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UK authorities bring new charges of rape and sexual assault against Russell Brand

LONDON (AP) — British authorities on Tuesday brought new counts of rape and sexual assault against comedian Russell Brand, who is already facing similar charges involving four women.

The U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service said the new charges — one count of rape and one of sexual assault — against Brand were in relation to two further women. The alleged offenses took place in 2009, the CPS said.

Brand, 50, had already been charged in April with two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault. The charges were brought following an 18-month investigation sparked when four women alleged they had been assaulted by the controversial comedian.

Prosecutors said that these offenses took place between 1999 and 2005 — one in the English seaside town of Bournemouth and the other three in London. Brand pleaded not guilty to those charges in a London court earlier this year.

He is expected to appear next in court on Jan. 20, in relation to the two new charges brought against him. A trial has also been scheduled for June next year and is expected to last four to five weeks.

The “Get Him To The Greek” actor, known for risqué stand-up routines, battles with drugs and alcohol, has dropped out of the mainstream media in recent years. He built a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories, as well as discussing religion.

When the first batch of charges were announced in April, Brand said that he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence.

“I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord,” he said in a social media video. “I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile. But what I never was a rapist. I’ve never engaged in nonconsensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.”

The Associated Press doesn’t name victims of alleged sexual violence, and British law protects their identity from the media for life.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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