A soldier wounded in Afghanistan, Dinah Gould, aged 100 (pictured) and Dominic John MacGowan, aged 11 (also in picture), are among 7,300 people who will carry the Olympic torch through Britain ahead of the London 2012 Games, organisers said yesterday.

The flame will be lit in Greece on May 10, arriving in Britain just over a week later and reaching the Olympic Stadium in London for the opening ceremony of the Games on July 27.

Among the torchbearers is Jack Otter, a 23-year-old from London who lost both his legs and his left arm during a bomb blast while he was serving in Afghanistan with the British army in September 2009.

Britain’s oldest full-time firefighter, 63-year-old Malcolm Styles, has also been chosen to carry the torch after raising tens of thousands of pounds for cancer research after the disease killed his wife.

Balloon pilot saves parachutists

A hot air balloon pilot ordered five skydiver passengers to jump out after they were hit by a huge thunderstorm.

All landed safely, but veteran pilot Edward Ristaino, 63, is missing presumed dead after his balloon was sucked up to 18,000 ft then collapsed in a downdraught.“He saved our lives,” one of the jumpers Jessica Wesnofske, said. “Another minute, we would have been in the storm with him.”

Mr Ristaino was taking the skydivers into the air on Friday during a festival in Georgia when the storm hit.

Sheriff Bobby McLemore said search teams had not found the balloon.

Game animals fleeing huge fire

A huge fire on Kenya’s tallest mountain is stampeding big game animals down the slopes to safety.

British troops are among those helping in the fight to put out several blazes on Mount Kenya.

Flames have already consumed hundreds of acres of forest, said Paul Udoto, a spokesman for the Kenya Wildlife Service. The fire has covered the mountain in a haze of smoke.

Tourists staying in mountain lodges are safe, Mr Udoto said, but elephants are among the many animals fleeing.

“There’s fires all over the place,” said Iain Douglas-Hamilton, the founder of the group Save the Elephants. “It’s because of the dryness. But I bet people are setting the fires ... accidental but human-generated.”

Asia’s first ever games for gays

Nepal is to stage Asia’s first ever multi-sport games for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, organisers announced yesterday.

The two-week event at the national football stadium and other venues around Kathmandu will feature Nepali participants in track and field, volleyball, football, martial arts and tennis, said The Blue Diamond Society, Nepal’s leading gay rights group.

“Renowned and respected Nepali athletes will support as coaches and referees for the program,” said organiser Sunil Pant, the country’s only openly gay lawmaker said in a statement.

Asia already staged the ‘Asia-Pacific Outgames’, another multi-sport gay event, but this has only been hosted by New Zealand and Australia.

Nepal’s version which is due to take place in late September will be the first in Asia.