Prosecution labels actor a ruthless sexual predator at opening of his sex assault trial - CTV News

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Russell Brand was described in a London court Wednesday as a “ruthless” sexual predator by U. K. prosecutors during opening statements of a court case where he is accused of rape and other sex crimes against six women. The 51-year-old actor, comedian and podcast host has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault on charges and alleged offences that occurred between 1999 and 2009. Story continues below advertisement

Canada took the lead early in their friendly against Denmark on Monday afternoon, but an afternoon full of self-inflicted wounds saw them lose 4-3 at Toronto’s BMO Field. The first meeting between these teams on Friday at Montréal’s Stade Saputo ended in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, after Olivia Smith struck an 84th-minute shot across the face of the Danish goal, cancelling out Pernille Harder’s first-half opener. Smith came off the bench along with Kaylee Hunter and DB Pridham in that one, and all three were rewarded by Casey Stoney with a start in game two for their standout performances.

Israeli settlers have attacked European diplomats, including a French mayor, near the Palestinian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank. The delegation was visiting Palestinian olive harvesters on Saturday when the Israeli attackers confronted the group. The attack comes a day after settlers assaulted a US journalist north of Ramallah. In Saturday’s incident, the settlers targeted Belgium’s consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said. “A French mayor was assaulted and a Belgian vehicle damaged,” Prevot said, linking the attack to what he called Israel’s “illegal settlement policy” and pledging to push for further European Union sanctions. French mayor Bernard Baudoux, who was assaulted, told the AFP news agency that the violence suggests that “there is a tolerance on the part of the Israeli government” towards settler violence. Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah, said the settlers surrounded the diplomats’ vehicles, pelted them with stones and smashed their windows.