11-21-2005

南亞去年百萬人新感染HIV病毒 (One Million New HIV Cases Last Year in South Asia)

聯合國說，去年南亞有100多萬人感染HIV病毒。艾滋病病毒傳播的主要途徑是使用毒品和不安全性行為。聯合國在關於全球性艾滋病流行的一份年度報告說，HIV病毒的傳播速度在印度的一些邦趨於穩定，但是總的來說還是呈上升趨勢。印度已經有大約510萬艾滋病毒攜帶者。這份報告說，印度大約42%的女性性工作者說，她們可以從客人的體表特徵猜測他們是否是HIV病毒攜帶者。

但是聯合國的這份報告說，南亞其他地區對艾滋病缺乏了解是非常嚴重的問題。報告以巴基斯坦舉例說，在巴基斯坦最大的城市卡拉奇，每5個女性性工作者中有1人不認識安全套，三分之一的人從來沒聽說過艾滋病。

The United Nations says in the past year more than one million people contracted HIV infections in South Asia, and the disease is spreading largely due to drug use and unsafe sex. In its annual report on the global AIDS epidemic, the world body says the spread of HIV is stabilizing in some of India's states, but overall it is still rising. India already has an estimated five-point-one million HIV-positive people. According to the report, some 42 percent of female sex workers in India say they are able to guess if their clients are HIV positive because of their physical appearance.

But the UN report says ignorance about the disease is serious elsewhere in South Asia. Citing Pakistan as an example, the report says one in every five female sex workers in the largest city of Karachi cannot recognize a condom, and one-third never heard of AIDS.

由於首爾和東京之間的緊張關係，原訂下個月舉行的南韓和日本的首腦會議也許不會進行。南韓外交通商部長官潘基文星期一說， 在當前的氣氛下，有關總統盧武鉉訪問日本事宜根本無從談起。

盧武鉉和日本首相小泉純一郎曾希望在一年中進行兩次會晤。南韓總統按計劃應于12月前往日本。但是，上個月小泉首相去供奉日本戰爭亡靈的靖國神社進行引起爭議的參拜引起首爾憤怒的反應。

盧武鉉總統在上星期舉行的亞太經合組織高峰會上告訴小泉純一郎，南韓不能接受日本所謂通過參拜靖國神社表達對戰爭的懺悔以及對顯示日本對和平承諾的說法。

A summit meeting between South Korea and Japan's leaders may not take place next month due to strained relations between Seoul and Tokyo. South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said Monday that the present atmosphere makes it impossible for him to even talk about a visit to Japan by President Roh Moo-hyun.

President Roh Moo-hyun and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi have tried to meet twice a year, and the South Korean leader was expected to travel to Japan in December. However, Prime Minister Koizumi's controversial visit last month to a Yasukuni Shrine honoring Japan's war dead prompted an angry reaction in Seoul.

President Roh Moo-hyun told Mr. Koizumi at last week's APEC (Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit that South Korea could not accept Japan's contention that such shrine visits express remorse for the war and demonstrate Tokyo's commitment to peace.