Comic actor Sacha Baron Cohen is to make a guest appearance in animated comedy The Simpsons, a spokeswoman for makers 20th Century Fox has confirmed.

Executive producer Al Jean told US website Entertainment Weekly he would voice a “pretty angry but funny” Israeli tour guide.

The character would meet the Simpsons when they visited the the Holy Land while on a church group trip, he said.

Baron Cohen follows in the footsteps of stars including Bono and Johnny Cash.

Jean said the episode would be called The Greatest Story Ever D’ohed and was likely to be shown in the US in March 2010.

In July, Baron Cohen, 37, known for characters including Ali G and Borat, topped the US box office playing an outrageous fashion reporter from Austria in Bruno.

The story behind Britain’s biggest cash robbery is to be made into a Hollywood movie, according to Variety magazine.

The Wrestler director Darren Aronofsky will co-produce and direct the film based on the £53m armed robbery at the Securitas Depot in Kent in 2006.

Another £153m was left behind as there was no more room in the getaway van.

Five people were jailed for their part in the heist, during which the depot manager and his family were kidnapped and held at gunpoint.

Oscar win

In a deal between XYZ Films and Time, the film will be based on the book Heist: The Inside Story of the World’s Biggest Robbery by Howard Sounes.

It will also use adaptations of articles written in Time publications.

Aronofsky’s The Wrestler won Mickey Rourke a best actor Oscar last year for his portrayal of Randy “The Ram” Robinson.

The Michael Jackson film This Is It is to have simultaneous premieres in more than 15 cities around the world.

Cities hosting the premieres on 27 and 28 October include Los Angeles, London, New York, Berlin, Seoul and Rio de Janeiro, Sony Pictures said.

The movie is based on more than 100 hours of footage from rehearsals for the 50 London shows he had planned to do. Jackson died in June aged 50.

Names of the other cities hosting the premiere have not yet been released.

Hollywood films often hold premieres at different locations around the world but rarely at the same time.

“Michael Jackson has an army of fans everywhere around the world… we are giving the audiences an incredible opportunity to join together in celebration of Michael Jackson’s incredible career,” said Jeff Blake, chairman of worldwide marketing and distribution for Sony Pictures.

The Los Angeles premiere will take place on the evening of 27 October, while the London event will happen after midnight local time on 28 October.

Limited release

In total, more than 25 cities will host premieres but not all will take place at the same time - they include Moscow, Tokyo, Sydney and Paris.

This Is It, directed by Kenny Ortega - the choreographer of Jackson’s planned shows at London’s O2 arena - offers a behind-the-scenes look at preparations.

The content is drawn from footage shot in Los Angeles between March and June.

The film will go on general release in cinemas on 28 October for just a two-week run.

The $60m (£36.4m) movie deal was made between Jackson’s estate and concert promoter AEG Live and Sony Pictures.

Tickets for This Is It go on sale on 27 September.

The singer died after suffering a cardiac arrest on 25 June, weeks before he was to have started the concerts.

The economies of China and India are set to grow by more than previously thought in 2009, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has said.

Government spending in developing Asian economies had enhanced the region’s growth prospects, it said.

It now expects China to grow by 8.2% in 2009, up from an earlier forecast of 7%. India’s forecast has been raised to 6% from 5%.

But it also warned governments not to withdraw stimulus policies too soon.

“Expansionary fiscal and monetary policies have softened the blow of the global slump on the economy,” the ADB said in its updated annual outlook.

“A surge in bank lending and vigorous fixed-asset investment has maintained growth at a higher pace than was expected in March.”

But it added: “This is not the time for an exit from expansionary policies - the recovery remains fragile and subject to serious downside risks.”

The ADB raised its growth forecasts for the region to 3.9% in 2009, from its previous forecast of 3.4%. It also raised its 2010 forecasts to 6.4% from its previous estimate of 6%.

A survey by comparison site Broadband Expert suggests that UK mobile broadband providers are delivering services “far lower than advertised”.

Almost three and a half thousand broadband connections were tested over a five month period.

The firm found that users recorded an average download speed of 1.1Mbs, substantially lower than advertised.

However, some experts queried the results, saying that quantifying mobile broadband was almost impossible.

Rob Webber, Broadband Expert’s commercial director, explained how they did the tests.

“These are tests performed by users on the Broadband Expert website. They select their internet service provider, their promised connection speed, and the sort of connection they have.

“As a result, some providers got tested more than others and we did not have enough data on British Telecom or Virgin Mobile to give a valid result,” he said.