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a 30-year prison sentence in June 2022.Assistant US Attorney Kayla Bensing said Kelly’s network of aides and employees were part of the singer’s “system in place that lured young people in to his orbit” before he “took over their lives.”At trial, several women testified that they were ordered to sign nondisclosure forms and were subjected to threats and punishments such as violent spankings if they broke what one referred to as “Rob’s rules.”Some of the judges questioned whether the employees knew about Kelly’s illegal activities with teenage girls.“What evidence is there that staff who arranged these things knew that they were underage? asked Circuit Judge Denny Chin.The prosecutor responded by citing numerous instances of testimony, including one in which a woman testified that she told a member of Kelly’s entourage that she was 16 when he asked her age. Others knew some girls were not yet 18 because they booked flights for them and the girls had to provide their birth dates, she noted.“So this is all evidence that the jury was entitled to infer that Kelly’s inner circle knew what was going on.

Kensington Palace has asked for calm amid rumours about the Princess of Wales' health.The palace criticised the "madness of social media" after weeks of speculation about why Kate was taking a break from royal duties. Royal aides were clear at the beginning that the Princess was not expected to return to public engagements until after Easter as she continues her recovery from abdominal surgery.

Anas Sarwar has made a direct pitch to SNP voters to urge them to back his party at the next general election to help kick the Tories out of power.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Harvey Weinstein‘s lawyer urged the highest court in New York to overturn his conviction on Wednesday, saying that too many accusers were allowed to testify at his trial. Arthur Aidala challenged the trial judge’s ruling allowing three women to testify as “Molineux” witnesses. The women spoke about sexual assaults that were not among the charges, but did help establish a pattern of misconduct.

Two families affected by the tornado that hit parts of Tameside have launched crowdfunding appeals as residents count the cost of the freak storm.

A Scots man jailed for shooting dead his wheelchair-bound wife with her own handgun has reportedly appealed to overturn the Mississippi jury’s guilty verdict.

Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ album, has had his child pornography lawsuit against the band reinstated by a US Court of Appeals.In September 2022, a US District judge in Los Angeles ruled that the ‘Nevermind’ cover image, which features a naked photograph of four-month-old Elden, did not constitute child pornography. That was the third time that Elden had attempted to sue the surviving members of the band – Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic – as well as the estate of Kurt Cobain, photographer Krik Weddle and numerous record labels.At that time, the court told Elden, now 32, that he would not be allowed to file a fourth lawsuit, and lawyers representing Nirvana dubbed the ruling a “final conclusion” to a saga that had begun back in August 2021.However, in December 2022, Elden moved to appeal the court’s dismissal.

A New York appeals court denied Donald Trump‘s challenge of a gag order in his civil fraud case, ruling that his attorneys did not seek the proper legal remedy for overturning the ban.

Donald Trump can still be restricted in what he says witnesses as well as lawyers and court staff, and their families, in his federal election conspiracy case, an appellate court ruled on Friday.

A judge’s partial gag order on Donald Trump has been put on hold as an appeals court weighs whether to uphold the restrictions placed on the former president in his federal election election conspiracy case.

Israeli filmmaker Tom Shoval has expressed his growing fears for Gaza hostage, former actor and friend David Cunio and called on the Israeli government to explore all possible ways, including a ceasefire, to secure his release and that of all the hostages.

Marta Balaga Finland’s industry is ready to appeal to the government as the future of a film and TV production incentive is under threat, with a 25% cash rebate levied on spend on foreign and Finnish shoots in the country conspicuously absent from a provisional budget for 2024, announced Monday. “People have been hopeful, so they didn’t want to believe in what the government has been saying. For the whole autumn, we kept hearing they will cut the incentives altogether and that our budget at the Foundation will be cut by a few per cent.

A Ukrainian refugee is desperately trying to help his parents escape intense bombing attacks in his home country.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Actor Noah Centineo touched down at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend to rally support for Saeed Roustaee, an Iranian filmmaker sentenced to prison by his government over the latter’s film “Leila’s Brothers.” Over Friday cocktails at festival headquarters, the TIFF Bell Lightbox, the “Black Adam” star appealed to top representatives from film festivals around the world on behalf of Roustaee, who was sentenced to six months in prison after screening his feature at the Cannes Film Festival without authorization from Iran’s culture ministry. Furthermore, he would not amend the film after the ministry requested corrections.

As expected, a US appeals court has revived lawsuits filed against companies owned by the Michael Jackson Estate by two men who claim that, as children, they were sexually abused by the late pop star.To date, that litigation has been stalled by legal technicalities. However, as the lawsuits now proceed, a legal rep for the estate insisted on Friday that “we remain fully confident that Michael is innocent of these allegations, which are contrary to all credible evidence and independent corroboration”.James Safechuck and Wade Robson both accuse Jackson of abusing them as children.

Michael Jackson sexually abused them when they were children can resume their lawsuits, a court of appeals has ruled.Wade Robson and James Safechuck – who featured in the two-part 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland – alleged that Jackson groomed and sexually abused them in the 1990sA California appeals court said Friday (August 18) that the case should not have been dismissed to a lower court, and they can now pursue lawsuits against companies owned by the late singer, according to Associated Press.It’s the second time that the lawsuits, brought by Robson and Safechuck in 2013 and 2014, respectively, have been brought back after dismissal.The judge who dismissed the suits in 2021 found that MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc.

A California appeals court ruled Friday that two men who accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing them as children can resume lawsuits against companies owned by the estate of the late singer.

Police are appealing for help locating two men from Bury. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are seeking information regarding 28-year-old Nathan and 25-year-old Callum. In line with current practice, the men's surnames have not been released.

Two lawsuits filed against companies formally owned by Michael Jackson, which allege that the late pop star sexually abused two children in the 1990s, may be revived. A Californian appeals court issued a tentative decision to that effect earlier this week.James Safechuck and Wade Robson both accuse Jackson of abusing them as children.

Kris Wu, the Chinese-Canadian former member of K-pop group EXO has appeared in court in Beijing to appeal his convictions.The former K-pop idol’s case was heard at the Beijing No. 3 Intermediate People’s Court on Tuesday, July 25.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Kris Wu, the Chinese-Canadian pop megastar who was jailed last year for rape and group sex, appeared in court in Beijing on Tuesday to appeal his convictions. The case was heard at the Beijing No. 3 Intermediate People’s Court.

NME about the upcoming Netflix documentary Wham! – as well as the pop icons’ enduring legacy.The new documentary tells the story of the ‘80s pop duo Ridgeley formed with his late best friend George Michael, as well as the singles boxset that will commemorate the 40th anniversary of their debut album ‘Fantastic’.From 1982 to their final gig at Wembley stadium in 1986, Wham! scored five UK Number One singles – ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’, ‘Careless Whisper’, ‘Freedom’, ‘I’m Your Man’ and ‘The Edge of Heaven’, later celebrating a sixth when ‘Last Christmas’ topped the charts in 2020, 36 years after it was first released. They’re all among those featured in the forthcoming ‘Wham! The Singles: Echoes From The Edge Of Heaven’ collection.

The New York Court Of Appeals ruled yesterday that producer Dr Luke is sufficiently famous to be deemed a “limited public figure”. This is a classification which impacts on his ongoing defamation legal battle with Kesha, increasing the producer’s burden in court.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Although Dr. Luke’s defamation claims against Kesha await an actual trial next month, the singer won a victory on some key points in her counterclaim Tuesday from the New York Court of Appeals, which ruled that the producer qualifies as a public figure,. He thus will have a higher bar to hurdle in succeeding with his lawsuit against her. The suit claims that the producer/songwriter legally known as Lukasz Gottwald was defamed by Kesha Sebert when she made public or legal statements accusing him of drugging and raping her in 2005, and when she additionally alleged that he had raped another singer. In considering Dr. Luke’s level of fame, the court wrote that “we first consider whether Gottwald is a public figure such that he must prove the allegedly defamatory statements were made with ‘actual malice.’ If subject to that standard, Gottwald would be required to prove by clear and convincing evidence that each statement was made ‘with either knowledge that it was false or reckless disregard for the truth.'”

Stacey Solomon appealed to her fans for some advice as she pondered a bit of a change to her look while making an admission about the show that catapulted her to fame.

overrules California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last year vetoed a recommendation by the state’s parole board that Van Houten be set free.Van Houten was convicted in 1971 of killing Leno and Rosemary LaBianca as part of the string of murders carried out by followers of cult leader Charles Manson in August, 1969.

A Love Island star has begged for help from his followers after his hotel room was ransacked by burglars. 2020 star Callum Jones, 27, shared a picture of his hotel room window wide open on Instagram, asking his 746,000 followers for any help. Over the photo, he wrote: "Anyone help/advice in Marbella? "Rooms been smashed in, everything has been taken, passports, money, clothes".

R Kelly has formally filed an appeal in relation to his conviction in the New York courts for establishing and running a criminal enterprise in order to abuse women and teenagers.The new court filing raises issues with the jury, disputes the testimonies of some of the musician’s victims, and argues that there was lots of evidence presented in court that was not relevant to the crimes he was accused of and which meant he didn’t get a fair hearing.The New York trial was the first criminal case against Kelly to get to court following the airing of the ‘Surviving R Kelly’ documentary series, which put the spotlight on the allegations of abuse that had been made against the pop star for decades. A second subsequent trial then also took place in Chicago.He was convicted in both cases, being sentenced to 30 years in jail in New York and 20 years in Chicago.

Thomas Cashman has appealed to have his 42-year jail term for the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel reduced - less than three weeks after being sentenced.

Sam Faiers has appealed for help from her fans after she was allegedly scammed by a host on online rental site Airbnb. The former The Only Way Is Essex star, 31, took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday morning to request advice from her followers and explained how she'd booked a villa with a 'Superhost' on the site but things hadn't worked out. Sam, who is currently holidaying in Dubai with partner Paul Knightley and their three children, wrote: "Hey, please can someone share a direct @airbnb contact with me? I have a scam case but I'm getting no response from anyone." The reality TV star then continued: "I booked a villa with a 'Superhost' with many 5 star reviews, they had been a member for more than 10 years, and I followed all the steps via the @airbnb platform." Sam went on to warn her followers about booking via Airbnb and urged them to be "very careful".

A man who was spared a prison sentence for raping a 13-year-old girl is to appeal against his conviction.

Michael Winterbottom has devoted much of his filmmaking career to revisiting real-life events through works blurring the boundaries between documentary and drama to various degrees.  

appealing his conviction for staging a racist and homophobic attack on himself and lying to Chicago police about it — nearly a year after he was sentenced to five months in jail.The “Empire” alum, 40, is seeking a new trial, as he claims “prosecutorial misconduct” in this case was “clear and egregious,” according to the 102-page document filed Wednesday with the Illinois Appellate Court and obtained by The Post.A jury convicted Smollett in December 2021 of five counts of disorderly conduct. He had claimed that on a frigid early morning in January 2019, two men approached him in the dark, yelled slurs at him, punched him, poured a chemical substance on him and hung a noose around his neck.Chicago police accused Smollett of recruiting brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo to carry out the attack to boost his burgeoning Hollywood career.Abimbola, an amateur boxer and occasional bit-part actor, testified in court that Smollett, who is black and gay, told him the specific words he wanted the brothers to used were “Empire’, f—-t, n—-r, MAGA.”On March 10, 2022, Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail as he continued to proclaim his innocence.

Former Empire star Jussie Smollett has filed an appeal of his 2021 conviction for faking a hate-crime attack in Chicago in early 2019.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Attorneys for Jussie Smollett filed their appeal of his conviction on Wednesday, as they seek to keep him from having to go back to jail on hate crime hoax charges. Smollett was released a year ago pending his appeal, after serving six days of his 150-day sentence. Attorneys for the former “Empire” actor were originally due to file his appellate brief last August, but have been granted five extensions of that deadline. Smollett was convicted in December 2021 of lying to police when he claimed to have been assaulted by two men who shouted homophobic and racist slurs, poured a chemical substance on him, and put a rope around his neck.

The Detectorists, The Office and The Pirates Of The Caribbean, recently told Good Morning Britain: “It’s a week now. It was this time last Tuesday that she left the house with nothing but the clothes she was wearing, no keys, money, phone, and she’s not been seen since.”The actor explained that his family believe that her disappearance could be linked to her ongoing cancer treatment.“She was diagnosed with cancer last year and she missed her fifth chemo session last Tuesday and we think that’s what has triggered some sort of crisis in her and she’s gone off for a long walk somewhere,” he said.