First Round-the-world balloon tripSAINT LOUIS: US hot-air balloonist Steve Fossett took off on Wednesday at 5:06 P.M. (2300 GMT) here in his attempt to make the world's first round-the-world balloon trip, officials said. Fossett's balloon Solo Spirit lifted slowly from Busch Stadium here, heading for its flying altitude of some 8,000 meters (24,000 feet) in the 53-year-old Chicago millionaire investor's third attempt at breaking a world record. There have been 10 serious attempts by balloonists to fly non-stop around the world since 1981, with Fossett coming the closest to actually succeeding.Diana ticketsLONDON: Tickets to see the final resting place of Diana, Princess of Wales, at her family's estate in central England, will go on sale from Monday, reports said on Thursday. Mourners from all over the world are thought to want to make a pilgrimage of the island in an ornamental lake on the Spencer estate where the 36-year-old princess is buried. Althorp Park will be open to public for two months, from July 1, the princess's birthday, to August 30. All visitors will have to apply for tickets in advance. The price, number available and method of application will be announced in the British National Press and on special phone lines on Monday.Donor dadCLEVELAND: A 135-kg man dropped more than one-third of his weight in order to donate a kidney to his four-year-old daughter. Doctors say the transplant was a success. Randy Leamer of north east, Pennsylvania, learned about a year ago that he could qualify as a donor for his daughter Megan only if he lost about 45 kg. He lost 47 kg and the transplant was performed on December 12, Cleveland clinic said on Tuesday. Megan who suffered from complications of kidney disease, was sent home on December 18.Clinton's petsWASHINGTON: Socks the cat and Buddy the dog, the first family's pets, get along like cats and dogs, according to US President Bill Clinton. The president, heading for the family's traditional New Year's retreat with friends at Hilton Head island, South Carolina, said Socks and Buddy, the new Labrador puppy, have not yet made friends with each other. ``I still haven't reconciled him with socks yet, but I am working on it,'' Clinton said prior to his departure. ``When I get back, it's my first project.''TV shootingST LOUIS: A football fan killed his 26-year-old son with a shotgun blast for standing in front of the TV during a college game, police say. James shivers, 60, was charged on Tuesday with murdering his son Tony. ``It's mind-numbing,'' said Tracy Shivers, 35, the victim's brother. ``I just can't fathom why he had to shoot him.'' The two men shared an apartment where James was watching Monday's game between the University of Missouri and Colorado state when his son deliberately stood in front of the TV set, police said.Royal pretenderPORTSMOUTH: A pretender to the British throne announced on Wednesday that he was taking legal action against Queen Elizabeth to make her hand over two royal castles and the royal yacht Britannia. Electrician Colin Fellowes, 60, calls himself Colin I and insists he is the son of Edward VIII and American Wallis Warfield Simpson. Edward abdicated after a 325-day reign to marry Simpson in June 1937 after she had divorced her second husband. Fellowes says he was adopted one year after his birth in Charleroi, Belgium, in October 1937. The writ he wants to bring to court, alleges that his father, known as the Duke of Windsor after his abdication, named him as the heir to his property and title.Jackie Chan stampsHONG KONG: Action star Jackie Chan unveiled a set of six stamps on Thursday that Tanzania is issuing in his honour, bringing to two the number of countries that feature his baby-faced, mop-topped image on stamps. Gambia issued Jackie Chan stamps last year. The new stamps went on sale at the start of a three-day exhibit of memorabilia from the 43-year-old Chan's bone-breaking career in movies. Chan, star of Rumble in the Bronx and Supercop, is famous for doing his own stunts. Chan said 10 per cent of proceeds from their sale would go to his Jackie Chan Foundation, which helps build sports facilities in Hong Kong schools.Death betLONDON: Bookmakers in betting-crazy Britain drew the line when a man tried to place a bet on the exact date of his wife's death. While they accepted a wager that little green men will invade on Christmas night, they refused customer Geoff Sartin after he received his wife's approval for a bet that she would die on March 25, 2007. Graham Sharp, an expert who calculates the odds on unusual events for bookmakers William Hill, said he rejected the bet as he was concerned the prediction could come true.
