Naomi Watts to be Aids ambassador at UN

Naomi Watts is to be a special representative of the United Nations in its efforts to raise awareness of Aids and HIV. The 37-year-old Australian will use her celebrity status to talk about the condition and will champion the needs of sufferers worldwide. An estimated 40 million people are currently infected with HIV, the virus that can lead to Aids. More than 20 million have died since it was first recognised. Watts - whose other films include Mulholland Drive, The Ring and I Heart Huckabees - will work directly with the Joint United Nations Program on Aids (UNAIDS). The organisation's other special representatives include Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway and Mstislav Rostropovich, the Russian musician and human rights activist.