BOOBS, and our attitudes towards them, seem to have dominated the news cycle over the last few days. Right now there’s many a gurgly tummy in the Irish Daily Star following its decision to publish photographs of Kate Middleton sunbathing topless.

Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte has said he finds it hard “to get worked up” about the publication of the semi-nude photographs of Kate Middleton.

THE duchess of Cambridge may have been topless in those controversial pictures published by the Irish Daily Star on Saturday, but the tabloid editors and publishers, now scrambling for the high moral ground, are the emperors without any clothes.

Industry sources believe the Irish Daily Star will not close even if joint shareholder Richard Desmond follows through on his threat to pull out of the title, while the Government has moved to shore up privacy laws as a result of the controversy.

The Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte has accused the part owner of the Irish Daily Star Richard Desmond of hypocrisy after he threatened to close down the paper for publishing topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge.

Independent Newspapers has launched an investigation into the decision to publish topless photographs of Kate Middleton in the Irish Daily Star.

A boardroom row is on the cards after Independent News and Media warned it would not be happy to see the Irish Daily Star shut down.

The future of the Irish Daily Star is in doubt after the paper printed topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge yesterday.

The future of the Irish Daily Star hangs in the balance this weekend, after the British 50% shareholder in the paper announced it is taking "immediate steps to close down the joint venture".

The company which owns the Irish Daily Star has criticised the newspaper for running pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge topless and are 'taking immediate steps' to close the newspaper.

Rupert Murdoch faces a two-day grilling under oath at the Leveson Inquiry into press standards this week.

The press watchdog felt it had been made a “scapegoat” over its handling of the phone-hacking scandal, the Leveson Inquiry heard today.

THE owner of the Daily Express and Daily Star said his newspapers were “scapegoated” for their coverage of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance.

A former Daily Star journalist claimed today that he received threats and may have had his phone hacked after he quit the paper in protest at what he claimed was its anti-Muslim propaganda.

POLICE searched the newsroom of a second British tabloid as part of a widening investigation into a tabloid phone hacking scandal.

Talks between the company that owns the rights to 'Big Brother' and Channel Five are reported to have stalled.

Brian Dowling was crowned 'Ultimate Big Brother' winner as the long-running reality television show said goodbye to Channel 4.

Irish contestant Brian Dowling is the bookies' favourite to take the 'Ultimate Big Brother' crown tonight as Channel 4 waves goodbye to the long-running reality show.

THE two articles which won awards for Irish Examiner journalists at yesterday’s ESB National Media Awards ceremony in Dublin provided a major embarrassment for a leading financial institution and a senior Government minister.

The Barclay brothers have ended months of uncertainty about the future of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph by buying both newspaper titles in a multi-million pound deal.

A German publisher is planning to joint the list of bidders for the Telegraph, according to German press reports.

Express group owner Richard Desmond is believed to have withdrawn a bid for the Telegraph Group, according to industry sources.

BANK of Ireland should reconsider, on ethical grounds, its multi-million euro support for a British pornography distribution company, Labour finance spokeswoman Joan Burton said last night.

BANK OF IRELAND has emerged as the major financial backer of a British company planning to become the first pornography distributors to float on the London Stock Exchange.

RICHARD Desmond is known to detest the “porn baron” title afforded him, but porn baron is exactly what he is.

BRITISH establishment newspaper The Daily Telegraph could soon be in the hands of a man who made his fortune from pornographic magazines, after an American court blocked a deal to sell control of the paper.

The ISEQ index finished at 5088.78 on Wednesday, down 23.51 points.

Richard Desmond - who owns 50% of The Star newspaper in Ireland - has tabled a £500m (€736m) bid for the Daily Telegraph.

Hollinger International, the US unit of Conrad Black's media empire, has moved to prevent the ousted chairman from completing a £253m (€366m) deal to sell off the empire to the Barclay brothers.

A City stockbroking firm was today circling the Telegraph Group after confirming it has made an offer thought to be worth up to £500m (€714m).

INDEPENDENT Star Limited, publishers of the Daily Star Newspaper, saw a 55% rise in pre-tax profits last year.

THE battle in the Sunday newspaper market is about to hot up with the launch of a Sunday edition of the Star.

Northern and Shell, the publisher of Express Newspapers, is to launch a London evening newspaper early next year.

Sven Goran Eriksson's girlfriend insists reports of a relationship between the England coach and Ulrika Jonsson are "rubbish".

Tony Blair's right-hand man Alastair Campbell may have been the man who introduced Sven Goran Eriksson and Ulrika Jonsson for the first time.

Hopes were rising that British journalist Yvonne Ridley could be released from Afghanistan some time today after her employers said she could be freed ‘‘within hours rather than days’’.