Kindly well-wishers have been told to stop sending Christmas presents to British troops fighting in Afghanistan - because it puts lives at risk.

Military chiefs said the seasonal surge in unsolicited gifts also clogged up supply chains meaning parcels for named servicemen and women from families and friends are delayed.

Every year on December 1st, World Aids Day is observed around the world to increase support and awareness for the world's pandemic that has taken the lives of an estimated 25 million people since 1981.

Twenty-one panels, each one 144 feet square.

Each of the 21 panels tells eight human stories, in colorful thread, of the lives of loved ones lost to the ravages of HIV/AIDS.

DES MOINES -- December 1st is World AIDS Day, the global movement to support research for the disease.  Our Fact Finder team wanted to see how many people it affects in Iowa. Fact finder contacted the Iowa Department of Public Health for numbers in the area.