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UK Shot Teen: Man Charged With Murder

Source: Sky News

A 19-year-old man has been charged with the murder of teenager Ryan Bravo, who was gunned down in a London convenience store.

Ashley Bucknor, of no fixed address, will appear at Camberwell Green Magistrates Court tomorrow.

Mr Bravo, 18, was shot in Costcutters in Walworth, in the south-east of the capital on Wednesday evening while buying snacks with his brother and cousin.

The shooting is the latest tragic episode in London's gun and knife crime crisis.

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Study links soft drinks and fruit drinks with risk for diabetes in African-American women

Source: Boston University

Researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center have found that regular consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and fruit drinks is associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes in African-American women. These findings appear in the July 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Type 2 diabetes, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, has increased in incidence in recent years, while the age of diagnosis has dropped. Type 2 diabetes is a particular problem among U.S. black women, as their incidence rate is twice that of U.S. white women.

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Oprah school trial set to begin in South Africa

A former dormitory matron is going on trial Tuesday accused of abusing pupils at a school Oprah Winfrey established for disadvantaged girls in South Africa.

Tiny Virginia Makopo, 28, is expected to plead not guilty to charges of indecent assault, assault and criminal injury. Police say six teenage students and a fellow dormitory matron were abused over four months.

Prosecutor Etienne Venter said the six girls will give evidence in a session closed to the public.

He described the girls as "very scared and very, very emotional."

The trial is expected to run through Aug. 1.

Winfrey, who was a victim of child abuse herself, has promised an overhaul of the school and said she has apologized to parents.

Winfrey's US$40 million school opened in January 2007. It is designed to groom girls for future leadership.

UK Housing market pain grows in June

Approvals for home loans in June hit their lowest since records began and retail sales fell at their fastest pace in at least a quarter century as a housing market downturn threatens to derail the whole economy.

The Bank of England said on Tuesday that mortgage approvals -- loans agreed but not yet made -- fell last month to 36,000 from 41,000 in May, pointing to further sharp falls in house prices in the months ahead.

Approvals in the three months to June stood at just 134,000, well below the 191,000 low recorded in the fourth quarter of 1992 when the country was in the middle of the last housing slump.

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Leah Andrew in Crete: I did not kill my baby

Mirror.co.uk

The British tourist accused of strangling her newborn baby insists the tot's death was an accident, it was revealed last night.

Mum-of-two Leah Andrew, 20, has told investigators from her hospital bed in Crete that she made frantic attempts to keep him alive.

A source revealed that she said she panicked when she found herself alone in her hotel room and began losing the baby.

She added: "I thought it was premature and could not survive. I put him in a sheet and a blanket and called for help, because I was losing a lot of blood.

"I may have not done everything I should because I panicked, but I certainly did not deliberately kill my baby."

Andrew, of Hither Green, South East London, is due in court today in Heraklion.

UN says 14 million in Africa's Horn need food aid

Dahir Abdi Salah used to feed his children three meals a day — pancakes for breakfast, spaghetti for lunch and beans for dinner.

Now, due to a global food crisis that is hitting this impoverished country especially hard, the family eats one meal a day. Other times they drink tea or water to ward off the inevitable hunger pangs.

"They eat porridge once a day," Salah said of his children, ages 2, 5 and 6, who live on the outskirts of Somalia's shattered capital, Mogadishu. "A kilogram (2 pounds) of beans used to cost a few cents — now it's a dollar. You can imagine the difference and how it has affected our lives."

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Man dies after cop hits him with Taser 9 times

CNN.com

A police officer shocked a handcuffed Baron "Scooter" Pikes nine times with a Taser after arresting him on a cocaine charge.

He stopped twitching after seven, according to a coroner's report. Soon afterward, Pikes was dead.

Now the officer, since fired, could end up facing criminal charges in Pikes' January death after medical examiners ruled it a homicide.

Dr. Randolph Williams, the Winn Parish coroner, told CNN the 21-year-old sawmill worker was jolted so many times by the 50,000-volt Taser that he might have been dead before the last two shocks were delivered.

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Reaching Puberty Early

newamericamedia.org

JUST AFTER MY DAUGHTER TURNED 7, she came to me and nervously announced that she had bumps on her chest. I felt beneath her nipples, and, indeed, there were prominent, hard lumps. A friend had gone through this with her 7-year-old, so my first fleeting panic about cancer was replaced by the alarming realization that my little girl was developing breasts. I made an appointment with our family doctor, but it was two weeks off.

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Nas Marches On FOX Today

EURweb.com

Nas will join activists from MoveOn.org and ColorOfChange.org today as they march on Fox News headquarters in Manhattan demanding that the conservative network end what protesters call a "pattern of racist attacks against Black Americans including presidential candidate Barack Obama and his wife Michelle."

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Paid to be a parent in New York

BBC News

A year ago, New York started a controversial and ambitious anti-poverty scheme which is now being closely monitored overseas.

The idea of Opportunity NYC is simple.

Some 2,500 families in the city's most deprived neighbourhoods are paid for tasks that many people would deem to be normal parental responsibilities - taking their child to the doctor and dentist, say, or attending parent-teacher meetings.

Some people are even being paid to find a job.

The scheme is targeted at some of the toughest neighbourhoods in the city.

East New York in Brooklyn definitely qualifies - it is the vision of inner-city deprivation.

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Rappers, athletes, actors seek to end youth violence
By Ashahed M. Muhammad

Nationally recognized actresses, athletes, local activists assembled at Harold Washington Cultural Center on the south side of Chicago to make a clarion call to “Silence the Violence” among the youth in our communities.

Several hundred enthusiastic students packed the auditorium to hear from Atlantic recording artist T.I., Fox News anchor Robin Robinson, actor and comedian Michael Colyar, entrepreneur, community activist and former high ranking member of the Gangster Disciples Noonie “G” Ward, actress and fitness trainer A.J. Johnson, NBA star Quentin Richardson, Pastor Phil Jackson of The House Covenant Church also known as “The House” on Chicago’s west side, and hip hop recording artist Shawnna. The panel was moderated by 107.5 WCGI’s Tony Sculfield and simulcast live on the station for the entire 2-hours of the session.

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Taking on the challenge of youth crime

By Lloyd Bedeau

The scourge of youth crime in particular knife crime in Britain is the topic of discussion for many, and has the political parties’ squabbling over who has the best idea to deal with the situation.

Unfortunately in the eyes of many, knife crime is increasingly being viewed as a black problem. It’s not!

However we must acknowledge that the problem exists in our community and we all need to stand up and take responsibility in tackling this problem.

It seems as though a day does not go by without news of another senseless murder, and another young life extinguished.

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Grenada gets a new Prime Minister

BBC News

Attorney Tillman Thomas has been elected Grenada's new Prime Minister.

His National Democratic Congress(NDC) scored a resounding victory over incumbent Dr Keith Mitchell's New National Party in Tuesday's general election.

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South Africa releases Mandela 90th birthday coin

The South African Reserve Bank says 5 million coins featuring a smiling Nelson Mandela will go into circulation on July 18, the former president's 90th birthday.

The new five rand coin is South Africa's largest coin, worth about 65 U.S. cents. It shows Mandela in one of his signature patterned shirts and is the latest in a series of events honoring the anti-apartheid activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner.

In June, Mandela was the special guest at a star-studded birthday concert in London's Hyde Park. Well-wishers can also pay 20 rand (about US$3) to text Mandela a happy birthday message in a fundraiser organized by his foundation.

London Police Launch Knife Blitz

Sky.com

A team of police officers dedicated to targeting gangs is taking to London's streets to tackle knife crime following a spate of stabbings.

Police announced the creation of the 75-man taskforce on the same day that another teenager died after being attacked by a masked gang.

Shakilus Townsend, 16, pleaded for his mother as he lay wounded in the street in Thornton Heath, south London.

Officers said they were hunting three black teenagers who ambushed Shakilus, known as Shaki to his friends, stabbing him in the chest and beating him around the head.

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Ray Lewis Resigns as Deputy Major

BBC News

Mr Lewis quit amid claims of financial irregularities and inappropriate behaviour, which he denies.

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said the affair had left Conservative leader David Cameron and London Mayor Boris Johnson "embroiled in a mess".

A fellow deputy mayor said Labour's reaction was "ungracious" as Mr Lewis had worked hard to help young people.

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Kenyan children abducted, tortured

Kenya - Dozens of scared children filed silently into the bare room, their eyes on the cracks in the floor. One by one, in low voices, they told of being tortured by the Kenyan army because they were suspected of aiding rebels. They told of being beaten and made to shake hands with corpses. They told of being forced to crawl through barbed wire tunnels and of genitals squeezed by pliers.

Then the children took off their shirts. White scars crisscrossed the dark skin on their backs like grains of rice. Some were still bleeding.

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Men with HIV 'having unsafe sex'

BBC News

A third of gay men who know they are HIV positive are still having unprotected sex, a study suggests.

The Medical Research Council, which questioned 3,500 gay men, also found 40% of the 300 who tested positive for HIV did not know they were infected.

Dr Lisa Williamson said more sexual risks were taken by men who had been infected with HIV for a long time.

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Rice urges UN, African leaders to press Mugabe on elections

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Wednesday for the UN Security Council and African leaders to press Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe into holding free and fair elections.

Rice said she wanted the "leaders of Africa" to deliver a "strong message" to Mugabe when asked what she hoped South African President Thabo Mbeki would tell the president during a visit Wednesday to Harare.

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Missing: Randy and Denim Sylvester

Randy Sylvester Jr., 7, and his three year old sister Denim have been missing since Father’s Day. The last time the children were seen, they were playing on a tennis court at their apartment complex at about 3:45 p.m. Their mother, Jerilynn St. Cyr, became worried sometime later when the kids didn’t come back inside. She notified the children’s father, who lives in the same complex, but he didn’t have the kids either. At about 9:15 p.m., the parents reported their kids missing.

Randy and Denim were seen by neighbours earlier in the afternoon, hanging out at the complex with their dad, Randy Sylvester Sr. Apparently it’s not uncommon for the children to go back and forth between their parents’ apartments, which may account for some of the delay in reporting the missing kids to police. But by Monday morning, searchers were out in force.

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ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Soul legend Isaac Hayes dies

Soul singer and arranger Isaac Hayes, who won Grammy awards and an Oscar for the theme from the 1971 action film "Shaft," has died, sheriff's officials in Memphis, Tennessee, reported Sunday.

Relatives found Hayes, 65, unconscious in his home next to a still-running treadmill, said Steve Shular, a spokesman for the Shelby County Sheriff's Department. Paramedics attempted to revive him and took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 2 p.m., the sheriff's department said.No foul play is suspected, the agency said in a written statement.

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'Original King' comic actor Bernie Mac dies

Source: CNN

Bernie Mac, the actor and comedian who teamed up in the casino heist caper "Ocean's Eleven" and gained a prestigious Peabody Award for his sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show," died Saturday at age 50.

"Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles.The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease.

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Bill Cosby Responds To Terrence Howard

EURweb.com

Responding to an article first published by WENN and reprinted here at EURweb; Bill Cosby called our own Lee Bailey to set the record straight regarding allegations that he once tried to blackball/blacklist actor Terrence Howard.

"I don't like something being out there that I know for sure isn't true," said Cosby, explaining his reason for contacting us yesterday afternoon.

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Talking Shop: Chaka Khan

BBC News

Global soul icon Chaka Khan is back in the UK with her first brand new material in a decade.

Her album, Funk This, marks a return to her musical roots with Rufus, the 70s band she fronted which launched her career.

The 2007 album is receiving a renewed promotional push after winning a Grammy for Best R&B album earlier this year.

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Simmons Sisters Launch Girl Scout Sneaker

AllHipHop.com

Angela and Vanessa Simmons’ Pastry division of Run Athletics will launch a new line of products benefiting the Girls Scouts of the USA, the company announced today (Jul 16).

The Pastry Thin Mint Collection, consisting of women’s and kids shoes and a backpack, hits specialty retail stores across the country today, including Finish Line, Underground Station and Lady Foot Locker.

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Terrence Howard Was Blacklisted By Cosby

EURweb.com

Terrence Howard said he was so angry over being cut from a part in "The Cosby Show" that he confronted the program's famous star to vent his frustration – only to find himself briefly blacklisted in the entertainment business.

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Usher mulling return of mom-ager Jonetta Patton

Daily News

Is Usher ready to admit mother knows best?

The singer is said to be quietly talking with mom Jonetta Patton about becoming his manager again.

Last year, just days before Mother's Day, Usher stunned friends by telling the woman who turned him into an R&B superstar that her services were no longer needed. Shortly afterward, we revealed that he was replacing her with Benny Medina, the man who has steered the careers of Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez, among others

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West scoops two BET awards

Kanye West and hip-hop group UGK have won two awards each at this year's Black Entertainment TV (BET) awards.

West took home the prize for best male hip-hop artist and best collaboration for Good Life, which featured T-Pain.

UGK was named best group and also won video of the year for International Player's Anthem (I Choose You) featuring Outkast.

Alicia Keys and Chris Brown took top honours in the R&B artist categories at the ceremony in Los Angeles.

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D'Angelo Gets Busy On J Records Debut

Billboard.com

R&B star D'Angelo is making progress on his first studio album since 2000, which will likely be released early next year via J Records. The label purchased D'Angelo's contract in 2005 from Virgin, which issued his first two studio albums.

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Campbell pleads guilty to assault

BBC News

Supermodel Naomi Campbell has pleaded guilty to assaulting two police officers at Heathrow Airport.

Ms Campbell, 38, was removed from a BA flight bound for Los Angeles at Heathrow's Terminal 5 on 3 April.

Wearing a dark suit and sunglasses, she faced a media scrum as she arrived in a Mercedes for her appearance at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court.

The charge of assaulting a constable carries a maximum six-month prison sentence and a fine of up to £5,000

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Kanye Booed

E! Online

The Bonnaroo boobirds were out in full force for Kanye West this weekend.

The Grammy winner walked onto the festival stage nearly two hours past his scheduled 2:45 a.m. performance time Sunday morning and was greated by bleary-eyed fans' chorus of boos and chants of "Kanye sucks."

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R. Kelly acquitted of all child porn counts

A Chicago jury has acquitted R. Kelly on all counts at his child pornography trial.

The verdict came six years after the R&B superstar was first charged with videotaping himself having sex with a young girl. Prosecutors had said she was as young as 13 at the time.

The Grammy award-winning singer dabbed his face with a handkerchief and hugged each of his four attorneys after the verdict was read. The singer had faced 15 years in prison if convicted.

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Fairytale marriage could be at an end for Turks and Caicos premier

caribbeannetnews.com

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands: Just two years into the fairytale marriage of Dr Michael Misick, Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), and American actress and businesswoman Lisa-Raye McCoy-Misick in April 2006, sources connected to the islands now say that the marriage of the First Couple of the TCI could be coming to an end.

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Oprah named most powerful celebrity again

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is the world's most powerful celebrity for the second straight year and for the fifth time ever, according to the 2008 Forbes Celebrity 100 Power List released on Wednesday.

The annual list also included two couples among its top 10. Actress Angelina Jolie came in at No. 3 and her partner Brad Pitt nabbed No. 10, while music mogul newlyweds, Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z were fourth and seventh.

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Wendy Williams' Husband Accused Of Planning Murder

ballerstatus.com

A lawsuit was filed on Wednesday (June 11) against radio personality Wendy Williams, claiming that her husband plotted to murder his wife's rival.

The suit alleges that Kevin Hunter, Williams' husband tried to enlist the help of a male WBLS employee, the station where Wendy show airs, to help him find a hitman to take out Hot 97 radio personality Miss Jones (real name: Tarsha Jones), according to New York's Daily News.

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Rock pioneer Bo Diddley dies at age 79

Bo Diddley, a founding father of rock 'n' roll whose distinctive "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm and innovative guitar effects inspired legions of other musicians, died Monday after months of ill health. He was 79.

Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Fla., spokeswoman Susan Clary said. He had suffered a heart attack in August, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa. Doctors said the stroke affected his ability to speak, and he had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation.

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Judge in R. Kelly trial orders reporter to court

The judge in R. Kelly's child pornography trial warned a newspaper reporter who failed to appear in court Tuesday that he must show up Wednesday or face contempt charges.

Judge Vincent Gaughan rejected arguments from Chicago Sun-Times lawyers that music critic Jim DeRogatis' rights as a reporter would be violated if he were ordered to testify. The judge said DeRogatis wasn't asked to appear "as a reporter" but "as a material witness to a crime."

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Snipes imprisoned for three years

BBC News

Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes has received a three-year prison sentence for tax offences.

A federal judge handed down the maximum term requested by prosecutors - a year for each of Snipes's convictions of wilfully failing to file a tax return.

Snipes's lawyers had called for leniency, arguing that the offences were misdemeanours and that the star was of good character.

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Newlywed Gary Coleman brings marital woes to `Divorce Court'

The honeymoon is over for Gary Coleman and his new bride.

The 40-year-old actor and his 22-year-old wife, Shannon Price, are set to appear on TV's "Divorce Court" on May 1 and 2. The couple wed in August after meeting on the set of the 2006 comedy "Church Ball."

Among the problems the pair discusses with Judge Lynn Toler are Coleman's anger and intimacy issues. Coleman and Price agree they have "ugly" monthly fights.

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BLACK PRESS

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Black men have highest rate of prostate Cancer

Inner-city black men are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as whites and are four times more likely to be in advanced stages of the disease at diagnosis, according to a new study led by University of Florida researchers.

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