BILL COSBY PLAYBOY SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE TO GO AHEAD

Comedian Bill Cosby has failed to block a civil case accusing him of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles in 1974.

The California Supreme Court rejected his petition to review the case brought by Judy Huth - meaning her lawyers can now question Mr Cosby under oath.

The 78-year-old is facing a string of sexual assault accusations dating back decades.

He has always maintained his innocence and has never been criminally charged.

Ms Huth alleges that Mr Cosby plied her with alcohol before sexually assaulting her.

Her lawyer, Gloria Allred, described it as a "major victory" and says she intends to take a sworn deposition from the comedian within the next month.

Earlier in the week, the LA police department confirmed that it was investigating "certain complaints against him".

Court documents relating to the case brought in 2005 Andrea Constand - an employee at Temple University in the 1970s - were published earlier this month, after the Associated Press news agency applied to a judge to have the sealed papers made public.

They revealed Mr Cosby had admitted obtaining Quaaludes from several doctors to give to women before sexual encounters, but did not take them himself.

Mr Cosby is now suing Ms Constand for breaching a confidentially agreement after the New York Times obtained a full copy of the deposition.

Dozens of women have accused the comedian of sexually assaulting them but most of the claims are barred by statutes of limitations. They restrict the length of time in which legal actions can be taken after an alleged crime has been committed.

The accusations, which Mr Cosby has described as "fantastical" and "uncorroborated", have led to some of his stand-up shows being called off and the cancellation of some TV projects.

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EU OPENS ANTI-TRUST CASE AGAINST SKY AND US FILM STUDIOS

The European Commission has accused Sky TV in the UK and six major Hollywood studios of breaking EU competition rules by blocking access to movie content in other EU countries.

The Commission's anti-trust regulator has issued them with formal complaints.

The six studios are Disney, NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, Sony, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros.

The Hollywood studios and Sky TV have now been asked to respond formally to the claims.

The complaint follows an 18-month investigation by the European Commission into licensing agreements between the film studios and Sky, as well as other European broadcasters.

The Commission believes the deals have clauses that grant absolute territorial exclusivity to Sky and eliminate cross border competition between pay-TV companies elsewhere in the EU.

Companies respond:

• Sky: The European Commission is examining cross-border access to pay-TV services across a number of member states. As part of its ongoing enquiry, we have received a statement setting out the Commission's preliminary views. We will consider this and respond in due course.
• Walt Disney Company: Our approach is one that supports local creative industries, local digital and broadcast partners and most importantly consumers in every country across the EU. The impact of the Commission's analysis is destructive of consumer value and we will oppose the proposed action vigorously.

Other broadcasters under investigation include Canal Plus of France, Sky Italia, Sky Deutschland and DTS of Spain.

"European consumers want to watch the pay-TV channels of their choice regardless of where they live or travel in the EU," Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

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AUSTRALIAN ADAM BROOKMAN RETURNS FROM IS SYRIA CONFLICT

A nurse who said he was forced to work with the so-called Islamic State is thought to be returning to Australia.

Muslim convert Adam Brookman said he travelled to Syria last year to do humanitarian work, local media said.

Police have not named the returning man but confirmed an Australian involved in the conflict had turned himself in.

Mr Brookman would be the first person to return from Syria or Iraq since Australia made it a crime to assist militant groups in the Middle East.

He may face arrest when he arrives at Sydney airport.

The Melbourne nurse told Fairfax Media in May that he had travelling to Syria in 2014 to use his nursing skills to help people caught in Syria's civil conflict, but was then was forced to help IS.

Foreign Fighters

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said the man's return from Syria, via Turkey, was being managed "in co-operation with relevant local authorities".

It said he had not been charged but was under investigation for his activities in Syria.

Under Australia's Foreign Fighters legislation, it may be enough to simply be in Syria or Iraq to face charges.

The legislation has made it easier to ban terrorist organisations.

It also strengthened the offences of training with, recruiting for and funding terrorist organisations and made it easier to prosecute foreign fighters by making it illegal to travel to a declared area overseas.

In December, 2014, Australia proscribed travel to Syria's Raqqa province, which is held by IS.

According to the government, at least 100 Australians are fighting with terror groups in the Middle East, and another 150 people in Australia are known to be supporting such groups.

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US BLACKLISTS SINGAPORE SHIPPING FIRM OVER NORTH KOREA LINKS

The US has blacklisted a Singapore-based shipping firm over allegations it is supporting illicit arms shipments to North Korea.

The US Treasury said that Senat Shipping was providing "extensive support" to a North Korean company already under sanctions.

It means that any assets the firm holds in the US are frozen and prohibits US citizens from doing business with it.

Senat shipping has made no public comment yet.

The US Treasury makes clear that measures against Senat Shipping also extend to the company's president, Leonard Lai.

It said that Senat Shipping was co-operating with Ocean Maritime Management Company (OMMC), a North Korean firm already under sanctions.

In 2013, a ship operated by OMMC was seized by Panamanian authorities for hiding undeclared military equipment from Cuba under its cargo of sugar.

According to US authorities, Senat arranged the purchase, repair, certification, and crewing of vessels for OMMC.

"Arms shipments transported by OMMC serve as a key resource for North Korea's ongoing proliferation activities," Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Adam J Szubin was quoted in the Treasury's press release.

The United Nations and the US imposed sanctions on OMMC in July 2014 for the attempted arms import into North Korea.

Under UN sanctions, North Korea is banned from weapons exports and the import of all but small arms. There are also separate US sanctions also target Pyongyang's nuclear arms programme.

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COUNCIL CUTS PUT FREE MUSEUM ENTRY IN DOUBT

Council-funded museums and galleries across the UK are considering scrapping free entry as cuts bite, the head of the Museums Association has said.

York Art Gallery will introduce a £7.50 entrance fee after the body that runs it had its council subsidy cut by 60%.

That follows Brighton Museum and Art Gallery's decision to charge tourists.

Museums Association president David Fleming said charging for entry was now on the agenda at many other venues that face local council funding cuts.

"I'm absolutely certain that museums all over the country are considering introducing admissions fees in order to try to help plug the gaps that are appearing in their budgets," he said.

But the move would only be successful in towns and cities that attract a significant number of tourists, he added.

Entrance charges at many publicly-funded museums and galleries were dropped around 15 years ago in an attempt to bring in a wider range of visitors.

The government has pledged to keep free entry at venues classed as national museums - such as the British Museum, Tate and National Gallery - which are funded directly by the government.

But that pledge does not cover council-funded venues in towns and cities across the country.

In order to get substantial amounts of money, you have to charge - there's no alternative

Janet Barnes, York Museums Trust

York Art Gallery is one of four attractions run by York Museums Trust, which has seen its subsidy from City of York Council fall from £1.5m per year in 2012 to £600,000 this year.

The gallery scrapped entrance fees in 2002 - but will reintroduce them when it reopens on 1 August after an £8m renovation and expansion.

York Museums Trust chief executive Janet Barnes said she expected further funding cuts in the coming years.

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CHINESE ARRESTS OVER DEATH OF CLEFT LIP BABY

Two people have been detained by police in Shanghai on suspicion of killing a baby born with a cleft lip, Chinese state media report.

The two-day-old baby was found dead by doctors at the No 2 People's Hospital in Chongming County last Friday, said the Xinhua news agency.

Those arrested are a doctor and the baby's grandfather, who is accused of injecting the baby with chemicals.

Cleft lips are a common birth defect but easily corrected.

Cleft palates, where a baby is born with a hole in the roof of the mouth, are more severe. The condition causes feeding difficulties and can also lead to problems with hearing and speech.

Expensive surgery

Xinhua said initial investigations indicated the grandfather had killed the baby by injecting him with potassium chloride, a drug used to treat potassium deficiency but which can stop the heart when used incorrectly.

The doctor, from the gynaecology and obstetrics department, is accused of supplying the drug and telling the grandfather how to use it, Chinese media reported.

Beam International (Future Smile in China), one of several charities which carries out free surgery for the condition, told the BBC that about one in 600 babies born in China each year have a cleft lip or palate.

Surgery for cleft lips can cost between 5,000 ($800; £520) and 7,000 yuan in China, and for cleft palates up to 10,000, said the charity's China director, Shan Li.

Babies who struggle to feed and whose families cannot afford treatment or find a charity to help them would often not survive, she said, while some people may have to save for years to pay for the surgery.

There have been previous reports of families abandoning such babies.

In May this year, one baby with a cleft palate was found in alive in the Guangxi region, 10 days after being left in the countryside.

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