 Food hike leads to AIDS risk
UN officials say rising food prices are likely to drive poor women to trade sex for basic goods, fuelling the spread of HIV. Delegates at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico said women in poverty are so desperate to buy food for their children that they will have sex in exchange for fish and cooking oil.
Officials said so-called "fish for sex" deals are common in Kenya where female fish traders meet incoming boats and sleep with fishermen in exchange for money. The UN says food prices caused 50 million more people to go hungry last year compared to the year before. AU: Bashir arrest harmful
The African Union says the International Criminal Court is "pouring oil on the fire" by seeking the arrest of Sudan’s president for war crimes in Darfur. The Chairman of the AU Commission Jean Ping said any move to indict President Omar al-Bashir for genocide could hamper peace efforts. Speaking after talks with Mr Bashir in Khartoum yesterday, Mr Ping urged the UN Security Council to suspend the investigation into the Sudanese president. The ICC accuses the leader of running a campaign of genocide. Mr Bashir denies mobilising the Janjaweed militias, accused of widespread atrocities in Darfur. Human trials for malaria vaccine
Scientists are preparing small-scale human trials of a malaria vaccine following successful trials on animals. Reporting in the journal Nature Medicine, a team from Oxford University said its virus-based jab had startling results on mice and that human safety trials are expected to start next year. Team member Dr Simon Draper said the viruses were potentially easy to grow and therefore relatively cheap to mass-produce. There is currently no vaccine for malaria, which kills between two and three million people every year. Iraq tries to get doctors back
The Iraqi Health Ministry has set up a committee to persuade medical doctors who have fled the country to return. Deputy Health Minister Essam Namiq Abdullah said his department had emailed all the physicians who fled Iraq because of security fears, asking them to return to develop the health service. He said in light of "remarkable progress" in security, most doctors were expressing a readiness to return. Mr Abdullah said the ministry had devised incentives to encourage those who had fled to return to work - including help with housing and increased salaries – and that more than 165 doctors have resumed work in the past 20 days. Iran: "no nuclear freeze"
In a letter delivered to European Union negotiators, Iran is believed to have turned down a deal to freeze its nuclear programme in return for incentives. Yesterday six nations agreed to seek further UN sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme after it failed to respond to a weekend deadline. The six nations include US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. Iran denies it intends to use nuclear technology to develop material for nuclear weapons. Cashew nuts bankroll rebels
Development workers in Senegal say the soaring price of cashew nuts in the Casamance region is lining the pockets of armed rebels. Ismaïla Diédhiou, an agricultural expert who works at Senegalese development association ASPRODEB, said there has been increased fighting near the forests where cashews are grown. Since March the price of cashews has shot up from 29 US cents per kg to 94 US cents, the highest price in ten years. Damien Manga, a member of the rebel group Movement of Democratic Forces confirmed they sold cashew nuts but said it was only to cover their living expenses and not to fund weapons.
Rwanda links France to genocide
A report by an independent Rwandan commission has accused France of playing an active role in the Rwandan genocide of 1994. The document, the culmination of a two-year investigation into the genocidal campaign that left 800,000 dead, claims France backed Rwanda's Hutu government with political, military, diplomatic and logistical support. The paper said France trained Hutu militias, helped to plan the genocide and some French troops took part in the killings. France says it will read the report before issuing a response. Earlier this year French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner denied French responsibility in connection with the genocide, but said political errors had been made. Angola holds first poll since 1992
Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos says parliamentary elections will be held every four years. On the eve of his country's first polls in 16 years, he called on Angolans to respect the democratic process and make the country an example to Africa and the world. Elections have been repeatedly delayed since 2002 when the government ended a 27-year conflict with the Unita rebel movement. Ten parties and four coalitions are competing for parliamentary votes, but Mr Dos Santos's ruling MPLA party is expected to retain its majority. National strike hits S Africa
Thousands of South African workers are expected to down tools today in a national strike against rising electricity, food and fuel prices. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) says the one day walkout will be a warning to employers who may want to sack workers because of a downturn in profits due to a power supply crisis. Miners are particularly fearful of job cuts after a January power cut led to electricity rationing, slashing output. Cosatu said it was 'adamant' workers should not pay for the government's failure to invest in electricity. President Thabo Mbeki's government has admitted it ignored warnings to invest in more power stations and has agreed to spend billions on new ones. Asia must tackle infant deaths
The United Nations says India, China and other Asia-Pacific countries must boost public health spending by at least two per cent to reduce the number of children who die before they are five. A report by Unicef said that in 2006, 2.1 million under-fives died in India, one-fifth of the world's total, while 415,000 died in China. However the report found that while both countries had made 'great strides' in tackling infant mortality, their public health spending is on average 1.9 per cent of gross domestic product, compared with the world average of 5.1 per cent. Ex-leaders press for AIDS action
Former leaders of African countries heavily affected by HIV and AIDS are launching a regional campaign to pressure politicians to do more to combat the virus. Botswana's former President Festus Mogae singled out South Africa, saying they could have done more and told the International AIDS Conference in Mexico he hoped they would be able to "mobilise shame" against ineffective politicians. He is joined by the former presidents of Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and other well-known figures, including South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu. They are demanding more government action and public education campaigns in countries in which they believe too little is being done to prevent new infections. Brazil plan to protect wetlands
Brazil's Environment and Agricultural Ministries are working on a proposal to restrict sugar cane planting in one of the world's largest wetland areas. If passed, the law would protect the Pantanal area's ecology amid concern about the environmental impact of the rapid expansion of sugar cane production. Under the Bill, no new ethanol plants, which produce biofuel for Brazil's ethanol-powered car industry, will be allowed in Pantanal's plains. The new plan would allow limited planting in the region's highlands. The final decision rests with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
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