“3 men accused of sex tourism plead not guilty - Lompoc Record” plus 4 more |
- 3 men accused of sex tourism plead not guilty - Lompoc Record
- Exclusive: China eases Macau visas; casino shares mixed - Reuters
- China bans foreign tourists from Tibet - Atlanta Journal Constitution
- Im sick of Ohio State Fans ! - CBS Sports
- States Send Mixed Messages on Tweeting Behind the Wheel - TechNewsWorld
| 3 men accused of sex tourism plead not guilty - Lompoc Record Posted: 21 Sep 2009 04:19 PM PDT [fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content] Three men charged with traveling to Cambodia to engage in sex acts with children have pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles. Ronald Boyajian, Erik Peeters and Jack Sporich entered their pleas Monday in federal court. The men are being held without bail ... This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Exclusive: China eases Macau visas; casino shares mixed - Reuters Posted: 21 Sep 2009 07:15 AM PDT By Doug Young HONG KONG (Reuters) - China has quietly eased restrictions on its citizens traveling from Guangdong province to Macau, sending casino stocks soaring on Monday as industry executives bet on record October earnings in the world's hottest gambling market. Shares of Galaxy Entertainment and Melco International jumped around 9 percent, and SJM Holdings was up more than 6 percent, while the broader Hang Seng stock index fell 0.7 percent. Shares of U.S. casino companies were mixed, with Wynn Resorts (WYNN.O) up 1.2 percent at $70.02 in morning trading. Las Vegas Sands (LVS.N) was down 1.7 percent at $18.53, and MGM Mirage (MGM.N) was down 1.2 percent at $13.06. Alarmed that some Guangdong residents were gambling too much in neighboring Macau, China last year imposed new rules limiting them to two trips a year to the former Portuguese enclave. But the authorities began easing up on the rule as early as two months ago, and noticeably loosened the restriction at the start of this month, said top executives at two of Macau's six casino licensees, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. "The latest version is (they can travel to Macau) once a month out of Guangdong," said one of the executives. "Gaming revenues for the first two weeks of the month have been good." The other executive forecast that October -- a high travel season for Chinese because of the October 1 Golden Week holiday -- could see record monthly casino revenues, in part due to the relaxing of the visa rules. Macau's six casino operators include U.S. giants Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts, along with home-grown players Galaxy and SJM Holdings and joint ventures Melco Crown and a casino jointly operated by MGM Mirage. "We're seeing repeat customers coming back more regularly than previously," said an executive at one of the six operators. "It's been occurring for two and a half months, but they probably lightened up even more since September 1." Macau has rocketed on to the global gambling stage in recent years following reforms earlier this decade that saw an end to a previous monopoly and awarding of licenses to multiple players, boosting competition. The market grew 57 percent in 2007 alone, fueled by a huge influx of mainland Chinese, who now make up about 65 percent of casino visitors. GOLDEN OCTOBER Macau generated HK$105.6 billion ($13.5 billion) in gross gaming revenues in 2008, more than double the HK$46.7 billion generated by the Las Vegas Strip during the same period, according to a prospectus from Wynn Macau, the Macau assets of Wynn Resorts, which is preparing an IPO in Hong Kong. But Beijing clamped down on mainland visitors to Macau in the middle of last year amid a proliferation of stories of officials illegally gambling away millions of dollars in government funds. That clampdown, combined with the global financial crisis, sent a chill through Macau, with gaming revenue down 12.5 percent in the first half of the year. Continued...  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| China bans foreign tourists from Tibet - Atlanta Journal Constitution Posted: 22 Sep 2009 01:59 AM PDT The Associated Press BEIJING — China has banned foreign tourists from traveling to Tibet ahead of a parade in the capital to mark 60 years of Communist rule, an official said Tuesday, amid stepped-up security across the country to ensure nothing mars the celebrations. Tan Lin, an official with the business administration office at the Tourism Bureau of Tibet, said foreign tourists would be banned from Tuesday onwards, but those who have already arrived would be allowed to stay. China has tightened security in recent weeks ahead of the Oct. 1 holiday that will see a military parade through the heart of Beijing, a speech by President Hu Jintao and a huge fireworks display. Sales of knives have been banned at some stores including large retailers such as Wal-Mart and Carrefour after two separate knife attacks near Tiananmen Square last week, according to store officials and state media. A female staffer who gave her last name Lazhen at the sales department of the International Grand Hotel in Lhasa — 2,500 miles (4,023 kilometers) from Beijing — said the ban was in effect until Oct. 8. No foreigners came to her hotel on Monday and business has now down 20 to 30 percent, she said. Fu Jun, an official with the publicity department of the Communist Party in Tibet, said he still had not heard about the ban. China requires foreigners to obtain special permission to visit Tibet and routinely bars them from all Tibetan minority areas of the country during sensitive periods. The region has been periodically off-limits since riots in March 2008 saw Tibetans protesting Beijing's rule attack Chinese migrants and shops, and torch much of Lhasa's commercial district. Chinese officials say 22 people died, but Tibetans say many times more were killed. The violence in Lhasa and protests in Tibetan communities across western China were the most sustained unrest since the late 1980s. Security was intensified again in the weeks leading up to the Beijing Olympics last year and then again this past February and March because of anniversaries of the violence and the Dalai Lama's flight to exile. China says Tibet has historically been a part of its territory since the mid-13th century and the Communist Party has governed the Himalayan region since Communist troops arrived there in 1951. Many Tibetans say they were effectively independent for most of their history and say Chinese rule and economic exploitation are eroding their traditional Buddhist culture. (This version CORRECTS SUBS final 3 grafs to CLARIFY historical details, corrects that China has laid claim to Tibet since 13th century, sted four centuries) ___ September 22, 2009 12:05 AM EDT Copyright 2009, The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Im sick of Ohio State Fans ! - CBS Sports Posted: 22 Sep 2009 05:27 AM PDT I really think OSU can make a major BCS game with 3 losses.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| States Send Mixed Messages on Tweeting Behind the Wheel - TechNewsWorld Posted: 22 Sep 2009 05:05 AM PDT Sorry, readability was unable to parse this page for content.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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