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Doomed marriage ... Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, pictured in March 2011. Photo: Getty Images

His superstar status gave Scientology invaluable influence in Hollywood, but with a nasty-looking divorce looming, is Tom Cruise now a liability to the controversial Church?

Tom Cruise is 50 years old today. Actors and actresses who trade on their looks rarely enjoy passing this particular milestone, and Cruise has plenty of other reasons to feel miserable.

Hes stuck in rainy Iceland, filming a thriller, while his third wife, Katie Holmes, files for divorce and sole custody of their six-year-old daughter, Suri. At the weekend, his spokesman asked the media to respect the couples privacy. The tabloids thought about this for a split second before splashing with TOM AND KATIE TO DIVORCE - more details pages 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20, 21.

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Couch jumping ... Cruise's antics on Oprah's couch raised eyebrows.

Why the hysteria? Cruise is one of Hollywood most bankable stars, but hes in the twilight of his career as a leading man. There used to be rumours that hes gay, but no one has ever stood them up. If showbusiness reporters wanted to out A-list stars, which they dont, then there are more obvious candidates.

But heres another headline from yesterday: CULT STALKS KATIE. The cult is Scientology, to which Tom Cruise has belonged since his twenties. The headline comes from the Sun, whose owner, Rupert Murdoch, took to Twitter on Sunday to describe the religion as something creepy, even evil.

Tom Cruise is not only the worlds most famous Scientologist but also one of its most powerful operatives. Some sources claim hes Number Two to David Miscavige, the leader of the organisation and best man at his wedding to Holmes.

Another PR disaster .... Cruise was infamously mocked in an episode of South Park.

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From Cruise control to loose cannon?

Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice posted bikini photos of herself to Twitter recently, sparking criticism.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- Did you know that Olympic track hopeful Lolo Jones is a virgin on the prowl for a date? Or that British swimmer Rebecca Adlington quit Twitter because meanies kept insulting her looks? The dirt that years ago would have been lost in the fray of the Olympic Games is now at the top of your Facebook feed.

In the lead-up to major sporting events, media have traditionally churned out human interest stories highlighting a softer side of the people we put on pedestals for their athletic prowess. We learn about their families, the obstacles they've overcome, their grueling diet and training regimen.

In the last few years however, with the rise of tabloid and citizen journalism, and of course social media, the story lines have changed. Now we read anecdotes about athletes deemed "too fat" for competition by Olympic bosses, no less. The human interest stories are still there, but as an information-obsessed population, our interests seem to have changed.

U.S. track and field star Lolo Jones.

As the lines of communication open up, the pressure to maintain a squeaky clean code of conduct increases, says professor David Rowe of the Institute for Culture and Society at the University of Western Sydney. Athletes unfamiliar with this pressure may find themselves under the microscope for what seems like a harmless joke.

Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice is no stranger to social media controversies. Last week, she tweeted a photo of herself wearing a low-cut bikini, a birthday gift from designer Ellie Gonsalves. The risqu shot drew instant criticism in the Twitterverse; one follower even called for her to be dropped from the Olympic team.

This isn't the first time the gold medalist has found herself in hot water. In 2008, the then-20-year-old posted a picture of herself in a skin-tight navy blue police uniform to her Facebook account. And in 2010, she called the South African rugby team a homophobic slur on Twitter after they lost to Australia.

Representatives for Rice declined to comment for this report.

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Olympians' social media pressure

Saturday June 30, 2012

PETALING JAYA: Catcha Media Bhd has proposed to take control of Australian company iCar Asia Ltd, which has entered into agreements to acquire car classifieds and content websites in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

The deal would see Catcha Media dispose of its 50% stake in Auto Discounts Sdn Bhd (ADSB), in return for a 75% stake in iCar Asia which would eventually seek a listing on the ASX (Australian Securities Exchange).

ADSB operates and owns used car trading website http://www.carlist.my.

Proposed acquisitions by iCar Asia also include monthly motoring magazine Malaysian Evo from Catcha Lifestyle Publications Sdn Bhd which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Catcha Media as well as the websites http://www.autospinn.com in Thailand and http://www.mobil123.com in Indonesia.

It should be noted that iCar Asia is a special-purpose vehicle held by Catcha Group Pte Ltd, which is Catcha Media's major shareholder.

Catcha Media told Bursa Malaysia that once iCar Asia was listed on the ASX, its 75% shareholding in iCar Asia was expected to be diluted to 40%.

Catcha Media chief executive officer Patrick Grove said iCar Asia represented a unique opportunity to own a controlling stake in a leading online car classifieds business in the Asean region.

There are currently no other regional players in a very exciting space. iCar Asia is positioned to capitalise on the tremendous growth forecast by Frost & Sullivan to occur in online automotive advertising in the region, he said in a statement.

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11. Catcha Media to acquire Aussie firm

Exclusive

Intrigue ... former Manly majority shareholder Scott Penn and Peter Peters.

SCOTT PENN is no longer the majority shareholder of the Manly Sea Eagles. And for that, he can thank his uncle, Peter Peters.

In a delicious twist in the battle of control for the premiers, former media manager Peters unwittingly relinquished his family's majority control of the clubs when he donated two memorabilia items, match programs for the 1972 and 1973 grand finals, for fundraising.

Those programs, along with a couple of other memorabilia pieces, fetched more than $70,000 when sold by the Manly-Warringah Rugby League Football Club. The MWRLC, also known as the District Club, used those funds to buy additional shares which bumped down Penn Sport's stakeholding from 50.07 per cent to 49.5 per cent.

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Collector's item ... Grand Final souvenir program from 1972.

As of Thursday, Penn's majority stake became a minority one. However, he wasn't even aware he'd been outmanoeuvred in his battle for control of the Sea Eagles until he was blind-sided by the developments at a fiery board meeting that night.

Since gaining majority shareholding, Penn has complained that his stake isn't reflected in the boardroom, pointing to the fact he held only three of the seven director's seats. Last October he told The Sun-Herald he wanted to amend the constitution to ensure the biggest owner got the most seats. Ironically, he now has his wish. The Surfside syndicate comprising the Quantum group (37.57 per cent), along with District Club (12.93 per cent) together now hold the balance of power.

''If he has put that point of view in the past, the case now stands that he is not the majority shareholder,'' said Quantum boss Phil Sidney, who was recently appointed the board spokesman after Penn was stripped of the role. ''So, on his own argument, he is not the majority shareholder and he should not have the majority of seats on the board. Which is now the case.

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Manly memorabilia puts Penn control to the sword

U.S. State Department Announces Resolution of United Technologies Corporation Arms Export Control Enforcement Case

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

June 28, 2012

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United Technologies Corporation (UTC) has agreed to pay more than $75 million as part of a global settlement with the State Department and Justice Department to address arms export violations to China, false and belated disclosures to the U.S. Government about these illegal exports, and many other compliance failures.

An extensive enforcement review by the Department of States Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance has addressed several hundred civil violations of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The State Department has reached administrative agreement with United Technologies Corporation to terminate and resolve these violations. This settlement highlights the role of the Department in protecting sensitive American technologies from being illegally transferred to, or received by, unapproved foreign actors.

The Department determined that UTCs numerous violations demonstrated a systemic, corporate-wide failure to maintain effective ITAR controls. Since 2006, UTC operating units and subsidiaries (including Pratt & Whitney, Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation) have disclosed to the Department hundreds of ITAR violations. A number of the violations may have caused harm to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.

Accordingly, the Department proposed to UTC a consolidated resolution via an administrative settlement which would ensure immediate, comprehensive and effective remedial action across the companys many operating units and subsidiaries. Among the civil violations settled by UTC are several arising from the unauthorized provision in 2002 and 2003 of U.S. origin, ITAR-controlled engine software for military attack helicopters in the Peoples Republic of China. Concurrently with the administrative settlement, UTC has also agreed with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve criminal charges related to these transactions. UTC subsidiary Pratt & Whitney Canada Corporation (P&W Canada) has pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in Connecticut to a criminal violation of the AECA and ITAR, while UTC, Hamilton Sundstrand and P&W Canada have also entered into a deferred prosecution agreement regarding this and other related charges. UTC and the Departments of State and Justice coordinated the resolution of the civil and criminal matters.

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U.S. State Department Announces Resolution of United Technol