The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Bangkok - UN officials on Tuesday urged Asia-Pacific countries to take decisive action against the AIDS epidemic, which they said is devastating the region the same way it ravaged Africa. Asia is home to two of the world's most populous countries - China and India. India is already the world's second-worst hit country, behind South Africa, with 4.5 million people suffering from HIV/AIDS. The Chinese government says one million people have been infected with the AIDS virus, but experts warn the number is higher and could reach 10 million by the end of the decade. Jerusalem - Yasser Arafat must "disappear from the stage of history," Israel's defence minister said Tuesday, adding that the Palestinian leader's fate, most likely expulsion, may be decided before the end of the year. Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz issued the warning as Arafat and his Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas remained locked in a bitter power struggle. Abbas, backed by the United States and Israel, is increasingly unpopular at home and could be ousted, possibly in a parliament vote next week. Brussels - With the cost of rebuilding Iraq set to run into tens of billions of dollars, European officials say the United States is showing a willingness to share control over reconstruction in its push for foreign help in footing the bill.
