Speaking with The Times, captive Peter Moore detailed how he had been punished by being doused in water and hung from a door by his arms. Mr Moore also spoke of mock executions designed to intimidate and terrorise him. These included placing a gun at Moore’s head while firing a round from another weapon, at which point Moore believed he was really dead.

Moore had only been in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad for a matter of weeks in his job as an IT worker and claimed that he feared death from a number of sources, primarily health or disease related. Chained to a window for months, Moore suffered severe vomiting and diarrhoea frequently. He passed his time in captivity by creating stories of a non-existent wife back home and by counting patterns on the curtains. In total, he spent just over 31 months held hostage.

The interview further revealed that Moore believed the Iraqi government may have had a hand in his capture and that he knew of at least two other overseas nationals being held whose whereabouts remains unsolved.

36-year-old Moore, from Lincoln, was taken along with his four guards in May 2007 from the Baghdad Ministry of Finance building. He is the only known survivor of those captured.

Police at the scene have advised that no evidence was found that would indicate any foul play, and that they were awaiting the coroner’s autopsy before making any further statements.

Already there is widespread speculation that Haim has become yet another tragic Hollywood victim of overdosing on prescription medication. Police authorities did confirm that Haim had been taking both prescribed and over-the-counter medication at the time of his death. He had also been suffering from flu-like symptoms in recent days.

Haim is best remembered for his partnership with Corey Feldman, leading the pair to be labelled as The Two Coreys, with both seemingly set for celebrated careers on film and the big screen. However, Haim’s descent into drug abuse strained the relationship.

Haim had previously admitted to smoking marijuana while on the set of Lost Boys. He later developed a cocaine and crack habit which led him into several bouts of rehab. As is becoming increasingly common, his illegal drug habit was replaced by a prescription one, with Haim taking both stimulants and sedatives in a bid to overcome the non-prescription habit.

Chartier, the now Academy Award winner for his production of The Hurt Locker, was just 20-years-old when he travelled from his Disneyland Paris janitor job to the bright lights of Hollywood. An American producer had accepted one of his scripts and urged the young man to head west. Finding little success initially as a producer Chartier began working as a scriptwriter for soft-core pornography on US cable networks.

Last night, sixteen years later, should have been his crowning glory, a stride onto the Oscars stage with fellow The Hurt Locker team members Mark Boal, Greg Shapiro and Kathryn Bigelow. However, Chartier was not even close to the building, being confined to watch the show via television at a Malibu party. The reason? Chartier lobbied the members of the Academy to boycott big-budget Hollywood flicks in favour of his movie. This is a clear breach of rules laid down by the academy which argues its independence is based on not responding or indeed allowing such propaganda.

The deeper reason may well be that Chartier is far from Hollywood blue-blood, having a shady past which also included roles as a salesman – a profession frowned upon by the LA elite. Widely regarded as a schlock merchant, Chartier has discovered that independent film-makers are in low regard in high places. He also alienated himself from his The Hurt Locker colleagues by begging to be added to the nomination after being ruled ineligible initially by the Academy.

South Africa’s government has made a worldwide request for one billion condoms to be provided as part of an AIDS/ HIV prevention drive ahead of the tournament. The prophylactic plea came from President Jacob Zuma during a recent audience in the UK with the Queen.

Gareth Thomas, the British international development minister, is expected to announce today that the funding for the extra condoms would be forthcoming. Thomas is due to address a London emergency summit audience on the treatment and prevention of HIV. Mr Thomas acknowledged that South Africa had approached the UK government for assistance in what is expected to be a frenzied football tournament. The high rate of both prostitution and HIV infection in the Republic and neighbouring African countries has led many health agencies dreading the potential for the spread of the disease. Sex trafficking and prostitution from further afield such as Eastern Europe has also raised concerns of an unhygienic time bomb.

Around half a million visitors are expected in South Africa for the event. The Central Drug Authority has advised that an estimated 40,000 prostitutes are also expected. One in every five South African adults is infected with HIV, around 5.7 million people.

Mr Brown also came under fire from senior military figures who have challenged the prime minister’s versions of evidence provided to the investigation into the Iraqi War, the Chilcott Inquiry. Brown’s claims that British troops were provided with all ask-for equipment was questioned by military leaders who called the PM’s comments disingenuous. According to General Lord Guthrie and Admiral Lord Boyce, both former members of the chief of defence, Mr Brown’s statement that no request from military commanders in regards to equipment was ever turned down and that all requests were answered was blatantly untrue. Brown was accused by Lord Boyce of dissembling the information and that in truth there was a massive shortage of funds within the Ministry of Defence.

Over the weekend, the PM visited former Taliban operating bases that had been seized from the insurgents over recent weeks, at the same time as the Ministry of Defence announced the confirmation of two more soldier deaths. Mr Brown also visited MoD instructors working with local authorities while paying tribute to the job being done.

Gamblers have taken to the Oscars in recent years with a dedication more suited to Las Vegas than Hollywood, and the odds-makers are quick to capitalise on the popularity of the event. So what exactly are the odds on this year’s awards?

Jeff Bridges is the firm favourite to take home the best actor Oscar, so favoured in fact that in order to win just $1 you will need to lay-out $6. In betting parlance, Bridges is a lock. This also means that there will be significantly better returns for betting on an outsider in this category, with George Clooney always a good option. His Up In The Air role of frequent flyer could provide a bonus at 13-1 odds, although Jeremy Renner from The Hurt Locker is closer to 28-1.

However, favouritism does not guarantee success at the Oscars, particularly when there are two strong candidates dominating the event. The Hurt Locker is favoured by most to take home a string of awards but Avatar remains the evening’s dark horse. These two are neck-and-neck in the best movie award, although Kathryn Bigelow remains well ahead of James Cameron in the best director gambling.

Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock appear to be engaged in the Academy’s other two-horse race for best actress, for The Blind Side and Julie & Julia respectively.

So far, the sultry Fox has come under fire for her antics on the two movies which have established her firmly on the Hollywood flesh-list. This means that everything from her clothes, eating habits and relationships has become fair game for celeb-hunters.

What will they make of her latest confession, in the Harper’s Bazaar April edition, that she has only bedded two men in her life? The two are apparently an unnamed childhood sweetheart and current beau Brian Austin Green, her live-in boyfriend and star of Beverley Hills 90210. The reason for the limited partners? Fox claims she could never sleep with someone she didn’t love.

Naturally the admission has upset the media sharks who themselves would do everything and anyone if they had her looks and fame. The refreshingly honest interview destroys many of the myths held about smoking hot celebrities, even casting doubt on the Daily Mail’s claim that Fox is the dumbest celebrity ever. Surely she can’t make such a statement if there are dozens of former suitors waiting in the woodwork. If true, Fox has done more for celibacy in the UK than any high-profile virgin or religious zealot.

Paramedics were called to the scene at around 7.45am on Monday morning where they unsuccessfully attempted to revive the television host. Digby had been garnering a reputation in the industry and was building on his successful role of host of To Buy or Not To Buy at the time of his passing. Paramedics will carry out a thorough post mortem that is expected to confirm reports that the cause of death was suffocation brought on by the deliberate restriction of Digby’s oxygen supply in an apparent act of sexual gratification. Police have described the incident as a solo sex game going wrong.

Official police reports undertaken after the initial post mortem were inconclusive say officers, who have advised that the tragedy is still being considered as unexplained and that a full inquest will take place in due course. Police did acknowledge that there were no other people involved in the death, and dismissed suicide suggestions. The incident has chilling echoes of the David Carradine death last June, also apparently from auto-erotic asphyxiation.

Mr Digby came from a wealthy property development family and he had a considerable portfolio. He also won directing awards at the Melbourne Film Festival in addition to receiving a junior Bafta. Digby also fronted numerous other popular TV shows including Buy It, Sell It, Bank It, Living in the Sun, House Swap, That Gay Show and Double Agents.

Peter Sutcliffe, who was charged with 13 counts of murder and seven of attempted murder, was jailed in 1981 for life. Sutcliffe has now applied with the London High Court to grant him an amended finite minimum sentence.

63-year-old Sutcliffe is currently being held at Broadmoor Hospital – a high security facility in London’s west. He was transferred to the hospital in 1984 after authorities found he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. The High Court will now decide if the case warrants a full hearing and if so, what evidence should be taken into account.

The initial sentence imposed on Sutcliffe demanded that a minimum of 30 years must be spent behind bars. This three-decade long stipulation will expire next year.

Sutcliffe, now known as Peter Coonan, began his killing rampage against young women and prostitutes in the north of England in 1975. His reign of terror held sway over Britain until he was finally jailed in 1981. A truck-driver from west Yorkshire, Sutcliffe murdered eleven of his victims in his hometown. His methods usually involved beating his victims with a hammer to the head and repeated stabs to the stomach and chest with either a screwdriver or knife.

Gordon Brown, the British Prime Minister, has gone on record saying that a release would be very unlikely.

Bosses at Odeon were able to reach an agreement with Disney to overturn the boycott which they themselves imposed on Alice in Wonderland. The boycott grew from debate over the release date of the DVD of the 3D movie. Odeon had been planning on preventing the movie from being shown in its 107 cinemas across Ireland and Britain.

The DVD release date was slated for May 10, a mere three months after the movie’s big screen debut. The negotiations have seen a change of heart from Odeon but the juicy details were not disclosed. Presumably somewhere some payment was made, and the Irish, Italian and UK public can look forward to seeing Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway in all their glory.

A press release by Odeon declared that detailed negotiations had been beneficial to the commercial relationship of both parties, who had signed an apparently enduring agreement. The statement also said that the agreement would allow the cinema chain to pursue its current course of 3D capability in addition to numerous other digital developments.

Critics have not been overwhelmed, claiming the film adheres to fairytale stereotypes, holding little interest for Narnia or Avatar devotees. Alice has come in for several scathing reviews, with one critic saying she looked more on heroin than a heroine.