EIGHTIES A-ha pin-up Morten Harket has Parkinson’s disease.
The Take On Me crooner, 65, said: “I’ve got no problem accepting the diagnosis.”
The star added: “Part of me wanted to reveal it. Acknowledging the diagnosis wasn’t a problem for me; it’s my need for peace and quiet to work that has been stopping me.
“I’m trying the best I can to prevent my entire system from going into decline.
“It’s a difficult balancing act between taking the medication and managing its side effects.
“There’s so much to weigh up when you’re emulating the masterful way the body handles every complex movement, or social matters and invitations, or day-to-day life in general.”
Parkinson’s disease is caused by the loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain and affects communication between neurons in the brain and muscles.
Although the disease is not fatal, victims’ condition gradually worsens over time.
It is the most widespread – and the fastest-spreading – neurological condition in the world.
Last year Norway-based Morten underwent neurosurgical procedures in which electrodes were implanted deep inside both sides of his brain. The procedure meant many of his physical symptoms practically vanished.
He is still able to drive his boat – but is worried about being able to sing for much longer. And hits not yet released may never be heard by fans.
The star, whose hits included Scoundrel Days, Summer Moved On and Stay On These Roads, said: “The problems with my voice are one of many grounds for uncertainty about my creative future.”
He added: “I don’t feel like singing, and for me that’s a sign.
“I’m broadminded in terms of what I think works; I don’t expect to be able to achieve full technical control.
“The question is whether I can express myself with my voice. As things stand now, that’s out of the question. But I don’t know whether I’ll be able to manage it at some point in the future.”
Looking forward he bravely said: “I was always meant to do different things, but I’ve ended up with a fairly permanent position as singer in a band.
“When I say that my identity isn’t about being a singer, that’s my direct response. It comes straight from the heart.
“People associate me with it, naturally enough, and I realize that. I see singing as my responsibility, and at certain moments I think it’s absolutely fantastic that I get to do it.
“But I’ve got other passions too, I have other things that are just as big a part of me, that are just as necessary and true.”
The star told fans: “Don’t worry about me. Find out who you want to be – a process that can be new each and every day.
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition, meaning that it causes problems in the brain and gets worse over time.
It affects around 153,000 people in the UK.
People with Parkinson’s don’t have enough of the chemical dopamine because some of the nerve cells that make it have stopped working.
This can cause a range of more than 40 symptoms, but the three main ones are:
Other common signs include:
The four main ways of managing Parkinson’s include medication, staying active, exploring occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech and language therapy, and monitoring symptoms.
Source: Parkinson’s UK and NHS
“Be good servants of nature, the very basis of our existence, and care for the environment while it is still possible to do so. Spend your energy and effort addressing real problems, and know that I am being taken care of.
“For a few years now I’ve been working on songs that I’ve got great belief in, and I feel the lyrics, especially, have something of a different aspect of me in them.
“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish them for release. Time will tell if they make it.
“I really like the idea of just going for it, as a Parkinson’s patient and an artist, with something completely outside the box.
“It’s all up to me, I just have to get this out of the way first.”
A MAJOR airport will undergo a multi-billion-dollar update after receiving its first quarterly report on the much-needed updates.
The update will address the airport’s malfunctioning equipment and outdated infrastructure, with a focus on the central terminal, which is over 70 years old.
The Miami International Airport was named the US’s 10th busiest airport with over 52 million passengers traveling out of it in 2023, AirAdvisor reported.
The airport was ranked the second-largest in terms of international travelers.
The new quarterly report received by the Miami-Dade County Commission will help make the travel process a more seamless experience for those passing through.
“So this report basically…breaks it down into needs, improvements that we have to make, and also how they’re going to be addressed,” Ralph Cutie, Miami International Airport CEO, told local NBC affiliate WTVJ.
The 13-page report details what has been done and what’s left to be done to the major airport.
The County Commission quickly approved the first report, and Cutie says there has already been “tremendous progress” on the repair of elevators, escalators, and moving walkways.
“December of 2023, we were at about 85% operation, Christmas of 2024 we’re at 95% operational, that’s a significant improvement in operational capacity of our conveyance systems,” said Cutie.
He also noted that $681 million has already been invested in conveyance systems.
Miami-Dade County Commissioner J.C. Bermudez told the outlet that he’s “satisfied” with what has been done so far.
Bermudez said that the report represents a change in company culture.
“It was just an accumulation of many years of…just placing bandages and not saying we need to put some dollars and try to make this a better place,” Bermudez said.
Cutie hopes the public rests assured knowing that they are working to address every complaint passengers have had about the airport.
The airport’s central terminal will undergo the biggest update, with $750 million allocated for the project.
Construction on the terminal will begin in 2028 and is expected to end in 2031.
“So mechanical, electrical, plumbing, things behind the wall — all that will be addressed as part of the central terminal,” Cutie said.
“If you ask me what keeps me up at night is that — being able to continue to operate and keep our customers satisfied while at the same time improving, building and repairing.”
The updates will include:
The report comes six months after the airport announced a $9 billion transformation.
In December, the airport announced a multi-billion-dollar overhaul, which would help improve the customer experience.
“This project will include 19 contact gates with loading bridges connecting to aircraft, so passengers will no longer be exposed to elements like rain and wind,” Cutie previously told local CBS affiliate WFOR.
All plans for the proposed renovation are scheduled to be completed by 2034.
CLINT Eastwood has hit out at an Austrian newspaper for publishing a bombshell interview he claims he never even gave.
The 95-year-old acting icon was directly quoted bashing Hollywood in the article – despite him now labelling the Q&A as “phoney”.
Despite his age meaning his career on the big screen has all but finished, Eastwood’s name was brought up again after his comments on the state of the film industry went viral.
Kurier, a Vienna-based paper with around 100,000 readers, published a major Q&A spread with the Dirty Harry star on Friday.
The main takeaway from the supposed interview was just how much Eastwood despised how reliant Hollywood has become on sequels and franchises.
One of Eastwood’s responses to a journalist’s question said: “I long for the good old days when screenwriters wrote movies like Casablanca in small bungalows on the studio lot.
“When everyone had a new idea.
“We live in an era of remakes and franchises. I’ve shot sequels three times, but I haven’t been interested in that for a long while.
“My philosophy is: do something new or stay at home.”
The answer stirred up days of debates from film buffs who argued both sides of the fence.
But Eastwood soon chimed in on the argument himself as he blasted the original interview as “entirely phony”.
He claims he has never given those comments to Kurier and hasn’t been interviewed by anyone in the past few weeks.
The paper’s editor has since conceded the quotes were in fact not from a formal interview with Eastwood who turned 95 last month.
Instead, they were repackaged by a writer who had spoken to the actor at more than a dozen media events in the past.
Elisabeth Sereda, a US-based Austrian journalist, had “convincingly explained” to editor Martin Gebhart that her and Eastwood have met on 18 occasions at round table media events.
This meant the quotes were a compilation of statements made by the actor over the years.
But Gebhart did admit that the way the article was presented as a tell-it-all exclusive chat went against his quality standards.
He then said he will no longer work with the Sereda as of a result.
The story has also since been withdrawn from the paper’s website entirely.
Gebhart said: “Even though no quotes were fabricated, the interviews are documented, and the accusation of fabrication can be refuted, we will no longer work with the author in the future.”
MICHAEL Schumacher’s family were paid £170,000 in compensation after a magazine published a fake AI-generated interview with the F1 racing legend.
German publication Die Aktuelle claimed last April to have secured a “world exclusive” with the severely injured Ferrari great – who has not been seen in public since his 2013 skiing accident.
In a two-page spread, promoted with a picture of Schumacher, it claimed the seven-time F1 champ had said “My life has totally changed”.
It promised it was not a story based on “half-sentences from friends” but it’s “the incredible interview” with the F1 star with “redeeming answers to the most burning questions that the whole world has been asking for so long.”
The rest of the article was written in Q&A form, with an AI chatbot designed to mimic celebrities making up the answers Michael would supposedly give.
The bot even spoke about the racing hero’s physical condition, family and future recovery prospects.
Die Aktuelle only admitted the quotes, which used graphic details to describe his injuries, were written by a chatbot in a note on the inside pages.
The shameless interview just goes to show how “poisoned” bots can be weaponised, an expert warned.
Sereda is known for publishing celebrity based articles for Kurier and other Austrian media.
She is also a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and listed as a voting member on the website of the Golden Globes.
After Eastwood’s admission, Jude Law‘s team also made similar comments on Sereda’s work.
She had published an interview claiming to be from the English actor earlier this year.
Sources close to Law said no interview has ever taken place and that the only time those direct quotes would have been made would have been at a press conference at the Toronto international film festival last year.
Eastwood is still working as a director with his most recent movie being Juror #2 which was released in November last year.
He has long been an influential figure in Hollywood for bis longevity and ability.
Since breaking through with the 1964 film of A Fistful of Dollars, Eastwood has continued as a leading man for decades.
He has even received the ultimate honour as a director through two Academy Award’s for best director with 1992’s Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby in 2005.
THE CEO of United Airlines has shared his thoughts on the industry.
He described budget air travel as “dead” and said companies who follow the model are out to “trick people”.
While United Airlines has never self-described as a budget airline, it still manages to manages to rank among the country’s “Big Four”.
This list is rounded out by American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and Southwest Airlines.
And out of these dominating top four, only Southwest employs a budget model.
United CEO Scott Kirby recently revealed there is a good reason why his company does not identify the same.
Kirby became CEO of United Airlines back in 2020 and has been vocal about his thoughts on the industry during his time at the helm.
Recently, he spoke with The Wall Street Journal about the current state of the airline industry.
During the interview, the CEO was asked about his views on budget airlines.
And he did not hold back as he spoke out against the entire model.
“It’s dead, it’s a crappy model,” he told The Wall Street Journal.
He went on to say he thinks the entire model is focused on trying to “trick people”.
According to Kirby, the focus of this set-up is to get as much money out of customers rather than actually meeting their needs.
“The model was screw the customer. I mean, it was,” he explained.
“Trick people, get them to buy, get them to come, and charge them a whole bunch of fees they aren’t expecting.”
And while this practice might work once, he pointed out that it does not encourage return custom.
He said passengers rarely want to go back to those budget airlines, making it hard to build customer loyalty.
The Transportation Security Administration regulates the amount of liquids, aerosols, and gels that flyers can bring through airport security with the 3-1-1 liquids rule.
The 3-1-1 rule consists of the following:
Each container of liquid has to be 3.4 ounces or less.
All liquids have to fit in one clear, quart-sized, resealable bag.
Finally, passengers can only bring one bag of liquids each.
“Their problem is that they got big enough that they needed repeat customers. They don’t get them,” Kirby continued.
He revealed that he wants United to take a different approach.
Rather than luring in customers with cheap prices and hidden fees, he plans to provide a good service that results in customers returning in the future.
However, he did point out that United will have some of the lowest fares for the foreseeable future this summer, and encouraged customers to take advantage.
The reduced rates apply to travelers flying in and out of a busy East Coast airport.
MORE than 11 people have died following a horrific stampede in Bengaluru prior to the IPL victory celebrations.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the T20 competition on Tuesday night, beating Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Fans later gathered outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium – the team’s home ground – to celebrate, but the jubilaition quickly turned to horror.
According to reports from India, a stampede occurred when hundreds of supporters attempted to enter the stadium through a gate near Cubbon Park.
At least 11 people were killed, including a woman and a boy.
In excess of 50 fans were injured, with fears the death toll could rise.
The Times of India reported that fans rushed in from several gates to catch a glimpse of the RCB players.
A number of people were crushed as a result.
Police outside the stadium performed a ‘lathi-charge’ in a desperate attempt to disperse the crowds.
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RUSSELL WILSON has pinpointed the incredible moment he agreed to join with the New York Giants.
The quarterback signed a $21 million contract in March.
The 36-year-old signed a one-year deal, with $10.5m guaranteed.
The 10-time Pro Bowl star said playing with wide receiver Malik Nabers was a major factor in his decision.
He was asked why he joined on Carmelo Anthony’s podcast this week.
Wilson said: “I just turned on the film and watched this guy Malik Nabers.
“This dude is a superstar. I saw him, watching the film before I tried to make a decision and trying to get a clear understanding of who the players are.
“Obviously, you see the highlights and everything else.
“But when you watch every single catch and every single rep and play, you get to see the kind of player he is.
“He’s dynamic. He touches that football, he’s gone.”
The Giants took Nabers with the sixth overall pick in last year’s NFL draft.
The 21-year-old out of Lousiana had 109 catches for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns in an otherwise struggling offense last season.
Wilson hopes he can do even more with Nabers, and that he can revitalize his own career.
He faces competition with Big Blue draftee Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, former Cleveland star Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito.
Wilson joins his fourth team in five years after he was drafted to the Seattle Seahawks in 2012.
The Ohio-born star won his only Super Bowl title a year against the Denver Broncos a later in 2013.
After nine seasons with the Seahawks, he joined the Broncos in 2021.
Meanwhile, he helped lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to the playoffs last year.
But the team lost five in a row to end the season after starting 6-1 with Wilson.
Wilson threw for 2,482 yards with 16 touchdown passes, five interceptions and a 96.5 passer rating for the Steelers.
He is married to R&B singer Ciara, with the couple sharing three children together.
He is also a stepfather to her son, whom she had with rapper Future before getting with the NFL star.
(All times ET)
Thur 4 Sept
8.20 pm – Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Fri 5 Sept
8pm – Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers
Sun 7 Sept
1pm – Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons
1pm – Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
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4.25 pm – Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
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8.20 pm – Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills
Mon 8 Sept
8.15 pm – Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears