U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders are gathering in Deauville, France Thursday for the G8 summit, which is likely to focus on Japan's nuclear crisis and popular uprisings in Arab states, as well as global economic issues.
President Obama is expected to use the summit to reinforce his call for support of political and economic reforms in the Middle East and North Africa.
This is his first major world meeting since delivering a landmark speech in Washington, in which he promoted the idea.
It is also the first major meeting since Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned his post as head of the International Monetary Fund, opening up international discussion about who will fill his post.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is chairing the meeting of eight leading economies in the French resort town.
Earlier this week Obama spent three days in Britain, where he discussed global issues with Prime Minister David Cameron. The two agreed that allied military operations in Libya will continue until leader Moammar Gadhafi stops attacking civilians and gives up power.
Speaking in London Wednesday at a joint news conference, Obama said there will be no letup in the pressure on Gadhafi. He later told the British parliament that the U.S., Britain and their allies "stopped a massacre in Libya" and will not relent until what he called "the shadow of tyranny" is lifted.
The European Union said Wednesday it will increase its aid to 16 countries in the Middle East, North Africa and the former Soviet Union, but that the aid will be linked to their progress toward democracy.
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Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has ordered the arrest of an opposition tribal chief whose supporters have been engaged in deadly clashes with government forces since Monday.
The defense ministry announced the arrest order for Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar on Thursday, as loyalists to the Hashid tribe chief continued fighting Yemeni forces in the capital, Sana'a.
Western news reports quote government sources and witnesses as saying at least 24 people were killed in fighting late Wednesday and early Thursday. Scores of soldiers, tribesmen and soldiers were killed in the unrest earlier this week.
Separately, the defense ministry says 28 people died following an explosion at a weapons storage facility the capital. However, the Associated Press says opposition activists dispute the account and say the deaths resulted from the government's heavy shelling in a residential area.
Earlier Thursday, witnesses reported heavy shelling and loud explosions in Sana'a. Witnesses also say electricity has been intermittent and opposition fighters have taken control of several government buildings, including the offices of the state news agency, Saba.
Many residents fled the fighting by car on Wednesday.
The U.S. State Department ordered non-essential diplomats and embassy family members to leave Yemen. The State Department said that Yemen's security threat level is "extremely high due to terrorist activities and civil unrest."
Yemen's president has again ruled out a voluntary exit. On Wednesday, he condemned U.S.-backed efforts to negotiate his departure after nearly 33 years of authoritarian rule. He told the Reuters news agency that he "does not take foreign orders."
Meanwhile, thousands of protesters again marched through the capital, not far from the clashes, calling on President Saleh to step down.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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The former head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has moved from a temporary apartment to a luxurious New York City townhouse to await trial on sexual assault charges.
Strauss-Kahn, who is under house arrest, made the move Wednesday after a judge approved it. He will be under guard at all times and only allowed to leave the home to meet with lawyers, seek medical attention, or attend religious services.
Strauss-Kahn is accused of sexually assaulting a New York hotel maid on May 14. He was arrested the same day while he was awaiting takeoff on a plane bound for France.
He was released last week on $1 million cash bail and a $5 million bond. His next court appearance is set for June 6, when a judge is expected to officially inform him of the charges he faces.
Meanwhile, there is international discussion about who should next become managing director of the IMF. China said Thursday any decision on the next chief should be made "through democratic consultation" and abide by the principles of "openness, transparency, and being merit-based."
China made a joint statement Tuesday with Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa saying it is time to end the "obsolete" custom of reserving the top position at the IMF for a European.
French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde has announced her candidacy for the job and is considered a top contender. Mexican central bank director Agustin Carstens has also declared his interest in the job.
European Union leaders, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have said they want another European to head the IMF at a time when it is helping Greece, Ireland and Portugal cope with debt problems.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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Addressing Britain's Parliament on Wednesday, U.S. President Barack Obama sent a message that the United States and Great Britain will continue to lead efforts toward world peace and democracy. The president also visited British Prime Minister David Cameron.
President Obama had the honor of speaking before the British Parliament at 900-year-old Westminster Hall. He used the opportunity to emphasize the strength of the "special relationship" between the U.S. and Britain.
"I have come here today to reaffirm one of the oldest, one of the strongest alliances the world has ever known," said the U.S. president.
Obama disputed the contention that the influence of America and Britain in the world is waning.
"That argument is wrong," he said. "The time for our leadership is now. It was the U.S. and the U.K. and our democratic allies which shaped a world in which new nations could emerge and individuals could thrive."
The president spent the earlier part of the day at 10 Downing Street with Prime Minister David Cameron.
Much of their talk concentrated on the upheaval in the Middle East, and specifically the NATO military mission to protect civilians in Libya.
Cameron agreed with the president that regime change is not part of the United Nations-authorized mission in Libya, but protecting civilians is impossible as long as Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi remains in power.
"It is impossible to imagine a future with Gadhafi still in power. He must go,'' said Cameron.
Obama said NATO-led forces in Libya are making progress, and Gadhafi is under more pressure to leave.
"Given the progress that has been made over the last several weeks, Gadhafi and his regime need to understand that there will not be a letup in the pressure that we are applying," said Obama.
Cameron also expressed support for the president's controversial stand on the Middle East peace process, agreeing that borders for Israel and a Palestinian state should be based on the lines that existed before the 1967 Six Day War, with mutually agreed land swaps.
He and the president disagreed over the Palestinians' expected appeal to the United Nations for statehood. Obama called it a mistake, saying Palestinian sovereignty can only be gained by negotiating with Israel. Cameron said he would prefer to discuss the issue with the European Union before making a decision.
After spending the morning discussing difficult global issues, the two leaders held an American-style barbecue at 10 Downing Street. The prime minister served hamburgers to U.S. and British service members and veterans.
Both leaders will return to tackling serious global issues Thursday when they go to the two-day Group of Eight summit in France.
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Palestinian officials are accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of killing the peace process and say they will move ahead with plans to go to the United Nations in September to seek full membership of a Palestinian state.
The Palestinian leadership had hoped that Netanyahu might make concessions on borders and other key issues during his trip to the United States.
That did not happen. In Washington, the Israeli leader said his government is willing to make what he said are painful compromises for peace, but he made no commitment to abide by President Barack Obama's calls for a peace deal based on pre-1967 armistice lines and land swaps.
In remarks on Israeli army radio Wednesday, Nabil Shaath, a senior Palestinian official, accused the Israeli Prime Minister of killing the peace process that has already been stalled since last year.
"Mr. Netanyahu yesterday destroyed any small hope that existed that there will be a resumption of the peace talks," he said.
Public opinion polls in Israel showed Netanyahu's approval rating has jumped following his U.S. visit.
Newspapers Wednesday spoke of how the Israeli leader was received with standing ovations during his trip to the United States.
"The Israelis are these days not spoiled with love stories like this in the world," said Akiva Eldar, a senior columnist with the Tel Aviv newspaper, Haaretz. "We're getting more and more criticism and here you go to the American Congress and you see your leader getting so much love."
Analysts say the boost in popularity gives Netanyahu less of an incentive to change his policies.
For their part, the Palestinians say they are moving ahead with plans to go to the United Nations in September to apply for full membership as a Palestinian state. In the meantime, activists say they plan more nonviolent demonstrations.
Akiva Eldar believes that by sticking to the status quo, Netanyahu has started a countdown to a showdown in September.
"The Israelis are worried that the day after [while] nothing will actually change on the ground, the Palestinian people will react and they will try to impose this change," he said. "I think what the Israelis are mostly worried about is that it will be a nonviolent struggle. They know how to deal with terrorism. They know how to deal with violence. They don't have much experience in dealing with a nonviolent struggle."
Earlier this month, thousands of Palestinians marched on checkpoints along the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and along fences dividing the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights and Syria, as well as along Israel's border with Lebanon.
The marches were supposed to be nonviolent, but resulted in the deaths of a number of Palestinians after demonstrators confronted Israeli security forces with rocks and firebombs.
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Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has categorically rejected a role as ceremonial head of state for the Tibetan exile administration in India. Tibetan leaders have been urging him to accept the role, two months after he abdicated his political duties and two months before a new Tibetan exile prime minister is scheduled to be inaugurated.
From virtually every corner of the world, members of the Tibetan exile parliament convened in Dharamsala, India, to make a plea to their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
In a similar meeting in March, the Dalai Lama indicated he would step back from formal political duties he has fulfilled for half a century, to make room for democratically elected officials.
Tibetan lawmakers and other leaders hoped to convince him to retain a role as a ceremonial head of state, similar to that of the Queen of England.
The president of a Tibetan exile group in Italy, Kalsang Dolker, said the Dalai Lama flatly refused.
"He said he will never be the head of the state," said Dolker. "And he did not accept our proposal."
It is difficult to overstate the personal importance of the Dalai Lama to the Tibetan exile community. He has set not only the tone for a non-violent struggle for an autonomous Tibetan homeland, but has served as the head of a government that cares for more than 130,000 Tibetans in India and around the world.
A Harvard legal scholar named Lobsang Sangay was elected as the Tibetan exile prime minister earlier this year, but few believe he can replace the Dalai Lama's global celebrity appeal anytime soon.
A member of the Tibetan exile parliament representing North America, Tenzing Chonden, said the Dalai Lama explained his rejection of the ceremonial head of state role. "He felt that the Tibetan people need to stand on their own feet through democratically elected leadership. "
While many Tibetans understand the rationale of the leader they call "His Holiness," Tenzing said they are disappointed nonetheless.
"Everyone is very sad. The devotion and the reverence that we all have for His Holiness, as not just as our political leader, but also our spiritual leader," said Tenzing. "That connection certainly makes it very difficult for everyone, all Tibetans, inside Tibet and outside, to accept this decision that his holiness has come to."
The Dalai Lama has long stated his goal to delegate his political powers to democratically elected officials. Part of that may have to do with the fact that he is 76 years old, and may not be around as long as his followers may like.
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French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde has announced her candidacy to lead the International Monetary Fund, despite calls from some countries for the job to go to a non-European.
Lagarde is considered a top contender for the post, which was vacated when Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned last week to fight sexual assault charges in New York City.
Lagarde announced her candidacy in a news conference Wednesday.
European Union leaders, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have made it clear that they want another European to head the international lender at a time when it is helping Greece, Ireland and Portugal cope with debt problems.
But major emerging economies are critical of Europe's decades-old grip on the leadership of the IMF. In a joint statement Tuesday, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa said it is time to end the "obsolete" custom of reserving the top IMF job for a European.
The directors who speak for the five countries at the IMF said the choice should be based on competence rather than nationality.
The nomination period for the next IMF managing director ends June 10. IMF officials say they hope to have a new leader in place by the end of June.
Monday, Mexico's government nominated its central bank governor Agustin Carstens to head the IMF. He was previously Mexico's finance minister and was the deputy managing director of the IMF for several years.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Wednesday that both Lagarde and Carstens are "credible" and "talented" candidates for the job.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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An international monitoring group says north Sudan's occupation of the contested Abyei region was likely a "premeditated and well-planned" operation.
The Satellite Sentinel Project, which uses satellite photos to observe developments in Sudan, says it documented a build-up of tanks, helicopters, and troops along roads near Abyei in the weeks before Saturday's occupation.
Nathaniel Raymond is director of operations at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative for the satellite Sentinel Project. To hear his interview with VOA's Joe De Capua on the latest images over Abyei, click below.
The project also says it has collected documentary evidence of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Abyei.
Witnesses have reported burning and looting of buildings in Abyei since northern forces seized the oil-rich area, which is claimed by both north Sudan and the soon-to-be-independent south.
The United Nations says more than 15,000 people have fled southward to escape the violence.
In a speech Tuesday, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir said the north will not withdraw from Abyei, which he described as "northern Sudanese land".
The fighting in Abyei has raised fears of a new civil war in Sudan. The north and south fought for 21 years before signing a peace agreement in 2005.
South Sudan voted to split from the north in a January referendum.
Southern leaders say the north occupied Abyei to provoke war and derail secession. The north says it acted to prevent the south from annexing Abyei by force.
North Sudan blames the south's Sudan People's Liberation Army for an attack on northern troops in Abyei last week that killed at least 22 soldiers. The Bashir government says dozens more are missing.
The north and south had been conducting joint patrols of Abyei while trying to negotiate the region's future.
A planned referendum on whether Abyei should join the north or south was cancelled because the sides could not agree on who would be eligible to vote.
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A new Amnesty International report says war crimes have been committed on both sides of the political divide during Ivory Coast's violent post-election standoff.
A group from Amnesty International spent about two months in Ivory Coast, speaking to witnesses of a power struggle that erupted after last November's disputed presidential election.
Amnesty International deputy director for Africa Véronique Aubert says forces loyal to former leader Laurent Gbagbo have carried out war crimes. That is also true, she says, of forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara, the incumbent president.
"We know that they have executed hundreds of men of all age on political and ethnic grounds," said Aubert. "We know that women have been raped. There are quite a lot of testimonies in the report, including on sexual violence."
Amnesty's investigations focused on crimes carried out in and around Duékoué, a town about 500 kilometers from the capital, Abidjan.
She says the U.N. Operations in Ivory Coast, or UNOCI, failed to protect the population from the mass killings and rape that took place there in March.
"We all know that a lot of this happened when the United Nations operation was very close by, just a kilometer away from the killings in Duékoué," she said. "The UNOCI was not acting and was not protecting the population the way it had to."
And Aubert says the violence is continuing. The Amnesty report says in the first weeks of May attacks were carried out against villages inhabited by people believed to be sympathetic to Gbagbo.
Ouattara has promised to reconcile the two sides of the divide and has asked the International Criminal Court to probe allegations of serious crimes during the crisis.
But Aubert says Ouattara needs to do more by publicly condemning violence carried out by the force he set up in March, the Ivory Coast Republican Forces.
"It is his responsibility to exercise strict control over the armed forces and to call for an immediate end to the reprisals," she said. "He is the president and that is why we are asking him to publicly condemn those violations and control his forces.
The crisis in Ivory Coast was partially quelled last month when Gbagbo, who had refused to step down following the disputed election, was captured.
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U.S. television star Oprah Winfrey, 57, has ended her quarter-century-long talk show, tearing up as she told her millions of worldwide viewers that they and the program have been "the great love" of her life.
Earlier in the week, in the lead-up to the finale, Winfrey brought in top Hollywood celebrities to share the stage. But on the last day, there was just Winfrey. There was little background music on the hour-long show that is airing Wednesday, just Winfrey showing clips from over the years as she reminisced about the lessons of life she brought to viewers.
She told her legions of fans to listen to their inner feelings about life. In what she described as her "last class," she told viewers to remember that they are responsible for their own lives.
Over the years, Winfrey's fame and fortune spiraled to new heights as her media empire grew. Forbes magazine last year ranked her as the third-most powerful woman in the world. Forbes estimated her wealth at $2.7 billion.
That is a long path from her youth, the daughter of a single mother in rural, poor Mississippi.
In her finale, Winfrey said viewers often taught her and that 25 years after the first show, she is still saying "Thank you, America." At the end of the program, Winfrey told her fans: "I won't say goodbye. I'll just say, until we meet again."
Winfrey recently started the Oprah Winfrey Network on cable television and plans to devote her time to it and her other media ventures.
At the age of 19, Winfrey became a news anchor. In 1984, she moved to Chicago to host a morning talk show and within a year it was named "The Oprah Winfrey Show," eventually becoming the top-rated talk show in television history with many millions of viewers weekly in 150 countries.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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U.S. astronauts Andrew Feustel and Mike Fincke have completed the third spacewalk of their mission servicing the International Space Station, installing cables for its power system and completing work on a wireless communications system.
The astronauts, part of the crew on the final voyage of the space shuttle Endeavour, spent nearly seven hours outside the space station. They worked a large part of the time on the Russian segment of the space station, adding equipment to provide more power to that area and hooking up an attachment for the station's robotic arm.
NASA TV footage
One more spacewalk is scheduled for this mission before the shuttle returns to Earth in early June.
Meanwhile, officials with the U.S. space agency NASA said they will make a final attempt in trying to contact an exploratory vehicle on the planet Mars that has not returned communications in more than a year.
Officials said they will try to make contact with the Spirit rover on Wednesday. They say that there is little chance the crippled craft has survived the brutal Martian winter.
The Spirit rover and its still-functioning twin, Opportunity, landed on Mars in early 2004 on a three-month mission to search for signs that Mars may once have contained water.
Both rovers continued to function long after they completed that mission. Spirit developed a series of mechanical and data-storage problems that culminated in its now-dormant state. Opportunity continues to explore the Martian landscape and send back reports of its findings.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron are sounding a harmonious tone on their approach to protecting Libyan civilians from attacks by Moammar Gadhafi's government forces.
At a news conference outside the British prime minister's residence, President Obama and his British counterpart said there would be no letup in efforts to oust the Libyan leader.
Obama said the NATO military action in Libya has made progress, and pressure on Gadhafi to step down will continue.
"Well, first of all, I do think that we have made enormous progress in Libya. We have saved lives as a consequence of our concerted actions," Obama said.
The president did not say he would commit any more U.S. military resources to the effort, even though France and some other NATO allies are calling for that.
Prime Minister Cameron said he and Obama agree that the allies should continue turning up the heat on Libya.
"Then this is a once-in-a-generation moment to grab hold of. It is not a time for us to shrink back and think about our own issues and interests. This is our issue, and this is massively in our interests," Cameron said.
Both leaders agreed that the United Nations mandate that authorized the military action in Libya does not call for regime change, but the president agreed with the prime minister that Gadhafi must go.
"It is going to be difficult to meet the U.N. mandate of security for the Libyan people so long as Gadhafi and his regime are still attacking them," said Obama.
Obama and Cameron both ruled out sending ground troops to Libya. They agreed that ridding Libya of Moammar Gadhafi will be a slow, steady process, and the British leader advised patience and persistence.
The president said there is no secret, super-effective option for using air power to force the Libyan leader out.
Cameron said he supports Obama's call to restart the Middle East peace process, including his controversial call for Israel to return to its 1967 boundaries, with mutually agreed-to land swaps.
"Again, I congratulated the president on his recent speech on the Middle East, which was bold, it was visionary, and it set out what is needed in the clearest possible terms -- an end to terror against Israelis and the restoration of dignity to the Palestinians," said Cameron.
The president said achieving progress toward Middle East peace will require what he called "wrenching compromise" by both sides. And he said the talks need to resume.
"What I am absolutely certain of is that if they are not talking, we are not going to make any progress. And neither the Israeli people nor the Palestinian people will be well served," stated Obama.
Obama came out strongly against the Palestinians' plan to pursue statehood through a U.N. Resolution. Cameron again said his government would take a wait-and-see approach to the issue.
The president and the prime minister showed some difference on their methods of fighting government debt. Cameron said they might take different paths but hope to end up in the same place. His government has instituted massive budget cuts, in hopes of regaining financial health.
On the state of the relationship between the U.S. and Britain, Obama said it is "the strongest it has ever been." Some observers have questioned the health of the so-called "special relationship," but both leaders, as well as Britain's Queen Elizabeth, have gone out of their way to say it is not only special, but essential.
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U.S. television star Oprah Winfrey, one of the nation's most powerful and wealthiest entertainers, is ending her run as a top-rated TV talk show host after 25 years on the air. The final episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show airs on May 25. Oprah's show, the first syndicated talk show by an African American, debuted in September 1986. Since then, she has built a media empire - and a brand - including her own cable television network launched earlier this year.
It was a fitting send off for Oprah Winfrey, including a standing ovation from 13,000 fans in Chicago and tributes from a chorus of celebrities as she ended 25 years as a talk show host. Oprah transformed American television with her wildly popular daytime talk show that hit the airwaves in 1986. It became the highest rated talk show in television history with 42 million viewers weekly in more than150 countries. Last year, she said it was time to move on.
"These years with you, our viewers, have enriched my life beyond all measurements," she said.
As fans took in one of her final shows, they reflected on what made Oprah so important.
"The kindness that she gave everybody. The opportunity that she gave everybody," said one woman. "The love that she shared with all of us."
"She's always been so real," said a male fan. "She's just a real person, a genuine person."
"She's given us hope, and she's really just a positive in so many people's lives including myself," said another woman.
Oprah was able to connect with her viewers by revealing some of her own issues - an early experience with sexual abuse, poverty and, later, problems with her weight. She also took on controversial subjects like child abuse, AIDS and racism.
"Even if you didn't watch the show , you were aware of what was going on on that show," said media critic Ron Simon. "It was part of the national conversation."
Author Kitty Kelly says Oprah's rise to superstar status from humble beginnings was nothing short of incredible.
"She is the most famous woman in the world," she said. "In fact "Good Housekeeping" [magazine] came out with a poll showing that she is the most admired woman on the face of the earth."
Her early life was not a predictor. She grew up poor in racially segregated Mississippi but overcame many obstacles. She appeared in a few films, but her talk show made her a household name.
She became the first African American woman to make the Forbes Magazine list of billionaires. And she propelled the careers of writers through her book club endorsements.
Along the way, she produced "The Color Purple" on Broadway and created a media empire including her own magazine.
Oprah became known for her generosity. She's given cars and other lavish gifts to people in her audience.
And in 2007, she donated $40 million to establish a school for poor girls in South Africa. She's raised funds to establish 60 more schools in 13 countries.
And in her first foray into politics, she used her star power to endorse Barack Obama at a key moment in his bid for the presidency.
With her TV talk show over, Oprah says she is focusing on her cable network, which launched in January. She hopes it will attract the huge audiences she's attracted over the years.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has vowed to pursue a plan to seek U.N. recognition of Palestinian statehood if there is no progress in peace talks with Israel by September.
Mr. Abbas said Wednesday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did nothing to improve the prospects for peace talks in a speech to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, outlining Israeli parameters for future negotiations.
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U.S. President Barack Obama said Wednesday it would be a "mistake" for the Palestinians to take the United Nations route instead of talking with the Israelis. He was speaking at a joint news conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London.
Mr. Obama said he is confident that both sides can agree to his goal of a secure Jewish state of Israel and a sovereign state of Palestine, but warned that it will require what he called "wrenching compromise" from both sides.
In a key policy speech last week, Mr. Obama called for basing the borders of Israel and a Palestinian state on the lines that existed before the 1967 Six Day War, with mutually agreed land swaps.
At the news conference, Mr. Cameron endorsed Mr. Obama's Mideast peace parameters and said "neither side has an excuse to stand aside from talks."
Mr. Netanyahu told the U.S. Congress on Tuesday that Israel will not withdraw to what he called its indefensible pre-1967 borders.
The leader of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah criticized both the U.S. and the Israeli initiatives Wednesday, accusing Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu of dealing a "mortal blow" to peace.
Nasrallah was speaking in a televised address marking 11 years since the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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Aretha Franklin will make her return to the concert stage on May 28 after spending the past five months recovering from undisclosed surgery. The "Queen of Soul" will perform at the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel in Niagara Falls, New York. Also on her itinerary is a June 21 concert in Vienna, Virginia; two shows in July in Wantagh, New York and Holmdel, New Jersey; and a performance in Clarkston, Michigan on August 25. In a recent interview with Pollstar, Aretha talked about tentative plans to perform her first European tour since 1983. She said that will occur as soon as she gets over her fear of flying in airplanes.
Adele Still Tops Billboard 200
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This week, Adele spends her eighth week at the top of the Billboard 200with her second album, 21. According to Billboard, that's the longest reign by any artist since 2009. Taylor Swift's Fearless album claimed 11 non-consecutive weeks at Number One from November 29, 2008 through March 14, 2009. 21 is predicted to hold the top spot for a ninth week before being replaced by Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga is expected to debut at Number One with her new album, Born This Way, which dropped on May 23.
MTV Plans Lady Gaga Documentary
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In other Lady Gaga news: On May 26, MTV will air her hour-long documentary, "Lady Gaga: Inside the Outside." The show features an interview that reveals events in her life that helped shape her career in music. The set's title track reached Number One in the U.S. and many other countries around the world. She had a Top 10 hit with its second single, "Judas." Lady Gaga debuts at Number 3 on this week's Hot 100 chart with the third single, "The Edge of Glory."
Fans Prepare for American Idol Finale <!--IMAGE-->
American Idol is down to its final two contestants. On May 19, 20-year-old Illinois native Haley Reinhart was voted off, which leaves 16-year-old Lauren Alaina battling against 17-year-old Scotty McCreery. Both Lauren and Scotty are known for their Country music leanings. The two-night American Idol finale airs on May 24 and 25 live from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.
Tim McGraw Spars with Record Label
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The drama is intensifying between Country star Tim McGraw and his label Curb Records. Curb has slapped him with a breach-of-contract suit. The label alleges that Tim began recording his upcoming Emotional Traffic album earlier than the contractual agreement of 12 to 18 months following the release of the previous album. A spokesperson for Tim told Billboard, "Sadly, after a 20-year relationship which has provided unprecedented success for both parties, Curb Records has chosen to end its accord with Tim McGraw by filing suit against him. Tim McGraw delivered his new album, Emotional Traffic, to Curb in the fall of 2010. The label is holding the album hostage from country music fans in an attempt to force Tim McGraw to serve perpetually under a contract that he has already fully and faithfully completed." Curb Records' roster also includes LeAnn Rimes, The Judds, Rodney Atkins and Hank Williams, Jr., among many others.
New Album Releases May 24:
"This Is Country Music" by Brad Paisley "NKOTBSB" by New Kids On The Block and the Backstreet Boys "Revelation Part 1: The Roots of Life" by Stephen Marley "Eclipse" by Journey (Wal-Mart exclusive) "Tough Love: Best of the Ballads" by Aerosmith "Wild Together" by Carter's Chord "The Royal Wedding: The Official Album" by various artists
Awards Presentations / Winners:
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The 2011 Billboard Music Awards were presented on May 22 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rihanna led the finalists with 18 nominations, including Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Female Artist and Top Dance/Electronic Artist. Her duet with Eminem, "Love The Way You Lie," was nominated for six awards. Eminem followed as a finalist in 16 categories. The rapper was nominated for Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Artist, Top Male Artist and Top Rap Artist. Other leading finalists included Lady Gaga, who's named in 12 categories, and Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber, who were up for 11 awards apiece. Winners were also determined by album, single and digital sales, touring, streaming and social interactions on MySpace, Facebook and other popular online music sites. During the ceremony, legendary singer Neil Diamond received the 2011 Billboard Icon Award in recognition of his cultural impact and career longevity. And, Beyonce was given the Billboard Millennium Award in honor of her career achievements and influence in the music industry.
Look Who's Going on Tour!
New Kids On The Block and the Backstreet Boys kick off their 53-date "NKOTBSB American Tour 2011" on May 25 in Rosemont, Illinois. Two days earlier, Sony Legacy Recordings will release "NKOTBSB," which includes five songs by each of the groups. Fans chose the tracks for the album by online voting. Also included is one special song called "Don't Turn Out The Lights," which features both of the groups.
On May 27, Willie Nelson's "Country Throwdown Tour 2011" begins in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Among the Country acts joining Willie on the trek are Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser and Lee Brice. The tour will wrap up with a show in Fort Worth, Texas at Willie's annual 4th of July picnic.
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There are media reports North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has arrived in Beijing, the latest in a series of stops during a typically secretive visit that began Friday. The Chinese government has given a rare acknowledgement that Kim is in the country.
The North Korean leader typically meets with top Chinese officials, including President Hu Jintao, when he visits Beijing. Kim's armored train entourage entered northeastern China on Friday and is reported to also have visited industrial and tourist sites in eastern China.
Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences Korean Studies Director Lu Chao says it makes sense that Kim would pass through Beijing on his way back to North Korea.
Lu says if Kim visits Beijing, the Chinese president, in his words, has to meet with him because the leaders of the two countries want to maintain close contact.
Lu says he expects the two sides will discuss what he described as the current tense situation on the Korean peninsula.
He says there are problems with North Korea's economic development and food shortages.
North Korea experts say Kim also is attempting to shore-up Chinese support for his son and heir apparent, Kim Jong Un. Lu says knowledgeable friends have told him Kim did not bring his son to China this time. But he says he thinks the younger Kim should have come along, to take part in more international events because he represents North Korea's next generation of leadership.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is quoted as saying the North Korean leader is studying China's economic development. He made his comments in Japan, where he was meeting with South Korean and Japanese leaders.
When asked about Kim at the regular Foreign Ministry briefing Tuesday, spokeswoman Jiang Yu gave what has become a standard answer.
She referred to the North Korean leader without naming him, and said the arrangements for his trip are made in accordance with usual practice and out of respect for the visiting leader.
During Kim's previous two trips to China within the past year, the Chinese government made no official confirmation of his visit until after the North Korean leader had left the country.
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A team of United Nations nuclear specialists from 12 countries has begun a week-long investigation in Tokyo into the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. The team will compile a report on the world's second worst nuclear accident to be presented at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Authority in Vienna in June.
The team began their work Wednesday at Japan's nuclear safety agency, where they were briefed on a lengthy report submitted to the agency by Tokyo Electric, which operates Fukushima Daiichi.
Mike Weightman, the British government's nuclear safety head and leader of investigation, outlined what he hopes to discover. "Our focus is to gather information, and use that information to seek to learn lessons so the world can improve nuclear safety," he said.
Weightman and his team already have volumes of information to comb through.
In recent days Tokyo Electric has made public hundreds of pages of data and logs from Fukushima Daiichi and revealed more about what it thinks happened after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
All three reactors that were running as the quake stuck are thought to have suffered nuclear fuel meltdowns within days.
A meltdown is one of the nightmares of nuclear power and happens when cooling water at the center of the reactor falls, exposing fuel rods to the air. The rods then heat up and can eventually melt.
It is difficult for Tokyo Electric to know exactly what happened because it is impossible to look inside the reactors. But engineers believe most of the melted fuel has collected at the bottom of the pressure vessels at the reactor core.
Engineers have focused attention on these pressure vessels because they are suspected to have sustained damage during the meltdown, possibly creating holes. This may have allowed some melted fuel and highly radioactive water to leak into the secondary containment vessel.
If a leak occurred, the accident is more severe than originally thought. But engineers say it should not mean an immediate change in Tokyo Electric's plan to get the reactors under control by January 2012.
The IAEA team is due to travel to the Fukushima Daini nuclear plant on Thursday and visit the Daiichi plant on Friday morning.
Their report will be made public during a ministerial conference on nuclear safety at IAEA headquarters in Vienna from June 20 to 24th.
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