Washington - Bad enough that people were being kicked out of their homes in the mortgage crisis.

But when Democratic activists got wind of a plan by Republicans in Michigan to keep foreclosure victims from voting, they went to court.

The dispute was settled Monday out of court, a peaceful end to another skirmish over voter registration and rights that was typical of the scores expected to arise leading up to the November 4 general elections.

Washington - Democratic Party presidential nominee Barack Obama has decided to drop campaigning for two days later this week for a previously unplanned visit to his ailing grandmother in Hawaii, campaign officials announced late Monday.

Obama, who lead rallies Monday in Florida, will continue his scheduled events through Thursday afternoon, when he will fly to Hawaii to visit Madelyn Dunham, 85.

Grasse, France (dpa) - Perfume's first city of Grasse in southern France has reopened the doors of its fragrance museum, four years after they were shuttered for renovations.

The International Perfume Museum is bigger and better than ever after extensive renovations and enlargement. It now has double the floor space and a beautiful new glass gallery with a view of the Esterel mountains.

Of the museum's 50,000 items, 3,500 are now on display. The overhaul cost the city and surrounding province 14 million euros (18.81 million dollars).

The 84-year-old former chairman and chief executive of Chevron, George Keller, died Friday in Palo Alto.

A spokeswoman for the New York Times, Diane McNulty, has confirmed the news of Keller’s death.

Keller’s daughter-in-law, Emma Gilbey Keller - wife of his son Bill who is executive editor of the Times - said he died from complications of orthopedic surgery.

Keller was one of the key players in the 1980s era of deregulation, globalization, and the emergence of junk bond financing, when it seemed like no company was immune from hostile takeovers.