Following is a summary of current people news briefs.
UK's Prince William and wife Kate expecting a baby
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Prince William and his wife
Catherine are expecting a baby, destined to be the country's
future monarch, although the mother-to-be is in hospital with a
type of very acute morning sickness that sometimes indicates
twins. "Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of
Cambridge is expecting a baby," the prince's office said in a
statement on Monday, adding that Queen Elizabeth and the royal
family were delighted.
Obama salutes entertainers at Kennedy Center Honors
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Music legend Led Zeppelin was
recognized on Sunday alongside entertainers from stage and
screen for their contributions to the arts and American culture
at the Kennedy Center Honors, lifetime achievement awards for
performing artists. The eclectic tribute in Washington,
alternated between solemn veneration and lighthearted roasting
of honorees Academy Award-winning actor Dustin Hoffman,
wisecracking late-night talk show host David Letterman, blues
guitar icon Buddy Guy, ballerina Natalia Makarova and Led
Zeppelin.
U.S. election, iPhone 5, Kardashian top Yahoo! 2012
searches
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The U.S. presidential election
became the most-searched item and Kim Kardashian was the
most-searched person on Yahoo! in a year when online searches
were dominated by big news stories and pop culture obsessions,
the search engine company said on Monday. The search term
"election" topped the list of searches, led not only by
extensive media coverage but also widening conversation on
online social media platforms.
Putin aide denies Russian president has health problems
TOKYO/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin is in good health,
his chief of staff said on Friday after Japanese media said
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda had postponed a visit to Moscow
next month because the Russian president had a health problem.
A former KGB officer who enjoys vast authority in Russia, Putin
has long cultivated a tough-guy image, and health issues could
damage that. His condition though has been questioned in some
media since he was seen limping at a summit in September.
Korean pop rides "Gangnam Style" into U.S. music scene
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Gangnam Style," the catchy Korean
song by rapper Psy, may have danced its way into the American
charts but the Korean pop industry isn't horsing around when it
comes to capitalizing on the singer's phenomenal U.S. success.
With "Gangnam Style" topping the current Billboard Digital
Songs chart and becoming the most-watched video on YouTube ever
with more than 800 million views, fellow Korean pop, or K-pop,
artists are positioning themselves for similar U.S.
breakthroughs.
Senators urge Obama to release more water into Mississippi
River
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sixteen U.S. senators have appealed
to President Barack Obama to divert more water to the
Mississippi River to prevent barge traffic from shutting down
due to low water on the country's inland waterway, a crucial
route for goods bound for export. Low water is a looming
disaster, said the senators in a letter to Obama that was
released on Friday.
Strauss-Kahn in preliminary deal to settle case with maid
NEW YORK/PARIS (Reuters) - Former IMF head Dominique
Strauss-Kahn has reached a preliminary agreement to settle a
civil lawsuit brought against him by a hotel maid who accused
him of sexual assault last year, sources familiar with the case
said. U.S. and France-based lawyers for Strauss-Kahn, who was
once tipped to become French president, on Friday acknowledged
a deal was under discussion, but said it had not yet been
finalized.
Judge who named Starr to probe Clinton to retire
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The conservative U.S. federal judge
who helped to appoint Kenneth Starr as an independent counsel
to investigate President Bill Clinton, prompting first lady
Hillary Clinton to complain of a "vast right-wing conspiracy,"
is planning a partial retirement in February. The decision by
Judge David Sentelle, an anchor of the conservative side of the
federal judiciary, will open a fourth vacancy on a Washington,
D.C., appeals court considered second in influence to the U.S.
Supreme Court.
Lindsay Lohan risks return to jail after double trouble
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lindsay Lohan on Thursday
faced the possibility of being sent back to jail after a
tumultuous 24 hours in which she was arrested in New York for
assault, and charged in California with reckless driving and
lying to police over a June car crash. Lohan, 26, who has been
to rehab, jail and court multiple times since a 2007 arrest for
drunk driving and cocaine possession, is still on unsupervised
probation in Los Angeles for a 2011 jewelry theft.