UNITED NATIONS: Pressured by France and Russia, the United States has approved 43 contracts worth $11.7 million for spare parts for the Iraqi oil industry to help it upgrade its infrastructure to sell more oil. The US decision to lift hold on some of the contracts comes in the wake of its own promise last week to help Iraq sell more oil by lifting objections to contracts for the spare parts. It is widely seen as a move to soften the radical moves to lift sanctions on Iraq by France and Russia.

Asian crisis hits women hardest

BANGKOK: Women and girls in Southeast Asia have been the hardest hit by regional recession, losing jobs, health care and school opportunities, the UN Population Fund said on Thursday. Many women have turned to prostitution to feed their families as factory jobs have become scarce, the UN agency said, but they earn less since their clients are also feeling the economic pinch. Mass unemployment has created a ``new poor,'' thePopulation Fund said. Unemployment is up and so is the number of school dropouts, with girls the most disadvantaged. The recession has been especially hard on single mothers or women with heavy financial commitments.