British actress Dinah Sheridan dies at age 92

Plus Rolling Stones stage first of five 50th anniversary concerts, Charlie Sheen chips in to Lindsay Lohan's tax debt, Chris Brown deactivates Twitter account and Tom Cruise film shuts down central London.

Dinah Sheridan in the classic film Genevieve. She was also known for her role as the mother in The Railway Children. PA Archive

The British actress Dinah Sheridan, best remembered for playing the mother in The Railway Children, has died at the age of 92. She also starred in a number of other classic British films, including the 1953 comedy Genevieve alongside Kenneth More and Kay Kendall. Sheridan, the mother of the actress Jenny Hanley and the politician Sir Jeremy Hanley, was cast as the quintessential English rose in many of her roles because of her understated beauty. * The National staff

Rolling Stones's gig marks half a century

The Rolling Stones made a triumphant return to the London stage in the first of five concerts to mark the 50th anniversary of their debut as an American-oriented blues band. As the band performed a stellar two-and-a-half hour show in front of 20,000 people at London's O2 Arena, they were joined at one point by the former members Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor, as well as the American soul diva Mary J Blige. It was the first of five mega-shows to mark the anniversary of when the band first played in a small London pub in 1962. * AP

Charlie Sheen chips in to Lindsay Lohan's tax debt

It seems that troubled stars stick together. According to the celebrity gossip website TMZ, the maverick actor Charlie Sheen has reportedly given Lindsay Lohan a US$100,000 (Dh367,000) cheque to cover the actress's huge tax bill. The pair became friends while on the set of Scary Movie 5 in September, and during their bonding sessions Lohan mentioned her continuing tax problems. So Sheen offered to help out Lohan, who allegedly owed $233,904 (Dh858,428) in unpaid taxes to the US government. Sheen's and Lohan's on-screen collaboration is due to hit cinemas in April. * The National staff

Chris Brown deactivates Twitter account after tirade

The US singer Chris Brown has deleted his Twitter account after a vulgar rant against the comedy writer Jenny Johnson. Johnson, a former news producer who is often praised as one of the wittiest presences on Twitter, has been a strong critic of Brown following his 2009 arrest for beating his former girlfriend Rihanna. The pair have sparred on Twitter in the past. According to The Huffington Post, this time around the war of words started with Johnson's reply to a photo caption by Chris. After numerous obscene and misogynistic tweets, Brown, who is due to play the Atelier Festival at Dubai's Meydan Racecourse on December 11, then deactivated his account. * The National staff

Tom Cruise film shuts down central London

The usually bustling Trafalgar Square in the heart of London was emptied this week while Tom Cruise filmed his latest blockbuster there. In the sci-fi flick All You Need Is Kill, the 50-year-old actor plays lieutenant colonel Bill Cage, who battles the Mimics, a violent race of alien invaders. For this shot, Trafalgar Square was completely closed off as a helicopter was landed there. The film, based on Hiroshi Sakurazaka's novel, also stars Emily Blunt as the special forces fighter Rita Vrataski. * The National staff