Buyers have put in offers of one million pounds (1.5 million dollars, 1.2 million euros) for the house where footballer David Beckham lived as a baby, the businessman handling the sale said Wednesday.

Dubai is throwing a multi-million-dollar extravaganza on Thursday to launch a luxury hotel on an artificial palm-shaped island, despite the bite from the global financial crisis.

More than 2,000 world celebrities are due to attend the event which has been dubbed by the local press as `the party of the decade.`

Britain`s 20 richest south Asians are worth nearly seven and a half billion pounds combined, according to an annual list published Wednesday which ranks metal magnate Lord Swraj Paul top.

Former US president Bill Clinton said he would back his wife Hillary if she became secretary of state but has even bigger political hopes for their daughter Chelsea, in an interview released Wednesday.

`If (president-elect Barack) Obama offers it to her and she accepts I will support Hillary 100 percent,` the 62-year-old Clinton told German celebrity magazine Bunte.

Nana Mouskouri likes to email with fellow music legends but complains that Bob Dylan is a poor cyber-penpal in a German magazine interview published Wednesday.

The 74-year-old Greek star said she and Leonard Cohen fire quick little notes at each other constantly from their computers and complimented Quincy Jones as another loyal electronic correspondent.

Nana Mouskouri likes to email with fellow music legends but complains that Bob Dylan is a poor cyber-penpal in a German magazine interview published Wednesday.

The 74-year-old Greek star said she and Leonard Cohen fire quick little notes at each other constantly from their computers and complimented Quincy Jones as another loyal electronic correspondent.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy told US viewers she hoped she was `good enough` in her role as France`s first lady on a late-night television show.

The supermodel-turned-chanteuse who married French President Nicolas Sarkozy earlier this year told Tuesday`s edition of the CBS network`s Late Show with David Letterman said she felt honored to be in the high-profile position.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy told US viewers she hoped she was `good enough` in her role as France`s first lady on a late-night television show.

The supermodel-turned-chanteuse who married French President Nicolas Sarkozy earlier this year told Tuesday`s edition of the CBS network`s Late Show with David Letterman said she felt honored to be in the high-profile position.

ZAGREB, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - Croatian star of hit television series 'ER', Goran Visnjic, has admitted paternity of a baby girl, the product of an affair in 2006, local press in Croatia reported Saturday.

Visnjic, 35, did not fly over from the United States for a DNA test scheduled for Friday in Zagreb but instead sent a document confirming he was the father of eight-month old Lana Lourdes, the report said.

'He admitted paternity without DNA testing,' a lawyer for the mother, 36-year-old Mirela Rupic, told the Jutarnji List daily.

LOS ANGELES, Nov 16, 2007 (AFP) - The filming of 'Angels and Demons,' like 'The Da Vinci Code' adapted from a Dan Brown novel and starring Tom Hanks as professor Robert Langdon, has been delayed due to the screen writers' strike, Sony studios said Friday.

'With the strike nearing its third week, Columbia Pictures has postponed production of Angels and Demons,' said studio spokesman Steve Elzer, adding that the production was close to finishing.

MADRID, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are looking for a house in Europe so that their four children and future offspring can have a 'broad vision of the world,' the actor said in a interview published Sunday.

'While we are very nomadic, we would like to have a base in Europe. More attention is paid here to what is going on in the world and it is easier to get to Africa and Asia from here,' he told XL Semanal, the weekly magazine supplement of the ABC newspaper.

ISTANBUL, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - Istanbul's Fenerbahce sports club Sunday said it had cancelled centenary festivities due next week, including a concert by pop diva Beyonce, after the deaths of 12 soldiers in an ambush by Kurdish rebels.

'We decided today that these festivities could not be held in the present atmosphere,' Fenerbahce vice-president Ali Koc said in statement carried by the club's TV channel and its website.

'Our sorrow is deep, we share the grief of the nation.'

MADRID, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - Nobel prize winning author Doris Lessing said in an interview published Sunday that the September 11 attacks had not been 'so bad' when compared to Irish Republican Army action.

'September 11 was terrible, but if one re-examines the history of the IRA, what happened in the United States wasn't so bad,' Lessing, who captured this year's Nobel literature prize told Spain's leading El Pais daily.

The IRA waged a lengthy armed struggle against British rule in Northern Ireland. It declared an end to its armed campaign in 2005.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 19, 2007 (AFP) - Pop princess Britney Spears was at the center of yet another tabloid storm in a teacup on Friday after running over the foot of a photographer and driving away.

Video of the incident which took place in Beverly Hills on Thursday was posted on several celebrity news websites with TMZ.com identifying the photographer involved as one of its employees.

THE HAGUE, Oct 19, 2007 (AFP) - Jan Wolkers, one of the major Dutch writers of the post-war period, died Friday aged 81, media reported.

Wolkers is best known for his graphic description of sex in his 1960s novels which caused scandal at the time. Some Dutch schools banned his books because of the unabashed attention to sex, decay and death and his wry humour.

His best known novel is 'Turkish Delight' which was translated into more than 10 languages including French, German, Spanish and Japanese.

LONDON, Oct 19, 2007 (AFP) - The former guitarist in eighties rock band the Smiths, Johnny Marr, is to become a visiting music professor at a British university, he said Friday.

Marr, who co-wrote hits like 'How Soon is Now?' and 'Panic' with Smiths singer Morrissey, will deliver workshops and masterclasses to students on the popular music and recording course at Salford University in Manchester, north-west England.

'It is an honour to be appointed as a professor and I'm excited at the prospect of being able to make a contribution,' Marr, 44, told reporters.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 19, 2007 (AFP) - FBI agents raided a Las Vegas storage warehouse belonging to magician David Copperfield, seizing nearly two million dollars in cash, US media reported Friday.

Twelve Federal Bureau of Investigation agents took a computer hard drive, digital camera memory chip and the cash during an overnight Wednesday raid on Copperfield's storage space in Las Vegas, according to KLAS television in Las Vegas.

The warehouse is connected to an investigation that began in the northwestern state of Washington, according to KLAS.

OSLO, Oct 19, 2007 (AFP) - Norwegian police briefly arrested and then fined British soul singer Amy Winehouse for possessing and using marijuana, a lawyer working with the police in Bergen said Friday.

'She spent a few hours in custody from Thursday evening to early Friday, she got a fine and then she was released,' Lars Lothe told AFP.

'The case is over for us,' he added. Winehouse was fined 500 euros (714 dollars).

The singer was due to perform in Bergen, in the west of Norway, on Friday.

LONDON, Oct 18, 2007 (AFP) - Nicknamed Hollywood's own 'English rose' by fans, the actress Deborah Kerr, who died Tuesday aged 86, starred in one of the most famous love scenes in movie history in 'From Here To Eternity'.

In the 1953 film, the actress rolls around a beach in Hawaii, locked in a passionate kiss with co-star Burt Lancaster as waves crash around them.

Despite being Scottish, she built up an image in Hollywood as the archetypical elegant and refined England woman, although her part in 'From Here To Eternity' also hinted at more torrid depths.

LONDON, Oct 18, 2007 (AFP) - Here is a list of key films featuring British actress Deborah Kerr, whose death at the age of 86 was announced by her agent Thursday.

- 1943: 'The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp', directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring James McKechnie.

- 1946: 'I See A Dark Stranger', directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring Trevor Howard.

- 1947: 'The Black Narcissus', directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring Jean Simmons.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 3, 2007 (AFP) - Pop star Britney Spears suffered a fresh legal blow in her ongoing custody battle Thursday after a judge suspended her visitation rights to her two sons, court documents showed.

Spears, who lost custody of her children earlier this month to ex-husband Kevin Federline, faces a hearing on October 26 following the judge's decision, a court order published by the TMZ.com celebrity news website.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 3, 2007 (AFP) - Pop star Britney Spears suffered a fresh legal blow in her ongoing custody battle Thursday after a judge suspended her visitation rights to her two sons, court documents showed.

Spears, who lost custody of her children earlier this month to ex-husband Kevin Federline, faces a hearing on October 26 following the judge's decision, a court order published by the TMZ.com celebrity news website.

LONDON, Oct 18, 2007 (AFP) - British actress Deborah Kerr, star of films including 'From Here To Eternity' and 'The King And I', has died at the age of 86, her agent said Thursday.

Kerr had suffered from Parkinson's disease for several years and died in Suffolk, eastern England, on Tuesday.

The Scot was known for an iconic scene in 'From Here To Eternity' in which she and Burt Lancaster kiss passionately on a beach in Hawaii as the waves break around them.

TOKYO, Oct 18, 2007 (AFP) - Matt Damon said Thursday he was open to another sequel of his Jason Bourne spy series but declined a fight against his more genteel British counterpart James Bond.

Damon said that playing the taciturn American spy was his biggest professional success since 1997's 'Good Will Hunting,' for which he shared an Oscar.

'Personally, the character means a lot to me because the character has done so much for my career. You know, it put me in the position where I have a lot more choices of kind of movies I want to make,' he said in Tokyo.

LONDON, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) - The wife of South African President Thabo Mbeki on Wednesday unveiled a new statue to anti-apartheid leader Oliver Tambo in the north London suburb where he was exiled for 30 years.

Zanele Mbeki joined Britain's Justice Secretary Jack Straw and other dignitaries to take the wraps off the bust in a park in Muswell Hill, near where Tambo lived from 1960 to 1990.

A plaque was unveiled outside his former home.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 16, 2007 (AFP) - Puerto Rico's 'Livin'La Vida Loca' singer Ricky Martin unveiled his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Tuesday to a chorus of cheering, adoring fans.

'I have talked to Congress and the United Nations, but have never been as nervous as I am today,' Martin, 35, told reporters.

'With this star my work has been recognized and this star is here forever,' added the singer and former Mexican TV soap opera star who shot to world fame during soccer's 1998 World Cup with his fast-paced tune 'Livin'La Vida Loca.'

LONDON, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) - Former Beatle Paul McCartney has offered his estranged wife Heather Mills a divorce settlement of 25 million pounds (35.8 million euros, 50.8 million dollars), the Daily Mirror reported on Wednesday.

Quoting unnamed sources, the tabloid said that McCartney initially offered Mills between three and five million pounds, but Mills's legal team had negotiated that up to the current offer, with one source saying 'it's the closest they have been' on settlement sums.

PARIS, Oct 15, 2007 (AFP) - Alain Delon, the 71-year-old star of French cinema, sold part of his huge art collection for a better-than-expected 8.7 million euros (12.4 million dollars) at a Paris auction on Monday.

The most expensive work, a large 1954 painting by Jean-Paul Riopelle titled 'La vallee de l'oiseau' (The Valley of the Bird), sold for 882,740 euros (1.25 million dollars), or 750,000 euros (1.06 million dollars) excluding fees, the Cornette de Saint-Cyr auction house said.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 15, 2007 (AFP) - O.J. Simpson's legal woes deepened on Monday after two co-defendants in the disgraced American football legend's armed robbery case said they would testify against him, justice officials said.

Charles Cashmore, 40, indicated through his lawyers at Clark County court in Las Vegas that he would testify for the prosecution and would plead guilty to charges of accessory to robbery, a court spokesman said.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 15, 2007 (AFP) - A man charged in the OJ Simpson armed robbery case has agreed a plea deal with prosecutors and will testify against the disgraced former American football star, justice officials said Monday.

Charles Cashmore, 40, indicated through his lawyers at Clark County court in Las Vegas that he would testify for the prosecution and would plead guilty to charges of accessory to robbery, a court spokesman said.

LONDON, Oct 15, 2007 (AFP) - Former Beatle Paul McCartney has admitted that divorcing his estranged wife Heather Mills is painful but says music and their young daughter help him through.

McCartney, who failed to hammer out a deal with Mills in closed-door talks in court last week, also dismissed rumours of romance with a number of Hollywood actresses in recent months.

'Going through a divorce is a very painful thing,' he told the Radio Times weekly magazine, adding: 'As Winston Churchill once said, 'If you're going through hell, keep going!''

LONDON, Oct 14, 2007 (AFP) - Britain's Prince Charles was pictured in Sunday newspapers out shooting with his eldest son Prince William's girlfriend Kate Middleton in a sign of her growing acceptance in royal circles.

The pair donned camouflage clothing for a deer stalking lesson with two gamekeepers at Queen Elizabeth II's private Balmoral country estate in eastern Scotland.

It was the first time Charles had been photographed publicly with Middleton, fuelling speculation that she may soon become engaged to army officer William, second in line to the throne.

NEW DELHI, Oct 14, 2007 (AFP) - India's ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi has scotched reports of tensions with Premier Manmohan Singh, insisting she has no regrets about spurning the chance to lead the nation.

The partnership between the elegant Italian-born Gandhi and the elderly Sikh -- nicknamed the 'odd couple' by the media -- has been subject to frequent whispering campaigns that the pair do not see eye-to-eye.

LONDON, Oct 14, 2007 (AFP) - Prince William and Kate Middleton are stepping out again after rekindling their romance, posing a conundrum for the British media: to publish or not to publish photos of the possible future queen?

Reports that the couple, both aged 25, were in Scotland together this weekend have pushed the issue back to the top of the agenda for editors, for whom royal courtship has always been a big seller.

NEW DELHI, Oct 13, 2007 (AFP) - Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan said on Saturday that India, with its rich cultural offerings, could become a global centre for entertainment.

'We have a nearly 100-year-old industry. We have a fantastic culture. We can be a global entertainment portal,' Khan told a gathering of politicians and top businessmen in New Delhi.