The Chinese government has unveiled a multifaceted new strategy to deal with AIDS within it’s borders, reports the Shanghai Daily News. The plan calls for cooperation between different levels of government, including local citizen’s groups. The rights of citizens with HIV/AIDS have also been established.
This plan will help China to reduce the harm from this epidemic. There are 650 000 HIV/AIDS cases currently reported in China.
It’s hard to find good news about AIDS, especially AIDS in Africa. Former UN Special Envoy Stephen Lewis has gone so far as to call it a genocide. But, good news can surface in the most unlikely of places. Through changes in social behaviour and however slowly, Zimbabwe may be starting to turn the tide. Although other factors may be affecting the numbers, a slight increase in condom use seems to mark the first instance of declining HIV infection rates in Southern Africa. Small actions make a big difference.
You can help the fight against AIDS in Africa through The Stephen Lewis Foundation.
Many of us on the web are aware of Google’s censorship deal with the Chinese Communist Party. The computerized censorship is defeated, however by poor spelling. A misspelled query for “Tienamen Square” will bring up some pictures of tanks, and a search for “Falan Gong” will bring up many stories about the human rights abuses suffered by practitioners of Falun Gong in China.
Will the holes in Google’s filters remain unplugged?
The Tamil Tigers, a group of rebels fighting the Sri Lankan government, have agreed to meet in Switzerland with the Sri Lankan government to negotiate peace. Recently ceasefire agreements have been breached, both sides don’t want more war, but agree nothing will happen until a more comprehensive ceasefire agreement is reached. Both sides also acknowledge that the recent fighting has done more bad than good for all people.
Norwegian peace envoy Erik Solheim helped broker a brief peace between the Tigers and Sri Lanka in 2002, and thanks to him the peace talks are now being held in Switzerland.
The UN has created a new peace-building commission to help countries not renew the violence from previous conflicts. A lot of conflicts around the world tend to re-ignite after the peace-keeping mission departs, the new commission aims to ensure that this doesn’t happen.
Now, the UN would not only train security forces, but also ensure that the infrastructure is in place so the security force can be effective. It would also look into other ways to ensure that violence will not start through, what can be considered, traditional ways. A proactive approach rather than a continually reactive one.