ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER BACK HOME

Arnold Schwarzenegger was released from hospital. The California governor - who broke his leg skiing last week - returned to his Los Angeles home to celebrate New Year's with his family. Schwarzenegger said: "It was fantastic to return home as my family prepares to celebrate the New Year together. I am feeling good and looking forward to beginning 2007."The 59-year-old is expected to use crutches when he is sworn in for his second term as governor on Friday. His two-day inauguration celebrations - which include a black-tie gala -will begin on Thursday. 'The Terminator' actor broke his right thigh bone while skiing in Idaho's Sun Valley. He underwent a 90 minute operation at Santa Monica's St John'sHealth Center on December 26 to connect the broken bone fragments using screws and cables. Schwarzenegger's orthopaedic surgeon, Kevin Ehrhart, said it could take up to eight weeks for the injury to heal. This is Schwarzenegger's third visit to hospital in less than a year. In January 2006 he needed 15 stitches in his lip after his motorbike collided with a car. Last December, Schwarzenegger was admitted to hospital complaining of a rapid heartbeat after he caught stomach flu.