On April 14, Blue Origin plans to launch a space flight with a crew that includes the singer behind the 2010 hit "Firework." But we can think of many other artists who deserve to be among the stars.

"Once you get the funk out there, it's not going back. You can't put it back in the box," says filmmaker Stanley Nelson. His new Independent Lens documentary is out now.

The influential vocalist played a key role in shaping the funk and R&B sound of the 1970s.

Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group and its allies lost their parliamentary majority, final elections results showed Tuesday, while more than a dozen independent newcomers gained seats.

Britain's Conservative government laid out its plans for the next year in a tradition-steeped ceremony in Parliament — but without Queen Elizabeth II, who was absent for the first time in six decades.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida dissolved the lower house of parliament. The move paves the way for elections Oct. 31, which will be Japan's first of the pandemic.