World has a stake in upcoming US election

U2 frontman and activist Bono said Wednesday that next week's presidential election provides a great opportunity to "relaunch Brand USA" amid worldwide scrutiny.
"The whole world has a stake in how things turn out," the Ireland native told thousands of Starbucks Corp. employees in New Orleans for a leadership conference. The coffee company and Bono's (RED) label, which helps raise money for the Global Fund that pays for AIDS programs in Africa, also announced a partnership Wednesday.
The singer talked about brands and what they stand for. In Starbucks' case, he said some might see it as a place to hang out and get coffee — but that brand can also signify social responsibility.
The way the U.S. is perceived — "Brand USA" — also means something, he said. And it's never been so closely watched, said Bono, who didn't endorse either candidate for president.
Regardless of who wins, "it's a great chance to relaunch Brand USA," he said.
Bono has been a leading advocate for Africa, drawing attention to issues ranging from poverty and hunger to AIDS.
(RED) aims to partner with private companies to sell products such as coffee drinks, with some proceeds going to the Global Fund. More than $112 million has been raised in the two years since (RED) launched. (RED) helps pay for medication and other services for people in Africa suffering from AIDS and HIV, according to its Web site.

Actress Yeoh campaigns for crash helmet use in Vietnam

Hollywood star Michelle Yeoh joined more than 1,000 Vietnamese children Thursday on a city march to promote motorcycle crash helmets and reduce traffic deaths on the country's chaotic roads.
Vietnam's communist government has enforced helmet use for adults for almost one year in the motorcycle-choked nation but the law has not been extended to children and youths riding as passengers.
Yeoh -- who acted in the Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies" and the martial arts saga "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" -- joined the march through Ho Chi Minh City organised by the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation.
"Since last year when the law was enacted, overnight 80-90 percent of riders started wearing helmets," she told AFP. "But the kids are wearing baseball caps instead ... The parents need to protect the children.
"Unfortunately, many parents reject helmets for their kids out of a mistaken perception that helmets are unsafe for children."
The march through Vietnam's busiest city was part of a global campaign aiming to cut the world's annual road death toll of 1.3 million people.
"Today, tomorrow and every day, we will see at least 2,000 young children killed or seriously injured on the world's roads," Malaysian-born Yeoh said.
"This is unacceptable, preventable and we have to stop it. We have the vaccines for this disease: helmets, seatbelts, speed enforcement, safe road design. We just need to use them."
At least 12,000 people die on Vietnam's roads every year. The road death rate of 27 fatalities per 100,000 people compares to about 10 per 100,000 in Western Europe, said the AIP Foundation

Leona's secret album is launched

A small London-based record label is planning to release an album that Leona Lewis recorded before winning the third series of The X Factor in 2006.
UEG Music claim they spent around £70,000 trying to launch the 23-year-old, who is now signed to Sony BMG.
They have already released the album, called Best Kept Secret, in Japan and plan a UK release in January.
But Lewis's lawyers insist UEG does not have her consent or the rights to start selling the record.
UEG's Barry Bee has told Newsbeat his company had approached Lewis's new label after she won the TV talent contest.
He said: "We went to her and said, 'Look, we've got the album here, do you want to buy the rights?', and they refused.
"We had costs that we incurred and we needed to recoup them.
"So, as per the arrangements we have with all our artists, we put them out and they get a 50% share of any profits."
Demo recordings
In an interview with Newsbeat in 2007, Lewis acknowledged the album's existence but seemed sure it would never see the light of day.
She said: "Like lots of people who want to be singers, I used to record stuff and put it down.
"But for me, it's just songs that I did to get experience in the studio and not songs I would release in that form. "Obviously, they won't be released because it's not in their rights to do so because I never signed anything to say that they could be released."
The album even features a track called Private Party that became an underground hit on the urban music scene in 2005.
But Best Kept Secret isn't the only material Lewis recorded before she found fame.
She recorded another album, called Twilight, which was never released commercially - although she did perform some live tracks with Radio 1's Colin Murray in 2004.
UEG plan to release Best Kept Secret in the UK in January but rolled it out in Japan this July, where it sold more than 10,000 copies in its first week.
In a statement, Lewis's lawyers said: "This album is a rework of demo recordings that Leona did before she entered the X Factor.
"As far as we are concerned, UEG do not have either the right for these recordings to be released or Leona's consent for such a release.
"We are in the process of taking the appropriate action in relation to this.
But UEG's Barry Bee insisted the label was in control of the recordings.
He said: "We do have the rights. We had stuff out in 2004-2005.
"All we seek is acknowledgement and to let people hear what she did. It's good stuff."

Britney Spears 'Sets The Record Straight' In Documentary Airing November 30 On MTV -- Check Out A Preview Here!

Possibly more than anyone on Earth, Britney Spears' life is constantly documented by the media, which voraciously reports on the singer's every step and misstep. But what's it like to be in her shoes?
With her new album, Circus, set for release in just a few weeks, the singer is ready to show the world her side of the story.
Britney has joined forces with MTV for a 90-minute documentary about her return to the pop-music spotlight. Tentatively titled "For the Record," the special is set to air on November 30 at 10 p.m. on MTV, two days before Circus is released on December 2 (the singer's 27th birthday).

"So much has gone on over the last couple of years and there's a lot that people don't know about me that I want them to know," Spears told MTV News in a statement about the special. "I wanted to make this film because I started to feel like I wasn't being seen in the light that I wanted to be seen in. This is an opportunity to set the record straight and talk about what I've been through and where I'm headed."
The documentary combines personal stories with behind-the-scenes footage of her comeback. Cameras follow her to the recording studio, to rehearsals, to press tours, to the video shoot for her latest single, "WOMANIZER"and even to her hometown in Louisiana. Backstage footage from her Recent triunphant apperance at the Video music awards is also featured.
Through it all, we hear Britney talking about the hardships that led up to this comeback. "I've been through a lot, and there's a lot people don't know," she says in the film. "Sometimes it can get lonely 'cause you don't open the gate. I'm stuck in this place, and I just cope every day."
Britney also owns up to the mistakes the world has watched her make, and offers some telling insight into how she feels about it all now. "I sit there and I look back," she says, before asking rhetorically: "I'm a smart person, what the hell was I thinking?"