Halle Berry settles house dispute

Actress Halle Berry, 35, has settled a legal dispute over a house purchase earlier this year in Beverly Hills.

The Oscar-winning star paid over $2m (£1.1m) for a house which turned out to need a further $1m in building work.

Homeowners Jonathan and Alison Roth, originally sued the actress claiming she knew about the property's condition

Berry countersued, claiming the defects were only discovered after the sale. The undisclosed settlement will be finalised in January.

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Unwitting star of reality TV show

An unknown Israeli actor has become the unwitting star of a reality TV show.

The Steve Show secretly filmed actor Steve Frankel, 31, in his new role in a fictional soap opera, both on set and behind the scenes.

Director Yigal Shilon adopted the high risk strategy with the permission of Frankel's family - thus reducing the possibility of legal action.

The show has topped ratings in Israel. The final episode, in which the hoax is revealed, is broadcast on December 15.

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Man held over painting attack

A man accused of damaging a Renaissance painting at London's National Gallery has been remanded in custody until 11 December.

Paul Justin Carlisle Lennon, 36, appeared by video link at Horseferry magistrates in central London where he faced a charge of criminal damage.

He was arrested last month following an incident where Bronzino's Allegory of Venus and Cupid was punched.

It is understood the 16th Century Italian masterpiece sustained only minor surface damage and suffered no paint loss.

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Knopfler's wife gives birth

Former Dire Straits front man Mark Knopfler is celebrating the birth of a baby daughter.

Katya Ruby Rose, who was born on Tuesday is the second child for the star and his third wife Kitty Aldridge.

The couple already have a five-year-old daughter, Isabella, and Knopfler has 16-year-old twin sons, Benjamin and Joseph, from a previous marriage.

Knopfler, 54, had a string of hits with Dire Straits including Money For Nothing and Sultans Of Swing.

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Five years at top for Westlife

Westlife celebrated five years at the top of the pop world with a reception at the Irish Embassy in London, with a green carpet replacing the traditional red one.

Actress Martine McCutcheon presented the Irish five-piece with a Guinness World Record award for the most singles to debut at the top of the UK chart.

The band performed five songs from their new album Turnaround - the first live performance at the Embassy.

"We're in a place we never thought we'd get to," said singer Nicky Byrne.

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Probe into radio stunt

A early morning stunt that saw £5,000 burned by a radio station is to be probed by the industry's watchdog.

Callers to Chrysalis radio's Galaxy station were given a choice - the cash could be torched or a listener would get a breast enhancement operation.

The show prompted a complaint from a member of the public to the Radio Authority who launched a probe.

A watchdog spokesman said the authority had requested a tape of the broadcast and an adjudication on the issue would be published at a later date.

Paul Fairburn, the managing director of Galaxy, said he was unable to comment on the details of the complaint as the station was in the process of responding to it.

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Devine declared bankrupt

Former top TV presenter Magenta Devine has been declared bankrupt.

Devine, known for her trademark black shades and husky voice, became an 80s youth TV icon on shows such as Network 7 and the Rough Guide travel series.

The 43-year-old had battled against heroin addiction, and in recent years had done voiceovers for ads including Peugeot, Toyota and Motorola.

Her agent said she had no current TV or radio work but had various projects "in the pipeline".