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 ...
There are wedding bells in Chelsea Clinton’s future – but what about a wedding dress? According to her mother, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, that’s still a work in progress. “If you don’t tell anybody, Candy, we’re still looking,” Clinton joked during a wide-ranging interview with CNN’s Candy Crowley that aired Sunday. “I don’t have a dress yet, and Chelsea doesn’t either.... [more]
Some 200 activists soaked in fake blood and with colorful banderilla stakes attached to their backs staged a symbolic “die-in” Saturday demanding a ban to bullfighting in Mexico. “We want to symbolize the approximately 150 bulls that will die during the current season in the Plaza Mexico,” Leonora Esquivel, head of the animal rights group AnimaNaturalis that organized the protest, told AFP. Plaza Mexico, the world’s... [more]
A 16-year-old Spanish matador killed six bulls in one afternoon Saturday, pulling off a feat normally attempted only by seasoned veterans and winning trophies for his bravery — ears from animals he had just slain. Jairo Miguel Sanchez Alonso, who nearly died from a horrific goring inMexico in 2007, smiled broadly and waved to a friendly hometown crowd after the series of fights which took about two and a half hours. The tall, slender... [more]
Today is Saturday, Feb. 6, the 37th day of 2010. There are 328 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Feb. 6, 1952, Britain’s King George VI died; he was succeeded by his daughter, Elizabeth II. On this date: In 1756, America’s third vice president, Aaron Burr, was born in Newark, N.J. In 1778, the United States won official recognition from France with the signing of a Treaty of Alliance in Paris. In... [more]
Alexandra Richards, daughter of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith is in Amsterdam for the Amsterdam Fashion Week 2010. The 24 year old blonde is a model, artist, and DJ in New York City. She was invited by her Girlfriend Gulcen Olcay, owner of the funky clothing brand “SuperTrash” a true LA it- girl label for independent women with great sense for fashion and style. SuperTrash was found in L.A., by socialite Ava Rily, a true Hollywood... [more]
E-mails shed new light on Todd Palin’s role while his wife was Alaska’s governor, showing that the one-time oil field worker’s advice was sought on board appointments and suggesting he was close to matters related to state government, his wife’s image and politics. Relatively few of the messages obtained as part of a public records request were sent by Todd Palin himself. Rather, his personal e-mail address is... [more]
A Mercedes that Charlie Sheen reported stolen from his Sherman Oaks home was found overturned hundreds of feet down a nearby cliff early Friday, but there’s no evidence anyone was in the car when it went into the ravine, police said. A Bentley was later found off the same road nearby Friday afternoon, and police said three other cars reportedly were broken into in the same area. Police were investigating if the incidents were linked. Police... [more]
The Serie A title race will most likely take a back seat for the foreseable future after Inter Milan opened up an eight-point lead over bitter neighbours AC Milan. Inter’s victory in the Milan derby two weeks ago despite playing more than two-thirds of the match with a numerical disadvantage seems to have settled the title question. But there is still much to play for in Serie A and many issues to be resolved. Not least there is the... [more]
Tournament officials at the WGC-Accenture Match Play tournament have been unable to confirm speculation that Tiger Woods is set to return to golf at the Arizona event in 12 days’ time. Reports in an Australian newspaper suggested the world number one was ready to return to golf for the first time since a car accident in late November which led to revelations of extra-marital affairs and an admission of “trangressions” in... [more]
Today is Friday, Feb. 5, the 36th day of 2010. There are 329 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Feb. 5, 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed a Judiciary Reorganization Bill that would have increased the number of Supreme Court justices; critics accused Roosevelt of attempting to “pack” the court.(The measure failed in Congress.) On this date: In 1631, the co-founder of Rhode Island, Roger... [more]
