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Rapper and music mogul Sean Combs is facing allegations of sexual misconduct from 120 new accusers – including one who claims he was abused aged nine.

Tony Buzbee, a lawyer from Houston representing the claimants, said he expected lawsuits to be filed within the next month.

He said there were 60 male and 60 female accusers, and that 25 of them were children at the time of the alleged offences.

The allegations against Combs cover a period from 1991 to this year.

“This type of sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation should never happen in the United States or anywhere else,” Mr Buzbee said at a news conference.

“This should have never been allowed to go on for so long. This conduct has created a mass of individuals who are injured, scared and scarred.”

Most of the lawsuits are expected to be filed in New York and Los Angeles, Mr Buzbee said. Further to the 120 accusers, other cases are still being reviewed, he added.

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The details of P Diddy charges and his alleged ‘freak offs’

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What is P Diddy accused of?

Combs – also known as P Diddy and Puff Daddy – is awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

In response to the latest claims, his lawyer said he “cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus”.

“That said, Mr Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors,” Erica Wolff added in a statement.

“He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court if and when claims are filed and served, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.”

The majority of the individuals represented by Mr Buzbee’s firm are from California, New York, Georgia and Florida, with accusers from more than 25 states in total.

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Combs faces multiple other lawsuits filed in the last year, and the latest claims also follow a video that emerged in May showing him attacking his ex-girlfriend, Cassie.

He apologised at the time for what he called his “inexcusable” behaviour in the video, saying he was “disgusted” by what he did.

Combs has been imprisoned at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn, New York, since he pleaded not guilty on 17 September to charges that he used his “power and prestige” to induce women into drugged-up sexual performances with male sex workers. These were allegedly dubbed “Freak Offs”.

He has also pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking and vowed to fight to clear his name.

Combs’s lawyers offered a $50m (£37.8m) bail package in exchange for him to be placed under house arrest at his Florida mansion with GPS monitoring and strict limits on visitors. So far though, his legal team’s applications for bail have been denied.

Combs, who has won three Grammys, founded Bad Boy Records in 1993 and is one of the best-known music executives and performers in hip-hop.

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to face trial next year in sex trafficking and racketeering case

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs to face trial next year in sex trafficking and racketeering case

Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs will go on trial facing sex trafficking and racketeering charges in May next year.

The 54-year-old rapper, also known as Puff Daddy and P Diddy, blew kisses to his mother and children in court after a US judge set the trial date at a Manhattan federal court hearing on Thursday.

Combs pleaded not guilty on 17 September to a three-count indictment charging him with using his business empire, including record label Bad Boy Entertainment, to transport male and female sex workers across state lines to take part in recorded sexual performances called “freak offs”.

He faces a sentence of up to life in prison and a minimum of 15 years if convicted of the three counts he faces: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

In his third court appearance since his arrest in September, Combs was told his trial will start on 5 May.

Prosecutor Emily Johnson told the court the prosecution’s case at the trial will last at least three weeks.

Combs’ defence will last around a week, his lawyer Marc Agnifilo said.

The hip-hip mogul has been jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest.

He appeared in court on Thursday in tan prison uniform before being led out a side door by members of the US Marshals Service.

The Manhattan-based 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday denied his request to be immediately released from jail while he appeals another judge’s decision to deny him bail.

A three-judge 2nd Circuit panel will hear that appeal at a later date.

In relation to the charges he faces, prosecutors have accused Combs of enticing women by giving them drugs such as ketamine and ecstasy, financial support or promises of career support or a romantic relationship.

Combs then allegedly used the surreptitious recordings of the sex acts as “collateral” to ensure that the women would remain silent, and sometimes displayed weapons to intimidate abuse victims and witnesses, prosecutors said.

The indictment contains no allegation that Combs himself directly engaged in unwanted sexual contact with women, though he was accused of physically assaulting them.

Mr Agnifilo has called the sexual activity described by prosecutors consensual.

In a court filing on Wednesday night, Mr Agnifilo asked the judge to impose a “gag order” prohibiting prosecutors and federal agents from disclosing evidence to the media.

Mr Agnifilo cited what he called unlawful leaks that included a video showing Combs striking and dragging a woman in 2016.

At the hearing, Ms Johnson called the request an attempt to “exclude a damning piece of evidence”.

She said prosecutors would have no problem affirming their obligations not to disclose confidential evidence to the press, but said the defence should be bound by that as well.

Ms Johnson also raised concerns about Mr Agnifilo’s statement in a September interview with entertainment news outlet TMZ calling the case a “takedown of a successful black man”.

She said the comment amounted to an accusation that the government was “engaging in a racist prosecution”.

“Statements of this sort seriously risk a fair trial in this case,” Ms Johnson said.

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Malala Yousafzai on her Hollywood reinvention: ‘It’s been an incredible journey’

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Malala Yousafzai on her Hollywood reinvention: 'It's been an incredible journey'

It’s almost 12 years to the day that a Taliban gunman shot schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai in the head as she travelled home from an exam on a school bus packed with fellow pupils.

Now one of Pakistan’s best-known public figures, the activist, Oxford graduate and youngest Nobel laureate in history is releasing her first feature.

Malala addresses the United Nations on her 16th birthday. Pic: Reuters
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Malala addresses the United Nations on her 16th birthday. Pic: Reuters

The 27-year-old tells Sky News: “I’m pretty new to Hollywood, but it’s been an incredible journey for me so far.”

An outspoken critic of Muslim under-representation in Hollywood films, Yousafzai founded her production company Extracurricular in 2021 in partnership with Apple TV + in a bid to “shake things up”.

She says: “There are so many passionate women and artists from different diverse backgrounds, including Muslim communities and people of colour and they have incredible stories.

“I hope to work with more incredible artists and directors out there in the many years ahead to help us bring more perspectives and more voices and reflections from people who don’t often get a chance.”

A 2022 study showed that Muslims are 25% of the population, but only 1% of characters in popular TV series.

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As for whether it’s getting better, Yousafzai says: “There are incredible Muslim artists who are really changing the narrative, and I do hope that more of them will get a chance to tell their story and just bring more diversity to how stories are told.”

She says the documentary she’s just released – The Last Of The Sea Women, about a group of female divers in their 60s, 70s and 80s – is “an amazing beginning” to her new adventure as a Hollywood executive.

Extracurricular has previously said it would consider producing a fictionalised account of her attempted assassination but signalled they first need to find a “surprising way in” to the story.

And Yousafzai is full of surprises.

(R-L): Lee Hee Soon, Malala Yousafzai, Sue Kim and Jang Soon Duk. Pic: Apple TV +
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(R-L): Lee Hee Soon, Malala Yousafzai, Sue Kim and Jang Soon Duk. Pic: Apple TV +

Malala Made Me Do It

Earlier this year, she made her acting debut in the second season of Channel 4’s reverential and hugely popular comedy We Are Lady Parts.

Her episode even featured a spoof song inspired by her activism – Malala Made Me Do It.

Yousafzai’s passionate advocacy for access to education for women and girls in countries where it is restricted is now stepping into a new realm – entertainment.

Her deal with Apple will cover dramas, comedies, documentaries, animation and children’s series.

Future productions include a movie adaptation of Elaine Hsieh Chou’s book Disorientation, and a scripted series based on Asha Lemmie’s coming-of-age novel Fifty Words For Rain, about a woman’s search for acceptance in post-World War Two Japan.

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The Last Of The Sea Women tells the story of the Haenyeo, a “badass girl gang” of grandmothers living on South Korea‘s Jeju Island who dive to the ocean floor without oxygen to gather food for their community.

Earning a reputation as real-life mermaids, despite diving for centuries, their traditions are now under threat.

In a bid to save their way of life, they are now teaching younger women, who being from Generation Z, are sharing their stories on TikTok.

Haenyeo divers of South Korea’s Jeju Island. Pic: Apple TV+
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Haenyeo divers of South Korea’s Jeju Island. Pic: Apple TV+

Elderly Asian women ‘as heroes’

The film’s director Sue Kim – who calls working with Malala “the joy and pleasure of my life” – says she was excited to showcase an underrepresented group in her work.

“It’s rare to see women portrayed as the sole heroes in the film. Two Asian women are not often portrayed as the soul heroes in the film. And then elderly Asian women.

“It’s three demographics where I do think there’s a bit of a gap of representation and portrayal in the heroic world. And that was something I was excited to show in the film.”

Yousafzai says of the Haenyeo: “When I look to them, I personally, as a woman, feel that there’s no limit to what I can do.”

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She goes on: “We would be in a very good place if we were under the leadership of the Haenyeo, for sure…

“We need women in leadership. We need a society where women can get equal opportunities. And a woman should never be told that she cannot be in a certain role.”

Previously nominated for an Oscar for the documentary short Stranger At The Gate, Yousafzai is optimistic The Last Of The Sea Women could be part of the next awards conversation too.

“Why not? I think it deserves all the applause and the credit.”

The Last Of The Sea Women is streaming now on Apple TV +

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Angela Rayner says Taylor Swift’s London police escort was ‘needed to make sure she was safe’

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Angela Rayner says Taylor Swift's London police escort was 'needed to make sure she was safe'

Angela Rayner has defended Taylor Swift being given a blue-light escort through London as they “needed to make sure she was safe”.

The deputy prime minister denied senior Labour figures, including the home secretary and London mayor, were given tickets to Swift’s August shows in the capital in exchange for police protection.

Ms Rayner reiterated what other Labour politicians have said, that the decision to give the megastar a police escort was “an operational decision” by the Met Police.

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“I absolutely dispute that somehow that this was, in any way, connected to whether somebody went to a concert or not,” she said.

She said it was down to the fact Swift’s concerts in Vienna had been cancelled due to a foiled terror attack, which was meant to kill tens of thousands of fans.

“We needed to make sure that that person was safe. And it was a policing matter, not an issue for politicians. It was the police that make the decision,” she said.

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“It’s right that they make the decision. And I fully support them in that.”

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Home Sec given free Swift tickets

Ms Rayner added that police provided the security to ensure Swift could continue with the concerts “which brought in huge amounts of investment of money into our economy, including those small businesses that need that support”.

Sky News reported on Wednesday Ms Cooper’s husband, former Labour MP Ed Balls, had been given free tickets by Swift’s label Universal and she went as his guest.

Mr Balls was offered the four tickets on 4 August, before Swift’s shows in Vienna were cancelled, and the couple attended the gig on 16 August after the security discussions.

Ms Cooper and London Mayor Sadiq Khan spoke to the Metropolitan Police to encourage them to give the megastar a “VVIP escort” through London for her Wembley Stadium concerts.

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Fans gather outside Wembley Stadium ahead of Taylor Swift's latest Eras Tour concert. 
Pic: PA
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Fans gather outside Wembley Stadium ahead of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert. Pic: PA

The Met were reportedly reluctant to sign it off as a blue-light escort is typically reserved for senior members of the Royal Family and high-level politicians, as it comes at huge expense to the taxpayer, The Sun reported.

No information about the tickets appeared in the public domain until Wednesday.

The tickets were understood to be worth £170 – less than the £300 that would make it a declarable expense – but the home secretary made the declaration to the Cabinet Office on Wednesday.

Sky News understands the Home Office department was informed as soon as the tickets were offered and the permanent secretary’s office informed the Cabinet Office on 23 September. At this point there was concern that the Commons Parliamentary commissioner was not willing to make it public.

It also understood the home secretary’s team had been liaising with their permanent secretary’s office about this for the last week or so.

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