Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Life Expectancy Figures Reported

The difference in life expectancy between black and white Americans widened in 1989, the government reported. The rising death rate of young black men--primarily because of homicide and AIDS--is probably the reason blacks have a lower life expectancy than whites, officials said. AIDS deaths for 1989 rose by a third over the previous year, with the disease ranking as the nation’s 11th leading cause of death, the National Center for Health Statistics said in its final report on deaths in 1989, the last year for which complete statistics are available.