Aftermath of Jeanne creates chaotic atmosphere in Haiti
GONAIVES, Haiti - Hungry, thirsty and increasingly desperate residents attacked each other in a panic to get scarce food and water Thursday as workers struggled to bury hundreds of corpses six days after the city was struck by Tropical Storm Jeanne.
More than 1,100 were killed and 1,250 are missing, and the toll was rising. The storm left 300,000 homeless in Haiti's northwest province, which includes the port of Gonaives.
Haiti was especially susceptible to Jeanne's rain-laden system because more than 98 percent of the land is deforested, and torrents of water and mudslides smashed down denuded hills and into the city.
U.S. billionaire club grows larger, Forbes magazine says
NEW YORK - There are now 313 billionaires in the country, the largest number ever and a huge jump over last year's 262 members, according to Forbes magazine, which Thursday released its annual ranking of the 400 richest Americans.
The combined net worth of the 400 rose $45 billion, reaching $1 trillion this year for the first time since 2000, before the dot-com bust. Retaining the top spot was Microsoft founder Bill Gates, whose $48 billion in estimated wealth was up $2 billion from 2003.
