Millions of Cell Phones Shut Down in India

India has blocked services to at least 20 million cell phones because of concerns about security.

The government took the action Tuesday, which was the deadline for owners of the inexpensive, mostly Chinese-made cell phones to purchase additional equipment or face the loss of phone services.

India says the targeted phones lack International Mobile Equipment Identification (IMEI) - a 15 digit number that allows calls to be traced. Indian intelligence agencies have warned that militants could use the untraceable phones to launch attacks...

Consumers flocked to stores Monday to purchase the equipment needed to install the IMEI number on their phones.

In late October, the government banned the use of pre-paid mobile phone connections in the volatile Indian-controlled part of Kashmir. The government also cited security concerns for the ban. (Sourced by VOA News)

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River dolphin in Kratie province

This is picture of dolphin in Kratie province of Cambodia.

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Motorcycle sales gain traction after slow year

MOTORCYCLE dealers in the capital say sales have finally started to pick up following this year’s downturn prompted by the global economic crisis, as buyers spend money generated in the provinces on upgrading to new models that have recently entered the market for 2010.

Kim Chhay, one of the many dealers who operate on Phnom Penh’s Sihanouk Boulevard, told the Post that sales had risen between 10 and 20 percent since October “due to demand for new models” of brands including Honda, which he said had recently launched its 2010 range.

Having seen sales plummet from around 100 units a month to between 30 to 40 during the first 10 months of 2009, he said sales have climbed. “Now we’re selling around 60 motorbikes per month.”...

A reduction in retail prices had also spurred demand, he said. Last year’s Honda Dreams sold for US$1,700 to $1,800 per unit, compared with about $1,500 for the new series.

Taing Ang, another dealer in the capital, said that people from the provinces who had completed land transactions were propping up demand, adding that Honda in particular had seen an upswing in sales.

“The Suzuki series hasn’t seen an improvement yet,” he said.

Vouch Lay, who deals Suzukis, said she had not seen sales pick up, blaming the rising demand for Honda’s newly released models. “I don’t see any recovery yet,” she said.

She added that Suzuki was due to begin a new promotion shortly, which she hoped would “spur the number of sales to improve on the current situation”.

Demand for motorcycles in Cambodia was expected to fall to 100,000 units this year from the previous 140,000 units, according to Matoba Micifumi, managing director of Yamaha Motors Cambodia Co, who previously said Yamaha motorcycle sales had dropped 25 percent in the first quarter. (Sourced by Phnom Penh Post Site)

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AIDS still an issue, NGOs say

CAMBODIA has shown success in reducing overall rates of HIV/AIDS, but infection rates among sex workers, injection drug users and gay men remain troubling, government and NGO officials warned Thursday.

Figures from the National Aids Authority (NAA) suggest the infection rate among injection drug users stands at 24.4 percent. The infection rate for men who have sex with men is pegged at 5.4 percent, NAA officials said Thursday at a press conference ahead of World Aids Day on Tuesday.

Teng Kunthy, the NAA’s secretary general, said authorities were troubled by an apparent rise in so-called “entertainment clubs” that have become an alternative to traditional brothels...

“We are worried when there are increases of entertainment clubs,” Teng Kunthy said.

Up to 20 percent of women working at the clubs have sex with customers, he said. However, police crackdowns on sex workers have not helped infection rates, one advocate said.

Sou Sotheavy, director of the Cambodian Network for Men’s and Women’s Development, said sex workers are frequently targeted for arrest, pushing them to unsafe sex.

“They dare not keep a condom in their pocket because they are afraid that police will accuse them of being sex workers,” said Sou Sotheavy.

However, officials note that Cambodia has been relatively successful in fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS. The overall infection rate has dropped from 2 percent in 1998 to 0.9 percent in 2006, Teng Kunthy said.

There are an estimated 71,100 adults and children infected with HIV/AIDS in Cambodia today, according to government data. (Sourced by Phnom Penh Post Site)

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At Least 56 Dead in Bangladesh Ferry Accident

Officials in Bangladesh have raised the death toll to 56 from Friday's capsizing of an overcrowded ferry boat.

A rescue ship righted the upside-down ferry Sunday, more than 36 hours after it capsized. Rescue workers are searching for those trapped in the ferry's cabins but they fear they will find more bodies, not survivors.

The ferry, which had a capacity of 650 passengers, was carrying more than 1,500 people when it sank late Friday on the Tetulia River near the town of Nazirpur on Bhola island, some 150 kilometers south of the capital, Dhaka...

Survivors said the boat ran aground as it approached the dock and began taking on water. The ferry tipped over as passengers scrambled to abandon ship.

Officials say many of those on board were going home for the Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha.

Police say the majority of those killed were women and children. (Sourced from VOA News)

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