Jackson recording new album

London – Michael Jackson has returned to the studio and plans to release a new album next year for a record label owned by the son of Bahrain’s king.

2 Seas Records, which is owned by Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, said Tuesday it had signed an exclusive recording agreement with Jackson, and the new album was tentatively scheduled for release in late 2007.

Jackson, 47, moved to the Gulf state soon after being acquitted of child molestation charges in California last year. The 33-island archipelago is about the size of Rhode Island.

The label is also due to release Jackson’s long-promised benefit single for Hurricane Katrina victims, “I Have This Dream.”

Tabloid issues apology

London – Britain’s best-selling newspaper has apologized to “Desperate Housewives” star Teri Hatcher for a story that claimed she had sex with men in a van outside her home.

The Sun tabloid acknowledged the article, which it ran last August, was “totally incorrect” and apologized Wednesday “for the embarrassment caused.”

Hatcher’s legal firm, Schillings, said the newspaper had agreed to pay undisclosed damages and Hatcher’s costs. It said the celebrity magazine Heat also had agreed to apologize for printing the same allegations in August.

Hatcher, 41, accepted undisclosed libel damages in December from another tabloid, The Daily Sport, which had earlier made the same claims.

The actress, who has a young daughter, issued a statement in December saying she had “tolerated many ridiculous and fabricated lies and gossip in the tabloids” as something that “just comes with the territory of fame.”

“But when a story appeared about me, insinuating that I am an irresponsible and neglectful parent, I had to draw the line.”

Kennedy on ‘Daily Show’

Washington – Sen. Edward M. Kennedy has pretty much done it all during his four decades in the Senate, but today he’s venturing into a new frontier – late-night comedy.

The member of one of America’s most storied political families is slated to take a seat tonights on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” the parody news show that airs at 10 p.m. CDT on Comedy Central.

“Senator Kennedy has been waiting for the right invitation,” said Stephanie Cutter, a Kennedy adviser. “He’s a huge fan of Jon Stewart and he’s very much looking forward to this.”

Kennedy, 74, a Democrat, has been making the interview rounds in recent weeks touting his new book, “America Back on Track,” which mixes personal recollections of his famous family with his agenda for reviving the nation.