Late last week, German president Christian Wulff resigned in embarrassment and disgrace after his scandalous behavior came to light. The controversy caused the public to lose trust and faith in their president and turn on him.  Wulff, 52, had previously enjoyed high ratings. “The last few weeks have shown… my ability to be effective has suffered sustained damage,” said Wulff.

Although the German president is largely a ceremonial role, it is supposed to provide the people with a moral compass, and this scandal has greatly hurt the office. The news is a major blow to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who handpicked Wulff for the position in June 2010.

Allegations surfaced in December, when newspapers began to look into an improper home loan he received from a family friend before he became president. Wulff became increasingly irate over these investigations and left a voicemail for one of the editors of Germany’s best-selling tabloids, ‘Bild’, saying it would mean “war” if the paper published a story on his financial past. ‘Bild’ decided in favor of publishing the story, and Wulff apologized for his unruly behavior.

The media continued to scrutinize his past dealings in the wake of this incident, with news of him accepting free upgrades on planes and staying at various hotels and inns without charge during travels with his family. Last week, prosecutors asked Parliament to put a stop to Wulff’s legal immunity over claims that he had received favors. Trying to investigate a German president is without precedent, and the move had opponents calling for his departure from office.

Merkel had remained loyal and sympathetic to Wulff during the past months’ controversies. Both belong to the same political party, the conservative Christian Democratic Union. She said she regretted his decision, canceling a visit to Rome to quell the outrage in her homeland. Merkel’s popularity among the people has not been affected by the scandal, but the controversy has served as a diversion on which she and her party can focus.

Wulff is the second president to resign in two years. Horst Koehler, Wulff’s precursor, left office without warning in 2010 after receiving heat for remarks he had made about German military in Afghanistan. Merkel stated she would talk to her opposition over who would be the next candidate, unlike last time. Until a consensus is reached, Horst Seehofer, the governor of the state of Bavaria and leader of the upper house of Parliament, will fill the role of acting president.

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Crystal Harris publicly stated she is not turned on by Hugh Hefner; the man she dumped almost at the alter. Crystal Harris was Playboy magazine’s Miss December 2009 and said she is not turned on by the founder of the Playboy adult entertainment empire.

“I was over it. I just like, walked away. I am not turned on by Hef. Sorry”, Harris said.

Questions and confusions have come up as to why the runaway bride had suddenly stopped the wedding at the last minute. Harris insists there was a lack of sex and attraction.

“Hef doesn’t really take off his clothes. I have never seen him naked”, Harris admitted to the radio presenter Howard Stern. She also disclosed that she left Hefner and his Playboy Mansion because they only had sex once during their two year relationship and the old man only lasted a really short time.

The Playmate has already spent her fake wedding day partying in Las Vegas. She also tried to sell $90,000 engagement ring that Hefner let her keep. Press said that Harris gave the ring to a jeweller to get it appraised in California, but after a party weekend she returned to the Playboy Mansion and tried to give the ring back to Hefner who still told her to keep it.

Harris opened a floodgate of a huge controversy and created a big scandal when she called Hefner a “two second man” on Howard Stern’s radio show.

Everybody started defending the Playboy’s owner, even his former girlfriend and Girl Next Door Kendra Wilkinson. Kendra said, “She just totally made herself look like crap. She looks like trash. I mean, it’s disgusting. She needs to keep her mouth shut, and be a bigger person. ” She believes Crystal Harris has no chance to affect Hefner after all the drama he has been through. She prays for her mouth to shut.

After becoming the object of a lot of criticism, Harris made an apology via Twitter which Hefner accepted.

The 85 year old magazine mogul has been married twice before. Despite his efforts to make people believe that he is actually heartbroken, the press had discovered his brand new girlfriend, Shera Bechard, a 27 year old model who was Playboy Miss November 2010.
Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

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Sean Hoare, former News of the World reporter and first to blow the whistle on the endemic phone-hacking at the paper, was found dead at his home on Monday, according to British media. Hoare, who was fired from NoW for alcohol and drug abuse, also went on the record to the New York Times, saying that Andy Coulson, former communications chief for the British prime minister and editor at NoW while Hoare was employed there, not only knew about the phone-hacking but actively encouraged the practice. Coulson has so far denied any knowledge of the matter.

The tragic news of Sean Hoare’s death is another shocking turn in the media scandal that has already engulfed the Murdoch media empire and threatens the stability of the British government. His body was found at his home in Watford near London, UK. According to local police, who has yet to confirm Hoare’s identity, “Upon police an ambulance arrival [...], the body of a man was found. The man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.” Despite unexplained cause of death, the police does not suspect foul play.

His death is another bombshell in the unfolding events, arriving just after the high profile resignation of two top policemen of the Scotland Yard. Questions have been raised about the cosy relationship between NoW and the police department and whether it led to negligence on behalf of the official effort to get to the bottom of the phone-hacking scandal which has been years under way.

Hoare was the first reporter to officially confirm the claims of phone-hacking. He described in an interview with the BBC that he was personally asked by Andy Coulson, his editor at the time, to tap into phones – which makes Coulson’s insistence upon ignorance ‘a lie’, according to Hoare. Last week, he revealed to the New York Times that NoW reporters had access to police technology that locates people by using their mobile phone signals. The service was allegedly provided in exchange for payments to police officers. The use of “pinging” can pinpoint the location of a person using calculations of distances between phone masts.

The Guardian was able to publish further details about ‘pinging’ as Hoare explained the procedure of obtaining the target location. A reporter would ask a news desk executive about a person and “within 15 to 30 minutes someone on the news desk would come back and say ‘Right, that’s where they are.’”

“The chain of command is one of absolute discipline, and that’s why I never bought into it, like with Andy [Coulson] saying he wasn’t aware of it and all that. That’s bollocks,” told Hoare.

The unexpected death of Sean Hoare has come at the most critical time for the UK. British Prime minister David Cameron is under considerable pressure and has cut a 5-day-trip to Africa short to attend a special sitting of parliament Tuesday for an emergency discussion on the scandal. Opposition labour party members are accusing him of extreme failure of judgement when it came to hiring Coulson and some MP’s have even called for his resignation.

Rupert Murdoch, his son James Murdoch and former chief executive of News International, Rebekah Brooks are expected to appear at the parliament hearing as well. Considering the pressure, the exchange could turn out to be very dramatic.

Former colleagues have been remembering Hoare today through public statements and social media updates. David Yelland, former editor of the British tabloid the Sun tweeted “Sean Hoare was trying to be honest, struggling with addiction. But he was a good man. My God.”

Image by Mig_R

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From America to Asia, from Africa to Europe, all around the world we hear stories about ministers and politicians’ resignation.

Last recent case in Europe occurred in Germany where the Defense Minister, Karl-Theodor Zu Guttenberg, has resigned in consequence of a plagiarism scandal. After it was revealed that he copied word for word from internet the half of the pages of his university doctorate thesis in 2006, he couldn’t stand the pressure therefore admitted his “mistake” and did the right thing: quitting his job.

But he is not the only one. On the other side of the world, in Japan 2,180 euros were sufficient to make resign the Foreign Minister Saiji Maehara. The revelation of receiving in 2005 an illegal donation from a South Korean woman resident of Japan cost him his office. Admitting the fact he officially apologized to electors, bowing in front of them and in front of the Japan’s flag,and he resigned.

Back to Europe. The French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has resigned after the strong criticism on the initial offer of help for putting down the uprising and the following Christmas holiday she spent in Tunisia guest of the former President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, right during the rebellion.

In Africa recently was the Culture and Sport Minister of Rwanda, Joseph Habineza, who resigned. In this case the cause was a photo scandal. Some photos taken on St. Valentine’s Day in 2008, showing the minister and a couple off women in intimate poses, were published on a website. “When you see people publishing pictures and all that, it is not good for your image as a minister,” he said.

In the United States was a shirtless photo which made the married Republican congressman Chris Lee resign. He took this photo and sent it to a woman met online. This virtual flirtation – in perfect teenagers’ style – in a country as US has led to resignation.

If we look back at the very last years we can remember also the resignation of Eliot Spitzer, the New York Governor, in 2008. His involvement with a sex scandal – because he was found with some prostitutes – was the reason. Official admission of guilt and apology to his family and to the public for him too.

In 2009 in the United Kingdom the revelations over the expenses claims led the Britain’s first female home secretary Jacqui Smith to resign. Also two pornographic films watched by her husband on the pay per view TV were claimed – “inadvertently” she said -.

And then the Australian Ports Minister Paul McLeay resignation from cabinet in 2010 after the spreading of the news about his usual surfing on porn and online gaming sites.

So how about Italy and its funny Prime Minister? Silvio Berlusconi’s trials started at the end of February. Totally will be four, some old some new. He is charged with judicial corruption, illegal financing of political parties, false accounting, extortion, abuse of power and prostitution of minors than eighteen – the Rubygate affair -. The consequences?

The Italian Premier doesn’t resign but continues to accuse his political opponents and the magistrates of conspiracy against him. He finds all the possible ways not to go to the hearings, he is also trying to reform the justice system in order to get out of troubles.

Italians?Almost the half of the people seem to believe that he’s innocent and don’t think he should resign. In the parliament he is constantly increasing his government majority – finding magically new supporters from others parties -. The story about Bunga-Bunga parties has become very popular and also Berlusconi uses it to make jokes inviting journalists, electors and other politicians to participate during public conferences.

A politician should follow an appropriate behaviour, in accordance to his public figure. The electors need to take those figures as their model. In a civil country, with a right justice system, the consequences of actions which undermine the credibility of the country should be suitable to a right sense of decency, responsibility and morality.

How should be filthy a scandal in Italy to lead a Prime Minister to resign? Is this the country of indecency and immorality?

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