Tag: InternationalNews

A new UN survey conducted in Asia and the Pacific says Criminalization of sex work increases vulnerability to HIV by fuelling stigma and discrimination, limits access to sexual health services and condoms.

The report clearly distinguishes between adult consensual sex work and human trafficking for sexual exploitation.

It says that removing legal penalties for sex work allows HIV prevention and treatment programmes to reach sex workers and their clients more effectively.

“Following on the report on the Global Commission on HIV & the Law, this report illustrates the importance of having the right policies and laws in place so that sex workers’ rights are protected, and they are not discriminated against in HIV and health services,” says Rathin Roy, UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Centre Manager.

The report was issued by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

When it comes to natural disasters, the divide between assumption and reality can be stark. Or downright absurd.

Hours after Superstorm Sandy howled its way through the East Coast this week, unleashing a fatal trail of destruction, global reactions included outpouring of sympathy and support.

But not in Syria, where some pro-government supporters welcomed the superstorm when it hit Monday, claiming the natural disaster is the result of high-tech secret engineering.

The superstorm killed dozens across the U.S. East Coast as it ravaged the region with heavy rains, snow and flooding. Millions remain without power as it swirls north.

Sources confirmed to us that Hurricane Sandy that is slamming the U.S. was set off by highly advanced technologies developed by the heroic Iranian regime that supports the resistance, with coordination of our resistive Syrian regime,” pro-government group News Network of the Syrian Armed Forces said in a Facebook posting.

“This is the punishment for whoever dares to attack Syria’s (Bashar) al-Assad and threaten peace and stability.”

Various factions of pro-government and anti-government groups regularly use social media to spread their message.

Comments accompanying the post — which had more than 300 likes — ranged from derision to support.

“This is complete baloney by the regime and its thugs,” one said on the comment section of the post. “There is nothing worse than this nonsense. If you have such technologies, why doesn’t your great sophisticated regime get the temperature to be a bit higher in Russia and make the skies rain in the dry lands in Syria?”

Supporters of the pro-government group slammed those doubting the claim.

“Why are you surprised by such a heroic act that our special forces carried out with the help of the Iranian experts?,” one posted. ” Yes this is the great work of the brave lions of Syria in retaliation to the evil conspiracy against our great nation. We will have our victory even if it will take some time.”

Battles between anti-government fighters and Syrian forces have left scenes of destruction nationwide since the uprising against al-Assad started in March 2011.

An internationally sanctioned truce has failed to take hold.

International envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, pushed for government forces and rebels to stop fighting during Eid al-Adha, a major Muslim holiday that started Friday and ended Monday.

But the violence continued almost unabated.

Japan has spent funds intended for reconstruction after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami on unrelated projects, a government audit has found.

Projects financed by the $150bn (£93bn) fund include roads in Okinawa, an ad campaign for Japan’s tallest building and support for whaling research.

Some 325,000 people remain displaced 18 months on from the disaster.

In some areas little reconstruction work has been carried out, reports say.

Some 19,000 people were killed or remain missing following the tsunami and earthquake that struck north-east Japan in March 2011.

The government has passed a number of supplementary budgets to fund reconstruction efforts in affected areas.

But a government audit showed money had been used for unrelated projects reportedly included on the basis that they could boost national economic revival.

The findings come at a time when questions are being asked about the speed of Japan’s reconstruction effort.

Takashi Kubota, deputy mayor of Rikuzentakata, a fishing port where nearly half of the houses were destroyed, told the Associated Press news agency that “not one single new building yet” had been built in the destroyed downtown area.

“In 19 months, there have basically been no major changes,” he said.

Speaking in parliament on Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda promised that problems would be addressed.

“There have been various criticisms made regarding how the budget for reconstruction has been spent,” he said.

“We must listen sincerely to the voices calling for the utmost priority to be accorded to disaster area reconstruction. We will properly provide allowances for budget items that are truly needed by the disaster-affected areas and strictly narrow down other items.”

Millions of American people from Maine to the Carolinas waited wearily for the power to come back on Tuesday, and New Yorkers found themselves all but cut off from the modern world as the U.S. death toll from Superstorm Sandy climbed to 40, many of the victims killed by falling trees.

The extent of the damage in New Jersey, where the storm roared ashore Monday night with hurricane-force winds of 80 mph, began coming into focus: homes knocked off their foundations, boardwalks wrecked and amusement pier rides cast into the sea.

“We are in the midst of urban search and rescue. Our teams are moving as fast as they can,” Gov. Chris Christie said.

“The devastation on the Jersey Shore is some of the worst we’ve ever seen. The cost of the storm is incalculable at this point.”

As the storm steamed inland, still delivering punishing wind and rain, more than 8.2 million people across the East were without power.

Airlines canceled more than 15,000 flights around the world, and it could be days before the mess is untangled and passengers can get where they’re going.

The storm also disrupted the presidential campaign with just a week to go before Election Day.

President Barack Obama canceled a third straight day of campaigning, scratching events scheduled for Wednesday in swing state Ohio.

Republican Mitt Romney resumed his campaign, but with plans to turn a political rally in Ohio into a “storm relief event.”

A Syrian air force general has been assassinated in northern Damascus, state television said on Tuesday, blaming the killing on “terrorist groups.”

“As part of their campaign to target national personalities and scientists, armed terrorist groups assassinated Air Force General Abdullah Mahmud al-Khalidi in the Damascus district of Rukn al-Din,” the broadcaster said, without providing further details.

The general was a member of the Syrian Air Force command, a security source in Damascus told AFP on condition of anonymity.

He was shot dead on Monday evening as he left a friend’s home, the source added.

The regime of President Bashar al-Assad routinely refers to rebels fighting to overthrow it as terrorists.

Since late July, air force fighter jets and helicopters have played a key role in the war against rebels.

A Bolivian radio journalist Fernando Vidal has been attacked while he was conducting a radio show in the southern city of Yacuiba.

Staff at Radio Popular said four masked men broke into the studio, poured petrol over presenter Fernando Vidal and set him alight.

Mr Vidal, 78, and another staff member are being treated for burns.

Relatives said Mr Vidal had been reporting on smuggling in the border area when the attack happened.

Mr Vidal suffered burns on his face, arms and chest, according to his son-in-law, Esteban Farfan.

A studio technician, Karen Anza, was also injured in the attack.

Some eyewitnesses said the attackers had also thrown Molotov cocktails.

Mr Farfan said his father-in-law had been a harsh critic of the provincial government and had voiced his criticism on air.

He said he believed there were political reasons for the attack, but police have not yet commented on possible motives.

Three people have been arrested on suspicion of taking part in the attack.

Yacuiba is only three kilometres (less than two miles) from the Argentine border.

And while there is a high-volume of cross-border commerce, journalists such as Mr Vidal had been denouncing a rise in smuggling, particularly of liquid petroleum gas.

Honda has cut is annual profit forecast after anti-Japan protests in China hurt its sales in the country, its second-largest market.

The protests, triggered by a row over disputed islands, saw Chinese consumers shun Japanese products. Honda’s sales in China dipped by 40% in September.

The carmaker has forecast a net profit of 375bn yen ($4.7bn; £2.9bn) for the financial year ending 31 March 2013.

That is down from its earlier projection of 470bn yen.

Honda’s shares fell 4.7% to 2,399 yen on the the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The firm said it expected income at its China unit to decline further in wake of the dispute between the two countries.

Japanese firms usually release their earnings after the close of markets, but Honda posted its latest report on its website three hours ahead of schedule by mistake.