THE British premier of Independence Day, which has taken $250 million at the box office attracted dozens of stars and several thousand screaming fans to the Odeon cinema, in London's Leicester Square. Among the big names were the film's leading men, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman.
Cadfael star Sir Derek Jacobi hates one thing about the medieval sleuth - his haircut. His head had to be shaved twice a week during the making of the £2 million 90 minute specials to be shown later this month.
Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos says she is not aware of a report her that late husband contributed $10 million to Ronald Reagan's campaign. In a new book, Reagan's former campaign manager, Ed Collins, says Ferdinand Marcos gave the money to help the 1984 re election campaign.
Japan is mourning the death of actor Kiyoshi Atsumi (68), whose Tora-san series of films over three decades made him a folk hero at home and won a place in the Guinness Book of Records for longevity on the screen. He died from lung cancer on Sunday.
The writer Taslima Nasreen, who has been living in exile in Berlin since June 1995, has decided to return to Sweden where she spent 10 months after leaving Bangladesh. In a radio interview, Dr Nasreen (34) said: "Sweden is her second home."