LOS ANGELES, Apr 23: The explosion of electronic dance music in the US has thrust DJs into the spotlight, but with great power comes great responsibility as they strive to stay fresh and maintain quality as demand for their skills rise. Electronic dance music has become a dominant force in the 2012 popular music charts, as mainstream artists such as R&B singers Rihanna and Usher, hip hop singer Nicki Minaj, and the ‘Queen of Pop’ Madonna have embraced club-heavy beats, often working with top DJs such as David Guetta. (AGENCIES)

LOS ANGELES, Apr 23: The box office competition finally overwhelmed “The Hunger Games” as the romantic comedy “Think Like a Man” beat expectations with a chart-topping $33.0 million in U.S. And Canadian ticket sales over the weekend. Love story “The Lucky One” also exceeded forecasts to finish second with $22.8 million from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates. The two films pushed the blockbuster “Hunger Games” to third, ending its four-week streak at No. 1. (AGENCIES)

BEIJING, Apr 23: “Avatar” and “Titanic” film director James Cameron said yesterday that he was looking at co-production of films in China, but would have to weigh issues like censorship and other restrictions before making any decisions. Hollywood has begun paying serious attention to China, despite the problems of government controls and piracy, reflecting the fast-growing Chinese middle class spending more money in theatres and less on pirated movies. (AGENCIES)

LONDON, Apr 23: Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb is conscious and able to speak to his wife and family after waking from a coma caused by a combination of illnesses that nearly cost him his life, his doctors said on Sunday. Paying tribute to his “iron will,” Gibb’s medical team said the singer had defied the odds to regain consciousness more than a week after he went into a coma. (AGENCIES)

NEW YORK, Apr 23: Neil Diamond has married his manager Katie McNeil in front of family and close friends in Los Angeles, People magazine said on Sunday. The 71-year-old singer songwriter, who has written and performed dozens of hits including “Sweet Caroline,” wed McNeil on Saturday, several months before he kicks of another tour in the United States on June 1. (AGENCIES)

LOS ANGELES, Apr 23: Media watchdog the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation brought out some big names in Hollywood over the weekend including American sweetheart Betty White to honor movies, TV shows and performers. At the annual GLAAD Media Awards on Saturday night, the group gave one honorary trophy to transgender activist and celebrity Chaz Bono, the child of superstar Cher and Sonny Bono, for promoting equal rights in the media. The makers of documentary “Becoming Chaz,” Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey, earned another trophy for their film about his  transformation. (AGENCIES)

BOULDER, COLO, Apr 23:  The University of Colorado sought on Friday to clamp down on a huge annual marijuana fest, but after initially restricting access to the school, police later stood back and watched hundreds of people light up in a campus field. Three protesters who crossed police lines at the Boulder campus were arrested for trespassing and about 11 others cited, but a confrontation thought possible between protesters and police never materialized.
(agencies)

ATLANTA, Apr 23: The US Food and Drug Administration said on Saturday it now spends as much effort and resources on surveilling a drug after it is approved as it does in the pre-approval process. The FDA was responding to critics who say the agency is toothless when it comes to tracking the safety of drugs already on the market, when industry funds that supported pre-approval reviews tend to dry up. (AGENCIES)

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 23: The UN Security Council has reached a deal on a draft resolution to renew the mandate of the peacekeeping force in the disputed territory of Western Sahara this week, envoys said, but the Polisario Front independence movement and South Africa are disappointed.
The renewal of the mandate of the peacekeeping force, known as MINURSO, marks an annual battle in the council between Morocco, backed by France, and African nations supporting Polisario.
The African countries have repeatedly called for U.N. peacekeepers to be given the task of monitoring alleged human rights abuses.
Morocco and France, its former colonial master, have resisted the idea that the peacekeepers should report on rights abuses in Western Sahara, a sparsely populated tract of desert that has phosphates, fisheries and, potentially, oil and gas.
Former British diplomat Carne Ross, who heads the Independent Diplomat, a group that advises Polisario, wrote in the Guardian newspaper last week that Western Sahara is the “forgotten first source of the Arab Spring.” He was referring to the Moroccan authorities’ deadly crackdown on protests there by the Saharawi population in late 2010.
While the Security Council has never formally assigned the peacekeepers the role of human rights monitoring, Morocco has faced pressure to allow language on human rights in the resolutions on Western Sahara. Rabat insists the territory should come under its sovereignty, but the Polisario contends it is a sovereign state.
The latest draft calls on both sides to respect human rights and welcomes Morocco’s decision to set up a national council on rights and grant access to the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council. Previous resolutions had made only a vague reference to the “human dimension” of the conflict.
The Polisario, which represents the Saharawi people, waged a guerrilla war against Moroccan forces until the United Nations brokered a ceasefire in 1991 with the understanding that a referendum would be held on the fate of the territory.
The referendum was never held and attempts to reach a lasting deal have floundered.
The new draft resolution has the council “stressing the importance of improving the human rights situation in Western Sahara and the Tindouf camps, and encouraging the parties to … To ensure full respect for human  rights.”
(AGENCIES)