Hundreds of thousands rally in Tehran to mourn dead, defy Iran’s highest power

TEHRAN, Iran — Hundreds of thousands of protesters wearing black and carrying candles filled the streets of Tehran again Thursday, joining opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi to mourn demonstrators killed in clashes over Iran’s disputed election.

Many thousands of protesters rally in Tehran to mourn dead, defying Iran’s highest power

TEHRAN, Iran — Tens of thousands of protesters wearing black and carrying candles filled the streets of Tehran again Thursday, joining opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi to mourn demonstrators killed in clashes over Iran’s disputed election.

Tens of thousands of protesters rally in Tehran to mourn dead, defying Iran’s highest power

TEHRAN, Iran — Tens of thousands of black-clad protesters filled the streets of Tehran again Thursday, joining opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi to mourn demonstrators killed in clashes over Iran’s disputed election.

Recording industry vows to prove Minnesota woman illegally shared 24 songs

MINNEAPOLIS — The recording industry began its second attempt at proving that a Minnesota woman engaged in illegal sharing of copyrighted music on the Internet and should be held accountable.

Gritty English city of Bradford basks in designation as UN’s first-ever City of Film

LONDON — The magic of the movies sparkles on sunny Hollywood, glamorous Cannes — and now, gritty Bradford.

Airstrike kills militant US alleges is linked to Iran’s Quds Force

KABUL — The U.S. military on Wednesday said an airstrike in western Afghanistan killed a militant commander with reported links to Iran’s elite military Quds Force. An Afghan official said fighting elsewhere killed 30 Taliban.

US releases video of Afghan grenade attack, Karzai orders investigation

KABUL — The U.S. military on Wednesday released a grainy video of a grenade explosion that killed two Afghans and wounded more than 50, while President Hamid Karzai ordered a government investigation into the incident.

Bollywood ends 9-week boycott over multiplex fee dispute; new films coming June 12

MUMBAI, India — Bollywood producers and Indian multiplex officials said Friday they resolved their dispute over revenue sharing, ending a nine-week boycott on new film releases in the movie-mad country.

King Rajapaksa? Sri Lankan president lionized after military’s defeat of Tamil Tigers

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — President Mahinda Rajapaksa, criticized internationally for his conduct of the war against the Tamil Tigers, has been all but crowned king inside Sri Lanka.

US military enlists Twitter to fight Afghan propaganda war, reach new audiences

KABUL — U.S. and Afghan forces killed four militants in Wardak province, the U.S. military tweeted on Monday.

A day in the recession: Job hunting, a free meal, an auction, _ and a prayer

It’s a rainy spring morning and Tamara Ogier plants herself at a table in a Spartan room in the Atlanta federal courthouse, computer and tape recorder at hand, ready to hear another day’s stories of financial ruin.

Birds that boogie: Researchers demonstrate that animals can ‘dance’ to a musical beat

NEW YORK — They wouldn’t blow away the competition on “Dancing with the Stars,” but it turns out that some birds got rhythm. After studying a cockatoo that grooves to the Backstreet Boys and about 1,000 YouTube videos, scientists say they’ve documented for the first time that some animals “dance” to a musical beat.

Correction: Cable-Joost story

PHILADELPHIA — In an April 27 story about online video site Joost, The Associated Press erroneously used the term “unique visitors” for Joost and its rivals. The numbers cited were for “unique viewers,” meaning visitors who have actively watched video on those sites. The count also includes people who have viewed videos distributed by those sites to other Web pages.

Tolkien in the e-library, “Harry Potter” still out

NEW YORK — The latest J.R.R. Tolkien project lasted six years, more than half as long as the author needed to complete his “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

Amazon.com buys Lexcycle, maker of iPhone e-book application Stanza, for undisclosed sum

LOS ANGELES — Kindle e-book retailer Amazon.com Inc. has purchased Lexcycle, a year-old company that makes the iPhone e-book application Stanza, in a move that ratchets up Amazon’s presence in the electronic book market.

Sources tell AP video site Joost shopping itself to cable TV operators; at least 1 rejection

PHILADELPHIA — Online video site Joost is shopping itself around to different cable TV operators, but at least one has declined to buy it, according to people with knowledge of the talks.

Suburban NYC family settles music piracy tussle for $7,000 after 4 years

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — After battling a suburban family for four years over music downloads, the recording industry has agreed to accept $7,000 — paid in installments — to settle its federal piracy lawsuit.

Now playing: Hollywood vs. RealNetworks in showdown over legality of software that “rips” DVDs

SAN FRANCISCO — Hollywood calls it “rent, rip and return” and contends it’s one of the biggest technological threats to the movie industry’s annual $20 billion DVD market — software that allows you to copy a film without paying for it.

Netflix 1Q profit soars 68 percent as 920,000 new customers sign up for DVD rental service

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Netflix Inc.’s first-quarter profit soared as more people signed up for its DVD-by-mail service than in any other three-month period in its history, an achievement apparently driven by consumers’ desire for cheaper forms of entertainment during the recession.

Tribeca Film Festival bows amid turbulent times felt off screen and depicted on screen

NEW YORK — The eighth annual Tribeca Film Festival bows amid a turbulent time for movies, which is evident at this year’s festival both on screen and off.

Amazon customers to be able to rent HD movies, purchase TV shows for home viewing

SEATTLE — Online retailer Amazon.com Inc. said Tuesday it is adding high-definition video to its on-demand service, offering consumers the ability to rent movies and purchase television episodes shown in HD.

House oversight committee reopens probe of data disclosures on Internet file-sharing services

WASHINGTON — A House committee is reopening its investigation of Internet services that let computer users distribute music and movies online amid reports the same software was exploited to gain unauthorized access to government and private data.

Beyonce on her ‘dramatic’ tour, Solange’s twittering and why she wasn’t fazed by Etta James

NEW YORK — Beyonce says one of the toughest parts of summer tour has been condensing more than a decade’s hits into a two-hour show. Judging from a recent photo shoot, figuring out how to perform them in Thierry Mugler’s elaborate, over-the-top costumes is just as difficult.

Actors Guild reaches tentative deal with studios after year of talks over issues like Internet

Actors union relents in tentative studio deal

LOS ANGELES — The Screen Actors Guild and the Hollywood studios said Friday they have reached a tentative deal on movie and prime-time TV show productions, capping a yearlong battle that ended with the Guild giving up its fight for better Internet compensation.