DIRE STRAITS - KNOPFLER'S LEGAL WAR

DIRE STRAITS rocker MARK KNOPFLER has launched a lawsuit after a road crash left him seriously injured and unable to work for seven months. The BROTHERS IN ARMS star is seeking $540,000 (GBP300,000) in compensation after motorist MONICA BELTRAN suddenly swerved and knocked him off his motorbike in central London in 2003. The 25-year-old driver was convicted of careless driving and deported back to her native Ecuador after serving a 15-month jail term for a false passport offence. Knopfler broke his collarbone, shoulder and seven ribs, and had to cancel a tour as a result of his injuries.