Following is a summary of people news briefs compiled from stories that have run separately and are available in full on the file.

"Harvard's hot," Paris Hilton declares

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (Reuters) - About 200 Harvard University students waited more than an hour in bone-chilling rain on Wednesday for a speaker better known for hard partying than Ivy League appearances -- socialite Paris Hilton. The millionaire hotel heiress won the dubious honor of "woman of the year" from Harvard's satirical Lampoon magazine, and she accepted the trophy in person with a quick speech.

Accidental drug overdose killed Ledger: NY coroner

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Actor Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of six prescription drugs, with a mix of painkillers, tranquilizers and sleeping aids found in his system, officials said on Wednesday. A law-enforcement source with knowledge of the case said a formal request for the city medical examiner's records had been filed on Wednesday, seeking to discover who provided the 28-year-old Australian with the lethal combination.

Britney Spears leaves hospital as photogs give chase

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop star Britney Spears on Wednesday was unexpectedly released from the Los Angeles hospital where she was held for a mental evaluation, prompting celebrity photographers to chase her across the city. Spears, who was taken to UCLA Medical Center by ambulance and under police escort a week ago, left the facility quietly, according to the Los Angeles Times slipping out with a small security detail.

Madonna, Gucci aid Malawi orphans amid controversy

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Pop star Madonna hosted a celebrity-studded event on Wednesday on the lawns of the United Nations to aid Malawi orphans, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) and -- controversially -- to inaugurate a new Gucci store. Actors Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Drew Barrymore, Gwyneth Paltrow and a heavily pregnant Jennifer Lopez were among many stars at the dinner that Gucci Chief Executive Mark Lee said has already raised $3.7 million.

Police question Winehouse as Grammys in doubt

LONDON (Reuters) - Soul singer Amy Winehouse has been questioned by British police over an allegation of drug possession, further raising doubts about her planned appearance at the U.S. Grammy Awards, where she is among the most nominated artists. A police source said on Wednesday that the 24-year-old performer, who entered a clinic last month for treatment of her highly publicized drug addiction, was interviewed but not arrested.

Beatles' Indian guru Maharishi Yogi dies

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The guru to the Beatles who introduced transcendental meditation to the West, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, died at his Dutch home overnight, aides said on Wednesday. He was said to be 91. The reclusive Indian mystic shot to international prominence when the Beatles -- John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr -- visited him in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1968 to learn his transcendental meditation techniques.