EU says member states failing to crack down on human trafficking

BRUSSELS | Mon Apr 15, 2013 1:40pm EDT

(Reuters) - Thousands of people are falling victim to human traffickers every year in the European Union but most member states have failed to implement tougher new laws agreed by the bloc to address the problem, the European Commission said on Monday.
The new laws, agreed in 2011, impose higher penalties on offenders, make it easier to prosecute across borders within the bloc and give better protection to victims.
Only six countries in the 27-member bloc have implemented the new legislation so far, the Commission said.
Trafficking victims are typically women and they are predominantly forced into sexual slavery, but also hard labor and criminal activity. Some have their organs removed.
Information released by the EU executive on Monday showed the number of identified trafficking victims increased by 18 percent between 2008 and 2010 to about 10,000, although that number likely represents a fraction of all victims.
"What we know is probably only the tip of the iceberg," said Cecilia Malmstrom, the EU commissioner for home affairs.
"I am very disappointed to see that, despite these alarming trends, only a few countries have implemented the anti-trafficking legislation and I urge those who have not yet done so to respect their obligations."
Most of the victims identified were citizens of Romania and Bulgaria, the two poorest members of the bloc. Neither country has implemented the new laws.
EU governments which do not implement common rules can face legal action and fines.
An estimated nearly 21 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking, according to 2012 statistics from the International Labor Organization.

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New app finds upcoming yoga classes wherever you are

By Natasha Baker

TORONTO | Mon Apr 15, 2013 5:14pm EDT

(Reuters) - From hatha to vinyasa and everything in between, a new app helps yoga lovers find upcoming classes nearby.
Om finders, an iPhone app, detects a user's location and shows yoga classes happening at studios around them, including time and directions.
"The vision was to get more people on planet earth doing yoga," said Nancy Richardson, vice president of digital and brand strategy at Vancouver-based yoga apparel company Lululemon.
Classes can be found at nearly 7,000 studios in 63 countries worldwide and can be filtered by time and type, including hatha, power flow, vinyasa and hot yoga.
"It offers lots of different options to try different classes, types of yoga, and experience different teachers," Richardson said.
Yogis can also keep up with the schedules of their favorite instructors. The app has over 30,000 instructor profiles, which include a schedule of their upcoming classes.
According to Rachel Acheson, vice president of brand and community at Lululemon, the turnover for yoga is high. Although there are approximately 20 million people practicing yoga, about 20 percent drop out every year.
"The new people to yoga every year is substantial," said Acheson. "Finding your teacher is one of the biggest things that drives commitment to the practice."
Users can invite friends to join in on class by sending a text, tweet, email or Facebook message through the app, and keep track of the classes they're headed to.
The app launched Thursday and by Saturday had been downloaded over 18,000 times. It secured the top spot in the Health and Fitness category on Apple's App Store in Canada, and the third spot in the category in the U.S.
It is the first digital experience that the company has developed in-house, and is part of Lululemon's push towards creating hyper-local experiences for consumers.
"That connection with our guests and studio partners is happening on a local level," Richardson said. "Our digital strategy is people-first. Our goal is to build authentic relationships with communities."
Although users can add a class to their schedule, which syncs with the calendar app, it is not yet possible to book or pay for a class within the app.
"We're waiting to see what guests want, and we're not confident they're going to want to book," Richardson responded, adding that the company is actively monitoring feedback.
The company will continue to monitor demand for other platforms, but the company's customers are predominantly iPhone users, according to Richardson.
A similar app called Mindbody Yoga is available for iPhone, created by Mindbody, the company that supplies the data about classes, studios and instructors used in Om Finder.
It allows users to book and pay for classes if the studio supports that capability. It does not, however, provide the social features found in Om Finder, or information about in-store classes.
Another app called GoRecess, available on the web, allows users in the United States to find and book fitness classes in their cities, including yoga, strength-training, dance martial arts and boot camp classes.

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Rihanna Cancels Houston Show Due to Illness

Rihanna Cancels Houston Show Due to Illness

Get well soon, Rihanna! The 25-year-old singer has had to cancel her Diamonds World Tour show in Houston, Texas on Monday, April 15 due to illness.
PHOTOS: Rihanna through the years
Live Nation released a statement on Monday (via The Associated Press) saying Rihanna is unable to perform "as a result of illness." Fans have been told to hang onto their tickets to use at a rescheduled show.
PHOTOS: Rihanna and Chris Brown through the years
Last month, the "Diamonds" singer was forced to cancel two dates after contracting laryngitis. She issued a heartfelt apology to her fans on Twitter, saying, "This is the hardest thing for me to deal with! I feel like we've been waiting on this day forever, and I'm hurt that I let you down. I hate disappointing people that never ever let me down!! I'm so embarrassed about this! Thank you for your prayers and well wishes!"
PHOTOS: Rihanna's best hairstyles
Rihanna has yet to tweet a personal announcement to her fans after canceling her April 15 show. She is next scheduled to perform in Dallas, Texas on April 16.

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Rihanna Cancels Houston Show Due to Illness

Rihanna Cancels Houston Show Due to Illness

Get well soon, Rihanna! The 25-year-old singer has had to cancel her Diamonds World Tour show in Houston, Texas on Monday, April 15 due to illness.
PHOTOS: Rihanna through the years
Live Nation released a statement on Monday (via The Associated Press) saying Rihanna is unable to perform "as a result of illness." Fans have been told to hang onto their tickets to use at a rescheduled show.
PHOTOS: Rihanna and Chris Brown through the years
Last month, the "Diamonds" singer was forced to cancel two dates after contracting laryngitis. She issued a heartfelt apology to her fans on Twitter, saying, "This is the hardest thing for me to deal with! I feel like we've been waiting on this day forever, and I'm hurt that I let you down. I hate disappointing people that never ever let me down!! I'm so embarrassed about this! Thank you for your prayers and well wishes!"
PHOTOS: Rihanna's best hairstyles
Rihanna has yet to tweet a personal announcement to her fans after canceling her April 15 show. She is next scheduled to perform in Dallas, Texas on April 16.

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Lourdes Leon Steps Out With Her ‘Homeland’ Beau Timotheé Chalamet

Lourdes Leon and Timothee Chalamet. (Elder Ordonez/INFDaily.com)Lourdes Leon is not Madonna's little girl anymore.

The 16-year-old was photographed with her 17-year-old boyfriend, Timotheé Chalamet, on Sunday in NYC. Chalamet, who "Homeland" fans will recognize as the actor who plays the vice president's son, Finn, joined Lourdes, her father Carlos Leon, and Leon's fiancé for a family dinner.
Earlier this month, the New York Post reported that the two started dating after meeting as students at the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in the Big Apple, where she's a junior and he's a senior.
Lourdes, who collaborates with her mom on the Material Girl clothing line, wrote on her blog Monday about some of the pressures -- academic and otherwise -- that she's facing in a new blog post for the Macy's brand of juniors apparel and accessories.

"Because of the start of spring I have developed the classic allergy symptoms that include but are not limited to; itchy eyes, runny nose, clogged ears and all the cute stuff. My most attractive season," wrote Lourdes, who goes by the nickname Lola. "No but in all honesty I get such a good feeling from slowly starting to see the leaves back on the trees and watching the skirts get shorter and shorter in school as spring progresses. For kids that are taking the SAT’s soon we unfortunately WILL NOT see the outdoors the months of April and May and instead will fill our time with fun filled Standardized Testing review books."
She went on to advise readers on how they can best enjoy spring: "Take some Claritin for those who are allergic, shave your legs (or dont #live), get some vitamin D, and enjoy the warm weather!"
(Elder Ordonez/INFDaily.com)
(Elder Ordonez/INFDaily.com)

Lola's father, an actor and personal trainer, revealed in 2011 that he was not looking forward to the day that she began to date.
"I'm dreading it so much, because she's my little girl," he told People. "I want her to stay young forever. I'm already overprotective, so when the time comes, I will be ready to have a talk with the guy she brings through the door. He better be ready, because I'll give him the rundown!"

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Beyoncé Strips Down for Bikini Photo Shoot

Beyoncé is sexy and sizzling as the famous face of H&M's 2013 summer campaign! Known to lend her iconic image to more upscale and sophisticated labels like Tommy Hilfiger and Armani, Queen B seems to be going back in time, sporting teeny-weeny bikinis and modeling for the budget-friendly brand.

Not only did the 31-year-old superstar lend her good looks to the label, but she also collaborated and helped design the pieces! She said in a press release, "I've always like H&M's focus on fun and affordable fashion. I really loved the concept we collaborated on to explore the different emotions of women represented by the four elements – fire, water, earth and wind."
Her body is definitely bootylicious in those teeny bikinis, and she's clearly showing us she's in tiptop shape for her upcoming "Mrs. Carter Show World Tour," which kicks off April 15.
Watch the video to see for yourself how Queen B has yet again proved that she’s a triple threat. For more of the latest entertainment news, tune in to "omg! Insider" on TV tonight.

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Khloe Kardashian Weighs In on Kim’s Pregnancy Weight

"omg! Insider" correspondent Michael Yo sat down with Khloe Kardashian to dish on all those nasty Kardashian headlines. From the media's criticism of Kim's pregnancy pounds to rumors of a troubled romance for Kim and Kanye, Khloe weighed in on it all. “It's just, I think disgusting to talk about a pregnant person's weight,” she explained, adding, "I think it should be off limits." Kim’s younger sis even admitted that she's envious of her sister's fabulous figure saying, "I wish I could look like that when I'm pregnant." Check out the vid to hear more from Khloe and for the full interview, tune in to “omg! Insider” on TV tonight!

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Google rivals may be quizzed on antitrust offer this week

Reuters/Reuters - The Google signage is seen at the company's headquarters in New York January 8, 2013. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Google's rivals could get the chance to ramp up pressure for tougher concessions from the search giant when they are asked, possibly as early as this week, to study its proposals for ending an EU antitrust investigation.

The world's most popular search engine formally submitted a package of concessions to European regulators last week and three people familiar with the matter said on Monday these could be put to rivals this week in a market test.

The proposals are intended to settle an investigation dating from November 2010 and stave off a fine that could be as high as $5 billion if the company were found to have breached EU rules.
"It is possible the market test could start this week," said one of the sources, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.
The spokesman for competition policy at the European Commission, Antoine Colombani, declined to comment. Google spokesman Al Verney said the company continued to work cooperatively with the EU antitrust watchdog.
Complainants against Google include Microsoft, online mapping services, smaller rival search engines across Europe, publishers, online travel sites such as TripAdvisor and Expedia, and price comparison sites.
Neither the Commission nor Google have given details of the proposals. But people familiar with the matter have told Reuters these could include Google labeling its own services to differentiate them from rivals', and also imposing fewer restrictions on advertisers.
Google's opponents have already indicated labeling will not address their concerns.
"Labeling is a non-starter and may be worse than the existing situation," said David Wood, a lawyer for online lobbying group ICOMP, whose members include Microsoft and four other complainants.
Any concessions the regulators accept from Google will be valid for five years in Europe and be monitored by a trustee to ensure compliance, one of the sources said.
"Rival services will be shown more prominently in search results, with three links to three different search engines," this person said.

"Advertising space in Google Shopping will be reserved exclusively for vertical search sites," the person said, referring to specialty search functions focused on specific topics.

Rivals can also mark out sensitive information such as addresses, telephone numbers, opening hours and reviews which they do not want Google to use.

"This is especially for local search sites and product search sites, such as online travel site TripAdvisor and Nextag," the person said.

The Financial Times first reported on the details of Google's offer.

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