Lawyers defending Dominique Strauss-Kahn against allegations he was involved in a French prostitution ring say he is being unfairly targeted for his active extramarital sex life and committed no crime.

TWO boys wrongfully removed from New York to Ireland by their mother 15 months ago will not be returned to their father in the US because they expressed a clear desire to remain here and it is in their best interests to do so, the Supreme Court has ruled.

FORMER IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn met in a face-to-face confrontation with a Frenchwoman who says he tried to rape her, as the two were questioned by investigators deciding whether to pursue the case.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, claiming he has diplomatic immunity, has asked a New York court to dismiss a lawsuit by the hotel maid who says he sexually assaulted her.

All four American hostages on a yacht taken by pirates off Somalia have been killed, the US military said.

The US said today it was considering its response to the hijack by Somali pirates of an American couple sailing the world with a yacht full of bibles.

A WOMAN who raised a child kidnapped 23 years ago from a New York hospital was in custody yesterday after surrendering on a probation violation charge.

Michael Douglas, battling throat cancer since August, will know next month if he has won his fight against the disease.

Michael Douglas’s ex-wife has lost a bid to cash in on the actor’s earnings from his recent 'Wall Street' follow-up, with a judge saying her case is too much of a Hollywood divorce to set a sequel in a New York court.

The airline steward who fled his plane via the emergency exit chute after swearing at a passenger is to be mentally evaluated for a possible plea deal.

The United States is seeking the extradition of an alleged armed bank robber who it is claimed lost both his gun and his haul of $12,600 while departing the scene.

SPIDER-MAN actress Kirsten Dunst yesterday served as a witness against a man charged with stealing her purse from a New York City hotel suite while she was on a movie set.

KIEFER SUTHERLAND did not appear in a New York court yesterday to answer allegations that he head-butted a fashion designer.

Kiefer Sutherland won’t appear in a New York court this week to answer allegations that he head-butted a fashion designer.

Crooked financier Bernard Madoff will be sentenced today for swindling investors out of billions of dollars.

The wife of disgraced financier Bernard Madoff faces having millions of dollars of assets in her own name seized, it emerged today.

A lawyer for two men who say they were unwilling passengers on actress Lindsay Lohan’s wild ride through Santa Monica says he hopes to resolve the case without hauling the actress into court.

A Pakistani immigrant to the United States was sentenced to 30 years in prison today for hatching an unsuccessful plot to blow up a busy Manhattan subway station as revenge for wartime abuses of Iraqis.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell has spoken out about her reputation for having a fiery temper – saying she is the “target” of people who are attempting to take advantage of her.

Fears that more senior executives working for online gambling firms could be arrested were fuelled today following the resignation of a lawyer who served under former US President George W. Bush from the roles of chairman and chief executive of World Gaming.

A judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Boy George after the former Culture Club singer failed to appear in a New York court, but the warrant was stayed pending his return at a later hearing.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell faces seven years in jail after being charged with assault in a New York Court, but she insists she is being "extorted".

Singer Boy George was spared a possible prison sentence today after a cocaine possession charge against him was dropped but he was ordered to go on a drug rehabilitation programme.

A Pakistani millionaire held at the US prison in Guantanamo Bay testified that he met Osama bin Laden twice, and that the al-Qaida leader called himself “a prophet.”

Russell Crowe has hit out at the media hype surrounding his assault on a hotel worker in New York - insisting it's an everyday occurrence in hotels around the world.

Actor Christian Slater appeared before a New York court today charged with sexually harassing a woman on the street.

SEAN CONNERY has branded a neighbour a “tyrant” in a fresh round of lawsuits.

A New York court revived part of a class-action lawsuit blaming fast-food chain McDonald’s for making people fat, reinstating claims relating to deceptive advertising.

A former US navy commando’s “dangerous obsession” with singer Sheryl Crow led him to track her down and pay alarming visits to her and her family before he was arrested, a New York Court was told.

Rocker Courtney Love admitted hitting a man on the head with a microphone stand during a performance in a New York club when she appeared in a New York court today.

The assistant skipper of a Staten Island ferry today admitted manslaughter and lying about his medical history before a crash that killed 11 New York commuters.

US lifestyle guru Martha Stewart was convicted today by a New York court of obstructing justice and lying about a superbly timed shares sale, a devastating verdict that probably means prison for the woman who epitomises meticulous homemaking and gracious living.

With an investigation looming, Martha Stewart sat down at her assistant’s computer and altered a record of a message left by her stockbroker about ImClone Systems stock, the assistant has told a New York court.

A jury of eight women and four men was chosen today to hear the fraud trial of American’s billionaire domestic goddess Martha Stewart.

Action hero Steven Seagal’s former business partner has admitted taking part in a mob plot to extort cash from the actor.

A SETTLEMENT was reached yesterday which marked a victory for Beatle widow Yoko Ono over a former employee over his use of hundreds of private family photos.

British Telecom claimed in a New York court that it owns the patent on hyperlinks - the single-click conveniences that underlie the internet - and should get paid for their daily use by millions of people.

The promised information tying Osama bin Laden to the US terrorist attacks is likely to fit into a chain of evidence formed while prosecuting those involved in the 1998 bombings of two American embassies in Africa.

A 16-year-old actor in popular United States TV series ‘‘The Sopranos’’ has denied any involvement in a 40 dollar (£28) robbery.