Pop star Michael Jackson arrived in Namibia to a tumultuous welcome yesterday that took police by surprise and fears for his safety forced the cancellation of a number of public events.
The Air Namibia commercial plane which brought Jackson from Frankfurt overnight was rushed by around 1,000 screaming fans, who broke through police security, already stretched by the demands of a southern African economic summit in the capital, Windhoek. Finance Minister Nangola Mbumba was knocked off his feet and trampled during the stampede while Prime Minister Hage Geingob was forced to board the plane to welcome the Jackson, who was treated almost as a head of state.
The eccentric singer, here to discuss investment, was the guest of Namibian president Sam Nujoma at a luncheon in the State House and was later to attend the opening of the summit.
Britain's Princess Margaret is scaling down her public appearances in advance of a possible withdrawal from public life, according to newspaper reports.
"Sources close to the princess have indicated that she has stopped all public engagements until June because of concerns over her health and that she may retire completely in the summer," said the Sunday Times. "She has already declined invitations to some engagements in the autumn. Sources blame the decision on her slow recovery from a stroke which she suffered in February."
The 67-year-old princess, younger sister to Queen Elizabeth, suffered the stroke while on holiday on the Caribbean island of Mustique. Though local doctors described the stroke as mild, the princess has a history of poor health. She is believed to have quit smoking several years ago on medical advice.
Nearly half the entire population of Iceland has seen the film Titanic, the blockbuster film's distributor said yesterday. According to Bjorn Sigurdsson, 120,000 people, some 45 per cent of the island's population have seen the world's biggest grossing film ever.