Ketsana leaves more than 300 dead across SE Asia

Sep 30, 2009 - MANILA, Philippines – One of the most destructive storms in years extended its deadly path across Southeast Asia, blowing down wooden villages in Cambodia and crushing Vietnamese houses under mudslides after submerging much of the Philippine capital. The death toll Wednesday climbed to 331 and was still rising. "We're used to storms that sweep away one or two houses. - 5 Comments

Photographer Annie Leibovitz's loan repayment due

Sep 08, 2009 - By ULA ILNYTZKY, Associated Press Writer Ula Ilnytzky, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 24 mins ago NEW YORK – Celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz risks losing the copyright to her images — and her entire life's work — if she doesn't pay back a $24 million loan due Tuesday. The lender, Art Capital Group, sued Leibovitz in July claiming she breached an agreement that authorized it to act as the agent in the sale of her photography and real estate. Leibovitz spokesman Matthew Hiltzik said Tuesday that the photographer was working to "resolve the situation." - 9 Comments

World’s oldest man, WWI vet, dies at 113

Jul 20, 2009 - World’s oldest man, WWI vet, dies at 113 By Danica Kirka - The Associated Press Posted : Saturday Jul 18, 2009 15:02:00 EDT LONDON — Only death could silence Henry Allingham. He went to war as a teenager, helped keep flimsy aircraft flying, survived his wounds and came home from World War I to a long — very long — and fruitful life. But only in his last years did he discover his true mission: to remind new generations of the sacrifices of the millions slaughtered in the trenches, killed in the air or lost at sea in what Britons call the Great War. - 10 Comments

Conductor Downes, wife die in Swiss suicide clinic

Jul 14, 2009 - LONDON (AP) — British maestro Edward Downes, who conducted the BBC Philharmonic and the Royal Opera but struggled in recent years as his hearing and sight failed, has died with his wife at an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland. He was 85 and she was 74. The couple's children said Tuesday that the couple died "peacefully and under circumstances of their own choosing" on Friday at a Zurich clinic run by the group Dignitas. - 67 Comments

Michelle Obama charms Queen

Apr 02, 2009 - Apr 2 01:53 PM US/Eastern By JENNIFER QUINN Associated Press Writer So much for the Lady Macbeth cracks... LONDON (AP) - Michelle Obama's meeting with Queen Elizabeth II began with handshake and ended in a hug. The first lady arrived Wednesday with President Barack Obama. - 9 Comments

The Obamas and the Gaffe Hunters

Apr 03, 2009 - By Leslie Savan, The Nation Posted on April 3, 2009 http://www.alternet.org/story/134832/ The real question about how Barack and Michelle Obama are being received on their Rolling-G-20-Summit/Euro-Tour '09 has nothing to do with how the Europeans treat them, but all about the American mainstream media itself: What infinitesimal nit will they find to pick about the new president's conduct abroad that can be blown up into a two- to three-day pseudo-international incident? You know the sort of story I mean. We're not talking about serious systemic issues, such as the different perspective a country like Germany (with universal health care, generous unemployment benefits, and a highly unionized work force) might have on the need for a global stimulus when compared to the U.S., where the party Obama just turned out of office has proposed effectively privatizing Medicare. - 12 Comments