The number of young people infected with HIV in Africa is falling in 16 of the 25 countries hardest hit by the virus

LONDON, The number of young people infected with HIV in Africa is falling in 16 of the 25 countries hardest hit by the virus, according to a new report by a U.N. agency.The number of young people infected with HIV dropped by at least 25 percent in a dozen countries, the U.N. AIDS report said. In Kenya, the infection rate among people aged 15 to 24 fell from about 14 percent in 2000 to 5.4 percent in urban areas.The drop in HIV rates coincided with a change in sexual behavior, like having fewer sexual partners or increased condom used, UNAIDS said. But the agency could not say the drop was because of recent U.N. policies, which have mainly focused on buying AIDS drugs rather than preventing infections.Some experts said new focus on prevention was too little, too late.

“Thanks to the U.N.’s strategic blunder, many more people are now infected than would have otherwise been the case had they focused on prevention much earlier,” said Philip Stevens, a health policy expert at International Policy Network.The UNAIDS data were based on population surveys and mathematical modeling, and come with a significant margin of error.

“Young people have shown that they can be change agents in the (AIDS) prevention revolution,” UNAIDS wrote in its report.The research provides further evidence the AIDS outbreak peaked more than a decade ago and that the disease is on the decline. In a report last year, the agency said the number of people infected with HIV had remained unchanged – at about 33 million – for the last two years.

UNAIDS also called for more money to combat the epidemic. In 2008, the world spent more than $15 billion on AIDS, with about half of that coming from the United States. In its report, UNAIDS said that “what’s been good for the AIDS response has been good for global health in general.”But a study published last month found there was little correlation between U.S. money spent on AIDS and improvements in other health areas across Africa.UNAIDS called for countries to invest more in their own HIV programs. It noted South Africa and Nigeria, two of Africa’s wealthiest countries, receive the most money from international donors.

Stevens said that while some recent AIDS investments – like putting more people on drugs – have clearly saved lives, it has also distorted health spending. Despite only causing 4 percent of deaths, AIDS gets about 20 cents of every public health dollar.”The same amount of money that we spend on AIDS could save many, many more lives more cheaply by vaccinating children or distributing cheap treatments for diarrhea,” he said.”Aid agencies have a responsibility to ensure they save the most lives possible with the amount of money they have available,” he said. “Spending the lion’s share on HIV clearly does not do that.”(AP)

Crude oil prices climbed to more than $85 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange

NEW YORK, April 29  Crude oil prices climbed to more than $85 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, as concern over Greek debt abated Thursday.The International Monetary Fund agreed to increase the size of loans to Greece by $100 billion to $160 billion, The New York Times reported. European markets rebounded.

Concern over Greece going into default has shaken markets for months on fears the euro would decline in value.June delivery crude oil gained $2.35 to $85.57 per barrel. Heating oil prices for June added 0.0347 cents to $2.2889 per gallon. Reformulated gasoline blendstock prices for June added 0.345 cents to $2.3675 per gallon. Henry Hub natural gas prices for June lost 0.356 cents to $3.992 per million British thermal units.At the pump, the national average price for unleaded gasoline was $2.877 per gallon Thursday, up from Tuesday’s $2.869, AAA said.(UPI)

50 Cent's want to remove the tattoos

50 Cent’s many tattoos have always been a part of the rapper’s image. He’s displayed them prominently on album covers and in magazines throughout his career. But the ink that made him stand out in the music world isn’t serving him so well now that 50 Cent the rapper is becoming 50 Cent the rapper-actor. So Curtis Jackson (his real name) has begun the process of removing many of them with costly laser procedures.People reports that Jackson removed some of his iconic arm tattoos, saying that not only were they limiting the roles he could play, but that having them covered up for films was getting to be a pain.”[Laser removal] cuts down on the amount of time I have to spend in makeup covering them up,” says the actor. Jackson has roles in several upcoming films, including Twelve with Chace Crawford (out later this year), 2011’s Things Fall Apart, and The Dance, a boxing film costarring Nicolas Cage.Last November, Jackson made it clear that he values sleep over body art, saying that covering the ink in the makeup chair often required him to show up on set four hours before the other actors. And even when the ink is covered up, some rigorous roles won’t withstand the industry’s heaviest makeup. Jackson said of his role in The Dance, which is now in development, “When you’re a fighter, you’re sweating, [and] with a whole bunch of make-up on and stuff like that, it doesn’t look real to me.”

But fans of 50 Cent’s most unique tattoo – the giant “50 Cent” on his back – shouldn’t fret: That one is here to stay. “I can’t take that off,” he says. (Lucky for him, a back tattoo is usually pretty easy to hide under clothing.)Meanwhile, another famously tattooed celebrity is still using her body as a canvas, makeup-chair hours notwithstanding. On the cover of the latest Entertainment Weekly, Angelina Jolie displays what appears to be a new tattoo – the underlining of text on the back of her neck. (The text, which is not new, reads: “know your rights”.)

Like 50 Cent, Jolie (who is currently promoting her new movie, Salt) is no stranger to changing her mind about supposedly permanent body ink. Jolie altered an upper-arm tribute to her ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton after the two split up. Jolie’s arm now displays the map coordinates of where each of her six children were born.

Two studio executives recently fired by Activision

NEW YORK  Two studio executives recently fired by Activision and accused of inappropriately meeting with a rival company said Monday that they will create games to be distributed exclusively by one such competitor, Electronic Arts Inc.Jason West and Vince Zampella have formed a development studio, Respawn Entertainment, and its games will be published and distributed by EA. As the heads of Respawn Entertainment, West and Zampella will own the intellectual property they create. “Respawn” is a video game term used to describe a dead character coming back to life.

The two had sued Activision Blizzard Inc. for more than $36 million in March, claiming that Activision fired them to avoid paying hefty royalties for their work on the popular “Call of Duty” franchise.The latest game, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,” has reaped more than $1 billion in sales after breaking entertainment industry records at its launch last fall.Last week, Activision filed a countersuit against West and Zampella, saying they were fired for good cause for insubordination and for attempts to poach key employees from the company. In its lawsuit, Activision claims the two had met with a key gaming rival, in violation of their employment contract.Although the lawsuit does not name the rival, it states that were flown by the rival to Northern California. Electronic Arts, which is Activision’s main rival and produces a competitor franchise “Medal of Honor,” is based in Northern California’s Redwood City.

West and Zampella’s attorney, Robert M. Schwartz, called the countersuit’s claims “false and outrageous” on Friday.Financial terms were of the deal with EA were not disclosed.Shares of Activision, which is based in Santa Monica, Calif., fell 5 cents to $12.43 in midday trading Monday, while shares of EA rose 13 cents to $19.49.(AP)

SINGAPORE Oil prices rose above $85 a barrel Monday in Asia

SINGAPORE Oil prices rose above $85 a barrel Monday in Asia after a massive loan offer to Greece by European countries helped weaken the dollar, making crude cheaper for investors holding euros.Benchmark crude for May delivery was up 50 cents to $85.42 a barrel at midday Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract lost 47 cents to settle at $84.92 on Friday.The finance ministers of the 15 eurozone nations agreed Sunday to offer euro 30 billion ($40 billion) in loans to Greece this year if Athens asks for the money.

The promise – filling in details of a March 25 pledge of joint eurozone-IMF help – was another attempt to calm markets that have been selling off Greek bonds in recent days.The euro rose to $1.3657 on Monday from $1.3322 on Friday while the dollar fell slightly to 93.10 yen.

Oil was down the previous three days on investor concern that slowly recovering U.S. crude demand doesn’t justify further gains. Crude jumped 25 percent to above $87 last week from $69 in early February.”If oil markets continue to take cues from supply and demand – in preference to the dollar, equities or economic data – we cannot paint a picture that includes higher prices,” Cameron Hanover said in a report.

In other Nymex trading in May contracts, heating oil added 1.17 cents to $2.2377 a gallon, and gasoline gained 1.17 cents to $2.3010 a gallon. Natural gas rose 3.0 cents to $4.100 per 1,000 cubic feet.In London, Brent crude was up 64 cents at $85.47 on the ICE futures exchange.(AP)

Donor money for health care in developing countries could be spent more effectively if it were channeled through a single global fund

Donor money for health care in developing countries could be spent more effectively if it were channeled through a single global fund, experts said Friday.A steady flow of funds is essential for health sector improvements, Gorik Ooms from Belgium’s Institute of Tropical Medicine said.

Research by Ooms and other experts published in The Lancet medical journal Friday said the amount and regularity of international aid was often unpredictable, making it hard for governments to plan ahead.Another study, by Harvard Medical School and the University of Washington, found that in some recipient countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, foreign health aid was partly replacing — not supplementing — domestic health budgets.

In such countries, for every $1 given in aid, governments move between 43 cents and $1.14 of their own health funds to other sectors, such as education or sanitation.”Governments compensate for exceptional international generosity to the health sector by reallocating government funding to other sectors,” Ooms wrote in The Lancet.He said governments also compensated for the unreliability of aid by spreading it over several years.One way to make health aid more stable would be to disburse it via a common pool, similar to the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria set up in 2002.

“If a young institution such as the Global Fund already stands out as delivering stable and predictable financing, it shows the potential advantage of pooling international aid,” Ooms wrote.In a news briefing, he said countries with high dependency on aid usually received pledges from donors for two to four years ahead.”When we in our own countries consider reforming health care, we make estimates for 20, 30, 40 years ahead: how much money will we have? what will happen with the population? what will be the health needs?,” he said.

Another issue is donors’ delivery on their promises.Madalo Nyambose, assistant director at the debt and aid division in Malawi’s Finance Ministry, said aid money was often disbursed later than promised, forcing recipient governments to borrow from financial markets and incur interest payments.

Ooms said a new global health fund could borrow ideas from the Global Fund, which pools donors’ money and allocates it in consultation with the countries in need and independent experts. Its board includes representatives of donors and recipient governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses and affected communities.The U.S. researchers examined data on 113 developing countries from 1995 to 2006.(Reuters)

SINGAPORE Oil prices hovered above $78 a barrel Friday in Asia amid mixed signals about global crude demand

SINGAPORE Oil prices hovered above $78 a barrel Friday in Asia amid mixed signals about global crude demand.Benchmark crude for April delivery was up 16 cents to $78.33 a barrel at midday Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.83 to settle at $78.17.

Oil prices have bobbed between $70 and $80 for most of the last six months as investors mull growing crude demand in developing countries such as China offset by flagging consumption in developed countries.Even a cold winter in the U.S. has failed to boost demand for heating oil.”The absence of any sustained seasonal draw in heating oil inventories is still striking,” Barclays Capital said in a report. “The inventory overhang remains stubbornly high.””We continue to expect strong demand growth from China in 2010.”

Crude prices were bolstered by a weaker U.S. dollar, as dollar-based commodities such as oil become cheaper for investors with other currencies when the dollar falls. The euro rose to $1.3585 on Friday from $1.3547 the previous day.In other Nymex trading in March contracts, heating oil fell 0.37 cent to $1.9825 a gallon, while gasoline rose 0.87 cent to $2.0457 a gallon. Natural gas prices gained 4.8 cents to $4.815 per 1,000 cubic feet.In London, Brent crude was up 10 cents at $76.39 on the ICE futures exchange.(AP)

World markets fell Friday after the U.S. Federal Reserve unexpectedly raised interest rates for emergency bank loans

LONDON  World markets fell Friday after the U.S. Federal Reserve unexpectedly raised interest rates for emergency bank loans, triggering fears that regular borrowing costs could also move higher soon, slowing the recovery in the world’s largest economy.The central bank said Thursday it will bump up the “discount” lending rate by one-quarter point to 0.75 percent effective Friday, part of a pullback of the extraordinary aid it provided to fight the financial crisis.Although the Fed said the step should not be seen as a signal that it will soon boost interest rates for consumers and businesses, markets were spooked.After sharp drops in Asia, Germany’s DAX stock index was down 0.2 percent at 5,671.28 and Britain’s FTSE 100 was flat at 5,326.84. France’s CAC-40 fell 0.2 percent to 3,742.09.Wall Street was also expected to fall on the open. Dow Jones industrials futures were down 50 points at 10,325.00 and Standard & Poor’s 500 futures were 8.2 points lower at 1,097.40.

Growing optimism about the strength of the U.S. economy had helped boost the Dow Jones industrial average rise by 3 percent over the past three days. But the surprise Fed announcement after Wall Street trading closed left traders wondering whether the so-called “exit strategy” from a loose monetary policy could come faster than expected and stifle U.S. consumer demand.”It begs the questions of why this was not done, or at least signaled at a regular Federal Open Market Committee meeting,” said Marc Ostwald, strategist at Monument Securities in London.”It certainly is the case that the Fed wants to see how money markets function without so much of the liquidity life support that the Fed has been providing, and as such one can term this a form of ‘kite flying’,” said Ostwald.The Fed move, which doesn’t change consumer borrowing rates, also helped boost the U.S. dollar and push the euro below nine-month lows – a sign traders may be turning away from higher-risk investments, analysts said.The euro fell to $1.3504 from $1.3529 late Thursday after trading at nine-month lows below $1.3400. After rising against the Japanese yen, the dollar was flat at 91.75 yen.

The euro has been under pressure in recent months over worries about the debt problems of Greece and other countries in Europe, such as Portugal and Spain. Although the EU said it was committed to helping Greece in case of a default, it did not provide any concrete plans for a bailout but limited itself to demand more spending cuts.Economic data in Europe, meanwhile, failed to shore up investor sentiment. The purchasing managers’ survey of the eurozone, an economic indicator published by Markit research group, was stable in February, suggesting the recovery from recession has stagnated somewhat.A rise in the manufacturing reading offset a drop in the services sector, providing “little hope that the much-needed domestic recovery is beginning to materialize,” said Ben May, European economist at Capital Economics in London.Markets in China and Taiwan are closed this week for the Lunar New Year holiday.Earlier in Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng stock index led decliners, diving 528.13, or 2.6 percent, to 19,894.02 while Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock average dropped 212.11, or 2.1 percent, to 10,123.58.”As the dollar strengthens, we see less appetite for riskier assets such as Asian stocks.” said Jit Soon Lim, head of equity research for Southeast Asia for Nomura in Singapore. “We’re bullish on the region’s economic growth, but bearish on risk.”

South Korea’s Kospi declined 27.29, or 1.7 percent, to 1,593.90. India fell 1 percent and Indonesia dropped 0.5 percent.Singapore’s stock measure retreated 0.9 percent despite an increase of the government’s 2010 economic growth forecast to between 4.5 percent and 6.5 percent from 3 percent to 5 percent.In the U.S. on Thursday, the Dow rose 83.66, or 0.8 percent, to 10,392.90 while the broader Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 7.24, or 0.7 percent, to 1,106.75. The Nasdaq composite index rose 15.42, or 0.7 percent, to 2,241.71, its fifth straight advance.Oil prices slid to near $78 a barrel after the Fed’s rate hike sent the U.S. dollar higher.Benchmark crude for March delivery was down 90 cents at $78.16 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract added $1.73 to settle at $79.06 on Thursday.(AP)

world celebrations for the new years

Taipei 101

PARIS jazzed up the Eiffel Tower with a multicolored, disco-style light display as the world basked in New Year’s festivities with hopes that 2010 and beyond will bring more peace and prosperity.From fireworks over Sydney’s famous bridge to balloons sent aloft in Tokyo, revelers across the globe at least temporarily shelved worries about the future to bid farewell to “The Noughties” – a bitter-tinged nickname for the first decade of the 21st century playing on a term for “zero” and evoking the word naughty.In New York City, hundreds of thousands of revelers gathered in chilly weather in Times Square to usher in the new decade. Organizers were preparing 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms) of confetti that will be scattered when the New Year’s Eve crystal ball drops at midnight.Fireworks were set off at about 6 p.m. and the gigantic ball was lowered into place in preparation for midnight. Many people wore conical party hats and 2010 glasses that blinked colorfully, and some were jumping up and down to keep warm – the National Weather Service said the temperature will be in the low 30s and forecast snow for around midnight.Las Vegas prepared to welcome some 315,000 revelers with fireworks from casino rooftops, a traffic-free Las Vegas Strip and toasts at nightclubs from celebrities including actress Eva Longoria and rapper 50 Cent.

Sydney Harbour

Even as some major stock market indexes rose in 2009, the financial downturn hit hard, sending many industrial economies into recession, tossing millions out of work and out of their homes as foreclosures rose dramatically in some countries.”The year that is ending has been difficult for everybody. No continent, no country, no sector has been spared,” French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on national TV in a New Year’s Eve address. “Even if the tests are unfinished, 2010 will be a year of renewal,” he added.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned her people that the start of the new decade won’t herald immediate relief from the global economic ills. South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, was more ebullient, saying the World Cup is set to make 2010 the country’s most important year since the end of apartheid in 1994.At midnight in Rio de Janeiro, about 2 million people gathered along the 2.5-mile (4 kilometer) Copacabana beach to watch a huge fireworks display and listen to dozens of music acts and DJs.

The multitudes came mostly dressed in traditional white clothing, a nod to the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomble but a custom followed by nearly everyone as it is thought to bring peace and good luck for the coming year.Officials said about 12,000 police were on duty during the New Year’s Eve party in and around Copacabana to provide security.Dressed in white and holding a glass of champagne in his hand, visitor Chad Bissonnette, 27, a nongovernmental group’s director from Washington, D.C., said, “This year was the toughest I’ve experienced – for the first time as an American I saw many friends lose jobs and businesses in my neighborhood close regularly.”

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd hailed events in 2009 like the inauguration of the United States’ first black president, and international attempts to grapple with climate change and the global financial crisis.”The great message from 2009 is that because we’ve been all in this together, we’ve all worked together,” Rudd said in a New Year’s message.Australia got the some of the festivities rolling, as Sydney draped its skies with explosive bursts of crimson, purple and blue to the delight of more than 1 million New Year revelers near the harbor bridge.Concerns that global warming might raise sea levels and cause other environmental problems were on the minds of some as the year ended.

Venice revelers rang in the New Year with wet feet as high tide on its archipelago peaked just before midnight to flood low-lying parts of the city – including the St. Mark’s Square.The last year also offered its reminders of the decade’s fight against terrorism, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and more recently, rising militant violence in Pakistan.Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain, in a statement Wednesday, suggested that terrorism book-ended the decade, with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, and foiled plot by a Nigerian man to set off explosives on a U.S.-bound airliner on Christmas Eve.

“In late December we were reminded at this decade’s end, just as we were at its beginning, that there is a terrorist threat which puts our safety and security at risk and which requires us to take on al-Qaeda and the Taliban at the epicentre of global terrorism,” he said.

The American Embassy in Indonesia warned of a possible terrorist attack on the resort island of Bali on New Year’s Eve, citing information from the island’s governor – though local security officials said they were unaware of a threat.In a more upbeat theme, the Eiffel Tower was decked out for its 120th anniversary year with hundreds of multicolored lights along its latticework. It was seemingly retro in style, but decidedly 21st century as it showered the Iron Lady in a light show billed as more energy-saving than its usual sparkling lights.

Police blocked off the Champs-Elysees to vehicle traffic as partygoers popped champagne, exchanged la bise – the traditional French cheek to cheek peck – or more amorous kisses to celebrate the New Year.Spain rang in the start of its six-month presidency of the European Union with a sound and light show illuminating Sol square in Madrid and images from the 27 member states projected onto the central post office building.Partiers braved the cold – and a shower from sparkling cava wine bottles – in traditional style by eating 12 grapes, one with each tolling of the city hall bell.Despite frigid temperatures, thousands gathered along the River Thames for fireworks were fired from the London Eye attraction just as Big Ben struck midnight – an hour after continental western Europe.

Europe and the Americas may have partied harder than Asia. Islamic countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan use a different calendar; China will mark the new year in February.Still, in Shanghai, some people paid 518 yuan ($75) to ring the bell at the Longhua Temple at midnight and wish for new-year luck. In Chinese, saying “518” sounds like the phrase “I want prosperity.”

Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries where New Year’s Eve is not celebrated publicly. Clerics in the ultraconservative country say Muslims can only observe their faith’s feasts of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. For them, any other occasions are considered innovations that Islam rejects.Unlike many Islamic countries where pigs are considered unclean, New Year’s in Austria just isn’t complete without a pig-shaped lucky charm – and stalls selling the little porkers did a good business Thursday. Some are made of marzipan or chocolate; others come in glass, wood, rubber or soap.

Herbert Nikitsch of the University of Vienna’s Institute of European Ethnology said the porcine phylactery may originate from the fact that pigs represented food and sustenance for farmers in preindustrial times.Some festivities went awry.In the Philippines, hundreds of people were injured by firecrackers and celebratory gunfire during the celebrations. Many Filipinos, largely influenced by Chinese tradition, believe that noisy New Year’s celebrations drive away evil and misfortune – but some carry that belief to extremes.At Zojoji, one of Tokyo’s oldest and biggest Buddhist temples, thousands of worshippers released clear, helium-filled balloons to mark the new year. Nearby Tokyo Tower twinkled with white lights, while a large “2010” sign glowed from the center.

Tokyo’s Shibuya area, known as a magnet of youth culture, exploded with emotion at the stroke of midnight. Strangers embraced spontaneously as revelers jumped and sang.In Istanbul, Turkish authorities deployed some 2,000 police around Taksim Square to prevent pickpockets and the molestation of women that have marred New Year celebrations in the past. Some officers were under cover, disguised as street vendors or “even in Santa Claus dress,” Istanbul Gov. Muammer Guler said.In Stonehaven, on Scotland’s east coast, the fireballs festival – a tradition for a century and a half – saw in the New Year. The pagan festival is observed by marchers swinging large, flaming balls around their heads. The flames are believed to either ensure sunshine or banish harmful influences.In contrast to many galas worldwide, the Stonehaven Fireballs Association warned those attending not to wear their best clothes – because “there will be sparks flying along with smoke and even whisky.” (AP)