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LONDON (AP) — British prosecutors said Thursday they have charged actor Kevin Spacey with four counts of sexual assault against three men. The Crown Prosecution Service said Spacey “has also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.” The alleged incidents took place in London between March 2005 and August 2008, and one in western England in April 2013. The alleged victims are now in their 30s and 40s. Rosemary Ainslie, head of the service’s Special Crime Division, said the charges follow a review of evidence gathered by London’s Metropolitan Police. Spacey, a 62-year-old double Academy Award winner, was questioned by British police in 2019 about claims by several men that he had assaulted them. The former “House of Cards” star ran London’s Old Vic Theatre between 2004 and 2015. Spacey won a best supporting actor Academy Award for the 1995 film “The Usual Suspects” and a lead actor Oscar for the 1999 movie “American Beauty." … [Read more...] about Kevin Spacey charged in UK with 4 counts of sexual assault

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 TOKYO (AP) — Japan will open its borders to foreign tourists in June for the first time since imposing tight pandemic travel restrictions about two years ago, but only for package tours for now, the prime minister said Thursday. Beginning June 10, Japan will allow the entry of people on tours with fixed schedules and guides, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. Tourists from areas with low COVID-19 infection rates who have received three vaccine doses will be exempt from testing and quarantine after entry. Japan this week is hosting small experimental package tours from four countries, Australia, Singapore, Thailand and the United States. That experiment, which involves only 50 people who received special visas, not tourist visas, is to end May 31. “Free and active exchange of people is the foundation of economy and society, as well as that of Asia’s development,” Kishida told … [Read more...] about Japan to resume tourism in June; only packaged tour for now

Geoff McArthur sits in a hospital room inside USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. It’s Monday. He sounds tired. More tired than he ever sounded after any of the 51 games he played for the Cal football team between 2000 and 2003, after which he left the Golden Bears as their all-time leading receiver with 3,188 career receiving yards. McArthur — Aaron Rodgers’ top target during Rodgers’ two seasons in Berkeley — has non-Hodgkin diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a treatable cancer with a 64% chance of a 5-year relative survival rate (meaning 64% of people with this type of lymphoma live as long over the ensuing five years as people without cancer). The cancer has already spread to his neck, chest and abdomen, and doctors have been prodding, scanning and poking him with needles since May 20 — when he was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed — to see if it’s spread to his brain and spine. McArthur already had his first round of chemotherapy and has more scheduled from now all … [Read more...] about Cal football legend Geoff McArthur, Aaron Rodgers’ top receiver, has cancer. He’s had to crowdfund medical bills.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Moscow pressed the West on Thursday to lift sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, seeking to shift the blame for a growing food crisis that has been worsened by Kyiv’s inability to ship millions of tons of grain and other agricultural products due to the conflict. Britain immediately accused Russia of “trying to hold the world to ransom,” insisting there would be no sanctions relief, and a top U.S. diplomat blasted the "sheer barbarity, sadistic cruelty and lawlessness” of the invasion. Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but the war, including a Russian blockade of its ports, has halted much of that flow, endangering world food supplies. Many of those ports are now also heavily mined. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tried to put the blame squarely on the sanctions. "We accuse Western countries of taking a series of unlawful actions that has led to the blockade,” he said in a call with reporters. … [Read more...] about Russia slams sanctions, seeks to blame West for food crisis

New York (CNN Business) Decades-high inflation is leading to a split in American consumers' behavior. Affluent shoppers are splurging on new outfits at Macy's, Nordstrom and other high-end outlets, while lower-income customers are pulling back on discretionary items, leading retailers say. Macy's ( M ) said Thursday that comparable sales at stores open for at least one year grew 12.4% during its latest quarter compared with the same stretch a year ago. "While macroeconomic pressures on consumer spending increased during the quarter, our customers continued to shop," Macy's CEO Jeffrey Gennette said in a press release. What rotisserie chicken prices say about stores' inflation strategy Macy's saw a "notable shift" in consumers buying clothes for special events and shopping in stores, Gennette said. Dresses, women's shoes, accessories and men's tailored clothing saw strong sales performance during the quarter. … [Read more...] about Wealthy shoppers are splurging at Macy’s. Low-income shoppers are pulling back at Walmart

New York (CNN Business) Russia has spent the past half-century attempting to build a reputation on the world stage as a reliable supplier of energy. It took Vladimir Putin mere months to cast serious doubt on that reputation. "I wouldn't trust them," US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told CNN in response to a question about whether Russia will ever again be considered a reliable energy supplier. "They have to prove they are a reliable partner and they're certainly not doing that." Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing sanctions from the West have sent oil prices skyrocketing, lifting gasoline and diesel prices in the United States to unprecedented levels. Natural gas prices also have climbed around the world. Biden is 'obsessed' with lowering 'outrageous' gas prices, but presidents don't control prices, says Energy Secretary After the West imposed tough penalties on Russia, Putin warned that "unfriendly" nations would … [Read more...] about ‘I wouldn’t trust them.’ Energy Secretary blasts Russia for ‘weaponizing’ energy