Autopsy scheduled for singer-songwriter Teena Marie
An autopsy will be conducted Tuesday on the body of R&B singer-songwriter Teena Marie, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
It was not immediately clear when the results would be available, but the coroner's office said it hopes to have the autopsy completed on Tuesday.
The artist was found dead Sunday at her California home.
Born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, California, the 54-year-old artist was nominated four times for a Grammy Award, according to her official website.
Marie was found dead by her daughter after apparently dying in her sleep, manager Mike Gardner said.
The publicist said she talked on Saturday with Marie, who told her that she was excited about heading to Atlanta to perform this week -- in what would have been her first performance since the seizure.
While no cause of death has been released, the singer's publicist Lynn Jeter said that Marie suffered a grand mal seizure a month ago.
"Luckily, someone was there," Jeter said of that seizure. "The ambulance took her to the hospital, and on the way she had another seizure."
Among her songs were "Lovergirl," "Portuguese Love," "Ooo La La La," and "I'm a Sucker for Your Love."
Marie recorded for various record labels, including Motown, Epic, Stax Records and Cash Money Classics, after bursting onto the national music scene as a 19-year-old, according to her website. Her last studio album was "Congo Square."
"I am horrified by the sudden death of my darling Teena Marie," Motown founder Berry Gordy said in a statement sent by his publicist. "She was my 'baby,' always true to herself, always true to her heart."
Berry called her a "powerhouse performer, writer, producer and arranger."
"When I first auditioned her she was so awesome she blew me away," Gordy said. "She had so much soul -- the only thing white about her was her skin."
England retain cricket's Ashes
Indicating a resurgence of cricket prowess in the sport's homeland, England has trounced arch-rival Australia to retain the Ashes, the most storied trophy in international cricket.
A dominant English team wrapped up the fourth Test match in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday morning with an innings victory -- the most decisive manner of victory in cricket.
The win gives England a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five-game series being played during this southern hemisphere summer. With one of the earlier games having been indecisive and with only one Test match remaining, the worst England can do is finish the series 2-2 -- an outcome which would see England, as current holder of the Ashes, retain the trophy.
This is the first time in 24 years that England has won and then retained the Ashes in consecutive series of this every-two-year contest -- a rivalry that began in 1877, making it one of the oldest continuous rivalries in international sport.
England's crushing victory in this Fourth Test followed an equally overwhelming innings triumph in the Second Test in Adelaide earlier this month -- two of the most decisive victories England has scored against Australia in recent decades.
With the First Test having been a draw (meaning there was no winner), the Fifth and final Test in Sydney next month gives the determined and confident Englishmen a chance to register a 3-1 series triumph over an Australian team that appears less talented and spirited than the Aussie teams that have been a dominant power in international cricket for the past two decades.
The Ashes trophy is a small urn which traces back to 1882, when Australia beat England in England for the first time and a British newspaper ran a tongue-in-cheek "obituary" saying cricket had died and the body would be cremated and the ashes sent to Australia.
NBA-best Spurs rout Bryant and reeling Lakers
Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili were on the bench before the final horn, and not because of their bad shooting nights. That's how easy it was for the San Antonio Spurs .
On the other end, Kobe Bryant was also out of the game early. That's how bad it's getting for the Los Angeles Lakers .
Tony Parker scored 23 points and the Spurs, backing up their NBA-best record against the defending champions, beat a still-frustrated Bryant and the reeling Lakers 97-82 on Tuesday night.
"It's always great to beat the champion," Ginobili said.
The Spurs improved to 27-4, and if there are any doubts about that record being inflated, they can likely put those to rest this week. Next up is Dallas, one of the only teams to beat them this season, followed by games against Oklahoma City, New York and Boston.
The Lakers, meanwhile, can't seem to beat anyone.
It was another humiliation for the Lakers, who lost a week ago by 19 at home to lowly Milwaukee. That was followed by letting LeBron James and the Miami Heat leave the Staples Center with another easy victory on Christmas Day, in one of the highest-rated televised NBA games in recent years.
Bryant railed on his team's lack of focus following the Heat loss, but had a more quiet disappointment after the Spurs became the third straight team to crush the Lakers.
Bryant had 21 points on 8-of-27 shooting, at one point missing 13 shots in a row. He answered questions in clipped sentences before saying he was confident the Lakers can steer out of their stunning tailspin.
"I'm just (mad) at myself," Bryant said. "(Mad) I didn't play well."
He wasn't the only one on the Lakers. Bryant alluded to Derek Fisher's technical foul, after getting into a confrontation with Richard Jefferson, about the attitude throughout the team.
The Lakers dropped to 21-10, marking the first time since 2007 they've reached 10 losses this early.
"We're all moody," Bryant said. "Fish got a tech today and he's the basketball version of Barack Obama. Everybody's a little moody right now."
DeJuan Blair had 17 points and 15 rebounds, leading an unlikely Spurs cast that buried the Lakers in the fourth. Jefferson scored 17 points and George Hill had 10 while the Spurs coasted toward the end, almost remarkably, while Duncan and Ginobili were reduced to non-factors on offense.
Duncan was 1 of 7 from the field and had two points. Ginobili made only 3 of 12, finishing with nine points.
"It means Tony Parker was amazing tonight," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum had 10 points apiece for the Lakers. When the buzzer sounded, Bryant was the first off the bench and headed back to the locker room.
It's only December, but Bryant hasn't treated the slump as a mere blip.
After James and Dwyane Wade coasted to a 14-point win in Los Angeles on Saturday, Bryant seethed over a second straight home loss. He said it was as though the games "mean more to our opponents than they do us" and grumbled over the focus of the two-time defending champs.
Bryant came out like he was trying to set an example. He scored eight of the Lakers' first 10 points - all within the first 3 minutes - and attempted 10 shots in the first quarter alone.
Covered by Hill in the second quarter, Bryant drew his third technical foul in three games when the two confronted each other under the basket. They continued talking back to the other end of the court.
"I just wanted him to know that you might be an NBA All-Star and the MVP, but I won't back down from anybody," Hill said.
For all that intensity, Bryant had a miserable night.
After making four of his first five shots, Bryant missed 13 shots in a row and turned the ball over four times. The slump finally ended with 4:44 left in the third quarter on a wide-open 3-pointer.
The Spurs' stars weren't faring any better. But they had help.
Duncan and Ginobili were a combined 1 for 13 in the first half, with the Argentine clanking four 3-pointers and Duncan unable to finish near the rim against Pau Gasol.
Notes: It was a rare sellout at the AT&T Center, which has seldom been packed this season despite the historic franchise start for the Spurs. ... Sixteen other teams in NBA history had as good or better record as the Spurs through 31 games, most recently the 2007-08 Boston Celtics (28-3).
SOURCE:AP
Man City 4 - 0 Aston Villa in Premier Leage football
Mario Balotelli scored a hat-trick as Manchester City secured an emphatic victory over out-of-form Aston Villa.
Balotelli struck from the penalty spot after Eric Lichaj had fouled him before Joleon Lescott headed in City's second.
Balotelli tapped in a rebound before scoring with a second spot-kick after Marc Albrighton tripped Adam Johnson.
The win temporarily put City top of the Premier League but they slipped back to second after Manchester United drew 1-1 at Birmingham in Tuesday's late game.
But, nonetheless, it is proving to be a happy Christmas for City, who won comfortably at Newcastle on Boxing Day and increasingly look like serious title contenders.
Perhaps, most pleasing of all for manager Roberto Mancini was the hat-trick by former Inter Milan forward Balotelli, who has reportedly been feeling homesick.
The 20-year-old Italian had only mustered two Premier League goals prior to Tuesday's contest but he showed that he can provide a potent alternative to Carlos Tevez, who was on the bench as he rested a sore hamstring, in the lone striker role.
Mancini's team have lost only one of their last 10 league matches and can look forward to their home fixture against Blackpool on New Year's Day with confidence.
However, the problems continue to mount for Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier, whose team have won only two of their last 13 Premier League matches.
Their next fixture is against Chelsea, another out-of-form side, at Stamford Bridge on 2 January.
Villa were always struggling after City scored twice in the opening 13 minutes.
Balotelli had not previously scored at Eastlands but found the net after only eight minutes with a clever penalty after he had been clumsily dragged to the ground by Lichaj. The Italian paused in his approach to the ball and waited for Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel to commit himself before slotting home.
The return of Balotelli was one of five changes to the City side and it was Lescott, another of the recalled players, who struck next.
The defender climbed majestically at the near post to convert Johnson's corner. Barry Bannan made a valiant effort to head the ball clear but it was adjudged to have crossed the line.
David Silva was in sparkling form, orchestrating play in front of the Villa defence, and the Spaniard dazzled the opposition defence with a weaving run into their penalty area.
His subsequent low curling strike was parried by Friedel but the American was powerless to prevent Balotelli slotting home from inside the six-yard box.
Silva went close again before the break after collecting a square pass from Johnson but his strike took a wicked deflection and narrowly missed the goal with Friedel stranded.
There had been precious little encouragement for Houllier as he watched from the sidelines but his team did come close to a goal before the interval.
City keeper Joe Hart did well to parry a strike from Albrighton and Lescott made a brilliant last-ditch clearance to prevent Nigel Reo-Coker converting the rebound.
The visitors looked bright at the start of the second half but any faint hopes of a sensational comeback were ended abruptly when Albrighton clumsily fouled Johnson and Balotelli completed his hat-trick with another superb penalty.
Houllier tried to inject fresh impetus by bringing on Fabian Delph and Nathan Delfouneso but it was the home side who continued to look the most dangerous.
City substitute Jo should have converted a flick-on from the imperious Vincent Kompany but he shot wastefully wide from six yards.
Villa did have one final chance late in the contest but Hart saved Lichaj's crisp strike superbly.
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
- Birmingham 1-1 Man UtdFT
- Man City 4-0 Aston VillaFT
- Stoke 0-2 FulhamFT
- Sunderland 0-2 BlackpoolFT
- Tottenham 2-0 NewcastleFT
- West Brom 1-3 BlackburnFT
- West Ham 1-1 EvertonFT
| Position | Team | P | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man Utd | 18 | 22 | 38 |
| 2 | Man City | 20 | 16 | 38 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 18 | 17 | 35 |
| 4 | Tottenham | 19 | 6 | 33 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 18 | 17 | 31 |
| 6 | Bolton | 19 | 7 | 29 |
| 7 | Sunderland | 20 | -1 | 27 |
| 8 | Blackpool | 17 | -3 | 25 |
| 9 | Blackburn | 20 | -5 | 25 |
| 10 | Stoke | 19 | -1 | 24 |
| 11 | Liverpool | 17 | -1 | 22 |
| 12 | Everton | 19 | -1 | 22 |
| 13 | Newcastle | 19 | -3 | 22 |
| 14 | West Brom | 19 | -9 | 22 |
| 15 | Aston Villa | 19 | -14 | 20 |
| 16 | Birmingham | 18 | -3 | 19 |
| 17 | Fulham | 19 | -4 | 19 |
| 18 | Wigan | 18 | -14 | 19 |
| 19 | West Ham | 20 | -13 | 17 |
| 20 | Wolves | 18 | -13 | 15 |
Lucky kick earns $380K for rugby fan
A British rugby fan has received an unexpected late Christmas present after winning $380,000 in a competition during halftime at a match.
Matthew Rouse produced the kick of his life to hit the crossbar of a rugby post at London's Wembley Stadium and pocket a huge festive bonus.
The 33-year-old was at the venue to watch Sunday's English Premiership clash between Saracens and London Wasps when he decided to enter a competition sponsored by a pizza company via text message.
Rouse was one of three lucky participants selected, and he was handed his shot at glory with a kick from 30 meters (32 yards) during the interval.
Far from thinking he would walk away with the £250,000 prize, Rouse revealed he was more focused on not humiliating himself in front of 38,000 onlookers.
"I haven't played rugby since school and even then I used the warm the replacements' bench," he told the Saracens website.
"All I could think about when I got out there was to try to make a good contact with the ball and try not to embarrass myself. Nobody in the ground was more surprised than me when it hit the crossbar."
Rouse, who lives in the Hertfordshire town of Tring, revealed that the thought of victory had crossed his mind prior to the match.
"I joked to the family before I left for the game that I'd enter the competition and try to come home with the check, but this is like a dream," he said.
"I've no idea what we will spend the money on. My wife will decide that, but we certainly will be looking to have a fantastic holiday with the children. It's been a special day and one I will never forget."
Would you pay $500K to go to LeBron James' birthday party?
He earns millions of dollars every year, but basketball star LeBron James wants investors to splash out up to $500,000 each to sponsor his lavish 26th birthday celebrations.
The Miami Heat player has hired a marketing firm to find backers willing to help fund his December 30 party, dubbed the "Full Court Birthday Celebration."
James, who earned a reported $14.5 million in salary this year, enlisted SA Global Plus -- whose website shows slides from a presentation given to potential investors.
The sponsorship opportunities range from $10,000 for a single event on his 11-stop "LeBron James Dinner Party Tour" to $500,000 for a season package.
Next week's A-list party will take place at the Coco De Ville Lounge in Miami Beach's Gansevoort Hotel, and the presentation promises an array of stars including athletes, musicians and political figures who "reinvent and set the tone for a chic lifestyle."
The celebrity bash "is royal themed fitting for a birthday celebration of a king, channeling an ambience of extravagant court life."
Potential sponsors will have further chances to catch a glimpse of the self-styled "King" as his celebrations -- which started in New York this month -- keep going until the final date in Atlanta on April 10.
But for someone who pays so much attention to the finer details, his name is spelled "Lebron" throughout the presentation -- at odds with his own website's preference.
It is not the first time the former Cleveland Cavaliers guard, who calls himself "King James" on his Twitter account, has attracted attention away from the basketball court.
The six-time NBA All-Star ended months of speculation about his future in July, when he announced he would be joining the Heat on a live television special called "The Decision."
The broadcast, which led to James becoming a pariah among Cavaliers fans, attracted a reported 10 million viewers.
AIG secures $4.3B in credit lines
AIG, took a step closer to independence from government as it said it had secured $4.3 billion in credit facilities.
The U.S. insurer bailed out by Washington during the financial crisis is is in the process of repaying the $95 billion the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York lent following its disastrous decision to insure billions of dollars worth of securities backed by mortgages, and.
Under the facilities arranged by 36 banks and administered by JPMorgan Chase, AIG can borrow $1.5 billion over three years and an additional $1.5 billion over 364 days, according to a regulatory filing.
Separately, Chartis, an AIG division, obtained a $1.3 billion credit line.
The agreements are based on conditions outlined in the regulatory filing, including AIG's previously announced plan to pay back a $20 billion Federal Reserve Bank of New York credit line by March 31.
Robert Benmosche, AIG's chief executive, said securing these credit agreements was "another important vote of confidence by the market in AIG"
He said: "As we approach year's end, we believe we are close enough to completing our recapitalization plan that we can see the finish line".
The credit facilities are the latest steps taken by AIG to return to normalized operations.
In September, the insurer outlined a plan to use the proceeds from asset sales and equity offerings to repay the credit line with the Fed and remove the U.S. Treasury's stake, which it had received as part of the bail-out.
AIG has since raised $37 billion from the sale of Alico, its foreign life insurance company, which was sold to MetLife, and the initial public offering of AIA, its Asian life insurance operations.
AIG also is in the process of selling its AIG Star and AIG Edison life insurance companies for $4.3 billion.
AIG is working on a plan that would allow the Treasury to convert its preferred stock to common shares, increasing the government's ownership to 92 per cent.
The Treasury would then sell most of those shares in a public offering worth up to $20 billion, probably in the first half of 2011. The investment bank Greenhill is advising the Treasury on the sale of its stake.
As part of that deal, AIG would be allowed to raise as much as $3 billion of equity in the market and another $4 billion with Treasury approval.
In December, AIG sold $2 billion in debt, including $500 million in three-year notes and $1.5 billion in 10-year notes, on the private market. The company has also established a $500 million contingent liquidity facility.
The credit facilities announced on Monday will help reassure credit rating agencies that AIG will be able to borrow at sustainable levels in future.
Source: FT.com
Dow finishes up, Nasdaq down amid thin trading
Stocks closed barely changed Tuesday amid light trading ahead of the New Year's holiday.
The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average finished slightly higher, though stocks had dipped earlier on disappointing consumer confidence and home prices reports.
The Dow edged up after Treasury prices fell in the wake of a weak bond auction in the afternoon. Fewer than expected buyers emerged for the government's auction of $35 billion five-year bonds. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 3.49 percent from 3.34 percent late Monday.
The Dow closed the day higher by 20.51 points, or 0.2 percent, to 11,575.54. It was the highest close for the index since August 28, 2008.
The Standard and Poor's 500 index was up 0.97, or less than 0.1 percent, to 1,258.51. The technology-focused Nasdaq composite index lost 4.39, or 0.2 percent, to 2,662.88.
Earlier in the day, the Conference Board announced that consumer confidence in the economy slid to a level of 52.5 in December, down from 54.3 in November, as Americans continued to fret about the high rate of unemployment. The market was expecting a slightly higher reading because of signs of improved consumer spending in the Christmas holiday season this year.
"The spending patterns this Christmas looks better, but unemployment continues to be a big question," said Kim Caughey Forrest, senior equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group.
Another factor weighing on the minds of traders is fear that the housing market will continue to fall. Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller said Tuesday that home prices fell 1.3 percent in October from a month earlier.
Home prices slid across the country, including the biggest cities. Prices were down 2.9 percent in Atlanta, 2 percent in Chicago, and 1.9 percent in San Francisco.
Energy and materials companies were posting gains as the price of crude oil gained. Chevron Corp. led Dow gainers, rising 1.2 percent to finish at $91.19.
American Express Co. had the largest fall, losing 0.6 percent to $42.79.
In corporate news, General Motors Co. gained 2.1 percent to close at $35.32 after a handful of analysts from investment banks that underwrote the automaker's IPO initiated coverage with favorable ratings.
Home builder Beazer Homes USA Inc. fell 4.5 percent to $5.37 on the disappointing home prices report.
The dollar slid to a 7-week low versus the Japanese yen Tuesday in thin post-Christmas trading, but rose against the euro and pound.
Consolidated volume on the New York Stock Exchange was 2.2 billion shares, about half the usual volume on Wall Street. Trading is expected to be light for most of the week as many investors have already closed their books for the year.
Falling shares narrowly outpaced rising ones on the New York Stock Exchange.
Source:AP
China to cut crucial rare earths export quotas
China said it is reducing the amount of rare earths it will export for the first half of the year by more than 10 percent -- likely to be an unpopular move worldwide since the minerals are vital to the manufacture of high-tech products.
China accounts for 97 percent of the global production of rare earths, which are essential to devices as varied as cell phones, computer drives and hybrid cars. Countries were alarmed when Beijing blocked shipments of the minerals to Japan earlier this year amid a dispute over islands claimed by both countries.
Concerns over China's grip on rare earths has led countries on a hunt for alternative sources. A number of companies in North America -- notably Molycorp Inc. in the U.S. and Thompson Creek Metals Co. in Canada -- are hurrying to open or reopen rare earth mines. Two Australian companies are also preparing to mine rare earths.
China has been reducing export quotas of rare earths over the past several years to cope with growing demand at home. A Commerce Ministry spokesman has also said that China is cutting its exploration, production and exports out of environmental concerns.
Numbers released Tuesday by China's Commerce Ministry show export quotas of the rare minerals will be down 11 percent next year as compared to the same period this year. China usually issues a second batch of quotas during the year, and it is not known how the figures will change later in 2011.
The new numbers say China is allocating 14,446 tons (13,105 metric tons) of rare earths among 31 companies. China allocated 16,304 tons (14,790 metric tons) among 22 companies in the first batch of quotas this year.
The ministry said in a online statement late Tuesday that the quotas for the rest of the year were still under discussion and would be released later. The statement also cautioned that it wasn't appropriate to guess the trend of future quotas based on the first allocation.
Earlier this month, state media reported that China plans to raise duties on some rare earth exports starting next year, but it did not say which minerals would be affected or how much the tax would be.
A state media report Tuesday said China is preparing to set up a rare earths association that would include nearly all of the country's leading rare earth companies, and could help them to coordinate their negotiating position. The report posted on the Sina Corp. portal said the association should be set up in May.
The United States last week threatened to go to the World Trade Organization with its concerns over China and rare earths. When asked for comment during a regular press briefing Tuesday, China Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu declined to answer.
But China has had to address the global concerns numerous times since the spat with Japan.
"China is not using rare earth as a bargaining chip," Wen Jiabao, China's top economic official, told a China-European Union business summit in Brussels in October.
Airlines raise fares on many US routes
Passengers whose travel plans were wrecked this week when thousands of flights were canceled might not want to hear it, but airfares are going up again.
Several airlines confirmed Tuesday that they are raising prices on many domestic routes by $10 one way and $20 per round trip, even as snowbound passengers remained stranded at New York City-area airports.
United, Continental and Delta said they're raising prices effective immediately. Travel website FareCompare.com said American was too, but the airline didn't respond to a request for comment.
Southwest did not immediately go along with the higher prices, which raised the possibility that the other airlines might back down, FareCompare suggested.
The airlines posted strong profits in the third quarter, and traffic has been running higher than a year ago as travel demand slowly recovers from the recession. They didn't offer a reason for the fare hikes.
But FareCompare noted that they are facing rising fuel costs. Oil prices have climbed this year and analysts predict they will rise again in 2011 due to strong demand from developing countries such as China and India.
The fare hikes and surcharges came as airlines were still digging out from a storm that shut down airports in New York, Boston and Philadelphia, leading to at least 7,000 canceled flights. Airlines were adding a few extra flights Tuesday to handle the backlog of stranded passengers, but it was expected to take several days to accommodate all the travelers.
"In the midst of one of the worst travel disruptions of the year that saw thousands of passengers stranded at airports along the Eastern seaboard due to blizzard conditions, airfare prices are on the rise," said FareCompare's Graeme Wallace.
Many passengers on canceled flights are rebooking, but the airlines are likely to lose some revenue to passengers who instead request refunds. An analyst for Dahlman Rose & Co. estimates that the industry could lose $100 million in revenue from this week's cancellations.
Source: AP