundation did show that conservative Richard Scaife,
who bankrolled anti-Clinton investigations in the 1990s, pitched in money. Also,
The contributors also
included troubled insurance giant American International Group, banking industry
fixture Citigroup, Inc. and entertain Barbra Streisand's foundation.
McKenna said later Friday
that the foundation would put out a new list shortly identifying those who gave
in 2009.
McKenna said that Friday's
initial disclosure, nevertheless, complied with the memorandum of understanding
the
The
"I am deeply grateful
to the many generous contributors who made it possible for my foundation to
accomplish so much in 2009, including increasing the number of people on
lifesaving HIV/AIDS treatment, helping cities reduce their greenhouse gas
emissions, and inspiring millions of children to lead healthier lives,"
Bill Clinton said in a written statement.
The William J. Clinton
Foundation works in the
In addition to failing to
say which donors gave in 2009, the foundation didn't identify individual
contributors' employers, nationalities or any other details. It gave only ranges
rather than precise donations, and didn't provide a fundraising total. It did
say that more than 90 percent of the gifts it received last year were in
donations of $250 or less.
An eye-catching name is
Scaife, who financed investigations of
Scaife contributed between
$250,001 and $500,000. McKenna confirmed the donor listed as Richard Scaife was
the same person.
As first lady, Mrs.
Clinton called the activities of Scaife and others part of "a vast
right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day
he announced for president."
James Carville,
The list shows that those
giving the biggest money to the group over the years included many longtime
In addition to Microsoft
co-founder Bill Gates' foundation, Canadian mining tycoon and Radcliffe
Foundation chief executive Frank Giustra, the Children's Investment Fund
Foundation and UNITAID each gave more than $25 million.
Bill Clinton joined
Giustra on a 2005 trip to
In UNITAID's case, almost
all of the money simply passed through the foundation to buy commodities, the
foundation said.
Besides
Among the contributors of
$5 million to $10 million were the
American International
Group, the insurance giant bailed out by the
Several foreign
governments gave $1 million to $5 million:
Other donors in that range
included the Dubai Foundation; Swedish Postcode Lottery; Friends of Saudi
Arabia; energy company Entergy; Streisand's foundation; Citi Foundation, the
charity of the Citigroup banking and financial services company; Ethiopian-Saudi
business tycoon Sheikh Mohammed H. Al-Amoudi; Saudi businessman Nasser Al-Rashid;
international oil, gas and mining businessman Lukas Lundin; international steel
tycoon Lakshmi Mittal; and international wind power company Suzlon Energy Ltd.,
which has operations in at least 21 countries; Coca-Cola Co., and the Wal-Mart
Foundation.
The
In addition to providing a
foundation donor list, the
3 January 2010 By
Willemien Groot
"People with HIV are
not a danger to public health. I just wanted to be able to visit my
friends," says Jan Willem de Bruin of the Dutch gay rights organisation COC
wholeheartedly. Mr De Bruin found the ban discriminatory. His American friends
could travel back and forth to
It was easy enough to get
around the ban with a few tricks. For instance, by not saying you had an
infectious disease on the infamous form at
"There are people who decided to take a 'drug holiday'. They stopped taking
medicine during that period. But that is not advisable because then the virus is
not suppressed and there is a health risk. You could also send the medicine by
post, but that became more difficult because of the powdered letter scares. This
year, I gave my pills to American friends to take home for me."
Leading role for US
The lifting of the ban is an important signal. President Barack Obama wants his
country to take a leading role in combating HIV and AIDS across the world. In
2012, the country will even host a two-yearly international AIDS Conference. A
meeting which the
"We had eight years
of Bill Clinton, but apparently even then the time was not ripe to change the
law. It isn’t President Obama who takes the credit either. It all started
during the last Bush administration. Even then there were huge discussions.
Eventually, the Senate and the House of Representatives adopted the act and
President Obama signed it. But it is strange that it took so long."
Transition period
In a country with hundreds of international airports and tens of thousands of
customs officers, there is bound to be one which does not know the new
instructions. Mr De Bruin does not expect people with HIV suddenly not to have
any more problems when they try to get into the
"On the HIV
association website there is plenty of information for people who are refused
entry. One of the tips is to call in the help of Immigrations Equality, an
American organisation which defends the rights of immigrants, if you happen to
encounter a customs officer who has not read his instructions, they can help
you."
And Mr De Bruin? He is
planning to travel to
January 3, 2010
Specialist HIV mortgage
advice &arranging. Also HIV life assurance
www.hivmortgages.com
Fear factor ... ads in the
Federal Government’s campaign stress the dangers of unprotected sex.
Young people who have
contracted a sexually transmitted infection should not be ashamed, according to
a government campaign encouraging Australians to get tested.
The national campaign,
which begins today using radio, magazines, the internet and billboards, comes
after a worrying rise in chlamydia, HIV/AIDS and syphilis infections, the
Federal Government says.
Conveying the message ''STIs
are spreading fast - always use a condom'', it encourages those who have had
unprotected sex to
see a doctor to discuss
getting tested.
''The new year and holiday
period is the season of parties … it's important to be aware of the risks of
unprotected sex,'' Health Minister Nicola Roxon said.
Research conducted before
phase one of the campaign in May and June revealed that Australians were not
well informed about the benefits of condom use, she said.
It found that
heterosexuals mainly used condoms to prevent pregnancy and gay men were becoming
complacent about the risk of HIV.
The campaign, which will
also target Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youths, urges people not to be
ashamed if they have an STI.
''This can prevent them
seeking help and treatment,'' Ms Roxon said, emphasising the importance of early
detection and treatment.
''If left untreated, STIs
can have serious, lasting health implications.''
January 2, 2010
Online brothels offering
girls from various nationalities are becoming increasingly popular among
Frequent raids on the
red-light district of Geylang had forced the freelance prostitutes to retreat to
cyberspace to solicit for customers.
As many as five new
websites have appeared in the last few months alone offering a myriad of
“services” from sexy massage to discreet sexual encounters from freelance
prostitutes.
Some appear to be websites
set up by organized syndicates while others are hosted by independent freelance
prostitutes themselves who are here in
Online prostitution is not
new in
One owner of such a site
claimed he is a “landlord” who is helping his PRC tenants to earn some
“extra cash”.
The photos of the girls
are listed on the site including their “statistics”, prices, types of
services offered and “field reports” from previous patrons.
Propsective clients have
to contact the pimp directly using the handphone number provided who will
inform him of the time and venue for the “transaction” to take place.
Such online brothels are
seeing an increase in business lately as they offer customers the flexibility to
choose their time and girl as well as a place outside the usual
red-light district to pursue their pleasures.
When interviewed by the
Straits Times, Dr Carol Balhetchet, director of youth services at the Singapore
Children’s Society, said:
“The scary part is
prostitution has come to your doorstep – and it’s not just available to
adults…..the scary part about the young is, they want to experiment. Now, they
don’t need to go to Geylang…Prostitution can be more gypsy-like…In that
sense, it’s risky.”
Unlike licenced
prostitutes working in designated brothels, freelance prostitutes who ply their
trade online do not need have to go for monthly medical examation and blood
tests to detect sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV.
With the two Integrated
Resorts set to open this year, the demand for such online sexual services is
likely to increase especially with
Foreign prostitutes
especially those from
Others come on a two-year
student visa ostensibly to study in private institutions, but end up working in
KTV lounges.
Asked about the online
brothels by the Straits Times, the police would only say: ‘Police will
investigate reports made and take action if any offence is disclosed.’
The police did not say
whether anyone has been arrested in connection with the online brothels which
have been in existence for