Actor Emile Hirsch has pleaded guilty to misdemeanour assault after being accused of putting a female studio executive in a chokehold at a Utah nightclub during the Sundance Film Festival.

An arrest warrant for Dennis Rodman has been issued by a judge in Breckenridge, Colorodo, after the basketball star missed a court appearance on two alleged traffic violations.

Rescuers are searching today for at least three people trapped in up to 30ft of snow after an avalanche outside a Utah ski resort.