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For centuries, people from tropical regions have known about the amazing health benefits of tender coconut water, which comes from young green coconuts. Each nut contains about 200 to 1,000 milliliters (approximately 1 to 4 cups) of coconut water.

It is a delicious and refreshing low-calorie natural beverage. Tender coconut water contains more nutrients than mature coconut water.

It’s packed with antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C and minerals like iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese and zinc.

The micronutrients in coconut water help boost the immune system. Plus, the plant hormones called cytokinins in this health drink exhibit anti-aging, antithrombotic and anticancer effects.

To reap the maximum health benefits, opt for fresh and pure coconut water over the bottled version. You can drink a few cups of coconut water a day or add it to your smoothie recipes.

Here are the top 10 health benefits of coconut water.

Coconut water is an excellent thirst quencher to beat tropical summer thirst. Because of its electrolyte composition, coconut water is also used to rehydrate the body in case of dehydration and fluid loss due to diarrhea, vomiting or excessive sweating. A good source of carbohydrates, it also helps lift your energy level.

Research suggests that coconut water can be used to rehydrate the body after exercise. In fact, a 2012 study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that coconut water has a similar positive effect as sports drinks.

In addition to boosting rehydration, coconut water is also easy on the stomach and thus is used to soothe tummy troubles like indigestion, acid reflux and gastroenteritis.

Coconut water is considered good for controlling high blood pressure, thanks to its vitamin C, potassium and magnesium content. Potassium, in particular, helps lower blood pressure by balancing out the negative effects of sodium.

A study published in the West Indian Medical Journal in 2005 also found that coconut water helps control hypertension.

To help reduce high blood pressure, drink a cup of fresh coconut water twice a day. Bottled coconut water, however, may not be very beneficial as may be high in sodium.

Cholesterol- and fat-free tender coconut water offers cardioprotective benefits. It helps lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL or the ‘bad’ cholesterol) and increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL or the ‘good’ cholesterol) levels, thus reducing the risk of heart disease.

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Why absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Yeah, you would probably rather live in the same city as your man, but there are some real upsides to sleeping in different locations. Like …

1. The anticipation. You know how great you feel right before you get a birthday surprise? That’s how it feels every time you prep to see him.
2. Being forced to plan. Living apart in a serious relationship forces you to figure out your end goal. From when you will get yourselves in the same city to a wedding date, you’ll probably move a bit more quickly to figure out your future together than you would if you weren’t in a long-distance situation.
3. Confronting your insecurities. There is nothing like being far apart to bring up all your insecurities—and help you knock them down. If you can trust him hundreds of miles a way, you’ll have no problem giving him the benefit of the doubt when he’s nearby.
4. Really getting to know each other. Communicating long distance is made for digging into what makes him tick. Marathon phone and FaceTime sessions lend themselves to epiphanies and revelations that don’t typically pop up while sitting in a movie theater.
5. Moving beyond the physical. When you can go weeks and months apart without having intimate contact, you learn about—and develop—all the other things that tie you together.
6. You have more you time. Boo lovin’ is great, but between spending time with him and making time for your family and your girls, it can be hard to find time for yourself. Living apart makes it a little easier to free up time for self-care.
7. You appreciate each other more. When you don’t get to see each other very often, every moment counts. You’ll be grateful for those moments and make the most of them.
8. The sex is better. Every time you two have the opportunity to have actual sex in real life, it will be amazing.

Marion Christopher Barry, son of the late D.C. mayor Marion Barry and a former candidate for the Ward 8 council seat, died early Sunday, friends and authorities said. He was 36.

The younger Barry suffered an apparent drug overdose, those close to him said, although no official cause of death was confirmed Sunday. A D.C. police incident report said that just after midnight, Barry stepped outside of a residence on Pomeroy Road SE and smoked K-2 — a type of synthetic marijuana — and PCP, a hallucinogen he had struggled with in the past.

“Upon returning,” the report said, Barry acted erratically, “and then he suddenly ‘dropped. "

Barry was found by his girlfriend. He was taken to George Washington University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:11 a.m.

The younger Barry had struggled with drug use, friends said. He ran unsuccessfully for the Ward 8 council seat last year after his father died.

In a statement, Cora Masters Barry, Christopher’s stepmother and the widow of Marion Barry, said she was devastated by the younger Barry’s death.

“My heart is broken,” she said. “I am in shock. The news of his death is beyond comprehension.”

Barry is survived by his grandmother Polly Lee Harris.

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Watch out for gangbanging toddlers.

A scathing audit of California's gang database, CalGang, found that 42 individuals were entered into the crime-fighting system before they turned 1.

The bizarre audit also found that 28 of those infants were entered for "admitting to being gang members." A baby typically utters its first words at around nine months of age.

San Diego Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, who requested the audit, said the database has been hampered by some serious issues for years.

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Check out these black-owned hand bag brands by both African and African-American designers:

#1 - Minku: Minku is considered the Hermes of Africa when it comes to handbags. They are all handmade and can take up to 50 hours to complete and are lined with repurposed items of Yoruba ceremonial dress. The Nigerian company was started by founder Kunmi in 2011 and is a family-run business.

#2 - ZAAF: ZAAF offers handcrafted luxury leather handbags made in Ethiopia. They are crafted with the finest materials and produced in a remote Ethiopian village. The company was founded by Abai Schulze, a remarkable CEO who is under the age of 30.

#3 - Gregory Sylvia: This designer handbag company was co-founded by Gregory and Terri “Sylvia” Pope. The husband-wife team started their company in Charlotte, North Carolina and are known for their luxury, elegant handbags crafted from fine leather.

#4 - Adela Dejack: These African-inspired designer handbags are made in Kenya. Their collection of handbags, jewelry and other accessories are inspired by African shapes, textures and techniques. Designer Adèle Dejak had plenty of design experience in England and Italy before moving her company to Nairobi, Kenya in 2005.

#5 - Christopher Augmon: Christopher Augmon high-end luxury designer handbags are made in New York and reflect the richness of various cultures. His distinctive handbags can be found in boutiques around the United States and online.

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Here are the top 10 Black and minority business expos across the country:

#1 - Southern California Black Business Expo: An advertising, information and marketing resource that focuses on helping promote and increase the sales of black businesses to black consumers in southern California.

#2 - Indiana Black Expo Business Conference: founded in 1970 to support the accomplishments and achievements of African Americans throughout the state of Indiana. The highlight of the organization is the annual Indiana Black Expo Business Conference.

#3 - Memphis Black Expo Cultural Festival & Black Business Showcase: established in 1999 to provide an annual 5-day cultural celebration where local and national business owners can gather to showcase their products and services to consumers. 

#4 - Madison Black Business Expo: supports black owned businesses, clubs, organizations, and service providers throughout Madison, Wisconsin, by an annual community event that creates space for networking among black business owners. 

#5 - Jackson Black Business Expo: provides a working network between the community and black-owned businesses in the Jackson, Mississippi, metro area. 

#6 - Lexington Minority Business Expo: established in 2002 to help build business opportunities for black-owned businesses in the Lexington, Kentucky area.

#7 - Virginia Minority Business Expo: an annual trade show for Richmond, Virginia black-owned businesses that provides a central location for minority owned businesses to showcase their product, services or innovations.

#8 - Boston Minority Business Expo: provides an annual forum for minority business owners to meet and exchange ideas as well as increase their business by networking with customers and other small businesses in the Boston area. 

#9 - WRMSDC Minority Business Expo: the largest and longest running minority business expo in Northern California. The annual expo connects suppliers, buyers, and corporate representatives from across the states of California, Nevada, and beyond.

#10 - Triad Minority Business Expo: services minority-owned businesses across Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the Southeast Region of the United States.

Her web site, reparations.me, is essentially a public forum where white people can offer their belongings or services, and people of color can request help for a specific need.

The site, which began as a social media experiment on Facebook, has garnered a lot of national attention. Some, of course, are criticizing the idea, but others are embracing it. Natasha says she has received both racist and negative responses, and has even received death threats. But this has not deterred her.

According to her web site: “For every malevolent, racist, post submitted via this website, a dollar will be donated to Reparations.me for folks who have specifically requested financial support. The time you invest in spewing hate could be spent supporting someone who needs you in your community. But maybe you have nothing of value to offer your community except a vile contempt for creativity, compassion, and human connection?”

She says she plans to continue allowing people to pay and solicit reparations in what she calls “an organic manner without the regulation of government or committee.” She explains, “[Reparations] is a word that means repair. And I feel like many people feel broken.”

Meanwhile, the site has stirred up and renewed the controversial ongoing debate about “white privilege” and “white guilt”. It has also sparked a heated national debate about whether or not descendants of slaves deserve reparations.

For more details about the site, visit www.reparations.me

“At a time when there are many reasons to be sad, we are still joyful,” says Kiddada Green, executive founding director of the Black Mothers Breastfeeding Association in Detroit and a co-founder of BBW. “The satisfaction of giving your baby the healthiest start at life with the preventative health benefits of breastmilk is one way to feel joy. Fathers, family members and communities experience this joy too when they support mothers to successfully breastfeed,” Green says.

Breastfeeding may not always feel joyful when you consider the many structural and cultural barriers such as the lack of a federal paid maternity leave policy to give mothers ample time to establish their breastfeeding routine before returning to work or the “shaming” of mothers who nurse in public in a society that uses breasts to sell chicken wings and beer yet makes women uncomfortable for using their breasts for their natural purpose. But, the co-founders of Black Breastfeeding Week note, those barriers are exactly why breastfeeding successfully for whatever personal goal women set, is such a joy.

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'Mo' money

Basically, wealth is the accumulation of resources, like stocks, bonds, real estate, and money. A new study of the racial wealth gap by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and the Corporation For Economic Development (CFED), which studied trends in wealth from 1983 to 2013, released its findings, and it wasn't pretty. It showed that, indeed, the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. 

During the 30-year-study, the rich -- members of the Forbes 400 list -- experienced a 736 percent increase in their wealth. While the average white household experienced a 84 percent gain in wealth during that time period, this increase was 3 times greater than what blacks experienced.

(WSJ) JOHANNESBURG—China’s President Xi Jinping on Friday pledged $60 billion in financing for development across Africa, aiming to reaffirm his country’s commitment to the continent despite the economic turmoil caused by slowing growth of the world’s second-largest economy.

Mr. Xi told dozens of African leaders at a summit in Johannesburg the funds would be invested in 10 projects over three years. The Chinese leader didn’t specify which of Africa’s more than 50 countries would receive the aid.

“These plans are aimed at addressing three issues holding back Africa’s development,” Mr. Xi said to warm applause from the presidents and prime ministers of Africa’s largest economies. “Namely inadequate infrastructure…professional and skilled personnel, and funding.”

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an News) The Eastern Africa debt stocks have risen rapidly over the past five years, but debt ratios appear to remain manageable, according to the Economic Development in Africa 2016 Report on “Debt Dynamics and Development Finance in Africa” which was released in July in Nairobi.

Between 2011 and 2014, the annual growth rate of external debt in Eastern Africa has been higher at 13.3% than the average for Sub-Saharan Africa at 9%.

The report further estimated that an additional 600 billion USD is needed in Africa every year until 2030 in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The body has now suggested to the East African countries to stem out illicit financial flows in order to increase domestic resource mobilisation.

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The new technology called Urine Test for Malaria (UMT), is a non-invasive bloodless rapid test that can diagnose malaria in less than 25 minutes.

UMT uses a simple dip-stick and unlike the old method which requires health personel, people can self-diagnose for the disease at home.

Eddy Agbo, is a biochemist, and the founder of Fyodor, the biotechnology firm that developed this urine test kit. He says that the technology that took him 8 years of research and development, detects malaria parasite proteins in a patient’s urine.

“Urine is acidic sample , usually when a protein is present in an acidic enviroment, it unravels, it becomes difficult to detect by conventional approach, so we had to re-engineer the tool so as to be able to fish it out be it even in that unconventional state,” says Dr. Agbo.

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