TEL AVIV, Israel -- Four years ago, a young, cash-starved Israeli answered an ad in a newspaper for a kidney donor.

"I decided I wanted to make a positive change in my life and do something different," Nick Rosen told CNN. "So I saw an ad in the paper and it said, 'Kidney Donor Wanted.' And called the ad in the paper, and they asked me my blood type."

Ultimately, Rosen flew to New York and underwent surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center to remove one of his two healthy kidneys.

"Let's say I donated a kidney and received compensation," he said.

Rosen's story is one of several that have come to light in recent weeks as part of a worldwide CNN investigation into what appears to be a widespread black market in human organs currently under scrutiny by authorities in the United States and Israel.

Rosen says he was paid $20,000 for his kidney -- something he admits he lied about in interviews with the hospital's transplant team.

Via: CNN

-- English Premier League side Chelsea have been banned by world football's governing body FIFA from signing any new squad members until 2011, after they were found to have "induced" a player to breach his contract in a transfer from Lens to the London-based side in 2007.

The punishment comes after the French team complained to FIFA that Chelsea had acted improperly over the transfer of 18-year-old left-winger Gael Kakuta.

The complaint was referred to the body's Disciplinary Resolution Chamber (DRC) who decided to impose a ban on any further player recruitment by last season's Champions League semifinalists. Have FIFA made the right decision? Sound Off below.

A statement on FIFA's official Web site read: "The DRC found that the player had indeed breached a contract signed with the French club.

"Equally, the DRC deemed it to be established that the English club induced the player to such a breach. As a result the player was condemned to pay compensation in the amount of €780,000 ($1.1 million), for which the club, Chelsea, are jointly and severally liable, and sporting sanctions were imposed on both the player and Chelsea in accordance with art. 17 par. 3 and 4 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players."

Kakuta, who was voted the side's academy player of the year in his first 12 months with Chelsea, received a personal suspension of four months as a result of the ruling.

"Chelsea are banned from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, for the two next entire and consecutive registration periods following the notification of the present decision."

The first football transfer window in Europe runs from January 1-31 in 2010; the second from the end of the current season until 31 August in Europe and 1 September in Britain next year.

The statement continued: "Furthermore, the club, Chelsea, have to pay Lens training compensation in the amount of €130,000 ($185,000)."

Chelsea do have the option of appeal with the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Football governing bodies have intervened on two previous occasions in recent times regarding the acquisition of new players by Chelsea.

In 2005, Nigeria midfielder Jon Mikel Obi was ordered by FIFA to return to Norwegian club Lyn Oslo to see out his contract before eventually joining Chelsea, after protracted transfer negotiations had led to disagreement with Manchester United who also claimed they had signed the player.

Chelsea were also fined £300,000 ($490,000) by the English Premier League over the signing of England defender Ashley Cole from Arsenal in 2005.

The club were found guilty of breaking rule K3, which forbade them approaching Cole, who still had two years left on his Arsenal deal, "by any means while under contract."

The club were also warned they could face being docked points if a similar offence occurred during the 2005/2006 Season.

via http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/football/09/03/chelsea.football.ban.fifa/index.html

Crush Entertainment has just been reliably informed, that Wycliffe ‘Steely’ Johnson, one half of the outstanding dancehall production duo Steely & Clevie, has died. Just a few days ago, a media report indicated that he was suffering from pneumonia and was in critical condition at a New York hospital. His long-time musical partner Clevie Brownie had reportedly said that the chance of his survival was slim; and so it was. Condolences to the family, friends and associates of one of the most outstanding and influential producers of dancehall music ever. Via http://dancehall.mobi

Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., designer of Chaps and Club Monaco clothing, plans to open as many as 15 stores annually in Hong Kong and China as U.S. sales slow.

“We were going to come at this business aggressively anyway but now it’s even more of a reason as the businesses in the U.S. and Europe have flattened,” George Hrdina, president of Ralph Lauren’s Asian business, said in an interview in Hong Kong. “We do more Ralph Lauren business on the island of Manhattan, New York, than we do in Hong Kong and China.”

Demand for luxury goods in China, the world’s most populous nation, remains unabated, according to a survey published last month by consultants Ruder Finn Asia. New York-based Ralph Lauren, with 12 stores and 35 retailing counters in Hong Kong and China, is changing its strategy to move away from department-store sales to compete with brands such as LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA and Gucci owner PPR SA.

“The Chinese market for luxury products is still growing very well,” Shaun Rein, the Shanghai-based managing director of China Market Research Group, said in a phone interview today. “The consumers in China are still spending money, although some are hit by the financial crisis.”

Ralph Lauren has gained 46 percent this year in New York trading. The stock fell $2.34, or 3.4 percent, to $66.38 at 4:20 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading.

“We’re probably a little behind the other luxury retailers in entering this market,” Hrdina said. The company’s new stores in China will probably be in Beijing, Shanghai and surrounding regions, he added.

Piracy

“I don’t think they did a very good job at marketing, positioning and store development for the China market, and they also probably were hit fairly hard by piracy,” Rein said. “The problem for Polo, people don’t know what’s real and what isn’t.”

The clothier is taking back the Asian distribution rights for its Polo and Ralph Lauren brands from Dickson Concepts (International) Ltd. on Jan. 1. The move is part of the company’s efforts to retool its image in Asia, moving away from selling products in department stores to focus on setting up its own retail outlets.

“Our goal on a freestanding basis is to open 10 to 15 stores annually,” Hrdina said.

“So we will now control the product, the quality, the branding” as the company seeks to change the perception of Polo and Ralph Lauren from casual sportswear labels to luxury brands, Hrdina added. The brand has also been hurt by piracy, he said.

Ralph Lauren has 10 stores, a factory outlet and three shops in shops in Hong Kong, Hrdina said. It has one store and 32 shops in shops in mainland China.

China Retail Sales

Luxury brands, facing aging populations in Europe and North America are turning to Asia, Joe Wong, managing director for PPR SA’s Gucci Group in Hong Kong, China and Macau, told an industry meeting on Aug. 28.

“Asia, particularly China, is possibly the solution,” Wong said. “China has a very big base of consumers and lots of up- and-coming young executives and middle class.”

China’s retail sales gained 15 percent in the first half. While the growth in the sales of consumer goods slowed to 11.6 percent in February, it has since accelerated to 15.2 percent for July.

The level of spending among U.S. consumers with an average income of $208,000 was “pretty weak” in the second quarter, according to a survey by luxury-market research firm Unity Marketing. Wealthy Americans curbed purchasing even as confidence rebounded as indicated by Unit’s Luxury Consumption Index, which jumped 18.6 points to 74.3 in the three-month period ended in June.

‘Better Value’

“Ralph Lauren ought to be cautious about growing too fast because they don’t have the brand positioning,” Rein said. While Chinese consumers are still buying luxury goods, “they’re looking for better value, they’re starting to buy products like bags that can be used everyday rather than a shirt that can be worn once a month,” he added.

Ralph Lauren on Aug. 5 posted first-quarter profit and revenue that exceeded analysts’ projections, helped by overseas sales. Net income fell 19 percent to $76.8 million in the three months through June 27 and revenue fell 8.1 percent to $1.02 billion.

“The sense is that there is a demand for the elevated brand that they’ve not seen in this market place,” Hrdina said. “Here, we definitely feel that we’re going to continue to invest aggressively.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Wing-Gar Cheng in Hong Kong at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it