Nation in brief: Private service held for Jackson

Glendale, Calif. – Michael Jackson was mourned by his family and celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor, Barry Bonds and Macaulay Culkin at a private funeral service held Thursday night outside the elaborate mausoleum where the entertainer will be entombed.

The funeral began about an hour and a half late because of the tardy arrival of his parents, Joe and Katherine, and other family members. They included the singer’s three children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris Michael, 10, and Prince Michael II, 7, known as Blanket.

NOAA to allow aquaculture in Gulf

New Orleans – President Barack Obama’s administration on Thursday allowed fish farming in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, a move criticized by environmentalists fearful of pollution and threats to wild stocks.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declined to oppose the plans, but said it would work to make sure future farms in the Gulf are clean and safe. The agency also said it would push to develop a national policy for offshore aquaculture, the practice of raising fish in large pens and cages.