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Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels says there are not enough roles for African American actors in films

Thu, 24 May 2012 17:26:48 GMT

The Oscar-nominated director of Precious said today that there are not enough roles for African American actors in films.

Ronald Reagan blood vial auction cancelled after outrage

Thu, 24 May 2012 17:10:00 GMT

The online auction of a vial of Ronald Reagan’s blood has been terminated following outrage from the former US President’s foundation in California.

Suspect held over missing boy in 33-year-old murder mystery

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:20:25 GMT

It is one of the city's highest profile crimes in history and helped launch a missing children's movement across the United States.

Ronald Reagan blood vial auction cancelled after complaints

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:20:00 GMT

A vial believed to contain Ronald Reagan's blood has been withdrawn from an auction after its sale was condemned by a foundation set up to promote the US president's legacy.

US hospital settles lawsuit over foetuses in jars

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:00:30 GMT

A US hospital has reached a proposed settlement of $1 million with women who say an employee put dozens of miscarried or stillborn foetuses into jars for years instead of medically disposing of them.

Man who shot Trayvon accuses police of cover-up

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:20:06 GMT

Neighbourhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman publicly accused police of covering up the beating of a homeless black man by the son of a white officer more than a year before he shot unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, it emerged today.

US hacked al-Qa'ida sites, says Hillary Clinton

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:50:28 GMT

US cyber-experts hacked al-Qa'ida propaganda online in Yemen, changing ads that bragged about killing Americans into ones that showed the death toll of the terror group's attacks against Yemenis, Hillary Clinton said.

On the high seas with the high rollers

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Just think how hard it must be to be loaded. All that tax and grief from poor people about greed. And then there are the trials of love. Just how do you find a partner if you're a multimillionaire?

Polls boost for Romney as Obama loses ground

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

There were fresh signs yesterday that President Barack Obama is struggling to gain traction with America's voters less than six months before the presidential election and that his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, may be gathering strength.

Secret Service accused of sexual misconduct 64 times in five years

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

A US Senate panel investigating how members of the Secret Service came to be caught with their pants down, as it were, on a mission to Colombia heard yesterday of a wider history of allegations of sexual misdeeds inside the elite agency. Senator Joseph Lieberman, chairing the panel, cited 64 instances since 2007 of agents being accused of sexual misconduct, including one complaint of "non-consensual intercourse". Appealing to insiders to come forward, he added: "We can only know what the records of the Secret Service reveal."

The Bain of Mitt Romney's life?

Wed, 23 May 2012 06:00:56 GMT

Was this the moment Mitt Romney lost the election? At a campaign stop, he was assailed by workers from an office supplies manufacturer owned by Bain Capital, the private equity group where he made his $250m fortune. The workers, from a firm called Ampad in Indiana, had been stripped of their old contracts and told to work for lower pay and fewer health benefits.

Mark Zuckerberg loses friends on Wall Street as regulators probe $19bn slump

Wed, 23 May 2012 06:00:01 GMT

Facebook's $104bn stock market flotation descended into anger and recrimination last night, as shares in the social network slumped further in value and regulators investigated whether important information was kept hidden from some investors.

The Bain of Romney's life?

Tue, 22 May 2012 23:00:56 GMT

Zuckerberg loses friends on Wall Street as regulators probe $19bn slump

Tue, 22 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Counterfeit Chinese goods now threaten US military

Tue, 22 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

The problem of fake goods from China has spread beyond the dodgy Gucci and Rolex shops of Manhattan and into the bloodstream of the American military, according to a new report.

Falcon 9 private rocket lifts off for International Space Station

Tue, 22 May 2012 12:28:02 GMT

A commercial rocket has blasted off from the US with a load of supplies for the International Space Station.

Double trouble at JP Morgan: trader's losses could exceed $7bn

Tue, 22 May 2012 05:00:01 GMT

The crisis at JP Morgan escalated yesterday as it emerged its trading losses in London could rise to as much as $7bn (£4.5bn) and the US bank cancelled a share buyback. Fears were growing that the losses could spiral from an initial $2bn, which was declared on 10 May, as JP Morgan struggles to unwind the massive bets made by the so-called "London Whale" trader Bruno Iksil.

Student jailed over webcam video of gay roommate

Mon, 21 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Three days after the humiliation and torment of being secretly videoed in a gay embrace by a "homophobic" roommate who gossiped and mocked him online, Tyler Clementi leapt to his death from New York's George Washington Bridge.

Mexican police capture drugs baron dubbed 'The Crazy One'

Mon, 21 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

They call him "The Crazy One" but, judging by the sobering nature of his debut press conference, the suspected cocaine baron Daniel Jesus Elizondo came from a more calculated school of organised criminals.

Hollywood's former holiday destination of choice to vanish from tourist map

Mon, 21 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

More than 100 years after it was created by a flood – and following decades of environmental degradation – California's once-famous Salton Sea is six weeks from falling off the tourist map, thanks to the state's fiscal crisis.

Tony Blair and George Bush's phone conversation a week before Iraq invasion 'must be released'

Mon, 21 May 2012 18:00:10 GMT

Words that Tony Blair spoke over the phone to George Bush on the eve of the Iraq war are to be made public, a tribunal ordered today.

Barack Obama: Confident Afghans can take security lead

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:12:32 GMT

President Barack Obama and Nato leaders expressed confidence in Afghanistan's ability to take the lead for its own security next year, as nations with a stake in the deeply unpopular war met today for talks aimed at paving the way for its end.

Don't Occupy my wedding: Bride’s big day ruined as anti-Nato protesters descend on Chicago

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:50:11 GMT

As Elizabeth and Tim Alberts stepped out of the church in which they’d just married, the last thing they’d have expected was their big day being hijacked by Occupy Chicago protesters.

Chicago braces for final day of Nato protests

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:37:42 GMT

Chicago braced for more demonstrations today, with protesters vowing to march to the Boeing headquarters a day after clashes outside the Nato summit.

Clashes as protesters target Nato in Chicago

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00:42 GMT

Chicago braced for more demonstrations Monday, with protesters vowing to march to the Boeing Corp. headquarters a day after clashes outside the Nato summit.