Annan chides world leaders over AIDS

The global fight against AIDS is falling short and leaders need to act as women bear the brunt of the killer disease, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said yesterday.

Opening an international AIDS conference, Mr Annan made a passionate plea for the education of girls as a vital means of protecting them from the epidemic in a world where more and more women are catching it from philandering husbands.

He also pleaded for more money to halt the spread of a disease that has killed 20 million people and to treat millions of sufferers.