Picture Of Comoros

The report, "HIV/AIDS: Awareness and Behavior," was released by the U.N. Population Division on the first anniversary of the General Assembly's special session on HIV/AIDS which was held June 25 to 27, 2001. It provides a picture of HIV and AIDS-related awareness and behavior of men and women in all age groups in 39 African, Asian, and Latin American countries. U.N. officials note that the data were collected in the late 1990s and that data dealing with this type of issue are generally sensitive and require careful interpretation. ... [Read More]

Foreign Entry Requirements

AUSTRALIA - *Passport, Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or non-electronic label visa, proof of onward or return ticket, and sufficient funds are required. An ETA or non-electronic label visa is required for tourist or business stays of up to 3 months. An ETA is an electronically stored authority to travel to Australia and can be obtained online at www.ETA.immi.gov.au or through participating travel agencies or airlines. Minors not accompanied by a parent or traveling with only one parent need notarized written parental consent from the absent parent(s). AIDS test required for permanent resident visa for applicants age 15 and older; tests taken in the U.S. are acceptable. More information about entry requirements to Australia (including for longer stays) is available on the Embassy of Aus ... [Read More]

Foreign Entry Requirements

U.S. Department of State [Read More]

Policy and Program Developments

Overview for 2000For U.S. international antidrug programs, the year 2000 was one of important accomplishments and serious challenges. Long-term cooperation with our Western Hemisphere allies continued to bear fruit. We successfully attacked drug crop expansion, enhanced interdiction efforts, worked to arrest leaders of drug trafficking syndicates, and narrowed the opportunities for the drug trade to launder drug profits. At the same time, we provided our partners essential training assistance to strengthen their law enforcement and judicial systems, while helping them with programs to reduce drug consumption in their own countries. The year’s most noteworthy accomplishment was to keep the total Andean coca crop from expanding significantly. Six years of joint ... [Read More]

K) Africa and the Middle East

Well publicized seizures in 2001 include:February raids of Maputo drug rings that yielded 99 packets of hashish, 320 grams of cocaine, and 30 pieces of heroin. February customs seizure at Maputo airport of seven boxes of 168 tablets each and nine boxes of 80 tablets each of ecstasy. March seizure of 45 kilograms of herbal cannabis in Quissico, Inhambane province. April raids of Maputo drug markets that yielded 200 grams of cocaine, 13 pieces of hashish, and 20 packets of heroin. April seizure of 35 packets of hashish in Maputo. May seizure of six tons of hashish in Inhambane. June seizure of 1.015 kilograms of cocaine, 8 kilograms of hashish, 44 bags of heroin, and 31 diazepam tablets in Beira. July seizure of 30 balls of hashish, 7 bundles of cannabis, 9 small doses of cocaine, and 2 doses of heroin (NB: Weights not available) in Maputo raids. July seizure of 600 kilograms of marijuana in the port of Nacala. ... [Read More]

Article Alert, Archives--Electronic Advance Documents

Under the Alaska Sex Offender Registration Act (Act), any sex offender or child kidnaper incarcerated in the State must register with the Department of Corrections within 30 days before his release, providing his name, address, and other specified information. The offender's information is forwarded to the Department of Public Safety, which maintains a central registry of sex offenders. Some of the data, such as fingerprints, driver's license number, anticipated change of address, and whether the offender has had medical treatment afterwards is kept confidential. The offender's name, aliases, address, photograph, physical description, driver's license number, motor vehicle identification numbers, place of employment, date of birth, crime, date and place of conviction, length and conditions of sentence, and a statement as to whether the offender is in compliance with the Act's update requirements or cannot be located are published on the Internet. Supporters of this practi ... [Read More]

C) Policy and Program Developments

The fight against the drug trade is part of a broader struggle against corruption. Drug organizations possess a very powerful instrument for corruption: money, vast quantities of it, generated by drug trafficking. There is currently no widely available, easily renewable commodity more lucrative than illegal drugs. In most cases, they are relatively cheap to produce and offer enormous profit margins that allow the drug trade to generate criminal revenues on a scale without historical precedent. For example, assuming an average U.S. retail street price of one hundred dollars a gram, a metric ton of pure cocaine is worth a $100 million on the streets of the United States; twice as much if the drug is cut with additives. By this measure, the 100 or so metric tons of cocaine that the USG typically seizes each year could theoretically be worth as much as $10 billion to the drug trade—more than the gross domestic product of some countries. S ... [Read More]

C) Policy and Program Development

The fight against the drug trade forms part of a broader struggle against corruption. The drug trade thrives on corruption in the way that an opportunistic disease breeds best amidst social and moral decay. Drug organizations wield a very powerful instrument for corruption: money in vast quantities, generated by drug trafficking. In terms of weight and availability, there is currently no commodity more lucrative than illegal drugs. In most cases, they are relatively cheap to produce and offer enormous profit margins that allow the drug trade to generate criminal revenues on a scale without historical precedent. Assuming an average U.S. retail street price of one hundred dollars a gram, a metric ton of pure cocaine is worth a $100 million on the streets of the US; twice as much if the drug is cut with additives. By this measure, the 100 or so metric tons of cocaine that the USG typically seizes each year could theoretically be worth as much as $10 billion to the drug trade--more than th ... [Read More]

International Narcotics Control Strategy Reports

INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT, APRIL 1993US DEPARTMENT OF STATEBUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS MATTERSDEPARTMENT OF STATE PUBLICATION 10047RELEASED APRIL 1993This publication is for sale by the Government Printing Office, Superindendent of Documents. Stock No.: 044-000-02370-9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARYPOLICY AND PROGRAM OVERVIEW FOR 1992April 1, 1993In 1992, despite some setbacks, the international anti-drug effort gained further strength, forcing a highly adaptable international drug trade to shift tactics and operations. Under the leadership of the United States, more countries have joined the battle against the drug trade in earnest. Closer coordination between governments--particularly in training and police enforcement activities-- increasingly effective multilateral action against money laundering and essential and precursor chemicals, as well as continuing reforms of national legal regimes to meet the requirements of the 1988 UN Convention, have kep ... [Read More]