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  • ‘Slippery’ actor Kevin Spacey tried to groom me, man tells UK court

    ‘Slippery’ actor Kevin Spacey tried to groom me, man tells UK court

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    [1/2]Actor Kevin Spacey walks outside the Southwark Crown Court on the day of his trial over charges related to allegations of sex offences, in London, Britain, June 30, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville

    • Actor Kevin Spacey charged with 12 sex offences
    • Oscar-winner denies all accusations
    • Alleged victim says he felt ashamed

    LONDON, July 3 (Reuters) – An alleged sex assault victim of Kevin Spacey said the “slippery” Hollywood actor had tried to “groom” him, and the repeated groping assaults had left him feeling physically sick, a London court heard on Monday.

    Spacey, 63, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of a dozen allegations of historic sex offences committed against four men, then aged in their 20s and 30s, which are said to have taken place between 2001 and 2013.

    He has denied all the charges and his lawyer Patrick Gibbs said last week at the start of the trial the jury were going to hear some “damned lies”.

    On Monday, the court was shown a recorded police interview with the first of the alleged victims. The man said the actor had assaulted him on up to 12 occasions over a period of about four years in the early 2000s, grabbing his “private areas” when they were alone, such as in a car or an elevator.

    After two to three weeks of being with Spacey, the actor made him feel uncomfortable, rubbing the man’s legs and neck while he was driving, before later starting to grope him or force the man’s hand onto his genitalia, he said.

    “He was almost, from the get go, grooming me,” the man said in the interview.

    The alleged victim, who cannot be identified, said the “touchy feely” actor had on one occasion aggressively grabbed his crotch so hard when he was driving him to a party hosted by singer Elton John in about 2004 that he almost crashed the car.

    Describing himself a “man’s man”, the accuser recounted that he had threatened to knock the actor out if he did it again, to which Spacey had replied “that’s such a turn on to me”.

    He described the Oscar-winner as a “slippery snaky, difficult person”, a “mixed-up individual” who was very confused about his sexuality. The man said Spacey’s behaviour was an open secret at the London Old Vic theatre where he worked for more than a decade.

    “It was well-known that he was obviously up to no good so to speak,” the man said.

    ‘SICK’

    Giving evidence in person in court from the behind a screen, the man said he felt shocked, embarrassment and ashamed about what had happened to him, saying the alleged assaults made him feel physically sick.

    He rejected suggestions from Spacey’s lawyer Gibbs that he had been flirtatious himself with the actor, had appeared to enjoy the interaction and that he had questioned his own sexuality.

    Gibbs quizzed him about why he had kept a “warm and jolly” letter Spacey had sent him ahead of a charity event the man was involved in, and a “cosy” photo he posted on social media showing him with the actor.

    “It’s just a normal photo, two men standing next to each other,” the witness replied.

    Gibbs also put it to him the allegation regarding the incident prior to the Elton John party was completely untrue, pointing out that Spacey had only attended one such gathering which was in 2001. The man replied he might have got the dates wrong as it had been so long ago.

    Asked why he had only come forward to the police last year, he said it was the “right time”, and then when questioned whether it had occurred to him he might be able to sue Spacey, he agreed it had.

    Asked how much he thought he might receive, he replied: “Whatever it would be, it wouldn’t be enough for somebody who had been assaulted and abused.”

    The trial is due to last about four weeks.

    Reporting by Michael Holden, Editing by William Maclean

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Construction halted on mansion of Brazilian soccer star Neymar

    Construction halted on mansion of Brazilian soccer star Neymar

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    RIO DE JANEIRO, June 22 (Reuters) – Construction on a mansion belonging to Brazilian soccer player Neymar Jr was halted on Thursday due to environmental violations, officials said on Thursday, adding that the high-profile athlete could face a fine of at least $1 million.

    The residence is located in the coastal town of Mangaratiba on the south coast of Rio de Janeiro state.

    The luxury project violated rules regarding use and movement of fresh water sources, rock and sand, the local government said in a statement.

    If the violations are proved, Neymar Jr could be forced to pay at least 5 million reais ($1.05 million) in fines, according to the statement.

    Officials said that during their visit to the property to stop construction, the athlete’s father, Neymar da Silva Santos, insulted them. He was subsequently threatened with arrest but was ultimately not detained.

    A Neymar family spokesperson declined to comment on the matter.

    ($1 = 4.7729 reais)

    Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Writing by Peter Frontini and Carolina Pulice
    Editing by Shri Navaratnam

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Nipsey Hussle’s killer sentenced to at least 60 years in prison

    Nipsey Hussle’s killer sentenced to at least 60 years in prison

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    LOS ANGELES, Feb 22 (Reuters) – A California man was sentenced on Wednesday to at least 60 years in prison for the 2019 killing of Grammy-winning rapper Nipsey Hussle after a chance encounter in the south Los Angeles neighborhood where the men grew up.

    A jury had found Eric Holder Jr, 32, guilty of first-degree murder in July 2022 for fatally shooting Hussle outside a clothing store the rapper owned.

    On Wednesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge H. Clay Jacke sentenced Holder to 25 years to life in state prison for murdering Hussle, plus an additional 25 years to life because he used a gun in the slaying.

    Holder was ordered to serve an additional 10 years in prison for shooting two bystanders.

    [1/3] Eric Ronald Holder sits in the courtroom at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center ahead of his sentencing for first-degree murder in the 2019 shooting of Grammy-winning rapper Nipsey Hussle in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on September 15, 2022. Apu Gomes/Pool via REUTERS

    Prosecutors said Holder shot Hussle at least 10 times after they ran into each other on a Sunday afternoon outside the clothing store. Following a brief conversation, Holder left and returned about 10 minutes later and opened fire.

    Public defender Aaron Jansen acknowledged that Holder killed Hussle but argued that he should not be convicted of first-degree murder because he said the attack was not pre-meditated.

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    Jansen said Holder acted in “the heat of passion” after Hussle told him there were rumors of him “snitching” to police, which he considered a serious offense. Holder did not testify during the trial.

    Hussle, who was 33 when he died, had publicly acknowledged that he joined a gang as a teenager. He later became an activist and entrepreneur as he found success with rap music and collaborated with artists including Snoop Dogg and Drake.

    In 2020, Hussle won two posthumous Grammy awards including one for “Racks in the Middle,” released a few weeks before his death and featuring Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy.

    Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Jorge Garcia in Los Angeles
    Editing by Leslie Adler, Matthew Lewis and David Gregorio

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Lisa Marie Presley to be laid to rest at Graceland

    Lisa Marie Presley to be laid to rest at Graceland

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    LOS ANGELES, Jan 13 (Reuters) – Singer Lisa Marie Presley will be laid to rest at Graceland, the Memphis mansion she inherited from her father Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” a representative for her daughter said on Friday.

    Presley died on Thursday at the age of 54 after being rushed to a Los Angeles area hospital after reportedly suffering cardiac arrest at her home.

    “Lisa Marie’s final resting place will be at Graceland, next to her beloved son Ben,” said a representative for her 33-year-old daughter Riley Keough, an actress. She is also survived by twin 14-year-old daughters Finley and Harper.

    Two days earlier, Lisa Marie Presley had appeared with her mother Priscilla Presley at the Golden Globe Awards, where actor Austin Butler won the best actor award for portraying her father in the film “Elvis” and paid tribute to both women in his acceptance speech.

    “My heart is completely shattered for Riley, Finley, Harper and Priscilla at the tragic and unexpected loss of Lisa Marie,” Butler said in a statement on Friday.

    “I am eternally grateful for the time I was lucky enough to be near her bright light and will forever cherish the quiet moments we shared. Her warmth, her love and her authenticity will always be remembered.”

    Benjamin Keough died in 2020 at age 27, a death ruled a suicide by the Los Angeles County coroner.

    Lisa Marie Presley remembered her son in an essay this year for People magazine that she posted on Instagram, describing herself as “destroyed” by his death.

    As the only daughter of Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie became the owner of her father’s Graceland mansion, a popular tourist attraction in the city. She was nine when Elvis died there of heart failure in August 1977, aged 42.

    Elvis Presley and other members of his family are buried at Graceland’s Meditation Garden.

    Tributes to Lisa Marie Presley continued to pour in on Friday.

    “Over the last year, the entire Elvis movie family and I have felt the privilege of Lisa Marie’s kind embrace,” Baz Luhrmann, the director of “Elvis”, said on Instagram.

    “Her sudden, shocking loss has devastated people all around the world.”

    In the celebrity spotlight since her birth, Lisa Marie began her own music career with a 2003 debut album “To Whom It May Concern.”

    That was followed by 2005’s “Now What,” and both hit the top 10 of the Billboard 200 album chart. A third album, “Storm and Grace,” was released in 2012.Singer Billy Idol posted a picture of them together on Twitter and said she had been “very loving 2 me”, adding, “In Memphis in the 90’s she gave me a viewing of the private sections of Graceland which was very special.”

    Lisa Marie Presley is survived by her mother, daughter Riley Keough, and 14-year-old twin daughters Harper and Finley Lockwood.

    Additional reporting by Lisa Richwine and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by David Gregorio and Clarence Fernandez

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  • Harry and Meghan dismiss Sun apology for offending column as ‘PR stunt’

    Harry and Meghan dismiss Sun apology for offending column as ‘PR stunt’

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    LONDON, Dec 24 (Reuters) – Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan on Saturday dismissed an apology by the tabloid Sun newspaper for publishing a column highly critical of Meghan as a “PR stunt” and said the newspaper had not contacted her to say sorry.

    In the column, television presenter Jeremy Clarkson wrote of Meghan: “At night, I’m unable to sleep as I lie there, grinding my teeth and dreaming of the day when she is made to parade naked through the streets of every town in Britain while the crowds chant, ‘Shame!’ and throw lumps of excrement at her.”

    Britain’s Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) regulator said on Tuesday that it had received more than 17,500 complaints, the most about any article since it was established in 2014.

    “While the public absolutely deserves the publication’s regrets for their dangerous comments, we wouldn’t be in this situation if The Sun did not continue to profit off of and exploit hate, violence and misogyny,” a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said.

    “A true apology would be a shift in their coverage and ethical standards for all. Unfortunately, we’re not holding our breath.”

    The Sun, in its apology, said: “We at The Sun regret the publication of this article and we are sincerely sorry”, adding that the article had been removed from its website and archives.

    More than 60 lawmakers signed a letter written by Caroline Nokes, chair of parliament’s Women and Equalities Select Committee, to the editor of The Sun warning such articles contribute to a climate of hatred and violence against women.

    In a statement posted on Twitter on Monday, Clarkson said he was “horrified to have caused so much hurt” and would be “more careful in future”.

    The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as Harry and Meghan are officially known, stepped down from royal duties in March 2020, saying they wanted to make new lives in the United States away from media harassment.

    In a Netflix documentary series, Meghan spoke about how her treatment by the media had left her feeling suicidal as well as concern over whether she and her children were safe.

    Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar: Editing by Nick Macfie

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  • UK’s King Charles celebrates 74th birthday with new role

    UK’s King Charles celebrates 74th birthday with new role

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    LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) – Britain’s King Charles celebrated his 74th birthday on Monday, with the occasion marked by him replacing his late father as The Ranger of Great Windsor Park, a position which dates back more than four centuries.

    Charles, who became the oldest monarch in British history when he succeeded his mother on the throne in September, will enjoy his first birthday as king in private with no public engagements planned.

    However, Buckingham Palace announced that he had officially taken up his new role as Ranger, a job which dates back to 1559 when Queen Elizabeth I appointed Henry Neville, and released a new photograph of Charles next to an old oak tree in the park.

    His father Prince Philip held the title from 1952 when his wife became Queen Elizabeth II, succeeding her father George VI in the job.

    Queen Victoria is among other royals to have held the role which involves providing oversight and guidance to the Deputy Ranger and his team in the daily running of one of the country’s oldest landed estates, the Palace said.

    Reporting by Michael Holden, Editing by Kylie MacLellan

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  • King Charles asks UK parliament to allow brother and sister to act in his place

    King Charles asks UK parliament to allow brother and sister to act in his place

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    LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) – King Charles asked the British parliament on Monday to amend the law to allow two more of his siblings to act on his behalf in his absence, adding them to a group which currently includes his disgraced brother Prince Andrew.

    In a statement read out on his behalf in the House of Lords, the upper chamber of parliament, Charles, who on Monday turned 74, asked for the number of Counsellors of State to be increased to include his sister Princess Anne and youngest brother Prince Edward.

    The Counsellors, who can act on behalf of the monarch in his absence to carry out all but his most key roles such as appointing a new prime minister, are selected from his spouse and the four adults next in line to the throne.

    That currently means that in addition to Charles’s wife Camilla and his eldest son and heir Prince William, the grouping comprises the king’s younger son Prince Harry, younger brother Prince Andrew, and Andrew’s eldest daughter Princess Beatrice.

    That has led to criticism from some commentators because neither Andrew nor Harry carry out official royal roles any more.

    Andrew was stripped of most of his titles and removed from royal duties due to a scandal over his friendship with the late U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, and he later settled a U.S. lawsuit in which he was accused of sexual abuse.

    Meanwhile, Harry stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and moved to California with his wife Meghan.

    “To ensure continued efficiency of public business when I’m unavailable, such as while I’m undertaking official duties overseas, I confirm that I would be most content should parliament see fit for the number of people who may be called upon to act as Counsellors of State … to be increased to include my sister and brother,” the king’s statement said.

    The change will require parliament to amend the terms of the Regency Act.

    Reporting by Michael Holden
    Editing by Gareth Jones

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Adidas ends Ye deal over hate speech, costing rapper his billionaire status

    Adidas ends Ye deal over hate speech, costing rapper his billionaire status

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    • Adidas ends partnership immediately
    • To take about $250 mln hit to 2022 net income
    • Gap, Balenciaga have also cut ties with Ye

    Oct 25 (Reuters) – Adidas AG (ADSGn.DE) terminated its partnership with rapper and fashion designer Ye on Tuesday after he made a series of antisemitic remarks, a move that knocked the musician off the Forbes list of the world’s billionaires.

    Adidas put the tie-up, which has produced several hot-selling Yeezy branded sneakers, under review this month.

    “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the German company said on Tuesday.

    “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness,” it said.

    Forbes magazine said the end of the deal meant Ye’s net worth shrank to $400 million. The magazine had valued his share of the Adidas partnership at $1.5 billion.

    The remainder of Ye’s wealth comes from real estate, cash, his music catalogue and a 5% stake in ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s shapewear firm, Skims, Forbes said.

    Representatives for Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    For Adidas, ending the partnership and the production of Yeezy branded products, as well as stopping all payments to Ye and his companies, will have a “short-term negative impact” of up to 250 million euros ($248.90 million) on net income this year, the company said.

    Ye has courted controversy in recent months by publicly ending major corporate tie-ups and making outbursts on social media against other celebrities. His Twitter and Instagram accounts were restricted, with the social media platforms removing some of his online posts that users condemned as antisemitic.

    In now-deleted Instagram posts earlier this year, the multiple Grammy award-winning artist accused Adidas and U.S. apparel retailer Gap Inc (GPS.N) of failing to build contractually promised permanent stores for products from his Yeezy fashion line.

    [1/3] Singer Kanye West walks past models after presenting his Fall/Winter 2015 partnership line with Adidas at New York Fashion Week February 12, 2015. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo

    He also accused Adidas of stealing his designs for its own products.

    On Tuesday, Gap, which had ended its partnership with Ye in September, said it was taking immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap products from its stores and that it had shut down YeezyGap.com.

    “Antisemitism, racism and hate in any form are inexcusable and not tolerated in accordance with our values,” Gap said in a statement.

    European fashion house Balenciaga has also cut ties with Ye, according to media reports.

    “The saga of Ye … underlines the importance of vetting celebrities thoroughly and avoiding those who are overly controversial or unstable,” said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData.

    Adidas poached Ye from rival Nike Inc (NKE.N) in 2013 and agreed to a new long-term partnership in 2016 in what the company then called “the most significant partnership created between a non-athlete and a sports brand.”

    The tie-up helped the German brand close the gap with Nike in the U.S. market.

    Yeezy sneakers, which cost between $200 and $700, generate about 1.5 billion euros ($1.47 billion) in annual sales for Adidas, making up a little over 7% of its total revenue, according to estimates from Telsey Advisory Group.

    Shares in Adidas, which cut its full-year forecast last week, closed down 3.2%. The group said it would provide more information as part of its upcoming Q3 earnings announcement on Nov. 9.

    ($1 = 1.0044 euros)

    Reporting by Mrinmay Dey, Uday Sampath and Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru and Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing by Tomasz Janowski, Sriraj Kalluvila, Bernadette Baum, Anil D’Silva and Cynthia Osterman

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  • Prop guns spark debate after cinematographer’s death on set

    Prop guns spark debate after cinematographer’s death on set

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    Oct 22 (Reuters) – An on-set shooting death has reignited concern about the use of prop guns like the weapon actor Alec Baldwin discharged in the killing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while filming a movie in New Mexico.

    Some prop guns are non-firing facsimile weapons, but many are real guns, loaded with blank rounds instead of bullets.

    While the exact type of weapon used in the shooting on the set of “Rust” remained unclear, an affidavit filed by New Mexico authorities on Friday said the film’s assistant director grabbed one of three guns placed on a table by the armorer.

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    The assistant director took the gun to Baldwin, handed it to the actor and yelled, “cold gun,” in an indication that “the prop-gun did not have any live rounds,” the affidavit said.

    Prop guns have long been used on sets for the realistic visual effect of the flash and recoil after an actor pulls the trigger. Guns with blank cartridges, which lack a bullet but use gunpowder, can be fatal at close range.

    Productions using prop guns have designated weapons handlers or armorers tasked with watching the weapons on set, regularly checking that they are only loaded when needed and with the intended material, and ensuring that actors use them safely, according to industry rules and experts.

    “Every armorer I’ve ever worked with takes that job outrageously seriously,” Ben Rock, a film and television director, told Reuters in an interview.

    An aerial view of the film set on Bonanza Creek Ranch where Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded a director when he discharged a prop gun on the movie set of the film “Rust” in Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S., in this frame grab taken from October 21, 2021 television footage. Footage taken October 21, 2021. KOB TV News/Handout via REUTERS

    Rock said he has pushed back on the use of firing blank rounds for years, arguing the “gritty realism” it lends can be replaced by using airsoft guns and adding visual effects in post-production.

    “Why is it worth any risk?” Rock said. ‘We’re also pretending everything else, I don’t see why we can’t pretend about this too.”

    According to the Santa Fe, New Mexico sheriff’s department, no charges have been filed in Thursday’s fatal shooting of Hutchins and the injury of Souza, and the investigation remains open. The sheriff’s office has said Baldwin discharged a prop firearm.

    Baldwin is a co-producer and an actor in “Rust”, a Western set in 1880s Kansas.

    Rick Pallaziol, who owns the company “Weapons of Choice” and has leased prop weapons to television, film and theater clients for about three decades, said he stopped renting guns that can fire rounds to film productions more than 20 years ago because he was concerned about the risks involved with blank cartridges. Even with rules in place, a brief lapse in alertness after a long day on set can be lethal, he said.

    “Protocols aren’t enough,” Pallaziol told Reuters. “Someone has to be really afraid at every given moment that the gun is going to go off, and when they see that it’s pointed in the wrong direction, to yell bloody murder before something happens.”

    Ken Sonkin, a performing arts professor at the University of San Francisco and a stage combat specialist, said the sensory effects from firing blank rounds are hard to replicate with sound effects. But he added that Hutchins’ death may give directors pause.

    “I do think it will ask those of us who work in the industry to reinvest in our safety protocols and maybe reexamine them,” Sonkin said.

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    Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Editing by Donna Bryson, David Gregorio and Daniel Wallis

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