-
India to tackle global obesity with cheap fat-loss jabs
-
Somaliland centre saves cheetahs from trafficking to Gulf palaces
-
China swim sensation Yu, 13, beats multiple Olympic medallist
-
North Korean leader, daughter try out new tank
-
Israel strikes 'decimated' Iran as war roils markets
-
James ties NBA record for most regular-season games in latest milestone
-
Trump's Mideast muddle could play into Xi's hands at planned summit
-
Wembanyama lifts playoff-bound Spurs, Doncic and James fuel Lakers
-
Japan ski paradise faces strains of global acclaim
-
Vinicius, Real Madrid must prove consistency in Atletico derby
-
Kane credits Kompany's Bayern 'evolution' as treble beckons
-
PSG look back to their best, but not yet out of sight in Ligue 1
-
Weakened WTO set for high-level meet under cloud of Mideast war
-
New BTS album to drop ahead of comeback mega-gig
-
Troubled Spurs face Forest showdown, Chelsea need top-four surge
-
Australia must be 'smart and adapt' to beat Japan in Asian Cup final: coach
-
From bats to bonds: Uganda's 'cricket grannies'
-
Turkey in cultural diplomacy push to bring history home
-
'The Bachelorette' canned after star's violent video emerges
-
Trump gets approval for gold coin in his likeness
-
Behind the BTS comeback, the dark side of K-pop
-
Crude sinks after Netanyahu tries to reassure on Iran war
-
Three charged with sneaking Nvidia AI chips from US into China
-
Swiatek stunned at Miami Open by 50th-ranked Linette
-
Italy, Germany and France offer help with Hormuz only after ceasefire
-
US-backed airstrikes leave Ecuador border communities in fear
-
'Blackmail': EU leaders round on Orban for stalling Ukraine loan
-
Displacement, bombs and air raid sirens weigh on Mideast Eid celebrations
-
James ties NBA record for most regular-season games played
-
BTS to drop new album ahead of comeback mega-gig
-
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC Announces Transaction in Own Shares - March 20
-
Netanyahu says Iran 'decimated,' Tehran targets Gulf petro-facilities
-
Carrick uncertain if Man Utd defender De Ligt will return this season
-
US, Israel tactics diverge on Iran as Trump's goals still 'fuzzy'
-
Japan PM placates Trump on Iran, but faces Pearl Harbor surprise
-
Brazil presidential hopeful Flavio Bolsonaro praises Bukele
-
The Iran war and the cost of killing 'bad guys'
-
US stocks cut losses on Netanyahu war comments as energy prices soar again
-
Forest beat Midtjylland on penalties to reach Europa League quarters
-
Netanyahu says Iran decimated as Tehran warns of 'zero restraint' in energy attacks
-
Salvadoran anti-corruption lawyer jailed to 'silence her', husband says
-
California to rename Cesar Chavez Day after sex abuse claims
-
Yazidi woman tells French court of rape, slavery and escape from IS
-
New FIFA ruling boosts prospects for women coaches
-
Megan Jones to captain England in Women's Six Nations
-
Trump says told Netanyahu not to attack Iran gas fields
-
MLS reveals shortened 2027 campaign details
-
FIFA planning for World Cup to 'go ahead as scheduled' amid Iran uncertainty
-
Braves outfielder Profar's full MLB season ban upheld: report
-
Mideast war exposing Europe's reliance on Gulf flights, airlines warn
UK comedian Russell Brand faces two new rape, assault charges: police
UK police said two new charges, of rape and sexual assault, had been issued on Tuesday against British comedian and actor Russell Brand.
The media personality turned anti-establishment influencer already pleaded not guilty in May to five charges -- one count of rape, one of oral rape, two of sexual assault and one of indecent assault between 1999 and 2005.
"These new charges are in relation to two further women and are in addition to the charges issued to Brand in April 2025 which involved four women," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
It stressed the total charges now related to six women after further police investigations.
Brand, 50, the ex-husband of US singer Katy Perry, has been summoned to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on January 20 to face the two new charges.
A trial is set to begin at Southwark Crown Court on June 16 on the five original charges.
Prosecutors charged Brand following a police probe into allegations aired in a Channel 4 documentary.
He is accused of raping one woman in a hotel room following an event in the southern Bournemouth area in 1999.
Another charge relates to the oral rape and sexual assault of a woman in 2004 in central London.
In a video response on X after he was charged in April, Brand said he was "grateful" for the "opportunity" to defend himself.
"I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile, but what I never was was a rapist. I've never engaged in non-consensual activity," he said in the video.
Detective Chief Inspector Tariq Farooqi said that the women who have reported Brand's alleged behaviour "continue to receive support from specially trained officers".
He added the police investigation was ongoing and urged "anyone affected by this case, or anyone with information, to come forward".
Born in 1975 to working-class parents in Essex, east of London, Brand began his stand-up career as a teenager, eventually working as an MTV presenter and host of a Big Brother spin-off.
He presented a show on the BBC's Radio 2 station between 2006 and 2008, but quit after an on-air prank when he left a sexually explicit voicemail for "Fawlty Towers" actor Andrew Sachs about his granddaughter.
Once a left-leaning political campaigner and Hollywood star, he has rebranded himself as a conservative guru to his millions of social media followers.
Last year, he said he became a Christian after being baptised in the Thames river.
H.E.Young--AMWN