Music Legand Donna Summer & Guitarist and singer Chuck Brown passed away

Five Time Grammy Award winning Singer Donna Summer passed away at the age of 63 after a long fight against cancer. Summers, real name LaDonna Gaines, is best know for her string of 70s hits, including I Feel Love, Last Dance and Bad Girls (Hot Stuff, I will servive, love to love you baby and she works hard for the money).

Guitarist and singer Chuck Brown, who mixed funk, soul and Latin styles to help create the upbeat "go-go" scene in Washington DC in the 1970s, has passed away at 70 years old. Known as the "godfather of go-go", Brown's biggest hit was Bustin' Loose, which spent a month at the top of the US R&B chart at the end of the 1970s.


Vermont first State to ban Hydrofracking

The governor of Vermont has signed a bill that bans hydraulic fracturing as a means to extract gas from underground deposits. Gov. Peter Shumlin signed the fracking ban into law, making Vermont the first state to ban the practice. Hydraulic fracturing is the practice of injecting water and chemicals under high pressure into underground shale to release natural gas.


Tennis Star Serena Williams moves to sixth in rankings

Serena Williams collected her 41st career WTA title in Madrid and moved to No. 6 in the updated women's world tennis rankings. Serena Williams has 13 wins over No. 1-ranked players, which is the most among active players.


JPMorgan boss admits failures

The chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, says he was "dead wrong" in April to dismiss concerns over the bank's trading practices. At the time he played down concerns over bets the bank made on the markets. JPMorgan said it had lost $2bn on trading activities in just six weeks, and said there could be further losses to come.


Music Legend Tupac appears at Dr Dre and Snoop at Coachella

Despite supposedly having passed away for over 15 years, Tupac Shakur joined Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg on the main stage at Coachella. An all-too-realistic hologram of the late rapper rolled through "2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted" and other hits in the California desert. Even more unnervingly, he started his mini-set by shouting out "Coachella" by name before his solo performance of Hail Mary.


U.S. unemployment benefits fell to a four-year low

The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits fell to a four-year low last week, suggesting employers kept hiring in March at a healthy pace. Weekly applications dropped 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 357,000, the Labor Department. That's the fewest since April 2008.


U.S. oil inventories are now at historic high

U.S. crude oil inventories are now at historic highs and rose by 9 million barrels according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Gasoline inventories dropped 1.5 million barrels to 221.9 million barrels and are in the upper limit of the average range for this time of year. Inventories of finished gasoline and blending components both fell, the agency said.


Tennis Superstar Venus Williams ReLaunches Clothing Line

Venus Williams has breathed new life into her defunct clothing line, EleVen by Venus Williams, four years after it was forced off shelves after retailer Steve & Barry's went bankrupt. The new colour-filled athletic range, unveiled for the first time yesterday, features a form-fitting dress, tops, bottoms and crop-top style bras. A men’s range under the same brand will feature T-shirts and shorts.


One in five teens sends 200 texts a day.. with the average sending 60

Teens send an average of 60 texts per day, up from 50 daily texts in 2009, while only 35 percent of the 799 U.S. teens surveyed said they communicate face-to-face every day.


U.S. tourists told to get measles vaccine before going to Olympic games in London

Americans planning to travel to London’s Olympic games have been advised to get vaccinated against measles before getting on the plane. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Olympics fans that ‘disease knows no borders’ and warned that tourists could unwittingly ‘import’ measles into the US after the Games. The health body said measles was a particular problem in western Europe and urged all Americans visiting London to ensure they had been vaccinated.


Party Balloons are using up the worlds supply of helium.

Helium serves a vital purpose for research scientists - but some are now warning that their experiments are at risk from a shortage of the gas, because stocks are being wasted on party balloons. Last week a researcher in the UK had to postpone an experiment when helium stocks ran out. Although helium is the second-most abundant element in the universe, Earth only has a limited supply - and the U.S National Research Council believes that we will run out of the gas in less than 30 years.


First lady will lead US delegation to Olympics

The White House says Michelle Obama will lead the official U.S. delegation to the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. It has become somewhat of a tradition for first ladies to lead the U.S. delegation.


Al Pacino accepts National Medal of Arts at White House

President Obama saluted the 71-year-old's "signature intensity" as he gave the Godfather star the accolade. Pacino's many films include Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and Scent of a Woman, for which he won an Academy Award in 1992.


African Americans are more charitable

Black people are far more inclined to give back to the community compared with their white counterparts, according to new research by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF). The report, "Cultures of Giving: Energizing and Expanding Philanthropy by and for Communities of Colors," shows a growing trend for communities of color to give at increasing rates and levels. African-Americans, for instance, give away 25 percent more of their income per year than whites and 63 percent of Latino households now make charitable donations. People of color are also growing in size and their assets are increasing as well.


The US Supreme Court rules in favor a Mumia Abu Jamal

Philadelphia prosecutors will have to pursue a second death-penalty sentence for Mumia Abu-Jamal or accept a life sentence after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case. Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther, has spent nearly 30 years on death row after his 1982 conviction. A federal appeals court this year upheld his conviction, but agreed the death-penalty instructions were potentially misleading and ordered a new sentencing hearing.


Chrysler is getting rid of the soccer mom minivan

2013 will be the last year the Caravan is sold, despite the fact it is currently the best selling Dodge vehicle on the market. The more upscale Chrysler Town and Country minivan will continue on as the only van the company offers. Chrysler will replace the Dodge Grand Caravan minivan and the Dodge Avenger mid-sized sedan with a single crossover in 2013.


President Obama lays out $447 billion plan for job growth

President Barack Obama on laid out a new $447 billion plan to create jobs and jump-start a turnaround. Speaking before a joint session of Congress, the president proposed a wide-ranging package that includes tax cuts for small businesses, an expanded payroll tax cut for workers, extended unemployment benefits for jobless Americans, and $100 billion in new spending on roads, bridges and transportation projects. "This plan is the right thing to do right now," he said near the end of his 35-minute address. "You should pass it. And I intend to take that message to every corner of this country."


The OWN Network has a new CEO

Just a couple of months after end a 25 year talk show Oprah Winfrey has a new job on the Oprah Winfrey Network. She will become chief executive officer and chief creating officer of the network in the fall. In addition, she will also launch three new shows.


All Incomming and Outgoing Yahoo email is read by Yahoo

The world's biggest email provider says that by signing up to its service, users are giving their consent for both their outgoing and incoming mail to be analysed for information to sell targeted advertising. The responsibility for telling non-Yahoo! customers that their emails and messaging content are being read is placed on the user.


JP Morgan Chase becomes and investor in Johnson Publishing.

The minority investment in Ebony and Jet magazines parent company was described as “substantial,” but Linda Johnson Rice, chairman of the company and daughter of its founder, maintains a majority stake in the Chicago-based company. Further details were not disclosed.


Quincy Jones Musiq Consortium to Work With Syracuse City School District

A consortium sponsored by legendary musician Quincy Jones has agreed to work with Say Yes to Education program in the development of a new “American music curriculum” for the Syracuse school district that could become a national model.


The 5 Biggest Corporate tax break Recipients pay No federal taxes

According to the analysis by New York City Public Advocate's office, ExxonMobil, Bank of America, General Electric (GE), Chevron and Boeing had combined profits of $77.16 billion in 2010 but paid $0 in federal taxes. At the same time, they gave a combined $7.86 million in political contributions during the 2010 election cycle.


Pro & College Star Floyd Little returns to Syracuse

Former Syracuse University football star Floyd Little is returning as a special assistant to the SU's athletics director. The three-time All-American and member of the college and pro football halls of fame holds the Syracuse record for career touchdowns (46) and career punts returned for touchdowns (six).


Osama Bin Laden, al-Qaeda leader, dead - Barack Obama

Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has been killed by US forces in Pakistan, President Barack Obama has said. Bin Laden was shot dead at a compound near Islamabad, in a ground operation based on US intelligence. DNA tests later confirmed that Bin Laden was dead, US officials said. Reports said that the body was buried at sea to conform with Islamic practice of a burial within 24 hours and to prevent any grave becoming a shrine.


White House Released Presidents Long Form Birth Certificate

The document released by the White House differs from the one that Obama's aides made public during the 2008 presidential campaign. Instead of a "certification" of live birth, this was a "certificate," clearly recording that the president was born on Aug. 4, 1961 in the Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu.


1960s group the Shirelles Sue Warner Brothers

The producers of a new Broadway musical about the 1960s girl group the Shirelles have been hit with a lawsuit, charging them with pilfering the names and likenesses of the original members.Singer Dionne Warwick, who is also portrayed in the show, Baby It's You!, joined the legal action, which was filed in New York supreme court a day before opening night.


Canada rejecting proposal that would bring Fox-Style News to Canada

Canada regulators announced they would reject efforts by Canada's right wing Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, to repeal a law that forbids lying on broadcast news. Canada's Radio Act requires that "a licenser may not broadcast....any false or misleading news." The provision has kept Fox News and right wing talk radio out of Canada and helped make Canada a model for liberal democracy and freedom.


General Colin Powell says CIA should answer questions about bad intel

Former Secretary of State General Colin Powell, the US secretary at the time of the Iraq invasion, has called on the CIA and Pentagon to explain why they failed to alert him to the unreliability of a key source behind claims of Saddam Hussein's bio-weapons capability.


Bush Cancels Trip In fear of arrest

Former President George W. Bush cancelled a visit to Switzerland due to the risk of legal action against him for alleged torture. Criminal complaints against Bush alleging torture have been lodged in Geneva, court officials said. Human rights groups said they had intended to submit a 2,500-page case against Bush in the Swiss city for alleged mistreatment of suspected militants at Guantanamo Bay and other locations.


More than half age 25-29 only have cell phones

In a first for any age group, more than half of Americans age 25-29 live in households with cell phones but no traditional landline telephones. A report on phone use by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also found that the younger children are, the likelier they are to live in homes that only have wireless phones. That suggests that younger parents are showing increasing comfort relying only on cell phones even as they adjust from being single to a more settled family lifestyle, according to one of the report's authors.


Black segregation in US drops to lowest in century

Segregation among blacks and whites fell in roughly three-quarters of the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas as the two racial groups spread more evenly between inner cities and suburbs, according to recent census data.The findings are expected to be reinforced with fresh census data being released Tuesday on race, migration and economics. The new information is among the Census Bureau's most detailed releases yet for neighborhoods.


TSA boss: New pat-downs are more invasive

The head of the Transportation Security Administration is acknowledging that the new pat-downs are more invasive than what travelers were used to in the past. Some travelers complain that the new inspections target sensitive body areas. Pistole says he understands those privacy concerns, but says the government must provide the best possible security for air travelers.


Alcohol 'more harmful than heroin' says a UK study

Alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack, according to a study published in UK medical journal. The report ranks 20 drugs on 16 measures of harm to users and to wider society. The study also said tobacco and cocaine are judged to be equally harmful, while ecstasy and LSD are among the least damaging. The new more complex system ranked alcohol three times more harmful than cocaine or tobacco. Ecstasy was ranked as causing one-eighth the harm of alcohol.


Huffington Post sold to AOL $315 Million

AOL Inc. announced that it would buy the Huffington Post, the well-known news and opinion site, for $315 million in cash and stock.As part of the deal, Huffington Post co-founder Arianna Huffington will oversee a new group responsible for bringing together all editorial content from both companies including news, technology, music and local media websites.


Couple sells letter from President Obama for $7,000

A US couple whose resilient attitude to their misfortunes inspired a letter from President Barack Obama has sold the note for $7,000. The president wrote to Jennifer Cline that "things will keep getting better" after she wrote about losing her job and becoming ill with skin cancer. Mrs Cline said an autograph dealer purchased the hand-written note. "This will get us through the winter," Jennifer Cline's husband Jason told local media.


Black rice: More antioxidants than berries

A spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than a spoonful of blueberries, U.S. researchers say. Zhimin Xu of the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge, La., black rice is one variety of the "Forbidden Rice" in ancient China that was kept by nobles for themselves. Black rice bran is rich in anthocyanin antioxidants, substances that show promise for fighting heart disease, cancer and other diseases and it may be used by food manufacturers to boost the nutrition of breakfast cereals, beverages, cakes, cookies and other foods.


34 billionaires pledge to give away 50 percent of wealth

Thirty-four U.S. billionaires pledged to give away at least 50 percent of their wealth to charity as part of a campaign by investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Gates and Buffett launched "The Giving Pledge" in June to convince hundreds of U.S. billionaires to give away most of their fortune during their lifetime or after their death and to publicly state their intention with a letter of explanation.


Obama signs bill to close gap in disparity in sentencing

President Barack Obama signed a bill reducing the disparity between federal mandatory sentences for convictions for crack cocaine and the powder form of the drug. Obama's signing of the bill in the Oval Office was open to news photographers but not the rest of the media. He made no remarks. But as a longtime thorn for the black community, the matter is important to a key Obama constituency. the new law is not retroactive, and it applies only to federal defendants,


Northwest Airlines agrees to pay $38m price-fixing fine

Northwest Airlines is to plead guilty and pay a $38m fine for its role in fixing air-cargo prices, the US Department of Justice has said. The department said as part of a plea deal Northwest would co-operate with an ongoing anti-trust investigation. Northwest Airlines Cargo, which is no longer operating, conspired to fix air-cargo rates from July 2004 to February 2006.


FBI access to e-mail and Web records raises fears

Invasion of privacy in the Internet age. Expanding the reach of law enforcement to snoop on e-mail traffic or on Web surfing. Those are among the criticisms being aimed at the FBI as it tries to update a key surveillance law.


New York City Settles Sean Bell Case for $7.15M

Four years after Sean Bell was killed in hail of 50 bullets on the eve of his wedding, the City of New York has agreed to pay $7.15 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his family, reports the New York Times. Bell's two daughters Jada, 7, and Jordyn, 4, will receive $3.25 million. His friend Joseph Guzman will receive $3 million, and Trent Benefield will get $900,000. His fiancee, Nicole Paultre Bell, who has worked tirelessly on the case, will not receive a share of the money because they were not married.


Kraft to raise whole grains in crackers

Kraft Foods Inc. says it will more than double the amount of whole grain in many of its Nabisco crackers, becoming the latest food maker to respond to consumer and health advocates' demands for improved nutrition from packaged foods. Kraft will increase the whole grain in more than 100 products over the next three years, the company announced. As a result, its Ritz and Premium crackers will contain whole grains for the first time. Whole grain will more than double and quadruple in the company's Wheat Thins crackers in its Honey Maid graham crackers.


China surpasses US as world's top energy consumer

China has overtaken the United States as the world's largest energy consumer, the International Energy Agency said. China immediately questioned the calculation. The Paris-based agency said China's 2009 consumption of energy sources ranging from oil and coal wind and solar power was equal to 2.265 billion tons of oil, compared to 2.169 billion tons for the U.S.


Stimulus saved 3 million jobs

President Barack Obama's economic policies have significantly boosted U.S. growth and hiring this year. A quarterly White House report estimated Obama's $862 billion economic stimulus package, which he signed last year, has so far lifted employment by between 2.5 million and 3.6 million jobs, while giving growth a big boost.


More cops charged in post-Katrina bridge shootings

Four more New Orleans police officers have been charged in the deadly shootings of two people in Hurricane Katrina's chaotic aftermath and could face the most serious punishment yet - the death penalty - for the killings that have brought down a string of other officers. Six current or former officers are charged in a 27-count indictment unsealed Tuesday. Five former New Orleans police officers already have pleaded guilty to helping cover up the shootings on the Danziger Bridge that left two men dead and four wounded just days after the August 2005 hurricane. In one instance, a mentally disabled man was shot in the back and stomped before he died.


Martin Lawrence Marries Again…

Martin Lawrence and his longtime girlfriend, Shamicka Gibbs, were married in an intimate wedding in Beverly Hills. Lawrence, 45, and Gibbs, 35, exchanged Christian vows in the backyard in front of 120 guests, including Eddie Murphy and Denzel Washington. Their daughters Lyana, 9, and Ameria, 7, and Lawrence’s daughter Jasmine, 14, from a previous marriage were flower girls.


Nephew of Clarence Thomas Allegedly Beaten, Tased at New Orleans Hospital

Derek Thomas, the 24 year old nephew of Justice Clarence Thomas, was admitted to the West Jefferson Medical Center on Thursday. After declining to put on a hospital gown and requesting to leave the ER, Thomas explained, “The guy asked me, you’re either going to do it or we’re going to tase you.” Before being tased, Thomas says he was punched in the lip and had a fist full of his hair pulled out. To make matters worse, he is epileptic, and says he suffered a massive seizure as he was being tased. His sister Kimberly says he could’ve died.


US Supreme Court extends gun rights

The US's highest court ruled by 5-4 that a ban on handgun ownership in Chicago was unconstitutional. Justices said the US Constitution protected the right to keep and bear arms for the purpose of self-defence. The ruling could potentially change laws on gun ownership in many of the US states. The justices said the Second Amendment right "applies equally to the federal government and the states".


Jackson's '84 Victory Tour glove sells for $190K

It was one year ago that WGE Micheal Jackson died in prep for a series of concerts in London. His hometown of Gary Indiana announced the 300 million dollar cultural center and museum in his honor. Bidders from around the world bought up Michael Jackson memorabilia worth nearly $1 million at an auction on the anniversary of his death, including $190,000 for the Swarovski-crystal-studded glove he wore on his 1984 Victory Tour.


US childlessness is up, but racial gaps narrowing

Nearly 1 in 5 American women beyond childbearing years never gave birth as fewer couples. Broken down by race, roughly 20 percent of white women are childless, compared with 17 percent of blacks and of Hispanics and 16 percent of Asians. Still that gap has been narrowing: Since 1994, childlessness for blacks and Hispanics has grown by 30 percent, about three times the rate for whites.


Tupac's Music Chosen For Libray of Congress

Rapper Tupac Shakur's song Dear Mama, Bill Cosby's second comedy album and (Soul Folk in Action) The Staple Singers (1968) are among 25 recordings the U.S. Library of Congress is preserving for their cultural significance. Tupac's Dear Mama was a heartfelt homage to mothers struggling with addiction and poverty. It's also a "relatively tame" recording, and the cultural impact of hip-hop is undeniable, program co-ordinator Steve Leggett said. Tupac is the third rapper inducted, following Grandmaster Flash and Public Enemy.


WGE: Jackson's estate reportedly earns $1 billion in past year

In the year since Michael Jackson died, his estate has pulled in more than $1 billion, mainly on the strength of a new record deal with Sony and a hugely successful concert film. $429 million has flowed into his estate in the of music sales. About 9 million albums were bought in the U.S., while the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons have sold about 800,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.


Native Canadians to recall boarding school abuse

Hundreds of indigenous Canadians are to give evidence before a commission of their experiences at state-funded schools set up to enforce assimilation. About 150,000 children attended the Church-run boarding schools which operated up to the 1970s. The pupils were forced to abandon their cultural identity and many were physically and sexually abused. The truth and reconciliation commission is part of a settlement agreed by the Canadian government four years ago.


Kennedy docs show death threats as late as 1985

Previously secret FBI records show there were death threats against then-Sen. Edward Kennedy, even five years after his failed 1980 White House bid. The documents showed that on May 23, 1985, the U.S. Capitol Police passed onto the FBI a copy of a letter sent to the Secret Service, ostensibly by a Warren, Mich., resident. The sender, whose name was redacted, declared: "Brass tacks, I'm gonna kill Kennedy and (President Ronald) Reagan, and I really mean it."


Census: Multiracial U.S. becoming even more diverse

The minority population in the United States is steadily rising and makes up 35% of the total, advancing an unmistakable trend that could render them the new American majority by midcentury. U.S. minorities make up 49% of the children born in the U.S., up one percentage point from 2008. Based on current rates, data from the 2010 census could show a new “tipping point” in which babies born to minorities outnumber those of babies born to whites.


Bush Lawyer Jailed For Attempted Murder

A former White House attorney charged with trying to kill his wife at their Connecticut home has posted bail and is undergoing treatment at a mental hospital. Fifty-seven-year-old John Michael Farren, who worked in both Bush administrations, posted $750,000 bail Monday and was sent to the Institute of Living in Hartford. After treatment, he will live at a relative's home in West Hartford under house arrest. Farren has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and other charges. Police say he beat Mary Farren in their New Canaan home in January after she filed for divorce.


Don Cheadle named goodwill ambassador for UN

Actor Don Cheadle has become a spokesman for the United Nations environment program. He was appointed Saturday in Rwanda's capital as a U.N. Environment Program Goodwill Ambassador and vowed to fight climate change and promote environment conservation. UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner announced the appointment, saying that Cheadle would help raise green awareness among millions of people around the globe.


NY joins 22 other states with e-waste laws

New Yorkers will be able to recycle their dusty dot-matrix printers and cobwebbed computer monitors for free, now that the state has joined 22 others in enacting an electronic waste recycling law. Under the law recently signed by Gov. David Paterson, all manufacturers that sell covered electronic equipment in the state must have a free, convenient electronic waste, or "e-waste," recycling program in effect by April 1, 2011. The law also makes it illegal for individuals to dispose of electronic waste at landfills, effective Jan. 1, 2015.


WGE Micheal Jackson's hometown donates land for museum

In 2003, the Worlds Greatest Entertainer Micheal Jackson visited his hometown Gary, Indiana to discuss building a museum and cultural centre, but no progress was made before his passing. Gary's Mayor Rudy Clay officially announced plans for a $300 million US museum and arts centre in his honour. "This project will be the magnet that will draw people from all over the world," said Mayor Clay.


FBI reports finds US crime down despite recession

FBI statistics show that US crime rates have fallen for the third consecutive year. The data upends historical trends which suggests that crime rates increase during economic downturns. Car thefts have fallen the most this year - 17.2% - while murders are down 7.2%. Reported rapes also fell 3.1% and robberies are down 8.1%. Arson, assault and property crime have also declined. All numbers are preliminary, and will be supplemented by local agency reports in the coming months.


Supreme Court backs black applicants in firefighter discrimination suit

Chicago could be liable for as much as $100 million in damages in the case in which minority candidates passed a fire department exam but were not hired. The Supreme Court reinstated a discrimination ruling in favor of 6,000 black applicants for Chicago firefighting jobs in the 1990s, saying they had properly sued after it was clear that an entry-level test had a "disparate impact" based on race. Monday's ruling is the latest twist in a long-running set of lawsuits over the use of civil-service exams for hiring police and firefighters, both in Chicago and elsewhere.


Wealth gap grows between black and white Americans

The study released by the Institute on Assets and Social Policy (IASP) found that African-Americans who earn substantial incomes have been unable to increase their net worth. In 23 years, the wealth gap has risen by $75,000, from $20,000 to $95,000. The study suggested these figures reflected public policy in the US. IASP found that public policies in the US benefited the wealthiest people, through tax cuts on investment income and inheritances, and disadvantaged others through discrimination in housing, credit and labor markets.


Court rules out some life sentences for juveniles

The Supreme Court has ruled that teenagers may not be locked up for life without chance of parole if they haven't killed anyone. By a 5-4 vote Monday, the court says the Constitution requires that young people serving life sentences must at least be considered for release.


Philly Police sergeant lied about being shot by black man

A white city police sergeant made up a story about being shot by a black man while on patrol last month and actually intentionally shot himself. Sgt. Robert Ralston, 46, confessed to making up the story and will have to pay the costs of the massive manhunt that followed. Ralston, who had been on the force more 21 years, will not face criminal charges because granting immunity was the only way to obtain his confession.


Brookings Study: Black population shifts to suburbs, pct of minorities increase in the South

As the first decade of this century comes to a close, more black, Asian, Hispanic, foreign-born and poor people live in the suburbs of the nation's largest metropolitan areas than in their primary cities. States of the "Old South" accounted for 57 percent of the nation's black population in 2008, compared with 54 percent in 1990. Fully one-fifth of the metropolitan gains in black population since 2000 occurred in Atlanta, pushing it past Chicago for the second-largest black population, behind New York. Racial and ethnic minorities now account for a majority of the population in 17 metropolitan areas, most of them in California and Texas, although New York, at 50.7 percent in 2008, is poised to pass that threshold in the 2010 census.


Icon Singer/Actress Lena Horne dies aged 92

Renowned for her beauty and sultry voice, Horne battled against racial segregation to become Hollywood's first black sex symbol. In 1943, she played Selina Rogers in the all-black film musical Stormy Weather, the title song of which was to be a major hit and her signature tune. Her career spanned more than 60 years.On screen, on records and in nightclubs and concert halls, Horne was at home vocally with a wide musical range, from blues and jazz.

"I was always battling the system to try to get to be with my people. Finally, I wouldn't work for places that kept us out. ... It was a damn fight everywhere I was, every place I worked, in New York, in Hollywood, all over the world," she said


Title IX Strengthened: Bush Policy Reversed By Department Of Education

The U.S. Department of Education is repealing a Bush-era policy that some critics argue was a way to avoid complying with federal law in providing equal opportunities for female athletes. Under the move, schools and colleges must now provide stronger evidence that they offer equal opportunities for athletic participation under the federal Title IX gender equity law. It reverses a 2005 policy under former President George W. Bush that allowed schools to use just a survey to prove a lack of interest in starting a new women's sport and encouraged schools to consider a non-response to the questionnaire as disinterest.


World's Opinion Of U.S. Has 'Improved Sharply' Under Obama, Says BBC Poll

This year 46% of the respondents rated the US's influence as positive - the first time since 2005 that the survey returned more positive votes than negative for America. "After a year, it appears the 'Obama effect' is real" said Steven Kull director Program on International Policy Attitudes (Pipa) at the University of Maryland, who helped conduct the poll. "Its influence on people's views worldwide, though, is to soften the negative aspects of the United States' image, while positive aspects are not yet coming into strong focus."


Obama, Medvedev sign treaty to cut nuclear arms

Casting aside years of rancor, President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the biggest nuclear arms pact in a generation. The treaty, sealed after months of halting negotiation, is significant not just for what it does but for what it symbolizes: a fresh start for the United States and Russia, and evidence to a watching world that nuclear disarmament is more than a goal.


Obama Signs Student Loan Overhaul Legislation

President Obama today signed into law the final piece of the health care puzzle, which mandates sweeping changes in the way the nation provides health care and makes the federal government the primary distributor of student loans. "That's two major victories in one week that will improve the lives of our people for generations to come," Obama said. To highlight the education reforms in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, Obama signed it at the Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, Va., and focused on the largely overshadowed student loan reforms.


U.S. health-care bill Signed by President

The U.S. House of Representatives passes an historic health-care reform bill that will make coverage possible for more than 30 million uninsured Americans and end discrimination by insurance companies of people with existing medical conditions. Legislators voted 219 to 212 in favour of the landmark health-care legislation that has been debated on Capitol Hill for a year. The bill, previously passed by the Senate, didn't receive a single vote from Republicans. It was signed into law by President Barack Obama.


Estate of WGE Michael Jackson lands biggest Record Deal Ever!

The estate of Michael Jackson has landed the late King of Pop the biggest recording deal in history: a $200 million guaranteed contract with Sony Music Entertainment for 10 projects over seven years, according to a person familiar with the deal. The record-breaking contract through 2017 could be worth up to $250 million if certain conditions are met. One of the albums will be of never-before-released Jackson recordings that will come out in November. "During his life, Michael's contracts set the standard for the industry," said John Branca, the co-administrator of the Jackson estate.


Court Upholds Mention of God on Money, in Pledge

References to God on U.S. money and in the Pledge of Allegiance do not violate the Constitution's separation of church and state, the 9th Circuit ruled Thursday. In separate rulings, the court weighed in on the phrase "In God We Trust" inscribed on U.S. currency and the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance recited at public schools, ruling that neither is a government endorsement of religion and both represent patriotism. "The Pledge of Allegiance serves to unite our vast nation through the proud recitation of some of the ideals upon which our Republic was founded and for which we continue to strive: one Nation under God - the Founding Fathers' belief that the people of this nation are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights," Judge Carlos Bea wrote.


Louisiana's incarceration rate is No. 1 in nation

One out of every 55 Louisiana residents is behind bars, a higher incarceration rate than any other state, according to research group. One in 26 Louisiana adults is under correctional control, if probation and parole are included, the group found. The Pew group argued that, particularly during a recession, rising costs of incarceration should push states to reduce prison spending by moving more nonviolent inmates out of prisons and into community-based parole and probation systems.


Alcohol use lower among blacks

African Americans have lower drinking rates than other racial groups, according to a new survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. It found that blacks ages 18 and older use alcohol at a rate of 44.3% compared with the national average of 55.2% Moreover, blacks ages 18 to 25 are much less likely than other young adults to engage in binge drinking -- 25.3% compared with 41.6% in the general population.


Study: Hospital Infections Kill 48,000 in U.S. Each Year

Infections of sepsis and pneumonia acquired in the hospital may kill 48,000 people each year, a new study shows. Researchers examined hospital discharge records in 40 states between 1998 and 2006 in drawing their conclusions about the potential death toll from pneumonia and sepsis -- two of the most common hospital-acquired infections. They also calculated that these infections cost $8.1 billion to treat and lead to 2.3 million total days of hospitalization.


School Used Laptop Webcams To SPY On Students

The suit says Lower Merion School District officials (Philadelphia) can activate the webcams remotely without students' knowledge. The lawsuit alleges the cameras captured images of Harriton High School students and their families as they undressed and in other compromising situations. Families learned of the alleged webcam images when an assistant principal spoke to a student about inappropriate behavior at home.


Marijuana Provides Pain Relief, New Study Says

The first U.S. clinical trials in more than two decades on the medical benefits of marijuana confirm pot is effective in reducing muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis and pain caused by certain neurological injuries or illnesses. "There is good evidence now that cannabinoids may be either an adjunct or a first-line treatment," Igor Grant, a psychiatrist who directs the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at UC San Diego, said at a news conference.


Number of Cell Phones Worldwide Hits 4.6B

The number of mobile phone subscriptions worldwide has reached 4.6 billion and is expected to increase to five billion this year, the U.N. telecommunications agency said Monday. The number of mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide is expected to exceed one billion this year, the agency said. There were around 600 million such subscriptions at the end of 2009, it added.


FBI broke law for years in phone record searches

The FBI illegally collected more than 2,000 U.S. telephone call records between 2002 and 2006 by invoking terrorism emergencies that did not exist or simply persuading phone companies to provide records, according to internal bureau memos and interviews. FBI officials issued approvals after the fact to justify their actions. E-mails obtained by The Washington Post detail how counterterrorism officials inside FBI headquarters did not follow their own procedures that were put in place to protect civil liberties.


NYC Fire Dept. Purposely Discriminated Against Blacks

A federal judge ruled that New York City intentionally discriminated against black applicants to the Fire Department by continuing to use an exam that it had been told put them at a disadvantage. In his decision, the judge highlighted how “black and other minority firefighters have been severely underrepresented,” characterizing that as a “persistent stain on the Fire Department’s record.” In July, Judge Garaufis — acting on a claim being pushed by the United States Justice Department — ruled that the Fire Department used a test in 1999 and 2002 that had a discriminatory effect on black applicants.


New Jersey Lawmakers Pass Medical Marijuana Bill

The New Jersey Legislature approved a measure that would make the state the 14th in the nation, but one of the few on the East Coast, to legalize the use of marijuana to help patients with chronic illnesses. The measure — which would allow patients diagnosed with severe illnesses like cancer, AIDS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis to have access to marijuana grown and distributed through state-monitored dispensaries — was passed by the General Assembly and State Senate on the final day of the legislative session.


POTUS personalizes Oval Office

The decorative china plates are long gone. Historic metal gadgets and Native American pottery now stand in their stead. Resting on a bookshelf is a framed program from the 1963 March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech. President Barack Obama gradually has made the Oval Office his own. The table behind Obama's desk is full of family photos - a wedding picture, shots of his girls as toddlers, a picture from the day he announced for president and more - photos that he says remind him "why I'm doing what I'm doing."


Morgan Freeman Replaces Walter Cronkite On "CBS Evening News" Voiceover

Nearly six months after Walter Cronkite's death, his voice is leaving the "CBS Evening News."His introduction of anchor Katie Couric was replaced Monday by a voiceover featuring actor Morgan Freeman. The legendary CBS News anchor recorded the introduction, played at the beginning of most newscasts, when Couric started at CBS in 2006. Cronkite's voice was kept on the air even after his death July 17.


ACORN Didn't Commit Voter Fraud or Misuse Federal Funding

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) did not commit voter fraud, and it didn't misuse federal funding in the last five years, according to a recently released report prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a nonpartisan investigational arm of Congress. Among its findings, CRS also reported that recently enacted federal legislation to prohibit funding to ACORN raises significant constitutional concerns. This report came on the heels of another report that also cleared ACORN of wrongdoing. That outside report indicated ACORN doesn't show a pattern of intentional and illegal behavior in undercover videos that conservatives shot of ACORN staffers.


Court sets limits on police use of Tasers

A federal appeals court issued one of the most comprehensive rulings yet limiting police use of Tasers against low-level offenders who seem to pose little threat and may be mentally ill. Some lawyers called it a landmark decision.


Michael Jackson's FBI Files Released

Secret documents (673 pages) on Michael Jackson were kept on the Superstar by the FBI. Only 300 pages were released and no documents show any proof of past allegations aganist him.


22 Million Bush White House E-Mail's found

Computer technicians have found 22 million missing White House e-mails from the administration of President George W. Bush and the Obama administration is searching for dozens more days' worth of potentially lost e-mail from the Bush years, according to two groups that filed suit over the failure by the Bush White House to install an electronic record keeping system. The two private organizations say there is not yet a final count on the extent of missing White House e-mail and there may never be a complete tally.


Canada's doctors told to stop using swine flu vaccine

GlaxoSmithKline has advised doctors in Canada to stop using a batch of its swine flu (Aperanix) vaccine, amid reports of severe side-effects in some patients. The batch of some 170,000 doses was put on hold because of the reported higher than usual number of patients having anaphylactic reactions. This may include breathing problems, raised heart rate and skin rashes.


Utah's first black female mayor-elect Mia Love

Councilwomen Ludmya "Mia" Love become the first black female mayor in Utah's history. In the northern Utah County city where Love defeated the challenger by a vote of 861 to 594, blacks make up just 0.6 percent of Saratoga Springs' population.


Sportscaster must pay ex-wife $916,000 a year

A Connecticut judge has ordered CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz to pay his ex-wife $916,000 a year in alimony and child support. Monday's ruling comes after Nantz and his ex-wife, Lorrie, testified about the breakdown of their 26-year marriage. Nantz must pay $72,000 monthly in alimony until he dies or his ex-wife remarries, and another $1,000 weekly in child support for their 15-year-old daughter, Caroline, for the next two years.


Pew study: African-Americans more likely to use Twitter than any other segment

According to a just released study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, African-Americans are more likely than any racial or gender group to use Twitter or another status update service. Pew found that 26% of African Americans online use Twitter or other service.


New black Barbies get mixed reviews

The new black Barbies released by Mattel have fuller lips, curlier hair and other features that the company says more accurately represent African-American women. Grace, Kara and Trichelle were created to fill a void for young black girls who for so long have been playing with dolls that don't look like them. The dolls were created by Stacy McBride-Irby, an African-American who watched her daughter play with dolls and wanted to create a doll that looked more like her.


Feds to issue new medical marijuana policy

Pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers should not be targeted for federal prosecution in states that allow medical marijuana, prosecutors were told Monday in a new policy memo issued by the Justice Department. The guidelines issued by the department do, however, make it clear that federal agents will go after people whose marijuana distribution goes beyond what is permitted under state law or use medical marijuana as a cover for other crimes.


FBI delves into DMV photos in search for fugitives

In its search for fugitives, the FBI has begun using facial-recognition technology on millions of motorists, comparing driver's license photos with pictures of convicts. "Everybody's participating, essentially, in a virtual lineup by getting a driver's license," said Christopher Calabrese, an attorney who focuses on privacy issues at the American Civil Liberties Union.


Alicia Keys Goes Into Business for Herself

Alicia Keys is launching AK Worldwide, a company that will handle the 28-year-old's projects outside of music. The first is The Barber's Daughters, a handcrafted jewelry line engraved with messages of hope. Keys will also launch a Web site, iamasuperwoman.com, devoted to spotlighting inspirational women and causes.


British girl dies after cervical cancer vaccine

British health officials temporarily suspended a vaccination program in an English city after a 14-year-old girl died a few hours after being vaccinated. Natalie Morton died in a hospital Monday, a few hours after being the given the Cervarix vaccine. The school principal, Julie Roberts, said a few other girls also reported being unwell after receiving the vaccine and some were sent home.


Fidel Castro praises Obama on climate change

The former Cuban leader on Wednesday called the American president's speech at the United Nations "brave" and said no other American head of state would have had the courage to make similar remarks. In a speech at the United Nations on Tuesday, Obama acknowledged that the United States had been slow to act on climate change, but said Washington was now prepared to be a full partner as the world confronts the threat.


Disney to buy comic book powerhouse Marvel for $4B

The Walt Disney Co. said it is buying Marvel Entertainment Inc. for $4 billion in cash and stock, bringing such characters as Iron Man and Spider-Man into the family of Mickey Mouse and WALL-E. Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of 5,000 Marvel characters. Many of them, including the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, were co-created by the comic book legend Stan Lee.


Toyota pulls plug on US factory

The world's largest carmaker will stop production at the Fremont, California-based New United Motor Manufacturing plant in March 2010. GM announced earlier this year that it would withdraw from the venture. Toyota said: "Over the mid to long-term, it just would not be economically viable to continue production." The firm will move production to its other plants in the US and in Japan.


Air travelers now must provide birthdates

Travelers will now be asked to give their birthdate and gender when booking flights, along with a full name matching their ID, as part of a federal security initiative. The new requirements are part of a Transportation Security Administration program aimed at improving security and reducing misidentification of people on terrorist watch lists.


Sidney Poitier recieves Presidential Medal

President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to ambassador and actor Sidney Poitier during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House on August 12, 2009. Obama awarded 16 individuals the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour.


US wins trade case against China

The US has won a ruling at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against China's restrictions on the import of American DVDs and other media products. The WTO ruled that China's current policy of only allowing the goods to be imported by state-run organisations broke global trade agreements. However, the WTO upheld China's limits on the distribution of US films, and made no ruling on Chinese censorship.


GM says new Volt to get 230 mpg in city driving

General Motors Corp. said its Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car should get 230 miles per gallon of gasoline in city driving, more than four times the mileage of the current champion, the Toyota Prius. The Volt is powered by an electric motor and a battery pack with a 40-mile range. After that, a small internal combustion engine kicks in to generate electricity for a total range of 300 miles.


former Fed Chair Greenspan: "There's been a very significant improvement in the financial system"

"We were teetering for awhile,” he said, “but I do think that the TARP program, for example, was very helpful in shoring up the capitals, that stock of banks and the like, Alan Greenspan said on abc's this week show. Greenspan listed a number of reasons for his positive outlook, citing upward production trends in several industries and the recovery of the financial system. "There's been a very significant improvement in the financial system and it's been the financial system where the problems have been," he said.


WGE Michael J Jackson 1958-2008

Born Michael Joseph Jackson in Gary, Ind., in 1958, "The King of Pop" was the fifth of nine children of Joe and Katherine Jackson. Both parents instilled a love of music early in their children's lives: Katherine taught them folk music while Joe, a budding guitarist, managed them and molded their musical work ethic. Michael was only 4-years-old when he started singing with his older brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon and formed the original Jackson 5. Jackson is survived by his three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II


School's face shortage of Black Male Teachers

The shortage of black male teachers compounds the difficulties that many African American boys face in school. About half of black male students do not complete high school in four years, statistics show. Black males also tend to score lower on standardized tests, take fewer Advanced Placement courses and are suspended and expelled at higher rates than other groups, officials said. Educators said black male teachers expose students to black men as authority figures, help minority students feel that they belong, motivate black students to achieve, demonstrate positive male-female relationships to black girls and provide African American youths with role models and mentors.


Prince George's Co. board votes to name school after President Obama

The Prince George's County school board has voted to name an Upper Marlboro elementary school after President Barack Obama.The board voted unanimously on the name for the school just miles from the White House. Barack Obama Elementary School, which is expected to be completed later this year, would be the first school in the Washington region to be named after the president, but not the first in the nation. A Long Island, N.Y., school was renamed shortly after Obama was elected in November.


Fortune 500 First Black Women CEO

Xerox Corp.’s Ursula Burns, who takes the reins at the world’s largest high-speed color printer maker in less than six weeks, has a mandate: getting budget-cutting customers to increase spending on office equipment. Burns, 50, will become chief executive officer on July 1, ending the eight-year run of Anne Mulcahy, who will stay on as chairman. Mulcahy, 56, named Burns president in 2007, almost three decades after Burns joined Xerox as a summer intern. Burns will be the first black female CEO among Fortune 500 companies


Obama picks former astronaut to lead NASA

Charles F. Bolden Jr. has been nominated by President Obama to serve as NASA's next administrator. Bolden, a former combat pilot and Marine Corps major general, is also a veteran space shuttle commander. Bolden, 62, the third African-American to fly in space, had met with Obama at the White House, the day the Hubble Space Telescope was relaunched from the shuttle Atlantis. The five-spacewalk overhaul marked NASA's fifth and final visit to the storied telescope since Bolden helped launch it in 1990.


Native American tribal issues to be a priority for Pres. Obama

"Barack has pledged to honor the unique government-to-government relationship between tribes and the federal government," she said. The new senior staffer "will be tasked to work with tribes (on) issues such as sovereignty, health care (and) education — all central to the well-being of Native American families and the prosperity of tribes all across this country."


Obama Popular Vote Margin Largest Ever for Non-Incumbent: site 538

President-Elect Obama has received at least 68,724,397 popular votes for the Presidency. It's "at least" because they're still counting in California and several other states, and so Obama's total should wind up comfortably over 69 million. This total represents 22.62 percent of the population. The victory margin from November 4th now stands at 9,124,522 votes.


NYC bridge renamed for Robert F. Kennedy

Several generations of Robert F. Kennedy's family have gathered for a ceremony renaming New York City's Triborough Bridge in honor of the slain senator and U.S. attorney general. The bridge will be the first major public work dedicated to Kennedy in the state he represented from 1965 to 1968. It is a complex of three spans that connect Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens.


Obama's Rise Forces Brazil to Look At Racial Divide

Barack Obama's rise to power in the United States has exposed cracks in Brazil's self-image as a racially integrated society. With almost half the population considered black, Brazilians often boast that their country is a more harmonious melting pot than the United States. But analysts say that is only because blacks in Brazil have never posed a threat to the dominance of the white elite in politics and business. Brazil was the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery in 1888 and is home to the largest black population outside of Africa.


Secret Service Releases Code Names

The new First Family has been issued code names by the Secret Service. Barack Obama's is "Renegade," Michelle Obama's is "Renaissance," Malia Obama's is "Radiance," and Sasha Obama's is "Rosebud." Joe and Jill Biden also received code names, though it's tough to top "Renegade" and "Renaissance." Joe Biden's is "Celtic," and Jill Biden's is "Capri."


Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan

Almost three years after stepping down as chairman of the Federal Reserve, a humbled, 82 yr old, Alan Greenspan admitted that he had put too much faith in the self-correcting power of free markets and had failed to anticipate the self-destructive power of wanton mortgage lending. “Those of us who have looked to the self-interest of lending institutions to protect shareholders’ equity, myself included, are in a state of shocked disbelief,” he told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.