For someone who claims to be incredibly laid back, Jason Mraz is certainly piling up the accomplishments. The singer-songwriter was the recipient of the Hal David Starlight Award at last week's Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee ceremony in New York. The honor typically goes to newcomers striking a chord in the music industry. Or, as Mraz puts it, "I hope it has something to do with their savvy freshness." Mraz, who turned 32 this week and took his parents ...

Microsoft recently announced retail pricing for Windows 7 that was at or below comparable Windows Vista prices, while also offering a chance for people to preorder the software at a substantial discount. From Friday through July 11, consumers in the U.S. will be able to buy an upgrade copy of Windows 7 Home premium for $49 or Windows 7 Professional for $99. That offer is good for both XP and Windows Vista PCs, regardless of whether someone has been ...

Voters in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands became the first European Union citizens to go to the polls Thursday to elect a new European Parliament. The massive election, involving all 27 member states, around 375 million eligible voters and 736 MEP seats, is the biggest exercise in transnational democracy the world has ever seen, with voters from Bulgaria and Romania, which joined the EU in 2007, participating for the first time. Each country in the EU sets its own ...

Streamers still line the streets of Susan Boyle's hometown, where the international singing sensation's second-place finish in "Britain's Got Talent" left those who know her best feeling crushed -- but also hopeful. "I am disappointed for Susan," said one of about 200 residents of the small town who turned out for a viewing party at a community center Saturday night. "But this is just the beginning of her career." Boyle's runner-up finish was anticlimactic for millions of viewers worldwide, who ...

In Patpong, one of Bangkok's most notorious red-light districts, go-go girls count their livelihood by the number of sex tourists they entertain. "Three inches, three minutes, 3,000 baht ," laughs Goy, a 25-year-old bargirl. Last summer, she and her fellow pole dancers at the Camelot Castle entertained scores of men every night — first in the bar, where they earn a monthly salary, then at the customer's hotel, where they negotiate their own rates. But as cash-strapped tourists have ...

Does trans-national democracy work? Or is Europe about to see a wave of new Far Right politicians and mavericks marching from obscurity to national prominence thanks to an election most voters are neglecting? Between June 4 and June 7 it could happen. Since the first European Parliament election was held in 1979 the Parliament has grown significantly in power. But the more power it gets, the less interest voters seem to take in its proceedings. The latest "Euro barometer" poll ...

The location may have been the first hint. The 23rd European Union-Russia summit on Friday was held in the Russian Far East city of Khabarovsk, a former Tsarist army outpost just a few dozen miles from the Chinese border and 5,000 miles east of Western Europe. The location seemed more aimed at inducing jet lag and awe at Russia's size than at forging agreement on energy, an issue that has consistently soured relations between the two powers over the past months — and which the summit ...

Tens of thousands of protesters marched on the streets of Spain's capital Thursday to demand better protection for workers hit hard by the economic crisis. Dressed in funeral black to mourn the estimated four million jobless in Spain, demonstrators had a simple message for the government: Enough corporate bailouts; it's time to focus on the workers. The Madrid demonstration, organized by the European Trade Confederation (ETUC) was the opening shot in a flurry of activity expected in the next few ...

French tennis star Richard Gasquet has confirmed he tested positive for cocaine at the Miami Masters tournament in March. The former world number seven issued a statement to news agencies on Sunday after the French sports paper L'Equipe had revealed in a report on its Web site the failed doping tests. Gasquet, who has slipped to 23rd in the rankings, faces a two-year ban from tennis, but his hoping for leniency. "The test of the B sample submitted at ...

Edwin van der Sar claimed the all-time British record for minutes without conceding a goal during Manchester United's 1-0 win over West Ham on Sunday. The Dutch veteran also took the 30-year-old English record from Steve Death last week. Death's name, with all due respect to the former Reading custodian, is not up there with the game's greats. So who is in Van der Sar's league as football's finest shot-stoppers, the men who rarely get the credit but often cop ...