U.S. President Barack Obama issued a new executive order last week to fight human trafficking, touting his administration's handling of the issue.

Late Friday afternoon, Obama issued a presidential memorandum waiving penalties under the Child Soldiers Protection Act of 2008 for Libya, South Sudan, and Yemen, penalties that Congress put in place to prevent U.S. arms sales to countries determined by the State Department to be the worst abusers of child soldiers in their militaries. The president also partially waived sanctions against the Democratic Republic of the Congo to allow some military training and arms sales to that country.

Bush signed the child-soldiers law in 2008. It prohibits U.S. military education and training, foreign military financing, and other defense-related assistance to countries that actively recruit troops under the age of 18. Countries are designated as violators if the State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons report identifies them as recruiting child soldiers.

Obama first waived the sanctions in 2010, the first year they were to go into effect.

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A man who decided to try out his costume and dress up ahead of Halloween prompted an explosives scare in downtown San Mateo Monday that resulted in the dispatch of a police bomb squad, authorities said.

Police received several calls about a man in a car front of a market along the first block of East 4th Street wearing what witnesses described as a full gas mask and army gear with several grenades hanging around his neck.

Police detained the costumed man and said an "inert grenade" was found in his car, but they also indicated there was "no current danger" to the public.

The man was identified by police as Gilberto Masias, an employee at a local costume shop

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It's a problem that has always plagued men, but there is an upside to hair loss according to new research which has found bald men appear tougher and more powerful than others.

Guys with shaved heads are also seen as taller, stronger and having greater potential as leaders, researcher Albert Mannes has found.

The University of Pennsylvania lecturer, and a balding man himself, carried out three experiments to delve into how men who shaved their heads were perceived by others.

In the first experiment nearly 60 participants were asked to look at a series of photos of men who were similar in age and attire but with differing amounts of hair.

When the results were averaged, shaved men topped the ratings in terms of how powerful, influential and authoritative they looked,

But Mannes, whose study was published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, warned that while men with shaved heads topped the masculinity table, those with a full mane of hair were still voted more attractive.

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This bar is guaranteed to get a lot of buzz . . . if only for the battery-operated sex toys.

Love Joule, a colorful new bar in the Shibuya district Tokyo, is the first "love and sex bar dedicated to women," according to the Tokyo Reporter. What does this mean, exactly? Proprietor Megumi Nakagawa minces few words.

"Once they take a seat, customers are able to experience a pleasant place in which they can openly discuss masturbation," she said. "Since most people view female masturbation as something of a mystery or taboo, it is not a usual topic at typical bars."

It's hard to imagine not talking about the bar's unique theme. Behind the counter, where rows of liquor bottles would normally stand, are colorful display cases filled with dozens and dozens of different types of vibrators.

The spot is already a hit with women in the commercial sex and burgeoning adult film industry , according to its Facebook page

The sanctity of the space is preserved by a policy prohibiting single men from entering -- men are only welcome if they are accompanying a woman, according to Rocket News.

Men without a female companion will just have to wonder what's going on inside.