A NEW round of reports on the Dominique Strauss- Kahn case suggests an attempt at collusion between the attorneys defending the former International Monetary Fund director and those representing his accuser, Sofitel hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo.

THE maid accusing French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attempted rape has filed a civil suit in New York alleging a “sadistic attack” and seeking unspecified compensation.

THE hotel maid who says former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan hotel room has broken her silence over the alleged attack.

The hotel maid who says former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan hotel room has broken her silence over the alleged attack.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s next court date in his New York sexual assault case was postponed, with prosecutors saying the delay was for further investigation and defence lawyers saying they hoped it would lead to the end of the tumultuous case.

Lawyers for Dominique Strauss-Kahn have met US prosecutors for what the defence called a productive discussion, but there was no immediate word on what would happen to the sex assault case hit by doubts about the accuser's credibility.

FORMER IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was released from house arrest yesterday after prosecutors said the hotel maid who accused him of attempted rape lied to a grand jury and made other false statements.

Prosecutors will agree to the release of ex-IMF leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn without bail at a hearing today, reports say.

Prosecutors have serious questions about the credibility of a hotel housekeeper who has accused former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn of raping her, and they are taking the extraordinary step of seeking a substantial reduction in his bail, a person familiar with the case said today.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn declared he had diplomatic immunity and complained that his handcuffs were too tight after he was taken into custody on allegations he tried to rape a Manhattan hotel maid, court documents show.

LAWYERS for Dominique Strauss-Kahn intend to investigate the hotel maid accusing the former IMF chief of attempted rape for evidence of behavioural problems, according to court documents.

The former International Monetary Fund head charged with trying to rape a hotel maid formally said he was innocent of the charges today in his first court appearance in the case in two weeks.

New tests have found that the DNA of former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn matches material found on the shirt of a hotel maid who says he tried to rape her.

Haggard and unshaven after a weekend in jail, the chief of the International Monetary Fund was denied release on bail on charges of trying to rape a hotel maid as allegations of other, similar attacks by Dominique Strauss-Kahn began to emerge.

IMF boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn was remanded in custody today accused of a sex attack on a US hotel maid.

The head of the International Monetary Fund was today waiting to be brought before a US court accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid.

The New York court appearance for the International Money Fund chief accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid has been delayed, his lawyer said today.

IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been charged with attempting to rape a New York hotel maid, in a scandal that upends his plans to run for president of France and throws leadership of the global lender into turmoil at the height of the European debt crisis.

The leader of the International Monetary Fund, a possible candidate for president of France, was pulled off a plane in New York moments before it was to depart for Paris and arrested over sex attack allegations involving a hotel maid.

Rap mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs is keen to settle what he's calling "a disagreement among acquaintances" before his alleged Saturday night punch-up lands him in court.

Police are investigating a reported scuffle between R&B star Akon and a teenage fan that ended with the singer tossing the youth off a New York stage and on to another spectator who said she suffered concussion, it was reported today.

Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing a court case claiming he punched and pushed a man and his girlfriend at a Hollywood nightclub.

The jeweller to the stars accused of money-laundering in the US reportedly wants celebrity customers including David Beckham to testify for the defence at his trial.

A web of dodgy dealings has caught up with Viktor Kozeny, writes Dinah A Spritzer.

AN Irish citizen, who has been branded a major international fugitive, is due to appear in court in the Bahamas today over his alleged role in a multimillion dollar fraud scam.

The court house in the small Californian town of Santa Maria today had the look of a fortress ready for a siege, with chain link fences and metal barricades to hold back an expected invasion of Michael Jackson fans.

King of Pop Michael Jackson was due in court amid tight security today to face child abuse allegations.

Michael Jackson has put long-rumoured financial worries behind him as he prepares to battle child sex abuse allegations in court, it emerged today.

Act Two of the Michael Jackson child molestation case gets under way this week with a new cast of lawyers taking centre stage.

Less than a week before his next court date on charges of child molestation, Michael Jackson said he had replaced his high-profile legal team because “my life is at stake”.

MICHAEL Jackson has broken with his legal team less than a week before he appears in court on child molestation charges.

Michael Jackson is replacing high-profile lawyers Mark Geragos and Benjamin Brafman in his child molestation case.

Detectives are investigating a new allegation of child abuse against Michael Jackson involving a person who claims to have been victimised in the late 1980s, a police spokeswoman said.

Michael Jackson's lawyer told a judge that the defence uncovered material pointing to Jackson's innocence that should be presented to a grand jury investigating child molestation allegations against the pop star.

A celebrity lawyer vowed today to press on with a bid to have pop star Michael Jackson’s children taken into care after authorities in the US refused her request.

Lawyer Gloria Allred said that Los Angeles County officials have turned down her request that Michael Jackson’s three children be removed from his custody, but said she would bring the matter to a juvenile court judge.

Michael Jackson stood on top of his chauffeur-driven van, waved to his fans and invited them all to a party, shortly after pleading not guilty to abusing a teenage cancer sufferer.

Michael Jackson pleaded not guilty today to child-molestation charges as a throng of news media and fans swarmed around the California court.

Two months after a prosecutor made worldwide news by announcing he would charge Michael Jackson with child molestation, the multimillionaire pop star is set to face his first court appearance today amid an all-out media blitz.

Jurors in the Puff Daddy guns and bribery trial are expected to begin considering their verdict today.

Puff Daddy Sean Combs has taken the witness stand at his New York gun possession trial.