US soldier jailed for nearly four years in Russia

A Russian court has sentenced a US soldier to three years and nine months in jail on charges of theft and threatening to kill his girlfriend, state news agencies reported.

Staff Sgt Gordon Black was sentenced by a court in Vladivostok in Russia's far east and will serve his time in a penal colony.

Sgt Black, who was arrested in May, had pleaded not guilty to the murder threat charges but admitted he was "partially" guilty of stealing 10,000 roubles ($116; £89) from her.

He will appeal the verdict, state news agencies said.