Newly crowned Miss Universe Leila Lopes hopes her victory will allow her to assist her native Angola further escape its history of war and impoverishment and said she plans to focus on combating HIV around the globe.

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti has picked a date to sing his last note - his 70th birthday, October 12, 2005.

Congressman Gary Condit has acknowledged he had a five-month relationship with missing US government intern Chandra Levy.