Anthony McErlean, 66, was jailed for six years for faking his own death in Honduras in 2009 to get a life insurance claim worth £520,000. He also admitted two counts of theft from a pension fund from the Port of London Authority of £27,000 pounds and £40,658 pounds from the Department of Work and Pensions. The pensioner had impersonated his wife to claim he himself had died after being hit by a truck as he was changing a tyre on a road in the Central American country. A fake witness statement was produced to back up story which said farm workers took his body away to the village of Santa Rosa De Aguan. Suspicious officials at the insurance company contacted the Insurance Fraud Bureau, who alerted the Police.

 

The News of the World's former chief reporter has broken his silence over the phone-hacking scandal to insist he played "no part" in the matter that led to his sacking. Neville Thurlbeck, 49, was fired by News International earlier this month after being arrested in April on suspicion of conspiring to intercept voicemails while working at the now-defunct Sunday tabloid. He issued a strongly-worded statement in which he vowed to fight his unfair dismissal claim against his former employers "to the end". Mr Thurlbeck's alleged role in the scandal has been closely scrutinised since details emerged of a June 2005 email headed "for Neville" which contained transcripts of illegally intercepted voicemail messages. The email, which surfaced in April 2008, appeared to contradict News International's previous stance that phone hacking was confined to a single "rogue reporter". Speaking out for the first time since his name was linked to the scandal through the "for Neville" email, Mr Thurlbeck said: "At the length, truth will out. I await that time with patience, but with a determination to fight my case to the end." The Sunderland-born journalist alleged that his former employers withheld the reason for his dismissal for nearly a month. He said he found out why he was sacked from Scotland Yard but did not reveal any details for legal reasons. In a statement issued by his law firm DWF, he went on: "I took no part in the matter which has led to my dismissal after 21 years of service. I say this most emphatically and with certainty and confidence that the allegation which led to my dismissal will eventually be shown to be false. "And those responsible for the action, for which I have been unfairly dismissed, will eventually be revealed." Mr Thurlbeck has lodged employment tribunal papers against his former employers. A hearing in his case planned to take place at the East London Tribunal Service was cancelled on Friday.

 

The speed limit on Britain’s motorways is set to rise to 80mph but with a big expansion in the number 20mph zones in cities and towns, The Independent has learnt. As part of a deal negotiated with the Liberal Democrats the Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond is expected to announce the Government’s intention to bring in the new speed limit at the Conservative conference. Ministers will then consult on the proposal later in the year along with plans to significantly expand the number of areas in Britain covered by 20mph zones.

 

Rio Ferdinand has lost his privacy action over a "kiss and tell" story. The England and Manchester United centre back was not at London's High Court to hear Mr Justice Nicol dismiss his claim against MGN Ltd. Ferdinand, 32, brought his case for misuse of private information over an April 2010 Sunday Mirror article in which interior designer Carly Storey gave her account of their 13-year relationship in return for £16,000. The judge said: "Overall, in my judgment, the balancing exercise favours the defendant's right of freedom of expression over the claimant's right of privacy." Ferdinand had branded the piece - "My affair with England captain Rio" - a "gross invasion of my privacy", and said he had not seen Ms Storey for six years by the time it appeared. At a hearing in July, his lawyers asked for a maximum of £50,000 damages and a worldwide gagging order. Afterwards, Sunday Mirror editor Tina Weaver said in a statement: "The Sunday Mirror is very pleased that the court has rejected Rio Ferdinand's privacy claim. "The judge found that there was a justified public interest in reporting the off-pitch behaviour of the then England captain and discussion of his suitability for such an important and ambassadorial role representing the country. "There has never been greater scrutiny of the media than now, and we applaud this ruling in recognising the important role a free press has to play in a democratic society."

 

When the SS Gairsoppa was torpedoed by a German U-boat, it took its huge silver cargo to a watery grave. Seventy years later, US divers said they are working to recover what may well be the biggest shipwreck haul ever. Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration on Monday confirmed the identity and location of the Gairsoppa and cited official documents indicating the ship was carrying some 219 tons of silver coins and bullion when it sank in 1941 in the North Atlantic some 490km off the Irish coast. That's worth about $200m today, which would make it history's largest recovery of precious metals lost at sea, Odyssey said. "We've accomplished the first phase of this project -- the location and identification of the target shipwreck - and now we're hard at work planning for the recovery phase," Odyssey senior project manager Andrew Craig said in a statement. "Given the orientation and condition of the shipwreck, we are extremely confident that our planned salvage operation will be well suited for the recovery of this silver cargo." Recovery is expected to begin next spring. After a tender process the British government awarded Odyssey an exclusive salvage contract for the cargo, and under the agreement Odyssey will retain 80% of the silver bullion salvaged from the wreck. The 125m Gairsoppa had been sailing from India back to Britain in February 1941, and was in a convoy of ships when a storm hit. Running low on fuel, the Gairsoppa broke off from the convoy and set a course for Galway, Ireland. It never made it, succumbing to a U-boat's torpedo in the contested waters of the North Atlantic. Of the 85 people on board, only one survived. The Gairsoppa came to rest nearly 4 700m below the surface, but Odyssey is insisting that won't prevent a full cargo recovery. "We were fortunate to find the shipwreck sitting upright, with the holds open and easily accessible," Odyssey chief executive Greg Stemm said. "This should enable us to unload cargo through the hatches as would happen with a floating ship alongside a cargo terminal." Odyssey, a world leader in deep-ocean exploration, recently conducted remotely operated vehicles from its main ship, the Odyssey Explorer, to inspect the shipwreck. It said it acquired still and video imagery from the site which were used to confirm the identify and evaluate the condition of the Gairsoppa.

THE Queen gave Prince William the go-ahead to rip up the official guest list for his wedding to Kate Middleton, he has revealed.

He told how he never knew a soul on the official paper of hundreds of people and was not happy with the line-up.

“They said: ‘These are the people we should invite’. I looked at it in absolute horror and said: ‘I think we should start again’.”

The 29-year-old said: “I came into the first wedding meeting, post-engagement. And I was given this official list of 777 names, dignitaries, governors, all sorts of people, and not one person I knew.

William told how he then approached the Queen for help. He added: “I rang her up the next day and said: ‘Do we need to be doing this?’

“And she said: ‘No. Start with your friends first and then go from there’. And she told me to bin the list.

“She told me there are certain times when you have to strike the right balance.”

 

 

 

lawyer representing some of Britain’s phone hacking victims said on Friday that he was planning legal action in the United States against the News Corporation, the parent company of Rupert Murdoch’s global media empire. Enlarge This Image Luke Macgregor/Reuters Mark Lewis said he had held discussions about the steps needed to proceed against the News Corporation in New York. Multimedia Interactive Graphic Key Figures in the Phone Hacking Case Graphic Statements by Top Figures in the Hacking Scandal Interactive Feature Anatomy of the News International Scandal Related Millions May Go to Girl’s Family in Hacking Case (September 20, 2011) Times Topic: British Phone Hacking Scandal (News of the World) In a series of interviews in London, the lawyer, Mark Lewis, said he had held discussions with American lawyers about the steps necessary to open proceedings against the News Corporation in New York, and that he expected the process to begin soon. He said he had hired Norman Siegel, a New York lawyer who has represented many of the families of those killed in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, to handle the case. In an interview with Sky News, a British television network that is part of the Murdoch empire, Mr. Lewis said that the legal action in the United States would focus on the “News Corporation’s liability for actions by its foreign subsidiaries,” including the tabloid The News of the World, which has been at the center of the phone hacking scandal and was closed in July. He said the lawsuits would focus on the revelations of widespread phone hacking in Britain and on accusations that the police were bribed to assist in the tabloid’s pursuit of scoops. Mr. Lewis did not respond to voice mail messages requesting an interview on the issue. In another development, Andy Coulson, a former editor of The News of the World, has sued News International, the News Corporation’s British subsidiary, because it stopped paying for his legal fees in the hacking case, the BBC reported. Mr. Coulson, who was arrested in July in connection with the investigations into phone hacking and payments to police officials under his editorship, resigned in January as the communications director for Prime Minister David Cameron. Mr. Lewis, based on his remarks in the interviews with Sky News, the BBC and the newspaper The Guardian, appeared to be relying, as a basis for the American legal action, on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a 1977 statute that holds American companies and their executives liable for corrupt activities abroad, including bribery of foreign officials. In the Sky News interview, he said part of the reason for pursuing the News Corporation in American courts was the prospect of higher damage settlements than are customary in the British courts. The prospect of defending itself against civil suits in American courts would add a daunting new dimension to the challenges facing the News Corporation as a result of the phone hacking revelations in Britain. But some legal experts in Britain said that Mr. Lewis’s announcement was a publicity stunt, and that the move could complicate legal proceedings in Britain. Mark Thomson, a British lawyer who also represents phone hacking victims, issued a brusque statement disassociating himself from Mr. Lewis’s action. Mr. Thomson said the class-action lawsuit he has filed on behalf of his clients will go to trial in Britain in January, adding, “My clients are not taking part in the reported action in New York.” This week, News International offered a settlement of about $3.2 million, and a further payment of about $1.6 million to go to charity, to the family of Milly Dowler, a teenage murder victim whose voice mail messages were intercepted by The News of the World. The scandal has led to strong pressures on James Murdoch, a son of Rupert Murdoch who leads the company’s European and Asian operations. Both denied any prior knowledge of the practices at The News of the World.

 

Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson is suing his ex-employer after it stopped paying his legal fees in relation to the phone-hacking scandal. His lawyers have filed papers at the High Court against News International subsidiary News Group Newspapers. Mr Coulson was arrested in July over NoW phone-hacking allegations. He denies knowledge of the practice. It has emerged some UK victims of alleged hacking are considering US legal action against News Corporation. US lawyers have been asked to explore the possibility of a case against Rupert Murdoch's media group. Arrangement ended Papers were filed at the High Court by Mr Coulson's lawyers on Thursday. BBC political correspondent Robin Brant said: "Even though Andy Coulson hasn't worked for the publishers of the now-defunct News of the World for more than four years, the paper's owners were still paying his legal fees in relation to the hacking investigations. "But following Rupert Murdoch's appearance at the Home Affairs Select Committee in July the arrangement ended." Mr Coulson resigned as Prime Minister David Cameron's director of communications in January, saying that the ongoing coverage of the phone-hacking scandal was making it too difficult for him to do his job. But he has always said he knew nothing about phone hacking under his editorship of the News of the World. Met stories claim Meanwhile, the Telegraph newspaper has claimed that News International paid Mr Coulson's former deputy, Neil Wallis, for stories when Mr Wallis was working for the Metropolitan Police. Mr Wallis became executive editor of News of the World after Mr Coulson left and, after his tenure, left to work as a PR consultant at Scotland Yard. Neil Wallis worked for News of the World before working as a PR consultant for the Met It is understood the contract involved him working two days a month at £1,000 a day, for Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson and Assistant Commissioner John Yates. Mr Wallis was arrested in July and his arrest was followed by the resignations of those two senior officers. The Telegraph claims that while Mr Wallis was on the payroll at Scotland Yard, he was paid more than £25,000 by News International to pass on information for stories. It alleges he was paid £10,000 for one story alone. On Friday night, Neil Wallis's lawyer issued a statement alleging that Scotland Yard had leaked information about Mr Wallis. Scotland Yard have confirmed they received a letter of complaint from the lawyer. They say Neil Wallis had signed a conflict of interest clause in his contract when he worked for them and also that he did not have access to the Met's IT systems. The allegations came on the same day it emerged News International had already agreed some settlements with UK victims of phone hacking. Mark Lewis, UK lawyer for a small group of alleged victims, told the BBC News channel: "Although events might have happened in territories abroad, the American organisation can be responsible. "News Corporation - although it's an American organisation, although these claimants are to large extent British and the events that might have happened in Britain, although some happened while people were away - they are meant to have some control under American law, have a great deal of control over what happens in foreign subsidiaries." He added: "We are looking at the practices of control effectively - of directors, and of knowledge of directors, and knowledge or what should have been knowledge of directors, of a large corporation based in America." Payouts US lawyer Norman Siegel told BBC News he was at an "exploratory phase" of examining evidence that had emerged in the UK to see if US federal laws or New York state laws may have been violated. When contacted on Friday, News Corporation declined to comment. The News of the World phone-hacking scandal led to the closure of the UK tabloid in July after 168 years in print. A number of people have been arrested, including Mr Coulson, as part of Scotland Yard's investigation - Operation Weeting - into phone-hacking allegations. Settlements already agreed by News International include: a reported £700,000 to Gordon Taylor of the Football Association; £100,000 in damages plus costs to actress Sienna Miller; £20,000 in damages to football pundit Andy Gray. It is thought that a £2m settlement has been agreed with the family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, with Mr Murdoch also thought to be making a personal donation of £1m to charity as part of the deal. The revelation that the voicemail of Milly's mobile phone had been hacked, when she was missing but before her body had been found, reignited the phone-hacking scandal in July.

 

New allegations about the phone-hacking scandal have hit News International, with claims of more victims and fresh legal rows. It was revealed tonight that former News of the World editor Andy Coulson is suing News Group Newspapers, the publishing arm of the media giant. Papers were served at the High Court on Thursday "regarding the termination of the payment for his legal action". A spokesman for law firm DLA Piper, which represents Mr Coulson, said: "We can confirm that proceedings have been issued." News International declined to comment. It had been reported earlier this month that News International was paying DLA Piper for their legal advice to Mr Coulson following his arrest. Mr Coulson resigned from his position as Prime Minister David Cameron's spin chief in January and was later arrested on suspicion of corruption and phone hacking. He is on police bail. It has also emerged that the family of Jade Goody fear the late celebrity could have had her phone hacked and are reportedly set to contact Scotland Yard. The police force said it would not comment on individual cases. Publicist Max Clifford told The Guardian that Ms Goody's mother Jackiey Budden also believes she was targeted. He said: "She will be going to the police. She believes her phone was hacked by the News of the World, and Jade's. Jade told me, 'I'm convinced my phone is being hacked'." News International also declined to comment on the allegations. In addition, it has been alleged tonight that Neil Wallis, the former deputy editor of News of the World was paid more than £25,000 by News International while working at Scotland Yard as a police consultant. A Scotland Yard spokesman said that Mr Wallis's contract with the police force included confidentiality, data protection and conflict of interest clauses, all of which would have prohibited him from selling on any information while employed by them.

Andy Baker plans to meet up with the former X Factor judge after the pair met during her morale-boosting trip to Afghanistan.

The pair were introduced at an award presentation at Camp Bastion and met again a barracks dinner.

They posed for several photos together and once Cheryl returned home, she said she planned to give her 'gorgeous soldier' a call.

Andy, 25, who is known as Bagsy to his peers, plans to meet up with her once he returns home.

His brother-in-law Graham Peck told the Daily Mirror yesterday: 'Andy would love to take Cheryl out for dinner when he’s back in the UK.

'He thought she was absolutely lovely, and really gorgeous – I think all the guys did.

 

“Andy contacted me through Facebook, raving about Cheryl and even made a photo of them his profile picture.

'They met up a couple of times during her trip and hit it off.'

But the Girls Aloud star may have to wait until next month as Andy has no mobile phone service until October 1.

Graham added: 'When Bagsy read that Cheryl was planning on ringing her mystery soldier, he panicked because he’s not allowed to have his phone on for another nine days – it’s military rules.

'He wants her to know that he’ll be in touch the moment he lands, and wants her to wait for him. Andy’s a great guy and keeps himself fit in the gym.'

 

Andy, of Colchester, Essex, sports an enviable six-pack and has a tattoo sprawling from his left wrist and across his chest.

He serves with the tough 3 Commando Brigade, the Royal Navy’s amphibious infantry and has been in the Marines for four years.

Andy is currently based in the Marines’ Logistics branch and earns about £29,000 a year, compared with Cheryl's ex husband Ashley Cole's £90,000 a week.

He is also apparently a keen footballer.

After her trip, Cheryl said: 'Not only are the soldiers incredibly brave, a few were incredibly cute. There was a bit of banter with a couple of the lads and yes, a few flirted I think.

'I came back with a phone number from one lad, although I think his talking to me was a dare.

'I think I am going to call him this week and let’s see what happens. I’m sure he’s not expecting us to, but that’s why it’ll be funny.'

 

It seems Cheryl Cole has finally put her failed marriage to footballer Ashley Cole behind her, after apparently falling for a "gorgeous" solider in Afghanistan. The Girls Aloud beauty, who visited Camp Bastion in Helmand Province to boost troops morale, claims to have swapped numbers with the hunky young corporal after taking a shine to him during her trip last week. Chezza confessed to The Mirror: "Not only are the soldiers incredibly brave, a few were also incredibly cute. I actually came back with a phone number from one lad." "He started chatting to me after I'd been shot at during a training exercise. Obviously it wasn't real ammunition, but it was still terrifying." She continued: "Anyway, I think I am going to call him this week and we'll see what happens. I'm sure he's not expecting me to ring but that's why it'll be funny - and that's why I'm going to do it." Cheryl went on to admit that she is realistic about any chances of romance with the lucky solider, stating: "Long-distance relationships are a nightmare – a big time difference is a killer because it’s just so hard to stay in touch.” As well as proving a hit with the men, the former X Factor judge also seems to have charmed ladies, claiming: "There really were so many handsome guys – even some of the girl soldiers were totally gorgeous. Loads of the girls are now following me on Twitter and tweeting me. It’s great.” The 28-year old added: “I’d love to stay in touch with some of the incredible people I was lucky enough to meet.”

 

Billionaire Ted Turner said News Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rupert Murdoch will probably have to leave the helm of his media company after a phone-hacking scandal that began at one of its newspapers. "I think he's going to have to step down," Turner, 72, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. "He hadn't survived anything like this. This is serious." News Corp., based in New York, has come under fire this year over allegations its News of the World tabloid hacked into the voice mails of murder victims and paid police for stories. The public outcry forced the company to close the 168-year-old London newspaper and drop its 7.8 billion-pound ($12.2 billion) bid for full control of British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc. Murdoch and his son James, deputy chief operating officer at News Corp., were called before U.K. parliament in July to answer questions about the scandal. The elder Murdoch's statements that he didn't know about phone-hacking or police payments aren't sufficient, Turner said. "Well, he should have known," said Turner, who sold his Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting, owner of CNN, TBS and the Cartoon Network, to Time Warner Inc. in 1996. "He was chairman of the board. He's responsible. I took responsibility when I ran my company. You never heard me say, 'Well, I didn't know.'"

 

 

 

No amount of money can absolve News International from hacking in to the phone of Surrey murder victim Milly Dowler, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has said , following the disclosure that the company was about to settle its case with the teenager's family. Rupert Murdoch is set to donate £1 million to charity from his own pocket, while the Dowlers themselves will receive in the region of £2 million in a separate payout from News International, the publishers of the now-closed News of the World. The company has confirmed it is in "advanced negotiations" with relatives of the 13-year-old, who was abducted and killed by Levi Bellfield in 2002. On Tuesday Mr Clegg said no amount of money could absolve the company for what happened. He said: "It is not for me to decide what money News International offer the Dowlers. I think it is very, very important we now give the Dowler family the time and space they need to rebuild their lives and move on. "I think the reason why people were so outraged by the invasion of the privacy of the Dowler family is that they weren't celebrities, they weren't politicians, they hadn't asked to be put on the front page of the nation's newspapers. I have met them and they are a lovely, strong, every-day family who lost their daughter and were dealing with that terrible tragedy and even then these journalists - it's just grotesque - were invading their privacy. "In a sense I think, and I am sure the Dowlers feel the same, that no amount of money can absolve people for what they did." News International is reported to have set aside £20 million for payments to phone hacking victims, but a source said the size of the expected compensation for the Dowlers reflected the "wholly exceptional circumstances" of their case. Sources close to the Dowlers have said any agreement will feature a donation to charity. It is not yet known which cause, or causes, would benefit. A News International spokesman said: "News International confirms it is in advanced negotiations with the Dowler family regarding their compensation settlement. No final agreement has yet been reached, but we hope to conclude the discussions as quickly as possible."

Two men took their friend's corpse on a night out with them to a strip club so they could use his ATM card to buy drinks, police claim.

Robert Jeffrey Young, 43, and Mark Rubinson, 25, discovered their friend Jeffrey Jarrett dead but delayed reporting the find to police so they could first have a free night out.

While keeping Mr Jarrett's body in their car, they stopped at a Mexican restaurant in Denver, used their friend's ATM card and withdrew $400 at a strip club before finally reporting him dead.

The men, who are now free on bond, have been charged with abusing a corpse, identity theft and criminal impersonation.

It's unclear how Mr Jarrett died, but the men have not been charged with his death.

The bizarre scenario is reminiscent of the 1980s movie Weekend at Bernie's, in which two men discover their friend dead and maintain a façade that he's still alive while staying at his home for the weekend.

One of Mr Jarrett's relatives, who asked not to be named, told the Denver Post Mr Jarrett had invited Mr Young, a former college friend, to stay with him for a few months while he had money struggles.

It is thought that on August 27, Mr Young arrived home at about 11pm and found his friend unresponsive.

 

 

Rather than call authorities, however, he went to see Mr Rubinson at a restaurant where he works to tell him about the find.

The pair then went back to Mr Jarrett's home, loaded him into Mr Rubinson's car and took the body with them to Teddy T's bar and grill, where they drank on his tab while the body was hidden in the vehicle.

'Young stated ... that it was obvious Jarrett was dead while all three are at Teddy T's,' Denver Detective Ranjan Ford wrote in the affidavit.

The went on to eat at Mexican restaurant Viva Burrito and withdrew $400 on their dead friend's card at strip bar Shotgun Willie's, where they stayed until closing time.

Only then did the pair report their friend dead by flagging down a police officer at 4am.

'This is a bizarre and unfortunate crime,' Denver Police Department spokesman Sonny Jackson told the Denver Post. 

'This isn't anything you want to have happen to a loved one. You want them treated with respect in death.'

The relative of Mr Jarrett, a father who sold real estate, added: 'We just want to make sure they're prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.'

 

A senior executive with the Libyan Investment Authority, the $70 billion fund used to invest the country's oil money abroad, said Mr Blair was one of three prominent western businessmen who regularly dealt with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the former leader. Saif al-Islam and his close aides oversaw the activities of the fund, and often directed its officials on where they should make its investments, he said. The executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, said officials were told the "ideas" they were ordered to pursue came from Mr Blair as well as one other British businessman and a former American diplomat. "Tony Blair's visits were purely lobby visits for banking deals with JP Morgan," he said. He said that unlike some other deals - notably some investments run by the US bank Goldman Sachs - JP Morgan's had never turned "bad".

 

Tulisa Contostavlos was left furious after six X Factor hopefuls romped with each other during the judges’ house stage of the show, according to reports. The antics are understood to have taken place between six wannabes at the complex where the N-Dubz star’s hopefuls have been staying in Mykonos. According to the Daily Mirror, Contostavlous refused to put through a band, calling them a “disgrace to the show”.  “She had got all the groups together and given them a stern pep talk, telling everyone they needed to act like professionals if they wanted to make the cut,” a source said. “This meant no boozing, no wild partying and certainly no extra-curricular bonding.”

 

Scarlett Johansson, Vanessa Hudgens and Jessica Alba have all allegedly been computer hacking victims Scarlett Johansson appears to have become the latest star to have private nude pictures leaked on the internet. But how did the images end up online?How do private photos get online? The two photos - one which appears to show Johansson topless and another showing her bottom - have spread like wildfire since Wednesday with a huge number of reposts of the images and links placed on sites including Twitter. News that the pictures had been posted was reported by the Hollywood celebrity website TMZ.com at 06:41 Los Angeles time (14:41 GMT) on Wednesday. But it's unclear where the images were first published. According to a blog on the Washington Post newspaper's website, the pictures initially appeared on video site WorldStarHipHop.com. By Thursday afternoon, they had been viewed almost 675,000 times there. But the Los Angeles Times' Ministry of Gossip blog says they came to wider attention when they appeared on US aggregation website BuzzFeed. Hacked photos of Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis have reportedly appeared online But even if she could find out the exact order of events, it would be of little comfort to the 26-year-old actress According to TMZ.com, she does not believe that all publicity is good publicity and has instructed her lawyer to approach individual websites to demand the pictures are taken down. He will have his work cut out. It now takes an experienced web user a matter of seconds to find the pictures if they so desire. And it seems millions do. Gossip website Holy Moly was one of the first UK-based sites to post the pictures, at 13:04 GMT on Wednesday, under the headline: "Scarlett Johansson naked: Either wonderful Photoshop or a very similar lookalike." Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote It's a celebrity gossip website, if celebrities don't want naked pictures of themselves plastered all over the internet then either don't take them at all or don't have them on your mobile phone” Jamie East, Holy Moly As a result, the photos attracted more than a million page views in one day. Holy Moly founder Jamie East says his staff first saw the pictures on US-based site reddit.com, which he believes was the original source. The photos had been published on the user-generated website by 12:00 GMT on Wednesday. One image of Johansson posted on the site, which had attracted more than 2,900 comments from users, has since been removed. "We had by far the biggest day in Holy Moly's history yesterday - 20 times our normal traffic and the site's currently down because of it," said Mr East, who is also a co-host on Channel 5 Big Brother spin-off show Bit on the Side Asked what he would say to those who think the publication of stolen photos is an invasion of privacy, he replied: "Nothing at all". "I'm not here to argue the morals of it. "It's a celebrity gossip website, if celebrities don't want naked pictures of themselves plastered all over the internet then either don't take them at all or don't have them on your mobile phone." FBI investigation Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security firm Sophos, agrees that the "golden rule" for stars should be to abstain from taking naked photos. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote My guess is that, even if these photos were taken on Scarlett Johansson's phone, she would then maybe have emailed them to somebody” Security expert Graham Cluley "And certainly don't put them anywhere on the internet because you may have a weak password which allows hackers to get in." He says that if photos taken on a mobile phone remain on a mobile phone, it's much harder for hackers to get hold of them. "You would normally need physical access to the phone or to install maybe some malware onto it," he adds. He points out that High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens had naked photos leaked onto the internet after her web mail account was hacked. "My guess is that, even if these photos were taken on Scarlett Johansson's phone, she would then maybe have emailed them to somebody. "Then, either their email got hacked or they were in her sent folder in her online email account - that would be the most natural way." Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote There's been a frenzy of activity from the male population online looking for these pictures” Security expert Graham Cluley The cases of Johansson and Hudgens, as well as that of actress Jessica Alba and dozens of other stars who have been hacked, are all likely to be part of an ongoing FBI investigation. Mr Cluley suggests the hackers could be earning money by selling the photos to websites either directly or through intermediaries. "I would always suggest following the money trail if you want to find out who's responsible," he says. And he also offers a note of caution to red-blooded internet users. "There's been a frenzy of activity from the male population online looking for these pictures. "I would say to people, be very, very careful because if I were a virus writer it would be very easy to send out links saying here are more naked pictures of Scarlett Johansson. "And then, if you clicked on that link, your computer could then become infected."

 

Sarah Palin's husband jumped to her defense Thursday after an upcoming book claimed the Republican politician snorted cocaine off an oil drum and had a premarital fling with an African-American basketball star. "The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin" by Joe McGinniss -- who moved in next to Palin's home in Alaska last year as part of his research -- comes out Tuesday, as the Tea Party darling ponders whether to formally seek the Republican presidential nomination. "This is a man who has been relentlessly stalking my family to the point of moving in right next door to us to harass us and spy on us to satisfy his creepy obsession with my wife," husband Todd Palin said. "His book is full of disgusting lies, innuendo, and smears," he added in a statement carried by several US news media and political blogs. "Even the New York Times called this book 'dated, petty,' and that it 'chases caustic, unsubstantiated gossip.'" Citing unnamed "publishing sources," the National Enquirer said McGinniss claims in the book that Palin had "a steamy interracial hookup" with Glen Rice less than a year before she and Todd Palin eloped in 1988. Sarah Palin was then a local television sports reporter just out of college, and Rice -- a now-retired National Basketball Association all-star -- was in Alaska with his Michigan college team for a tournament, it said. "Todd was very much in the picture at the time and the couple married just nine months later," the supermarket tabloid said, adding that McGinniss quotes Rice as confirming the one-night stand. McGinniss also writes that both Palins "dabbled" with cocaine, and that before she became Alaska's governor in 2006, Sarah Palin was seen snorting cocaine "off an overturned 55-gallon oil drum while snowmobiling with pals," the weekly added. McGinniss is author of several best-sellers, including "The Making of a President" in 1969. There was no comment Thursday from either him or his New York publisher Crown, a division of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. In the New York Times on Wednesday, reviewer Janet Maislan said "most of 'The Rogue' is dated, petty and easily available to anyone with Internet access." She added that "Mr. McGinniss used his time in Alaska to chase caustic, unsubstantiated gossip about the Palins, often from unnamed sources like 'one resident' and 'a friend.'"

 

Jessie Wallace's former fiance Vince Morse has publicly apologised to the actress for "humiliating" her. The EastEnders star, 39, called off their wedding just hours before she was due to tie the knot last month after the 50-year-old catering boss admitted sending an explicit picture of the star to his ex-girlfriend. He insisted on ITV1's This Morning that he had no intention of being unfaithful when he sent the text. In a message direct to Jessie, Vince said: "It's going to sound really ridiculous and I know I've humiliated you, I know that, but it doesn't stop me loving you, it doesn't stop me wanting to be with you. "I know it's probably going to be impossible because it's so public, but I just want you to know from the bottom of my heart I am sorry." Vince said that Jessie would be "furious" that he was speaking publicly about what happened but he wanted to "say to the nation that I'm really sorry". He said he was "drunk" when he sent the topless picture to his ex-girlfriend Karen Short, after he had a row with the actress. Jessie, the BBC1 soap's Kat Moon, had been engaged twice before she met Vince.

- by their priest.

Gary and Marie Mead had organised a ceremony with 74 of their friends after legally marrying in Las Vegas last August.

The pair had gone to great lengths to create their big day - from learning their vows inSpanish to exporting a cake from England - only to be left locked outside the pretty Las Alcazares church in Murcia, with no priest.

Gary, 51, who runs a scaffolding business, told the Daily Mail: 'The priest we had booked the whole thing with just never showed up.

'Our friends had a blessing by him in the same church just over a year ago and said how great it had been so we thought we'd do the same.

'When we got to the church and realised it was shut I grew more and more concerned but in the end we had to laugh.

'We knew the Spanish had a more laid-back attitude but didn't think it was this extreme.'

The couple had wanted a celebration near their villa in Mil Palmeras - but they didn't let a small thing like no priest put them off enjoying their reception.

After waiting 'for ages in a bar near the church', the couple realised he was coming, and along with their wedding party headed to the beach, before making their way to their reception at a nearby bar.

They have not contacted the priest for an explanation so far.

Marie said: 'All I'm really missing from the day are pictures inside the church.

'We have just chalked it up to experience - we would not go through it again, it is surprising how much work went into it.

'I'm happy though - we had a lovely celebration with families and friends and have some great pictures to remember the day, it was definitely memorable.'

 

SIMON Cowell’s fiancee Mezhgan Hussainy has moved out of his Beverly Hills mansion amid rumours their relationship is cooling. The make-up artist is now living in Cowell’s hillside retreat – where his ex Terri Seymour stayed after splitting from the X Factor judge in 2008. Cowell’s pals jokily nicknamed the £3.5million house in the Hollywood Hills “the girlfriend graveyard”. A worker at the house said: “Yes, Mezhgan is living here. She is here now.” She refused to confirm if the pair had broken up but one insider said: “It looks like history is repeating itself. “When Simon split with Terri, she moved to the hillside house for about 18 months before moving to a pad which Simon is supposed to have paid for. “Some people have joked that the other house is his girlfriend graveyard – it’s almost as though the girls get sent there when the relationship has died.” Neighbours said they have not seen the music mogul – who used to date 1980s singer Sinitta – recently, and believe the Afghan-born beauty is living alone. And Simon’s mum, Julie, says she has not heard from Mezhgan for “weeks”, although the pair used to speak regularly. Rumours that the couple have split after an 18-month engagement went into overdrive this week after Simon told a US radio station he was “not sure” whether they were an item. Simon, 51, said last year he would like children with Mezhgan saying he was “smitten” and was looking forward to having “little Simons around”. But in a recent interview with American GQ magazine, he appeared to change heart, saying: “Truthfully, with the schedule, the crazy hours, I don’t think it would work.” And the 51-year-old has been lavishing praise on his American X Factor co-star Paula Abdul. He said: “There is something about her. I find her fascinating.” Reports in the US claim the pair spend hours on the phone.

 

Brazilian-born rapper and former contestant on I'm a Celebrity has been charged with raping two women. Aggro Santos, 22, of Bickersteth Road, London, is accused of raping a woman in Chichester, West Sussex, on 7 May. He is also accused of raping another in Yeovil, Somerset, between 25 and 26 September last year. Another man, Tyrelle Ritchie, 21, of Vauxhall Road, London, has been charged with one count of rape in Chichester on the same date, Sussex Police said. Mr Santos, whose real first name is Yuri, and Mr Ritchie have been bailed to appear at Chichester Magistrates' Court on 19 September. Mr Santos's debut single, Candy, featuring former Pussycat Dolls singer Kimberly Wyatt, shot to number five in the UK charts last year. But he became more popularly known through his appearance in last year's series of ITV's reality game show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in which he reached the last six.

 

The premise of Red Or Black is based partly on roulette and entirely on luck. It bills itself as a show that offers 'ordinary people across the UK the chance to become millionaires'. All contestants are asked to do is choose between red and black. Black or red. It's that simple. A no brainer for the brain dead. There is absolutely zilch talent involved; indeed a toddler on the brink of speech could do it. A highly motivated tadpole might just manage it. A smart budgie could be in it to win it. Yet this is what passes for primetime entertainment. Naked, slavering greed served up on a platter. No palpable skills required.  We have finally mined down to the showbiz nadir, reached the lowest common denominator of Saturday night entertainment. The prospect of total strangers doing nothing very much to win large sums of money is supposed to be hugely entertaining. Isn't that depressing? The nation has been shaken down, sieved and graded so that those who can actually do something, or at least think they can, have already auditioned for The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, Big Brother, Countdown or The Weakest Link. Now we are left with the desperate dregs.  Padded out: Former X Factor winner Leona Lewis, one of Cowell's acts, appeared on Red Or Black Indeed, the very first Red Or Black winner, Nathan Hageman, has been exposed as a violent criminal who served a prison sentence for an assault on a woman, believed to be an ex-girlfriend. Red or Black and black and blue? It put the show on the front pages earlier this week, but it was not good publicity — for anyone. Hageman may have fulfilled his jail sentence and his debt to society, but a wife beater, by any other name, elicits scant public sympathy.  Even down in the grim bowels of public entertainment, there is little compassion for a man who hits a woman. Hageman may have done his time, but it appears that redemption is not yet his. And he must have suspected as much, otherwise why lie on his Red Or Black entry forms? Cowell was furious, and wanted Hageman not to be given the £1 million he had rightly won. Yet ITV says there is nothing it can do. Hageman had been allowed on Red Or Black despite the fact that producers knew he had a criminal record. He had claimed that he attacked a man, whereas in reality he was jailed for assaulting Amy McLean. As he was allowed onto the show without proper checks, he was allowed to keep his winnings. Beating up a woman is unacceptable, but beating up a man is OK? What a joke. ITV bosses are now carrying out stringent checks to make sure no more controversial participants appear, and have so far booted three dubious contestants off shows this week. Yet it all makes one wonder about their standards. If, in fact, they have any in the first place. Yet what can you expect on a show like this? If you remove the need for flair or aptitude, anything and anyone goes. Hundreds of thousands have already applied to be on Red Or Black, including the barely sentient, the desperate, the not quite there. Some were filmed sobbing in the queues about how hard life was, and how much they needed the cash. Very unedifying, for all involved.  Let me say it again. All you have to do is choose between red or black. Despite this, the shows are given a frill of respectability with cheap pomp and dreary stunts.  There have been motorbike daredevils — something that stopped being interesting pre-Evel Knievel. And David Hasselhoff doing a 'reverse bungee jump' — catapulted 230ft into the air — thrilled absolutely no one.  The show was padded out exclusively with Cowell musical acts, such as Leona Lewis and Il Divo. How have ITV even allowed this blatant plugfest? Successful game shows flourish by showing real suspense and thrills. Not this overblown and immoral nonsense. It's like Deal Or No Deal for the criminal classes. It makes Dale Winton's Hole In The Wall look like Mastermind. Where on earth do we go from here?

 

Fashion designer John Galliano was Thursday found guilty of anti-Semitism and handed a suspended... Fashion designer John Galliano was Thursday found guilty of anti-Semitism and handed a suspended fine over a series of drunken outbursts against fellow customers in a Paris bar. The 50-year-old British designer, who was sacked from fashion house Dior over the scandal, was handed total suspended fines totalling 6,000 euros (8,400 dollars) over two incidents, in February this year and October 2010. Galliano -- who had faced a maximum of six months in jail and a fine of 22,500 euros on the charge of making anti-Semitic insults -- was not in court to hear the verdict. The Paris criminal court also ordered him to pay a symbolic euro in damages to each of his victims, as well as to five anti-racism groups that were plaintiffs in the case. He was also ordered to cover the legal costs of four anti-racism bodies. One of the most celebrated designers of his generation, Galliano had been at the creative helm of Christian Dior for 15 years, as well as running his own label, until the outburst brought his career crashing to a halt. At his one-day trial in July, he apologised for his conduct. Galliano insists he is not an anti-Semite but admits he can not remember the evenings in question, blaming a "triple addiction" to drink, sleeping pills and painkillers for his behaviour. The designer told the court he had since undergone two months of rehab in Arizona and Switzerland.

Ex-Neighbours stars Jason Donovan and Holly Valance have also agreed to take part in the show, according to The Sun newspaper.

It has been confirmed by show producers thatDaybreak's sport presenter Dan Lobb,Waterloo Road actress Chelsee Healey and impressionist Rory Bremner, will also be taking part in the hit TV show.

Sven-Goran Eriksson's ex Nancy Dell'Olio and ex- EastEnders star Anita Dobson plus astrologer Russell Grant are also set to be swapping their day jobs for salsa dancing.

Speaking about the line-up, a source told The Sun newspaper, "Lulu is lots of fun and will bring in viewers who remember her from the Sixties - but also younger fans who know her from her duet with Take That on Relight My Fire. Harry will tick the heartthrob box."

The BBC will officially confirm the Strictly Come Dancing line-up on The One Show on Tuesday.

 

The News International chairman has reportedly cancelled a trip to Asia to monitor first-hand what is said at the select committee hearing. When James Murdoch appeared with his father Rupert before the Culture, Media and Sport committee in July, he was asked if he knew about a document known as the "for Neville" email. This email has been seen as critical to the hacking inquiry. It indicates that the practice of hacking was more widespread than News International originally admitted. James Murdoch said he was unaware of the document at the time he sanctioned a payout to the Professional Footballers' Association chief Gordon Taylor, whose phone was hacked by the News of The World. His denial of knowledge of the email was subsequently contradicted by Colin Myler, the NOTW's last editor, and the paper's former lawyer Tom Crone, both of whom will give their side of the story to the committee. Daniel Cloke, ex-HR director at NI, and Jon Chapman, NI's former head of corporate and legal affairs, are also due to appear. Mark Lewis, who represented Mr Taylor when he won his payout from the NOTW, said if today's evidence finds James Murdoch knew about the email it could be the end of him.

 

Allegations that MI6 was involved in the rendition of Libyan terror suspects should be examined by an independent inquiry, David Cameron has said. It comes after papers suggesting close ties between MI6, the CIA and the Gaddafi regime were found in Tripoli. An anti-Gaddafi military leader says he wants the UK and US to apologise for organising his 2004 transfer to Libya. An existing inquiry into allegations of UK security agencies' involvement in torture has said it will investigate. Abdel Hakim Belhaj, then a terror suspect but now in charge of the Libyan capital's military forces, says he was tortured after being arrested in Bangkok. He says he was taken to Libya by a CIA and MI6 operation, allegedly confirmed by documents sent to Gaddafi's regime, and sent to prison. The Foreign Office said the government had a "long-standing policy" not to comment on intelligence matters. Mr Belhaj told the BBC: "What happened to me and my family is illegal. It deserves an apology. And for what happened to me when I was captured and tortured. "For all these illegal things, starting with the information given to Libyan security, the interrogation in Bangkok." According to the Guardian, these documents were discovered in an abandoned office building in Tripoli by staff from Human Rights Watch. Mr Belhaj said that MI6 and the CIA did not witness his torture at the hands of the former Libyan regime, but did interview him afterwards. A spokesman for the prime minister said that the existing Detainee Inquiry into rendition was "well placed" to investigate the allegations reported in recent days. "It's not clear precisely what the allegations amount to," the spokesman added. "We don't have a clear picture from these documents, which is precisely why an inquiry like the [Detainee] inquiry might be well placed to consider the issue." A statement from the Detainee Inquiry, to be chaired by Sir Peter Gibson, said that as part of its role of examining the extent of the government's involvement in, or awareness of, improper treatment of detainees, it would "therefore, of course, be considering these allegations of UK involvement in rendition to Libya as part of our work. "We will be seeking more information from government and its agencies as soon as possible."