Libya must free Australian lawyer, says Foreign Minister Bob Carr

FOREIGN Minister Bob Carr will step up pressure on the Libyan Government to release Australian lawyer Melinda Taylor from detention due to concern for her safety.
Ms Taylor was arrested on Thursday while representing the defence for slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi's son Seif al-Islam.
She remains in detention in Zintan, Libya. She is one of four International Criminal Court (ICC) staff being held in the country.
Libyan authorities say she was trying to pass documents on to Seif.
Senator Carr has called on Tripoli to guarantee Ms Taylor's security and work toward her immediate release.
"I have asked our Ambassador (David Ritchie) to travel at once to Libya to assist Ms Taylor," Sen Carr said.
He said Libyan authorities should "provide every assistance in securing her release".
The Department of Foreign Affairs has contacted the Libyan ambassador to Australia to support the lawyer's release as consular officials in Libya continue to try to gain access.
Consular staff have also been in touch with Ms Taylor's family.
The International Criminal Court president had expressed concerns about Ms Taylor's safety and that of her colleagues, Sen Carr said.
"I share those concerns, particularly as there has been no contact by consular staff.
"This was an authorised visit to Libya by an independent legal team, ahead of international court proceedings."

Olympian's photos of sex with wife stolen by staff at computer shop

INTIMATE photographs of an Australian Olympian having sex with his wife were stolen by staff at a Sydney computer shop after the prominent star brought his machine in for repair.

Shockingly, the practice is not illegal.

Information technology experts say the law offers no protection from the unauthorised copying of photos and data from any computer.

The Sunday Telegraph has seen the stolen images, which clearly depict the household-name star and his wife in numerous sexual poses.

Other celebrities are believed also to have been targeted in the scam, which involved employees at an inner-Sydney computer store targeting potential victims who brought their computers in for repair.

With the encouragement of the store's owner, staff scanned machines for intimate material and uploaded photos and videos to a shared drive, according to evidence provided by a source.

The store's owner demanded to know how the allegations were uncovered, and denied that sexual images had been targeted.

"If people choose to put photos and personal information on their computers, that's their decision," the businessman said.

According to Section 308H of the Crimes Act 1900, it is not an offence to "access data which is not protected or restricted by an access control system" or password.

IT experts said many popular security systems provided no protection from theft by repairers or technicians.

Senior security analyst Joel Hatton of AusCERT - an emergency computer response team that provides computer incident prevention, response and mitigation strategies - warned that a technician who was given access to a computer could do anything without seeking permission.

He advised computer owners to sit with any technician working on a machine.

"Don't give them more access than necessary and, if you do have separate user accounts, you can protect some of them with passwords," Mr Hatton said.

Celebs' secret paparazzi deals exposed

SHANE Warne's ex-wife Simone Callahan was allegedly tricked into pre-arranged paparazzi photoshoots by her new boyfriend, who accepted money from photographers to stage romantic moments.

Boyfriend Toby Roberts, a then-unemployed ex-model, was paid by an intermediary in 2011 on behalf of paparazzo Jamie Fawcett to bring Ms Callahan, 42, to pre-arranged settings including Bondi in Sydney.

The encounters were photographed by Fawcett and his then business partner Ben McDonald, who sold the photographs to New Idea and Woman's Day.

FAKEARAZZI: The full story on the secret celeb deals

The Sunday Telegraph can reveal several Australian celebrities accept cash or holidays in deals with photographers who sell faked "pap-shots" to glossy magazines.

Former Spice Girl Mel B, model Lara Bingle, singer Delta Goodrem and her ex-boyfriend Brian McFadden have all accepted inducements to pose for paparazzi despite the fact they frequently complain about privacy invasions.

Bingle and Danny Cipriani are said to have received an estimated $30,000 from Big Australia for "romantic" shots of them in Bora Bora.

The intermediary in the Callahan photographs is understood to be Mr Roberts's old school friend, Today Tonight's Melbourne reporter Jonathan Creek.

Mr Roberts, 38, failed to respond to more than 10 approaches for comment on the detailed allegations, while Fawcett, McDonald and Creek denied any involvement.

But a well-placed source has provided a statutory declaration on the transactions.

This newspaper has also seen documentary proof of the deals.

At home in Melbourne this week Ms Callahan said she was shocked to hear of the claims.

"I saw the pictures in the magazines (at the time) but I had no idea about any of this," Ms Callahan said.

"I just assumed that because we were out in Bondi there are lots of photographers around." The mother-of-three said she loved Mr Roberts but was "unsure" if they would marry.

She said she had a good recollection of his financial situation. "Toby wasn't working at the time, no."

She added: "None of this is very nice to hear."

The magazines paid $52,000 for the images, with the first set, taken at Mr Wolf sushi restaurant in Melbourne on February 9, 2011, selling to New Idea for $10,000.

Half of that sum went to Creek via a bank account held in the name of Tune In Media, which he runs with his wife Brittany Creek.

The money was paid by Oceanic Media Group, a now-defunct agency run by Fawcett and McDonald.

The second set, taken on March 4, 5 and 6 at North Bondi and Tamarama, became a Woman's Day spread on March 21, 2011.

The story said the pair were "smitten" and appeared as "lovestruck teens". Roberts, the article said, was "a tall, dark and handsome model-turned business manager with a body to swoon over".

Woman's Day paid $42,000, of which 50 per cent went to Mr Roberts and Creek.

Mr Roberts, who now runs an orthotic pelvic cushion business, has not returned more than 10 text, email and phone approaches.

Fawcett initially said: "I know nothing about these pictures." He later rang to say he had taken photographs but no deal had been struck with Mr Roberts.

"You can't write this story about this bloke, how would he look," Fawcett said. "The damage you'd do would be terrible and would make you a c***. You would also make (Mr Roberts) look like a c*** and I don't think he is a c***.

"You would create so many problems if you wrote this story."

Within an hour of this newspaper visiting Ms Callahan on Thursday, Fawcett telephoned the newspaper. "Don't go breaking up a happy home," he said.

He admitted knowing Creek and said Creek and his wife had once provided him "guerrilla marketing advice".

Asked if he had spoken to Creek about Mr Roberts, Fawcett said: "Gee, I may have. He was on the Shane and Simone story. I can't recall, don't think so. Good on you, I have to go."

McDonald would not comment, while Creek said he met Fawcett once outside Ms Callahan's home while working on a story.

Asked if he had spoken to Fawcett in recent days, he responded: "I don't know."

Creek said the $26,000 paid to Tune In Media was for his wife to "maybe provide media strategy to (Oceanic) ... it's not my business to get involved in my wife's business".

"I really don't know what you are talking about."

Asked about emails from his address to Oceanic at the time of the shoots, Creek said they were sent by his wife.

It is believed Roberts never dealt directly with paparazzi.

Celebrities allegedly make deals worth between $10 million and $20 million per year in a bid to control their images.

Matthew McConaughey weds longtime girlfriend Camila Alves in Texas

MATTHEW McConaughey married his longtime girlfriend Camila Alves in a private ceremony in his home state of Texas today.

The actor and his Brazilian model fiancee said "I do" before a small crowd of close friends and family, People magazine reported.



The ceremony was held at McConaughey's sprawling Austin property, with guests camping out after the ceremony in dozens of tents pitched for the occasion.

Alves will take her new husband's name, People reported, officially becoming Camila McConaughey.

The Lincoln Lawyer star, 42, and Alves, 30, got engaged over Christmas.

They started dating in 2007 and have two children together -- a three-year-old son, Levi, and a daughter, Vida, who is two.

Batman has given a name to his pain - Leonardo DiCaprio

BATMAN better add his ex-publicist to his rogue’s gallery. Harrison Cheung, who worked with Christian Bale for a decade, says the actor has a temper problem. And hates Leonardo DiCaprio.

Cheung has written a tell-all book about the alleged anger issues, which is in no way an attempt to cash in on the upcoming release of The Dark Knight Rises.

The book, modestly titled Christian Bale: The Inside Story of the Darkest Batman by the Man Who Helped Make Him a Phenomenon, claims that Bale:

- Has distanced himself from family and friends and has not spoken to his mother in more than four years;

- Used to reduce little girls who asked for his autograph to tears;

- Inherited his temper from his father.

Although stories about Bale's temper are nothing new - the guy who shot Terminator: Salvation knows never to interrupt the acting process again - Cheung's have the sliver of credibility if only for the fact he used to work for Bale.

But his attempts at tying to explain Bale's "pain" smack of comic-book psychology, with Bale's difficult relationship with his "overbearing" father reading like a secret origin plot for a villain:

"They both over-reacted out of proportion to any perceived offence. Christian would seethe and hiss like some surly snake. Once at an Enterprise Rent A Car just a few blocks down from their Manhattan Beach house, Christian was so loudly lecturing the woman at the desk and he was so angry that she started trembling and pointed to the security camera overhead for protection."

Cheung even has Bale storing animal foetuses in jars in his bedroom.

Like every good comic, the book has a nemesis: DiCaprio.

"DiCaprio. The name burned Christian like a branding iron. Over the years, Christian had lost This Boy’s Life and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape to DiCaprio.

"Christian had read for the part of Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet but was told that they had decided to cast an African American in the part instead.

"Christian too had gone up for the part of Jack Dawson in Titanic but was told that James Cameron didn’t want two British lead actors playing the two leads who were both supposed to be American."

Funnily enough, Warner Bros wanted DiCaprio to play the Riddler opposite Bale in the new Batman film.

Now that would have been epic fight: "Mummy, why is Batman stamping on the Riddler's head and saying. 'That's for Titanic'?"

Britons want Prince Charles as next king

PRINCE Charles has overtaken his son William as the people's preferred successor to Queen Elizabeth II in the wake of her Diamond Jubilee.
YouGov's poll for The Sunday Times newspaper found that 44 per cent of respondents want Charles to succeed his mother, with 38 per cent opting for William.
The figures have been exactly reversed since a poll two weeks ago, suggesting Britons were impressed by how Charles stood in for his ill father Prince Philip at last weekend's festivities marking the Queen's 60-year reign.
Philip, who celebrates his 91st birthday on Sunday, was released from hospital on Saturday after five days of treatment for a bladder infection that forced him to miss the final jubilee celebrations.
At the star-studded jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace on Monday, thousands of revellers chanted Philip's name after Charles told them, "If we shout loud enough, he might just hear us in hospital".
Charles, 63, also paid a warm and witty tribute to "Mummy", describing her "a very special person" as he took to the stage at the end of a concert featuring the likes of Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.
With his father absent, Charles also stood beside his mother during Tuesday's jubilee service at St Paul's Cathedral, and joined her, along with his wife Camilla, in a horse-drawn carriage as she waved to more huge crowds.
Philip's popularity has also risen in the wake of his illness, with 58 per cent describing him as an asset to the royal family compared to 47 per cent before the jubilee celebrations.
Prince William's popularity surged after his engagement to Catherine Middleton, who he married last year in a glittering ceremony that was broadcast around the world.
Support for the royal family remains high, with 75 per cent of Britons in favour of keeping the monarchy, according to the YouGov poll.
Buckingham Palace told AFP that 1.5 million people had filled central London on Tuesday to cheer the 86-year-old Queen, many waving Union Jack flags as she passed in her carriage and waved from the palace balcony.
Some 1.2 million people also lined London's River Thames last Sunday for the spectacular 1000-boat jubilee pageant, while street parties were held up and down the country.

Prometheus a creative spectacle

A FAMOUS movie poster once stated that "in space, no one can hear you scream".

However, you could park yourself at the other end of the galaxy, and still not drown out the sound of the hype trumpeting the release of Prometheus.

For once, the buzz gets it right. Acclaimed director Ridley Scott has re-taken the controls of the Alien series in assured and compelling fashion.

The many years of rumours have been proven correct: Prometheusis definitely a prequel to Scott's landmark 1979 sci-fi chiller Alien.

Nevertheless, this new instalment is best viewed as an epic repositioning of the franchise.

The memory of supremely silly follow-ups such as Alien Vs Predatorwill be obliterated permanently by the majestic visual scale and tremendous performances on display here.

A complex plot unfolds in the year 2093, where a corporate-funded space mission is under way to investigate the origin of mankind.

After a two-year journey, the 17-strong crew aboard the spaceship Prometheusland on a distant barren moon, where they happen upon a dome-like structure that clearly does not belong there.

Once inside a maze-like arrangement of caves and tunnels, the visitors experience a sequence of terrifying phenomena hinted at in the first Alien film.

What starts out as an honourable quest for knowledge gradually becomes a desperate fight for survival.

In the tradition forged by Sigourney Weaver's immortal Ripley in the first two Alienoutings, it is a steel-willed, independent female that stands the best chance of beating the terrifying odds. The original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Noomi Rapace, truly impresses as Elizabeth Shaw, a feisty British archaeologist who makes a discovery that takes her and partner Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) all the way from the Scottish Highlands to another solar system.

On a visual level, Prometheustruly delivers upon all expectations, with superb creature design and some of the best uses of 3D since Avatar.

Unlike many of the spectacle-driven event pictures of today, there isn't a single, superfluous frame to be found here. As overwhelming as some of the effects often become, it is all for the greater good. Prometheuseffortlessly transports viewers to another world, and keeps them there. The illusion is never broken.

The cast of Prometheusis exceptionally strong, with Idris Elba (an eccentric spaceship captain), Charlize Theron (as a pretentious company rep) and a scene-stealing Michael Fassbender (as an android with a secret agenda) the standouts.

Australia's Guy Pearce also has a key part in proceedings. However, viewers will have to strain hard to recognise him under some very convincing ageing make-up work.

If there is a sticking point for those who are not die-hard followers of all things Alien, it could be an erratic screenplay.

The story told here sometimes lacks both the clarity and urgency many would expect of a blockbuster film.

Fans hungering for the graphic and spectacular shocks of the original Alien films will have to be patient. The great gross-out factor takes a while to kick in. But when it does, you will satisfied with the results.

The sheer ambition at work throughout Prometheusmakes the occasional scripting hiccup a forgivable flaw.

Morgan Freeman never told us about this: Penguins' sexual depravity too shocking for stout Englishmen

HE risked freezing or starving to death on a doomed expedition to the South Pole 100 years ago - but for George Murray Levick, the real horror lay in the twisted sexual mores of the Adelie penguin.

London's Natural History Museum has unearthed a landmark study by Levick, a scientist with the ill-fated 1910-13 Scott Antarctic Expedition, detailing the birds' sexual shenanigans, the Guardian newspaper reported.

Homosexual acts, sexual abuse of chicks and even attempts by male penguins to mate with dead females are recorded in Levick's paper "Sexual Habits of the Adelie Penguin", which had been lost for decades.

Edwardian Englishman Levick was so horrified by his own findings that he initially recorded them in Greek to make them inaccessible to the average reader.

Male penguins gather in "hooligan bands of half a dozen or more and hang about the outskirts of the knolls, whose inhabitants they annoy by their constant acts of depravity," he later wrote in the paper in English.

To this day, Levick is the only scientist to have studied an entire breeding cycle at Cape Adare after he spent the Antarctic summer of 1911-12 there, the Guardian said.

Captain Robert Scott and four others perished after reaching the South Pole on January 17, 1912 - only to find Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had beaten them to it more than a month earlier.

But Levick survived, despite having been forced with five others to spend an entire Antarctic winter in an ice cave with few supplies after the expedition ship, Terra Nova, was blocked by ice on its way to rescue them.

Back in Britain, he published a paper called "Natural History of the Adelie Penguin", but his findings about the species' astonishing sexual behaviour were considered so shocking that they were omitted.

This material was used for a short separate study, "Sexual Habits of the Adelie Penguin", that was privately passed around a few experts.

The groundbreaking paper - which came around 50 years ahead of the next study on the subject - had been lost until the recent discovery of a copy by Douglas Russell, curator of birds at the Natural History Museum.

Russell has had the paper published in the journal Polar Record along with an analysis of Levick's work, the Guardian said.

Russell told the Guardian's sister Sunday newspaper, The Observer, that the penguins' sexual inexperience is to blame for the antics that so disgusted Levick.

"Adelies gather at their colonies in October to start to breed. They have only a few weeks to do that and young adults simply have no experience of how to behave," he explained.

"Hence the seeming depravity of their behaviour."

Widespread damage across Perth and the southwest as winds top 140km/h

HEAVY rains and wind gusts reaching 140km/h have lashed Perth and the southwest causing widespread damage to homes and buildings.
Several people were trapped in a block of units in Tuart Hill this afternoon after the roof was ripped off their unit complex.
Western Power has diverted all crews to emergency work following extensive damage to the electricity network this afternoon. At 4.30pm (WST), a spokeswoman said 161,000 households were without power.
More than 150 wires and more than 50 poles have been brought down by the storms in the metropolitan area.
"The storm is still impacting the network, particularly in the south-west of the state," she said.
Among other serious damage, a crane has collapsed on to the QEII Medical Centre in Nedlands, trees have fallen onto cars in Applecross and Winthrop, Riverside Drive in the city has been flooded because of the swelling river and shipping containers have been blown off their stacks in Fremantle Port.

Ferry services to and from Rottnest Island also have been affected because of the rough weather, and flights have been delayed, although none cancelled, at Perth Airport.
The State Emergency Service (SES) has answered more than 135 calls for help so far today, with volunteers responding to only the most serious of incidents.
One hundred SES volunteers from 18 units are attending to major structural damage, making temporary repairs to homes, fixing minor roof damage and removing fallen trees from homes, cars and fences.
A Bureau of Metrology spokesman said the strongest wind gust recorded today was 139km/h at Cape Naturalise about 2pm.
The spokesman said the bureau had not recorded any tornados today - although residents in certain parts of the state could be forgiven for thinking a tornado passed through their area.
“We’ve had some very destructive wind gusts just as powerful as the tornado this week (in Dianella),” the spokesman said.
“We are expecting some significant damage to homes without a tornado, just because of the storm itself."
Several people working in laboratories at the QEII Medical Centre were evacuated following the crane collapse, but a hospital spokeswoman said no patients or hospital staff had been evacuated.
In Tuart Hill, emergency services personnel are trying to find accommodation for people left homeless after the roof of their apartment block was blown off.
In Dawesville, residents reported that the tide was so high water covered the jetty and flooded the car park. Several boats have been washed up and trees are all over the road.
Worst affected
The worst wind conditions are being experienced on the coast between Bunbury and Augusta. By late afternoon conditions will have eased on the west coast and the worst condition will be confined to south coastal parts. Through the evening winds are expected to ease throughout the warning area.
Yallingup resident Tegan Arnold said the south-west had been hit hard by the storm with strong winds causing many trees to fall, including some on to cars.
Steve from the tourist destination the Yallingup Shearing Shed said it was the worst devastation he had ever seen on his farm in 50 years.
He said he could hear the winds coming up the valley and then the strong winds hit with trees falling all around his business and on a car in the carpark.
Power out
Western Power is urging people to stay away from any fallen power lines or poles and to treat any broken power lines as if they were live.
A spokeswoman said the state's electricity network had suffered widespread damage because of the strong wind gusts affecting most of the southern part of the state.
"Western Power crews are attending to public safety hazards - but with so many damaged areas Western Power is urging people to stay away from any fallen power lines and to treat all lines as if they were live," the spokeswoman said.
"The Waikiki sub-station has lost power which is affecting more than 9000 customers in that area and there are more than 30 faults on the network each affecting close to 5000 customers."
In the metropolitan area Western Power has recorded more than 500 jobs. The most impact has been in the southern suburbs. In the south west more than 250 jobs have been recorded.
Areas of major impact include Waikiki, Mandurah, Boddington, Margaret River, Bunbury and Busselton where there are widespread power outages.
A Rottnest Island Authority spokeswoman said conditions had improved on the island this afternoon and a ferry would be leaving Rottnest for Fremantle at 4.30pm taking all remaining visitors on the island back to the mainland.
She said the island itself had sustained some damage from the wild storm, including some vegetation damage, although the full extent of the damage is not yet known. She said no injuries had been reported.
Powerful winds
Early today, gusts of 98km/h were recorded in Mandurah about 12.30pm and gusts of 100km/h were recorded in Ocean Reef about 1.40pm.
The Bureau of Metrology has issued a severe weather warning for people in, near or between Geraldton, Jurien Bay, Dalwallinu, Southern Cross, Kalgoorlie, Perth, Mandurah, Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River, Bridgetown, Albany, Katanning, Narrogin, Bremer Bay and Esperance.
Higher than normal tides may result in flooding of low-lying coastal areas between Lancelin to Cape Leeuwin, particularly in Geographe Bay.
Dangerous surf conditions are also likely which could cause significant beach erosion.

Finks bikie charged after disappearance of man associated with Finks

POLICE have upgraded charges against a Finks bikie to murder and say they believe the body found in a shallow grave is that of missing man Michael Varehov.
Bloodied clothing found yesterday afternoon at the edge of Kuitpo Forest southeast of Adelaide is what lead police to find a man's body buried in a shallow grave.
The discovery by a walker came just hours after police arrested a Finks bikie member with the assault of convicted drug dealer Michael Varehov.
Mr Varehov had been missing since Thursday night. Police said he was assaulted and then driven from a Beaumont house. A post-mortem was being conducted today.
Police found the man's body last night after examining freshly dug soil in the 5000ha forest southwest of Meadows.
Police forensic examiners and SES volunteers returned to the scene today to search for more clues. The burial site is located just a short distance from a popular campsite.
Mr Varehov, 45, was jailed for six years in 1994 for selling heroin in Adelaide's northern suburbs and was one of 18 people arrested over an amphetamine ring in the NSW town of Dubbo in 2004.
Earlier yesterday, Detective Inspector Mark Trenwith revealed police were called to a disturbance in McAllan Ave, Beaumont, late on Thursday night after Mr Varehov was believed to have been taken from the home in a grey Peugeot sedan with registration number BB-713W.
"There was evidence of a serious assault and disturbance of some kind, and the crime scene is now being processed by forensic crime-scene experts," Det Insp Trenwith said.
He would not comment on how police believe the assault had been carried out or whether weapons had been used. A full member of the Finks had been charged with causing serious harm to Mr Varehov.
The 51-year-old has now been charged with murder, refused police bail and will appear in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Police raided the Finks clubrooms at Thebarton early yesterday but would not comment on what items were seized from the clubhouse.
Det Insp Trenwith stressed that Mr Varehov's death was not believed to be part of any ongoing conflict between rival gangs.
"There doesn't appear to be conflict between outlaw motorcycle gangs but (this) appears to be the result of the unlawful activities of those gangs," he said.

Sullivan backs gun-pose teammates

OLYMPIC swimmer Eamon Sullivan has come to the aid of besieged teammates Nick D'Arcy and Kenrick Monk, accusing the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) of hypocrisy.

D'Arcy and Monk have been sanctioned for posing with guns on their social websites and, as punishment, will be sent home from the London Games by the AOC as soon as their swimming events conclude.

But Sullivan is asking what the fuss is all about because in 2007 Swimming Australia took the team to a Canberra rifle range as part of a bonding session.

"They haven't really done anything wrong," Sullivan told Channel 9.

"Shooting is an Olympic sport and shooters don't get into trouble for posing in their speedos."

He said the D'Arcy-Monk pose, brandishing high-powered weapons in a US gun shop, was just a case of "boys being boys".

D'Arcy and Monk returned to Australia today and quickly apologised for the photos, which appeared on Facebook and Twitter before being pulled down by Swimming Australia.

The 24-year-olds will meet Swimming Australia officials this week.

D'Arcy is a medal hope in the 200m butterfly in London, while Monk is in the 4x200m freestyle relay team.

Microsoft sorry for dancing girls and obscene song lyrics at Norway software convention

MICROSOFT apologised today for a presentation to a software programmers convention in Norway that featured dancing girls and obscene song lyrics after video of the embarrassing routine went viral.
The presentation to the Norwegian Developers Conference in Oslo last week was intended to promote new advances in Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform, AllThingsDigital reported.
But before launching into the technical details, Microsoft warmed up the crowd with some dancers and house music.
Scroll down to watch the embarrassing performance
Unfortunately, the song's lyrics flashed on video screens, including, "The words MICRO and SOFT don't apply to my penis."
The audience of computer programmers were not amused, and naturally turned to Twitter.
"For those not here, we had flashing disco lights, bad lyrics about penis, disco beats and dancing azure girls, so cringeworthy," one programmer tweeted.
"Wow #microsoft this music thing is probably the most embarrassing i've ever seen and heard," tweeted another.
Unsurprisingly in a room full of smart phones, video of the performance was quickly posted online, forcing Microsoft into damage control.
"This week's Norwegian Developer's Conference included a skit that involved inappropriate and offensive elements and vulgar language. We apologise to our customers and our partners and are actively looking into the matter," Microsoft posted in the comments section of YouTube videos of the embarrassing routine.
Microsoft's head of corporate communications, Frank Shaw, followed that up with an apology today on Twitter.
"This routine had vulgar language, was inappropriate and was just not ok. We apologize to our customers and partners," Shaw tweeted.

Celebrity power couple Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus make it official Read more: http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/celebrity-power-couple-liam-hemsworth-and-miley-cyrus-make-it-official/story-fn907478-1226386783030#ixzz1x1o5jFcl

AUSSIE hunk Liam Hemsworth and US singer Miley Cyrus are engaged to be married after three years of dating, their reps told WHO magazine exclusively today.

The Hunger Games actor, 22, proposed to the singer-actress in LA on May 31, in what a source describes as a "really romantic" gesture.

He gave his girlfriend of three years a 3.5-carat, cushion-cut diamond set in an Art Noveau-inspired gold band from jeweller Neil Lane, WHO says.

"I'm so happy to be engaged and look forward to a life of happiness," Cyrus, 19, told WHO. Adds the source, "She's so madly in love, it's not even funny."

The couple met in 2009 when they co-starred in The Last Song, and shared their first kiss on-screen. They split briefly in 2010, but have since been living together in LA's San Fernando Valley with their five dogs.

Cyrus's dad Billy Ray and mum Tish are "thrilled".

They've "always thought of Liam as part of the family," says the source.

"They're just so happy she'd found someone who makes her so happy."

No wedding date yet, says the source. "It's all very new for them. They're just so in love and so happy that the can take things to the next level."

For more on Cyrus and Hemsworth's proposal, pick up this week's issue of WHO, on newsstands on Friday.

More stories at WHO magazine.

Gwyneth and Beyonce going back to nature save

THEIR combined estimated wealth is $619 million.

Yet Jay-Z ($460 million) and his wife Beyoncé ($87 million), together with actress Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband, Coldplay's Chris Martin (combined wealth $72 million), are to go on a holiday in a Winnebago.

Pictures: Beyoncé

Pictures: Gwyneth Paltrow

Pictures: Coldplay in Australia

The superstar couples have decided to take a low-key holiday with their kids after Jay-Z and Chris finish up their respective world tours and have chosen Florida as the perfect road trip destination.

Coldplay to play Allianz Stadium on November 17

"The two couples are planning a trip around Florida. Both Chris and Jay have been on intense world tours so they really need a break," a source told The Sun.

"Gwyneth and Beyonce think the jaunt, going back to nature on a high-end Winnebago, will be the ideal getaway.

"It will be low-key but it's just what they need and they'll get to spend quality time together."

Beyonce gave birth to her first child Blue Ivy in January while Gwyneth and Chris have two kids, Apple, eight, and Moses, six.

Chris has previous revealed he thinks his friendship with Jay-Z is "hilarious" and thinks they get on well because they can identify with one another.

"Yes, it is hilarious [our friendship]. What's the common denominator? Well, underneath he probably feels a bit like me and I probably feel a bit like him," he said.

Gwyneth believes her husband and Jay-Z get on well as they "balance" one another.

"They balance each other out. Chris and I are like Jay and Beyonce; two paranoid ironists and two calm grounded people," she said.

Chris added: "There you go, you've got the answer. We balance each

India’s Central Bank Supports Rupee

The Indian rupee rallied today as the Reserve Bank of India took measures to support the currency that has been performing very badly. The central bank decrease the amount of foreign currency companies may hold.

The RBI announced that companies may keep only 50 percent of their profits in foreign currency, down from 100 percent, while other half should be exchanged to the domestic currency. This measure should bolster central bank’s dollar reserves. The currency definitely needs support as it has fallen 4.8 percent this quarter.

Indian stocks reacted positively to the central bank’s decision, rising as much as 1.2 percent. Risk sentiment on the Forex market was good, adding to the strength of the currency. Analysts said that the rupee reached a bottom and most negative fundamentals are priced in.

The currency appreciated 1.6 percent today, the biggest gain since December. USD/INR traded at 53.2550 today as of 23:00 GMT.

If you have any questions, comments or opinions regarding the Indian Rupee, feel free to post them using the commentary form below.

India’s Central Bank Supports Rupee

The Indian rupee rallied today as the Reserve Bank of India took measures to support the currency that has been performing very badly. The central bank decrease the amount of foreign currency companies may hold.

The RBI announced that companies may keep only 50 percent of their profits in foreign currency, down from 100 percent, while other half should be exchanged to the domestic currency. This measure should bolster central bank’s dollar reserves. The currency definitely needs support as it has fallen 4.8 percent this quarter.

Indian stocks reacted positively to the central bank’s decision, rising as much as 1.2 percent. Risk sentiment on the Forex market was good, adding to the strength of the currency. Analysts said that the rupee reached a bottom and most negative fundamentals are priced in.

The currency appreciated 1.6 percent today, the biggest gain since December. USD/INR traded at 53.2550 today as of 23:00 GMT.

If you have any questions, comments or opinions regarding the Indian Rupee, feel free to post them using the commentary form below.

Swedish Krona Declines with Industrial Production

The Swedish krona fell today after a report showed that nation’s industrial production declined significantly more than expected and as risk aversion damped demand for European currencies.

Industrial production fell 5.2 percent in February from January, compared to the median forecast of 0.3 percent. Annual decline was 7.1 percent, while an advance by 0.5 percent was predicted by analysts. The krona is also hurt by concerns about the crisis in Europe. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index of shares was down as much as 1.2 percent today.

USD/SEK was up from 6.7515 to 6.7794 as of 14:09 GMT today.

Swedish Krona Declines with Industrial Production

The Swedish krona fell today after a report showed that nation’s industrial production declined significantly more than expected and as risk aversion damped demand for European currencies.

Industrial production fell 5.2 percent in February from January, compared to the median forecast of 0.3 percent. Annual decline was 7.1 percent, while an advance by 0.5 percent was predicted by analysts. The krona is also hurt by concerns about the crisis in Europe. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index of shares was down as much as 1.2 percent today.

USD/SEK was up from 6.7515 to 6.7794 as of 14:09 GMT today.

Crude Oil Prices Drag Ruble Down

The Russian ruble was down today, falling for the third day, as prices for crude oil, the main nation’s export, declined amid concerns about the global economic recovery.

Futures on crude oil fell $0.16 to $102.30 per barrel in New York, following yesterday’s decline by 0.8 percent. The ruble depends on the performance of crude as the commodity is the main export good of Russia. Oil was falling on concerns that the global economic slowdown will hurt demand for fuel.

USD/RUB rose from 29.5680 to 29.6700 as of 14:37 GMT today.

Crude Oil Prices Drag Ruble Down

The Russian ruble was down today, falling for the third day, as prices for crude oil, the main nation’s export, declined amid concerns about the global economic recovery.

Futures on crude oil fell $0.16 to $102.30 per barrel in New York, following yesterday’s decline by 0.8 percent. The ruble depends on the performance of crude as the commodity is the main export good of Russia. Oil was falling on concerns that the global economic slowdown will hurt demand for fuel.

USD/RUB rose from 29.5680 to 29.6700 as of 14:37 GMT today.