title: Ja'far al-Sadiq

text: Like most other works attributed to al-Mufaddal, the was in fact written by a later, anonymous author who took advantage of al-Mufaddal's status as one of the closest confidants of Ja'far al-Sadiq in order to ascribe their own ideas to the illustrious Imam. However, it differs from other treatises attributed to al-Mufaddal by the absence of any content that is specifically Shi'i in nature, a trait it shares with only one other Mufaddal work—also dealing with a rational proof for the existence of God—the ('Book of the Myrobalan Fruit'). Though both preserved by the 17th-century Shi'i scholar Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi (died 1699), the only thing that connects the and the to Shi'ism more generally is their ascription to Ja'far al-Sadiq and al-Mufaddal. Rather than by Shi'i doctrine, their content appears to be influenced by Mu'tazilism, a rationalistic school of Islamic speculative theology ().


title: Ja'far al-Sadiq

text: The is in fact a revised version of a work falsely attributed to the famous Mu'tazili litterateur al-Jahiz (died 868) under the title ('Book of Proofs and Contemplation on Creation and Administration'). Both the and pseudo-Jahiz's likely go back on an earlier 9th-century text, which has sometimes been identified as the ('Book of Thought and Contemplation') written by the 9th-century Nestorian Christian Jibril ibn Nuh ibn Abi Nuh al-Nasrani al-Anbari.


title: Ja'far al-Sadiq

text: The teleological argument for the existence of God used in the is inspired by Syriac Christian literature (especially commentaries on the Hexameron), and ultimately goes back on Hellenistic models such as the pseudo-Aristotelian ('On the Universe', 3rd/2nd century BCE) and Stoic theology as recorded in Cicero's (106–43 BCE) .


title: Ja'far al-Sadiq

text: "Misbah al-Sharia and Miftah al-Haqiqah" is another work attributed to al-Sadiq. It is on personal conduct, with chapters on various topics such as legal interests interspersed with general moral issues, and advice on how to lead a spiritual life and thus purify the soul.


title: Ja'far al-Sadiq

text: As the first person who came across this book in the 7th century A.H., Sayyed Ibn Tawus described it as a collection of hadiths of Jafar al-Sadiq. It includes a prediction of future events and sufferings. There is a specific Shia chapter in "Knowledge of the Imams" in which the names of all the Imams (both before al-Sadiq and after him) are mentioned during the exchange of reports between the Prophet Muhammad and Salman the Persian. Mohammad Baqer Majlesi considered this work to have been written by Shaqiq al-Balkhi, who supposedly quoted it from "one of the people of knowledge," and not explicitly from Ja'far al-Sadiq. Despite Majlesi's doubts about its authenticity, this work remains very popular as a manual of personal worship and has been the subject of a number of commentaries by prominent Shia and Sufi scholars. It has also been translated into different languages. Its manuscript is available in the library of Gotha.


title: Ja'far al-Sadiq

text: There is also a book on dream interpretation that is attributed to al-Sadiq and is known by the name "Taqsim al-roʾyā". It is identical to the work "Ketāb al-taqsim fi taʿbir al-ḥolm", which is credited to Ja'far al-Sadiq. Eighty various types of dream sightings, ranging from the religious (dreams of God, angels, prophets, and imams) to the profane (dreams of meat, fat, and cheese), are interpreted by Ja'far al-Sadiq in this book. According to Robert Gleave, it is not always clear whether they can be regarded as works attributed to Jafar al-Sadiq or works attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib that is transmitted through Ja'far al-Sadiq. From a Shia perspective, this is not problematic because there is no discernible difference between the knowledge of one imam and that of another from a religious perspective.


title: Ja'far al-Sadiq

text: The "Kitāb al-Ihlīlaja" is presented as al-Sadiq's opinions transmitted through al-Mufaddal. The work is allegedly a response to al-Mufaddal's request for a refutation of atheists.


title: Ja'far al-Sadiq

text: Jafar al-Sadiq describes his own argument with an atheist Indian doctor in it. The discussion took place as the doctor prepared a myrobalan plant-based medication (known in Arabic as "Ihlīlaj", and hence the title of the work).


title: Ja'far al-Sadiq

text: Momen contends that of the few thousand students who are said to have studied under al-Sadiq, only a few could have been Shia, considering that al-Sadiq did not openly advance his claims to the imamate. Notable Shia students of al-Sadiq included


title: Oseltamivir

text: Oseltamivir, sold under the brand name Tamiflu, is an antiviral medication used to treat and prevent influenza A and influenza B, viruses that cause the flu. Many medical organizations recommend it in people who have complications or are at high risk of complications within 48 hours of first symptoms of infection. They recommend it to prevent infection in those at high risk, but not the general population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that clinicians use their discretion to treat those at lower risk who present within 48 hours of first symptoms of infection. It is taken by mouth, either as a pill or liquid.


title: Oseltamivir

text: Recommendations regarding oseltamivir are controversial as are criticisms of the recommendations. A 2014 Cochrane Review concluded that oseltamivir does not reduce hospitalizations, and that there is no evidence of reduction in complications of influenza. Two meta-analyses have concluded that benefits in those who are otherwise healthy do not outweigh its risks. They also found little evidence regarding whether treatment changes the risk of hospitalization or death in high risk populations. However, another meta-analysis found that oseltamivir was effective for prevention of influenza at the individual and household levels.


title: Oseltamivir

text: Common side effects include vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and trouble sleeping. Other side effects may include psychiatric symptoms and seizures. In the United States it is recommended for influenza infection during pregnancy. It has been taken by a small number of pregnant women without signs of problems. Dose adjustment may be needed in those with kidney problems.


title: Oseltamivir

text: Oseltamivir was approved for medical use in the US in 1999. It was the first neuraminidase inhibitor available by mouth. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines but was downgraded to "complementary" status in 2017. A generic version was approved in the US in 2016. In 2020, it was the 178th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 3million prescriptions.


title: Oseltamivir

text: Oseltamivir is used for the prevention and treatment of influenza caused by influenza A and B viruses. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. The WHO supports its use for severe illness due to confirmed or suspected influenza virus infection in critically ill people who have been hospitalized. Oseltamivir's risk-benefit ratio is controversial. In 2017, it was moved from the core to the complementary list based on its lower cost-effectiveness. The Expert Committee did not recommend the deletion of oseltamivir from the EML and EMLc, recognizing that it is the only medicine included on the Model Lists for critically ill patients with influenza and for influenza pandemic preparedness. However, the Committee noted that, since the inclusion of oseltamivir on the Model List in 2009, new evidence in seasonal and pandemic influenza has lowered earlier estimates of the magnitude of effect of oseltamivir on relevant clinical outcomes. The Committee recommended that the listing of oseltamivir be amended, moving the medicine from the core to the Complementary List, and that its use be restricted to severe illness due to confirmed or suspected influenza virus infection in critically ill hospitalized patients. The Expert Committee noted that WHO guidelines for pharmacological management of pandemic and seasonal influenza would be updated in 2017: unless new information is provided to support the use of oseltamivir in seasonal and pandemic outbreaks, the next Expert Committee might consider oseltamivir for deletion.


title: Oseltamivir

text: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Public Health England and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend the use of oseltamivir for people who have complications or are at high risk for complications. This includes those who are hospitalized, young children, those over the age of 65, people with other significant health problems, those who are pregnant, and Indigenous peoples of the Americas among others. The Infectious Disease Society of America takes the same position as the CDC.


title: Oseltamivir

text: A systematic review of systematic reviews in "PLoS One" did not find evidence for benefits in people who are at risk, noting that "the trials were not designed or powered to give results regarding serious complications, hospitalization and mortality", as did a 2014 Cochrane Review. The Cochrane Review further recommended: "On the basis of the findings of this review, clinicians and healthcare policy-makers should urgently revise current recommendations for use of the neuraminidase inhibitors (NIs) for individuals with influenza." That is not utilizing NIs for prevention or treatment "Based on these findings there appears to be no evidence for patients, clinicians or policy-makers to use these drugs to prevent serious outcomes, both in annual influenza and pandemic influenza outbreaks."


title: Oseltamivir

text: The CDC, ECDC, Public Health England, Infectious Disease Society of America, the AAP, and Roche (the originator) reject the conclusions of the Cochrane Review, arguing in part that the analysis inappropriately forms conclusions about outcomes in people who are seriously ill based on results obtained primarily in healthy populations, and that the analysis inappropriately included results from people not infected with influenza. The EMA did not change its labeling of the drug in response to the Cochrane study.


title: Oseltamivir

text: A 2014 review in the "New England Journal of Medicine" recommended that all people admitted to intensive care units during influenza outbreaks with a diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia receive oseltamivir until the absence of influenza infection is established by PCR testing.


title: Oseltamivir

text: A 2015 systematic review and meta-analysis found oseltamivir effective at treating the symptoms of influenza, reducing the length of hospitalization, and reducing the risk of otitis media. The same review found that oseltamivir did not significantly increase the risk of adverse events. A 2016 systematic review found that oseltamivir slightly reduced the time it takes for the symptoms of influenza to be alleviated, and that it also increased the risk of "nausea, vomiting, [and] psychiatric events in adults and vomiting in children." The decrease in duration of sickness was about 18 hours.


title: Oseltamivir

text: In those who are otherwise healthy the CDC states that antivirals may be considered within the first 48 hours. A German clinical practice guideline recommends against its use.


title: Oseltamivir

text: Two 2013 meta-analyses have concluded that benefits in those who are otherwise healthy do not outweigh its risks. When the analysis was restricted to people with confirmed infection, the same 2014 Cochrane Review (see above) found unclear evidence of change in the risk of complications such as pneumonia, while three other reviews found a decreased risk. Together, published studies suggest that oseltamivir reduces the duration of symptoms by 0.5–1.0 day. Any benefit of treatment must be balanced against side effects, which include psychiatric symptoms and increased rates of vomiting.


title: Oseltamivir

text: The 2014 Cochrane Collaboration review concluded that oseltamivir did not affect the need for hospitalizations, and that there is no proof of reduction of complications of influenza (such as pneumonia) because of a lack of diagnostic definitions, or reduction of the spread of the virus. There was also evidence that suggested that oseltamivir prevented some people from producing sufficient numbers of their own antibodies to fight infection. The authors recommended that guidance should be revised to take account of the evidence of small benefit and increased risk of harms.


title: Oseltamivir

text: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the Public Health England (PHE), the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and Roche (the originator) rejected the recommendations of the 2014 Cochrane Review to urgently change treatment guidelines and drug labels.


title: Oseltamivir

text: , the CDC does not recommend to use oseltamivir generally for prevention due to concerns that widespread use will encourage resistance development. They recommend that it be considered in those at high risk, who have been exposed to influenza within 48 hours and have not received or only recently been vaccinated. They recommended it during outbreaks in long term care facilities and in those who are significantly immunosuppressed.


title: Oseltamivir

text: , reviews concluded that when oseltamivir is used preventatively it decreases the risk of exposed people developing symptomatic disease. A systematic review of systematic reviews found low to moderate evidence that it decreases the risk of getting symptomatic influenza by 1 to 12% (a relative decrease of 64 to 92%). It recommended against its use in healthy, low-risk persons due to cost, the risk of resistance development, and side effects and concluded it might be useful for prevention in unvaccinated high risk persons.


title: Oseltamivir

text: Common adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with oseltamivir therapy (occurring in over 1 percent of people) include nausea and vomiting. In adults, oseltamivir increased the risk of nausea for which the number needed to harm was 28 and for vomiting was 22. So, for every 22 adult people on oseltamivir one experienced vomiting. In the treatment of children, oseltamivir also induced vomiting. The number needed to harm was 19. So, for every 19 children on oseltamivir one experienced vomiting. In prevention there were more headaches, kidney, and psychiatric events. Oseltamivir's effect on the heart is unclear: it may reduce cardiac symptoms, but may also induce serious arrhythmias.


title: Oseltamivir

text: Postmarketing reports include liver inflammation and elevated liver enzymes, rash, allergic reactions including anaphylaxis, toxic epidermal necrolysis, abnormal heart rhythms, seizure, confusion, aggravation of diabetes, and haemorrhagic colitis and Stevens–Johnson syndrome.


title: Oseltamivir

text: The US and EU package inserts for oseltamivir contain a warning of psychiatric effects observed in post-marketing surveillance. The frequency of these appears to be low and a causative role for oseltamivir has not been established. The 2014 Cochrane Review found a dose-response effect on psychiatric events. In trials of prevention in adults one person was harmed for every 94 treated. Neither of the two most cited published treatment trials of oseltamivir reported any drug-attributable serious adverse events.


title: Oseltamivir

text: It is pregnancy category C in the United States and category B in Australia, meaning that it has been taken by a small number of women without signs of problems and in animal studies it looks safe. Dose adjustment may be needed in those with kidney problems.


title: Oseltamivir

text: Oseltamivir is a neuraminidase inhibitor, a competitive inhibitor of influenza's neuraminidase enzyme. The enzyme cleaves the sialic acid which is found on glycoproteins on the surface of human cells that helps new virions to exit the cell. Thus oseltamivir prevents new viral particles from being released.


title: Oseltamivir

text: The vast majority of mutations conferring resistance are single amino acid residue substitutions (His274Tyr in N1) in the neuraminidase enzyme. A 2011 meta-analysis of 15 studies found a pooled incidence rate for oseltamivir resistance of 2.6%. Subgroup analyses detected higher rates among influenza A patients, especially the H1N1 subtype. It was found that a substantial number of patients might become oseltamivir-resistant as a result of oseltamivir use, and that oseltamivir resistance might be significantly associated with pneumonia. In severely immunocompromised patients there were reports of prolonged shedding of oseltamivir- (or zanamivir)-resistant virus, even after oseltamivir treatment was stopped.


title: Oseltamivir

text: , the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 314 samples of the prevalent 2009 pandemic H1N1 flu tested worldwide showed resistance to oseltamivir.


title: Oseltamivir

text: The CDC found sporadic oseltamivir-resistant 2009 H1N1 virus infections had been identified, including with rare episodes of limited transmission, but the public health impact had been limited. Those sporadic cases of resistance were found in immunosuppressed patients during oseltamivir treatment and persons who developed illness while receiving oseltamivir chemoprophylaxis.


title: Oseltamivir

text: During 2011, a new influenza A(H1N1)2009 variant with mildly reduced oseltamivir (and zanamivir) sensitivity was detected in more than 10% of community specimens in Singapore and more than 30% of samples from northern Australia.


title: Oseltamivir

text: While there is concern that antiviral resistance may develop in people with haematologic malignancies due to their inability to reduce viral loads and several surveillance studies found oseltamivir-resistant pH1N1 after administration of oseltamivir in those people, , widespread transmission of oseltamivir-resistant pH1N1 has not occurred.


title: Oseltamivir

text: During the 2007–08 flu season, the US CDC found 10.9% of H1N1 samples (n=1,020) to be resistant. In the 2008–09 season, the proportion of resistant H1N1 increased to 99.4%, while no other seasonal strains (H3N2, B) showed resistance.


title: Oseltamivir

text: From 2009 to 2014, oseltamivir resistance was very low in seasonal flu. In the 2010–11 flu season, 99.1% of H1N1, 99.8% of H3N, and 100% of Influenza B remained oseltamivir susceptible in the US. In January 2012, the US and European CDCs reported all seasonal flu samples tested since October 2011 to be oseltamivir susceptible. In the 2013–14 season only 1% of 2009 H1N1 viruses showed oseltamivir resistance. No other influenza viruses were resistant to oseltamivir.


title: Oseltamivir

text: Three studies have found resistance in 0%, 3.3%, and 18% of subjects. In the study with the 18% resistance rate, the subjects were children, many of whom had not been previously exposed to influenza and therefore had a weakened immune response; the results suggest that higher and earlier dosing may be necessary in such populations.


title: Oseltamivir

text: In 2007, Japanese investigators detected neuraminidase-resistant influenza B virus strains in individuals not treated with these drugs. The prevalence was 1.7%. According to the CDC, , transmission of oseltamivir-resistant influenza B virus strains—from persons treated with the drug—is rare.


title: Oseltamivir

text: , H274Y and N294S mutations that confer resistance to oseltamivir have been identified in a few H5N1 isolates from infected patients treated with oseltamivir, and have emerged spontaneously in Egypt.


title: Oseltamivir

text: , two of 14 adults infected with A(H7N9) and treated with oseltamivir developed oseltamivir-resistant virus with the Arg292Lys mutation.


title: Oseltamivir

text: Its oral bioavailability is over 80% and is extensively metabolised to its active form upon first-pass through the liver. It has a volume of distribution of 23–26 litres. Its half-life is about 1–3 hours and its active carboxylate metabolite has a half-life of 6–10 hours. More than 90% of the oral dose is eliminated in the urine as the active metabolite.


title: Oseltamivir

text: Oseltamivir was discovered by scientists at Gilead Sciences using shikimic acid as a starting point for synthesis; shikimic acid was originally available only as an extract of Chinese star anise; but by 2006, 30% of the supply was manufactured recombinantly in "E. coli." Gilead exclusively licensed their relevant patents to Roche in 1996. The drug's patent has not been protected in Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and several other countries.


title: Oseltamivir

text: In 1999, the FDA approved oseltamivir phosphate for the treatment of influenza in adults based on two double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials. In June 2002, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved oseltamivir phosphate for prophylaxis and treatment of influenza. In 2003, a pooled analysis of ten randomised clinical trials concluded that oseltamivir reduced the risk of lower respiratory tract infections resulting in antibiotic use and hospital admissions in adults.


title: Oseltamivir

text: Oseltamivir (as Tamiflu) was widely used during the H5N1 avian influenza epidemic in Southeast Asia in 2005. In response to the epidemic, various governments – including those of the United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, United States, and Australia – stockpiled quantities of oseltamivir in preparation for a possible pandemic and there were worldwide shortages of the drug, driven by the high demand for stockpiling. In November 2005, US President George W. Bush requested that Congress fund US$1 billion for the production and stockpile of oseltamivir, after Congress had already approved $1.8 billion for military use of the drug. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who was a past chairman of Gilead Sciences, recused himself from all government decisions regarding the drug.


title: Oseltamivir

text: In 2006, a Cochrane Review (since withdrawn) raised controversy by concluding that oseltamivir should not be used during routine seasonal influenza because of its low effectiveness.


title: Oseltamivir

text: In December 2008, the Indian drug company Cipla won a case in India's court system allowing it to manufacture a cheaper generic version of Tamiflu, called Antiflu. In May 2009, Cipla won approval from the World Health Organization (WHO) certifying that its drug Antiflu was as effective as Tamiflu, and Antiflu is included in the WHO list of prequalified medicinal products.


title: Oseltamivir

text: In 2009, a new A/H1N1 influenza virus was discovered to be spreading in North America. In June 2009, the WHO declared the A/H1N1 influenza a pandemic. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the CDC, the WHO, and the ECDC maintained their recommendation to use oseltamivir.


title: Oseltamivir

text: From 2010 to 2012, Cochrane requested Roche's full clinical study reports of their trials, which they did not provide. In 2011, a freedom of information request to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) provided Cochrane with reports from 16 Roche oseltamivir trials. In 2012, the Cochrane team published an interim review based on those reports. In 2013, Roche released 74 full clinical study reports of oseltamivir trials after GSK released the data on zanamivir studies. In 2014, Cochrane published an updated review based solely on full clinical study reports and regulatory documents. In 2016, Roche's oseltamivir patents began to expire.


title: Oseltamivir

text: There have been reports of oseltamivir reducing disease severity and hospitalization time in canine parvovirus infection. The drug may limit the ability of the virus to invade the crypt cells of the small intestine and decrease gastrointestinal bacterial colonization and toxin production.


title: Oseltamivir

text: Oseltamivir has been deemed ineffective at treating COVID-19, consistent with the SARS-CoV-2 virus lacking influenza's neuraminidase enzyme.


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: Charles Kent Wilson (born January 29, 1953), also known as Uncle Charlie, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and the former lead vocalist of the Gap Band. As a solo artist Wilson has been nominated for 13 Grammy awards and 11 NAACP Image Awards (including two wins), received a 2009 Soul Train Icon Award, and was a recipient of a BMI Icon Award in 2005. In 2009 and 2020, he was named "Billboard" magazine's No. 1 Adult R&B Artist, and his song "There Goes My Baby" was named the No. 1 Urban Adult Song for 2009 in "Billboard" Magazine.


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: On June 30, 2013, BET honored Wilson with a Lifetime Achievement Award that was presented to him by Justin Timberlake. The BET tribute performances included renditions of Wilson's songs performed by India Arie ("There Goes My Baby"), Jamie Foxx ("Yearning for Your Love"), and Stevie Wonder ("Burn Rubber") but it was not until Wilson himself took to the stage at the request of Timberlake to perform his Grammy-nominated song "You Are" and then transition into a medley of hit songs performing alongside Timberlake and surprise guests Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams that Wilson stole the show during the youth-oriented program.


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: Wilson is the national spokesman of the Prostate Cancer Foundation where there is a Creativity Award in his name which donates hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to researchers across the country for the development of creative science that conforms to PCF funding principles but is short-term and designed to allow development of otherwise unfunded ideas.


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: Charlie Wilson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on January 29, 1953; he was the son of the Reverend Oscar Wilson, a minister in the Church of God in Christ. With his older brother Ronnie and younger brother Robert, Wilson often sang in church before their father's Sunday sermons, accompanied on piano by their mother. He also sang in his junior high school's choir, which was a precursor to his musical career with the Gap Band and later his solo career. He attended high school at Booker T. Washington. He attended Langston University and would go on to become drum major in the Langston University Marching Pride.


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: From the start of his career, Charlie and his brothers, Robert and Ronnie, helped define and popularize an upbeat form of funk music that was infectious and lasting with their group the Gap Band. Magicians Holiday was the debut album by The Gap Band in 1974 on Shelter Records founded by Leon Russell and Denny Cordell. The band recorded at The Church Studio, a historic recording studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The group's songs such as "Outstanding", "Party Train", "Yearning for Your Love", "Burn Rubber on Me", "You Dropped a Bomb on Me", and "Oops Upside Your Head" are among their immense catalog and some of the most sampled songs in music history. After 15 albums the Gap Band announced their retirement in 2010.


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: According to Wilson's website, rapper Snoop Dogg (with whom he is good friends) nicknamed him "Uncle Charlie". Snoop and his wife, Shante, renewed their vows in April 2008 at Wilson's 20 acre ranch outside of Los Angeles, CA. The event inspired the music video to Wilson's hit "There Goes My Baby", which featured Snoop and his wife and was given to them as a gift symbolizing their relationship.


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: A few years later, Michael Paran persuaded Wilson to embark on a solo career. Paran, who is CEO of P Music Group, was responsible for rebranding the GAP Band in 1997 and repositioning them as one of the top R&B touring groups, has managed Wilson for the past 14 years


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: Paran and Wilson independently released Wilson's first solo album "Bridging the Gap", which scored them Wilson's first No. 1 Billboard Urban Adult Contemporary single, "Without You.". In 2004, Paran successfully negotiated a multi-album deal for Wilson with Jive Records. The first album from that deal, "Charlie, Last Name Wilson", debuted in the fall of 2005 featuring production from various hit-making producers including R. Kelly, Justin Timberlake, will.i.am, the Underdogs, Kay Gee, and the Platinum Brothers. The album, which was certified gold by the R.I.A.A., produced the hit single, "Charlie, Last Name Wilson".


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: Since then, Wilson has consistently topped the Billboard Urban Adult Contemporary chart with singles from his follow up albums through P Music/Jive Records. His 2009 CD, "Uncle Charlie", debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 200 and No. 1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and received two 2010 Grammy nominations: Best R&B Album and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male for "There Goes My Baby".


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: In December 2010, "Just Charlie", was released and spawned the hit single "You Are" which held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Urban Adult Contemporary chart for 13 weeks as well as 15 weeks consecutively on the Mediabase chart. The song earned two 2012 Grammy nominations, Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song, giving Wilson, his wife Mahin, and their fellow songwriters Dennis Bettis, Carl M. Days, Jr., and Wirlie Morris (who co-produced the track with Wilson) their first nomination as songwriters together.


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: In the year of 1986, Wilson contributed vocals to Roger & Zapp's hit "Computer Love", a song that become a hit despite initial opposition from Wilson's label. There was a discussion between Troutman and Wilson to create a music video for the song. Unfortunately, this did not come to fruition, due to opposition from the label that Wilson was signed to at the time. The fact that both singers were from rival bands played a hand in the opposition as well. However, the two maintained their close friendship, and would perform often the song together on stage.


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: In 1989, Wilson worked with Eurythmics on their album "We Too Are One", providing backing vocals on several tracks and co-writing the hit song "Revival". Wilson performed the song with the band on the British television chat show "Wogan" in August 1989. Wilson has also been a vocalist and contributor/collaborator to dozens of songs in the hip hop, rap, and R&B communities. Wilson appeared on "The Biggie Duets" together with R. Kelly on the song "Mi Casa". He has worked with Snoop Dogg on numerous projects. Their first collaboration was Snoop's 1996 album "Tha Doggfather", on which Wilson appeared on four songs: "Doggfather", "Snoop Bounce", "Groupie" (also featuring 213, and "Tha Dogg Pound"), and "Snoop's Upside Ya Head". Wilson also worked with 2Pac and the Dogg Pound on an unreleased song "Just Watching" (1996), as well as "Wanted Dead Or Alive", which featured him on the hook and 2Pac & Snoop rapping. He was also featured on the Grammy-nominated single "Beautiful" (together with Pharrell) from Snoop's 2002 album "Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss". Additionally, Wilson appeared on "Signs" (with Justin Timberlake) and "Perfect", both songs from Snoop's 2004 album "R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta) The Masterpiece". He was also featured on Snoop's 2008 album "Ego Trippin'", on the songs "SD is Out" and "Can't Say Goodbye"; the latter was also performed live with Snoop and Wilson at 2008's American Idol Gives Back charity concert.


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: In 2007, Wilson performed in two songs on UGK's "Underground Kingz" album: "Quit Hatin' the South" and "How Long Can It Last".


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: In 2010, chart-topping producer/artist, Kanye West included Wilson on his CD, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy". Wilson recorded over a dozen songs with Kanye and appeared on the following songs:


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: "See Me Now", with Kanye West featuring Beyoncé; "All of the Lights", with Kanye West featuring Rihanna; "Lost in the World", "Runaway", and "Monster", with Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, and Rick Ross. In addition to these songs, Wilson appeared on five of the G.O.O.D. Friday Releases to promote the new CD including, "Lord, Lord, Lord" with Kanye West, featuring Mos Def, Swizz Beatz, Raekwon; and "Good Friday" with Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, and Big Sean. He also appears on "Bound 2", the closer of "Yeezus", West's 2013 album. Altogether Charlie Wilson's albums have sold over one million copies.


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: In 2018, Bruno Mars asked Wilson to join him on the final leg of his 24K Magic Tour. Mars also produced, co-wrote, and sang background vocals on Wilson's 2020 single release, "Forever Valentine". The song peaked to #1 on Billboard's Adult R&B Chart.


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: In 2020, Wilson featured on the song "Roots" with Amine and JID, and Nas' "Car #85", from his Grammy Winning album, "King's Disease". In 2021, he featured on the song "I'll Take You On," with Brockhampton.


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: In 2008, Wilson participated and performed on the ABC Television Special, "America United: Supporting Our Troops", which was taped at Camp Pendleton, in California.


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: Wilson has made it his personal mission to support American troops, especially in the Middle East. He and his band have traveled to Kuwait and Iraq four times (2009, 2010, and twice in 2011), taking his critically acclaimed, high energy show to dozens of bases throughout both countries and giving American military members a "little taste of home." Wilson's November 2011 trip was in response to a special request by the U.S. Armed Forces for Wilson to return to the Middle East and perform at five bases in Kuwait for the thousands of troops stationed there.


title: Charlie Wilson (singer)

text: In 1995, Wilson married Mahin Tat. They met in that same year, when she was his social worker during his time in a drug rehabilitation program. Since 1995, Wilson has been clean from his cocaine and alcohol addictions that led him into becoming homeless and to begin sleeping on the streets of Hollywood Boulevard from 1993 to 1995. In 2008, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and treated successfully with implants. He has since worked with the Prostate Cancer Foundation, encouraging Black men to be tested for the disease. He has also spread awareness by providing vocals for Lupe Fiasco's single, titled "Mission", which focuses on cancer survivors.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) is an audio coding standard for lossy digital audio compression. Designed to be the successor of the MP3 format, AAC generally achieves higher sound quality than MP3 encoders at the same bit rate.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: AAC has been standardized by ISO and IEC as part of the MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 specifications. Part of AAC, HE-AAC ("AAC+"), is part of MPEG-4 Audio and is adopted into digital radio standards DAB+ and Digital Radio Mondiale, and mobile television standards DVB-H and ATSC-M/H.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: AAC supports inclusion of 48 full-bandwidth (up to 96 kHz) audio channels in one stream plus 16 low frequency effects (LFE, limited to 120 Hz) channels, up to 16 "coupling" or dialog channels, and up to 16 data streams. The quality for stereo is satisfactory to modest requirements at 96 kbit/s in joint stereo mode; however, hi-fi transparency demands data rates of at least 128 kbit/s (VBR). Tests of MPEG-4 audio have shown that AAC meets the requirements referred to as "transparent" for the ITU at 128 kbit/s for stereo, and 320 kbit/s for 5.1 audio. AAC uses only a modified discrete cosine transform (MDCT) algorithm, giving it higher compression efficiency than MP3, which uses a hybrid coding algorithm that is part MDCT and part FFT.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: AAC is the default or standard audio format for iPhone, iPod, iPad, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo 3DS, YouTube Music, Apple Music, iTunes, DivX Plus Web Player, PlayStation 4 and various Nokia Series 40 phones. It is supported on a wide range of devices and software such as PlayStation Vita, Wii, digital audio players like Sony Walkman or SanDisk Clip, Android and BlackBerry devices, various in-dash car audio systems, and is also one of the audio formats used on the Spotify web player.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: The discrete cosine transform (DCT), a type of transform coding for lossy compression, was proposed by Nasir Ahmed in 1972, and developed by Ahmed with T. Natarajan and K. R. Rao in 1973, publishing their results in 1974. This led to the development of the modified discrete cosine transform (MDCT), proposed by J. P. Princen, A. W. Johnson and A. B. Bradley in 1987, following earlier work by Princen and Bradley in 1986. The MP3 audio coding standard introduced in 1994 used a hybrid coding algorithm that is part MDCT and part FFT. AAC uses a purely MDCT algorithm, giving it higher compression efficiency than MP3.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: AAC was developed with the cooperation and contributions of companies including Bell Labs, Fraunhofer IIS, Dolby Laboratories, LG Electronics, NEC, NTT Docomo, Panasonic, Sony Corporation, ETRI, JVC Kenwood, Philips, Microsoft, and NTT. It was officially declared an international standard by the Moving Picture Experts Group in April 1997. It is specified both as "Part 7 of the MPEG-2 standard", and "Subpart 4 in Part 3 of the MPEG-4 standard".


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: In 1997, AAC was first introduced as "MPEG-2 Part 7", formally known as "ISO/IEC 13818-7:1997". This part of MPEG-2 was a new part, since MPEG-2 already included "MPEG-2 Part 3", formally known as "ISO/IEC 13818-3: MPEG-2 BC" (Backwards Compatible). Therefore, MPEG-2 Part 7 is also known as "MPEG-2 NBC" (Non-Backward Compatible), because it is not compatible with the MPEG-1 audio formats (MP1, MP2 and MP3).


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: MPEG-2 Part 7 defined three profiles: "Low-Complexity" profile (AAC-LC / LC-AAC), "Main" profile (AAC Main) and "Scalable Sampling Rate" profile (AAC-SSR). AAC-LC profile consists of a base format very much like AT&T's Perceptual Audio Coding (PAC) coding format, with the addition of temporal noise shaping (TNS), the Kaiser window (described below), a nonuniform quantizer, and a reworking of the bitstream format to handle up to 16 stereo channels, 16 mono channels, 16 low-frequency effect (LFE) channels and 16 commentary channels in one bitstream. The Main profile adds a set of recursive predictors that are calculated on each tap of the filterbank. The SSR uses a 4-band PQMF filterbank, with four shorter filterbanks following, in order to allow for scalable sampling rates.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: In 1999, MPEG-2 Part 7 was updated and included in the MPEG-4 family of standards and became known as "MPEG-4 Part 3", "MPEG-4 Audio" or "ISO/IEC 14496-3:1999". This update included several improvements. One of these improvements was the addition of "Audio Object Types" which are used to allow interoperability with a diverse range of other audio formats such as TwinVQ, CELP, HVXC, Text-To-Speech Interface and MPEG-4 Structured Audio. Another notable addition in this version of the AAC standard is "Perceptual Noise Substitution" (PNS). In that regard, the AAC profiles (AAC-LC, AAC Main and AAC-SSR profiles) are combined with perceptual noise substitution and are defined in the MPEG-4 audio standard as Audio Object Types. MPEG-4 Audio Object Types are combined in four MPEG-4 Audio profiles: Main (which includes most of the MPEG-4 Audio Object Types), Scalable (AAC LC, AAC LTP, CELP, HVXC, TwinVQ, Wavetable Synthesis, TTSI), Speech (CELP, HVXC, TTSI) and Low Rate Synthesis (Wavetable Synthesis, TTSI).


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: The reference software for MPEG-4 Part 3 is specified in MPEG-4 Part 5 and the conformance bit-streams are specified in MPEG-4 Part 4. MPEG-4 Audio remains backward-compatible with MPEG-2 Part 7.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: The MPEG-4 Audio Version 2 (ISO/IEC 14496-3:1999/Amd 1:2000) defined new audio object types: the low delay AAC (AAC-LD) object type, bit-sliced arithmetic coding (BSAC) object type, parametric audio coding using harmonic and individual line plus noise and error resilient (ER) versions of object types. It also defined four new audio profiles: High Quality Audio Profile, Low Delay Audio Profile, Natural Audio Profile and Mobile Audio Internetworking Profile.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: The HE-AAC Profile (AAC LC with SBR) and AAC Profile (AAC LC) were first standardized in ISO/IEC 14496-3:2001/Amd 1:2003. The HE-AAC v2 Profile (AAC LC with SBR and Parametric Stereo) was first specified in ISO/IEC 14496-3:2005/Amd 2:2006.<ref name="ISO 14496-3:2005/Amd.2"></ref> The Parametric Stereo audio object type used in HE-AAC v2 was first defined in ISO/IEC 14496-3:2001/Amd 2:2004.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: The MPEG-4 Part 3 standard also contains other ways of compressing sound. These include lossless compression formats, synthetic audio and low bit-rate compression formats generally used for speech.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: Advanced Audio Coding is designed to be the successor of the "MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3", known as MP3 format, which was specified by ISO/IEC in 11172-3 (MPEG-1 Audio) and 13818-3 (MPEG-2 Audio).


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: Blind tests in the late 1990s showed that AAC demonstrated greater sound quality and transparency than MP3 for files coded at the same bit rate.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: Overall, the AAC format allows developers more flexibility to design codecs than MP3 does, and corrects many of the design choices made in the original MPEG-1 audio specification. This increased flexibility often leads to more concurrent encoding strategies and, as a result, to more efficient compression. This is especially true at very low bit rates where the superior stereo coding, pure MDCT, and better transform window sizes leave MP3 unable to compete.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: While the MP3 format has near-universal hardware and software support, primarily because MP3 was the format of choice during the crucial first few years of widespread music file-sharing/distribution over the internet, AAC is a strong contender due to some unwavering industry support.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: AAC is a wideband audio coding algorithm that exploits two primary coding strategies to dramatically reduce the amount of data needed to represent high-quality digital audio:


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: The MPEG-4 audio standard does not define a single or small set of highly efficient compression schemes but rather a complex toolbox to perform a wide range of operations from low bit rate speech coding to high-quality audio coding and music synthesis.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: AAC encoders can switch dynamically between a single MDCT block of length 1024 points or 8 blocks of 128 points (or between 960 points and 120 points, respectively).


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: AAC takes a modular approach to encoding. Depending on the complexity of the bitstream to be encoded, the desired performance and the acceptable output, implementers may create profiles to define which of a specific set of tools they want to use for a particular application.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: The MPEG-2 Part 7 standard (Advanced Audio Coding) was first published in 1997 and offers three default profiles:


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: The MPEG-4 Part 3 standard (MPEG-4 Audio) defined various new compression tools (a.k.a. Audio Object Types) and their usage in brand new profiles. AAC is not used in some of the MPEG-4 Audio profiles. The MPEG-2 Part 7 AAC LC profile, AAC Main profile and AAC SSR profile are combined with Perceptual Noise Substitution and defined in the MPEG-4 Audio standard as Audio Object Types (under the name AAC LC, AAC Main and AAC SSR). These are combined with other Object Types in MPEG-4 Audio profiles. Here is a list of some audio profiles defined in the MPEG-4 standard:


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: One of many improvements in MPEG-4 Audio is an Object Type called Long Term Prediction (LTP), which is an improvement of the Main profile using a forward predictor with lower computational complexity.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: Applying error protection enables error correction up to a certain extent. Error correcting codes are usually applied equally to the whole payload. However, since different parts of an AAC payload show different sensitivity to transmission errors, this would not be a very efficient approach.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: Error Resilience (ER) techniques can be used to make the coding scheme itself more robust against errors.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: The audio coding standards MPEG-4 Low Delay (AAC-LD), Enhanced Low Delay (AAC-ELD), and Enhanced Low Delay v2 (AAC-ELDv2) as defined in ISO/IEC 14496-3:2009 and ISO/IEC 14496-3:2009/Amd 3 are designed to combine the advantages of perceptual audio coding with the low delay necessary for two-way communication. They are closely derived from the MPEG-2 Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) format. AAC-ELD is recommended by GSMA as super-wideband voice codec in the IMS Profile for High Definition Video Conference (HDVC) Service.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: No licenses or payments are required for a user to stream or distribute content in AAC format. This reason alone might have made AAC a more attractive format to distribute content than its predecessor MP3, particularly for streaming content (such as Internet radio) depending on the use case.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: However, a patent license is required for all manufacturers or developers of AAC codecs. For this reason, free and open source software implementations such as FFmpeg and FAAC may be distributed in source form only, in order to avoid patent infringement. (See below under Products that support AAC, Software.)


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: The AAC patent holders include Bell Labs, Dolby, Fraunhofer, LG Electronics, NEC, NTT Docomo, Panasonic, Sony Corporation, ETRI, JVC Kenwood, Philips, Microsoft, and NTT.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: In addition to the MP4, 3GP and other container formats based on ISO base media file format for file storage, AAC audio data was first packaged in a file for the MPEG-2 standard using Audio Data Interchange Format (ADIF), consisting of a single header followed by the raw AAC audio data blocks. However, if the data is to be streamed within an MPEG-2 transport stream, a self-synchronizing format called an Audio Data Transport Stream (ADTS) is used, consisting of a series of frames, each frame having a header followed by the AAC audio data. This file and streaming-based format are defined in MPEG-2 Part 7, but are only considered informative by MPEG-4, so an MPEG-4 decoder does not need to support either format. These containers, as well as a raw AAC stream, may bear the .aac file extension. MPEG-4 Part 3 also defines its own self-synchronizing format called a Low Overhead Audio Stream (LOAS) that encapsulates not only AAC, but any MPEG-4 audio compression scheme such as TwinVQ and ALS. This format is what was defined for use in DVB transport streams when encoders use either SBR or parametric stereo AAC extensions. However, it is restricted to only a single non-multiplexed AAC stream. This format is also referred to as a Low Overhead Audio Transport Multiplex (LATM), which is just an interleaved multiple stream version of a LOAS.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: In December 2003, Japan started broadcasting terrestrial DTV ISDB-T standard that implements MPEG-2 video and MPEG-2 AAC audio.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: In April 2006 Japan started broadcasting the ISDB-T mobile sub-program, called 1seg, that was the first implementation of video H.264/AVC with audio HE-AAC in Terrestrial HDTV broadcasting service on the planet.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: In December 2007, Brazil started broadcasting terrestrial DTV standard called International ISDB-Tb that implements video coding H.264/AVC with audio AAC-LC on main program (single or multi) and video H.264/AVC with audio HE-AACv2 in the 1seg mobile sub-program.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: The ETSI, the standards governing body for the DVB suite, supports AAC, HE-AAC and HE-AAC v2 audio coding in DVB applications since at least 2004. DVB broadcasts which use the H.264 compression for video normally use HE-AAC for audio.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: In April 2003, Apple brought mainstream attention to AAC by announcing that its iTunes and iPod products would support songs in MPEG-4 AAC format (via a firmware update for older iPods). Customers could download music in a closed-source Digital Rights Management (DRM)-restricted form of 128 kbit/s AAC (see FairPlay) via the iTunes Store or create files without DRM from their own CDs using iTunes. In later years, Apple began offering music videos and movies, which also use AAC for audio encoding.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: On May 29, 2007, Apple began selling songs and music videos from participating record labels at higher bitrate (256 kbit/s cVBR) and free of DRM, a format dubbed "iTunes Plus" . These files mostly adhere to the AAC standard and are playable on many non-Apple products but they do include custom iTunes information such as album artwork and a purchase receipt, so as to identify the customer in case the file is leaked out onto peer-to-peer networks. It is possible, however, to remove these custom tags to restore interoperability with players that conform strictly to the AAC specification. As of January 6, 2009, nearly all music on the USA regioned iTunes Store became DRM-free, with the remainder becoming DRM-free by the end of March 2009.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: iTunes offers a "Variable Bit Rate" encoding option which encodes AAC tracks in the Constrained Variable Bitrate scheme (a less strict variant of ABR encoding); the underlying QuickTime API does offer a true VBR encoding profile however.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: As of September 2009, Apple has added support for HE-AAC (which is fully part of the MP4 standard) only for radio streams, not file playback, and iTunes still lacks support for true VBR encoding.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: For a number of years, many mobile phones from manufacturers such as Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, BenQ-Siemens and Philips have supported AAC playback. The first such phone was the Nokia 5510 released in 2002 which also plays MP3s. However, this phone was a commercial failure and such phones with integrated music players did not gain mainstream popularity until 2005 when the trend of having AAC as well as MP3 support continued. Most new smartphones and music-themed phones support playback of these formats.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: Almost all current computer media players include built-in decoders for AAC, or can utilize a library to decode it. On Microsoft Windows, DirectShow can be used this way with the corresponding filters to enable AAC playback in any DirectShow based player. Mac OS X supports AAC via the QuickTime libraries.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: Adobe Flash Player, since version 9 update 3, can also play back AAC streams. Since Flash Player is also a browser plugin, it can play AAC files through a browser as well.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: The Rockbox open source firmware (available for multiple portable players) also offers support for AAC to varying degrees, depending on the model of player and the AAC profile.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: Optional iPod support (playback of unprotected AAC files) for the Xbox 360 is available as a free download from Xbox Live.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: Some of these players (e.g., foobar2000, Winamp, and VLC) also support the decoding of ADTS (Audio Data Transport Stream) using the SHOUTcast protocol. Plug-ins for Winamp and foobar2000 enable the creation of such streams.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: In May 2006, Nero AG released an AAC encoding tool free of charge, "Nero Digital Audio" (the AAC codec portion has become Nero AAC Codec), which is capable of encoding LC-AAC, HE-AAC and HE-AAC v2 streams. The tool is a Command Line Interface tool only. A separate utility is also included to decode to PCM WAV.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: Various tools including the foobar2000 audio player and MediaCoder can provide a GUI for this encoder.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: FAAC and FAAD2 stand for Freeware Advanced Audio Coder and Decoder 2 respectively. FAAC supports audio object types LC, Main and LTP. FAAD2 supports audio object types LC, Main, LTP, SBR and PS. Although FAAD2 is free software, FAAC is not free software.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: A Fraunhofer-authored open-source encoder/decoder included in Android has been ported to other platforms. FFmpeg’s native AAC encoder does not support HE-AAC and HE-AACv2, but GPL 2.0+ of ffmpeg is not compatible with FDK AAC, hence ffmpeg with libfdk-aac is not redistributable. The QAAC encoder that is using Apple's Core Media Audio is still higher quality than FDK.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: The native AAC encoder created in FFmpeg's libavcodec, and forked with Libav, was considered experimental and poor. A significant amount of work was done for the 3.0 release of FFmpeg (February 2016) to make its version usable and competitive with the rest of the AAC encoders. Libav has not merged this work and continues to use the older version of the AAC encoder. These encoders are LGPL-licensed open-source and can be built for any platform that the FFmpeg or Libav frameworks can be built.


title: Advanced Audio Coding

text: Both FFmpeg and Libav can use the Fraunhofer FDK AAC library via libfdk-aac, and while the FFmpeg native encoder has become stable and good enough for common use, FDK is still considered the highest quality encoder available for use with FFmpeg. Libav also recommends using FDK AAC if it is available.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Some countries outlaw the act of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for money, while others allow prostitution itself, but not most forms of procuring (such as operating brothels, facilitating the prostitution of another, deriving financial gain from the prostitution of another, soliciting/loitering).


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In nine European countries (Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, and Turkey), prostitution is legal and regulated.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: The degree of enforcement of the anti-prostitution laws varies by country, by region, and by city. In many places, there is a big discrepancy between the laws which exist on the books and what happens in practice.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Depending on the country, various prostitution-related activities may be prohibited (where a specific law forbids such activity), decriminalized (where there is no specific law either forbidding or allowing and regulating the activity), or regulated (where a specific law explicitly allows and regulates the activity if certain conditions are met). Activities which are subject to the prostitution laws include: selling and buying sexual services, soliciting in public places, running brothels, deriving financial gain from the prostitution of another, offering premises to be used for prostitution etc. Often, the prostitution laws are not clear-cut, and are subject to interpretation, leading to many legal loopholes. While the policy regarding adult prostitution differs by country, child prostitution is illegal throughout Europe. Similarly, human trafficking, forced prostitution, and other abusive activities are also prohibited.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: The legal and social treatment of prostitution differs widely by country. Very permissive prostitution policies exist in the Netherlands and Germany, and these countries are major destinations for international sex tourism. Amsterdam's prostitution windows are famous all over the world. In Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Northern Ireland, France, and the Republic of Ireland, it is illegal to pay for sex, but not to be a prostitute (the client commits a crime, but not the prostitute). Other countries which have restrictive prostitution policies and officially affirm an anti-prostitution stance are Great Britain, Denmark and Finland. In countries such as Spain, Italy, and the Czech Republic, attitudes are more "laissez-faire" and tolerant, but prostitution is not officially recognized as a job, and not officially and legally regulated, and pimping is forbidden.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in Armenia is illegal under administrative law (Article 179.1). Related activities such as running a brothel and pimping are prohibited by the Criminal Code, although there are known to be brothels in the capital, Yerevan, and in Gyumri. According to UNESCO, since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, prostitution in the country has grown. There are about 5,600 women involved in prostitution in Armenia, roughly 1,500 of them are in Yerevan. However, official police figures are far lower, for example 240 in 2012. Police and other safety forces reportedly tolerate prostitution. Many women turn to prostitution due to unemployment.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in Azerbaijan is illegal but common. Prostitution is an administrative offence and punishable by a fine. Keeping a brothel is a criminal offence and punishable by up to 6 years imprisonment. In 2017 a draft law proposing to add heavy fines to the punishment for keeping a brothel was before the National Assembly. It has been estimated that there are 25,054 prostitutes in Azerbaijan, some of which are aged 15 – 18.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution is illegal in Belarus but commonplace and is an administrative, rather than criminal, offence. Running a brothel is forbidden and engaging in other means of pimping are punishable by up to 10 years in prison. UNAIDS estimated there were 22,000 sex workers in Belarus in 2016.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution itself is legal, but organised prostitution (brothels, prostitution rings, or other forms of procuring) is prohibited. Because of poor socioeconomic conditions, a high number of Romani women are involved in prostitution.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Bulgaria originally gained a reputation as a transit country for human trafficking, but subsequently, it has become known as a destination where the sex trade takes place.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: The Bulgarian government has stepped up its efforts to eradicate human trafficking. The sex trade is a major source of income for Bulgarian criminals. In 2013 there were 20,000 Bulgarian prostitutes working abroad and this was a source of foreign exchange earnings for Bulgaria.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In the Czech Republic, prostitution is legal, but brothels and other forms of procuring are prohibited. The enforcement of these laws is lax, and prostitution and other activities which surround it are very common in the country.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Ever since the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia in 1989 led to the creation of the two independent states Czech Republic and Slovakia, prostitution has been flourishing, and has contributed its share to the region's booming tourist economy. It is widespread in Prague and areas near the Republic's borders with Germany and Austria. In 2002, the Czech Statistical Bureau estimated the trade to be worth six billion Czech koruna ($217 million) a year.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In Georgia, prostitution is illegal but widespread, particularly in the capital, Tbilisi. Many NGO's attribute this to the harsh economic conditions according to the US State Department. Prostitution occurs on the streets, in bars, nightclubs, hotels and brothels. UNAIDS estimate there are 6,525 prostitutes in Georgia.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: The Black Sea resorts, especially Gonio, become a sex tourism destination in the summer months. many prostitutes, mainly Central Asian and from the North Caucasus come to the area. Due to the close proximity of the Turkish border, and no visa requirements for Turks, many men from Turkey come to the area to find prostitutes.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution is legal and regulated in Hungary. (It has been legalized and regulated by the government since 1999.) Under the law, prostitutes are professionals who engage in sexual activities in exchange for money. The government allows this activity as long as they pay taxes and keep legal documents.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In 2007, the prostitution and pornography industry in Hungary was estimated by Hungary's tax authority APEH to generate $1 billion annually.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In Kazakhstan prostitution itself is legal, but acts facilitating prostitution, such as operating a brothel or prostitution ring, are illegal. Forced prostitution and prostitution connected to organized crime are prohibited. NGOs reported that criminal prostitution rings often included local law enforcement officials.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Estimates of the number of prostitutes in Kazakhstan vary from 4,000 and 25.000, including a number from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Morals Police captain Vladimir Istrati is quoted as saying "Prostitution in Moldova is a very well organised crime, there is a precise structure of operation which includes secretary, office, and owner." The secretary is hard to file evidence against because they are most likely to conceal their true activity behind offering exotic services over the phone. Nailing down prostitutes and pimps is easier."


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In Poland prostitution is legal, but operating brothels or other forms of pimping or coercive prostitution and prostitution of minors are prohibited, as is living off someone else's prostitution.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution is present in various forms in the country and a 2007 US State Department report stated that many women who worked as prostitutes were employed in massage parlors and escort services that functioned as brothels, although technically illegal.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution is the only profession in Poland that is not taxed, but sex workers may be asked by authorities to prove that is what they do, since prostitution is not recognized as legitimate work, and therefore receive no social benefits.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in Romania is not itself criminalized, although associated activities, such as procuring, are criminal offenses, and solicitation is a contravention punishable by fines.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Solicitation is an administrative offence ("contravenție") punishable by a fine of 500–1500 lei (approximately 110–330 euros as of 2016). The National Police, Local Police and Gendarmes are all responsible for enforcing the laws, although there are reports that law enforcement is corrupt and that police are often violent.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Clients are not prosecuted, unless they knowingly use the services of a victim of forced prostitution, or the prostitute is a minor (Art. 216"1").


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Article 213 criminalizes procuring; it states that "The causing or facilitation of the practice of prostitution or the obtaining of financial benefits from the practice of prostitution by one or more individuals shall be punishable by no less than 2 and no more than 7 years of imprisonment and a ban on the exercise of certain rights." In certain aggravated circumstances, the punishment increases. The penal code also criminalizes several offenses against slavery, human trafficking, child trafficking, forced labour, and using exploited persons (Art. 182 "Exploitation of a person", Art. 209 "Slavery", Art. 210 "Trafficking in human beings", Art. 211 "Trafficking in underage persons", Art. 212 "Pressing into forced or compulsory labor", Art. 216 "Use of an exploited person's services").


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution is an administrative, but not criminal, offence in Russia (such as, for example, drinking beer in a public place or walking nude on the street). The maximum punishment is a fine up to 2000 rubles (~$30); however, organising prostitution or engaging somebody into prostitution is punishable by a prison term.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution itself is legal, but operating brothels and other activities related to prostitution are prohibited. Public order offences are used against women who work on the streets.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution is illegal in Ukraine, but is nevertheless widespread and largely ignored by the government. Laws criminalizing organised prostitution and penalties for human trafficking have had little effect because many convicted traffickers often do not end up serving prison time. The economic decline in Ukraine made the nation vulnerable and forced many to depend on prostitution and trafficking as a source of income. Sex tourism rose as the country attracted greater numbers of foreign tourists.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In Denmark, prostitution was partly decriminalized in 1999, based partly on the premise that it was easier to police a legal trade than an illegal one. Third-party activities, such as profiting from brothel administration and other forms of procuring, remain illegal activities in Denmark, as do pimping and prostitution of minors.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Under Danish Jurisdiction, the legal status of prostitution remains lawful. However, there is no evidence of organised prostitution within the self-governing territory.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in Estonia is legal in itself, but organized prostitution is illegal. Since prostitution is a sensitive indicator that develops with changes in the social environment and the state, it is useful to divide the history of this phenomenon from Estonia's first independence according to the different historical stages of the country.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Firstly, the period of Estonian independence 1918–1940, when the prostitution in Estonia was legalized. Secondly, the period of the Soviet occupation when prostitution was criminalized. Thirdly, since Estonian new independence when prostitution is neither criminalized nor legalized (that is, the selling of and buying of a sexual service is not a crime but prostitution is not considered a profession either).


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution itself is legal in Finland (soliciting in a public place is illegal), but organised prostitution, operating a brothel or a prostitution ring, and other forms of pimping) is illegal. In June 2006, parliament voted by 158 to 15 with four abstentions to approve a bill which outlaws the buying of sexual services from prostitutes if it is linked to human trafficking. According to a recent TAMPEP study, 69% of prostitutes are foreigners. As of 2009, there was little "visible" prostitution in Finland, as it was mostly limited to private residences and nightclubs in larger metropolitan areas.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Paying for sex is illegal in Iceland (the client commits a crime, but the prostitute does not). The police have stated that they do not have the resources to enforce the law. Consequently, a vigilante group called "Stóra systir" ("Big Sister") has been formed.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: A report published in 2017 by the "National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police" states that prostitution had "exploded" in the previous 18 months. The vast majority of prostitutes in the country are foreign. Police believe prostitution in Iceland is partially tied to organised crime and human trafficking.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution itself is legal in the Republic of Ireland, however since March 2017, it has been an offence to buy sex. Third party involvement such as operating brothels, and other forms of pimping, are also illegal. Although the 2017 law criminalising clients was designed to reduce the demand for prostitution, the law has had little effect.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Most prostitution in Ireland occurs indoors and is advertised via the internet. Street prostitution has declined considerably.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution is legal and regulated in Latvia. Prostitutes must register, must undergo monthly health checks, and must carry a health card; if they fail to do so, they can be penalized. Although prostitution is regulated in Latvia, brothels and other forms of procuring are illegal. According to the law, "Any activity of the third person which promotes prostitution is prohibited", and, "Persons are prohibited to join in groups in order to offer and provide sexual services".


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in Lithuania is illegal, but it is common. Law enforcement is weak, corrupt and is reputedly connected to organised crime. It is estimated that there are 3,000 prostitutes in the capital Vilnius. Many of them are foreign, predominantly Russian, but there are also significant numbers from Belarus, Ukraine and Poland. Street prostitution, including underage prostitutes, is generally controlled by criminal elements.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Paying for sex is illegal (the client commits a crime, but the prostitute does not). This law prohibiting the buying of sexual services (sexkjøpsloven) came into effect on 1 January 2009, following the passing of new legislation by the Storting in November 2008. Soliciting and advertising "sexual services" is also illegal under the Norwegian Criminal Code ("Straffeloven") section 378 and section 202(3).


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In 2013, it was estimated there were 3,000 sex workers working in Norway (population 5 million). Earnings from sex trade are estimated at 390 million kroner (£39m, $US63m, €48m).


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Paying for sex is illegal (the client commits a crime, but not the prostitute). The Sex Purchase Act ("Sexköpslagen"), which makes it illegal to pay for sex, but not to be a prostitute, was adopted in 1999, and was then unique. Since then, similar laws have been passed in Norway and Iceland.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: The rationale underpinning the law was the view that prostitution was a form of violence against women so the crime consists in the customer paying for sex, not in the prostitute selling sexual services. This 'rationale' sees the seller of sex as the exploited partner in the exchange.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In Great Britain, prostitution itself is legal, but a number of related activities, including soliciting in a public place, kerb crawling, keeping a brothel, pimping, and pandering, are outlawed.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: The Policing and Crime Act 2009 makes it illegal to pay for sex with a prostitute who has been "subjected to force", and this is a "strict liability offence" (clients can be prosecuted even if they didn't know the prostitute was forced).


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In Northern Ireland, which previously had similar laws to the rest of the United Kingdom, paying for sex became a crime when the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice and Support for Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 was enacted in January 2015.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in Guernsey is legal, but related activities such as solicitation and brothel keeping are prohibited. At the end of the 19th century prostitution was common in Guernsey, especially in St Peter Port where around 500 soldiers were garrisoned. A large number of the prostitutes were French.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution is legal in the Isle of Man but related activities such as soliciting, procuring and brothel keeping are prohibited by the Sexual Offences Act 1992.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: There are few prostitutes permanently on the Isle of Man, most visiting the island on short term "tours". A man and a woman were arrested on suspicion of committing prostitution offences in Douglas in 2013. A police spokesman said this was "an unusual and rare incident."


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in Jersey is legal, but related activities such as keeping a brothel are outlawed. Following a consultation period from 1 September 2017 and 13 October 2017, the Home Affairs Minister approved a new draft Sexual Offences (Jersey) Law to be debated in the Assembly of the States of Jersey. The draft law does not criminalise prostitution, but consolidates previous legislation on related activities.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In 2015 it was estimated there were 35–40 prostitutes in Jersey. Most visit the island for short periods and work from hotels.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, prostitution in Albania was virtually unknown. The migration from rural areas to the cities, and economic problems that followed the collapse caused some women to turn to prostitution.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Street prostitution occurs near the centre of the capital, Tirana, mainly by Roma men and women. Some students work as prostitutes from hotels or motels in Tirana and other big cities. Brothels also found in the cities.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in Bosnia and Herzegovina is legal, but related activities such as solicitation and keeping a brothel are illegal. The law treats procuring as a major crime. Under the law, trafficking is a state-level crime that carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. In 2016, UNAIDS estimated there to be 4,000 prostitutes in the country.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in Croatia is illegal, but common. Forcible prostitution, any kind of brothels, or procuring are treated as felony, while voluntary prostitution is considered to be infraction against public order (for prostitutes only; clients are not in violation of law). Like in many other Southeast European countries, the problem of human trafficking for the purposes of sex is big in Croatia. However, according to the U.S. State Department, Croatia is a tier 1 country, actively working to prevent the sex trade.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: The law does not prohibit prostitution itself, but operating brothels, organizing prostitution rings, living off the profits of prostitution, encouraging prostitution or forcing a person to engage in prostitution are illegal activities.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Cyprus has been criticised by the US State Department for failing to control the flow of illegal immigrants and legal to be involved in forced prostitution. Cyprus has gained a reputation for being a major transit point for people smugglers to transport women for the purposes of prostitution. International observers have criticized the government for its lack of action to prevent forced prostitution. The law of Cyprus forbids forced (but not voluntary) prostitution. However, it is believed that many immigrants are hired as barmaids and coerced into prostitution by this method.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is only recognised as a separate state by Turkey. Prostitution is illegal, however in nightclubs, "konsomatrices", who sit with, eat with or entertain customers for money are allowed. Konsomatrices are not allowed to have sex with customers, but this restriction is frequently flouted. Enforcement is generally lax, but in July 2006 the Nicosia District Court ordered the first prostitution-related imprisonment. After pleading no contest to the charges, the manager of Mexico nightclub, Mesut Kilicarslan, was sentenced to 15 days in prison for encouraging and profiting from prostitution. By the year's end three more suspects were sentenced to imprisonment for encouraging and profiting from prostitution.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution is illegal in Gibraltar, as are related activities. Prior to its abolition in 1992 prostitution was concentrated in the red-light district of Seruya's Ramp.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution is legal at the age of 18. Persons engaged in prostitution must register at the local prefecture and carry a medical card that is updated every two weeks. Greek authorities decided to implement a 1999 law which stipulates that all brothels must have permits. It is estimated that fewer than 1,000 women are legally employed as prostitutes and approximately 20,000 women, most of foreign origin, are engaged in illegal prostitution. According to NGO estimates, there are 13,000-14,000 trafficking victims in the country at any given time. Major countries of origin for trafficking victims include Nigeria, Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria, Moldova and Belarus.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In Italy, prostitution, defined as the exchange of sexual acts for money, is legal, although organized prostitution, whether indoors in brothels or controlled by third parties, is prohibited. Brothels were banned in 1958. Individual sex workers working from apartments are "tolerated". Loitering is permitted, but soliciting ("unabashedly inviting clients on the street") is illegal. Migrants with work or residence permits may work in sex work, and police cannot revoke residence permits and begin deportation procedures, as they tried failing by the Italian laws.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in Kosovo is illegal, and can incur a prison sentence of up to sixty days. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria's HIV Program in Kosovo estimated there to be 5,037 prostitutes in the country. Many women turn to prostitution through poverty. There are report that prostitution has become a new organised crime in Kosovo.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prior to the Kosovo War following the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, prostitution was limited to serving the needs of locals. Following the ceasefire and presence in the country of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo and other international organisations, the demand for prostitution soared. As well as women turning to prostitution voluntarily, some were trafficked from Moldova, Bulgaria and the Ukraine.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution itself is legal, but certain activities connected with it, such as running a brothel and loitering, are not. Certain offences are punishable by sentences of up to two years in prison.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In March 2008, police and the Ministry for Social Policy signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize a screening process for all arrested persons engaged in prostitution to determine whether they were victims of trafficking or other abuses. The law provides punishments of up to 6 years for involving minors in prostitution.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Montenegro is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking. Victims of sex trafficking identified in Montenegro are primarily women and girls from Montenegro, neighbouring Balkan countries, and, to a lesser extent, other countries in Eastern Europe. Sex trafficking victims are exploited in hospitality facilities, bars, restaurants, night clubs, and cafes.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in North Macedonia is legal, though with various restrictions, and common. UNAIDS estimated that there were 3588 prostitutes in the country in 2016. In 2003 North Macedonia's government was reported to be trying to reduce sex trafficking.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: STAR-STAR (an association for the support of marginalised workers) is a sex-worker-led support group. Its executive board is exclusively made up of sex workers. STAR-STAR was the first sex workers' collective in the Balkans.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: The country is a major transit point for prostitution to the west. In 2003 it was reported that the trafficking of women from the Balkans to Western Europe for sex was worth billions of dollars, with the beneficiaries including the Albanian National Liberation Army in North Macedonia.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In Portugal, prostitution itself is legal, but it is illegal for a third party to profit from, promote, encourage or facilitate the prostitution of another. Consequently, organized prostitution (brothels, prostitution rings or other forms of pimping) is prohibited. Forced prostitution and human trafficking are also illegal.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In the mid-2000s, the number of female prostitutes was estimated at 28,000, of which at least 50% were foreigners.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in Serbia is illegal, and can incur a prison sentence of up to 30 days, and up to 60 days for minors. Pimping is illegal and can incur a prison sentence of between 6 months and 5 years, and between 1 and 10 years for pimping minors. UNAIDS estimate there to be 3,901 prostitutes in the country.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Following a large police action against prostitution in Belgrade's major hotels in late September 2017, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Branko Ružić voiced support for legalizing and regulating prostitution. Serbian Radical Party president Vojislav Šešelj supported the proposal, under the condition that prostitutes undergo regular health checks for sexually transmitted diseases.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in Slovenia was decriminalised in June 2003. Forcing others into prostitution is an offence under Article 175 of the Criminal Code.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution itself is legal in Spain, but pimping is not. Owning an establishment where prostitution takes place is legal if the owner neither derives financial gain from prostitution nor "hires" any person for the purposes of selling sex, because prostitution is not considered a job, and has no legal recognition. Most places do not regulate prostitution, but the government of Catalonia offers licenses for persons "to gather people to practice prostitution".


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: These licenses are used by brothel owners to open 'clubs', where prostitution takes place (the women are theoretically only 'gathered' to work on the premises not employed by the owner). Some places have implemented fines for street prostitution.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In Turkey, prostitution is legal and regulated. Prostitutes must register and acquire an ID card stating the dates of their health checks. Also, it is mandatory for registered prostitutes to have regular health checks for sexually transmitted diseases. The police are allowed to check the authenticity of registered prostitutes to determine whether they have been examined properly and to ensure they see the health authorities if they don't. Men cannot register under this regulation. Most sex workers, however, are unregistered, as local governments have made it a policy not to issue new registrations. As a result, most sex workers in Turkey are not registered sex workers, working in violation of the law. Turkey is listed by the UNODC as one of the top destinations for victims of human trafficking.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: under "Zehnter Abschnitt Strafbare Handlungen gegen die sexuelle Integrität und Selbstbestimmung (§§ 201-220b)"


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: (Part Ten: Offences against sexual integrity and self-determination (§ § 201-220b)). Most sex workers are migrants.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Although sex work itself is not forbidden, Section 207b"Sexueller Missbrauch von Jugendlichen" (Sexual abuse of juveniles) allows for prosecution of clients of workers younger than 18. Additional restrictions are specified in § 214 to 217. Medical examinations are required by the AIDS and STD laws. The laws of the federal States of Austria place further restrictions on the times and places where prostitution may occur. The most restrictive law is that of Vorarlberg, where prostitution is legal only in licensed brothels and to date no such licenses have been issued.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution is decriminalized in Belgium since 1 June 2022, but the law prohibits pimping or assisting immigration for the purpose of prostitution. However, in practice enforcement can be lax and "unofficial" brothels are tolerated (for example in Antwerp). Human trafficking or exploiting individuals for financial gain is punishable for a maximum prison sentence of 30 years. A recent report by RiskMonitor foundation states that 80% of the prostitutes who work as windows prostitutes in Belgium are from Bulgaria. Belgium is listed by the UNODC as a top destination for victims of human trafficking. Many sex workers organisations feel that the present grey area in which prostitution operates leaves sex workers vulnerable to exploitation.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: A report commissioned by the National Bank of Belgium, estimated a turnover of 840 million Euro in 2015. The most important segments of the market seem to be escort and private prostitution, rather than the more visible forms of window or street prostitution.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in France (the exchange of sexual acts for money) was legal until April 2016, but several surrounding activities were illegal, like operating a brothel, living off the avails (pimping), and paying for sex with someone under the age of 18 (the age of consent for sex is 15). On 6 April 2016, the French National Assembly voted to punish customers of prostitutes by a fine of €1500. The law has been evaluated as a failure, putting sex workers in danger, reducing prices, and decreasing condom use among their clients.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In the Napoleonic era, France became the model for the regulatory approach to prostitution. In the 20th century, however, a policy shift became apparent. Brothels became illegal in 1946, and France signed the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others in 1960. France thus became a major supporter of the international abolitionist movement for the eradication of prostitution.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in Germany is legal, as are all aspects of the sex industry, including brothels, advertisement, and job offers through HR companies. Full-service sex work is widespread and regulated by the German government, which levies taxes on it. In 2002, the government changed the law in an effort to improve the legal situation of sex workers. However, the social stigmatization of sex work persists and many workers continue to lead a double life.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution in Liechtenstein is illegal, but is tolerated by the police as long as it is not street prostitution.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution itself is legal in Luxembourg, but activities associated with organised prostitution, such as profiting from (operating brothels and prostitution rings) or aiding prostitution, are illegal. Human trafficking incurs severe penalties. There are estimated to be 300 prostitutes in Luxembourg, most of whom are immigrants.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Street prostitution is only permitted in two streets near Luxembourg City's railway station, and only between 20:00 and 03:00. The area is regulated by the city authorities, and patrolled regularly by the police. Prostitutes working outside these streets or outside the permitted times may be arrested and fined up to €2,500. Because of the number of prostitutes and limited area to work in, some work from other streets near the legalised area and risk being arrested.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution itself is legal in Monaco, but organized prostitution (brothels, prostitution rings and other forms of pimping) is prohibited. Solicitation is also illegal. Forcing another person into prostitution is illegal, with penalties from six months to three years of imprisonment, plus a fine. A husband who forces his wife to engage in prostitution can be sentenced to one to five years of imprisonment plus a fine.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution is legal and regulated in the Netherlands. Operating a brothel is also legal. From 1 January 2022, a customer will be punished if they purchase a sexual service from a sex worker of whom they know or have serious reason to suspect that there is coercion, exploitation or human trafficking. In the last few years, a significant number of brothels and "windows" have been closed because of suspected criminal activity. De Wallen, the largest and best-known red-light district in Amsterdam, is a destination for international sex tourism.In an attempt to fight abuse, the minimum age for prostitutes was raised from 18 to 21 years.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Prostitution is concentrated in and around the big cities and in the border towns in the regions of Limburg, Groningen, Twente, West Brabant and Zeeland. Prostitution occurs in various forms: 'window' and street prostitution, clubs, escort agencies, and home-based prostitution. 'Window' prostitution occurs in 12 cities in the Netherlands. It is estimated that on average some 2,000 prostitutes are engaged daily in this form of prostitution. Street prostitution exists in 10 Dutch cities and involves on average some 320 prostitutes daily. Between 3,500 and 4,000 prostitutes are employed daily in 600–700 clubs and private brothels. The extent of other forms of prostitution such as escort agencies and home-based prostitution is much more difficult to estimate. Home-based prostitution occurs in at least 17 municipalities and escort agencies exist in at least 28 municipalities.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all legally operating brothels in the Netherlands were closed on 15 March 2020, based on emergency orders per police district. Since the Dutch government failed to provide financial compensation for sex workers (especially those who have always paid taxes through the 'opting-in'-system), many of them were forced to continue to work, turning to illegal home-based prostitution. Christian politicians in Dutch parliament claimed they wanted to help women to escape from exploitation, but sex workers' unions angrily responded that they don't want to be 'saved' by people who would like to forbid prostitution again. The temporary ban on prostitution in the Netherlands will be lifted on 1 July 2020, but could be reinstated later, at any time a serious coronavirus outbreak would occur.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: Full-service sex work in Switzerland is legal and regulated; it has been legal since 1942. Trafficking, forcing people into prostitution and most forms of pimping are illegal. Licensed brothels, typically with a reception and leading to several studio apartments, are available. One estimate puts the number of street sex workers in Zurich at 5000.


title: Prostitution in Europe

text: In recent years the number of full-service sex workers has increased. Many workers operate using newspaper advertisements, mobile phones and secondary rented apartments, some accept credit cards.


title: Mambo No. 5

text: "Mambo No. 5" is an instrumental mambo and jazz dance song originally composed and recorded by Cuban musician Dámaso Pérez Prado in 1949 and released the next year.


title: Mambo No. 5

text: German singer Lou Bega sampled the original for a new song released under the same name on Bega's 1999 debut album, "A Little Bit of Mambo".


title: Mambo No. 5

text: German singer Lou Bega recorded a cover of the song and released it in April 1999 as the first single from his debut album, "A Little Bit of Mambo" (1999). His version became a summer hit during 1999 in most of Europe. Later that year, it experienced success in the United Kingdom, North America, and Oceania. In France, it set a record by staying at number one for 20 weeks. The song reached number three on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 on 2 November 1999, giving Bega his only top-40 hit in the United States.


title: Mambo No. 5

text: Elisabeth Vincentelli from "Entertainment Weekly" rated the song with an B minus, adding, "All of a sudden, mambo is hot again, and the unlikely city of Munich is on the Latin-music map. For this we have to thank the Ugandan-Italian Bega and his German producing team, who have hit pay dirt by tacking new lyrics onto an old Perez Prado song. While purists scream murder, the upbeat tune and bouncy, '80s-style synthesizers will rule weddings for months to come."


title: Mambo No. 5

text: The song became the subject of a seven-year copyright trial between Prado's estate, the music publisher Peermusic, and Bega's producers. Bega had only used riffs (which by German law cannot be registered for copyright) from Prado's original and written the entire lyrics, so Bega's producers went to court in order to gain access to all the song's proceedings from Peermusic representing Prado's estate. However, after seven years the Federal Court of Justice of Germany ruled in favor of Peermusic and Prado's estate in 2008, based upon the fact that Bega's producers had sought a royalty agreement with Peermusic prior to releasing the song. Because of Bega's significant contributions to his version, the court's final ruling declared it a new song co-written by Prado and Bega.


title: Mambo No. 5

text: The accompanying music video for "Mambo No. 5", directed by Joern Heitmann, features Lou Bega singing and dancing with flappers. An alternate music video aired on Disney Channel, featuring clips from various Disney films and television series, with newly recorded lyrics by Bega dealing with the featured characters.


title: Mambo No. 5

text: On 3 September 2001, BBC Records released a novelty version of the song sung by British actor Neil Morrissey, who provided the voice of Bob for children's television show "Bob the Builder". It features background vocals from Rob Rackstraw and Kate Harbour, who voiced several other characters on the show. This cover radically changed the lyrics to fit the theme of the show, making numerous references to construction, repairs and roadway maintenance, as well as the show's characters. The female names from Bega's version are also replaced with types of construction supplies and building tasks, "e.g.", timber, saw, waterproofing and tiling.


title: Mambo No. 5

text: On 9 September 2001, the song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Bob the Builder's second number-one single on the listing after "Can We Fix It?". In doing so, Bob became the first novelty act to top the UK chart with more than one single. Following the 11 September attacks, the song was removed from the BBC Radio 2 playlist, with the station's executive music producer Colin Martin describing the song as being "too frivolous in light of the news that was breaking". The song earned a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 12 October 2001 for shipping over 400,000 units. At the end of 2001, it was ranked as the UK's 17th-best-selling single.


title: Mambo No. 5

text: In Ireland, the song first appeared on the Irish Singles Chart at number 13 on 13 September and peaked at number four the following week. It remained in the top 50 for 10 weeks in total. At the end of the year, the song came in at number 42 on Ireland's year-end chart. "Mambo No. 5" debuted at number three on the Australian Singles Chart on 4 November 2001 and reached number two on 18 November. After staying at the position for another week, the song descended the chart, spending nine more weeks in the top 50. It was Australia's 26th-most-successful hit of the year and shipped over 70,000 copies, allowing it to receive a platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).


title: Mambo No. 5

text: In 1999, Dutch TV character Ome Henk took a parody of the song called "Mambo Nr 6" to number 17 on the Dutch Top 40. The lyrics referred to the medicine prescribed to him, which causes hallucinations of the girls he mentions in the song. A parody of commercials for the fictional product is also heard.


title: Michael Carter-Williams

text: Michael Carter-Williams (born October 10, 1991) is an American professional basketball player. He was drafted in the first round with the 11th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, after playing college basketball for the Syracuse Orange. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2014, and he has also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, Houston Rockets, and Orlando Magic.


title: Michael Carter-Williams

text: Carter-Williams attended Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School in Hamilton, Massachusetts as a freshman. He was 5'9" as a freshman, and led his team and conference in scoring with 20 points per game and a league championship.


title: Michael Carter-Williams

text: In 2008, Carter-Williams transferred to the boarding school St. Andrew's in Barrington, Rhode Island where he lived in a dormitory during his final three years of high school. In his three years as a starter, he averaged 25.4 points per game. As a senior, he averaged 23.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.


title: Michael Carter-Williams

text: After his sophomore season in high school, Carter-Williams committed to attend Syracuse where he played on their basketball team. He visited colleges in August after his sophomore year in 2009 and received scholarship offers from other schools such as Providence, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Virginia, Notre Dame, and Clemson.


title: Michael Carter-Williams

text: Later in his high school career, he played on the same AAU team as future 76ers' teammate, Nerlens Noel.