http://www.instablogs.com/ France shocked by the images of war published by...(More)

http://www.instablogs.com/ France shocked by the images of war published by Paris Match The French magazine, Paris Match, has acted irresponsibly by publishing pictures of Taliban along with guns, walkie-talkies and even a wrist-watch – belonging to 10 French soldiers they killed in an ambush last month. The pictures were allotted the front page on the glossy spread, completely unmindful of the psychological pain and suffering which the families of the deceased servicemen and their serving comrades in Afghanistan would have to undergo when they see the pictures. Although the freedom of press is fiercely protected in France, the act has outraged the public which implies that the magazine should apologize for its careless act and refrain from such actions in future. French media has every right to rekindle the argument regarding the role played by French troops in Afghanistan given the fact that nearly two third of the population is against their positioning along with US led coalition forces in Afghanistan and want them back in the country. It should remember that the same can be achieved through constructive means and not by ruthlessly trampling over the sentiments of the bereaved families. Mexican court upholds law favoring free, legal abortion Mexico Court's decision to uphold a law that allows legal and free abortion in Mexico City during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy is widely acclaimed by the feminists, and why not. This ruling is of great importance and set a precedent for state legislatures to pass measures legalizing abortion. It is likely to encourage similar legislative drives outside Mexico City where abortion remains illegal except in certain cases, such as pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. It is even good as the abortions have long been available in Mexico and many poor women seeking to terminate pregnancies have obtained drugs from pharmacists without a doctor's signature. But this move would make abortions more widely available to women of all social classes while reducing the risk of death or injury from procedures performed in underground clinics. Moreover, it's historic with a wide impact on women's rights not only in Mexico but throughout Latin America. Baby peddling thrives in South Korea The South Korean fertility industry is one of the largest industries which operates with virtually no rules or governmental oversight. 'Ae Ran Won' are birthing rooms that supply the raw material (babies) for export to the United States. Korea is the largest supplier of babies to the U.S. and accounts for 62 percent of all babies adopted from abroad. While the surrogates make anywhere from $ 10000 to $75000, this luxury of creating babies also creates a plethora of dilemmas. For instance should doctors be allowed to implant multiple embryos? If triplets or even quintuplets are produced, should the adoptive parents be allowed to keep the most desirable of the litter and discard the remainder? Such choices present very hard questions about the worthiness of life. The complexities of baby trade are mind boggling and need to be approached with extreme caution and regulated closely, if not by the individual states, then by the federal government. Child labor and trafficking rampant in Malawi Child labor and trafficking in Malawi is nothing new. Children as young as 10 years old are trafficked from many parts of the country and are kept in critical conditions. These children are used in agricultural work, whereas girls are put in domestic work and in some cases, prostitution. Due to these conditions these children do not have the opportunity to access formal education. There are currently no proper records of children trafficked for child labor due to poor technical and financial capacity. The other weaknesses include lack of clear policy on child labor or child trafficking and therefore, those promoting this modern-day slavery have not been punished enough. There are some community programs aimed at curbing this problem, but they are so far insufficient. There is a crucial need for a law on child trafficking and child labor and an urgent need on educating the poor, the first victims of this menace, failing which, Malawi is doing nothing but breeding an HIV disaster.(Less)