Danny Masterson, star of That ’70s Show, has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the rapes of two women two decades ago. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo handed down the sentence to the 47-year-old actor after ruling on a defence motion for a new trial that she rejected, and having heard impact statements from the victims. A jury of seven women and five men found Masterson guilty of two counts on 31 May after seven days of deliberations. Both attacks took place in Masterson’s Hollywood Hills home in 2003, when he was at the height of his fame on the Fox network sitcom. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend. The verdict came in a second trial after a jury failed to reach verdicts on three counts of forcible rape in December 2022 and a mistrial was declared. Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology — where all three women were also members at the time — to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks. Read More ‘You’ll be caught:’ Resurfaced Danny Masterson chat show clip takes on chilling light after rape sentencing Leah Remini hits out at Church of Scientology following Danny Masterson rape sentencing That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rapes

Vladimir Putin orchestrated the killing of Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin thanks to his own weakness, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. The Ukrainian president made the off-hand remark during a conference in Kyiv on Friday, without providing any additional evidence. Mr Prigozhin died in an unexplained crash when a plane carrying himself and some of his top lieutenants went down when flying between Moscow and St Petersburg in late August. Mr Prigozhin offered the most severe challenge to the Russian president’s authority in more than 20 years in power when he and his Wagner fighters rose up against Moscow in June. The mutiny began when Mr Prigozhin’s forces left their base in southern Russia and marched on Moscow. It prompted the Kremlin chief to accuse Mr Prigozhin of "treason" and a "stab in the back". Mr Prigozhin and his troops were eventually halted 24 hours later, about 125 miles from the Russian capital, when a deal was brokered between the Kremlin and Mr Prigozhin by the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko. See our live blog for the latest developments in Ukraine Mr Prigozhin had been in a public feud with Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov for months about the direction of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is now in its 18th month. There has been a crackdown on dissent against the war across Russian society, with dozens facing prison sentences. Western leaders have suggested that little of note happens in Russia without Mr Putin’s sign-off and that he would be unlikely to let the embarrassment of the mutiny go without sending a message to others looking to undermine his presidency. Mr Zelensky said on Friday: "The fact that he killed Prigozhin - at least that’s the information we all have, not any other kind - that also speaks to his rationality, and about the fact that he is weak.” He made the statement in answer to another question about the Russian president. The Kremlin says all possible causes of the crash will be investigated, including the possibility of foul play. It has called the suggestion that Putin ordered the deaths of Mr Prigozhin and his men an "absolute lie". Many critics of Mr Putin have died in unclear circumstances during his 23 years in power, or narrowly escaped dying. Russia’s most recognisable opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, is facing decades in prison over various charges that are widely considered to be politically motivated. He was arrested in 2021 upon returning to Moscow after recuperating in Germany from what is believed to have been nerve agent poisoning. He has blamed that poisoning on the Kremlin, as did a number of Western nations. The Kremlin has denied involvement. Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky’s hometown Kryvyi Rih was one of several sites in Ukraine to be hit by Russian missiles overnight into Friday. Three people were also killed after a Russian bomb struck the village of Odradokamianka in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine. The strikes come as Ukraine is trying to push back Russian troops and reclaim its territory as part of a summer offensive. However, Mr Zelensky said that his nation is finding it harder and slower to secure sanctions on Russia and weapon supplies to help fend off Moscow's forces. He said Ukraine's three-month-old counteroffensive would make faster gains in the south and east if Kyiv's military received more powerful weapons. "The war is slowing down. This is true, we recognise this. All the processes are becoming harder and slowing down: from sanctions to the delivery of weapons," he said. Read More Wagner Group set to be declared a terrorist organisation The UK says it will declare Russia’s Wagner mercenary group a banned terrorist organization Wagner to be declared a terrorist organisation, Home Office says Sunak pledges to ‘put pressure’ on Moscow as he arrives in India for summit Cuba arrests 17 for allegedly helping recruit some of its citizens to fight for Russia in Ukraine Ukraine-Russia war – live: Four dead as Putin’s forces strike Zelensky’s hometown and Kherson

A bizarre mystery where several swimming pools near Atlantic City in New Jersey suddenly turned green has apparently been solved. Patrick Spina IV, 45, was arrested last week when police tracked a drone dropping dye into pools in neighbourhoods in Absecon back to his business. He is facing multiple charges of criminal mischief. Mr Spina’s peculiar pastime was first spotted in late June by a local hotel manager who noticed the pool used by guests had turned a neon colour. "I saw it totally green and I was like, ‘Oh wow what is going on?’ So we saw a dye pack in the bottom of the pool and we didn’t know what it was," Sandra Woolstion, general manager of a Quality Inn in Galloway Township, told ABC. Ms Woolstion said she knew it was not green algae, but even after having the pool drained and cleaned, the dye kept being dropped by the drone bandit at least a dozen times over the summer. The pool was very expensive to clean every time, she said, costing tens of thousands of dollars in maintenance, and guests were often very disappointed by the closure of the pool. "The girls are standing here like, ‘Oh my God we want to go swim.’ Some of them were crying," Ms Woolstion said. "I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?!’ I myself cried. I went into my office and I had a meltdown." Not only were there bills for refurbishments to the pool, but she also took on losses because of pool closures and also had to give her staff overtime pay to monitor the pool. “It was just more than we bargained for,” she told The New York Times. “I was like, ‘I can’t deal with this anymore. This is crazy. This is costing me too much.’” Police also started to receive other calls that reported the same incident happening to their home pools. "We had a resident who was enjoying time in his pool and saw a drone over top and the drone actually dropped something in his pool and it turned green immediately," said Absecon Police Chief James Laughlin. However, Mr Spina’s drone had now been on too many outings for it to fly under the radar. When the drone holding the green dye was seen hovering over the Quality Inn again last Friday, the police brought in staff from the Federal Aviation Administration to track the drone back to a nearby business, Comfort Solutions Heating and Cooling. With this information, police arrested the business owner, Mr Spina. The green pigment turned out to be sea dye that is usually used by search and rescue teams, and which can have a damaging effect on pools. Police say they are still unsure of Mr Spina’s motive for dyeing the pools. Meanwhile, the FAA is investigating the crimes and said that people who use drones in an unsafe manner could face up to $30,000 in fines and have their drone license suspended or revoked. In a statement on Tuesday the agency warned: "FAA regulations prohibit the unsafe or unauthorized operation of any aircraft. We encourage the public to report unauthorized drone operations to local law enforcement to help discourage this dangerous illegal activity." Read More Drone helps ‘adventurous’ 93-year-old ‘go out in style’ Mother charged after New Jersey investigators solve 1984 ‘Baby Mary’ cold case New Jersey failed veterans in state-run homes hit by dozens of COVID-19 deaths, federal report says

A newly released 911 call reveals the chilling details of the incident that led to Youtube influencer Ruby Franke’s arrest, when her 12-year-old child sought food and water from a neighbor. Court documents previously showed that Ms Franke’s child, who was reportedly also in the care of her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt, “climbed out of the window of an Ivins residence belonging to Jodi Hildebrandt and ran to a neighbor’s home” on 30 August. The child reportedly showed up at the neighbor’s home with “duct tape” covering his ankles and wrists as the he begged for food and water. Alarmed, the neighbor called the police. Now, the neighbor’s side of the story is revealed. “I just had a 12-year-old boy show up here at my front door asking for help,” the neighbor says, according to a recording of the call obtained by ABC. “And he’s said he had just come from a neighbor’s house and we know there’s been problems at this neighbor’s house,” the person said of Ms Franke’s home. The neighbor continued, “He is emaciated. He’s got tape around his legs. He’s hungry and he’s thirsty.” “He has duct tape around each ankle. There’s sores around them. He has them around his wrists as well,” the neighbor told 911. “This kid has obviously... he’s been detained. He’s obviously covered in wounds.” Following the call, officials determined the 12-year-old to be severely malnourished, according to the probable cause statement, and was transferred to a nearby hospital. The child was placed on medical hold after it was discovered that he was also suffering from “deep lacerations” due to “being tied up with rope,” arrest records said. Police then searched Ms Franke’s house, where they found a 10-year-old girl who was also allegedly malnourished and suffering from wounds. This child was also taken to the hospital. Ms Franke faces six felony child abuse charges. Four of her children wound up in the custody of the Utah Division of Child and Family Services, KUTVreported. Read More Parenting advice YouTuber Ruby Franke and business partner due in court on child abuse charges Ruby Franke charging documents reveal son’s chilling escape that led to child abuse arrest Influencer Ruby Franke is formally charged with felony child abuse

MADRID (Reuters) -A Spanish prosecutor said on Friday she had filed a complaint with the High Court against suspended soccer

Spanish state prosecutors have filed a lawsuit against Luis Rubiales for sexual assault and coercion for kissing a player on the lips without her consent after the Women’s World Cup final, the country’s prosecutors’ office said Friday. Rubiales, the now-suspended president of the Spanish soccer federation, kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the awards ceremony after Spain beat England to win the title on Aug. 20 in Sydney, Australia. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Belgium acknowledged Thursday that its major rail gateway, the Brussels Midi Station, has become a festering sore of drug abuse, poverty and violence that is a major stain on a nation preparing to take on the presidency of the European Union. The government vowed to tackle the problem, but some critics say action is coming way too late, while others say that any cleanup operation will only push the big-city problems to other neighbourhoods. Belgium, one of the wealthiest nations in the world, with a major tourism industry, has neglected the once-stately Midi Station for decades. It has become a symbol of dysfunctional government as increasingly many of the 160,000 daily commuters and tourists no longer fully feel safe. The increasing spread of crack cocaine and open dealing and use of drugs in the neighbourhood over the past year have exacerbated an already bad situation to the point that petty theft, fights and harassment of tourists have become everyday headline news in the nation of 11.5 million. Belgium takes on the presidency of the 27-nation EU in January for six months. Governments who hold the presidency typically use the opportunity to bask in the global attention to promote their nation. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said at a news conference Thursday that he felt he had to take action and no longer leave security at such a key time to a warren of local authorities who had proven they were not up to the task. “The challenge is one of security that we owe to everyone passing through Brussels. It is about the livable conditions in the neighbourhood, and of course, it is about the image of Brussels and the image of our nation,” he said Thursday. As an immediate measure, it was announced that a special police station will be set up at the existing station at the train station to make interventions easier. But far more fundamental issues are at stake, said historian, former politician and Brussels pundit Luckas Vander Taelen. “Nobody has done anything for years. So this problem gets always worse. And that’s what happens today — everybody seems concerned. But I wonder what is going to change here," he said. Vander Taelen blamed Belgium's Byzantine political structure of overlapping local, regional and national authorities who he said all too often blame each other instead of actually doing something in unison. “There are too many levels of power in Brussels and that paralyses everything,” he said. As criticism mounted, police organized highly publicized raids through the massive railway station, picking up and detaining several people while a cleaning team did away with much of the muck and dirt. Those are only stop-gap solutions though, said Ariane Dierickx of the l'Ilot aid group, which provides services for the homeless and needy. “It was shocking to see that all these people that have been rejected by society are being picked up by police vans while they are not criminals,” she said. “It shows how inadequate the response is.” Dierickx said it would only move the problem to other areas. Belgium's image is being soiled in other places too, De Croo's critics say, since problems at the Nord Station, another major train hub in the capital, haven't been much better. One of the major issues has been the rise of drug trafficking and its accompanying violence in Belgium. The northern port of Antwerp has turned into a main gateway for Latin American cocaine cartels into the continent and cocaine seizures there have more than doubled in the past half decade, according to customs officials. Because of that, relatively inexpensive cocaine has boomed in Brussels and crack cocaine has become a massive security issue, especially around the Midi station. Read More Carrasco dismisses criticism of human rights in Saudi Arabia after transfer to Al Shabab Swimmers enjoy sunshine and a dip at lido celebrating 100th anniversary World War I memorials in France and Belgium are vying again to become UNESCO World Heritage sites Belgium imposes a ban on shelter for single men seeking asylum to make place for families The Ukraine war, propaganda-style, is coming to Russian movie screens. Will people watch? The Ukraine war, propaganda-style, is coming to Russian movie screens. Will people watch?

A human skull was found in a donation box at a Goodwill store in Arizona, prompting local authorities to open an investigation into the "unusual" contribution. The skull with a fake eye and several teeth still attached was discovered by an employee on Tuesday who informed the authorities as they feared it was related to a crime. Police said officers responded to the reports of skull discovery and took possession of what was believed to be “an actual human skull”. The box was dropped off at some point over the weekend, Goodyear Police spokesperson Lisa Berry said. It “did not ever make it to the floor. It was in the donation box, again, with other taxidermy items”, Ms Berry told ABC15. "This is an unusual one," she added. A Goodwill spokesperson said the employee “followed protocol” by calling the police immediately after discovering the skill. “Goodwill is cooperating with the appropriate authorities,” the spokesperson said in a statement. The box was placed into a store’s bin without a return address, according to authorities. The skeletal remains were sent to the Maricopa County medical examiner’s office where the officials found the skull to be of "historic origin" dismissing any possibility of foul play. "It appears to be historic, ancient and does not appear to have any forensic value at all,” said Ms Berry. “And what that means is that no crime is attached to this skull.” She praised the employees who alerted authorities, saying: "Goodwill did do the right thing. Anything suspicious should always be reported." Sydney Steele, a Goodwill shopper, KPHO-TV that they were shocked to hear about the news of the skull discovery. “I’ve never heard of anything donated like this, especially here,” she said. “I come to this Goodwill all the time and I’ve never heard of anything that crazy being donated.” Read More Woman in ‘living hell’ with brain slipping down her spine after ice-skating accident Confessions, a damning dog video and ‘family annihilator’: Key revelations from Alex Murdaugh’s trial An Indiana worker allegedly smashed his colleague’s head with a hammer. He then told a coworker ‘s*** happens’

Volodymyr Zelensky’s top aide has slammed SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for shutting off Starlink’s satellite network over Crimea to aid Russia by thwarting a Ukrainian attack. A new biography claims Elon Musk ordered SpaceX engineers to cut off Ukrainian access to Starlink satellites near the Crimean coast to prevent a surprise drone attack on Russian warships. The billionaire told the author that he feared a strike on occupied Crimea would amount to a “mini-Pearl Harbour” and lead to a Russian nuclear retaliation, Mr Isaacson writes. “Sometimes a mistake is much more than just a mistake. By not allowing Ukrainian drones to destroy part of the Russian military fleet via Starlink interference, Elon Musk allowed this fleet to fire Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities,” Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Mr Zelensky’s office said. “As a result, civilians, children are being killed. This is the price of a cocktail of ignorance and big ego.” Meanwhile yesterday Russia warned of “very sad consequences” after the Pentagon announced Ukraine will be armed with depleted uranium anti-tank rounds that can aid its troops in piercing Russian tanks. Read More From Challenger to Leopard: How Ukraine’s tanks compare to Russia’s A look at the uranium-based ammo the US is sending to Ukraine NATO member Romania says it has found drone pieces from Russian attacks in Ukraine on its territory Russian commander ‘used two military helicopters to transport his pet cat’

The Philippines and Australia boosted defense and diplomatic ties as both countries called for respect of international law

It’s never been easy for the leaders of the world’s largest economies to find common ground, but the global ramifications of Russia’s war on Ukraine mean even greater challenges for meaningful agreement at the Group of 20 meeting this year. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this year’s host, has pledged not to let Ukraine overshadow the needs of the mostly developing nations in the so-called “ Global South,” but many of those issues are closely affected by the war. “New Delhi will not want to distract from the main agenda, which is to address issues of concern for the Global South,” said Nazia Hussain, an associate research fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. “So while there will be discussions on the emerging issues as a fallout of the war — supply chain security and decoupling, energy security, and food supply — the focus must remain on how to mitigate the fallout rather than debate the geopolitical/security aspects of the war.” Even before leaders started arriving for the summit, however, that proved a difficult task. Russia and China, which has been Moscow's most important supporter in the war against Ukraine, have blocked attempts at a final communique over objections to phrasing on Ukraine — the same wording they signed off a year ago at the G20 summit in Bali that said “most members strongly condemned the war.” The European Union, meanwhile, has said compromise language suggested by India is not strong enough for them to agree to. If leaders don’t break this deadlock, it could lead to the first time that the group’s summit has ended without a communique reflecting the countries' commitments. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Bali summit by video last year, but Modi has made a point of not inviting Ukraine to participate in this year's event. Still, the White House has said that President Joe Biden's agenda includes “mitigating the economic and social impacts of Putin's war in Ukraine.” Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has even promised Zelenskyy to keep Ukraine in the discussions, telling him in a video call that Zelenskyy posted on Instagram that “I’m disappointed that you won’t be included but as you know, we will be speaking up strongly for you.” Founded in 1999, the G20 was initially a response to global economic challenges, but since then, geopolitical tensions have introduced more politics into the discussions, complicating its ability to work effectively, said Ian Lesser, vice president of the German Marshall Fund and director of its Brussels office. The G20 encompasses the world's wealthiest countries in the Group of Seven, including the U.S., Canada, Britain, Japan, Germany and the European Union as a bloc, along with Russia, China and others. Russia's attack on Ukraine and China's growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region have added friction, pitting some of the most powerful G20 countries directly against each other diplomatically, Lesser said. “Having China and Russia in the room now is a very different question than it would have been a decade ago,” he said. “It is very difficult now for any of these large-scale summits to avoid the major issues of the issues of the day, and these major issues are very polarizing — the war in Ukraine, tensions in the Indo-Pacific, even climate policy — the things that are both at the top of the global agenda but also very difficult to address.” Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be attending the G20 themselves, instead sending lower-level officials. Russia and China did not indicate why their leaders were not attending, but neither have traveled much recently and both seem to be putting a greater emphasis on the more like-minded BRICS group of nations: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. That group agreed at its summit last month to expand to include Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia. China’s relations with India continue to be strained over ongoing border disputes, but despite the decision to send Premier Li Qiang instead of Xi, Modi and Xi did discuss the issue face-to-face at the BRICS summit and China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing considers India-China relations “generally stable.” Along with its membership in BRICS, India has historic ties with Moscow but is also on good terms with the U.S. Modi is hoping to use his country's influence to bridge gaps between the wealthy nations that have been standing together to sanction Russia over the Ukraine war and the Global South. About half of the G20 countries are found in the Global South — depending on how one defines it — and Modi hopes to add the African Union as a bloc member. In preparation, he held a virtual “Voice of the Global South” summit in January and in working groups has targeted issues critical to developing nations, including alternative fuels like hydrogen, resource efficiency, developing a common framework for digital public infrastructure and food security. “For the Global South, India’s presidency is seen as an opportunity with immense potential to address developmental needs, particularly as Brazil and South Africa are set to take over the presidency of the G20 from India in 2024 in 2025 respectively,” Hussain said. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters before Biden's departure that the president supported adding the African Union as a permanent member and that the president hoped this summit “will show that the world's major economies can work together even in challenging times.” The U.S. will also focus on many of Modi's priorities, including reforming multilateral development banks, especially the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, to help developing countries, Sullivan said. Biden will also call for “meaningful debt relief” for low- and middle-income countries, and seek to make progress on other priorities including climate and health issues. Without Xi and Putin present, some have suggested it could be more difficult reach meaningful agreements, but Hussain said it may be an opportunity for Modi to focus more on India's G20 priorities. “While a yearlong presidency cannot solve all the problems of the Global South, India has managed to set the ball rolling on some of these issues, and individual G20 countries can carry forward the work,” she said. Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Biden, Modi look to continue tightening US-India relations amid shared concerns about China Zelensky aide slams Elon Musk for thwarting Ukrainian drone strike - live – live AP Week in Pictures: Global | Sept. 1-7 2023

Chaotic scenes unfolded as climate protesters interrupted Coco Gauff’s US Open semifinal against Karolina Muchova with at least one person glueing their feet to the floor in the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands. Gauff was ahead 6-4, 1-0 when play was halted for around 49 minutes as security tried to remove the protesters. The group was wearing shirts that read, “End Fossil Fuels” and at least one person glued their feet making their removal difficult, a spokesperson for the US Tennis Association told The Associated Press. At least two people were taken away by police officers, who were cheered by the New York crowd who had chanted “Kick them out” as the disruption went on. Gauff sat in her seat on the sideline and ate fruit before hitting some practice serves, while Muchova was seen by a trainer. Eventually, both players headed back towards the locker room with Gauff chatting to members of her team until the disruption was handled. The US Open becomes the latest sports event to be impacted by climate protesters railing against the use of fossil fuels. At Wimbledon in July, two matches were interrupted when activists got onto Court 18 and threw orange confetti on the grass. The All-England club announced that the protester, along with another wearing shirts reading “Just Stop Oil,” were arrested “on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage.” The Just Stop Oil group has also protested at cricket, football and rugby matches, as well as at the World Snooker Championship. Just Stop Oil describes itself as a “nonviolent civil resistance group demanding the UK Government stop licensing all new oil, gas and coal projects.” Gauff, a 19-year-old American, and Muchova, a 27-year-old from the Czech Republic, were both playing in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows for the first time. The other women’s semifinal, between Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Madison Keys of the United States, was set to begin after Gauff vs. Muchova finished. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Read More Chris Packham climate change protest: TV presenter leads scientists in Westminister demonstration Climate activists hailed by Fearnley-Whittingstall for ‘putting liberty at risk’ Climate activists target jets, yachts and golf in a string of global protests against luxury Sierra Nevada lakes change more in past 100 years than three millennia How the climate crisis played a role in fueling Hurricane Ida Against the odds: The fight to save sea turtles in Ras Baridi