HEALTH-ANGOLA: The Dangerous Profession of Motherhood

Walking into the Angolan capital's main maternity hospital, the first thing that hits any visitor is the stench: a nauseating combination of blood and excrement. After a short while, the stomach settles and the eyes adjust to the poor light in the Maternidade Lucrecia Paim; then, the true wretchedness of the grey walls and broken windows begins to sink in.

ASIA-PACIFIC: Willing Coalition to Treat HIV/AIDS

Millions of dollars will be injected into the diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS in the Asia Pacific region under a significant new partnership between the Australian government and the William J. Clinton Foundation.

HEALTH: AIDS Stigma, a Major Hurdle in the Caribbean

The discrimination that people living with HIV face on a day-to-day level in the Caribbean results in frequent violations of their basic rights and is a major hurdle to the implementation of anti-AIDS programmes, say U.N. officials..

AFGHANISTAN: Ignorance Feared Speeding HIV Spread

Afghan men, women and children returning home after years of living in the squalor of refugee camps in neighbouring Pakistan and Iran may be coming back with more than just their belongings.

HEALTH-SOUTHERN AFRICA: AIDS Puts Funeral Traditions Under Pressure

Research indicates that traditional burials for those who die from AIDS-related diseases in Southern Africa are having a severe financial effect on households in the region, notably those in rural areas.

RIGHTS-MALAWI: “Have Men in Our Land Chosen to Become Worse Than Beasts?”

When police announced recently that they had detained a man in the northern town of Karonga for allegedly killing his wife after she refused him sex, there were hopes that the arrest would send a stern warning to other husbands with violent inclinations.

POLITICS-U.S.: Guns Over Butter, Abroad and at Home

Despite his administration's growing concerns about preventing the collapse of states in strategic parts of the world, U.S. President George W. Bush has proposed cuts in development and disaster assistance while increasing the defence budget by almost seven percent.

HEALTH-MOZAMBIQUE: Many Languages, One Message

Travel the length of Mozambique, and chances are that you'll hear a host of different languages being spoken: the official language of Portuguese, Shangana, Elomwe and Cisena to name just a few.

HEALTH-MOROCCO: Civil ‘War’ Over Condoms

When the Moroccan Association for the Fight Against AIDS launched a campaign last month to raise money to fight AIDS, it had no idea it would have another kind of fight on its hands.

POLITICS: African Leaders Meet to Change Continent’s Image

African leaders, meeting in Sudan's capital, are seeking ways to improve their continent's image by ridding it of conflicts, diseases, poverty and human rights abuses.

DEVELOPMENT: Christian Groups Find New Allies at USAID

The AIDS pandemic in Africa has provided an entry point for U.S.-based Christian evangelical organisations that view some of the small countries in that continent as an opportunity for religious, political and social transformation.

AIDS-LATIN AMERICA: Prejudice and Ignorance, a Deadly Alliance

Prejudice and lack of information about HIV/AIDS are damaging to society and to people with the disease, creating obstacles to the prevention and treatment of the pandemic, agreed the participants in a weekend conference in Brasilia.

HEALTH-ALGERIA: Low HIV Prevalence Not a Problem? Think Again

Coverage of AIDS in Africa typically focuses on the dire situation in countries south of the Sahara, which are home to almost two thirds of people infected with HIV globally, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

HEALTH-NAMIBIA: In Prisons, a Little Latex Could Go a Long Way

A piece of legislation nearly 30 years old that outlaws male-to-male sodomy may, at first glance, appear more a target for gay rights activists than AIDS campaigners. Seen in the context of Namibia's prisons however, the 1977 Criminal Procedures Act raises questions that relate to both health and rights.

HEALTH-PAKISTAN: Free HIV Therapy Also Lessens Stigma

Raheela is relieved that she can finally avail of free anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in Pakistan, where people living with HIV/AIDS are viewed with suspicion rather than sympathy.

WTO-SPECIAL: The TRIPs Traps for Health and Knowledge

The hidden story behind the final draft of the World Trade Organisation ministerial conference's declaration lies in TRIPs, or trade-related intellectual property rights.

SOUTH AFRICA: Enough About AIDS Already? No – Too Little

South Africa's high HIV prevalence has been described as the biggest challenge facing the country since apartheid. In light of this, one would expect to be bombarded with AIDS prevention messages on radio, television, billboards and bus stops. Yet some say that not enough of these messages are available.

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: “Empower the Home-Based Care Workers…”

Nombuso Mdluli, a home-based caregiver for people with AIDS, has a daily acquaintance with the suffering that HIV can inflict on its victims. For some reason, though, it is the plight of one particular man which haunts her.

TRADE: Activists Take Issue with WTO Decision on Cheap Drugs

A decision by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to make a provisional 2003 agreement allowing poor countries to import affordable generic drugs permanent has drawn criticism from activists.

HEALTH: That Special Winner in a Contest of One

Svetlana Izambayeva won a beauty contest in Moscow last week. She was the only one who had turned up to participate, but it is not this that made her a winner like no other.

HEALTH-INDIA: HIV/AIDS Messages Reach Communities Via Classrooms

Across India, from the densely-populated western metropolis of Mumbai to the conservative southern temple city of Madurai, students are taking messages to end the stigma and discrimination around HIV/AIDS from classrooms to communities.