Sesame Street star Alaina Reed Amini dies aged 63

Alaina Reed Amini, best known for playing Olivia Robinson on long-running children's show Sesame Street, has died aged 63, her publicist has confirmed.

The star - previously known as Alaina Reed Hall - died Thursday at a hospital in Santa Monica after a two-year battle with breast cancer.

Her stage credits included Chicago and Hair. She also appeared in several movies, including Cruel Intentions.

She also guest-starred in various TV shows such as ER and NYPD Blue.

Reed-Amini joined the Sesame Street cast in 1976 and played a photographer and sister of the character Gordon.

The actress remained on the show until 1988 and also starred in NBC's 227 playing the landlady and best friend of the show's main character.

During the final series Reed-Amini married a character who was played by her real-life husband, Kevin Peter Hall, who died in 1991.

She is survived by her husband, Tamim Amini, and two children from a previous marriage.

According to her husband, no memorial service will be held, but a celebration of her life is being planned for next year.

Michael Jackson: FBI releases classified files on star

The FBI has released more than 300 pages of formerly classified documents relating to pop icon Michael Jackson.

They include information regarding the singer's 1993 and 2004 child molestation cases, as well as an extortion case where he was a victim.

Despite an application under the US Freedom of Information Act, just over half of the file will stay secret.

The pages do not provide any new information on Jackson's sudden death in June, aged 50.

One document reveals that in 2004, local police in Santa Maria requested FBI involvement believing the court proceedings against the pop star were a "soft target for terrorism" due to the global media coverage.

"No intelligence indicating a terrorist threat" existed, the FBI said, although the bureau did provide other technical and investigative assistance into the case.

In June 2005, Jackson was found not guilty of all charges at the end of the four-month trial.

Video analysed

The documents were released through a Freedom of Information Act request from The Associated Press news agency and other media.

They show that the FBI assisted local authorities on several occasions from 1993 to 2005.

The FBI's legal office in London assisted local authorities with the child molestation probe in 1993 and in 1995 US customs officials asked the FBI to analyse a VHS videotape as part of a child pornography investigation.

The tape - "a multi-generation copy of poor quality" - was marked in part "Michael Jackson's Neverland Favourites, An All Boy Anthology", the FBI documents say.

In 1993 police in Los Angeles began investigating allegations of child abuse against Michael Jackson made by the father of 13-year old Jordie Chandler.

Jackson vehemently denied the claims and he was never charged. A civil case was settled out of court in early 1994 when he paid Jordie Chandler a reported $20m (£14m).