MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3 - PARAMOUNT PAY OUT OVER MI:3 STUNT

Movie giant Paramount has agreed to pay $75,000 (GBP38,460) to the US Attorney's office after a marketing stunt for MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III prompted a series of bomb scares. Plastic devices were fitted to 4,500 newspaper vending machines in Los Angeles that played the Mission: Impossible theme when opened. But the red boxes were mistaken for bombs, causing a hospital to be evacuated. Another was blown up by an arson squad in Santa Clarita, California. Paramount, the Los Angeles Times and Allied Advertising agreed to make the payment without admitting fault. The money will be given to West Los Angeles' Veteran Affairs Medical Center to compensate for disruption.