SYDNEY - THE quiet Australian town of Parkes was awash with Brylcreem, gabardine and gospel on Sunday, as a record number of Elvis faithful met there to pay homage to The King, organisers said.

Cooked up one summer's night at the local 'Gracelands' restaurant, the Elvis Festival has exploded from a one-night event in 1993 to an annual five-day phenomenon attracting thousands of fans and curious tourists.

BRUSSELS - CARTOON legend Tintin, a rare reporter to rise to world fame having barely written an article, celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday and is as popular as ever.

The immortal boy reporter - the most-loved figure in cartoon-mad Belgium's history - first appeared on Jan 10, 1929 bound for the Soviet Union in a supplement to the Roman Catholic Brussels weekly, Le Vingtieme Siecle.

LONDON - BRITAIN'S Prince Harry apologised on Saturday after a newspaper reported he had filmed himself calling an Asian army colleague a 'Paki' but he said he had used the potentially racist term without malice.

The News of the World said the recording was made in 2006, a year after the prince was pilloried for wearing a Nazi uniform at a costume party, a gaffe that sparked international outcry.