Emma Watson denies bullying claim

30 April 2011 Last updated at 07:29 GMT Emma Watson said she was undecided about resuming study Actress Emma Watson has denied claims that bullying drove her to take a break from a prestigious US university.

Media reports had said students at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, had teased her about her role as Hermione in the Harry Potter films.

But in a statement on her website, Miss Watson, 21, said: "I have never been bullied in my life."

She said she did not know what she wanted to do after September, but would focus on acting for the time being.

She had enrolled at Brown in September 2009, initially to study literature.

Reports had alleged that students said "10 points to Gryffindor" - a reference to a house at Hogwarts, the school for wizards in the Harry Potter films - when Miss Watson correctly answered a question in class.

Miss Watson said: "I felt the need to let you all know the reason I took a semester off from Brown had nothing to do with bullying as the media have been suggesting recently.

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Please don't try and speculate about what I might do in September - no-one can possibly know because I don't even know yet!”

End Quote Emma Watson Actress "I have never been bullied in my life and certainly never at Brown. This '10 points to Gryffindor' incident never even happened.

"I feel the need to say this because accusing Brown students of something as serious as bullying and this causing me to leave seems beyond unfair."

Last month she announced she was taking time out of study to focus on her film career.

Although her spokeswoman said last week that Miss Watson would transfer to another university in autumn, Miss Watson's statement said: "Please don't try and speculate about what I might do in September - no-one can possibly know because I don't even know yet!

"Like my other fellow Brown students I am trying to figure out my third year and whether or not I will spend it abroad (this is common)."

In the frequently asked questions section of her website, the first question is "why did you chose Brown University over a British one?"

Her undated answer is: "I was seriously torn as to whether to stay in the UK or go to the States as let's face it the UK has some of the best universities in the world. But, ultimately, I loved the course at Brown and really liked the idea of experiencing a different country and culture - and I must say I've never been happier, I absolutely love Brown."

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Anonymous denies Westboro attack

22 February 2011 Last updated at 10:44 GMT Westboro Baptist Church have staged anti-gay protests at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq Internet activist group Anonymous has said calls for it to attack the website of controversial anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church were a hoax.

The denial follows a publication on an Anonymous-affiliated website attacking the church.

In a new statement, Anonymous urged members not to participate in any denial-of-service attacks against the church's website.

Anonymous said it had "more pressing matters to deal with at the moment".

The new statement, which claimed to be authored by more than 20 members of Anonymous, said it didn't "remember sending" the original release.

Pimple-faced nerds

Anonymous has risen to fame in recent months for its "hacktivism", which has seen it launch denial-of-service attacks against firms it saw as pursuing policies that are in oppostition to its freedom of the web ideals.

The group recently crashed a number of Egyptian government websites, in support of the country's pro-democracy protests.

It also attacked several online companies that it believed had helped clamp down on Wikileaks' activity, including Paypal and Amazon.

Anonymous's informal structure increases the chances that rogue elements can initiate action without widespread support, said Graham Cluley, of security firm Sophos.

Mr Cluley warned that its followers could potentially be led into mounting a major hack under false pretenses.

"There are dangers in future that someone may pose as Anonymous and say that they want an attack".

In its latest statement, Anonymous warned its members not to participate in DDoS attacks against Westboro Baptist Church in case it was a trap.

Westboro Baptist Church has been widely condemned for its aggressive anti-homosexual campaigning.

A number of US states have passed legislation, banning members from protesting close to military funerals.

The church's leader, pastor Fred Phelps, was banned from entering the UK by the Home Office in 2009.

The church had issued a response to the original release, branding Anonymous "a puddle of pimple-faced nerds".

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