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 greatest hits at the concert, including Thriller and Billie Jean.

More acts will be revealed later this week, Jackson said.

Disappointed fans

Akon, Angela Bassett, and the Germany-based boy band US5 will also perform at the gig, which will take place in front of Vienna’s former imperial Schoenbrunn Palace.

Jermaine said the venue had been chosen because his brother “loved castles”.

He also revealed that he planned to sing a virtual duet with his late brother.

Organisers said they were expecting 65,000 fans to attend. Tickets went on sale last month for the event, which takes place on 26 September.

Brown previously stood in Jackson’s shoes to perform a tribute to Thriller at the 2006 World Music Awards in London.

Jackson had been expected to perform at the ceremony, but disappointed fans by only singing a few lines of We Are The World.

Brown singer was recently sentenced to 80 days’ community labour and five years’ probation for assaulting his pop star ex-girlfriend Rihanna.

Jackson passed away in June after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Last month, the Los Angeles coroner announced his death was homicide, primarily caused by the powerful anaesthetic Propofol.

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LeAnn Rimes, at the 2009 Lollapalooza Music Festival, is being spotted with Eddie Cibrian.

There was a time when singer-actress LeAnn Rimes was considered as clean cut as they come.

LeAnn Rimes, at the 2009 Lollapalooza Music Festival, is being spotted with Eddie Cibrian.

Once hailed as a country music ingénue, she first captivated fans as a 13-year-old with a mature-beyond-her-years voice and a poised stage presence.

After selling millions of records and amassing Billboard Music Awards and Grammys, Rimes was often held up as an example of a child star who managed to avoid the pitfalls of fame and emerge with a successful career and a happy marriage.

Then rumors surfaced that she was allegedly having an affair with actor Eddie Cibrian.

Now the two have both separated from their respective spouses and the ensuing scandal has cast a shadow over Rimes’ wholesome, good-girl image.

“I kind of feel like the public’s perception is changing towards her,” said Lindsay Powers, staff editor for Us Weekly. “She hadn’t even announced [her] divorce yet and here she was on a beach in Cabo [San Lucas], wearing a little bikini with Eddie Cibrian rubbing suntan lotion all over her. She’s like flaunting their relationship while her husband is piecing together his life in New York City on his own.”

Such relationship woes among celebrities are as old as Hollywood itself.

Stories of celebrity hookups on movie sets, be it Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the 1960s or Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the 21st century, are the stuff of which tabloid dreams are made.

But Rimes, who married former dancer Dean Sheremet in 2002 when she was 19 and he 21, seemed an unlikely candidate to star in such a drama.

Unlike other young celebrity couples, Rimes and Sheremet were unlikely tabloid targets, choosing to live quietly and often being captured smiling and embracing on the red carpet.

The pair appeared devoted to each other and seemed to take a swipe at critics of their young love when they reportedly held a “seven year itch” party to toast their union.

In her book, “What I Cannot Change,” Rimes wrote glowingly of her spouse.

“My husband, Dean, has changed my heart — and life — in more ways than I can ever imagine,” she wrote. “We met in Los Angeles when I was hosting the Academy of Country Music Awards. It was almost an instant attraction.”

Rumors began swirling about the singer and “CSI: Miami” actor Eddie Cibrian after they co-starred in the Lifetime movie “Northern Lights.”

During an interview with Matt Lauer in April on the “Today” show, Rimes sidestepped questioning about her relationship with Cibrian.

“I refuse to discuss tabloid rumors,” Rimes said. “I’ve grown up in the press my entire life. I think people are fascinated by my personal life, and I totally get it.”

Soon after, Cibrian’s wife and mother of his two young sons, Brandi Glanville, was quoted as demanding Rimes leave her husband alone.

Now, Glanville is being as vocal about the breakup of her and Cibrian’s marriage.

President Barack Obama has said he intends “to get something done this year” on healthcare reform.

In an interview for ABC News ahead of his key speech to Congress, he said he was open to new ideas and would not be “rigid or ideological”.

Mr Obama said the speech would offer “a lot of clarity about what I think is the best way to move forward”.

Members of Congress are preparing to fight over the details of the reforms, as they return after the summer recess.

The president is expected to speak about the politically divisive option of having a publicly run insurance scheme.

When asked if Americans will find out in his speech whether or not he is willing to sign a healthcare reform bill without a public scheme, he said:

“Well, I think the country is going to know exactly what I think will solve our healthcare crisis.”

Mr Obama said the speech will be directed at the American people, as well as members of Congress.

“The intent of the speech is to, A, make sure that the American people are clear exactly what it is that we are proposing,” Mr Obama said.

“And B, to make sure that Democrats and Republicans understand that I’m open to new ideas, that we’re not being rigid and ideological about this thing, but we do intend to get something done this year.”

- Los Angeles firefighters and city crews worked for several hours Tuesday to rescue one of their own: a 22-ton firetruck that was nearly swallowed by a water-logged sinkhole.

Two firefighters crawled out of the truck’s windows after it sank Tuesday morning. No one was injured.

The incident happened after four firefighters took the truck to the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Valley Village, where flooding had been reported after a water main break, just before 6 a.m. PT.

After seeing running water in the road, a fire captain instructed the rig’s driver to back up and had two firefighters get out of the truck to direct it.

That’s when the ground gave way and the front of the truck began quickly sinking. The driver and captain crawled out of the truck’s windows to escape. The four firefighters were not injured.

Workers had to simultaneously pull and lift the truck to get it out of the sinkhole.

Australian police have launched a war crimes investigation into the deaths in East Timor in 1975 of the “Balibo Five” group of journalists.

In 2007, an Australian coroner found that they were executed by Indonesian special forces in the town of Balibo.

It is believed they were killed to stop them revealing details of an impending Indonesian invasion of East Timor.

Indonesia has always claimed that the five were killed in crossfire during the battle for the town.

In June, East Timor President Jose Ramos Horta - a Timorese resistance commander at the time - accused Indonesian soldiers of having tortured and deliberately killed the journalists.

“Allegations of war crimes committed overseas give rise to complex legal and factual issues that require careful consideration by law enforcement agencies before deciding to investigate,” the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said in a statement.

Hard-hitting movie

If sufficient material was uncovered to show “criminality or a real possibility of criminality”, the AFP said it would ask Australia’s chief prosecutor to consider whether war crimes charges should be laid.

“The standard of proof in a criminal proceeding is high, and differs from that of a coronial inquiry,” it added.

The inquiry follows the recent release of a hard-hitting movie, “Balibo,” depicting the deaths of Australians Greg Shackleton and Tony Stewart, Britons Brian Peters and Malcolm Rennie and New Zealander Gary Cunningham.

The film shows them being shot on the orders of Indonesian army officers.

Indonesian troops invaded East Timor shortly after Portugal withdrew in 1975, ending 450 years as its colonial ruler.

At least 100,000 people are estimated to have died as a result of Indonesia’s 25-year occupation, which ended with East Timor’s independence in 2002.

At least seven people are reported to have been killed in Turkey in sudden flooding, but reports are coming in of several other bodies being found.

Six were killed in the north-west of the country, while unconfirmed reports said a dozen or more bodies had been recovered in and around Istanbul.

TV pictures showed main roads near Istanbul’s international airport submerged by deep water.

Cars were swept away and some drivers were trapped inside their vehicles.

Police and military helicopters rescued people from rooftops in Istanbul.

Boats were deployed to rescue people from cars.

Meanwhile, in the north-west, roads, homes and farming land were submerged, and at least two bridges collapsed.

Six people were swept away and killed in the town of Saray.

The flooding was caused by torrential rainfall - meteorologists said it was the worst to hit parts of Istanbul in 80 years.

More rain is forecast for north-western Turkey in the coming days.