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The United Nations has launched an appeal for US$42 million to assist victims of post-election violence in Kenya. U.N. Chief of Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, John Holmes, says the funds are urgently needed to provide humanitarian and early-recovery assistance over the next six months to approximately 500,000 people who have been affected by the violence that erupted in late December. The United Nations estimates that about half those affected have been internally displaced. About two dozen donor countries from Europe and elsewhe

Four male members of the paparazzi were arrested and charged on Wednesday with reckless driving in Mission Hills, California after following Britney Spears back to her mansion. At least four others were also stopped by police, but were not arrested. According to reports, police witnessed the entire incident saying that a fleet of paparazzi were following Spears at a high rate of speed around 11:20 p.m. PST (UTC-8). They also say they followed her too closely and made unsafe lane changes in order to follow her. Police also say that at least one

Yesterday at 6:00 UTC at 60° S 78° E , a Japanese whaling ship detained two Sea Shepherd Conservation Society activists in the Southern Ocean. Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research (IRC) deny Sea Shepherd claims that they have been abused. The Japanese government has assured the Australian Government the release of the men. According to the conservation agency Sea Shepherd, Australian Benjamin Potts, 28, a helicopter assistant, and Briton Giles Lane, an engine room worker, were detained on board a Yushin Maru No. 2 after delivering a letter a

Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography, a biography of actor Tom Cruise written by journalist Andrew Morton, was released in the United States yesterday amidst the potential for a US$100 million lawsuit against its publisher, St. Martin's Press. The book will not be published in Australia, Britain, and New Zealand due to strict libel laws in those countries. Morton had previously written the biography of Diana, Princess of Wales, Diana: Her True Story. The book has reached number nine on Amazon.com's list of top sellers. The book describes C

Dozens of people in the Texas town of Stephenville have reported seeing strange objects in the night sky last week, which many believe to be a UFO. The eyewitnesses, who include a pilot, business owners, and the county constable, all claim to have seen a large, silent object with bright, flashing lights flying low and fast over the town. Some have even reported it being chased by fighter jets. People in other towns have given similar reports in past weeks. "People wonder what in the world it is because this is the Bible Belt, and everyone is

So far at least 23 people, all civilians, are reported dead when a bomb exploded on a bus in the town of Buttala in Sri Lanka. Nearly 70 have been injured. Reports say that there were at least 50 people on the bus, many of them school children. "Twenty-three people were killed and 67 wounded. They are all civilians. The terrorists were desperate in that area and are now targeting civilians," said Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a spokesman for the country's military. Police also say that someone fire shots at the bus after it exploded. It is not

Sun Microsystems, the company behind the UNIX-based Solaris Operating System, the Java platform as well as OpenOffice.org, has announced that it is acquiring MySQL AB, the company behind the open source database application MySQL, for a reported US$1 billion: $800 million to purchase MySQL's stock, and $200 million worth of options. Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz said in his blog Wednesday that in addition to this acquisition, Sun will provide global support offerings for the popular database platform. Sun already provides support for another datab

Brad Renfro, an American film actor, has died at age 25. Renfro, who had a history of substance abuse, was found dead yesterday morning in his Los Angeles home by paramedics who had been summoned to the scene. The cause of death has not yet been determined, but officials said an autopsy could be conducted as early as today.

President Bush ended his Middle East tour after a show of support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. President Bush began his Middle East tour in Israel, where he sought to encourage the peace process. He ended it in Egypt, one of only two Arab states that recognizes the state of Israel. Relations between the Israeli and Egyptian governments have been tense lately. But President Mubarak says he supports Israel's efforts to reach a deal on the creation of a Palestinian state. Speaking through

Last week, Naked News announced that it would dramatically increase its international language mandate to news reporting, with three new broadcasts. Already reporting in English and Japanese, the global organization is launching Spanish, Italian, and Korean-language programs, for television, the web, and mobile devices. Wikinews interviewed one of the English broadcast's anchors a little while ago, about the program. The broadcasts feature daily news and human interest pieces, presented by an anchor who gradually removes their clothing. The i

Piyush "Bobby" Jindal was inaugurated on Monday as governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana. He is the country's first Indian American elected governor and the first non-white governor of Louisiana since P. B. S. Pinchback in 1872. At 36 years old, he is currently the nation's youngest governor as well. Jindal succeeds Kathleen Blanco as the state governor. The inauguration ceremony was held at the state capitol in Baton Rouge. In a speech, Jindal vowed to put an end to political corruption in the state and speed up recovery from the 2005 Atlan

The Bush administration officially notified Congress Monday of its intention to sell sophisticated precision-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia. The action, coinciding with President Bush's visit to Saudi Arabia, is part of a broader U.S. effort to bolster Gulf allies in the face of a more assertive Iran. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department. The Bush administration has already briefed Congress on its arms sales plans for Saudi Arabia. Monday's announcement sets in motion a 30-day period in which the House and Senate can block the p