Mixing with Republicans

New York Every year at the World Economic Forum, there’s a leader or two who stands out, courted by the rich and famous and the media.

This year it’s Bono, the lead singer of U2, who has made a cause out of Third World debt forgiveness.

The rocker seems to be everywhere at the forum, which has otherwise brought a decidedly straight-laced crowd of business leaders and politicians to New York.

“The great thing about hanging out with Republicans, it is very, very, very unhip for both of us. There’s kind of a parity of pain there,” Bono joked.

On Saturday, he faced off with U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill on the forum’s main stage in a debate on foreign aid, then met Microsoft chairman Bill Gates for a conference on AIDS prevention in Africa.

Patron of the arts

Los Angeles Mary Steenburgen is becoming an active supporter of the fine arts.

The Oscar-winning actress will present a painting exhibition Feb. 21 at a Beverly Hills art gallery.

The exhibition will feature the works of Los Angeles-based portrait artist America Martin, who went to high school with Steenburgen’s 21-year-old daughter, Lily McDowell.

Steenburgen, 48, said she sometimes paints and her husband, actor Ted Danson, sculpts. They both also enjoy visiting museums and galleries.

Queen Mum recovering

London The Queen Mother Elizabeth is “progressing” in her recovery from a bug she caught over Christmas, her daughter Queen Elizabeth II said Sunday.

The 101-year-old royal matriarch has been absent from public engagements since late November.

The queen told well-wishers at the royal family’s Sandringham estate in eastern England that the queen mother was getting better. “She’s coming along. She’s progressing,” the queen said.

Taliban captives undaunted

Lousiville, Ky. Two women imprisoned for 105 days by the Taliban for spreading Christianity say they have no regrets and hope to return to Afghanistan next year.

Heather Mercer, 24, of Vienna, Va., and Dayna Curry, 30, a Nashville, Tenn., native, drew an audience of about 8,500 to a speaking engagement at the Southeast Christian Church.

“Perhaps we deserved what we got,” Mercer told the crowd. “I actually wasn’t too surprised we ended up in prison. But I would say unapologetically I would do it all over because the people are so hungry, they’re so desperate, they’re longing for someone to come and help them.”

Mercer and Curry expect to spend the next year doing speaking appearances, hoping to encourage others to go into missionary work. They have a book due out in June.