China's Deadliest Infectious Disease is Now AIDS

For the first time last year, AIDS has become the most infectious disease in China. 6,897 of its citizens died within the first nine months of 2008 due to the disease. The Chinese government has improved the reporting of HIV/AIDS statistics and is acknowledging its presence in the country. China has denied that AIDS is a problem in the country for a long time, partly due to the low amount of reported deaths.

In recent years, leaders of China have more open about the disease, offered free treatment for the poor, anonymous testing, and have banned discrimination against people who have the disease. The government of China and UNAIDS estimate that the number of citizens in China living with HIV is estimated at 700,000 and 85,000 of these people have full blown AIDS. About 34,864 people have died from aids since its first reported death in 1985. The main causes of HIV infections are due to sex, drug abuse, unsanitary blood plasma, and tainted transfusions in hospitals.

Singer Madonna Settles Divorce

The singer Madonna has settled the divorce with her ex-husband Guy Ritchie for more than $76 million. The settlement is in the range of $76 million to $92 million as apart of the divorce agreement. This amount includes their country home in western England. The couple's west London pub would also go to Ritchie. The couple is supposedly worth around $525 million and most of that belongs to Madonna. Richie's worth is about $35 million. The couple have two children together. Madonna also has a child from previous relationship and a child that she had adopted from Malawi in 2006.

Rapper Busta Rhymes allowed to Enter Britain

The rapper Busta Rhymes has won the right to enter Britain to perform at a charity concert. A High Court judge ruled that he could play at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Friday, even though he is challenging the British government’s decision to keep him out of the country. The concert is for charity, where people who completed four hours of volunteer work were rewarded with a concert ticket.

China Changes One-Child Policy Due to Earthquake

China has decided to change its one-child policy to exempt the families with a child killed, severely injured, or disabled in the country’s recent earthquake. The families can get a certificate to have another child.

On May 12th of this year, there was a devastating earthquake that killed 65,000 people and left more than 23,000 people missing. There were many children that were killed and injured in the disaster. Usually, having more than one child is illegal in China and families that have more than one child are punished by having to pay fines. If the families’ legally born child is killed and the family only has an illegally born child under the age of 18, then that child can be registered as a legal child. This is a positive thing because it gives the child that was once illegal the same rights as a legal citizen and nine years of compulsory education.

China started the one-child policy in the late 1970s to control China’s very large population and to provide better education and health care. There were already certain exceptions for ethnic groups, rural families, and families where both parents are only children. In some parts of rural China, most families are allowed to have a second child, especially if the first child is a girl.

Many people in China have shown interest in adopting children that have become orphans due to the earthquake. There are not any limitations to the number of orphans that a family can adopt. The adoptions and the future birth to a family that adopts an orphan is exempt from the one-child policy as the earthquake left 4,000 children to become orphans. Most of the orphans will be sent to live with other family members.

Rapper Slick Rick Receives Pardon

The New York governor David Paterson is granting the rapper Slick Rick a full and unconditional pardon for the murders of two men that took place in 1991. The pardon will stop the deportation of the rapper back to the United Kingdom, the country Slick Rick left when he was a young child.

Slick Rick had previously served five years in prison for shooting his cousin and another man. Both of the people survived the shooting. The governor says that the rapper has not had any criminal problems since he was released in 1997. He is also a landlord in the Bronx and has volunteered to counsel children against violence.

Rapper Snoop Dogg Allowed Back Into UK

A court overruled the decision not to allow Snoop Dogg a visa to go to the United Kingdom. Since the ban is overturned, he can now travel back to the UK. He was banned from the country after he and five members of his entourage were arrested after an incident at Heathrow airport in 2006. Immigration officials said that his presence in the UK might cause violent crime and last year he was refused a visa for a tour that he was scheduled to do.

UK Challenging Decision to Let Snoop Dogg into Country

Britain is appealing a court decision to let the rapper Snoop Dogg into their country. He was barred from Britain in 2000 after an altercation where he and five other people were arrested on charges of violent disorder and starting a fight at Heathrow Airport. Seven officers were injured in the incident. There was more trouble when some of the people Snoop was with weren’t allowed into British Airways’ first class lounge at the airport.

Snoop appealed the ban and received entry clearance from and asylum and immigration tribunal in January. The Border Agency plans to challenge the ruling at a hearing next week.

Singer Bono Asks For Help From France

The singer Bono from the group U2 has asked the leader of France, Nicholas Sarkozy, to increase the aid given to developing countries. He wants France to increase the development assistance to 0.7 percent of France’s national income instead of the 0.35 percent that it’s currently at.

Gangs In the Military

Watch the Video of Gangs in the Military: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgwfVJIoBNM

New Cases of Bird Flu

It is reported that three new cases of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found on poultry farms in the west African nation of Togo. New cases were found in dead birds on farms in the Lacs, Golfe, and Zio regions east of the capital Lome.

Testing confirmed the presence of the virus in late June in Togo. About 8,000 poultry birds were killed in the area and local poultry markets were closed. They also took more control over poultry imports. Last October, Togo banned the import of live poultry and poultry products from countries affected by the virus.

Since 2003, the virus has killed 191 out of 313 infected people worldwide. The death toll could multiply quickly if the virus mutates and would become easily transmitted between humans.