Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel, officials said. She was 48. The entertainer, whose incredible talent was discovered at an early age, was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. (6:55 p.m. ET) at the Beverly Hilton hotel despite resuscitation efforts, a police spokesman said. Beverly Hills Police Lt. Mark Rosen said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent" and that the cause of her death is being investigated. Houston's bodyguard found her body, said Courtney Barnes, publicist for hip-hop artist Ray J, who was dating the pop diva. According to her official website, Houston sold ...
Yahoo Inc Chairman Roy Bostock and three other directors will step down as the struggling company ploughs ahead with an internal overhaul, including discussions on dealing with its stakes in China's Alibaba Group and Yahoo Japan. The corporation - once a Web powerhouse but now agonizing over a range of options to revive flagging growth - on Tuesday said it appointed former Rovi Corp CEO and International Business Machines Corp veteran Alfred Amoroso and ex-eBay COO Maynard Webb as independent directors. Yahoo's board has come under fire from investors impatient with the company's persistent inability to effect a turnaround, and frustrated with the apparent indecisiveness of stakeholders over ...
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has vowed to fight an "anti-business culture" in Britain, warning that a row overexecutive pay and bonuses threatens the country's fragile economic recovery. "Let me say something about the row over bonuses and pay," Osborne said in a speech to the Federation of Small Businesses. "Of course rewards for failure are unacceptable -- and those who believe in the free market are the first to say so. But a strong, free market economy must be built on rewards for success." The Labour Party has heaped pressure on the ruling coalition to curb excessive pay for top executives, using a House of Commons debate to demand the return ...
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Tuesday he is resolved to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Russia at an annual rally calling for the return of all four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido in northern Japan, the Kyodo news agency reported. "We'll continue to make steady and determined efforts to move ahead with negotiations," Noda said, stressing the need to sign a peace treaty with Russia. The four islands - which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan calls the Northern Territories - has been the subject of a territorial dispute between the two nations since the end of World War ...
Amanda Knox's Italian lawyer has filed an appeal of her slander conviction in Italy, a Knox family spokesman inSeattle said Monday. In October, an Italian appeals court overturned the young Seattle woman's murder conviction in the 2007 death of her British roommate in Perugia. But the same court upheld Knox's conviction for slander — for falsely accusing bar owner Diya "Patrick" Lumumba of involvement in the slaying. Lumumba was freed after two weeks in prison for lack of evidence. Knox later said she was "manipulated" during her lengthy police interrogation. An appeal of the slander conviction was filed Monday, Knox family spokesman Dave Marriott confirmed. He doesn't know when the Italian ...
The Dutch railway will remain 'vulnerable' during wintry weather but Dutch Rail (NS) and track operator ProRail did not help matters during the current cold snap by the late introduction of schedule adjustments to cope with the conditions, transport minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen told parliament in a briefing on Tuesday. The NS and ProRail assumed on Thursday of last week that there would be three to five centimetres of snow. When the forecast was increased on Friday morning to between 10 and 15 centimetres, it was too late to change the timetables automatically, Schultz van Haegen told parliament. Drivers and conductors ...
Greece can leave the eurozone without damaging monetary union, European digital affairs commissioner Neelie Kroes says in an interview with the Volkskrant on Tuesday. Kroes, a member of the Dutch ruling right-wing Liberal party VVD, is not a supporter of Greece exchanging the euro for the drachma, but says: 'It is absolutely not a case of man overboard if someone leaves the eurozone.' The commissioner is very critical of the new Greek government and says they are not fulfilling their promises. 'Too few spending cuts, too little restructuring,' she says. She says the Greeks should follow the example of Italy where the new ...
Mitt Romney hopes his presidential campaign hasn't ignored Rick Santorum's aggressive attacks for too long, as caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota on Tuesday could reshuffle the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Santorum largely bypassed Florida and Nevada to blanket the two caucus states with criticism of Romney and lay the groundwork among conservatives who have great sway in the process. RivalNewt Gingrich praised Santorum's strategy as shrewd even as he signaled he had no interest in exiting the four-way race, which also includes Ron Paul. "I think that Santorum's going to have a pretty good day," Gingrich told reporters on the eve of the caucuses. "He targeted differently than I ...
Glencore and Xstrata agreed an all-share merger worth $90 billion (56 billion pounds) on Tuesday in the industry's largest ever deal, creating a commodities powerhouse spanning mining, agriculture and trading. Glencore, the world's largest diversified commodities tradinghouse, will issue 2.8 new shares for each Xstrata share in a deal they said was a "merger of equals." The ratio is a 15.2 percent premium to Xstrata shareholders compared with its share price last Wednesday before word leaked out about the merger talks, a joint statement said. "A merger between Glencore and Xstrata offers a unique opportunity to create a new business model in our industry to respond to ...
US White House hopeful Mitt Romney aims for another big caucus win in Colorado on Tuesday, as his well-oiled campaign machine works to cement his position as the Republican front runner in the US presidential race. Polls suggest he should triumph easily in the western US state -- where he scored 60 percent in 2008 -- although there is a tighter race in Minnesota, where last-placed Rick Santorum is hoping to snatch a win. Romney's main rival, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, is battling to stay in the race after two heavy losses in a row to the former Massachusetts governor, who ...
Film legend Kirk Douglas asked a US federal judge in Manhattan to spare his drug-dealer grandson a harsh prison sentence. Cameron Douglas also received a letter of support from his actress stepmother, Catherine Zeta-Jones. She calls him a “considerate, worthy human being”. The son of Michael Douglas pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges he peddled large quantities of methamphetamine out of a trendy Manhattan hotel. The... [more]
The new more restrictive US policy on the use of nuclear weapons is a courageous step towards disarmament, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said late on Tuesday. “I warmly welcome the fact that the United States wants to take another courageous step towards disarmament,” the minister told daily Bild. The administration of US President Barack Obama indicated in its Nuclear Posture Review released Tuesday that Washington would... [more]
Discovery’s astronauts surveyed their ship for signs of launch damage, but the job was complicated by the failure of the space shuttle’s big dish antenna. Without the antenna, the seven astronauts have no way to send or receive big packages of information, like the images of the shuttle’s wings and nose that are usually sent immediately to Mission Control. Instead, commander Alan Poindexter and his crew had to store the... [more]
Today is Wednesday, April 7, the 97th day of 2010. There are 268 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On April 7, 1862, Union forces led by General Ulysses S. Grantdefeated the Confederates at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee. On this date: In 1199, King Richard I of England (also known as The Lion-Heart) died in the Limousin region of France at age 41 after being mortally wounded by an arrow. In 1860, Will... [more]
The Labour party has withdrawn its support for a health ministry plan to allow local councils to increase the age at which teenagers can buy alcohol, MP Lea Bouwmeester told Radio 1 on Tuesday. The plan is one of a range of measures health minister Ab Klink wants to introduce in an effort to reduce teenage drinking. At the moment, teenagers can drink in bars and buy beer and wine in supermarkets as soon as they turn 16. The new legislation... [more]
Holders Barcelona qualified for the Champions League semi-finals here on Tuesday, beating English side Arsenal 4-1 in their quarter-final second leg match to win 6-3 on aggregate. Argentinian star Lionel Messi scored all four goals – the first time he has achieved that feat – to set up a semi-final with Italian champions Inter Milan, who beat CSKA Moscow 1-0 – 2-0 on aggregate – earlier on Tuesday. Danish international... [more]
French carmaker Renault convened a meeting of its board of directors on Tuesday to discuss a partnership with Germany’s Daimler, French Industry Minister Christian Estrosi said. The meeting will “decide on a new partnership with Daimler”, the minister told a news conference in Paris. Renault and Daimler have reached a deal to take three percent stakes in each other and work together to develop small cars and engines,... [more]
Michael Jackson fans have gathered outside the L.A. courthouse where the singer’s doctor had a hearing. Several members of Michael Jackson’s family appeared in the courtroom including his mother, father and sister Janet Jackson. During the brief hearing it was announced that Judge Michael Pastor will preside over the trial. Judge Pastor then set June 14th as the date to hold a preliminary hearing. Doctor Conrad Murray has pleaded... [more]
Scuffles broke out in Bangkok Tuesday between riot police and anti-government protesters, while a grenade exploded outside the ruling party’s offices, fanning tensions in the capital. The red-shirted supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra threw plastic bottles and pushed against police barricades, paralysing Bangkok’s shopping and hotel district for a fourth day, despite the threat of arrest. “We are ready to fight... [more]
Gordon Brown is on his way back to Downing Street after asking the Queen for a May 6 General Election. Mr Brown will stand outside No 10 and set out the themes of his campaign as he fights to stay on as Prime Minister. He asked the Queen her to dissolve Parliament on April 12 which will mark the official start of the campaign. He stayed at Buckingham Palace for approximately 22 minutes. The polls suggest it will be the hardest fought election... [more]
