Sean “Diddy” Combs has been indicted on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering as he allegedly hit and abused women for over a decade.
The rapper-turned music mogul, 54, was arrested by officers at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan, New York, yesterday.
The indictment detailed allegations dating to 2009 and accused Combs of abusing, threatening and coercing women for years “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct”.
He is accused of inducing female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, sometimes days-long sexual performances dubbed “Freak Offs” in the indictment.
His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said outside the courthouse on Tuesday morning that Combs would plead not guilty and that he would “fight like hell” to try to get his client released from custody.
Image: Sean P. Diddy Combs. Pic: AP
Combs, formerly known as Puff Daddy and P Diddy, was recognised as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop until November, when former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, filed a lawsuit saying he had beaten and raped her for years.
Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, accused Combs of coercing her, and others, into unwanted sex in drug-fuelled settings.
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The suit was settled in one day but months later CNN aired hotel security footageshowing Combs punching and kicking Cassie and throwing her on a floor.
After the video aired, Combs apologised, saying, “I was disgusted when I did it.”
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Combs has faced several civil lawsuits by women and men who accused him of sexual assault and other misconduct.
His lawyers have been fighting those cases in court. Federal agents raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami Beach, Florida six months ago.
Singer Dawn Richard, formerly of Danity Kane, last week accused Combs in a lawsuit of sexual assault, battery, sex trafficking, gender discrimination and fraud.
Image: Combs’ son, King, at the United States Court in Manhattan.
Pic: Reuters
A Michigan judge this month ordered Combs to pay $100 million to Derrick Lee Smith, who said Combs drugged and sexually assaulted him at a party almost 30 years ago, after Combs failed to show up to defend himself in court.
A lawyer for Combs said he would seek to dismiss that judgment.
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Combs has also rejected claims in a February sex trafficking lawsuit by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, who Combs employed as a producer on his 2023 release “The Love Album: Off the Grid.”
The indictment is not Combs’ first brush with the law.
He was acquitted in March 2001 of bribery and weapons charges in a criminal trial stemming from a nightclub shooting that left three people wounded.
Following the indictment on Tuesday, Combs’ lawyer, Mr Agnifilo, said his client’s “spirits are good” and he was “confident”.
The Duchess of Sussex has spoken about the challenges of balancing being an entrepreneur and a mother.
Meghan, speaking on the final episode of her podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, made the comments while talking with her guest Sara Blakely – mother of four children, and founder of shapewear brand Spanx.
She said to Blakely: “The amount of what you have created, evolved through – the level of what you have done while having this many children, all at that age. It’s something that I think people often forget.”
Reflecting on her own experiences, Meghan said: “People forget that Lili is three, and Archie is five.
“So you look at the past five, six years of my life, it’s yes, with being pregnant or with a newborn or with a toddler, and then another one.”
Meghan has previously revealed that she has an “amazing” nanny, who has been with the family for five years.
Alongside Prince Harry, the duchess stepped back from her duties as a senior working royal in 2020 – before starting a new life in the US.
Since then, she has launched her own brand, As Ever, a “curated collection” of products inspired by her “long-lasting love of cooking, entertaining and hostessing with ease”, according to the website.
She has, alongside Harry, also worked on Archewell, which includes the couple’s non-profit charitable organisation and their for-profit media production business.
Image: Meghan, recently launched her Netflix show With Love, Meghan
Pic: Jenna Peffley/Netflix
In conjunction with her new business venture, Meghan launched her Netflix show With Love, Meghan – a lifestyle show where the duchess would invite friends and famous guests, and shared cooking, hosting, and gardening tips.
Her podcast followed shortly afterwards.
Meghan also discussed a “guilty mentality” facing female chief executives who have a lot of money.
She said: “I think so many women, especially, were taught to not even talk about money. And there’s lots of guilt mentality surrounding having a lot.”
“It wasn’t until the 70s that women could even have a credit card, a line of credit on a credit card without her husband.”
The discussion, which was wide-ranging in nature, also foregrounded the importance of self-care.
“I remember my acupuncturist in the UK said to me, and it has always stayed with me, he said, if the baby’s crying, treat the mother.
“It all starts with us. Good Lord, we have to take care of ourselves first.”
Gary Lineker bid a tearful farewell to Match Of The Day as he presented the show for the final time.
The ex-England striker, 64, announced his departure earlier this month after sharing a social media post from the Palestine Lobby group titled: “Zionism explained in two minutes.”
The Instagram post was illustrated with a rat, which has been used to represent Jewish people in antisemitic propaganda – including Nazi Germany.
Lineker “apologised unreservedly” for sharing it, saying he was unaware of the reference and it was a mistake. He maintained the importance of “speaking out on humanitarian issues, including the tragedy unfolding in Gaza”.
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1:44
Watch: Lineker confirms BBC exit
Presenting his final Match Of The Day alongside regular colleagues Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, Lineker did not directly address the circumstances of his departure during the programme.
“It wasn’t meant to end this way,” he quipped in his opening line, continuing: “But with the title race over and the relegation places confirmed, the Champions League was all we had left to talk about.”
After running through highlights of all 10 games from the final day of the Premier League season, Lineker thanked his fellow pundits, viewers and those who work behind the scenes, before wishing good luck to his replacements.
Gabby Logan, Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates will take on presenting duties for the 2025-26 campaign.
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2:48
Lineker leaves BBC: Timeline of events
‘It has been so special’
Lineker wiped away tears at the end of the show, having been played a montage of messages including from Richards, Shearer, Ian Wright, Alan Hansen, Paul Gascoigne, Pep Guardiola, and Claudio Ranieri.
Italian manager Ranieri led Lineker’s beloved Leicester City to the Premier League title in 2016, which memorably saw the BBC’s highest paid star present an episode of Match Of The Day in a pair of boxers.
He had promised to appear on the show half naked if Leicester won the league.
Lineker started presenting Match Of The Day back in 1999, and has also fronted the BBC’s coverage of World Cups, Euros tournaments, and the Olympics.
“It has been so special,” Lineker said as he signed off, “and I am sorry that your team was always on last.
Thousands of people are expected to attend Port Talbot this weekend as the town gears up to welcome an annual Welsh festival.
The Urdd Eisteddfod is a celebration of Welsh culture when children and young people up to the age of 25 take part in a variety of competitions.
There are 400 of them in total, including singing, reciting poetry and dancing.
The Urdd organisation itself was established more than a century ago in 1922, with the aim of giving children and young people in Wales the opportunity to learn and socialise in the Welsh language.
Its six-day Eisteddfod is held during May half-term and in a different part of Wales each year.
The Urdd Eisteddfod broke its own records last year, with more than 100,000 registrations to compete.
Image: A choir competes at the 2024 Eisteddfod yr Urdd. Pic: Urdd Gobaith Cymru
Margam Park is home to this year’s event – the first time since 2003 that it’s played host.
Among the main prizes up for grabs this year are the chair (awarded to the main poetry competition winner) and the crown (awarded to the main prose competition winner).
This year’s crown and chair have been made using some of the final pieces of steel produced at Port Talbot steelworks before the closure of the blast furnaces last year.
Image: The chair at the 2025 Eisteddfod yr Urdd was created using some of the last pieces of steel produced at the Port Talbot steelworks. Pic: Urdd Gobaith Cymru
Image: Pic: Urdd Gobaith Cymru
There are some new additions to this year’s Eisteddfod, including awards for singing, musical theatre and acting, named in honour of Sir Bryn Terfel, Callum Scott Howells and Matthew Rhys.
Another new award – the Amy Dowden award for dance – will also be awarded for the first time this week.
Speaking to Sky News, Strictly Come Dancing star Dowden said it was a “real honour” to be supporting the next generation of dancers.
“The arts and the industry is tough, and I just hope that [the young people] can see that I’ve managed to push myself through it,” she said.
“I’ve worked hard, I’ve had a few challenges along the way. Hopefully I can help inspire them as well.”
Image: Amy Dowden. File pic: PA
‘It’s like Britain’s Got Talent’
As a former competitor herself in what is one of Europe’s largest touring youth festivals, Dowden says she “couldn’t imagine [her] childhood without it”.
“I’ve loved Eisteddfods since I can remember. Every year at school I took part in everything, from the baking to the reciting poems, to the folk dancing, to the creative dancing,” she said.
“The Urdd Eisteddfod is literally like one big talent competition, it’s like Britain’s Got Talent.”
The winner of the Amy Dowden award will get one-to-one sessions with her as part of the prize, as well as masterclasses at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
They will have the opportunity to perform on an international stage and also win a cash prize.
“I know from my dance training and everything, each of those is so beneficial to getting yourself to that professional level,” Dowden added.