Britain is to give 42 million condoms to South Africa in response to a request for an extra billion as part of an HIV prevention drive before the World Cup, the British government was expected to announce yesterday.
The request for British help in stockpiling sufficient condoms for the expected influx of thousands of football supporters in three months’ time was made during South African President Jacob Zuma’s recent visit to the UK to meet the queen.
“Obviously there’s a big focus on the World Cup coming up and a huge increase in the number of people coming into South Africa,” said Minister of International Development Gareth Thomas, who was to announce the £1 million (US$1.5 million) funding yesterday at an emergency summit in London on HIV prevention and treatment.
“The South Africans have identified themselves the need to get more condoms in place. South Africa specifically asked for British assistance and we are responding to that request,” he said.
He said that the fans would inevitably spill over into neighboring African countries with high HIV rates, which would also need to take precautions.
The South African government estimates that up to half a million visitors could travel to the country, raising fears of a rise in prostitution and sex trafficking from neighboring countries and eastern Europe and creating a potential HIV time bomb.
Last week, South Africa’s Central Drug Authority warned that 40,000 prostitutes were expected to arrive for the month-long tournament.
South Africa is embroiled in a struggle to combat the world’s biggest HIV caseload and to convince its population of the importance of safe sex.
South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi expressed concern on Monday that the message was being ignored because people believe HIV can now be easily treated.
“President Zuma made two far-reaching statements on World AIDS Day,” Motsoaledi said. “He made a strong statement about prevention and a strong statement about treatment regimes, but after World AIDS Day South Africans were only talking about the one.”
“That’s what is worrying me. I am saying treatment must only come after prevention,” he said.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of