A bad week for ...
Manny Pacquiao
The Philippine boxer denied having anything against homosexuals after a reporter quoted him as saying he was opposed to US President Barack Obama's support for gay marriage. Pacquiao said it had been the reporter and not he who had quoted the passage from Leviticus 20:13, which calls for men who lie with men to be put to death. 'My favourite verse in the Bible is 'love one another,' and 'love your neighbour as you love yourself',' Pacquiao said.
Rebekah Brooks
The former tabloid editor was charged, along with her husband and four others, with attempting to obstruct the course of justice by hiding evidence from British police investigating phone hacking. Scooping the prosecutors, Brooks was the first to break the news that she had been charged, by issuing a statement denouncing their 'weak and unjust decision'.
Shahin Najafi
The Iranian-born, German-based rapper was named 'the Salman Rushdie of music' after clerics in Tehran issued fatwas calling him an apostate, which is punishable by death under the country's sharia law. Najafi posted a clip on YouTube that referred to a religious figure respected by millions in Iran. A religious website offered US$100,000 for anyone who kills Najafi.
