Indian Law Against Human Trafficking For Sex, To Target Clients

Himanshi Dhawan & Mahendra Kumar Singh

Indian Government is set to amend the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act to bring clients under its ambit, rendering them liable to imprisonment upto six months and a fine extending upto Rs 50,000.

The Union Cabinet will take up on Thursday the Immoral Traffic Prevention (Amendment) Bill to enhance the punishment for those involved in human trafficking for sex, and include clients among the offenders.

At present, "clients" don't come under the purview of the act in what has been seen by many as an infirmity in the law. The proposed amendment, which defines the client as "a person who visits or is found in a brothel," has run into angry protests from sex workers and NGOs.

The proposed amendment, part of the move to clamp down on the world's oldest profession, has attracted protests from NGOs and sex workers' representatives who have argued that the new amendments would drive sex work underground and criminalise clients.

The proposed amendments, as recommended by Parliament's standing committee, also provide for stricter punishment. For instance, "any person who keeps or manages a brothel" will now be liable for rigorous imprisonment of two years which may extend to three years and a fine which may extend to Rs 10,000 for a first conviction.

This may increase to seven years and a fine of Rs 2 lakh. For a person caught trafficking, the punishment can extend up to life imprisonment.

The Bill designed to amend ITPA also makes provision for setting up of a central authority that will work towards combating and prevention of trafficking.

NGOs and sex workers' associations, who have for long demanded that commercial sex be legalised, have carried out widespread protests.

Amongst the objections that they have to the changes are that they seek to penalise clients but in effect drive sex workers underground, criminalise consensual adult sex work and undermine HIV prevention interventions among sex workers and the general population.

ITPA had been tabled in Parliament last year and was referred to a standing committee. The recommendations of the committee were incorporated by the ministry of women and child development before the proposed legislation was made public.

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Big Brother Star Gordon Sloan Dies After An Overdose On Heroin

It is understood that the New Zealand-born Gordon Sloan, who starred in the first series of the Channel 10 reality hit in 2001, died yesterday in a hospital in Beijing, the Chinese capital after taking an overdose of heroin.

According to a source close to Sloan, the former reality star's parents had travelled from their home in New Zealand after their son was admitted to hospital in a coma on September 1.

It is understood the devastated couple opted to turn off the life support that had been keeping their 34-year-old son alive.

While the exact cause of death is yet to be determined, sources said Sloan was believed to have overdosed on heroin.

The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed a New Zealand-born Australian citizen from Victoria died in Beijing yesterday.

Ben Williams, who won the series in which Sloan featured, described his mate's death as "an absolute tragedy".

"He was a very colourful person and definitely lived life to the max," he said. "It's an absolute tragedy."

Big Brother circles were told about Sloan's hospitalisation on Wednesday, but Williams said his death was "still a terrible shock".

"For his family and immediate circle of friends, it's the worse thing they'll go through," he said.

"But while it's still a shock, we should celebrate his life and the good things he did."

Another Big Brother 2001 star, Pete Timbs, said he had caught up with Sloan in a Sydney bar in June, and had found him to be "as loud and obnoxious as he always was".

"Which was one good thing about Gordon - you always knew where you stood with him," he said.

"He stood up for what he believed in, whether it was right or wrong."

Apart from his stint on Big Brother, Sloan also made the headlines in 2003 when he joined a group of Australians who travelled to Iraq as "human shields" ahead of the war.

Big Brother 2005 runner-up Tim Brunero interviewed Sloan for his website www.ohbrother.com.au two months ago.

"He was really relaxed and comfortable talking about politics and his time on Big Brother," he said.

"He wasn't in the least bit unhappy.

"He was a pretty out-there character who threw himself into life."

Channel 10 issued a statement offering their condolences. "TEN are very saddened by the news of Gordon's death," it read. "Our thoughts are with his family during this time."

Big Brother host Gretel Killeen is believed to be holidaying overseas and was unable to be contacted yesterday.

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American Pop Star Prince Dragging YouTube To Court

THE American pop star Prince plans to sue YouTube and other websites for unauthorised use of his music.

Trying to "reclaim his art on the internet", the man behind such hits as Purple Rain, 1999 and When Doves Cry said on Thursday that YouTube could not argue that it had no control over the videos that users posted on its site.

YouTube was clearly able to filter porn and pedophile material but appeared to choose not to filter out the unauthorised music and film content that is core to its business success, a statement on his behalf said.

YouTube responded by saying it was working with artists to help them manage their music on the site.

"Most content owners understand that we respect copyrights," said YouTube's chief counsel, Zahavah Levine.

"We work every day to help them manage their content, and we are developing state-of-the-art tools to let them do that even better."

Prince also plans legal action against eBay and Pirate Bay, a site accused by Hollywood and the music industry as being a big source of music and film piracy.

The legal action is the latest attempt by the music industry to wrest back control over content in an age where file sharing, mobile phones and video sites make enforcing copyright increasingly difficult.

But it is believed to be rare for an individual artist of Prince's stature to take on popular websites, while some up-and-coming performers actually encourage online file-sharing to create a fan base and buzz around a record.

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Chicago Police Department Vs Prostitutes, Who Is Winning?

The Chicago Police Department has a weapon against prostitution: a website that regularly posts the names, addresses and photos of those arrested for trying to purchase such services. I've inspected the site and can report that none of the alleged offenders bears any resemblance to Richard Gere. But then, they probably weren't expecting Julia Roberts.

Mayor Richard Daley announced the tool in 2005, with some harsh words for anyone thinking of paying for sex. "In Chicago, if you solicit a prostitute, you will be arrested, and when you are arrested, people will know," he declared.

It requires a leap of faith to think that a guy who is not deterred by the risk of being arrested and fined and losing his car will be deterred by the fear of being publicly shamed. But the city has to resort to futile measures because those are the only ones available.

Fighting prostitution with cops on the street is like going into the woods with a fly swatter in the hope of eradicating the mosquito population. In 2004, Chicago police arrested 3,204 alleged prostitutes, or about eight a day. Judging from online sites and phone-book listings for escort services and massage parlors, that is a tiny fraction of all the mercenary coupling that takes place every day. Even Mayor Daley admits there may be as many as 25,000 women involved in prostitution in Chicago, to say nothing of the suburbs.

The police admit that existing policies don't do much more than move the trade from one spot to another. As Supt. Philip Cline told the Chicago Sun-Times, "If we put on a lot of police pressure, it's going to move a couple blocks." He admitted that existing enforcement efforts apparently don't work, "because it's still happening out there."

Yes, it is, and it always will be. The trade brings together two of the most unstoppable forces in American life: lust and avarice. But that combination is potent just about everywhere. There is a prostitution problem in Iran, for heaven's sake. If mullahs ruling an Islamic theocracy can't stamp out these transactions, the Chicago police aren't about to.

What they can do is waste a lot of manpower that could be deployed against truly dangerous criminals. Each prostitution arrest takes a cop off the street for two to three hours. And for what? Most of those arrested are soon free and doing business again.

Mayor Daley has his reasons for the crackdown. Not only is the business a blight on neighborhoods, he asserts, but women involved in it "spend their lives surrounded by criminals and drugs and sexually transmitted diseases. It's a terrible life."

All of that may be true. But the mayor is confusing the effects of prostitution with the effects of laws against prostitution. Streetwalkers don't stand outside in Chicago in January, annoying law-abiding residents, because they like fresh air. Prostitutes work on the street because fixed sites are particularly vulnerable to the cops. In a legal environment, more of them would gravitate to places with walls and roofs.

As for criminals, hookers tend to be surrounded by felonious confederates because what they do is illegal. The enterprise attracts violent people because violence is often useful in a business that can't expect protection from the cops. The retail liquor trade used to be that way too, during Prohibition. Since repeal, it's been about as dangerous as the dairy industry.

Sexually transmitted diseases are another occupational hazard that existing laws do more to cause than to cure. If prostitution were legalized, the authorities could enforce health regulations in the interest of provider as well as patron. In a black market, the only controls on risky behavior are self-imposed.

Politicians may think prostitution is a grim, degrading life. But prostitutes may think the same of politics. At any rate, arresting practitioners doesn't exactly improve their lives. And if they see it as the best of the available options, eliminating it merely forces them into choices they see as worse.

Legalizing prostitution would not be a moral endorsement of paid sex, any more than the First Amendment is a moral endorsement of supermarket tabloids. It would just be a recognition of the right of adults to make their own choices about sins of the flesh -- and of the eternal futility of trying to stop them.

Before he continues his crackdown, Mayor Daley might reflect on the wisdom of one mayor of New Orleans. "You can make prostitution illegal in Louisiana," he said, "but you can't make it unpopular."

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Love Hotels, Prime Targets Of Japanese Investors

Lust is a prime motivator for those who frequent Japan's love hotels, but the subject of that hankering has moved from physical intimacy to making money, according to Dacapo.

Love hotels have become prime targets for investors because they provide high returns with comparatively low risks.

Global Financial Support has apparently found its Leisure Hotel Fund called the Hope Series to be a winner for investors and the hotels alike.

"The fund in this series guarantees dividend payouts of at least 8.4 percent over a year," Global Financial's Daisuke Kondo tells Dacapo.
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Global Financial's love hotel funds have seen increasing numbers of investors who have been willing to put ever more money into plans to get the shag shacks up and running.

Love hotel funds run for three years. Once they finish, the hotel is usually sold off, though sometimes the funds are maintained and investors stay on with them.

Love hotels are a steady business, with experts saying they offer a lot for investors looking for somewhere to put their money with minimal risk of losing it because the business depends on human instinct and is less susceptible to hiccups in the economy.

"Putting it simply, love hotels have a stable source of revenue. There aren't many companies getting into the business for the first time and there are an extremely small number of competitors," Kondo tells Dacapo. "Even if a competitor does enter the market, it's usually in an area where there are already a large number of love hotels, so it has a complementary rather than competitive effect. If couples go to a love hotel and find it fully booked, they're highly likely to go to another love hotel nearby and use that."

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Britney Spears Returns To MTV To Join The Likes Of Timbaland, Rihanna, 50 Cents...

Britney Spears hasn`t had a hit in years. MTV stopped playing music videos years ago.

The two former music industry stalwarts will join forces in Las Vegas this evening for the 24th annual MTV Video Music Awards, an event long considered a looser, hipper version of the Grammys, the top honors show in the record business.

MTV is bringing the show to Sin City for the first time, hoping to reverse a sharp slide in viewership for its flagship awards bash.

Last year`s ceremony in New York drew 5.8 million viewers, down from 8 million in 2005 and 10.3 million in 2004, according to Nielsen Media Research. Both those shows took place in Miami. The only other city to host the show has been Los Angeles, most recently in 1998.

The ceremony harkens back to MTV`s heyday as the maker and breaker of musical acts. The cable channel long ago ditched its basic diet of music videos after realizing that its youthful viewers would surf to other channels when a clip came on that they did not care for. It is now a lifestyle-programming network, focused on reality shows like "The Hills" and "The Real World."

The leading nominees this year are pop singer Justin Timberlake and R&B star Beyonce with seven nominations each, while hip-hop star Kanye West has five.
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The "awards" part of the show usually is overshadowed by the performances and the chance that something outrageous will happen, like same-sex kisses or naughty utterances. The lack of excitement in recent years, amid a government crackdown in media decency, has been blamed for the slide in ratings.

Britney comeback

The ceremony will kick off at 6 pm on Monday from the Palms Casino Resort, with Spears performing her new comeback tune, "Gimme More." The 25-year-old performer, whose professional achievements have been overshadowed by her personal crises in recent years, has used past MTV shows to cavort with a snake and make out with Madonna.

Spears is reportedly working on her first album in more than four years, having been distracted by two marriages, two children and two rehab stints. In that time, fellow Mickey Mouse Club alumni such as Timberlake and Christina Aguilera have seen their careers soar.

The MTV awards performers are drawn mostly from the urban music field -- rappers such as West, 50 Cent, Common, and Soulja Boy, as well as R&B singers Akon, T-Pain, Timbaland and Rihanna. The only rock bands on the bill are the Foo Fighters and Fall Out Boy.

The show itself is almost a footnote to a busy weekend of related parties and concerts throughout the city. Performers at various venues included West, rapper Snoop Dogg and rock band Linkin Park.

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Farm Aid Change Focus To Environmental Awareness This Year

The assault on the environment cannot be effectively controlled, but must be prevented. Although some laudable progress has been made, it has mainly been cosmetic, addressing symptoms rather than causes. In view of this, NYC is using Farm Aid's 22nd anniversary concert to raise awareness about recycling and composting.

Farm Aid organizers are requiring food vendors to provide biodegradable plates, cups, and flatware. Fifty recycling stations will be set up on the grounds on Randalls Island. David Hurd, director of the city's Office of Recycling Outreach and Education, says he's organized 400 volunteers to help concertgoers do the right thing.

They'll just be making sure people are putting things in the right receptacles and to make sure the wrong things like saran wrap and cigarette buts aren't going into the compost pile.

Hurd says the composting will be done at a farm upstate.

Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews are among those scheduled to perform at Farm Aid.

The Farm Aid concert was founded in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land.

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Osama Bin The Chaser And 10 Others Arrested

Eleven members of ABC's The Chaser have been charged and granted bail following their arrest in Sydney today.

Julian Morrow and Chas Licciardello, two of the stars of the satirical show, were among those detained by police today, after staging a fake motorcade through Sydney as part of an APEC week stunt.

They were charged under new APEC laws with entering a restricted area without justification.

The crew members were in a convoy of three cars and two motorbikes, which was reportedly ushered through two checkpoints in Sydney's APEC security zone.

The convoy was pulled over in Macquarie Street in a block adjacent to the InterContinental Hotel where US President George Bush is staying.

All 11 have been bailed to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on October 4.

NSW Police Minister David Campbell denied he was embarrassed by the comedians' ability to penetrate APEC's restricted zone - rather, he was pleased the "multi-layered'' security had worked.
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He said the prank was inappropriate and he "did not see the funny side at all''.

The Chaser's production team had been specifically warned by police to behave responsibly during the APEC security lockdown, he said.

"[The police] said: 'We understand that parody and satire are entertaining and fun, many people watch the program and enjoy it, but please understand the seriousness of this matter and please take caution as you go about making your program.'

"That seems to have been thrown out the window and that, I think, is inappropriate."

Their motorcade, branded with the Canadian flag, is understood to have passed through at least one police checkpoint in the declared zone.

The vehicle was pulled over near the corner of Bridge and Macquarie streets.

A police statement said the show's producers were earlier this week urged to consider the ramification of stunts during APEC.

No charges were brought when the team dressed up as a police horse yesterday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said that the fact the Chaser team was arrested showed the security system worked.

But he told an APEC news conference: "Whatever you think of the humour of the Chaser ... they were clearly not going to harm anybody in a physical way.

"They presumably were, as is the nature of their show, aiming to humiliate a lot of well-known people."

Chaser team member Chris Taylor told smh.com.au that the motorcade comprised "three cars, a couple of motorbikes, and a lot of crew".

"It was a motorcade trying to get into the exclusion zone," he said.

"No particular reason we chose Canada," said Taylor. "We just thought they'd be a country who the cops wouldn't scrutinise too closely, and who feasibly would only have three cars in their motorcade - as opposed to the 20 or so gas guzzlers that Bush has brought with him."

The vehicles in the motorcade were hired - two were black SUVs imported from the US, and the other was a regular car.

Police superintendent Ken McKay confirmed the arrests had been made using new powers available under the APEC Act.

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Anti-APEC Protesters To Target President Bush

One group of militant APEC protesters is secretly plotting an outbreak of violence for US President George W. Bush's arrival in Sydney tomorrow, distributing a rioter's training manual on how to wear gas masks, confront police and even evade fares.

The clandestine anarchist action, six weeks in the making, has been dubbed "FLARE in the void" and is described as an "Anti-APEC counter convergence".

Police are already on edge about security, yesterday clamping down on activity in the Sydney CBD - including forcing three German tourists to delete photographs they had of the security fence.
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And APEC-related arrests have already begun with the charging of 12 Greenpeace activists who boarded inflatable boats early yesterday to paint "Australia Pushing Export Coal" on the side of a ship in Newcastle Harbour.

Protest tips

The FLARE (For Liberation Autonomy Resistance Exodus) manual openly declares an prepardeness to commit violence.

It tells protesters engaging in "direct action" to form small groups of five to 15 people and to wear masks so they cannot be identified.

"It is important to defy police attempts to frighten us," the so-called Mutiny Collective has written in one section.
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The manual also tells protesters to wear gas masks, goggles, running shoes and full-body clothing to protect from tear gas and capsicum spray. It also advises carrying water and a bandanna soaked in vinegar to combat the effects of pepper spray.

Busloads of interstate activists expected to descend on Sydney are also told how to evade public transport fares, including forcing their way through railway station ticket barriers.

Threats

Mr Howard has acknowledged the threats of violence and the response of intrusive security precautions in Sydney's CBD.
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This morning the Prime Minister has made another YouTube appearance to spruik his APEC agenda.

But he has also said that if violence occurred people should not blame him or Mr Bush.

"Don't blame the police, don't blame the NSW Government, don't blame any of our (heads of government) guests, don't blame the Federal Government," he said.

"Blame the people who threaten violence."

Mr Howard said the APEC summit was an opportunity, despite the expected clashes, to present a positive image of Australia.

He said the nation's largest city, "undeniably the most beautiful big city in the world", would be seen as as a modern, sophisticated, tolerant, multi-racial society.

Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd said violence would be unacceptable and backed a zero-tolerance policy by police towards protests who were not peaceful.

"I would appeal to anyone who is thinking of protesting out there to protest in peaceful terms only," he said.
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Police were yesterday viewing anyone who photographed or filmed the fence with suspicion. As well as detaining the tourists, they also forced a Melbourne documentary maker out of the declared zone and arrested a homeless man with a mobile phone camera.

The Stop Bush Coalition, the umbrella protest group, has claimed its demonstrations will be peaceful.

However it is only taking responsibility for protests on Tuesday evening for Mr Bush's arrival and the main march on Saturday.

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Owen Wilson Discharged From Hospital

Owen Wilson has returned home from hospital, less than a week after his suicide attempt, but is being kept under constant observation.

According to a source, the actor, who was being treated in Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre after his suicide attempt, is in a bad mental shape, and therefore is being watched round the clock.

"Owen is in bad mental shape but said he is thankful to be alive," People quoted the source, as saying.

"He knows he came close to ending his life, and he is happy that he was saved from himself. He is basically at home with people watching him 24/7,” the source added.
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The actor slashed his wrists, and reportedly took an overdose of pills last weekend.

His brother found him and quickly alerted the cops, who rushed Wilson to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

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Actor Jamie Foxx Pampered In The Middle East

The Oscar winning actor had no idea that he’d be given royal treatment and when he got it, he fell in love with the place.

Actor Jamie Foxx has become infatuated with the Middle East after being treated like a king on the sets of his new flick ‘The Kingdom’ in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Before signing the project, the Oscar winning actor had no idea that he’d be given royal treatment and when he got it, he fell in love with the place.

"It was beautiful. There is so much money over there. The palace I stayed in was 850,000 square kilometres. You could play an arena league football game in my room. It was great,” Contactmusic quoted Foxx, as saying.
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"My room was like a mile away from my sister's room. They picked us up in Phantoms (Rolls Royce) and BMWs and armoured Mercedes and all kinds of stuff. It was incredible,” he added.

Foxx further said that he fell in love with the food served on the set.

"There were a lot of dates to eat. I love dates," he said.

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DC Fire Department Officials Busted For Running Prostitute Ring

Apparently all the fire in Washington D.C felt by officials of the D.C. fire department are not just burning properties, but also from a criminal investigation now in progress following allegations that at least two employees of the department are running a prostitute ring.

Chief Dennis L. Rubin said he asked police to launch an investigation after getting an anonymous tip that some employees were exchanging sex for money or other benefits. Rubin declined to provide specific details.

"It's an allegation, and we're taking the allegation very seriously. We're not taking it casually," Rubin said in an interview. "We're going out very aggressively, and the police have been great."

Other officials said the probe was triggered in part by an episode July 29 at the Engine Company 8 firehouse in the 1500 block of C Street SE. A fire sergeant allegedly exposed himself to a female colleague, an emergency medical technician; he was off duty, and she was not. The sergeant, whose name has not been released, has since resigned.
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Wider allegations of sexual impropriety in several fire stations soon came to the attention of top officials, authorities said. The Washington Times reported yesterday that authorities were investigating allegations about a prostitution ring.

Rubin, who took over the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department in April, announced this week that fire and police investigators have teamed up in a new unit that will examine a range of misconduct allegations. Fire officials mentioned the July 29 incident at that time but did not say the investigation into it had led to bigger concerns.

Rubin said yesterday that all fire stations in the city will come under scrutiny. The investigation apparently focuses on several firehouses, including Engine Company 27, at 4201 Minnesota Ave. NE, according to sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

The sources said investigators are looking into at least two employees, including a commanding officer, who are alleged to be involved in coordinating various prostitution activities. One is also alleged to have paid for sex, the sources said.

Authorities are also questioning a larger group of fire department employees about their possible roles in the scandal, the sources said. It is unclear how much of the improper activity took place at D.C. fire stations, the sources said.
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Kenneth Lyons, president of the union that represents emergency medical workers, said he was asked whether he knew of a "sex ring" involving firefighters and emergency medical technicians during a meeting with fire officials about the incident at Engine Company 8. He said an equal employment opportunity officer revealed at the meeting that allegations had surfaced involving firefighters requesting sex from emergency medical workers.

Lyons said that the female worker at Engine Company 8 initially informed fire officials at her station, including a battalion chief, about the incident involving the sergeant. But she felt the allegation wasn't being investigated properly or taken seriously, Lyons said.

Lyons said he brought the matter to the attention of top officials at a day-long diversity training seminar attended by Rubin and the entire senior command staff. During the event, senior department leaders discussed various issues involving sexual harassment and discrimination, as well as other topics. All department employees will attend the training.

With rumors swirling throughout the department, Daniel Dugan, president of the firefighters union, said his organization is taking a wait-and-see approach in the case.

"We owe it to our members to sit back and see what is fact and what is fiction," Dugan said.

Rubin said he will not tolerate misconduct in his department.

"It's disturbing to think we have to deal with these issues, but it's part of human nature," Rubin said.

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The Rich And Famous Teens Of Hollywood

They are rich and famous and still teenagers. Daniel, Hayden, Rihanna and Hilary are four of the richest teens of Hollywood.

Daniel Radcliffe, 17
Already UK’s richest teen, he will be paid a reported $50 million for the next two Harry Potter films. He recently spent $17,000 on a mattress, and said, “People seem to expect me to splash out on a classic-car collection, but I’ve never been into cars.”

Hayden Panettiere, 17
A magazine estimated the Heroes star earns $2 million a year. Her untitled debut album will release in 2008. A beauty company’s spokesmodel, she knows her face is her fortune, “I get facials all the time.”

Rihanna, 19
The Barbados-bred singer, whose latest CD, Good Girl Gone Bad, sold more than 200,000 copies in its first two weeks out, says she’s a savvy spender, “I don’t like to waste money. I buy things that I’m going to get my money’s worth out of, things I’m going to use a lot. I like to splurge on make up and shoes. My mom loves bags. I bought her one.”

Hilary Duff, 19
As CEO of her own lifestyle company, she earns about $12 million a year. Still, she says, “I definitely don’t just buy what I want.” Case in point, she thought about buying a SUV for nearly $100,000, but her business manager said, “You’re a terrible driver. You don’t need that kind of power.” She took the advice!

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The Wealthy Spreading HIV/AIDS In Asia

Contrary to the widely-held belief that HIV/AIDS is fuelled by poverty, a surprising and authoritative new study reveals that the epidemic in Asia is being driven by wealthy men, often after having unprotected sex with prostitutes.

"Clients of sex workers account for most HIV cases in Asia. Typically they are wealthy men," said Ross McLeod, an economist, presenting the findings of a joint study commissioned by the Asian Development Bank and UNAIDS at an international conference on AIDS here.

Turning generally held academic belief on its head, the multi-nation study finds that HIV does not necessarily spread under conditions of poverty. "It's wealthy men who pass on the virus. In Cambodia 12% of the richest men passed on the virus," McLeod told the 8th International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) on Wednesday.
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"Poverty does not seem to increase the risk of infection in the first place. But AIDS increases the risk of poverty," added Jacques Jeugmans of the ADB.

McLeod said infection among wealthy Asian women too is on the rise, adding: "70% of cases in Asia are male, but this is beginning to change."

A number of UN health experts told the August 19-23 conference that the majority of HIV-positive women in the region are married women who have only had sex with their husbands - leading them to conclude that these women contracted the virus for no fault of theirs, from husbands who had had unprotected sex outside marriage.

The study seems to pinpoint men who have sex with multiple partners, including sex workers, but do not use condoms.

Indian epidemiologist Swarup Sarkar, regional director of UNAIDS for South Asia, said that although the joint ADB-UNAIDS study was an ongoing project, it already held out major policy implications for the way HIV/AIDS ought to be tackled in Asia.

For instance, one important new finding is about the way the virus has spread in countries - it usually started among injecting drug users in the 1990s, moved on to sex workers, from there to male clients and their faithful wives.

Homosexuals and other men who have sex with men were infected well before the epidemic took root among the general population.

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Philippino Police Clamp Down On Videoke Bars

The local police force will be closely monitoring every videoke bars here after receiving intelligence reports that some of the joints have been holding nude shows.

Superintendent Renato Soria said he will recommend for the closure of such bars if they ever they prove that they are holding such kinds of shows.

The police chief also said that as of the moment there are a total of five bars in their list that are staging nude shows.

Meanwhile, after the arrest of marijuana pushers and users, police operatives here were able to recover six units of Video Karera machines recently.

Led by Soria, the team was able to recover the said VK units from nearby operators in the said town.

After the peration and recovery, the machines were destroyed at the municipal grounds led by no less than Mayor Jun Tetangco and members of the Municipal Council led by Vice Mayor Peter Nucum.
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Soria said there are still a number of operators lingering around that is why the town's police force will be conducting more operations against them. "We will not spare anybody in our operations especially those operating near the schools here," he said.

Earlier also, Soria's team was able to arrest of a number of marijuana users and pushers.

He said they were able to recover about three-fourth kilo of marijuana from a group of suspected pushers in the town.

The suspects, Soria said, were mostly based in Sitio Paralaya in Barangay San Juan, this town.

Relatively, the town's police chief said they were able to recover shabu paraphernalia and the illegal drugs in barangays Capalangan, Sulipan and San Juan, all of this town.

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King Tooth Uses Teeth to Pull Train

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Workers Found From Iraq Phosgene In UN Headquarters

Former United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq have discovered traces of chemical substances, including the poisonous gas phosgene, in their office in New York and have called on US authorities to investigate, a spokeswoman said Thursday. "There is no immediate risk or dangers and the UNMOVIC staff is still working on the premise," UN spokeswoman Marie Okabe said.

The FBI was called in to help remove the substances.

U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said one of the substances identified on Wednesday was phosgene suspended in oil, "whose present state is unknown but which could be potentially hazardous." Phosgene can be used as a chemical warfare agent.

The material was immediately secured by experts at the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, known as UNMOVIC, and the U.N. sought assistance from U.S. authorities in having the material safely removed, she said.

"The office area was screened using UNOMVIC's chemical weapons detection equipment. No toxic vapors were found. There is no immediate risk or danger. UNMOVIC staff are still working on the premises," Okabe said.

The material in a sealed plastic bag includes "unknown liquid substances contained in metal and glass containers ranging in size from small vials to tubes the length of a pen in one of the sealed plastic bags," she said. "The only information we have of the contents of that bag is from an inventory of a 1996 inspection which indicates that one of the items may contain phosgene, an old-generation chemical warfare agent."

Commenting on the discovery, White House spokesman Tony Snow said, "I'm sure that there are going to be a lot of red-faced people over at the U.N. trying to figure out how (the chemicals) got there."

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Troy Hill Jailed For Stabing His Twin Half-Brothers Killing One

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Aaron's News Post - Breakfast Newsreel 08/30/2007

ABC Adoption Adult-Industry AFI Africa Aid AIDS Aircraft Airplane American Idol Angelina Jolie Anna Nicole Smith Anti-Prostitution Anti-Semitic Antonella Barba Armed Bandits Arnold Schwarzenegger Art Auschwitz Australia Belzec Bomb Bondage Brazil Britney Spears Cannabis Celebrity Celebs Cell Phones Chemical Ali Child Abuse China Christopher Lee CNN Cocaine Communist Conservatives Continental Airline Crime Croatia Crocodile Cyclone D.C. Madam David Vitter Death Death Camp Deborah Jeane Palfrey Democrat Depression Dog Food Recall Drug Abuse Drunk Drunk Driving DUI DWI El Salvador Elections Eric Bana Family Feud Fidel Castro Film Festival Film Piracy Films Fire Firemen Flooding Forest Fire Fraudsters G8 Gambling Golf Greece Gwen Stefani Heat Cramps Heat Stroke Hedley Thomas Hillary Rodham Clinton Home Remodelling Hormone Hostage Hugo Chavez Human Right India Injury Internet Iraq Islamic Values Isreal Japan Jayant Patel Jenna Jameson Judge Kate Hudson Kevin Rudd Koala Larry King Lewis "Scooter" Libby Lindsay Hawker Lindsay Lohan Lisa Ann Taylor Loans Mail Mansion Madam Megachurch Mel Gibson Merv Griffin Michael Jackson Microchip Movies Naked Naomi Campbell Nicole Probert Nowpublic Nuclear Plants Nuclear Weapons Nude Nude Pictures Oman Owen Wilson Painting Paparazzi Paris Hilton Pascal Mashaalani Paul Wofowitz PGA Pig Police Politics Porn celeb Pornography President Bush Prison Prostitution Prostitution Ring Queen Elisabeth Renae Cruz Reverend Ted Haggard Saddam Hussein Sc-fi Seoul Sex Sex Clubs Sex Education Sex Slavery Sex Workers Sexist Sexual Abuse Sexual Revolution Sexy Shaha Ali Riza Sharon Flaherty Singapore SMS Smuggling South Korea Soviet Union Soyabeans Spider-Man 3 Spy Strip Club Suicide Supermodel surfing Sweetheart Deal Sylvester Stallone Taliban Thunderstorms Tiger Woods Tony Ramunno Tornado Tornadoe Tragedy Transformers Uranium US US 2008 Elections USCIS Visa Wal-Mart Wan Nurul Zhana Women Trafficking World Bank World Trade Centre WWII

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8 South Korean Hostage Freed By Talibans

Taliban insurgents fulfilled their pledge to release 19 South Korean Christian volunteers they have held for nearly six weeks, by freeing eight South Korean hostages in two separate batches today, the first of 19 hostages the Taliban agreed to release.

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