(BBC NEWS) – Singer Lady Gaga has apologised to fans after being forced to cancel a concert in Indiana due to ill health. “Can’t apologise enough for how sorry I am,” she said, via micro-blogging site Twitter, revealing she had collapsed due to exhaustion and dehydration. “An hour before the show I was feeling dizzy [...]

(BBC NEWS) – Hollywood actor George Clooney is to present a telethon to raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake. The event – which will feature pleas for cash from US celebrities – will be broadcast on MTV on 22 January. Celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have pledged $1m (£612,000) from [...]

(BBC NEWS) – Japan’s single women are being offered the ultimate sleeping partner – a comfort to cuddle up to, but one which does not snore or make demands. The Boyfriend’s Arm Pillow, shaped like a man’s torso with one sturdy arm, has been on sale since December and has so far been snapped up [...]

One of the holes is called 90 Mile Straight (BBC NEWS) – The vast Australian emptiness of the Nullarbor Plain is famous already as one of the world’s most gruelling car journeys. Now it has become the proud home of the world’s longest golf course. Eighteen holes spread over 1,365 km (848 miles) of outback [...]

The most expensive flat is located in this building in Hong Kong (BBC NEWS) – A wealthy Chinese buyer has snapped up a luxury Hong Kong apartment for $57m (£35m), thought to be a record price. The five-bedroom home is believed to be Asia’s most expensive property – with each sq foot costing $9,200. The [...]

(BBC NEWS) – Madonna has accepted damages from the Mail on Sunday after it breached her privacy and copyright by printing photos of her wedding to Guy Ritchie. Last year, a judge in London found in her favour over the paper’s publication of 11 photos of the 2000 wedding. He heard they were “surreptitiously” copied [...]

Google has confirmed to BBC News that its e-mail system – Gmail – has been targeted as part of an “industry-wide phishing scheme”. The search giant said that it had taken immediate action to safeguard the affected accounts. Phishing involves using fake websites to lure people into revealing data such as bank account details or [...]

(BBC NEWS) – Norway is the best place in the world to live while Niger is the least desirable, according to an annual report by the United Nations. The 182 countries were ranked according to the quality of life their citizens experienced. Criteria examined included life expectancy, literacy rates, school enrolment and country economies. However [...]

(BBC NEWS) – Michael Jackson’s US fans have snapped up advance tickets for the documentary film This Is It in just two hours. Fans had queued for up to three days in California to make sure they got one of 3,000 tickets to the Los Angeles shows. The film is based on behind the scenes [...]

(BBC NEWS) – Nintendo is cutting the price of its popular Wii games console by 20% in the US and Japan. The company has also confirmed to BBC News that the trade price will drop in the UK and Republic of Ireland. However, the firm said the the ultimate cost for UK customers would be [...]

(BBC NEWS) – Chris Brown, Mary J Blige, Sister Sledge and Natalie Cole will be among the artists performing at the Michael Jackson tribute concert in Vienna. Speaking at a press conference, Jackson’s brother Jermaine told reporters that up to 25 performers had been lined up to sing. The artists will play some of Jackson’s [...]

(BBC NEWS) – Microsoft is hoping its new mobile phone software, to be launched in October, will revive its fortunes in the market for smart phones. Analysts estimate Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software trails fourth in the market with a 9% share while rival Symbian dominates with about 50%. “Our new class of phones sets us [...]