Uzbek HIV outbreak infects 147 toddlers

An AIDS outbreak at two children's hospitals in Uzbekistan has killed at least 14 children and left 133 infected with HIV, according to a documentary posted on a respected Central Asian news website on Monday.

The editor of Ferghana.ru said the 2007 outbreak was first reported in an official documentary produced by Uzbek prosecutors for government television.

But, he said, the video never aired because authorities had second thoughts about broadcasting it, fearing that it would provoke a public outcry and unfavourable international publicity.

The documentary posted on Ferghana.ru reported that 12 doctors and nurses at two hospitals in the eastern city of Namangan were convicted of treating the children with contaminated medical equipment.

According to the narrator, the health workers were sentenced to prison terms of from five years to eight years and eight months.

Uzbek officials, including prosecutors, did not return repeated phone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The AP could not verify the authenticity of the documentary, which would be the first official confirmation of the long-rumoured outbreak, but a former Uzbek television producer said it appeared authentic.

Daniil Kislov, editor of Ferghana.ru, said his site obtained the video from an Uzbek health official after authorities cancelled plans to broadcast it.

Government officials keep a tight grip on the media in Uzbekistan, where President Islam Karimov has ruled for more than 20 years.

Several outbreaks of hospital-transmitted HIV have been reported among children in Central Asia in recent years. Doctors in the region have sometimes prescribed transfusions for routine illnesses.

Similar incidents in Kazakhstan in 2006 and Kyrgyzstan in 2007 left dozens of children infected.

The Uzbek documentary shows a series of men and women, identified as health workers, confessing and saying they deserved harsh sentences. All the interviewees spoke into a microphone with the logo of Uzbek state television.

"I am 1,000 times sorry," one of the nurses said through tears.

"I would not want a single nurse or doctor to repeat those mistakes."

There are also interviews with the mothers of some of the infected children, as well as with a prosecutor.

Ferghana.ru first reported the HIV outbreak in Namangan in October 2007, but at the time officials denied that it had occurred.

Kislov said the video was produced in January 2009, and was obtained from a Health Ministry official who demanded anonymity because he feared persecution by authorities.

"This is a genuine product of Uzbek television," said Alisher Komolov, who worked for the Yoshlar television channel until he left the country in 2006.

23 Mar 2010

Another exposed cover up by a government.

ALL governments cover up, it's just that not all the news is reported.

Sex offender remains at large in Vic

A sex offender on an extended supervision order remains on the run after absconding from a corrections officer on a visit to Melbourne for medical treatment.

Raymond Warford, also known as Raymond Dean, failed to return to his approved place of residence outside the Ararat Prison in western Victoria after visiting Melbourne for a medical procedure, police said.

It's believed the man slipped out the back door of a cafe at Fairfield, in the city's inner north, when he left his corrections supervisor to go to the toilet.

Warford is described as 172cm tall and 64kg with a medium build, brown collar-length hair, a fair complexion, green eyes and a hesitant, mumbling voice.

He was wearing a black and tan leather-look jacket, faded grey jeans, a black T-shirt and black runners.

Anyone who sights Warford is asked not to approach him but to contact triple-0.

aap 18 MAr 2010


Hailed as one of the worst sex offenders, the law ALLOWS this person to escape, whilst on supervisory leave to a coffee shop.

This legal system is a JOKE. It IS designed to support criminal activity.

IF these rapists would rape and pillage the families of the law makers then and ONLY then would the law change.

The law is indifferent towards crimes committed against the masses.

Government urged to 'end supermarket rip-offs'

Australia's big supermarkets are continuing to rip-off consumers and suppliers and should be regulated by a new industry body, according to the consumer group Choice.

Choice has suggested that the government form a new regulator to enforce fairness and competition in the grocery sector, areas it claims the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) has failed to address.

"There is a need for real leadership on resolving supermarket issues in Australia – rip-off prices, endemic unfairness and the lowest level of competition possible," said Nick Stace, Choice CEO.

"These are industry-specific problems, which economy-wide regulators have been unable or unwilling to tackle head on. It will go on like this for another 100 years unless radical and bold action is taken."

A spokesperson for the Australian National Retailers Association, which represents the big supermarkets, told ninemsn that supermarkets had already made changes.

"Our general feeling is that this duplicates the ACCC," the spokesperson said.

"Changes, such as unit pricing, state and national pricing and reducing restrictive leases, have been made by the supermarkets."

However, Choice spokesperson Christopher Zinn said the ACCC was not doing enough on dealing with the big supermarkets' growing power.

"The problem with the ACCC is that they have been leaning back on dealing with supermarket power," he told ninemsn, adding that the changes made by supermarkets were 'window dressing' that failed to address the real issues.

Mr Zinn added that Choice expected the supermarkets to oppose the move.

"In the UK when the supermarket ombudsman was created, the supermarkets didn’t like it," he said, adding that the big Australian supermarkets had strongly rejected scrutiny of their prices by Grocery Choice, the aborted plan to publish all supermarket prices online.

A retail source told ninemsn that Choice was still smarting from the Grocery Choice debacle. "They are floundering a after the loss of Grocery Choice and this is an attempt to remain relevant in this sector," the source said.

Mr Zinn added that Choice's research suggests that "consumers are not happy with the duopoly" operated by Coles and Woolworths.

16 Mar 2010 money.ninemsn.com

Big bank 'monopoly' nets $20 billion from customers

The big four banks are making $20 billion additional profit by gouging customers and are so powerful they are 'immune to competition', according to research.

Australia's big four banks – Westpac, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and ANZ – earned around $35 billion in underlying profits last year and now control around 90 percent of the lending market.

Around $20 billion of that profit is being booked as a result of the banks' monopoly of the payments system, an Australia Institute study says.

"With a 90 percent share of the lending market banks are immune from competition which means there’s little to stop them from passing on or increasing costs for customers and growing even more profitable over time," said David Richardson, a senior researcher at the Australia Institute.

Comment: why we need a people's bank now

Mr Richardson added that the speed with which the banks raise interest rates following changes to official interest rates by the Reserve Bank shows the banks' keenness to grab extra profits.

"The banks are using the RBA's decisions on official rates as a pretext for profit-taking," said Mr Richardson.

"While the banks suggest that their borrowing costs increase directly in line with official interest rates this is not entirely accurate. Banks rely on funds from a range of sources, including the zero interest savings and other accounts of their customers, so to suggest that their costs increase directly with increases in official interest rates is clearly an exaggeration."

He added that the banks are immune to competition which means there is nothing to stop them increasing costs for customers.

David Bell, Australian Bankers’ Association CEO, said the Australia Institute report ignores the contribution banks make to the community.

"The Australia Institute report released is a disappointing interpretation of the important role that banks in Australia played during the global financial crisis," he said.

"For an organisation that seeks 'balance' as part of it philosophy, it has produced a polemic that does nothing more than denigrate banks’ contribution to the Australian economy and community."

Mr Richardson said the government should step in and impose additional regulation on the banks.

"It is becoming increasingly clear that simply relying on market forces to reign in the profitability of the banks is doomed to fail," Mr Richardson said.

"Their market share has risen steadily since they were deregulated. It is time for governments to control access to the payments system including caps on the fees banks charge their customers. If necessary it may be useful to introduce a bank rent tax modelled on the resource rent tax."

money.ninemsn.com 5 Mar 2010

Dad slams inaction after hospital death

A man whose daughter died because of bungled hospital treatment says the NSW health system has "the mice in charge of the cheese" when it comes to handling complaints.

Warren Anderson's daughter Vanessa was taken to hospital after she was hit by a golf ball, but the 16-year-old died after a doctor misread her chart.

It took an "astronomical" amount of correspondence before any action was taken on his complaints, he said.

"It wasn't until after relentless correspondence that we got something happening," Mr Anderson told an inquiry into the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) in Sydney on Thursday.

"I am up here saying a speech - I should be saying a speech at (Vanessa's) 21st this year, that's where I should be - but I'm not, I am here trying to get to a point where Vanessa's death is going to bring some change."

In 2005 Vanessa, 16, was taken to Royal North Shore hospital after being hit on the head by a golf ball.

Two days later she was dead.

An inquiry found that the teenager died of respiratory failure as a result of "systemic failures" and the inappropriate administration of pain relief.

Mr Anderson questioned the independence of the HCCC, which is run by the NSW government.

"(People say) why go to the HCCC? They are just reporting to the government," he said.

"It's the mice in charge of the cheese, and that is what loses the credibility of the HCCC to the general public."

He also said that the HCCC didn't make the most of its powers.

4 Mar 2010

This is unfortunately a classic example of the politics of the health care system for the masses.

Where a life of the general public is taken and EVERYONE involved denounces responsibility, and NO ONE can be sued.

Aussies deported after boy steals 53 cents

An Australian woman and her two sons will be deported from the US after one of the boys punched a classmate and stole 53 cents.

Tracey Washington and her two boys, aged 13 and 5, have been declared illegal immigrants after she missed a deadline to apply for a green card last May, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Mrs Washington, who moved to San Francisco six years ago to marry husband Charles, claims that immigration authorities had told her a different deadline.

The trio's immigration status was only flagged when the 13-year-old was involved in a schoolyard incident in January where he punched another boy and stole the small sum of money.

He was arrested after the other boy’s family contacted police.

Unfortunately for the Washingtons, San Francisco recently implemented a hardline policy forcing juvenile arrests to be reported to federal immigration authorities.

The uncompromising policy was introduced after the city was accused of being a haven for illegal immigrants.

Mr Washington must stay in the US because of a shared custody agreement with his ex-wife for care of their 12-year-old daughter.

The deportations are set to take place on Friday after the Australian government declined to get involved.

3 Mar 2010

Whilst Australian Law SUPPORTS illegal immigrants, not only committing (petty) crimes,
but also RAPPING and committing violent crimes against Australian citizens AND not punishing them adequately.

E.g. 5 lebanse youths RAPING a teenage girl in Sydney.

Tiger Woods vs Richard Pratt

In a recent Australian TV media circus, a televised apology was given by Tiger Woods.

It was a carefully scripted, non emotional piece of work constructed by the lawyers.

Tiger Woods was crucified by the mass media circus and everything was aired and thrown into the faces of the general populous.

These details are NOT news nor are they really essential to anything really.

ON THE OTHER HAND :

We have someone here in Australia placed VERY HIGH in the SOCIAL TREE, by the name of Richard Pratt, who had a wife AND a MISTRESS, who he had an ILLEGITIMATE child with.

In this society this is unacceptable behaviour and it's called ADULTERY.

BUT

Since Pratt was part of the social ruling elite, there was a blanket ban on reporting any details of his affairs. ALL the people in the immediate social circle were /are aware of his affair.

Pratt was nabbed for a ~ $700,000,000 fraud, BUT only fined 36 million (5%) of the total amount.

Corporate Crime in Australia Pays, PROVIDED you have the correct support, from the business, law or Masonic Brotherhood

Social Welfare Rip off

The recent death of an old person (not named) resulted in the end of a era of their fraudulent claims to Australian Welfare and overseas welfare.

This person had a few identities and continued to 'milk' institutions for illegitimate welfare claims.

Certain people were aware of the fraudulent claims BUT nothing was done.

The reason why this post is 'political' as some people are 'allowed' to get away with these things and some will be charged as criminals.

This also has to do with the fact of which clique you belong to, and if you are supported enough by them.

Price posts dolled-up photo of daughter online

Glamour model (???) Katie Price has infuriated former husband Peter Andre after she posted a photo of their two-year-old daughter wearing makeup on Facebook.

Former singer Andre, 36, is said to be angry over the photo of Princess Tiaamii wearing eyeshadow, lip gloss and what appears to be her mother's fake eyelashes, UK newspaper The Daily Star reports.

What do you think of children wearing makeup? Go to the bottom of the page to have your say

The stunt has also sparked controversy with claims it could attract pedophiles, and will reportedly feature on Price's upcoming reality television show What Katie Did Next.

Do you think Katie Price went too far?

Peter Andre's spokeswoman told the Star he would be angry over the photo, which was posted on Price's sister Sophie's Facebook page.

"Peter totally disagrees with anything like this —: he has said in the past he hates Kate colouring Junior's hair and straightening Princess's," the spokeswoman said.

Price has remained silent on the controversy, despite calls for social workers to intervene.

GP and former director of the Conservative Family Institute Dr Adrian Rogers said he questioned Price's suitability as a parent.

"If you make toddlers look like women with sexual things like long eyelashes and red lipstick, it's hardly surprising there are some sad pedophiles who find this attractive," Dr Rogers told the newspaper.

ninemsn 11 Feb 2010

This IS news ??? !!! ???

Just another example of TRASH BREEDING.

Katie Price (aka Jordan ) nothing more nothing less than an OVERPRICED WHORE.

The politics behind all this is to bring these BRAIN DEAD IDIOTS to the public eye so that they can degrade the next generation.

WHAT AN INSPIRATION TO SOCIETY :- GLAMOUR MODEL.

Escaped rapist arrested in Victoria

The child rapist who escaped a Victorian compound for sex offenders has been apprehended by police.

The man, who cannot be identified, fled the building in the early hours of Wednesday morning despite wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet.

He was arrested without incident by two police officers about 11.05am this morning outside a Landsborough hotel, about 20km from the Ararat compound in Victoria's southwest.

The criminal had been living in the centre since being released from nearby Ararat Jail after serving nine years for the rape of a teenage girl during a home invasion.

The compound housed 23 of the state's worst sex offenders.

A public outcry had earlier swept the state after authorities revealed that he had disappeared because his ankle bracelet did not contain a GPS.

The device alerted police that he had fled the compound at 1.50am on Wednesday morning — but could not provide any details on where he had gone.

There was also a public backlash over a court suppression order that banned name or picture being published — despite being a criminal on the loose.

ninemsn 29 Jan 2010

Laws like this are ONLY supportive of CRIMINALS.

This shows how the government is NOT SERIOUS about the protection of it's TAX PAYERS.

YOU CAN RAPE CHILDREN and NOT EVEN GO TO JAIL.

Truly a CONVICT NATION.