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Drug Trafficking in South Asia Continues says UN

Drug Trafficking in South Asia Continues says UN Lapses in the control of pharmaceutical preparations containing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances have led to widespread abuse among all segments of the population in South Asian countries including Bangladesh, says a UN report. "Drug trafficking and abuse problems in South Asia continue to be both serious and multifaceted," said the annual report of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) for 2006 that was released Wednesday. It said "In South Asian countries, particularly Bangladesh, India and Nepal, lapses in the control of pharmaceutical preparations containing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances have led to widespread

CENTRAL ASIA: US human rights report needs to inform policy - HRW

CENTRAL ASIA: US human rights report needs to inform policy - HRW The US State Department's annual report on human rights needs to inform Washington's policies in Central Asia, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday. "The report is strong, and it is generally strong every year. What concern me are the next steps; how does the US use the report when formulating policy towards Central Asia? With growing repression and no independent investigation of the Andijan massacre [where up to 1,000 civilians were killed by Uzbek security forces in May 2005], I believe the EU [European Union] has taken significant action,

We will help Southeast Asia fight terror: Rice

We will help Southeast Asia fight terror: Rice The U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, today vowed to help fight terrorism in Southeast Asia, warning that Islamic militants would turn the region into "a ring of fire" if not actively confronted. Rice -- wrapping up a two-day trip to Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation -- said al-Qaida-linked terror groups blamed for a series of bloody attacks in recent years were trying to destroy the multiethnic region's tradition of tolerance. "We are working alongside countries like Malaysia and Singapore and to build the capacity of others like the Philippines,

Asia-Pacific prepares pandemic test

Asia-Pacific prepares pandemic test Australia and Singapore will lead an international exercise in June to test communications preparedness for a possible bird flu pandemic, officials said on Thursday. The exercise, the first of its kind and involving major economies of the Asia-Pacific region, would test how countries would stay connected in a pandemic or other major disaster such as tsunamis and earthquakes. It will give them an opportunity to respond to a credible real-life scenario that allows them to test communications across the region, Australian official Helena Studdert said on the sidelines of a Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) bird flu

Asia-Pacific steps up preparedness efforts against bird flu

Asia-Pacific steps up preparedness efforts against bird flu KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - China's financial hub Shanghai on Monday started screening international passengers for bird flu amid global fears that the virus could mutate into a more powerful form. Acknowledging that separation from Asia by thousands of kilometres of sea offers little protection, Australia and New Zealand also took steps to ward off a bird flu disaster. At least 68 people have died from bird flu since it emerged in Asia in 2003 - nearly two-thirds of them in Vietnam, according to the World Health Organization. So far, most human cases