From Free Internet Press

The United States Government is looking to stamp out pornography, starting at midnight tonight. While sitting in church, people think it's fine to say "I abhor porn", but most men still look at it. It makes a nice safe political platform. If a politician stands up and says "Lets stop pornography", not too many people will argue with him.

I'm arguing right now. Leave my pornography alone. If I want to watch consenting adults having intercourse, that's my own business. It doesn't matter if I see it in a magazine, on Cinemax late at night, or on the Internet.

The U.S. Government has passed "18 U.S.C. § 2257", which effectively shuts down every American owned or operated adult industry where there may be a photograph or video. It requires more paperwork than even the most adept accountant could possibly keep up with. The punishment for even a single offense if $25,000 and/or 5 years in jail. Having even two pictures of adults in intimate situations would double those fines.

For each sex scene filmed, photographed or published the Government requires the following information:

The full legal name of the model. All other names, (maiden/married/stage name, aliases)

Copy of the depiction, printed on the paper record. Copy of every associated URL the image is displayed on, and the URL of the image every place it appears. Even on our site here, that's a problem. Any given page is dynamically shown not only in 4 different places on this site, but through every RSS newsreader, and aggregation sites such as Google News and Yahoo News,

We must also maintain indexes which find the record alphabetically, numerically, by the performer's last name (followed by first), aliases, stage names, title, and identifying marks.

If someone else should reuse this image on their site, but linking it from our server, we must also append our records then. If http://my-anal-retentative-government-agency.gov put our picture on their site, linked from our servers, we must update our records accordingly.

If the indexing and record keeping weren't enough, we have rules for record maintenance and retention and inspection.

The record must be maintained at my place of business. I cannot have a 3rd party company maintain my records for me. I must keep these records segregated from any other records. I must keep the records intact for 7 years from creation or amendment, and finally even if my organization should fail, I'm required to keep these records on file for 5 years, which makes the following interesting.

My location must be available for inspection from 8am to 6pm, 365 days a year. I understand this has been amended to only be 20 hours per week.

While "inspecting records", the agents may seize any evidence of any felony while conducting an inspection. Basically, they're opening up a door for warrantless entry into any adult business (adult video store, book store, or Internet business)

Ahhh, and the disclosure statement. Several paragraphs in 11 point type, on the front page of the site, saying the title of the work, date of production, publication, duplication, reproduction, or re-issuance. the street address where the records are kept, and the name, title, and business address of the custodian of records.

So, our little photograph above not only has created a few pages of paperwork in a segregated part of our offices. We now also have a new part time employee (20 hours per week), who's only job is to sit over those records, waiting for the Attorney General or a delegate thereof to knock on the door and say "Show Me Your Papers"

As Penn and Teller would say, as is the title of their Showtime show, "BULLSHIT!"

Pornography has been a driving factor in the devices we have today. Most Internet providers derive a large portion of their income from internet revenue. For example, a site such as ours uses very little bandwidth, and very little in server resources. In contrast, a porn site with streaming video and lots of high resolution pictures and tens of thousands of users will use a lot more. We consume less than 1% of our provider's total Internet usage. 9% belong to the large number of "mainstream" web sites. The remaining 90% belongs to a few pornographic web sites.

The VCR, the DVD and home video equipment such as the camcorder and even the polaroid camera became popular because it brought privacy to what was once a source of some embarassment. It gave the general public a way to partake in such illicit acts in the privacy of their own home.

This is nothing to be embarrassed about. People like to see other people have sex. It's looking into something they are not allowed to have.

For more information on this topic, you may want to look at www.freespeechcoalition.com, or ask anyone in the adult entertainment industry. You'd be amazed where you'd find us.

Editor: I felt it necessary to reply to the following comment: You do realize that 18 U.S.C. § 2257 was passed in the 1980s, right? To prevent child pornography after Traci Lords started making videos as an underage teen lying about her age.

The laws have done absolutely nothing to stop what Traci Lords did. They require a virtually impossible paper trail to be created. Tracy Lords had a real drivers license, obtained through illegal methods. The drivers license had the wrong name, the wrong birthdate, but her photograph. Even with all the new laws, what does this do to stop the 15 year old Traci Lords from performing? Absolutely nothing

As for the fact that every webmaster already has this paper trail, that is false. They may have the model releases already on file, but now they're required to create a new paper trail to every instance of the photograph anywhere it may be shown, which in most cases is impossible. The new paper trail, retroactive to every photo shot since 1969, makes it impossible ffor any American adult entertainment company work. In addition, providers of DVD's, in brick and mortor stores, or on the Internet, must have the full paper trail for every video they provide. In the past, they've simply referenced the people who do have the records.

From CNET News

Using the Internet to promote the idea or practical details of committing suicide is about to become illegal in Australia. The new rules--introduced by the amendments to the national Criminal Code--will see infringements by individuals face a maximum penalty of up to nearly $85,000 (110,000 Australian dollars). Corporations could be made to shell out nearly $425,000 for an offense.

The legislation will come into effect six months after the governor-general signs them into law, which is likely to be in the next several weeks.

Although the legislation is broad enough to cover any transmission medium, its introductory memorandum highlights the Internet as the primary target. The proposed offenses are particularly...use of the Internet, e-mail and other online applications and are intended to cover the range of activities that a person can engage in when using these, it notes.

Minister for Justice Senator Chris Ellison said in a statement that the legislation would assist in preventing the use of the Internet to disseminate information that would encourage "vulnerable individuals" to take their own lives.

One organization that would likely be affected by the new laws is Exit International, the pro-euthanasia organization founded by Dr. Philip Nitschke. Exit currently hosts several items on its Web site dealing with the practicalities of committing euthanasia. While a representative from Exit was not immediately available to comment on the new laws, Ellison was keen to make it clear the legislation would not target legitimate euthanasia campaigners. A person engaged in genuine debate over euthanasia-related law reform will not be restricted by these changes because such material would not 'counsel or incite' suicide, or promote or provide instruction on a particular method of committing suicide, as required by these offenses.

Perhaps Vietnam will next start imprisoning people for keeping their eyes open during sex.

Based on an article from ChinaView

An appeal court in Vietnam increased an imprisonment sentence to two years on a man with Dutch nationality on the charge of disseminating porn materials, local newspaper Young People reported Wednesday.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court on Tuesday, the 46-year-old man named Lam Yui Fai was caught in 2003 when he and four local girls were watching porn films he previously shot with the scenes of their nude bathing and sexual intercourse with him in a house in the city.

Lam, who opened a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City in 2002, was caught in October 2004 when he was doing the same act in a hotel in the city, one month after he received a sentence of 18 months passed by the court of first instance. He was on bail while waiting for the court of appeal.

Based on an article from The Mercury

Australia's Big Brother could face the censor's knife after MPs were swamped with complaints calling it "smutty, shocking and disgusting".

Communications Minister Helen Coonan will write to Australia's broadcasting watchdog to "clarify issues" after Channel 10 showed scenes of buttocks, breasts, penises, coarse language and lewd discussions about sex.

Government MPs yesterday discussed complaints they had received from constituents about the content, particularly in Big Brother's Monday night Uncut episode, with some labelling it "pornography".

Senator Coonan said the Government regarded the issue of protecting children and MPs from exposure to unsuitable material seriously. I will be asking the Australian Broadcasting Authority to look at whether there may have been a breach of the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice relating to certain footage shown on Big Brother.

"I will also ask the ABA to look at whether the code continues to provide sufficient safeguards in light of the increasing amount of reality television programming and whether measures to ensure effective compliance with the code are appropriate. Viewers are already voting with their remote controls - 1.19 million tuned in on Monday June 6 but only 1.12 million watched the following week when it was suggested two contestants were shown having sex in house.

But Network 10 has defended Uncut, insisting "extensive consumer advice" is given before each episode at 9.40pm. We appreciate that it's not to everyone's taste, but it does adhere to the code. The show is promoted as being for adults only. An extraordinary amount of care is taken in producing Big Brother Uncut and we've gone beyond what other networks would have done.

On Monday night's show, a number of the housemates posed nude in the showers.

Queensland not so Liberal MP Peter Lindsay said Big Brother had exceeded the bounds of what is appropriate on free-to-air television.

Housemates' antics
What the housemates have been getting up to:

• In the rewards room, Rachael bathed naked and played with an electric toothbrush
• Glenn, or "Shearer", and Michelle allegedly had sex in the rewards room bath
• Michael massaged the shoulders of an unsuspecting Gianna with his fly unzipped and what should have been kept inside hanging out
• Female housemates have, on a number of occasions, relaxed in the sauna topless. On one occasion, Hotdogs joined them so he could stare at their breasts
• Shearer frequently mentions lewd sex acts.
• Under the influence of alcohol, Hotdogs called Vesna a "whorebag", grabbed her breast and later dropped his pants
• Geneva and Christie pleaded with Big Brother to shut down the gym because they believed the male housemates were releasing all their sexual energy lifting weights
• Gianna loved dressing up in a nurse's uniform and pole-dancing

From GamesIndustry.biz
From ComputerVideoGames

Eidos' computer game, 25 to Life, is the latest violent videogame to boil the bile of a politician, with a US senator claiming that the gang-based shooter "lowers common decency" and should be banned.

Charles Shumer, Democratic senator for the state of New York, began his crusade against 25 to Life in the New York Daily News over the weekend. It makes Grand Theft Auto look like Romper Room, he told the newspaper, referring to a popular American kids TV show.

Shumer takes exception to the PS2, Xbox and PC game's premise, which casts you as a gang member who must kill other gang members to take over their turf and battle against police in order to survive. The game also has an online 'versus' mode in which teams of cops and gangsters face off against each other.

Microsoft has backed Eidos 25 to Life was developed for a mature audience and has been rated so it will be sold only to the appropriate audiences, they said in a statement.

Sony had yet to comment on Schumer's comments at the time of publication, but Microsoft was quick to react this morning, contradicting the senator's implication that the game was designed for and marketed to children: The Xbox community is growing to include gamers of all ages - we encourage titles that will appeal to these different groups, whether you love action, sports, racing, or fighting games but we also stand behind, and fully comply with, local and pan-European ratings systems such as PEGI to ensure that this content is enjoyed by the appropriate audiences as well as informing parents about which games are appropriate for which gamers, the publisher said.

An Eidos spokesperson told GamesIndustry.biz, Eidos believes that video games are a creative art form and we produce a wide range of content aimed at various age groups including games specifically targeted for the over-18 player. On the issue of who should be allowed to purchase our products, we have a very strict two-tier rating system in the UK to send a clear signal to both customers and retailers as to the appropriate audience for each game. 25 to Life will have a BBFC 18+ rating, which means that it is illegal to sell it to anyone under that age; retailers face a £5,000 fine and up to six months in prison if they do so.

From the Bangkok Post

Two websites critical of the government were banned yesterday, the first to be shut down for political activity rather the usual reason, pornography.

One website – www.thai-insider.com – belongs to Ekkayuth An-chanbutr, a chit-fund operator who fled the country several years ago but returned last year and became a self-styled crusader against what he said was endemic corruption in the Thaksin government.

The other one – www.fm9225.com – belongs to a community radio station with a penchant for hosting vocal critics of the government.

They were closed by an order issued by the Information and Communications Technology Ministry dated June 18. A ministry inspector said yesterday the websites were closed for two reasons _ no evidence of who their real owners were and violent content that could trigger social disorder. The inspector, who asked not to be named, said there was only evidence of website leases and there had been complaints that the content encouraged the public to stage demonstrations. They also contained fierce political accusations.

Miss Anchalee, a host on FM92.25 community radio station, complained that the ban was tantamount to denying public access to information.

Ekkayuth, a businessman and vocal critic of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said his legal staff would consider action as the constitutional right to give the public information had been violated. He knew who ordered the closure and believed it stemmed from three issues presented on his website _ the inappropriateness of a deputy prime minister running for UN secretary-general, vested interests in the stock exchange that involve politicians, and problems in the South.

There are attempts to persecute the owners of the servers that we rent through business means. But after this closure, I can reopen it. I developed the website to reveal the truth, not to topple the government as alleged. I have the constitutional right to say that I don't like Mr Thaksin and he cannot prohibit me from telling the truth. He can always say who he does not like and sometimes he even says that in his Saturday morning radio programme. Everyone must have an equal right of expression

Wuthipong Pongsuwan, adviser to the PM's Office Minister who was said to be the person who sought the closure from the ICT Ministry, said it was unnecessary for him to complain to the ministry because anyone, including more than 300 MPs of the prime ministers's Thai Rak Thai party, could make a complaint after visiting Ekkayuth's website.

Chavarong Limpatamapanee who supervises moral issues for the Thai Webmaster Association said it was the first time a website in Thailand making critical comments of the government had been closed. The state had no right to act as censor as it violated freedom of expression.

From Refused Classification

An article by Fiona Patten from the Eros Journal provides some more detail about the failure of Peter Breen's X18+ bill in NSW.

The NSW government said they wouldn’t support the Bill because it would be out of line with the other states and unless they all held hands together to get a better regulated system in place they would be too scared of what Archbishop Pell and the Australian Family Association might say. The Opposition’s speaker, David Clarke, seemed strangely more interested in religious freedom of speech than the Bill at hand.

Only seven MPs spoke on the Bill - three in favour and four against. Former One Nation member, David Oldfield, did not speak and voted with the government and the other supporters of an illegal industry. Lee Rhiannon from the Greens once again showed why that party has the best policies on regulating the adult industry. The Greens congratulate Peter Breen on the work he has done in introducing this important bill. It will legalise the sale and public exhibition of X 18+ videos. Listening to the debate today and on previous occasions, one would have to say that Mr Breen has certainly set the religious right hares running with this bill. Again, I am left wondering why the religious right revel in talking about and watching pornography. It is one of the curious things about life.

From Bernama

The government has directed Internet service providers (ISPs) and telecommunication companies (telcos) to provide censorship services for pornographic and other content.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis said such services would be offered on a "cost recovery" basis to Internet and mobile device users, who would be given a choice on whether to use the services. He said this was part of a joint proposal by his ministry and the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry in the efforts to combat the problem of pornographic and undesirable materials.

Jamaluddin said the cabinet has agreed to the proposal which would also require cybercafe operators to make available similar censorship services as part of the licensing conditions. He added that with this measure, to be implemented by the Housing and Local Government Ministry, children would not be able to download pornographic materials from the personal computers (PCs) in cybercafes.

Jamaluddin said other measures included the setting up of a centre to handle complaints on pornographic and undesirable materials and awareness programmes by government agencies and the private sector for targeted groups. Jamaluddin said the joint proposal forwarded to the cabinet last week was a follow-up on news reports concerning the growing problem of pornographic materials over the Internet. He said the problem not only affected the Internet but also communication devices such as mobile phones through which users are able to download all kind of content.

Jamaluddin said the directive to ISPs and telcos to provide censorship services is to be enforced with immediate effect by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). He said Internet and mobile phone users could request the ISPs and telcos for software to be installed in their PCs or phones to bar pornographic materials. He added that the MCMC would also be the secretariat for the centre handling complaints on pornographic and undesirable contents.

From CNET News
From The Guardian

Microsoft may have banned the words "democracy" and "freedom" from the Chinese version of its MSN Web site. The MSN Web site is blocking anti-communist phrases by sending an error message to anyone using the words, in a bid to avoid upsetting the Chinese government, according to the Financial Times.

The message reportedly says: "This item contains forbidden speech. Please delete the forbidden speech from this item." The words "demonstration," "democratic movement" and "Taiwan independence" are also said to be banned.

Microsoft issued a statement via e-mail saying: The content posted on member spaces is the responsibility of individuals who are required to abide by MSN's Code of Conduct, which can be viewed (here). MSN abides by the laws and regulations of each country in which it operates.

Only the main part of the Web site is enforcing the ban; individualized MSN Spaces apparently are not affected.
The drama is the latest in a spate of moves by the Chinese government to censor certain areas of the Internet. Chinese officials are currently trying to make people register Web sites with the state by July or risk being shut down.

China has also recruited an army of secret web commentators. The propaganda departments of provincial and municipal governments have recently been instructed to build teams of internet commentators, whose job is to guide discussion on public bulletin boards away from politically sensitive topics by posting opinions anonymously or under false names.

Applicants for the job - mostly drawn from the propaganda and police departments - were told they had to understand government policies, know political theory, be politically reliable and understand internet technology. Successful candidates have been offered classes in Marxist theory, propaganda techniques and updates on the development of the internet around the world.

A summary of objectives declared that commentators should "be proactive in developing discussion, increase control, accentuate the good, avoid the bad, and use internet debate to our advantage."

The escalation of the government's effort to neutralise critical online opinion comes after a series of large anti-Japanese, anti-pollution and anti-corruption protests, many of which were organised or publicised using instant messaging services, chatrooms and text messages.

With the number of users forecast to rise above 100 million this year, access to the web is spreading beyond China's well-rewarded middle class and into the more disgruntled factory and farming communities, where young migrant workers are teaching their families about internet cafes.

Although the existence of an internet police force - estimated at more than 30,000 - has been known for some time, attention has previously focused on their work as censors and monitors. Countless critical comments appear on bulletin boards of major portals such as Sohu and Sina only to be erased minutes, or sometimes just seconds, later. In the most recent case, all postings that blamed corrupt local officials or slow-moving police for the deaths of 88 children in floods last Friday were removed almost as soon as they appeared.

China's leading bloggers were scathing. The government's tactics are too funny. They are actually hiring staff to curse online, said Liu Di, who was arrested last year for comments she posted under her internet moniker Iron Mouse. But it also shows that the government can find no better way to deal with netizens' discussion. Compared to other media in China, the internet is still the most free. It is powerful among young people no matter whether they are chatting online or playing games. It will be difficult for the government to control.

From Reuters

Sudanese authorities on Sunday closed down Sudan's only English-language opposition daily, the Khartoum Monitor, and withdrew its licence, the chairman of the paper's board said.

Alfred Taban, whose paper focuses mostly on southern issues, said a supreme court judge had told him by letter that the paper's licence had been withdrawn, overruling an appeal court decision two years ago to allow it to continue to publish. We did not even know that it had gone to the supreme court -- this information was not communicated to us, Taban told Reuters. The board will appeal against the ruling, he added.

The Khartoum Monitor has been briefly closed down many times over the past two years. Recently it was suspended for one day for printing an article about violent clashes in a camp south of Khartoum between police and refugees, most of them from the south and the troubled Darfur region.

Taban said the attorney-general had some years ago brought a case against the paper which, as a result, had its licence withdrawn. The board appealed against the verdict and in 2003 the court of appeal overturned the lower court ruling and restored the paper's licence.

But the paper, one of only three independent dailies in Sudan, has since suffered repeated censorship and closure, Taban said. He added that the closure might have been ordered because the paper often published calls from southerners to split from the north, or because his board had been talking to the international community about censorship of the press, which the government denies exists.

From CNET News

Opponents of a Utah law that requires Internet service providers to offer to block Web sites deemed pornographic will file a lawsuit Thursday to overturn the measure.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah is seeking an injunction in federal district court in Salt Lake City as part of its lawsuit claiming that the Utah law violates state residents' rights to free expression and unlawfully interferes with interstate commerce.

The controversial legislation requires the attorney general to create an official list of Web sites with material that is deemed "harmful to minors" and that is "not access restricted." Under the law, Internet providers in Utah must provide their customers with a way to disable access to sites on the list or face felony charges.

Dani Eyer, executive director of the Utah ACLU, said in a telephone interview that plaintiffs in the lawsuit will include Internet service providers, Utah content creators, local booksellers and the American Booksellers Association. The Center for Democracy and Technology, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group, is co-counsel on the case. The team of lawyers will meet with the attorney general on Thursday afternoon to discuss halting enforcement of the law until a trial can be scheduled, Eyer said.

The Utah law says: Upon request by a consumer, a service provider may not transmit material from a content provider site listed on the adult content registry. A service provider is defined as any person or company who provides an Internet access service to a consumer, which could include everything from cable companies to universities, coffee shops and homes with open 802.11 wireless connections.

Also targeted are content providers, defined as any company that "creates, collects, acquires or organizes electronic data" for profit. Any content provider that the Utah attorney general claims hosts material that's harmful to minors must give it a rating or face third-degree felony charges.

From Kantipur Online

Police cracked down on a peaceful rally organized by journalists in Bhrikuti Mandap Wednesday afternoon and arrested 51 demonstrators, including most of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) officials.

About 500 journalists, who had just started their rally holding placards and banners, were surrounded by scores of plainclothes policemen and taken to nearby Mahendra Police Club. The police locked the main entrance of Bhrikuti Mandap public park where the journalists were gathering and arrested them one by one.

President of FNJ Bishnu Nisthuri, Vice-president Shiva Gaunle, General Secretary Mahendra Bista and Secretary Balram Baniya were among those arrested. They are being held at the Mahendra Police Club.

The journalists said they were trying to take out a rally in the restricted area to protest government harassment against the press and continuation of emergency measures taken by the government immediately after the February 1 royal takeover, to gag the media. They were holding black banners and placards with slogans like "Restore Press Freedom", "Lift news ban on FM stations", "Withdraw economic blockade on private media" and "Revoke censorship notice", among others.

Meanwhile, the detained journalists refused to take meals provided by the state, saying they would not eat until the government justified their arrest.

Several professional organizations have supported the journalists' movement against restrictions imposed by the government on the media, saying that the journalists were not just fighting for their profession, but also for the rights and betterment of all the people in the country.

We condemn the police brutality against journalists, who use their pens to promote peace and democracy in the country, said former FNJ President Tara Nath Dahal, who managed to evade arrest.

Based on an article from Khaleej Times

Assasination is the extreme form of censorship that has struck once again in Lebanon last Thursday, this time claiming an outspoken journalist and scholar.

Samir Kassir was killed, he was ‘censored’. for voicing his opposition to Syria’s meddling in Lebanon. The front-page columnist writing for Beirut's leading An Nahar newspaper was assassinated because of his writings. He was killed when a bomb placed in his car exploded outside his house. Censorship in Lebanon at times comes with a heavy hand.

In an April 2001 article in the Middle East Intelligence Bulletin (MEIB), Gary Gambill quoted Kassir as saying he was under General Security Directorate (GSD) surveillance and was followed continuously by unmarked cars. Sometimes the censors lack discretion. The MEIB article goes on to say Kassir had received a phone call from the director of the GSD, Gen. Jamil Al Sayyid, a close ally of the Syrian regime" According to the report, Sayyid threatened Kassir for writing an article in which he criticised the security services for failing to prevent clashes between the army and militants in north Lebanon.

Kassir’s assassination drew international attention. Robert Menard of Reporters Without Borders, voiced dismay at the killing. We are in a complete state of shock after Samir Kassir's cowardly murder, Menard said. We have lost a friend, and Press freedom has lost a passionate defender. Menard called for the French authorities and the UN Commission, now in Beirut investigating the assassination of Hariri, to pay particular attention to this new act of terrorism. Those responsible for the murder, which targeted a great journalist, must be identified, arrested and punished.

From News Today

The Indian ban on showing actors smoking on screen seems to have ignited a fire among the mandarins of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. The ban, which the I & B Ministry officials feel has been issued unilaterally by the Health Ministry (read Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss), may now be reconsidered.

The onus of whether the ban is being complied with rests with I & B Ministry, and that is the reason the Ministry were upset that they were not consulted prior to announcing the ban.

Sources say that Anbumani had indeed written to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry asking for their views on the decision. But he was so keen on announcing the ban 31 May, to coincide with World No Tobacco Day, that he did not wait for the Ministry's officials to get back to him.

Anyway, according to indication I & B Minister Jaipal Reddy and the Health Minister may meet up once the latter comes back from his foreign jaunt. Jaipal Reddy is very keen to clear the confusion and is personally said to be of the opinion that the ban was 'impracticable'.

Jaipal Reddy is however keen that this should not become an issue of 'public fight' between the two Ministries. Hence, he has been pretty diplomatic in his responses so far. The I & B Minister does not want the ban to be rigid and there should be room for artistic freedom.

The Health Ministry's sweeping decision has been opposed by all including the Censor Board chief Sharmila Tagore. 'Either the film industry or the Censor Board should have been consulted on the matter, she said, adding that she has written to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and expressed her views.

With pressure mounting on the Health Ministry, the smoking ban may not be sustainable and hence may be diluted.

From Monsters & Critics

The Ugandan government has unveiled a draft policy on pornography, which proposes a ban on any media or entertainment house that will publish pornographic content.

In view of the level of pornography in Uganda today, especially the content of newspapers and other publications, immediate action needs to be taken to prevent further harm to the public, the draft by the Directorates of Information and Ethics and Integrity said.

The government said that for pornography to be tackled effectively there is need for a policy, which should then form a basis for a comprehensive legal framework. The Director of Information in the President's Office, Kagole Kivumbi said stakeholders would meet on Friday to add their input to the draft policy before it goes to Cabinet.

The draft defines pornography as, Any form of communication or speech or information or publication in whole or publication in part or entertainment, or a stage play or broadcast or music or dance or art or graphic or picture or photograph or motion picture or audio recording or fashion or literature or any combination of the preceding matter that;(a) depicts any unclothed or under-clothed sexually arousing parts of the human body such as breasts or thighs or buttocks or genitalia or; (b)depicts or describes or narrates sexual intercourse or any behaviour that is usually associated with or that leads to sexual intercourse or sexual stimulation; or (c) describes or exhibits sexual subjects or activity in a manner tending to stimulate erotic feelings.

The policy is also introducing the policy of zero tolerance. Zero tolerance means that all public, policy, legal, economic, political, constitutional and organizational loopholes that would open a window for pornography must be plugged, the draft states.

The government said the policy of prevention aims at putting in place deterrent measures, so that those who would venture to deal in pornography find it extremely expensive and detrimental to their social, economic and political standing.

The policy proposes to require all Internet service providers to install pornography filters. This will also cover licensing controls requiring licensing authorities to set a written code of conduct.

In the UK we can buy hardcore from a licensed shop but cannot buy via mail order. In most of Australia you can buy via mail order but not from a shop. And of course both countries are united by nutters who think think that the other way to purchase is to be prevented.

From Refused Classification

Peter Breen is an Independent Member of the Legislative Council in New South Wales. He has introduced a Private Members Bill that would see the hardcore X18+ rating legalised. Currently it illegal to sell or hire X18+ films in NSW, as it is in all other States. It it however legal to purchase such films by mail order from the ACT and Northern Territories for your own personal use. 

The fact that the sale/hire of hardcore films is illegal in NSW may come as a surprise to anyone who has visited an Adult Shop in Sydney. These stores more or less regulate themselves, that is, just about everything is available apart from Child Pornography. 

A consequence of Peter Breen's Bill, providing that it is properly enforced, may be a reduction in choice available to the consumer. In the ACT and Northern Territories Adult Stores are closely monitored, and only OFLC approved product is sold.  

As to be expected, nutter Federal Senator Fred Nile has been vocal in speaking against the bill. It was Nile who was instrumental in persuading Neville Wran to outlaw X18+ videos back in 1985.

The bill is currently having its second reading. Now would be a good time to contact your State Member and get your opinions across. 

Well speaking from the point of view of the UK as destroyed by pornography and Thailand as destroyed by prostitution then they are truly paradise compared with Indonesia as destroyed by nutters.

From The Jakarta Post

Irked by cases of rape, sexual assault and abuse, the government will launch a campaign next month to combat pornography and indecency, with children and youth being the target.

What we will do is warn families of the dangers of pornography, and educate youth so as improve and strengthen their behavior, says State Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs Adhyaksa Dault.

The government will provide youth with books and training by experts to deter them from looking at pornographic material. Our goal is to target children and youth who are still in school, not adult celebrities or others, the minister said. People need to be protected from the negative influences of outside cultures, he argued.

The "National Movement for Porn-Free Families" is slated to start by the end of June to fight the rising trend of sexual misconduct. It will involve Adhyaksa's office, the Office of the State Minister for Women's Empowerment and relevant government institutions. The campaign corresponds with the government's move to revise the Criminal Code (KUHP), which critics say represses artistic works.

Adhyaksa said: To implement it, we will join hands with the Office of the State Minister of Tourism and Culture, the Ministry of Communications and Information, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Ministry of National Education and the National Police. The police will spearhead the campaign, he warned without elaborating.

State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meutia Hatta said pornography should be attacked from all sides, a move that should be supported by all government agencies, private institutions, psychologists and cultural observers. Meutia said the campaign was in response to many reports of rape, sexual harassment and assault, including one in which a six-year-old child was recently burned alive after being gang raped in Bekasi, West Java.

Meutia said the campaign would make people aware that pornography could destroy the nation, and that children should understand that pornography was not created for them. Every mother, she added, should warn her children against any type of pornography or lewdness, such as through short massaging services (SMS), the Internet and VCDs.

To protect children from pornography and indecent acts, she said, the censorship institute should restrict suggestive material in public places. People who violate the restriction deserve punishment. Therefore, a 'pornography bill' should be passed this year, the minister said.

Meutia and Adhyaksa said all print and electronic media would be asked to support the campaign by banning all pictures, advertisements or programs that exploit sensuality and sexuality.

From Aftenposten

Uncensored porn on the way

Controversial magazine editor Stein-Erik Mattsson believes that the black 'censored' bar used in Norwegian magazines and on television screens to blot out graphic sexual imagery is now finally dead after the appeals phase of his landmark trial.

Sex magazine publisher Stein-Erik Mattsson went to great lengths to have Norway's definition of pornography re-examined, and now believes censorship is over. In practice this means the repeal of the general ban on porn in paragraph 204 of the criminal code.

Mattson was charged in March 2004 for violating Norwegian pornography laws after he published an uncensored issue of his skin magazine in the summer of 2002. Trying to provoke a public debate on censorship and modern definitions of pornography, Mattsson gave away part of the 13,000 print run in downtown Oslo and mailed a copy to every member of Norway's parliament, the Storting. Socialist Left Party representative Lena Jensen filed charges and after Mattsson refused to pay a levied fine of NOK 25,000 (USD 3,880) the case finally went to the courts.

Oslo Municipal Court ruled that the uncovered pictures could not be viewed as criminally offensive and based their decision on, among other things, that the images showed persons over the age of 18 taking part in voluntary sexual acts.

This is a historic victory in the over one hundred year long struggle to allow healthy, erotic pictures in Norway.  Mattson said.

ie repression and censorship

Based on an article from Reuters

Vietnamese police are said to be widening a crackdown on "social evils" such as prostitution.

Hanoi police broke up what they called one of the largest prostitution operations in the country, one which catered foreign businessmen and tourists, detaining 50 women in simultaneous raids at three large hotels.

Last week, the government ordered a suspension of issuing new business licences for bars, karaoke and dancing clubs.

From Ferghana

Suspension of Russian TV news during and in the wake of the events in Andizhan on May 13 throughout Uzbekistan was not the last move on the part of the authorities bent on restricting the right to information. Very soon now the population of Uzbekistan will be unable to choose what programs to watch. The State Inspectorate of Communications (Tashkent) sent orders to management of cable TV studios instructing them to switch over to reception of the main transmitting station's signal or prepare to be closed. Cable TV studios have before June 6 to comply with the demand. The authorities are thus forcing TV studios to broadcast a censored portfolio of programs provided by Uzbekiston Kabel Sistemalari.

Here is the list:

1. YzTV-1
2. UzTV-2
3. Channel One - Global Net meant for the audience beyond Russia
4. NTV - Mir for foreign audiences
5. Russia
6. Culture
7. Euronews (questionable)
8. Markaz-TV - Terra Group's TV project
9. DTV (instead of Ren-TV which enraged President Islam Karimov with its "biased reports" on the events in Andizhan. Ren-TV camera crew was even expelled from Uzbekistan)
10. Rambler

From The Tallahassee Democrat

The Internet's primary oversight body approved a plan Wednesday to create a virtual red-light district, setting the stage for pornographic Web sites to use new addresses ending in "xxx".

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers said it would begin negotiations with ICM Registry Inc., run by British businessman Stuart Lawley, to iron out technical issues and prices for the new Web addresses.

Adult-oriented sites, a $12 billion industry, probably could begin buying "xxx" addresses as early as fall or winter depending on ICM's plans, ICANN spokesman Kieran Baker said. The new pornography suffix was among 10 under consideration by the regulatory group, which also recently approved addresses ending in "jobs" and "travel."

ICM contends the "xxx" Web addresses, which it plans to sell for $60 a year, will protect children from online porn if adult sites voluntarily adopt the suffix so filtering software used by families can more effectively block access to those sites. The $60 price is roughly ten times higher than prices other companies charge for dot-com names.

It will further help to protect kids, said John Morris, staff counsel at the Washington-based Center for Democracy and Technology. Morris predicted some adult sites will choose to buy "xxx" Web addresses but others will continue to use dot-com.

[Somehow I think sites will use both. It would be crazy to use only xxx when there are so many countries that would use the suffix to block such sites totally]

Based on an article from ABC News

Chinese-run websites have until the end of May to register their sites or face being shut down as part of a new government campaign to police the Internet, a leading portal has announced. If you have not registered by June, then your website could be ordered shut down, the portal quoted an official from the Beijing communications bureau as saying.

The registration drive is supposedly an effort by the Ministry of Information Industry to clamp down on fraud and other "unhealthy" activity on the Internet, the portal Sohu.com said. The registration drive started in March and aims to issue registration numbers to all China-based websites, including commercial, government and personal sites, it said. Hundreds of thousands of websites are expected to be registered, the portal said, without giving a precise figure.

The move is the latest in China's efforts to police the Internet and follow stringent efforts - known as the Great Firewall of China - to keep content authorities seen as "unhealthy", like pornography and anti-government postings, off the web.

China already requires all users of Internet cafes to register before using the Internet, while major websites have signed on to a code of conduct to keep non-authorised content off their websites and chatrooms.

The Chinese Government forecasts the country will have 120 million Internet users by the end of 2005, a figure that would mark a growth of nearly 28 per cent from 94 million at the end of 2004. China welcomes the Internet as it is helping the economy leapfrog into the 21st century. But at the same time it is worried about the way the web enables people to access information that the authorities consider subversive.

From CBC

The government of Ontario, Canada officially ended the banning of motion pictures on Monday with the introduction of the Film Classification Act. The new law removes the Ontario Film Review Board's power to ban movies from the province.

The law is being introduced more than a year after a ruling from the Ontario Superior Court that deemed the board's powers unconstitutional. From now on, the board will be able only to apply classifications to films – from G (general) for films that anyone can see, to R (restricted) for those only Ontarians aged 18 years or older can see.

If the board suspects a movie breaches obscenity laws, the board will pass it to police, who will determine if charges under the Criminal Code are warranted. The board retains the power to censor adult films.

It will condense the censorship powers of the film board, Consumer and Business Services Minister Jim Watson said of the new law

The new law also includes provisions allowing penalties for retailers who sell video games without ratings stickers. It's not about censorship. It's about information and education, because most parents, frankly, don't know what the content of these games are, Watson said.

Video games sold in Ontario will now – by law – have to include the ratings information that is used voluntarily in the United States. Most of the major game manufacturers are using those now," Watson said.

Given the number of nutters in the country then it is a little surprising that Malaysia has held out against censorship for so long.

From All Headline News & Softpedia

Malaysia is all set to prevent access to Internet pornography. According to local media reports, government departments have imposed some restrictive measures in schools to curb Internet pornography.

The news reports saying that Malaysians could access 1.5 million sex sites actually prompted Malaysian government to rein in on Internet pornography.We are worried by the presence of these websites on the Internet. While we accept the use and application of modern technology, the downside of technology needs to be considered too, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak’s comments published in the New Straits Times stated.

According to Najib, apart from government offices, other sectors will come under the restrictions.

Malaysia's Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told AFP that school computers would soon be equipped with software to prevent any attempt to access to pornography.

It looks like owning pornographic movies is not such a hot idea for the Malaysians either. Recently, such materials in 3GP (video format used for mobile phones) and RM (real Media video) formats were found on one Malaysian’s laptop. The user has been charged and convicted for owning these movies and intending to sell them to the interested parties. The data transfer is currently done for a small fee in stores officially posing as service centers or even in ones specialized in selling cell phones.

According to slashphone.com, Lim Puay Huat, the unlucky owner of the adult rated movies is the first Malaysian user charged for downloading these files from a pornographic website. A Movies Censorship Law has been validated by this country, banning the viewing of video clips of the type owned by the 21-year-old young man from Jalan Air Panas Baru, Setapak.

Malaysia is seriously considering the possibility that such improper materials would find their way into the hands of minors, and that is the reason behind the extreme severity of the sanction for Lim Puay Huat: if he is to be found guilty, he will have to pay a 50,000 Ringgit fine and he could be imprisoned for a period of maximum 5 years.

It seems hardly surprising that a nation so keen on domestic censorship also likes to censor their oil slaves.

Based on an article from Relief Web

Iraqi journalists say they are being censored by US forces and the Iraqi government because of the topics covered by them in newspapers and on television. The Iraqi Association of Journalists (IAJ) said they have been accused of collaborating with insurgents after trying to report on both sides of the ongoing conflict.

Based on the IAJ information, eight journalists have been detained since March 2005 by US forces, accused of being a security risk to the Iraqi people and the military. Two of the journalists detained by US forces had written articles on the lives of insurgents, after having spent days shadowing them.

We were living without press freedom during Saddam Hussein's regime and today there is not much difference. Journalists are being held by US forces for doing their job when they write about opposing views, said Kamal Aidan, a senior official from the IAJ. In addition, Aidan pointed out that 85 journalists and media staff have been killed in Iraq since March 2003. Of this number, some 62 were Iraqis. The total also included 14 deaths at the hands of US troops.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) called for measures to improve the safety of journalists in April.

Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, spokesperson for US forces said that journalists arrested were considered a security risk. The IFJ is also demanding that US forces and Iraqi authorities free the eight Iraqi journalists, most of whom are working for Western media. These arrests were without formal charges and they do not have the right to do that. Journalism in Iraq is in a very deep crisis and these people should be released immediately as it has been considered an injustice against the freedom of journalists around the world, said Aidan White, IFJ's general secretary

We cannot write with freedom anymore because if you write against them [US forces and Iraqi government] you are going to be considered automatically against them and face the possibility of being closed down. The safety of journalists and press freedom should be at the top of the agenda for action in the coming months to guarantee our freedom in writing and transmitting true news, said the editor of a local Iraqi newspaper, the al-Baghdadi.

From The Free Internet Press

A judge in northern Italy has ordered that Italian author Oriana Fallaci should stand trial on charges of public defamation against Islam in a recent book, the lawyer who filed the lawsuit said recently.

The lawsuit is brought against Fallaci by a Muslim activist, Adel Smith, over Fallaci's book The Strength of Reason, said the Smith's lawyer, Matteo Nicoli. Some of the things she said are offensive to Islam. He cited a phrase from the book that refers to Islam as a pool ... that never purifies.

Fallaci, a former resistance fighter and war correspondent now based in the United States, has often stirred controversy for her blunt publications and provocative stances.

Smith said: Fallaci did her best to propagandize hatred against Islam and Muslims, distorting real historical facts and inventing others. She libeled, offended and defamed many times the Muslims all over the world.

In her 278-page book Fallaci wrote that Muslims multiply like rats and said the children of Allah spend their time with their bottoms in the air, praying five times a day. In it, Fallaci also accuses the Roman Catholic Church of being too weak before the Muslim world and Europe of selling itself to Islam like a prostitute.

From The Guardian

Three Bahraini bloggers are facing criminal charges, including defaming the king, for running a web forum that allows free political debate. Ali Abdulemam, who founded Bahrain's first website, BahrainOnline.org, in 1999, was arrested along with the site's two other moderators.

Although the state telecoms' monopoly has been trying to block it since 2002, Bahrain Online is the country's most popular website. It has has 26,000 registered users. The Gulf state's technologically literate youth have become adept at accessing the site (which is hosted in the US) through proxy addresses. Many of Bahrain Online's contributors attack what they see as government repression, corruption and religious discrimination.

The three were arrested earlier this year, and detained on five charges including "inciting hatred against the government". They were later released, but still face charges.

Bahrain is witnessing unprecedented calls for more democracy. But the authorities want more control over new media. This month, the government said bloggers had to register with the ministry of information - and has even proposed a bill to regulate the use of Bluetooth technology on mobile phones.

The lawyer for the three accused said the charges against them were based on articles they did not write, something a government source also confirmed. Abdulemam said: hadn't even seen the postings they [the authorities] showed me but I could face up to 10 years in prison just for publishing a website.

From The Independent

The eating of sushi and sashimi using the naked bodies of young women as a platter has long been a popular luncheon pastime for a certain type of Chinese businessman. Now the Chinese government has banned the practice. The Beijing government's ban on "body sushi" is ostensibly part of a push to stop businesses using naked bodies to promote their goods, according to reports from the Xinhua news agency.

The Beijing Times newspaper said the new ban had been introduced because serving food on women "insults people's moral quality". But the prohibition of what is widely seen as a "traditional" Japanese custom is also an indication of China's increasingly outspoken antipathy towards Japan which was expressed recently in anti-Japanese rioting in Chinese cities.

Last year the Chinese media reacted angrily to reports that a Japanese restaurant in Kunming, in the Yunnan Province of south-western China, was serving raw fish delicacies on the naked bodies of two university students. Customers paid 1,000 yuan, (£60) a head for the meal. The restaurant was fined and the practice was discontinued.

From Irrawaddy

Major Tint Swe, has become director of Burma’s Press Scrutiny and Registration Board, according to media sources in Rangoon. A prominent journalist in Rangoon said Tint Swe, who took up his duties on Wednesday, has written articles on military subjects for a number of weekly journals, including Eleven News Journal, under the pseudonym Ye Yint Tint Swe.

Tint Swe replaces Aye Tun, who was forced to retire after Prime Minister and Military Intelligence Chief Khin Nyunt was arrested last October on charges of corruption and disobedience. Aye Tun was a former military intelligence officer and was known in the media for his strict censorship policy.

The Press Scrutiny and Registration Board has just banned the weekly Rangoon-based Voice journal from publishing issues in May.

Meanwhile, some journalists in Rangoon are reporting an apparent relaxation in the way the regime is allowing its press conferences to be covered. Live television coverage was allowed of the regime’s most recent press conference, the first time journalists can remember being accorded this latitude. Even questions and answers at the press conference, called following the Rangoon bomb blasts, were televised live.

From Kurdish Media

BIA2 Media Monitoring Desk has prepared a three-month report, which covers the months of January, February and March, and which talks about rights violations in the media sector.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has personally contributed to efforts to limit press freedom by suing the "Gunluk Evrensel" (Daily Evrensel) and the "Cumhuriyet" (Republic) newspapers for a caricature, and the "Zafer" (Victory) newspaper in Gaziantep, for an article.

The 19-page report covers 49 cases, and the situations of 74 media institutions and 76 reporters. During the period, there were two attacks, three threats and three detentions in the media sector. New trials were opened against eight programs or reporters, and courts continued with nine cases. Ten reporters from seven newspapers were handed penalties.

RTUK ordered "Radyo Dunya" (Radio World) off the air for 30 days for presenting a book which had been confiscated. In the year earlier period, RTUK had ordered programs off the air for a total of 120 days. While a total of 21 programs were ordered off the air during the year-earlier period, a total of 11 programs were ordered off the air in current period. Programs were ordered off the air for "negatively affecting the development of children", "denouncing people for religious reasons", "attacking national and moral values", and "exceeding the limits of criticism."

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) fined Turkey a total of 241,085 euros in damages in cases about freedom of expression.

From Sudan Tribune

Police ordered a printing house to stop printing Saturday's edition of the Khartoum Monitor, Sudan's only English-language newspaper, after the editor refused to change an article and an editorial that criticized the government's treatment of displaced people.

Editor William Ezekiel said the government printing house received the order by telephone as it was printing copies of the Monitor. The order came after Ezekiel refused to change articles that criticized police "for intimidation of innocents," he said.

The articles follow clashes this week that left 14 policemen and three civilians dead when citizens resisted attempts to relocate them from a crowded area of the capital to a camp for internally displaced people.  The newspaper reported eyewitnesses saying 33 people were killed and that police had fired into the crowd. The report did not include the government version of the story, which said no weapons were fired.

The United Nations called on the government and all concerned parties to exert maximum restraint in handling the situation to prevent further escalation and loss of life.

Ezekiel said he was waiting to hear from police or other authorities about whether the paper was closed down. It is not a good step. The government ... continues harassing the media despite the signing of the peace agreement and the country's preparations for peace, Ezekiel said.

The Monitor, an independent newspaper, has had its license suspended in the past for publishing articles critical of the government. The paper is particularly known for criticism of conditions in southern Sudan, scene of a 20-year civil war that ended early this year with the signing of a peace agreement between the government and southern rebels.

Sudan has a history of suspending newspapers and detaining journalists. The government has officially lifted state censorship of newspapers but press restrictions continue.

Earlier this month, the pro-Islamist Al Wifaq daily was indefinitely suspended for running articles considered blasphemous. Editor Mohamed Taha Mohamed Ahmed was arrested for violating a three-day suspension order and ignoring another ruling banning the media from writing about the case.

Mobile phones should carry a warning: Usage in an oppressive state could severely damage your life

From Daiji World

A mobile phone was used to film two teenagers having sex at an Abu Dhabi secondary school, police said on Monday. Karim M, 16, and Hesham N, 17, had sex in front of a number of pupils while Somar, 20, photographed the act using his phone. Police said the recording was done in an attempt to blackmail Karim. They also warned that the incident is part of a growing trend in which bluetooth technology is used to spread pornography. Another teenager, Abdulaziz H, has been accused of asking Hesham N. to have sex with Karim M. All four have been taken to court over the incident.

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi authorities have seized more than 6,000 pornographic and fake movies and discs valued at more than Dh600,000. Hamad Al Shamsi, Deputy Director of Information and Publication at the Ministry of Information and Culture, said the trader was trapped by the ministry and the Abu Dhabi Police. A search of the suspect's car produced about 1,000 pornographic films. A raid on the suspect's house was undertaken and 5,000 films and discs were found.

From The Inquirer

The Australian government is having a crack at trying to ban people on the Internet talking about suicide.

An inquiry into the Criminal Code Amendment (Suicide Related Materials) Bill has recommended to parliament that the Bill be passed. It introduces a maximum penalty of $110,000 for using the internet to access, transmit or make available material that counsels or incites suicide.

The big idea is that the law will prevent suicide pacts from being organised online and stop strangers meeting in remote areas to carry them out. The idea has been backed by the biggest opposition group, Labour, but opposed by the Australian Democrats who claim that it is just a daft attempt to censor the internet.

Democrats senator Brian Greig points out that the laws could make the online purchase of a book on voluntary euthanasia illegal, but enable the legal sale of the same book over the counter of a newsagent.

It also makes it an offence to merely discuss voluntary euthanasia on an internet chat group. This is even before the start worrying about the huge amount of material that comes from overseas which is not bound by Aussie law.

From AVN

Uzbek authorities are doing everything to impose a media blackout on reporting about the recent violence in eastern Uzbekistan. While Uzbek state-controlled media presents only the official position, foreign journalists are kept away from the zones of unrest. Human rights and media groups are concerned and urge the authorities to allow journalists to operate freely.

Here is how the host of State TV Channel 1's "Tahlilnoma" analytical weekly described the situation today: Undoubtedly, events in Andijon will be analyzed from different angles, conclusions will be made, and lessons learned. However, what is very clear is that some people with 'black wills' will not become an obstacle for the great caravan of our country moving towards its bright future.

Andrei Babitskii, a correspondent from RFE/RL's Russian Service, is one of the few foreign journalists in Andijon. He says Uzbek state media gives almost no information on the situation in the region.: Practically, they give no information at all. During the two days they broadcast [Uzbek President Islam] Karimov's statement, where he gave his own version of the events, which very much differs from what happened in reality. Local TV broadcast information saying that everything is in order in Andijon, that people hate extremists, and life gets back to normal. In short, the usual Soviet-type propaganda.

Babitskii says it would be completely impossible for Uzbek citizens to understand what is going on in eastern Uzbekistan if they followed only the official media coverage. And he says the difficulty of getting information from any non-state media is even greater for those who live in Andijon itself.

There, local newspapers have been stopped from publishing and the popular radio station Didor has been taken off the air. Babitskii says that the town is also cut off from the Internet.

Several journalists were in Andijon when violence broke out on 13 May. The violence saw an armed group attack a prison to free hundreds of prisoners. After a crowd of several thousand people later gathered around a seized building in the city center to demonstrate against the government, an uncertain number of people were killed in firing by security forces. Tashkent says 30 were killed but witnesses and human rights groups put the number at over 500. Additional violence has been reported over the past few days in other parts of eastern Uzbekistan near the Kyrgyz border, with mixed reports of fatalities.

Journalists in the region, most of whom worked for foreign organizations, have been told to leave zones of unrest for security reasons.

Access to Russian and foreign television news channels transmitted via cable has been cut. Satellite channels are still accessible to those with satellite dishes.

From AVN

In a flurry of late-night deal making, the majority of the anti-adult business provisions of House Bill (HB) 353 were written into HB 972, "Intoxication-Related Traffic Offenses," by the state Senate, which it then passed. Then the revised bill was sent back to the House, which passed that amended bill.

We got so screwed by so many people that made promises that didn't keep them, reported Nellie Symm-Gruender

While the anti-adult provisions of HB 972 are not quite as bad as the language in previous versions, it is reportedly still onerous enough that retailers and cabaret owners will almost certainly be challenging it in court.

The language in HB 353 which has been stricken from HB 972 is:

• It shall be a class A misdemeanor for an employee, while semi-nude in a sexually-oriented business, to solicit any pay or gratuity from any patron or customer or for any patron or customer to pay or give any gratuity to any employee, while said employee is semi-nude in a sexually-oriented business
• No sexually-oriented business may remain open at any time between the hours of midnight and ten a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays. Such businesses shall be closed on all official state or federal holidays and Sundays.
• The Supervisor of the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control shall not issue a license to sell intoxicating liquor or non-intoxicating beer to a sexually oriented business

Cabarets still face plenty of problems under HB 972, however, including the requirement that nude and semi-nude employees must remain at all times at least 10 feet from customers, and on a stage two feet high, behind a two-foot high railing. How the dancers are supposed to collect tips from that position is currently unknown.

The cabaret owners who were there were pretty upset, said it was going to kill them, destroy them, said Symm-Gruender. It's going to be really difficult for them.

Adult retailers fare somewhat better. Apparently, businesses which derive less than 30 percent of their revenue from adult materials are now exempt from the definition, but it will be necessary to see the final passed definition to determine if unconstitutionally-vague phrases like whether a "substantial portion" of the store's merchandise being adult-oriented are still defining characteristics. Also, while previous versions of the language seemed to prohibit adult arcades altogether, the passed version reportedly now allows arcade booths to exist, but requires their interiors to be completely visible, with no curtains or doors to block the view – and no glory holes whatsoever.

HB 972 will now go to Missouri's governor for signature, and opponents like Symm-Gruender and Brown have no doubt that it will be signed into law .. and that's when their legal bill will really start to pile up.

From WWMT

Michigan State lawmakers are trying to stop motorists from showing pornography so it can seen by others on the road. The Michigan Senate passed a bill today that would prohibit the "reckless" display of sexually explicit material inside a vehicle.

People would be guilty only if a member of the general public had to watch the video unwillingly and couldn't reasonable steps to avoid exposure. The first two offenses would bring fines. A third violation could bring jail time.

The bill's sponsor says he heard from a constituent who was stuck in traffic with her children behind a motorist showing porn.

From Reuters

The Mexican director of Batalla en el Cielo (Battle in Heaven) said he included explicit scenes using his cast of non-professional actors because sex consumes everyday life, and he considers carefully scripted cinema sex to be a farce.

His couple are in unaesthetic middle-age. Most people look more like them than the beautiful people you see in advertisements, Reygadas told a news conference after screening of his competition entry at the Cannes film festival. I never wanted to film fat people making love. These were just two people. They weren't beautiful.

Reygadas said his film -- which drew some boos and whistles at a press screening, and questions from journalists at the news conference about the purpose of the sex scenes -- was the antithesis of pornography.

He said he included scenes that shocked -- such as the opening, when a teenage girl performs fellatio on the overweight Mexican man -- to draw viewers into the story. It's not a sex film or a porn film," he said. "Porn aims to sexually excite the viewer. That's not what this is about. It was to create a sense that this goes much further than simple sex. There's a mystery behind it.

Reygadas said he wanted amateur actors for his film. He also said he finds absurd the way many commercial films carefully arrange bed sheets in a completely unrealistic way to conceal body parts during sex scenes, or use actors with perfect bodies.

From The Guardian

An emergency dispatcher at a North Carolina sheriff's department was presented with an ultimatum after the sheriff discovered that she was living with her boyfriend outside of wedlock: get married, move home or find another job.

Carson Smith, the sheriff of Pender county, told Deborah Hobbs that her decision to cohabit was a moral and a legal issue. This is sort of like a double barrel, he told Star-News Wilmington. It is a violation of general statute, and it goes against something that I believe - it is a moral issue ... Personally and morally, I think it's best to be married if you're going to be living together.

North Carolina is one of seven states, including Mississippi, Florida, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia and North Dakota, which prohibit cohabitation. A 200-year-old law which outlaws fornication and adultery for "a man and a woman, not being married together", who live "lewdly and lasciviously" could result in a fine of $1,000 (£539) and up to 60 days in jail. Between 1997 and 2003 35 people were charged under it, of whom seven were convicted.

Hobbs, who has been living with her partner for 12 years, filed a lawsuit in March to get the law changed. The American Civil Liberties Union has taken up Hobbs' case. North Carolina's law is considered vulnerable after the 2003 supreme court ruling on Texas's anti-sodomy laws, which made it more difficult for states to enforce laws regarding sexual behaviour.

Certainly the government has no right regulating relationships between consenting adults in the privacy of their own homes, said Jennifer Rudinger, the executive director of North Carolina's ACLU. This law is 200 years old and a lot of people are very surprised that we even have it on the books.

From IOL

See also letter from IanG

Two teenagers who exchanged "indecent" pictures through their cellphones have been jailed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reports said on Thursday. The 17-year-old boy and 19-year-old girl, both UAE nationals, were each sentenced to spend one month in jail.

The prosecution charged them with exchanging indecent pictures via their cellphones and sending pornographic pictures through email. The Dubai Court of First Instance heard that one of the girl's friends was jealous of the relationship she had with her male friend. This friend tipped off authorities that the two were exchanging indecent material.

Police obtained a search and arrest warrants from the public prosecution, and the two youths were taken in for questioning. Officers were then able to verify that the couple had been exchanging indecent material. The Dubai Court of First Instance issued the sentence.

Conservative Muslim countries in the region like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have also passed legislation to deter owners of cellphones to use them for pornography or for taking pictures of people without their consent.

From The Australian

Western Australia Premier Geoff Gallop will be sent an emailed petition calling for the legal sale of non-violent X-rated erotic films, with the adult industry saying state laws are contradictory.

According to a study by La Trobe University in (Victoria) in 2002, 350,000 West Australians regularly watch this kind of material, so we're not talking about a small market."

The Eros Association Inc said recently that it was legal to buy and possess X-rated material, but illegal to sell it, under WA's censorship Act. Those breaching the law faced a $15,000 fine and a 12-month jail term, association spokeswoman Fiona Patten said: I can't think of another product in Australia that has those kinds of restrictions.

The anomaly of WA's censorship laws was causing a growing underground market of pirated, black-market and unclassified films – those portraying sexual violence or bestiality Patten said. Only in the ACT and Northern Territory are X-rated films sold legally, and you would never see an unclassified film there. In WA I have heard of unclassified films being sold at Chinese restaurants, petrol stations and at regular video shops, totally unregulated.

The Eros Association will seek support for its petition to ease state censorship laws from people attending Perth's four-day Sexpo, described by organisers as the biggest adult lifestyle event of its kind in the world. Patten said there would be five computer terminals available at Sexpo, which starts today, and about 10,000 people were expected to email their concerns to Dr Gallop.

From AVN

State Sen. Matt Bartle doubtlessly thought his omnibus anti-porn bill, SB 32, was dead after the less-than-receptive hearing it had in front of the Missouri House Committee on Local Government on April 21.

But nay, the nutters are reborn. Just one week later, much of the text of SB 32 has reappeared as a Senate Committee (read: "Bartle") amendment to HB 353, whose original function was to give more power to the M