Set your mind at ease with NBA’s Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant and top-scorer LeBron James will head the list of 12 players named by the United States for the Beijing Olympics. They also named Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Jason Kidd as the US seeks to end a recent run of disappointments. US aim to win the gold medal in Athens – the first time an NBA-based team had done so at the Olympics. Team’s officials have promised a change of culture in a bid to improve the men’s team’s results.

The Argentina won gold in Athens, having the edged out of the United States in the semi-finals. It is being said that it was the third defeat of the tournament for a US team that was criticised for being under-prepared. But the team’s managing director Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski are confident for the current squad that they will perform better than the team that went to Athens.

Bryant led the LA Lakers to the NBA finals this season, while James scorched the league’s defences, scoring 30 points per game. Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Michael Redd and Deron Williams complete the American line-up. Eight players have been retained from the team which ensured Olympic qualification at the Americas Tournament last year. Bosh, Paul and Wade, who all missed that tournament, return from the 2006 World Championship team.

While the squad will train in Las Vegas from 20-25 July before heading to China for warm-up games against Turkey, Lithuania, Russia and Australia. Since 1992, NBA players have been allowed to compete at the Olympics, where the US famously fielded gold medal-winning ‘Dream Team’ in Barcelona. There is only one occasion that the US failed to win a medal in men’s basketball – the 1980 Games in Moscow, which they boycotted.

The singer Amy Winehouse has spent the night in hospital after an ambulance was called to her London home. The 24-year-old confirmed she had been taken to University College Hospital after suffering a reaction to medication. There have long been concerns about the singer’s health, and she received hospital treatment last month for traces of lung disease emphysema.

The decision to release her from hospital was due to be made on Tuesday morning. The ambulance was called to her house in Camden, north London on Monday evening. A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said that they sent an ambulance and a fast response car and the patient has been taken to hospital.

The police called to clear a path for the ambulance through waiting photographers. A Scotland Yard spokesman said that they were asked to assist in the London Ambulance Service leaving the vicinity since a crowd of photographers had gathered. Winehouse’s father Mitch, who has previously expressed fears over the effect his daughter’s drug use has had on her health, is with the singer in hospital. The spokesman of Winehouse said late on Monday that Amy suffered a reaction to medication at home this evening and was taken to hospital. The doctors have advised that she will be kept under observation overnight and is likely to be released tomorrow.

The new Batman film has broken another box office record in North America as it spends a second week at number one.

The Dark Knight passed the $300m (£151m) mark quicker than any other movie, doing so 10 days after release.They took $75.6m over the weekend in the US and Canada, with comedy Step Brothers, starring Will Ferrell, new at number two.

Ferrell and co-star John C Reilly reunited with director Adam McKay, who had been responsible for their earlier collaboration Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

Rory Bruer, the head of distribution for Sony said that it is really a terrific start and the chemistry between the stars was “great”.

A passenger plane en route from London to Melbourne has made an emergency landing in the Philippines after suffering cabin pressure problems.

Qantas Airways said its Boeing 747-400, with 346 passengers and 19 crew, diverted to Manila shortly after leaving Hong Kong and landed safely.

Airport authority spokesman Octavio Lina said there was a “big hole in the right side near the wing”.

He said the passengers looked scared and some vomited after the incident.Mr Lina said the hole was about 2.5m to 3m in diameter. He added that the flooring near the affected section gave way, exposing some of the cargo below, and part of the ceiling also collapsed.

Upon disembarkation, there were some passengers who vomited. You can see in their faces that they were really scared.

Picture Credit to: BBC News

Will Smith was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood last year, according to US business Forbes magazine.

The I Am Legend star earned $80m (£40m) – but Dodgeball star Vince Vaughn proved the best value for money, raking in $14.73 for every dollar he was paid.

The magazine pulled together lists of Hollywood’s big earners for its special Entertainment All Stars issue.

Smith, Johnny Depp and Eddie Murphy were the best paid Hollywood actors in the past year, according to the magazine.

Smith, 39, made $80m (£40m) between 1 June 2007 and 1 June 2008, thanks to films like I Am Legend, Hancock and The Pursuit of Happyness, for which he was nominated for best actor in the 2007 Oscars.