Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin -- who has gone to great lengths to hype the supposed dangers of a big government takeover of American health care -- admitted over the weekend that she used to get her treatment in Canada's single-payer system.

"We used to hustle over the border for health care we received in Canada," Palin said in her first Canadian appearance since stepping down as governor of Alaska. "And I think now, isn't that ironic?"

The irony, one guesses, is that Palin now views Canada's health care system as revolting: with its government-run administration and 'death-panel'-like rationing. Clearly, however, she and her family once found it more alluring than, at the very least, the coverage available in rural Alaska. Up to the age of six, Palin lived in a remote town near the closest Canadian city, Whitehorse.

Officials at several hospitals in that area declined to give out information on patient visits.

NEW DELHI (AFP) – The United Nations estimated Monday that India and China are "missing" about 85 million women who died from discriminatory health care and neglect or who were never born at all.

In a major report on gender equality, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) found that Asia had the highest male-female sex ratio at birth in the world, with 119 boys born for every 100 girls.

This far exceeded the global world average of 107 boys for every 100 girls.

"Females cannot take survival for granted," the report said. "Sex-selective abortion, infanticide, and death from health and nutritional neglect in Asia have left 96 million missing women ... and the numbers seem to be increasing in absolute terms," it added.

The regional figure was skewed by enormous birth gender disparities in China and India, which each accounted for about 42.6 million of the report's "missing" figure.

Despite robust economic growth across Asia as a whole, the report found that millions of women remained excluded from the benefits of greater prosperity.

The region, and especially South Asia, ranks near the worst in the world -- often lower than sub-Saharan Africa -- on basic issues such as protecting women from violence, as well as access to health, education, employment and political participation.

"Today, the Asia-Pacific region is at a crossroads," the report said. "Whether gender equality is pushed aside or pursued with greater energy amid the economic downturn depends on actions taken or not taken now by governments."

The report focused on the need to improve women's rights in three key areas: economic power, political participation, and legal protection.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Women's rights have inched forward in the Middle East, but gender inequality remains the norm in the region and in some countries the situation has taken a turn for the worse, says a US study.

"The Middle East remains the most repressive region when it comes to women's rights but we have noticed some modest gains which have led to a cautious optimism in the fields of education, labor participation and vote participation," said Sanja Kelly, author of the report.

Researchers in 18 countries in the Middle East and North Africa conducted hundreds of interviews with women to evaluate what progress, if any, women's rights had made.

The report, published last week by US democracy watchdog Freedom House, found that Algeria, Kuwait and Jordan had taken large steps forward in improving women's rights.

In contrast however, Iraq, the Palestinian Territories and Yemen had fallen behind.

"Today, the Asia-Pacific region is at a crossroads," the report said. "Whether gender equality is pushed aside or pursued with greater energy amid the economic downturn depends on actions taken or not taken now by governments."

The report focused on the need to improve women's rights in three key areas: economic power, political participation, and legal protection.