There are the great, and there are the good, and then there are those who are both – and in a plush Manhattan residence overlooking the East River earlier this month, America's greatest philanthropists assembled for a closed-doors meeting to discuss how best to tackle some of the world's most pressing problems, from disease to education to poverty reduction. This first Philanthropists Summit was put together discreetly by the Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, and the investment guru Warren Buffett, the world's wealthiest and second-wealthiest men respectively.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese opposition leader, has pleaded not guilty to charges that she violated the terms of her house arrest when an American swam a lake to reach her house. The ailing 63-year-old entered her plea as the court prepared to hand down a verdict that could see her jailed for up to five years. She has been in detention without trial for more than 13 of the past 19 years.

Barack Obama sought today to quell a domestic backlash against his efforts to close the internationally condemned US prison at Guantanamo Bay and roll back some of the most divisive Bush-era anti-terrorism policies. The President made his case in a much-anticipated speech a day after the US Senate, controlled by fellow Democrats, handed him a stinging setback by blocking funds to shutter the prison until he presents a detailed plan on what to do with the 240 terrorism suspects held there.