ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

MUSIC/WINEHOUSE ABANDONS COMEBACK SHOW: Amy Winehouse was forced to abandon a concert at the St Lucia Jazz festival last evening, because of "technical difficulties." It was the 1st time in months the 25-year-old singer had performed in front of an audience. Her spokesman said: "Circumstances beyond anyone's control meant that this special show did not go as planned." He blamed the bad weather and said Winehouse would like to "express her disappointment" that the gig ended. Despite that fans have criticised her performance. A local resident named Ben said her singing was "painful". He added: "What a wasted talent." Onstage Winehouse appeared to forget the words to a song and told the crowd, "Sorry, I'm bored". In a statement, her spokesman said: "Amy would like to express her disappointment that weather forced the abandonment of her show at the St Lucia Jazz Festival last night. "The set started well, but as the heavens opened, a number technical difficulties occurred on stage, culminating with the lighting rig failing for 2 songs. In addition, rain began to flood the technical wings at the side of the stage which caused sound problems. Amy and the band tried to soldier on but the set had to be cut short. Amy is very disappointed as St Lucia has been wonderful to her and its people have welcomed her with open arms, but circumstances beyond anyone's control meant that this special show did not go as planned." The singer is currently spending time recording on the island.

THEATRE/"PHANTOM" SEQUEL DELAYED: The opening of "Love Never Dies," the long-gestating sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" that was previously scheduled to premiere at London's West End's Adelphi Theatre in late October or early November, has been pushed back. "The plan now is for it to open in the spring of next year, which means tickets won't go on sale for a while," according to UK media reports. The originally announced plan was to simultaneously rehearse 3 companies with a view to opening productions in Toronto (ahead of a New York transfer) and Shanghai in quick succession. Soon after its Adelphi inaugural, it was planned to open a production at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre and then, around next April, the cast from Toronto would move to Broadway, winding up in all likelihood at the Neil Simon Theatre. Sometime, in the middle of all this, a production of "Love Never Dies" would also open in Shanghai. Now, with the news of the delay, those dates will be pushed back. A recent casting notice offered this brief description of "Love Never Dies": "In 1907 New York, the mysterious 'Maestro' who runs the theatre at Coney Island announces a one-off concert by legendary Parisian soprano Christine Daaé. Her arrival in New York with husband Raoul, Victome de Chagny and son Gustave, and their subsequent meeting with the 'Maestro,' bring the cataclysmic events of 10 years earlier at the Paris Opera crashing back into all their lives."

US NEWS/ STORMS POUND THE MIDWEST

Residents of the Midwest cleared away wreckage today following a wave of powerful storms that splintered homes, knocked out power to thousands and killed 5 people. Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed yesterday in Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Missouri. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn declared 3 southern counties disaster areas. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear declared an emergency in central and south-eastern sections of his state today. 2 people were killed near Poplar Bluff, Missouri, when wind knocked a tree onto their sport utility vehicle. In Dallas County, a man in his 70s had a fatal heart attack after he and his wife were sucked from their home by a tornado and thrown into a field 75 to 100 feet away. The wife was hospitalized in fair condition. A 54-year-old woman was killed in southeast Kansas in a mobile home that was blown off its foundation. And in central Kentucky, officials blamed a possible tornado for the death of a woman whose body was found in a pond. Wind in southeast Kansas area reached 120 mph, destroying the New Albany United Methodist Church, the town's post office and at least 1 home, authorities said. Major damage also was reported to a high school in Cherokee, Kansas. The National Weather Service said it received multiple reports of tornadoes from one end of Missouri to the other, mostly south of Interstate 44. In southern Illinois, the storm system peeled siding and roofs off homes and other buildings, blowing out car windows and tearing up trailer parks. Wind gusted to 100 mph in the Carbondale area and sustained wind was measured up to 90 mph. The photo above shows a funnel cloud near touchdown near Johnson City, Tennessee.

AVIATION/ FLYOVER LEADS TO RESIGNATION

The director of the White House Military Office has submitted his resignation in the wake of an April 27 aerial photo shoot with a presidential aircraft over New York City. The incident caused many New Yorkers to panic, thinking that another 9/11 was underway. Louis Caldera, who served as secretary of the Army during the Clinton administration, resigned his office effective May 22. President Barack Obama has accepted the resignation, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. "The president has asked his deputy chief of staff, Jim Messina, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates or his designee to jointly review the organizational structure of the White House Military Office and the reporting relationship of its components to the White House and the Air Force, and to make recommendations to him to ensure that such an incident never occurs again," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a written release. On April 27, a 747-200 aircraft that often carries the president flew over lower New York. An F16 fighter followed and took photos of the aircraft with iconic structures such as the Statue of Liberty in the background. The aircraft flew as low as 1,000 feet, and many New Yorkers believed they were seeing a repeat of the attacks of September 11, 2001. The flyover caused much consternation on the ground, with many people in Lower Manhattan and across the river in New Jersey evacuating their buildings and flooding the 911 center with calls. The photo above was 1 on those taken during the April 27 incident.

AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

RYANAIR WANTS PAX'S TO WORK: Europe's largest low-cost Airline, RYANAIR, is looking at the possibility of getting passengers to carry their luggage all the way to the plane, cutting out the need for baggage handlers. "We would say to passengers ... take your own bag down through airport security, leave it at the bottom of the steps, we put it in the hold and on arrival we deliver it to the aircraft steps and you take it with you," Chief Executive Michael O'Leary told a news conference yesterday. Ryanair's business is centered around cutting costs and the carrier is planning to eliminate check-in desks from October this year, saving up to 40 million euros annually. An Airline spokesman said the group would not pursue the luggage plan if it jeopardized their quick turnaround times.

SAUDI MD90 DAMAGED ON LANDING: SAUDI ARABIAN AIRLINES Flight 9061 was on a Ferry Flight from Jeddah to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when it was damaged upon landing at Riyadh, yesterday, May 8. Fight 9061, with 8 crew members onboard, had landed on Riyadh's runway 15L without incident. The crew attempted a high speed exit off turnoff G4 however it was at too high a speed. The MD90 skidded, veered off to the right of the runway and came to a stop with the left main gear collapsed and the aircraft resting on the left wing. The crew evacuated through the front door slides, without injury. The aircraft has suffered substantial damage and has been removed from service. It may have to be written off. Saudi officials are investigating the incident.

ENGINE FAILS ON FIRST AIR ATR: FIRST AIR Flight 5005 was on a Non-Scheduled ATR42 Training Flight out of Iqaluit, NU, Canada, when it had to make an emergency return to the Airport, on Thursday, May 7. Flight 5005, with 3 crew members onboard, declared an emergency with the crew reporting an engine failure while about 30 miles S of Iqaluit. The ATR landed back at Iqaluit about 20 minutes later without incident. The aircraft has been removed from service for further inspection and repairs.

BIRD STRIKE TO AER LINGUS A330: AER LINGUS Flight 108 was on Scheduled International A330 Service from New York JFK to Dublin, Ireland, when it suffered a bird strike on takeoff from JFK, on Thursday, May 7. The windshield of the A330 was struck by birds and cracked, when it was less than 1000 feet off the ground. The crew declared an emergency and returned to the Airport, where it landed without incident. The A330 was removed from service for inspection and repair.

MERIDIANA MD83 DAMAGED ON TAXI: MERIDIANA Flight 585 was on Scheduled Domestic MD83 Service from Catania to Verona, Italy, when it was damaged on its takeoff roll from Catanai, on Thursday, May 7. Flight 585 was on its taxi for takeoff when it rolled over a pothole in the runway. Those onboard the MD83 felt a "bump" as the aircraft moved over the hole. The aircraft came to a stop, however at a visible "bank angle" having blown both tires of 1 main gear. The passengers had to be offloaded and the aircraft had to be towed off the runway. The MD83 is currently out of service undergoing repairs.

TAIL STRIKE DAMAGES NWA A320: NORTHWEST AIRLINES Flight 557 was on Scheduled Domestic A320 Service from Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota, to Denver, Colorado, when it was damaged upon landing at Denver, on Monday, May 4. At 12:20pm, Flight 557 landed on runway 16L at Denver. Upon touchdown, the aircraft struck the ground with its tail as result of a 3.3G acceleration. The A320 slowed down and taxied to the gate, where a postflight inspection revealed substantial damage to the airframe. According to officials, the A320 is currently undergoing inspection, however it may have to be written off.

SNAPSHOTS

NEW GROWTH IN A FOREST NEAR MARYSVILLE, AUSTRALIA. THE PHOTOGRAPH WAS TAKEN YESTERDAY, THE 3 MONTH ANNIVERSARY OF "BLACK SATURDAY," THE COUNTRIES WORST EVER FOREST FIRE.

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5 SHOTS OF AMATEUR MEN FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE.

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

MUSIC/CARRERAS TO RETIRE: Spanish tenor Jose Carreras has announced that he is to retire from performing on the operatic stage. The 62 year old singer said that in opera terms "my career is done", admitting full roles were now too demanding. But Carreras said that he still hoped to perform in recitals, and would "adapt the repertoire to my needs". Placido Domingo is now the only 1 of the Three Tenors still appearing in opera. Luciano Pavarotti died in 2007. Carreras is due to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Classical Brits in London on Tuesday. It is expected that Domingo will present him with his honour, but the pair are unlikely to perform together. Carreras and his 2 fellow tenors were watched by hundreds of millions of viewers in a performance on the eve of the 1990 World Cup in Italy. The Spaniard said the trio approached the concert in "a genuine and spontaneous way" as "we were football fans". The performance also raised funds for Carreras' leukaemia foundation, which he founded after recovering from the illness in 1988. Carreras still gives around 50 recitals a year and has recently released a new album of popular operatic pieces. His career, which began in 1970, encompasses a repertoire of 60 operas. The star has performed on all the great operatic stages of the world, including New York's Metropolitan Opera House and the Royal Opera House in London.

THEATRE/"CAT" HEADED TO LONDON: The 2008 Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," which featured an African-American cast led by James Earl Jones as Big Daddy and Phylicia Rashad as Big Mama, is heading to London's West End. Jones and Rashad are set to reprise their performances for London audiences, and British actor Adrian Lester will step into the role of Brick, which was played on Broadway by film actor Terrence Howard. The role played by Anika Noni Rose, Maggie, has yet to be cast. Debbie allen will reprise her directorial duties in London. Performances are due to begin December 1 at a theatre still be announced.

US NEWS/ CHOI TO FIGHT "DON'T ASK"

Dan Choi, the US Army lieutenant who was fired after revealing he was gay, has said he will fight his dismissal "tooth and nail". Choi, a West Point graduate and Arabic linguist, came out live on the Rachel Maddow show in March, knowing it could cost him his job. This week, he received a letter dismissing him for "homosexual conduct". The letter stated: "This is to inform you that sufficient basis exists to initiate action for withdrawal of Federal Recognition in the Army National Guard for moral or professional dereliction. Specifically you admitted publicly that you are a homosexual, which constitutes homosexual conduct. Your actions negatively affected the good order and discipline of the New York Army National Guard." Reappearing on the Rachel Maddow show last night, he spoke of his anger at the "insult" to his unit. He said: "Well, when I got the letter, I was extremely angry. I was angry, I mean, the letter is basically saying bottom line, Lieutenant Dan Choi, you're fired. You're a West Point graduate, you're fired. You're an Arabic linguist, you're fired. You deployed to Iraq, you're willing to deploy again, doesn't matter. Because you're gay, that's enough grounds to kick you out. But the biggest thing that I'm angry about is what it says about my unit. It says that my unit suffered negative good order, negative actions, good order and discipline suffered. That's a big insult to my unit. I intend fully to fight it tooth and nail. I believe that 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is wrong, and what we really need to be encouraging soldiers to do is to don't lie, don't hide, don't discriminate, and don't weaken the military. That's what we need to be promoting." Maddow also interviewed Democrat Congressman Joe Sestak, a retired US Navy rear admiral and the highest-ranking former military officer to serve in Congress. Sestak called on President Obama to move fast to lift the military gay ban, saying: "This is the commander in chief's decision to say we need to change it, which he has." He added that he believed the ban could be lifted by this summer. Around 12,500 servicemembers have been ejected since the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy’s introduction in 1994, including 60 Arabic linguists.

US NEWS/ MAINE GAY MARRIAGE CHALLENGED

Gay couples in Maine hoping to take advantage of this week's legalisation of gay marriage may be forced to wait months or even a year to hold their ceremonies. Same-sex marriage opponents in the state have filed a 'people's veto' challenge to the new law. To get the bill on the ballot in November, they have 90 days to collect 55,000 signatures opposing gay marriage. This means the bill will be put on hold until then. Depending on when petitions are submitted, a referendum may not be held until June 2010. Governor John Baldacci signed the bill into law on Wednesday after previously voicing his opposition to gay marriage. In a statement, he said: "I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage." An umbrella group called the Maine Marriage Coalition is leading the fight to have the bill repealed and is being supported by the National Organization for Marriage, which was instrumental in bringing about Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California. Brian Brown, the executive director of NOM, said: "We will devote staff, volunteers and resources to this battle in Maine. Marriage means a man and a woman, and we will work hard to ensure that voters in Maine have the ability to do what voters in every other state where they have had a chance have done and stand up for marriage as we have always known it." Betsy Smith of EqualityMaine, said pro-gay marriage campaigners would fight any attempt to repeal the bill, although she added that fundraising could be an issue in the present economic climate. She said, "Now that it is the law of the state of Maine, we will protect that law." The bill had previously been approved by the state's Senate by 21 votes to 13. It passed in the House of Representatives 89 votes to 57. The decision made Maine the 5th US state to legalise gay marriage, after Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Iowa.

WORLD NEWS/ MOSCOW SAYS "NO" PRIDE

Moscow is preparing to break up any gay pride marches on May 16th. According to Russian news agency Ria Novosti, mayor Yury Luzhkov's press secretary said this week that the city has once again turned down an application to hold a march next week. Sergei Tsoi said: "Representatives of the gay movement are threatening to hold their action on May 16th regardless of whether they have permission for it or not, without any consideration for the opinions of the public majority. The Moscow government is declaring that there has never been and never will be a gay parade in Moscow". He said that gay events were "not only destroying the moral foundations of our society but deliberately provoking disorder threatening the lives and security of Muscovites and guests to the capital." "First of all, such an action threatens the security of those willing to take part in it. All this is absolutely unacceptable," Tsoi said. "This is not only the position of the Moscow government. Representatives of all religious groups, and above all the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as leaders from youth and veteran organisations and multi-cultural societies have issued a strong warning against it," he added. Russian gay rights movement leader Nikolai Alexeyev is reportedly planning to hold a gay pride march before the city hosts the Eurovision final. He has said he expects up to 500 people to join the parade, named Slavic Pride, despite official threats to close down any march. He said he asked city authorities for permission to hold the march but added that 100 activists were prepared to disobey officials and risk prosecution by marching anyway. In May 2006, more than 120 people were arrested after campaigners attempted to hold the capital's first gay rights rally. Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov has branded gay parades "Satanic" in the past.

AVIATION/ NTSB REPORTS ON SW FL111

The NTSB has issued its Final Report into an incident involving a SOUTHWEST AIRLINES Boeing 737 on April 25, 2007, near Baltimore, Maryland. On that date, SW Flight 111 was on Scheduled Domestic Service from Birmingham, Alabama, to Baltimore, with 98 passengers and 5 crew members onboard. The 737 was descending through a layer of clouds at approximately 13000 feet near La Plata, Maryland, when the aircraft encountered turbulence. 1 Flight Attendant working in the aft galley was lifted from the floor and fell back onto the floor twisting her left foot and receiving serious injuries. The aircraft landed without incident shortly thereafter in Baltimore. No one else onboard was injured. The NTSB concluded in its Final Report that the probable cause of the accident was an inflight encounter with turbulence and the flight crew's failure to advise the cabin crew about potential forecast turbulence, as reported by the Flight Attendant. The First Officer was Pilot flying and stated that there were no reports of turbulence on the descent and arrival, the weather radar did not show any significant weather. The 737 entered the clouds and picked up some light turbulence, thus the First Officer selected a closer range on the weather radar still without any indication of significant weather, when the aircraft experienced a moderate vertical jolt and dropped suddenly. The aircraft was in turbulence for less than a minute. The Captain said that the 737 encountered light turbulence and 1 moderate jolt, which created a "momentary (less than 1 second) weightless experience." The injured Flight Attendant stated that she was standing alone in the aft galley working, when all of the sudden the 737 dropped and she went up in the air. When she came down, her left foot turned outwards, she felt a pop in her left angle, and her left foot collapsed. She ended seated on the galley floor and couldn't move. She did not recall any forecast of turbulence during the crew briefing or any weather updates enroute. The fasten seat belt sign was turned on. The 2 other Flight Attendants said, they were in the forward galley, when the aircraft experienced some light turbulence. They took their seats and buckled up, although there was no advice by the flight crew to do so. The fasten seat belt sign was turned on. The flight weather package supplied to the flight crew contained a weather report warning of moderate turbulence below 12000 feet including the area, that the 737 descended through. That report however also contained the sentence, that no significant turbulence was to be expected outside of convective activity, indicating that no turbulence was to be expected except in clouds with strong vertical development. A ground based Doppler radar showed gradually diminishing radar echos around the accident location and time consistent with the advent of sunset. The returns showed a very light echo just upwind of the turbulence encounter position at 15400 feet. The next sweep showed the same cell slightly downwind of the turbulence encounter position. The weather radar showed no signatures of convective activity.

AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

A NEW PROPOSAL FROM EASYJET: The British budget Airline EASYJET wants to organise weddings in the sky, aiming to be the first carrier to let couples tie the knot at cruising altitude, it said yesterday. Easyjet has applied to local authorities at its base at Luton Airport, north of London, seeking permission for Pilots to officiate in the sky-high nuptials. "More and more couples are looking for an extraordinary wedding: under water, during parachute jumping, on the football ground; creativity knows no bounds," said the Airline. A "small charge" would be levied for the service if approved, a spokesman added. Luton Borough Council said it was awaiting full details of the proposal before assessing whether it could approve in-flight weddings. An Easyjet Captain said, "To officiate a wedding is a special honour for me. It would be exciting, if I could marry couples above the clouds." If approved, weddings would be allowed for both straight and gay couples. Britain is one of several Northern European countries that allow gay marriage.
OPEN SKIES COMING TO CANADA: Canada has reached an agreement with the European Union which may make finding investors much easier for Canadian Airlines than for their US competitors. The agreement, reached Wednesday, would allow up to 49% of a Canadian Airline to be owned by foreign interests, with a complete lifting of limits on foreign ownership possible in the future. Until now, Canada imposed the same 25% limit as does the current US rule. The new agreement also drops restrictions on point-to-point flights between Canada and the EU, allows more code-sharing agreements, and sets up a joint committee to monitor the agreement. Canada's new policy stands in contrast to recent attempts by some US lawmakers, to impose tighter rules and oversight on antitrust immunity and code-sharing by US Airlines. Some industry observers have warned these initiatives could trigger a trade war.
NTSB REPORTS ON ALPINE FL253: The NTSB has released its Final Report into the January 14, 2008 crash of an ALPINE AIR Beech 1900 off the Coast of Lihue, Hawaii. Alpine Flight 253 was on Scheduled Cargo Service from Honolulu to Kauai, with 1 Pilot onboard, when the accident took place. The aircraft departed Honolulu at 4:43am and was scheduled to arrive in Lihue at 5:15am. The Beech was following ALOHA AIRLINES Flight 917, a Boeing 737, into Lihue when it went down in the Pacific Ocean, about 7 miles S of the Lihue Airport. The Pilot was killed in the crash. In the Final Report, the NTSB states that the Pilot Paul Akita, 37, likely experienced "spatial disorientation" during the night flight and may have been distracted by cockpit duties that included monitoring an Aloha Airlines Boeing 737 jet flying ahead of him. Radar tracking of the Hawker Beechcraft 1900C's flight path indicated the Pilot altered his flight course to the west, most likely for spacing from the jet, and descended into the water as he began a turn back toward the Airport, the report said. The majority of the plane wreckage sank in 4800 feet of water and was not recovered, so examinations and testing of the engine and other systems could not be performed. The report noted that although the skies were clear, no natural horizon and few external visual references were available during the Pilot's visual approach.

LIGHTNING STRIKES WIDEROE DASH: WIDEROE Flight 406 was on Scheduled Domestic Dash 8-300 Service from Oslo to Bergen, Norway, when it was struck by lightning on approach to Bergen, yesterday, May 7. Flight 406, with 34 passengers and 3 crew members onboard, was able to land without incident at Bergen. The aircraft was removed from service for a full inspection. According to local media, passengers reported that a strong smell invaded the cabin after the lightning strike, however the Captain notified passengers via the PA that the aircraft had no suffered no problems and would be able to land without incident.

DOOR FORCES EL AL 737 RETURN: EL AL Flight 383 was on Scheduled International Boeing 737 Service from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Rome, Italy, when it had to make an emergency return to Tel Aviv, on Wednesday, May 6. Flight 383, with 81 passengers and crew onboard, declared an emergency shortly after departure from Tel Aviv, after the crew received an indication that one of the aircraft's doors was not closed. The 737 landed back at Tel Aviv without incident, about 10 minutes after its initial departure. Upon inspection, 1 of the aircraft's doors was found to be only partially closed. It was properly closed and the 737 departed about 2 hours after its return. Among the passengers was President Antonio Saca of El Salvador. A spokesman for the president said, that the president and his entourage were "mildly shaken" by the incident.

ENGINE FAILS ON AIR SEYCHELLES 767: AIR SEYCHELLES Flight 63 was on Scheduled International Boeing 767 Service from Singapore to Male, Seychelles, when it had to make an emergency return to Singapore, on Wednesday, May 6. The crew of Flight 63 declared emergency shortly after takeoff from Singapore, stating that the left hand engine had failed. The crew also reported that passengers saw sparks coming from the engine. The 767 landed back at Sinapore without incident, and was removed from service for inspection and repairs.

SNAPSHOTS

A PAIR OF WILD FOX CUBS CAPTURED AT PLAY YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, IN FAR SUBURBAN CHICAGO.

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ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

MUSIC/KYLIE SETS NORTH AMERICA TOUR: Kylie Minogue is to perform her 1st tour of North America, she has announced on her website. The singer, 40, will kick off the 6-date tour on September 30 in Oakland, California, wrapping up at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom on October 11. Minogue's tour also takes in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago and Toronto. She has had 2 top 10 hits in the US with "The Loco-Motion," a #3 in 1988, and 2001's "Can't Get You Out Of My Head," which reached #7. Her only hit US album was "Fever," released in 2001, which reached #3. In Canada, Minogue has had a #1 single with "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" as well as a further 3 top 10 hits including "Slow," which reached #6 in 2003. Last year, Minogue, who has had more than 30 top 10 hits in the UK and has sold millions of records all over the world, was appointed OBE for services to music. "I've wanted to tour in America and Canada for years," Minogue said. "I know that fans have been waiting a long time for this and I'm thrilled that the opportunity has finally arrived." Tickets will go on widespread release on Friday May 15.

MUSIC/ABBA DUO MAKE NEW MUSIC: Abba duo Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus have unveiled their first new pop songs for more than 15 years. One track, "Second Best To None," has been recorded by employees at the hotel Andersson owns in Stockholm. It was written for the staff as a treat and has been released as a single in Sweden. "We all had some fun doing this. They can sing," Andersson said. A second track, "Story of A Heart," will appear on the first English-language album from Andersson's current band. Andersson and Ulvaeus enjoyed huge global success as the songwriters in Abba in the 1970s and early '80s. The band's popularity has enjoyed a resurgence thanks to the hit "Mamma Mia" movie last year. The pair have continued to work together over the years, including the "Chess" musical in the 1980s, and Andersson said their last pop collaboration was on songs for an album by singer Josefin Nilsson in the early 1990s. The "Story of A Heart" song will feature on an album of the same name by The Benny Andersson Band. The new track has been recorded by one of the group's vocalists, Helen Sjoholm, and will sit alongside folk tunes that have previously been released in Sweden. Ulvaeus wrote Swedish lyrics for the originals, and has translated them into English for the UK release on July 6. The group will also play their first English concert on Hampstead Heath on July 4.

FILM/DEL TORO & HOLMES TEAM UP: Katie Holmes will star in "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark," a thriller for Miramax Films that was written by Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins. Del Toro, pictured at left, is producing with Mark Johnson and the film will be directed by del Toro protege Troy Nixey. The film will shoot this summer in Melbourne as a "Guillermo del Toro Presentation." "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" is based on a 1973 ABC tele film about a young girl who moves in with her father and his girlfriend and discovers they are sharing the house with devilish creatures. Del Toro and Johnson are also teamed with Gary Ungar to produce "Hater," an adaptation of the David Moody horror novel that will be directed at Universal by Juan Antonio Bayona ("The Orphanage"). Del Toro is busy readying "The Hobbit," which he's writing with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. That film shoots next year. Del Toro is best known as the director of "Pan's Labyrinth".

US NEWS/ "DON'T ASK" STRIKES AGAIN

Lieutenant Dan Choi, a US National Guard soldier who publicly came out live on national television, has been dismissed from duty. He was dismissed for "homosexual conduct". Choi is a campaigner for the repeal of the military gay ban and a founding member of the Knights Out group. He came out live on the Rachel Maddow Show, where he will reappear tonight to discuss his dismissal. In a preview of the show, Maddow reads a letter received by Choi from the Army National Guard. It states: "This is to inform you that sufficient basis exists to initiate action for withdrawal of Federal Recognition in the Army National Guard for moral or professional dereliction. Specifically you admitted publicly that you are a homosexual, which constitutes homosexual conduct. Your actions negatively affected the good order and discipline of the New York Army National Guard." When being interviewed by Maddow in March, Choi recognised the possibility of him being dismissed but said he and other members of Knights Out felt it was most important to "do the right thing". In another interview, Choi said the gay ban may have undermined the government's potential to prevent the September 11th bombings. He said: "On Monday, September 10th 2001, a message was intercepted by the State Department: tomorrow is zero hour. Despite its simplicity, nobody was able to translate it. Any of the dozens of linguists already discharged for being gay at the time would have done so easily.” Around 12,500 servicemembers have been ejected since the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy’s introduction in 1994, including 60 Arabic linguists.

AVIATION/ AIRBUS CUTS A380 DELIVERIES

European planemaker Airbus said yesterday it would scale back deliveries of its A380 superjumbo jets for 2009 and 2010 after customers deferred orders due to the economic crisis. Airbus will now deliver 14 A380s this year instead of 18 and more than 20 in 2010, a company statement said. No official schedule for deliveries in 2010 had been previously been announced. "Following specific requests for deferrals from customers due to the current economic and aviation crisis, Airbus is adjusting its delivery schedule for the A380 in 2009/2010," said the statement. Airbus added that it did not expect any "significant impact" from the decision on its earnings report. Australia's QANTAS last month announced that it was deferring orders for 4 Airbus A380s and 12 Boeing 737-800s to address a "rapid and significant deterioration of trading conditions." AIR FRANCE-KLM, which suffered heavy losses in the 4th quarter of last year, said in March it had asked for a delay in the delivery of 2 A380 superjumbo jets. Airlines around the world, hit by a sharp drop in demand in response to the global crisis, lost up to US$8 billion last year, half of which was incurred in the last quarter, according to the International Air Transport Association.

AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

NTSB REPORTS ON AIR TAHOMA CRASH: The NTSB has released a Preliminary Report into the crash of an AIR TAHOMA Convair 580 on September 1, 2008, at Columbus, Ohio. The Convair, with 3 crew members onboard, was on the first flight following a "C" check, during which control cable rigging had been performed. The flight a training flight for the First Officer and a company Pilot in the observer seat. The aircraft received takeoff clearance from the Columbus Tower at 12:00pm, and started its roll down the runway at 12:03pm. At 12:05pm, the crew radioed the Tower that they needed to immediately return, however they did not declare an emergency. The Tower approved return, but nothing more was heard from the aircraft. The Convair impacted ground at 12:06pm in a field near the Airport. All 3 crew members onboard were killed in the crash. In the Report, the NTSB state that the elevator trim cables were reversed, so that the aircraft was actually trimmed nose down when the Pilot applied nose up trim. The transcript of the voice recorder published in the report suggests, that the Pilot flying trimmed the aircraft after takeoff. Both Pilots attempted to correct the aircrafts movement after it went nose down. The engines were operating at or near maximum takeoff power, the sounds of the engines however were obscured during the last 15 seconds of flight and could not be determined in those 15 seconds. The time from the beginning of the takeoff roll to impact with the ground was 2:40 minutes. The investigation continues.

TROUBLE LANDING FOR WORLD DC10: WORLD AIRWAYS Flight 8535 was on Scheduled International DC10 Service from Leipzig, Germany, to Baltimore, Maryland, when it had difficulty landing at Baltimore, yesterday, May 6. Flight 8535, with 168 passengers and crew onboard, touched down at Baltimore at 12:45pm. Upon touchdown, 1 of the nose gear tires blew, thus the crew abandoned its landing and performed a go-around. The Tower confirmed to the crew that the tire had separated and was hanging down the wheel. The runway was immediately inspected, and debris was cleared off for the 2nd approach by the DC10, with Emergency Services on standby. The DC10 landed without incident about 11 minutes later, however it became it stuck on the runway. No one onboard was injured the incident, however 5 crew members onboard were taken to a local hospital to be checked out. The DC10 has been removed from service for further inspection and repair.
SMOKE FORCES CITYJET AVRO TO LAND: CITYJET Flight 5082 was on Scheduled International Avro RJ85 Service from Paris, France, to Shannon, Ireland, on behalf of AIR FRANCE, when it had to divert enroute, yesterday, May 6. Flight 5082, with 24 passengers and 4 crew members onboard, declared an emergency due to smoke in the passenger cabin. The crew initiated an emergency descent from 34000 feet to 11000 feet overhead the British Channel. The Avro was diverted to London Gatwick where it landed without incident or injury. The aircraft has been removed from service for inspection. There is no word on what may have caused the smoke.
NOSE GEAR PROBLEMS ON LUFTHANSA A340: LUFTHANSA Flight 458 was on Scheduled International A340 Service from Munich, Germany, to San Francisco, California, when it had to make an emergency landing at San Francisco, on Tuesday, May 5. Flight 458 was on approach to SFO when the crew declared an emergency due to unspecified nose gear problems. Emergency Services were put on standby for the landing. The A340 landed without incident, however it had to be towed off the runway. The aircraft has since been ferried back to Munich for inspection and repair.

WESTJET 737 SUFFERS BIRD STRIKE: WESTJET Flight 237 was on Scheduled Domestic Boeing 737 Service from Calgary to Victoria, Canada, when it had to make an emergency return to Calgary, on Tuesday, May 5. Flight 237, with 114 passengers and crew onboard, was on its takeoff roll when 3 ducks were ingested into the left hand engine. Once the 737 became airborne, the engine began to vibrate, however it did not need to be shut down. The crew returned to Calgary, where the aircraft landed without incident. The aircraft, which is said to have sustained minor damage to the engine, has been removed from service for repair.

UNRULY PAX FORCES BA 767 TO DIVERT: BRITISH AIRWAYS Flight 297 was on Scheduled International Boeing 767 Service from London Heathrow to Chicago OHare, when it had to divert while enroute, on Tuesday, May 5. Flight 297 declared an emergency due to an unruly passenger, while overhead the Atlantic Ocean, about 1 hour from the Scottish Coastline. The 767 turned around, and was diverted to Glasgow, Scotland, where it landed without incident. The passenger was taken into custody by local police. According to local media, the male passenger was screaming racial remarks and broke 2 TV screens, which prompted the diversion. He also spat on a local policewoman after being taken into custody. He has since appeared in court and pled not guilty to multiple charges.

SNAPSHOTS

A DUST DEVIL IS CAPTURED MOVING ACROSS A FIELD NEAR PATRICIA, TEXAS, YESTERDAY AFTERNOON.