Missing model found

Police in Belgium found Waris Dirie yesterday, three days after the Somali-born model who launched a worldwide campaign against female genital mutilation had vanished. Dirie,43, appeared to be in good health and was being questioned by police about the disappearance, said Estelle Arpigny, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office. She declined to give further details. Belgian media reports said police found her yesterday walking the Brussels' Grand Place square. (AP)

A leukemia patient in dire need of a bone marrow transplant has found a donor after Grammy-winning singer Rihanna publicized her case. "The English language does not have words that are adequate to thank someone for working to save your life," Lisa Gershowitz Flynn of New York wrote in an e-mail, People.com reported. Flynn, 41, a mother of two small children, was diagnosed in November with acute myelogenous leukemia, a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Rihanna's campaign to help Flynn sparked more than 5,000 calls and e-mails, and about 2,000 new donors have registered. (AP)

The Chinese government said yesterday it will be stricter on foreign performers after Icelandic singer Bjork shouted "Tibet! Tibet!" at the end of her concert in Shanghai this week. China's Culture Ministry said Bjork's outburst "broke Chinese law and hurt Chinese people's feelings." Bjork (inset) shouted "Tibet!" after a passionate performance of her song "Declare Independence." The outburst drew rare public attention inside China to Beijing's often harsh rule over the Himalayan region. (AP)

Lisa Marie Presley wanted to keep her pregnancy private but felt she had to say something when photos of her looking heavier were ridiculed in the news media. "After being the target all week of slanderous and degrading stories, horribly manipulated pictures and articles in the media, I have had to show my cards and announce under the gun and under vicious personal attack that I am, in fact, pregnant," the 40-year-old singer wrote on her MySpace page. Presley and her husband, music producer Michael Lockwood, are expecting a baby next fall. Presley has two children from her marriage to ex-husband Danny Keough. (AP)

Sorry, "Seinfeld" fans. NBC and Jerry Seinfeld have shot down a New York Post report that the comic was in talks with the network about a new sitcom. The report, citing no sources, said Seinfeld would play himself in a New York series similar to "Curb Your Enthusiasm." An NBC spokeswoman and Seinfeld's spokeswoman said the story was completely false. (AP)

After re-launching her music career with an appearance on fellow "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson's new album, Paula Abdul is getting busy on her first new album since 1995's "Head Over Heels." The project will include remixes of Abdul's best-known hits, plus a host of new songs. (Billboard)

Lou Pearlman, the architect of the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy, money laundering, and making false statements during a bankruptcy proceeding. The plea was the result of a lengthy federal probe alleging he bilked investors and banks out of more than $300 million. He will be sentenced May 21 and faces up to 25 years in prison and a $1 million fine. (AP)

Itzhak Perlman has canceled a concert because of a shoulder injury. The 62-year-old Israeli-American violinist, who in 2003 was treated for a rotator cuff tear on his right shoulder, was to perform Sunday at the University of Missouri-Columbia. (AP)

'Where did she go? I want to give her my hat. Don't let her get away.' The normally taciturn Bob Dylan, after a young woman rushed onstage and hugged him during a concert in Sao Paulo.