The number of registered sex workers in Germany at the end of 2022 was 28,280, a rise of 19.1% compared with the year before, according to official figures published by the Federal Statistics Agency (Destatis) on Friday. Experts attribute a large part of the rise to the reopening of businesses after restrictions in place during the worst two years of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 and 2021. The total number of sex workers registered at the end of 2022 was still far below what it was before the pandemic — 40,370 — in 2019. How the numbers break down Just under a fifth, 5,204, of those registered, had German citizenship, with a large majority of foreign sex workers, 20,969, coming from within Europe. The three most common nationalities were Romanian with 9,870 (35% of the total registered), Bulgarian with 3,140 (11%), and Spanish with 1,760 (6%). The statistics agency reported that there were 2,310 prostitution businesses, compared with 2,290 at the end of 2021 and 1,170 at the end of 2019. The agency recorded 1,202 sex workers as coming from Asia and a further 661 as from the Americas. More than three-quarters of registered sex workers (76%) were aged between 21 and 44, with 1,050 (4%) aged between 18 and 20. Most of the registered businesses were prostitution establishments such as brothels but some 5% were agencies and 3% were logged as vehicles for sex workers or special events. No details on gender The figures were based on figures gathered under Germany's Prostitution Act, which came into force in 2002 with the aim of improving the social and legal position of sex workers. It means that sex workers and businesses are required to register with the authorities and mandates that condoms be used during sex work Statistics are based on the information provided when registering and details of sex or gender are not required. Unofficial estimates in 2019 placed the total number of sex workers in Germany at more than 400,000, meaning that some 90% were unregistered at that time — and technically working illegally. During the lockdown, such unregistered workers were unable to claim compensation. Among the reasons for not registering are privacy concerns, not having an address and a lack of legal residency status in Germany.

For the first time in three years, the major German airline has turned a profit as millions of travelers return to the skies. But continuing workforce issues may hamper expansion in 2023. After two years of massive losses brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, German airline giant Lufthansa has reported an annual profit for 2022. The company said on Friday that its net profit from last year reached €791 million ($839 million). Losses had amounted to €2.2 billion and €6.7 billion in 2021 and 2020 respectively. The adjusted operating profit for 2022 was €1.5 billion. "Lufthansa is back," said the company's CEO, Carsten Spohr. "In just one year, we have achieved an unprecedented financial turnaround ... the Lufthansa Group has achieved a much better result than expected. Demand for air travel remains high in 2023." Airline recovers from pandemic Lufthansa is one of Europe's biggest airlines and owns subsidiaries Eurowings, Austrian, Swiss and Brussels airlines. It required a bailout from the German government in 2020 as international air travel was brought to a halt by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. But the company said that the number of passengers in 2022 had more than doubled from the previous year — reaching 102 million — as pandemic restrictions eased. However, the airline is still dealing with the fallout of letting go of a large chunk of its workforce as a response to the loss of demand. This caused problems in the summer as it could not keep up with the rapid return of passengers, forcing it to cancel flights. Other airlines were similarly affected. The company said that high demand in 2023 would be tempered by "the bottlenecks still expected in the European aviation system." Worker issues not resolved Lufthansa launched a campaign to hire 20,000 new employees in November, including pilots, flight attendants, technicians and IT specialists. But it is also facing the threat of strikes as workers take action to demand wage increases to meet soaring inflation. The company was forced to ground 1,300 flights at Frankfurt and Munich airports last month as workers went on strike. Pilots, who also went on strike last year, have agreed to hold off on industrial action until the end of June in line with a pay deal, but could once again walk out during the peak holiday season. Nevertheless, the company is looking to invest in Italy's troubled ITA Airways, proposing initially to purchase a minority stake but with the option to buy up the remaining shares. It aims to develop Rome into a travel hub for direct flights to and from the US.

Germany is lagging behind other EU countries in terms of seats sold on flights to and from the country, figures show. Domestic air travel is showing the slowest recovery from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Air travel to and from Germany in the first half of 2023 is likely to reach just 78% of the rate before the COVID pandemic broke out in 2020, according to figures released by the German Aviation Association (BDL) on Saturday. This means Germany is lagging behind its EU peers in the sector, with air travel in other European countries at 94% of the pre-pandemic level. The figure does, however, represent 20% growth compared with the first half of 2022. What are the reasons for the slow recovery? The BDL said the lower level of domestic air travel, which has reached only 56% of the pre-pandemic rate, is largely responsible for the slow recovery. "Here, a shift in traffic to road and rail is noticeable, among other things" it said. However, the drop in domestic flying can also be attributed to the fact that low-cost airlines are avoiding most German airports, while increasing their services elsewhere. This is reflected by statistics showing that the number of connections from German airports are more than a third lower than before the pandemic. Only four of Germany's larger airports — Dortmund, Hahn, Karlsruhe and Memmingen — will be offering more flights in the first half of 2023 than in the same period in 2019, largely owing to the presence of lower-cost airlines. The boss of the economy airline Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, has in the past criticized German airports for their high fees. His carrier and the cut-price airline Wizz have raised the number of flights they are offering outside of Germany. Long-haul flights, on the other hand, have made a better post-pandemic recovery, with trips to and from North America as the biggest factor.

US President Joe Biden has declared the pandemic to be "over," but hundreds still die in the US daily. Patient advocates and researchers warn that public health and the economy are still at risk. If aliens were to visit the United States and much of the world, one might not blame them for, at first glance, not knowing that a global pandemic was underway. In the US, the mask mandates, required social distancing and other safety precautions that characterized the first couple of years of the COVID-19 pandemic are almost entirely gone. Indeed, in a 60 Minutes interview that aired September 18, Joe Biden declared the pandemic is over. Though he clarified that we still have a problem with COVID. We’re still doing a lot of work on it. However, experts have since insisted that COVID-19 is still severely impacting public health and economies the world over. In the US, just under 400 Americans are dying daily. Sickness has taken millions out of the labor force, contributing to labor shortages and lost wages. The reality of this is that the COVID pandemic is not over, said Terri Wilder, a social worker and an activist with MEAction Network, an advocacy organization for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), including those with long COVID who developed the illness. It’s not over for a lot of people. It has cost us in countless ways. Patient advocates and researchers warn that declaring the pandemic over will condemn Americans to more death and sickness and economic struggle. Restrictions lifted and vaccines scaled back Like in much of the rest of the world, local and federal governments in the US have largely abandoned COVID-19-related safety precautions and aid programs two-and-a-half years into the pandemic. The last of the mask mandates in public transport are beginning to be lifted. Legislation that would provide more federal funding for tests, personal protective equipment and other COVID aid has stalled in Congress. Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Human Services stopped requiring that hospitals report daily COVID-19 deaths and other statistics. While some states resorted to weekly COVID-19 statistics reports, others ceased them altogether. Even as the new omicron-specific boosters become available, the US has taken steps backward on ensuring vaccine access. Without more funding local vaccination programs are ending, while local health departments are being stretched thin dealing with COVID-19 and a monkeypox outbreak in the US. COVID-19 still a public health threat Patient advocates and public health experts claim that receding government efforts to contain the coronavirus and public claims by the president that the pandemic is over are at odds with the public health reality. Meanwhile, for the increasing number of people who survive COVID-19, the devastating impacts of long COVID are becoming more salient. Long COVID is a catch-all diagnosis for the chronic conditions many people develop after the initial acute infection of the coronavirus. The conditions may be mild, but others are very serious, ranging from diabetes and ulcers to brain fog and pulmonary fibrosis. Workers and wages take a hit Sickness from COVID-19 has also had dramatic economic impacts on Americans, and if it persists it could make matters worse. According to a recent study, half a million people left the US labor force due to illness from COVID-19, including long COVID. That figure is conservative, given that those missing work to take care of sick family members, those who missed less than a week of work from the sickness, and those who died were excluded from the survey. One of the study’s authors, Stanford University economist Gopi Shah Goda, told The Wall Street Journal if we stay where we are with COVID infection rates going forward, we expect that 500,000-person loss to persist until either exposure goes down or severity goes down. Millions more, while not dropping out of the labor force entirely, have been forced out of work due to long COVID. They’re so sick, they cannot work. There’s lawyers who can’t practice law. There’s actors who can’t act. There’s dancers who can’t dance. There’s teachers who can’t teach anymore, Wilder explained. As businesses across the US experience labor shortages, a new study from the Brookings Institute found that COVID-19 and specifically long COVID may be a significant contributor. According to the report, between two to four million people are out of work due to long COVID, with lost wages totaling up to $230 billion (euro241 billion) a year. The lost wages do not include the loss of productivity of those who continue to work despite being sick, as well as the health care costs incurred by long-COVID patients and the loss of productivity of their caretakers. According to the study’s author Katie Bach, these impacts stand to worsen over time if the US does not take the necessary policy actions. Those include better prevention and treatment options, better data collecting, expanded paid sick leave, improved employer accommodations and wider access to disability insurance. There’s this trickle effect. If you don’t have a source of income, how do you pay for rent? How do you pay for food? How do you pay for transportation? said Wilder. We are creating this situation where we’re going to have people experiencing food insecurity, homelessness and the lack of ability to get any kind of medical or social services, she added.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today told the parliament that the country's balance of payment (BoP) would possibly see a downbeat due to the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war. "In the context of COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine war, weak growth of world economy, disruption of the supply chain, increase of cost of fuel oil, gas, food products, consumer goods, industrial raw materials and international freight cost in the global market, decline in exports and downbeat of remittance created possibility of negative impact on BoP," she said. The leader of the house said this while answering a tabled question from Jatiya Party lawmaker Mashiur Rahman Ranga during Prime Minister's question-answer session. Replying to the same question, Sheikh Hasina said her government has shown remarkable success in keeping both the budget deficit and debt levels at sustainable and bearable levels for the past 14 years. She said that it has been possible to keep the budget deficit within five percent of GDP despite various domestic and international economic problems including the Coronavirus situation. The debt and GDP ratio is also at a comfortable level, she added. The Prime Minister also said at the end of 2021-22 fiscal year, debt and GDP ratio was 34 percent, which is well below the internationally recognized debt status threshold for Bangladesh. She also highlighted various steps of the government to deal with the situation. Responding to a question of Jatiya Party lawmaker elected from Dhaka Syed Abu Hossain, the Premier said that there is no electricity crisis in the country considering the fact that the country has the production capacity in line with the demand. She, however, said efforts are on to get rid of the crisis, which was created due to ongoing global fuel oil crisis, through maintaining austerity in using electricity and planned load-shedding to save fuel oil. Sheikh Hasina mentioned that despite having the capacity of electricity production in some cases the government has imposed load shedding in between 1000-2000MW for saving the fuel oil. "The government has taken various measures to keep the load shedding on a limited scale to tackle the ongoing global crisis," she said. She hoped that if the electricity generated from the new coal based power stations were included in the national grid and if the austerity could be ensured in electricity usage, it would be possible to get rid of the ongoing temporary load shedding soon. "By this time two vessels carrying fuel oil will reach the country meaning that the uninterrupted supply of fuel oil will continue," she said. She said that the import schedule of fuel oil considering country's for the next six months (July-December) has been ensured with the supplying company. In response to a question from Habibur Rahman, a member of Bogra-5 Constituency, the Prime Minister said that a total of 6,836 peacekeepers are currently engaged in 8 peacekeeping missions under the United Nations, of which 521 are women. A total of 161 peacekeepers have been killed and 258 injured so far while discharging their duties in the mission, she said. Source: BSS AH

About 1.5 million people got HIV in 2021, a million more than predicted. Experts say AIDS programs 'suffered' due to COVID and we have to get back on track. The COVID pandemic changed a lot in a very short space of time, including our global strategies to slow the spread of and help treat people with HIV and AIDS. And we were doing so well. In West and Central Africa and in the Caribbean, we [saw] substantial declines in new infections, said Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS in Geneva. Globally, 26 million people are on HIV treatment in low and middle-income countries, which is an accomplishment that seemed unimaginable just a few years ago, wrote Byanyima in an email to DW. HIV infections rates are on the rise again UNAIDS published a report in late July, showing HIV infections were rising significantly, with one million more cases reported in 2021 than estimates had predicted. The report highlights an increase in HIV infections in Eastern Europe and central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America. There were 650,000 deaths associated with AIDS last year that is more than one death every minute. COVID-19 contributed to higher HIV rates UNAIDS says infection rates started to rise after global resources were diverted away from AIDS to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. In many countries, the AIDS response was [re-directed] to tackle COVID. This meant a more successful COVID response, but there weren’t the resources to focus on both at the same time. The result was that the AIDS response suffered, said Matthew Kavanagh, deputy executive director at UNAIDS. But gender, economic and racial inequalities continue to play their part in HIV infection rates. For example, new infections disproportionately affect young women and adolescent girls, mostly in African countries, where young women are three times more likely to contract HIV than young men. In richer countries, HIV rates are higher among people of color than white people. That is true for the USA and UK, including in indigenous communities in Australia, Canada and the USA. The UNAIDS report also shows that men who have sex with men have 28 times the risk of acquiring HIV compared to men of the same age and gender who do not have sex with men. Some HIV prevention programs still had success Despite the setbacks under COVID-19, said Byanyima, there are examples of resilience in HIV programs and success. There were, for instance, successful rollouts of antiretroviral treatments in Côte d Ivoire, Malawi, and Kenya and that contributed to a decline in new adult HIV infections. South Africa and Nigeria were [also] able to achieve large reductions in new HIV infections despite serious disruptions from COVID-19, said Byanyima. And on the flipside AIDS programs helped fight COVID-19 with contact tracing, laboratories and public health education. Investments to tackle the AIDS pandemic proved very effective in preparing for a new pandemic, often more so than in the world’s wealthiest countries, added Byanyima. A new HIV prevention drug is ready to roll Kavanagh highlighted a new drug called long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA). The drug can be injected every 2-3 months to prevent HIV infection. It works by blocking the HIV genome, which means the virus is prevented from integrating itself into human DNA and that stops the virus from replicating. So, it can’t spread and take hold in the body. Experts hope that CAB-LA will build on the success of PrEP or pre-exposure prophylaxis. PrEP is a pill that reduces HIV transmission through sex or intravenous drug use. A recent study in Kenya showed how PrEP had reduced HIV incidence by 74%. But the pill only works in men. Research suggests that, compared to PrEP, CAB-LA may be better at reducing HIV transmission and that it is effective in men and women. The WHO advises countries to adopt CAB-LA in their strategies to prevent HIV, but notes that it is currently too expensive for most people. If the drug [becomes] affordable for low-and-middle income countries, we can roll it out across the world to reach those who need it most. It can be an inequality buster, said Kavanagh. Experts are also watching HIV vaccine development with renewed optimism after three new mRNA HIV vaccines began trials in March 2022. Gathering the political will But Byanyima and Kavangh say HIV/AIDS programs need renewed support from politics. We need the political will to raise funds to get HIV prevention technologies and strategies out, said Kavanagh. The Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria is asking global leaders for $18 billion (17.6 billion euros) to tackle these health issues. It would be a major success if global leaders pledged the money in the coming months, with the global economy in the state that it is. If [they do], we can get the HIV response back on track, but if [they don’t], we will be in deep trouble. We’ll face another pandemic, said Kavangh. I can’t think of a time when it’s been more important.

New Zealand had started reopening its borders in February, and the final phase was completed on Monday. The education and tourism sector are expected to receive a boost. New Zealand fully opened its borders Monday, for the first time since March 2020 when they were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The final phase of its borders reopening began at midnight local time (1300 GMT) Sunday with the maritime border and all overseas visitors allowed to submit visa applications. The country had started reopening in February, beginning with its own citizens. It’s been a staged and cautious process on our part since February as we, alongside the rest of the world continue to manage a very live global pandemic, while keeping our people safe, said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during a speech at the China Business Summit in Auckland on Monday. Borders were reopened the previous night to visitors who need visas, and those on student visas are now also allowed to return to New Zealand. Cruise ships and foreign recreational yachts will also be allowed to dock at its ports. Most visitors are still required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and must take two tests after arriving. However, the quarantine requirements for those testing negative have been removed. In the Pacific, the federated states of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands also announced they would be opening their borders as of Monday. Education, tourism to get boost The education sector is hopeful that the reopening for international students will provide a boost to the industry. International students used to bring in around 5 billion New Zealand dollars (roughly $3.15 billion or euro 3.1 billion) per year, being one of the country’s top export earners. But that figure plummeted in 2021. Tourism Minister Stuart Nash said the reopening for cruise ships would also boost local industries. Most cruise visits are during the warmer months of October to April, and summer is our bumper tourism season overall. This means it will be full steam ahead for the industry, he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (Sunday) urged the global community to work towards concluding the 'Pandemic Treaty' for an inclusive and equitable response to future pandemics. "We must work towards concluding the Pandemic Treaty for an inclusive and equitable response to future pandemics," she said in a video statement broadcast  at the High-level Segment in the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly. The assembly is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 22-28 May 2022. It is the first in-person Health Assembly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sheikh Hasina said they cannot ensure a sustainable recovery by leaving millions behind in the vaccination efforts. In this connection, she said, "Technology and technical know-how need to be shared to scale up vaccine production in developing countries like Bangladesh." The Prime Minister said that the COVID-19 pandemic is still having huge impacts on lives and livelihoods around the world.  In Bangladesh, she said, her government has managed to tackle its threats through a combination of healthcare, fiscal and social safety measures.  "We announced 28 stimulus packages worth 23 billion US dollars, which is about 6.3% of our GDP. We provided cash and other assistance to nearly 40 million vulnerable people. We provided vaccines to our people free of cost," she said. The premier reiterated that they managed to contain the pandemic in the most densely populated camps for Myanmar's forcibly displaced Rohingyas. "My government allocated 1.61 billion US dollars for procuring vaccines from our national budget," she stated. The Prime Minister thanked Bangladesh's development partners for their donation of COVID-19 vaccines, including through COVAX and said over 100% of the target population has already been vaccinated. "We are grateful for the dedicated work of our frontline service providers," she said. Bangladesh tried to stand by its neighboring countries with medicines, PPEs and healthcare workers, she said, adding, "We believe that vaccines should be treated as global public goods."  The Prime Minister said the world community must give added attention to climate change impacts on disease burden. Bangladesh stands ready to collaborate on medical research, including for neglected tropical diseases, she said, adding that anti-microbial resistance needs to be addressed in a concerted manner. "We must remain focused on non-communicable diseases expanding in developing countries," she opined. The premier reiterated that all need to invest further in research and access for cancer and diabetes treatments.  She mentioned that the mental health issues deserve to be addressed as part of health emergency response.  "We seek international support in preventing road accidents, drowning and other public health hazards," she added. The Prime Minister thanked the government of India and WHO for taking lead on traditional medicine research and standards. She said Bangladesh remains committed to achieving SDG-3 to promote healthy living for people of all ages.  "We have been able to take health care services to the doorsteps of our people through more than 18,000 community clinics and health centers," she stated. The premier said her government is actively working on child nutrition, with marked decline in stunting and wasting between 2007 and 2019.  "We aim to have 65% birth deliveries by skilled attendants and 50% coverage of four antenatal-care visits by the end of 2022," she continued.   Noting that the WHO remains the most important actor in global health governance, she said, "We must provide sustainable financing and allow necessary reforms to enable WHO to support health systems around the world."  Bangladesh commits to do its part in line with its priorities for public health and diplomacy, she added. French President Emmanuel Macron, Presidents of Kenya, Dominican Republic, Botswana, Croatia, Vice President of Ecuador and UN Secretary General also delivered speeches. Source: BSS AH

With an aim to promote art culture in the valley, the Institute of Advanced Studies in Education of India, conducted a drawing and painting competition on Friday. The students were ecstatic and participated in huge numbers in the competition. The event was organized after a gap of almost two years because of the pandemic restrictions. The college professors of India called it a platform to express and lauded the enthusiasm of the students. "We conduct art camps at regular intervals. Art has a very important role in a person's life. We want to boost these creative minds. The best remedy for tension and depression is art therapy. we are glad that we could give these students a platform to express themselves," Arshid Sualeha, an Art teacher, told ANI. While appreciating the initiative, Sameena Naaz, a student, said, "If we talk about arts, it's a great programme and numerous boys and girls expressed their feelings. Artists have an identity of their own and here, we can use this platform and grow further." Calling the event the monotony breaker, Syed Yehya, another student, mentioned "We spent more than two years at home but now, it all looks afresh. Today, we see that our youths are depressed and sometimes they resort to drugs. In this context, this type of programme helps us become better as our emotions can be expressed." In India the schools and colleges were closed for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent relaxations of the COVID-19 guidelines cheered the students in the valley as the schools and colleges reopened again. Source: ANI  

The Covid-19 pandemic is far from over, the World Health Organization chief said Tuesday, cautioning against a narrative that the fast-spreading Omicron variant is risk-free.      "This pandemic is nowhere near over," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters from the WHO's headquarters in Geneva.      The UN health agency chief warned against dismissing as mild the coronavirus variant Omicron, which has spread like wildfire around the globe since it was first detected in southern Africa in November.      The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is much more contagious than previous strains but seems to cause less serious disease.      That has triggered a debate on whether the virus is on the verge of passing from the pandemic phase to becoming an endemic disease that humanity can live with -- with the implication that the danger will have passed.      But the WHO has warned that the sheer numbers of people infected will mean many people are still falling seriously ill and dying.      - Misleading narrative -      "An exponential rise in cases, regardless of the severity of the individual variants, leads to inevitable increase in hospitalisations and deaths," WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told Tuesday's press conference.      Tedros agreed.      "Omicron may be less severe, on average, but the narrative that it is a mild disease is misleading," he said.      "Make no mistake: Omicron is causing hospitalisations and deaths, and even the less severe cases are inundating health facilities."      He said there were indications that the Omicron-fuelled surge of Covid cases may have peaked in some countries.      This, he said, "gives hope that the worst of this latest wave is done with, but no country is out of the woods yet."      Tedros said there was an urgent need to remove the pressure building on health systems, especially in countries that still have low vaccination coverage.      "Now is not the time to give up and wave the white flag," he said.      "We can still significantly reduce the impact of the current wave by sharing and using health tools effectively, and implementing public health and social measures that we know work."      - 45,000 weekly Covid deaths -      Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on Covid, agreed, pointing out that some 45,000 deaths from the disease were still being registered worldwide every week.      "That shouldn't be happening, because we have tools at hand," she told reporters.      Data indicate that existing Covid vaccines are less effective in protecting against Omicron transmission than against previous strains.      Some pharmaceutical companies are in the process of making vaccines that better target the variant, but WHO said that was not necessarily the way out of the crisis.      While the idea of variant-specific vaccines might be enticing, WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan cautioned that since they take months to develop, "the danger is that you will be always trying to play catch-up with the next variant."      A better approach, therefore, she said, might be to try to develop so-called "multivalent vaccines or, ideally, to have a pan-coronavirus vaccine."      In the meantime, WHO stressed that the existing vaccines still do a good job of protecting against developing severe Covid disease, reiterating the importance of ensuring broader, more equitable access to the jabs.      "Vaccines may be less effective at preventing infection and transmission of Omicron than they were for previous variants, but they still are exceptionally good at preventing serious disease and death," Tedros said.      Health experts warn that allowing Covid to spread unabated in some places dramatically increases the chance of new, more dangerous variants emerging.      "With the incredible growth of Omicron globally, new variants are likely to emerge," Tedros cautioned. Source: AFP/BSS AH