TAKING (PRIVATE) FLIGHT

SpaceX to launch first private space rocket on Saturday

The SpaceX Falcon 9 "Heavy" via FlyingSinger / Flickr

In the early hours of Saturday morning, a rocket is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on a mission to deliver a capsule full of supplies to the International Space Station.

LEGEND OF THE DISCO

Disco legend Donna Summer dies at 63

Grammy-winning disco legend Donna Summer, pictured in 2009, died Thursday after a battle with cancer, aged 63, her family said in a statement (AFP Photo/Marc Mueller)

Grammy-winning disco legend Donna Summer died Thursday after a battle with cancer, aged 63, her family said in a statement.

I'M SORRY, WHAT?

GOP super PAC ad plan: Obama is ‘metrosexual, black Abe Lincoln’

President Barack Obama (AFP)

Documents detail a plan by a conservative super PAC to attack President Barack Obama as a “metrosexual, black Abe Lincoln.”

DON'T PUT MY SON IN THE CORNER

NC mother claims teacher kept disabled son in cardboard box

NC school kept Jacob Amatuccio was kept in a cardboard box

A North Carolina woman says that a teacher in Caldwell County put her disabled son in a cardboard box as punishment.

UNAMERICAN

Colorado Republican rep. apologizes after saying Obama ‘not an American’

Republican Colorado Rep. Mike Coffman

A Republican congressman from Colorado insisted he misspoke on Wednesday after telling supporters that he wasn’t sure where President Barack Obama was born but the president was “not an American.”

LEGALIZE IT

NY judge admits to medical marijuana use and edorses legalization

A judge's gavel. Photo: Shutterstock.com, all rights reserved.

Kings County Supreme Court Justice Gustin L. Reichbach revealed that he regularly smokes marijuana to cope with ongoing cancer treatment.

Science

Race is on to save Tasmanian devil down under

It’s been hundreds of years since the Tasmanian devil last lived on the Australian mainland…

Sunday’s partial solar eclipse will bring a burning ring of fire to the sky

There will be a relatively rare solar eclipse this weekend, as the moon slides between…

‘Good’ cholesterol doctrine may be flawed, says study

WHO warns one in three worldwide has high blood pressure

Tech News

Facebook to kick off IPO the hacker way: reports

SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook will go public hacker style with an all-night software bending bash…

Google searches get smarter

SAN FRANCISCO — Google on Wednesday began making its search engine smarter in a major…

Media

Three members of Aussie kids’ group ‘The Wiggles’ to retire

Global children’s phenomenon The Wiggles announced the end of an era on Thursday, with three…

Forbes names Jennifer Lopez ‘most powerful’ star

NEW YORK — Jennifer Lopez is the world’s most powerful celebrity, according to Forbes magazine…

World

Spain falls back into recession: official data

Spain fell into recession in the first quarter of 2012 with a decline of 0.3 percent in gross domestic product…

Mladic war crimes trial suspended ‘indefinitely’

The Yugoslav war crimes court on Thursday adjourned the trial of former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, just a…

Limbless Frenchman swims from New Guinea to Indonesia

A Frenchman who lost his limbs in an accident braved strong winds and currents to swim from Papua New Guinea…

New French government to take a pay cut

France’s new government, under Socialist President Francois Hollande, gets down to work Thursday with the first order of business on…

U.S. News

Facebook billionaire’s tax dodge inspires punitive Act of Congress

Irate over news that billionaire Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin is renouncing his U.S. citizenship to…

Arby’s restaurant apologizes for serving chunk of human finger

The Arby’s chain of restaurants has apologized for serving a Jackson, Michigan teen a chunk…

White births in U.S. no longer in majority: census

White births in the United States are no longer in the majority, according to US…

Senate rejects budgets by Obama, Republicans

WASHINGTON — The US Senate unanimously rejected President Barack Obama’s proposed 2013 budget Wednesday and…

Federal judge blocks indefinite detention provision of NDAA

A federal judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of a controversial provision in last year’s National…