Afghanistan, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, must intensify efforts to improve the health of women and children as part of overall efforts to boost conditions in the war-ravaged country, the head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said in Kabul on Monday.

"I would like to make a strong call for greater investment in the health and well-being of Afghanistan's women and their families," said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid

Domestic violence against an intimate partner is not confined to younger women. A recent study found more than 25 percent of women older than 65 had been a victim of abuse by a spouse or other intimate partner.

Researchers from Ohio State University said that abuse included physical, sexual or psychological violence

A vote to determine whether or not to ease the abortion laws in Portugal was favorable on Sunday, as 60 percent of the Portuguese electorate voted "yes," according to The Portugal News. However, about 57 percent of the Portuguese failed to vote at all.

Since only more than half of all Portuguese failed to vote in the referendum, the final decision on the vote must now be passed by Parliament

The UNICEF organization began a global campaign along with UNAIDS to place children "at the heart of the fight against AIDS."

The first year's report of the campaign, named Unite for Children Unite Against AIDS, found that the initiative has gained strength in the fight, but much more still needs to be done

The latest study published in the January issue of "Pediatrics" based on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study indicates that binge drinking is common among high school students and is linked to a greater participation in several other risky behaviors.

The new study conducted by CDC scientists, Binge Drinking and Associated Health Risk Behaviors Among High School Students, found that 45 percent of high school students admittedly reported to alcohol consumption within the last month. The survey found that 64 percent of these students also reported binge drinking