Diddy's secret world revealed in videos and his voice notes

5 hours agoShareSaveRianna Croxford and Larissa KennellyBBC News Investigations•@rianna_croxfordShareSaveBBC

Warning: Explicit content

"Can y'all come straighten it up over here? It's not looking luxurious," Sean "Diddy" Combs says in a voice note to his personal assistants as R&B music mellows in the background.

Hours before, a so-called "freak-off" - a drug-fuelled orgy also known as a "Wild King Night" – had been in full swing. Now, staff were being called in to clean up.

"PD said he's going to need emergency clean up at hotel," his chief of staff texts after another of these events. "Bring him stain remover (for a chair and couch) and black trash bags. And baking soda too, he said."

WATCH: Video shared with BBC – Sean "Diddy" Combs holds pool parties at his Miami mansion

The BBC has seen messages and recordings from former staff in Combs' household. The staff members have also given detailed accounts of what it was like to work on the multi-millionaire music mogul's glamorous yacht rentals and inside his sprawling estates across the US – in the Hamptons, Beverly Hills and on Star Island in Miami.

Their experiences span the past five to 10 years, a period that was under scrutiny during Combs' criminal trial in New York.

At the trial's conclusion on Wednesday, the 55-year-old was cleared of the most serious charges – racketeering, and two counts of sex trafficking related to ex-partner Casandra Ventura and another woman referred to as "Jane".

But jurors found he was guilty of two other counts related to the transportation to engage in prostitution of both women. He will be sentenced at a later date.

Getty ImagesOfficers raid Combs' mansion on Star Island, Miami Beach, Florida

We have been shown material which paints a picture of a "scary" and unpredictable boss, who would administer shocking "loyalty tests", and whose demands grew more and more extreme.

Staff have described how his sometimes-days-long "freak-offs" were held at locations around the world, with the rapper expecting staff to prepare a bag containing "baby oil, lubricant and red lights" – to create the red-tinted ambience Combs preferred – alongside class-A drugs wherever he travelled.

ReutersCombs at the Met Gala, New York, 2023

'Wild King Nights'

Inside his waterfront Miami mansion, a I'm not about to be transparent with y'all," a groggy Combs warns staff one day in a rambling voice note posted in an employee WhatsApp group in 2020. "There's some dark places y'all [EXPLETIVE] don't want to go. Stay where you're at."

Staff say he was intense, demanding and volatile, with some attributing his unpredictability to a lifestyle of drug-fuelled parties. The turnover of staff was high and Combs had more than 20 different house managers join and leave in just two years across his properties, one former estates manager told us.

LISTEN: Combs sent a long rambling voice note to staff: "There's some dark places y'all"

Phil Pines, 40, who worked for Combs as a senior executive assistant from 2019-2021, has told the BBC the mogul didn't say a word to him when he first started his job.

"It was like an initiation," he explains. "We didn't speak to each other for 30 days."

Another recent assistant, Ethan (not his real name), recalls: "He was a very ill man with different behaviours, sometimes very aggressive, sometimes very sweet."

We have changed Ethan's name because, like many former staff members, he still works in the high-net-worth hospitality industry and fears speaking out about Combs will hurt his career.

Ethan shows us a small scar on his forehead. He says this was the result of Combs smashing a glass against a wall in a fit of rage, and the shards cutting Ethan's face.

Phil Pines and Ethan were part of Combs' small group of trusted assistants and say he often played mind games with staff.

Phil Pines worked for Combs as a senior executive assistant

Ethan recalls one of Combs' loyalty tests – when the star took off one of his rings and threw it into the Atlantic Ocean. He then turned to Ethan and told him he had to go into the water to get it.

They were at a formal event and Ethan, like his boss, was wearing a smart suit. He says this didn't stop him jumping in right away to rescue it.

In another incident, Pines says Combs called him to his residence after midnight, just so he could fetch the TV remote from under the bed he was in with a female guest.

"See? He is loyal and now he can go back home," he recalls Combs telling her. Pines says he felt like an animal.

Combs' chief of staff Kristina Khorram helped organise the "Wild King Nights", says Pines

But the Wild King Nights – as the rapper's chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, referred to them – revealed an even darker side to working for Combs.

"I was asked to set up a laundry list of items for him," says Pines. "And I thought to myself, why didn't anybody explain this to me before?"

In one exchange seen by the BBC, Khorram texted him to warn a bag needs to be prepared for a Wild King Night in two hours. In another, she asked for a "drop off" of seven bottles of baby oil and seven bottles of Astroglide lubricant alongside iced vanilla lattes.

"Rounding up a shelf of baby oil and Astroglide at a store is very, very humiliating. I would always pretend like I was on the phone," Pines tells us.

In Combs' trial the prosecution presented evidence of supplies they said were procured for "freak-offs". A police raid on Combs' Los Angeles mansion found drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil.

From three months into his role, Pines began having concerns about the frequency of these requests. "It became daily, sometimes twice a day, every day, and every week."

Pines says there was a constant stream of young women who frequented Combs' homes – apparently for sex. Young men were also called to the parties, says Ethan.

Some of these young people would appear to be friends of the star's sons, Pines tells us, with some of the women later seen "hanging" with Combs.

Pines says he also had concerns that some of these guests – who looked like they were in their early 20s – were "too young" and "impressionable" for his then 50-year-old boss.

"I would see some women feel uncomfortable or at least look like they'd had a wild night," says Pines.

A woman with an IV drip would usually visit the next day, he says, to help guests recover after sometimes "partying" for 24 hours non-stop without food.

Pines recalls one young guest uttering to him in distress: "I've never done anything like that before."

He was instructed to drive her home from Combs' Miami residence: "She was kind of shaking and shivering, like she was coming down off the drugs."

LISTEN: Combs sent voice notes to staff asking for Xanax, Plan B (emergency contraceptives) and Cialis (sex enhancement medication)

The drug-fuelled nature of these nights has repeatedly been brought up during Combs' trial. Casandra Ventura, his ex-partner of more than a decade, testified that she endured years of coerced sex with male escorts under the threat of beatings and blackmail, while Combs filmed the encounters. She said these events would sometimes go on for days and require her to take countless drugs to stay awake.

Another woman, who dated Combs on-and-off from 2021 until his arrest last September, gave evidence that she felt pressured to fulfil his desires partly because he was paying her rent, and said the encounters left her feeling "disgusted" and in physical pain.

In his defence at trial, Combs' lawyer said he admitted to domestic violence, but argued that all the sexual encounters were consensual, and that Combs had a "swingers lifestyle".

The BBC understands at least one staff member was asked to search online for escorts to participate in the Wild King nights. Screenshots of the escorts were then sent to Combs for approval.

Pines says he doesn't know what happened at these events, but he was asked to deal with the aftermath.

It was "just complete wreckage", he says. "Oil all over the floor. Marijuana joints everywhere… I would wear gloves. I would wear a mask."

"He [Combs] would get up, put his hoodie on and walk out the door," Pines says, leaving staff to clean the room.

On one occasion, Pines says he witnessed Combs push and kick a female guest during an argument at his house, which continued outside.

Combs swore at her and said "give me my hoodie", Pines remembers. "She takes off the hoodie, she's topless, no bra, nothing, no t-shirt on. So, I take off my jacket and I wrap it around her to kind of shield her."

The guest left in an Uber crying, says Pines, but within a week she was back at the house again with Combs.

"She came back shortly after that. Dinner, gifts… she was brought back into the fold."

When Pines told his supervisor Khorram about the incident, he says she knew exactly what to say to him: "I kind of give her a play-by-play of what happened. Her words to me: 'Never speak about this again.'"

Kristina Khorram has not responded to the BBC's request for comment but has previously denied any wrongdoing.

In a statement to CNN last March, she described allegations against her as "false" and "causing irreparable and incalculable damage to my reputation and the emotional well-being of myself and my family".

"I have never condoned or aided and abetted the sexual assault of anyone. Nor have I ever drugged anyone," she said.

Baby oil and Astroglide lubricant (left) and marijuana joints (right) were supplied on party nights

Staff would be required to erase any evidence of "freak-offs" – removing bodily stains from sheets, disposing of drugs and, Pines tells us, scrubbing any "compromising" recorded footage of the sexual encounters off his boss's personal phones and laptops.

Other staff also describe feeling disturbed by Combs' sexual encounters.

"[There are] things I saw with my own eyes, memories that will stay forever," says Ethan. He says Combs would sometimes ask him to enter the room and "bring him water or male enhancement pills" while sex was taking place.

Pines has filed his own civil lawsuit against Combs. The BBC approached Combs' lawyers for comment in respect of Pines' allegations, and they made this statement in response: "No matter how many lawsuits are filed, it won't change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone – man or woman, adult or minor. We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason."

Pines recalls a particularly horrifying incident around November 2020, when he says he was asked to stay behind after work and set up an after-party at the Miami mansion.

He says that Combs and his guests had been "in the sun partying, taking mushrooms, smoking, drinking all day – so they were completely gone by this time".

Pines (right) says Combs asked him to "prove his loyalty"

During the party, Pines says Combs invited him to take a shot, before asking him to "prove his loyalty".

He handed Pines a condom and pushed him towards a female guest who was lying on a nearby couch.

"At that moment, I'm like, what is going on?" Pines says. "I froze. I was just shocked by what was happening. I felt cold… but I also felt so much pressure."

Pines says the woman consented and they had sex until Combs began "drifting off into another part of the suite".

"I didn't want any of that," he says. "Once I kind of saw him out of my peripheral, that he was gone, I pulled up my pants and just got out of there quickly.

"It was a power move. I felt like I was coerced. It was manipulation."

The Gucci bag

When they travelled internationally, staff say Combs' drugs came with him, concealed in a safe onboard his Even if it was for a day trip, if he was going on the yacht for four hours, take all that stuff with you because he may use it," Pines recalls being instructed.

He claims mushrooms, ketamine and ecstasy were kept in a small black Gucci bag alongside baby oil, lubricant and red lights.

Combs' lawyers admitted during trial that he had procured drugs, but said they were for personal use only.

Staff say a Gucci bag was carried on trips filled with lubricants and Class A drugs

In one nerve-wracking incident in Venice in summer 2021, Pines says Italian authorities questioned Combs' staff for an hour. He feared that if they had found the drugs hidden in the luggage, he would have "taken the fall" for his boss.

A former personal assistant, Brendan Paul, was arrested on charges of drug possession while with Combs at a Miami airport in March 2024, on the same day police raided the rapper's homes. The charges were later dropped after Paul completed a pre-trial diversion programme.

During Combs' trial, Paul, 26, testified that he had found cocaine after "sweeping" his boss's room and had forgotten it was in his bag while they prepared for a vacation in the Bahamas. He told the court that he did not tell law enforcement that they were Combs' drugs out of "loyalty".

Staff say Combs would hold "freak offs" internationally – in hotels and private yachts

By December 2021, Pines says he had had enough. 

"The money wasn't worth it… because of the experiences I was having with him. It was just too much to bear."

When asked why staff had not spoken out sooner, Pines does not hesitate. They were, he says, afraid of Combs.

"He is a very scary person. Whether you're his employee, you're a contractor, you're a girlfriend, guest, you know what he's capable of," he says.

Ethan says he used to believe that Combs had "people a couple of steps in front" who "caught everything". But after his former boss's arrest, his view shifted. Staff simply were not able to stop what was coming, he says. "Obviously being a celebrity, he could cut many corners," he reflects, but "he couldn't avoid the law".

Pines says he was approached by federal agents in the Department of Homeland Security as part of its criminal investigation last summer and was later legally summoned to give evidence ahead of Combs' trial. Other ex-assistants, who worked for Combs back in 2014 and as recently as 2024, testified in court during the trial.

"I have to nod to Cassie Ventura for being so courageous to stand up to him," Pines says.

Getty ImagesCasandra Ventura (right) filed a civil lawsuit against Combs in November 2023

Ventura's civil lawsuit, filed in November 2023, alleged Combs had trapped her in a cycle of violence and sexual abuse. The lawsuit was settled in a She opened the door for people like me to come forward, and for other people who are going through similar things who feel silenced, who feel powerless going up against a giant."

If you would like to speak to Rianna or Larissa about this story you can get in touch here.

Sean ‘Diddy’ CombsUnited States

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Sursa: BBC News

'Be careful, they are watching you': Tibet is silent as Dalai Lama turns 90

5 hours agoShareSaveLaura BickerChina correspondentReporting fromAba, Sichuan provinceShareSaveXiqing Wang/ BBCThe BBC visited the Kirti monastery in Aba, which has long been the heart of Tibetan resistance to Beijing

Shrouded in crimson robes, prayer beads moving rhythmically past his fingers, the monk walks towards us.

It is a risky decision.

We are being followed by eight unidentified men. Even saying a few words to us in public could get him in trouble.

But he appears willing to take the chance. "Things here are not good for us," he says quietly.

This monastery in China's south-western Sichuan province has been at the centre of Tibetan resistance for decades – the world learned the name in the late 2000s as Tibetans set themselves on fire there in defiance of Chinese rule. Nearly two decades later, the Kirti monastery still worries Beijing.

A police station has been built inside the main entrance. It sits alongside a small dark room full of prayer wheels which squeak as they spin. Nests of surveillance cameras on thick steel poles surround the compound, scanning every corner.

"They do not have a good heart; everyone can see it," the monk adds. Then comes a warning. "Be careful, people are watching you."

As the men tailing us come running, the monk walks away.

Xiqing Wang/ BBCPrayer wheels depict rich murals from the Buddha's life inside the monastery

"They" are the Communist Party of China, which has now governed more than six million Tibetans for almost 75 years, ever since it annexed the region in 1950.

China has invested heavily in the region, building new roads and railways to boost tourism and integrate it with the rest of the country. Tibetans who have fled say economic development also brought more troops and officials, chipping away at their faith and freedoms.

Beijing views Tibet as an integral part of China. It has labelled Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, as a separatist, and those who display his image or offer him public support could end up behind bars.

Still, some in Aba, or Ngaba in Tibetan, which is home to the Kirti monastery, have gone to extreme measures to challenge these restrictions.

The town sits outside what China calls the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), created in 1965, comprising about half of the Tibetan plateau. But millions of Tibetans live outside of TAR – and consider the rest as part of their homeland.

Aba has long played a crucial role. Protests erupted here during the Tibet-wide uprising of 2008 after, by some accounts, a monk held up a photo of the Dalai Lama inside the Kirti monastery. It eventually escalated into a riot and Chinese troops opened fire. At least 18 Tibetans were killed in this tiny town.

As Tibet rose up in protest, it often turned into violent clashes with Chinese paramilitary. Beijing claims 22 people died, while Tibetan groups in exile put the number at around 200.

In the years that followed there were more than 150 self-immolations calling for the return of the Dalai Lama – most of them happened in or around Aba. It earned the main street a grim moniker: Martyr's row.

China has cracked down harder since, making it nearly impossible to determine what is happening in Tibet or Tibetan areas. The information that does emerge comes from those who have fled abroad, or the government-in-exile in India.

Xiqing Wang/ BBCTibetan monasteries are closely surveilled because of the influence they still wield

To find out a little more, we returned to the monastery the next day before dawn. We snuck past our minders and hiked our way back to Aba for the morning prayers.

The monks gathered in their yellow hats, a symbol of the Gelug school of Buddhism. Low sonorous chanting resonated through the hall as ritual smoke lingered in the still, humid air. Around 30 local men and women, most in traditional Tibetan long-sleeved jackets, sat cross-legged until a small bell chimed to end the prayer.

"The Chinese government has poisoned the air in Tibet. It is not a good government," one monk told us.

"We Tibetans are denied basic human rights. The Chinese government continues to oppress and persecute us. It is not a government that serves the people."

He gave no details, and our conversations were brief to avoid detection. Still, it is rare to hear these voices.

The question of Tibet's future has taken on urgency with the Dalai Lama turning 90 this week. Hundreds of followers have been gathering in the Indian town of Dharamshala to honour him. He announced the much-anticipated succession plan on Wednesday, reaffirming what he has said before: the next Dalai Lama would be chosen after his death.

Tibetans everywhere have reacted – with relief, doubt or anxiety – but not those in the Dalai Lama's homeland, where even the whisper of his name is forbidden.

Beijing has spoken loud and clear: the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama will be in China, and approved by the Chinese Communist Party. Tibet, however, has been silent.

"That's just the way it is," the monk told us. "That's the reality."

Two worlds under one sky

The road to Aba winds slowly for nearly 500km (300 miles) from the Sichuan capital of Chengdu.

It passes through the snow-packed peaks of Siguniang Mountain before it reaches the rolling grassland at the edge of the Himalayan plateau.

Xiqing Wang/ BBCEn route to Aba on the edge of the Tibetan plateau…Xiqing Wang/ BBCwhere the high-altitude sunlight is particularly harsh

The gold, sloping rooftops of Buddhist temples shimmer every few miles as they catch especially sharp sunlight. This is the roof of the world where traffic gives way to yak herders on horseback whistling to reluctant, grunting cattle, as eagles circle above.

There are two worlds underneath this Himalayan sky, where heritage and faith have collided with the Party's demand for unity and control.

China has long maintained that Tibetans are free to practise their faith. But that faith is also the source of a centuries-old identity, which human rights groups say Beijing is slowly eroding.

They claim that countless Tibetans have been detained for staging peaceful protests, promoting the Tibetan language, or even possessing a portrait of the Dalai Lama.

Many Tibetans, inlcuding some we spoke to within the Kirti monastery, are concerned about new laws governing the education of Tibetan children.

All under-18s must now attend Chinese state-run schools and learn Mandarin. They cannot study Buddhist scriptures in a monastery class until they are 18 years old – and they must "love the country and the religion and follow national laws and regulations".

This is a huge change for a community where monks were often recruited as children, and monasteries doubled up as schools for most boys.

Xiqing Wang/ BBCThe Chinese national flag above the Kirti monastery: the Party's ambitions have clashed with the Tibetan faith, which underpins their identity

"One of the nearby Buddhist institutions was torn down by the government a few months ago," a monk in his 60s told us in Aba, from under an umbrella as he walked to prayers in the rain.

"It was a preaching school," he added, becoming emotional.

The new rules follow a 2021 order for all schools in Tibetan areas, including kindergartens, to teach in the Chinese language. Beijing says this gives Tibetan children a better shot at jobs in a country where the main language is Mandarin.

But such regulations could have a "profound effect" on the future of Tibetan Buddhism, according to renowned scholar Robert Barnett.

"We are moving to a scenario of the Chinese leader Xi Jinping having total control – towards an era of little information getting into Tibet, little Tibetan language being shared," Mr Barnett says.

"Schooling will almost entirely be about Chinese festivals, Chinese virtues, advanced Chinese traditional culture. We are looking at the complete management of intellectual input."

The road to Aba shows off the money Beijing has pumped into this remote corner of the world. A new high-speed railway line hugs the hills linking Sichuan to other provinces on the plateau.

In Aba, the usual high-street shop fronts selling monks' robes and bundles of incense are joined by new hotels, cafes and restaurants to entice tourists.

Xiqing Wang/ BBCAba's ancient monasteries are now drawing more Chinese tourists

Chinese tourists arrive in their branded hiking gear and stand amazed as the local faithful prostate themselves on wooden blocks at the entrance to Buddhist temples.

"How do they get anything done all day?" one tourist wonders aloud. Others turn the prayer wheels excitedly and ask about the rich, colourful murals depicting scenes from the Buddha's life.

A party slogan written on the roadside boasts that "people of all ethnic groups are united as closely as seeds in a pomegranate".

But it's hard to miss the pervasive surveillance.

A hotel check-in requires facial recognition. Even buying petrol requires several forms of identification which are shown to high-definition cameras. China has long controlled what information its citizens have access to – but in Tibetan areas, the grip is even tighter.

Tibetans, Mr Barnett says, are "locked off from the outside world".

The 'right' successor

It's hard to say how many of them know about the Dalai Lama's announcement on Wednesday – broadcast to the world, it was censored in China.

Living in exile in India since 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama has advocated for more autonomy, rather than full independence, for his homeland. Beijing believes he "has no right to represent the Tibetan people".

He handed over political authority in 2011 to a government-in-exile chosen democratically by 130,000 Tibetans globally – and that government has had back-channel talks this year with China about the succession plan, but it's unclear if they have progressed.

The Dalai Lama has previously suggested that his successor would be from "the free world", that is, outside China. On Wednesday, he said "no-one else has any authority to interfere".

This sets the stage for a confrontation with Beijing, which has said the process should "follow religious rituals and historical customs, and be handled in accordance with national laws and regulations".

Xiqing Wang/ BBCTibetans in China have very restricted access to information – especially if it has to do with the Dalai Lama

Beijing is already doing the groundwork to convince the Tibetans, Mr Barnett says.

"There is already a huge propaganda apparatus in place. The Party has been sending teams to offices, schools and villages to teach people about the 'new regulations' for choosing a Dalai Lama."

When the Panchen Lama, the second highest authority in Tibetan Buddhism, died in 1989, the Dalai Lama identified a successor to that post in Tibet. But the child disappeared. Beijing was accused of kidnapping him, although it insists that boy, now an adult, is safe. It then approved a different Panchen Lama, who Tibetans outside China do not recognise.

If there are two Dalai Lamas, it could become a test of China's powers of persuasion. Which one will the world recognise? More important, would most Tibetans in China even know of the other Dalai Lama?

China wants a credible successor – but perhaps no-one too credible.

Because, Mr Barnett says, Beijing "wants to turn the lion of Tibetan culture into a poodle".

"It wants to remove things it perceives as risky and replace them with things it believes Tibetans ought to be thinking about; patriotism, loyalty, fealty. They like the singing and dancing – the Disney version of Tibetan culture."

"We don't know how much will survive," Mr Barnett concludes.

Xiqing Wang/ BBCMany Tibetans believe their way of life is being eroded by Chinese control…Xiqing Wang/ BBCdespite all their efforts to hold on to it

As we leave the monastery, a line of women carrying heavy baskets filled with tools for construction or farming walk through the room of prayer wheels, spinning them clockwise.

They sing in Tibetan and smile as they pass, their greying, pleated hair only just visible under their sun hats.

Tibetans have clung on to their identity for 75 years now, fighting for it and dying for it.

The challenge now will be to protect it, even when the man who embodies their beliefs – and their resistance – is gone.

Dalai Lama confirms he will have a successor after his death

A dam ignited rare Tibetan protests. They ended in beatings and arrests, BBC finds

How China's boarding schools are silencing Tibet’s language

The Indian monastery town coveted by China

AsiaChinaDalai LamaTibet

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Sursa: BBC News

„Diddy a fost refuzat să fie eliberat pe cauțiune după ce a fost achitat de cele mai grave acuzații

acum 4 oreDistribuieSalveazăMadeline Halpert și Sakshi VenkatramanBBC NewsReportează de la instanța din New YorkDistribuieSalveazăUrmărește: Nomia Iqbal de la BBC analizează ce urmează după verdictul lui Diddy

Un judecător i-a refuzat lui Sean „Diddy” Combs eliberarea pe cauțiune după ce un juriu l-a condamnat pe magnatul hip-hop pentru transport în scopul prostituției, dar l-a achitat de cele mai grave acuzații: extorcare și trafic sexual.

Avocații artistului au susținut că acesta nu prezintă niciun risc de zbor, subliniind că avionul său este închiriat în Hawaii.

Însă judecătorul Arun Subramanian a invocat istoricul de violență al lui Combs când a decis că rapperul trebuie să rămână în spatele gratiilor până la pronunțarea sentinței la sfârșitul acestui an, când riscă până la 20 de ani de închisoare.

În procesul federal de aproape două luni din New York City, procurorii l-au acuzat pe Combs că și-a folosit statutul de celebritate și imperiul de afaceri pentru a conduce o întreprindere criminală în scopul traficului sexual cu femei.

Un complet de 12 jurați a deliberat timp de 13 ore înainte de a-l achita pe Combs de trei dintre cele mai grave cinci acuzații.

El va continua să fie deținut în aceeași închisoare federală din Brooklyn, unde a fost deținut din septembrie anul trecut.

Sentința a fost programată provizoriu pentru 3 octombrie.

Getty ImagesCasandra Ventura și Sean „Diddy” Combs în 2018

• Lumea secretă a lui Diddy dezvăluită în videoclipuri și notițele sale vocale
• Moment dramatic: Combs a căzut în genunchi după ce și-a aflat soarta

Combs Avocatul Marc Agnifilo a pledat cu pasiune pentru ca judecătorul să-și elibereze clientul.

Avocatul apărării a declarat că Combs a participat la un program pentru autorii violenței domestice pentru a încerca să-și reformeze conduita, chiar înainte de a fi arestat, și că nu a mai fost violent din 2018.

„Cred doar că ar trebui să avem încredere în el”, a spus Agnifilo.

Dar Combs… Fosta iubită a sa, muziciana Casandra Ventura, avertizase instanța într-o scrisoare că magnatul hip-hop ar reprezenta un pericol dacă ar fi eliberat.

Urmăriți: Reporterul BBC din sala de judecată prezintă reacția la citirea verdictului lui Diddy

Rapperul a recunoscut violența domestică, dar a negat orice întâlniri sexuale fără consimțământ sau o schemă de extorcare mai amplă.

Judecătorul Subramanian a declarat că eliberarea pe cauțiune i-a fost refuzată deoarece „apărarea a recunoscut violența în relația sa personală”.

Atmosfera din instanță a fost emoționantă după ce jurații au anunțat că l-au achitat pe Combs de cele mai grave acuzații de extorcare și trafic sexual.

Traficul sexual și extorcarea se pedepsesc ambele cu închisoare pe viață.

În timp ce Combs afla verdictul, a îngenuncheat, și-a pus fața în scaun și a părut că se roagă. Tremura.

Verdictul vine la o zi după ce jurații au declarat instanței că au luat o decizie cu privire la acuzațiile de trafic sexual și transport în scopul prostituției împotriva lui Combs, dar nu au putut decide cu privire la acuzația de escrocherie.

Urmăriți: Fostul procuror explică cum ar putea arăta condamnarea lui Diddy

Jurații au spus că au avut acuzații „neconvingătoare” opinii de ambele părți cu privire la acuzație, care a fost cea mai complicată dintre acuzațiile cu care s-a confruntat Combs.

Conspirație de escrocherie sau dirijarea unei întreprinderi ilegale în temeiul Legii privind organizațiile influențate de escrochi și corupte (Rico), este denumirea oficială a acuzației.

Pentru a-l condamna pe Combs pentru această acuzație, procurorii au trebuit să dovedească faptul că și-a folosit rețeaua loială de asociați pentru a conduce o întreprindere criminală în vederea comiterii de infracțiuni, inclusiv trafic sexual, răpire, trafic de droguri și obstrucționarea justiției.

Avocații apărării au susținut că cazul nu poate fi considerat escrocherie dacă membrii organizației Combs… Personalul nu a fost complice în mod conștient.

Procurorii au chemat peste 30 de martori pe parcursul procesului de șapte săptămâni, inclusiv dna Ventura, rapperul Kid Cudi, mai mulți foști angajați și lucrători în domeniul securității hotelului.

Aceștia au susținut că Combs s-a bazat pe angajați pentru a-și constrânge partenerele la așa-numitele „aventuri sexuale”, în care iubitele sale întrețineau relații sexuale cu un escort masculin în timp ce el urmărea și filma.

ReutersFamilia lui Combs părăsește instanța miercuri

Guvernul s-a bazat pe mărturia dnei Ventura, care a urcat în boxa martorilor în timp ce era însărcinată în opt luni, declarând instanței că Combs a presat-o să intre în acte sexuale și a amenințat că va publica înregistrări cu agresiunile dacă nu se supune.

Doamna Ventura a avertizat miercuri că Combs ar reprezenta un pericol dacă i se acordă eliberarea pe cauțiune.

Într-o scrisoare depusă la instanță, avocatul ei, Douglas Wigdor, a scris: „Doamna Ventura consideră că domnul Combs este probabil să reprezinte un pericol pentru victimele care au depus mărturie în acest caz, inclusiv pentru ea însăși, precum și pentru comunitate.”

În centrul cazului lor se afla o înregistrare video cu rapperul bătând-o și târând-o pe doamna Ventura pe holul unui hotel din Los Angeles în 2016 – imagini de supraveghere pentru care angajații de securitate au mărturisit că Combs a încercat să-i plătească pentru a le șterge.

Combs’ Avocații au recunoscut că clientul lor a fost violent față de femei, dar au susținut că comportamentul său a fost motivat de droguri și gelozie, nu de dovezi ale unei scheme mai ample de trafic sexual și escrocherie.

Combs se confruntă, de asemenea, cu zeci de procese civile care pretind agresiune sexuală și violență.

Rapperul născut în Harlem a fondat Bad Boy Records în 1993, o casă de discuri care reprezenta unele dintre cele mai mari nume din hip hop – inclusiv Notorious B.I.G. și Usher.

A continuat să înființeze o linie de îmbrăcăminte numită Sean John și o varietate de alte afaceri, inclusiv parfumuri, alcool și chiar o companie media.

Aflați toate cele mai recente actualizări despre proces pe BBC Sounds „Diddy on Trial” podcast disponibil oriunde vă ascultați podcasturile BBC.

‘Se considera rege’: Partidele care au dus la căderea lui Diddy

Cronologia acuzațiilor și acuzațiilor împotriva lui Sean Combs

Sean „Diddy” CombsNew YorkStatele Unite ale AmericiiMuzică

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Sursa: BBC News

Moment dramatic: Sean „Diddy” Combs a căzut în genunchi după ce și-a aflat soarta

acum 4 oreDistribuieSalveazăMadeline HalpertBBC News, în instanța din New YorkDistribuieSalveazăREUTERS/Jane Rosenberg

Doisprezece jurați din New York s-au adunat miercuri în jurul orei 10:00 (14:00 GMT) într-o sală de judecată cu lambriuri din lemn pentru a-i spune lui Sean „Diddy” Combs că l-au găsit nevinovat de conducerea unei afaceri criminale cu angajați și de trafic sexual cu fostele sale iubite.

Mogulul hip-hop căzut în dizgrație a căzut în genunchi și și-a îngropat capul într-un scaun la masa apărării, unde tocmai petrecuse două luni în instanță pentru trafic sexual și escrocherie.

Înainte de pronunțarea verdictului, Combs a stat liniștit pe scaun, privind înainte, purtând același pulover și pantaloni alb-gălbui pe care i-a purtat o mare parte din proces.

Instanța s-a liniștit în timp ce președintele juriului a înmânat foaia de verdict adjunctului instanței. Apoi a fost returnată președintelui instanței.

Și au început să citească.

În timp ce sunetul „nevinovat” a răsunat în instanță pentru prima dată, achitându-l pe Combs de cea mai gravă infracțiune de escrocherie, rapperul și-a ținut capul jos.

În momentul în care președinta a anunțat că Combs este nevinovat de trafic sexual, Combs avea deja mâinile în cap.

Urmăriți: Cum a fost în sala de judecată când a venit verdictul

Juriul l-a găsit vinovat pentru acuzațiile mai puțin grave de transport de persoane pentru a se prostitua. În timp ce își confirmau decizia, Combs și-a îngropat fața în mâini.

A urmat o serie de mici sărbători pentru Combs, care se află într-o închisoare federală din Brooklyn din septembrie. A făcut un semn de rugăciune cu mâinile către juriu, apoi s-a întors și a făcut același gest către familia sa – fiice gemene, fii și mama în vârstă de 85 de ani.

Părea că a rostit din gură: „Mă întorc acasă”.

Momentul a părut la fel de emoționant pentru Combs; mulți avocați, inclusiv Teny Geragos, așezați lângă el și ștergând lacrimile cu un șervețel după citirea verdictului.

ReutersMulțimile reacționează la verdictul din fața instanței din New York

Combs… Avocații nu au pierdut niciun moment și i-au spus judecătorului că verdictul, pronunțat după aproximativ două zile de deliberări, însemna că Combs ar trebui să poată părăsi tribunalul din Manhattan ca un om liber chiar în acea zi.

Achitarea sa de la cele mai grave acuzații însemna că nu mai trebuia să fie închis, a declarat avocatul său, Marc Agnifilo, instanței, menționând că avionul clientului său era inaccesibil – închiriat și în Maui.

„Domnului Combs i s-a dat viața de către acest juriu”, a spus el. „Nu va încălca nimic din ceea ce i-ar impune această instanță.”

Apoi, probabil în cel mai emoționant gest al zilei pentru Combs, acesta a părut să-și exprime recunoștința apăsându-și capul pe scaunul de la masa apărării.

S-a ridicat, bătând din palme zgomotos, pentru a-și îmbrățișa mai mulți avocați. Mulți membri ai familiei și susținători din sala principală de judecată și dintr-o sală arhiplină i s-au alăturat, aclamând.

Apoi, cu o ultimă îmbrățișare adresată avocatului său și un semn cu mâna familiei sale – blocată de o mulțime de oameni și bănci de judecată – a fost escortat în afara instanței.

Speranțele magnatului hip-hop de a se întoarce acasă au fost ulterior spulberate, judecătorul Arun Subramanian refuzându-i eliberarea pe cauțiune la o altă audiere de miercuri după-amiază.

În fața instanței din Manhattan, s-au auzit repetate strigăte de „eliberați-l pe Diddy” într-o mulțime mare în spatele barierelor.

Dar va rămâne în spatele gratiilor până la condamnarea sa de la sfârșitul acestui an.

Obțineți toate actualizările despre proces pe podcastul BBC Sounds „Diddy on Trial”, disponibil oriunde vă ascultați podcasturile BBC.

New York City

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Sursa: BBC News

Gaza hospital director killed in Israeli strike, Hamas-run health ministry says

4 hours agoShareSaveMallory MoenchBBC NewsShareSaveGaza Ministry of HealthDr Marwan Sultan was the director of the Indonesian Hospital in north Gaza

The director of Gaza's Indonesian Hospital has been killed in an Israeli air strike on his home in Gaza City along with several family members, the Hamas-run health ministry has said.

The ministry said Dr Marwan Sultan had a long career in medicine, and condemned "this heinous crime against our medical cadres".

The Israeli military said it had struck a "key terrorist" from Hamas in the Gaza City area and that claims "uninvolved civilians" were harmed as a result of the strike were being reviewed.

Meanwhile, at least five people were killed and others injured, including children, in a strike on the al-Mawasi "safe zone", one of several other attacks reported by news agencies.

The health ministry said Dr Sultan's career was one of compassion "during which he was a symbol of dedication, steadfastness and sincerity, during the most difficult circumstances and most trying moments experienced by our people under continuous aggression".

Dr Sultan was the director at the Indonesian Hospital, declared out of service by the health ministry after what the UN later described as "repeated Israeli attacks and sustained structural damage". The Israeli military had said it was fighting "terrorist infrastructure sites" in the area.

There are now no functioning hospitals in the north Gaza governate, according to the UN.

The health ministry accused the Israeli military of targeting medical and humanitarian teams.

In its statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it "regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals" and "operates to mitigate harm to them as much as possible".

The IDF said Hamas "systematically violates international law while using civilian infrastructure for terrorist activity and the civilian population as human shields".

But Dr Sultan's doctor's daughter, Lubna al-Sultan, said "an F-16 missile targeted his room exactly, right where he was, directly on him".

"All the rooms in the house were intact except for his room, which was hit by the missile. My father was martyred in it," she told the Associated Press.

She said he was "not affiliated with a movement or anything, he just fears for the patients [he] treats, throughout the war".

Across Gaza, at least 139 people were killed by Israeli military operations in the 24 hours before midday on Wednesday, the health ministry said.

In the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, at least five people were killed and others, including children, wounded in an Israeli strike that hit a tent housing displaced people, news agencies reported.

Family members of those killed said it hit at 00:40 local time (22:40 BST) while they were sleeping.

Tamam Abu Rizq told AFP the strike "shook the place like an earthquake", and she "went outside and found the tent on fire".

The al-Mawasi area was declared a "safe zone" by the Israeli military, as the UN says 80% of Gaza is either an Israeli military zone or under an evacuation order.

"They came here thinking it was a safe area and they were killed… What did they do?" Maha Abu Rizq said.

At the scene, surrounded by destruction and a jumble of personal items, one man held up a pack of nappies and asked: "Is this a weapon?"

Footage recorded by AFP shows men alighting from a car in front of nearby Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and rushing inside carrying blood-covered children in their arms. Inside the hospital, young children cry as doctors treat their wounds.

ReutersPalestinians inspect the damage at the site of a strike on a tent sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis

Women weep over the bodies of their relatives in funerals at the hospital in other AFP footage.

"Anyone of any religion must take action and say: Enough! Stop this war!" Ekram al-Akhras, who lost several cousins in one of the strikes, said.

In Gaza City, another four people from the same family were killed in an Israeli air strike on a house, news agencies reported.

The four people killed were Ahmed Ayyad Zeno, his wife Ayat Zeno, and their daughters, Zahra Zeno and Obaida Zeno, according to Palestinian news outlet WAFA.

The BBC has contacted the IDF for comment about the two incidents.

ReutersAt Nasser Hospital, people grieve those killed in an overnight Israeli strike on a tent

Rachel Cummings, who is working in Gaza with Save the Children, told reporters that during "wishing circles" at the charity's child-friendly spaces, children have recently been "wishing to die" in order to be with their mother or father who has been killed, or to have food and water.

As a heatwave spread across the UK and Europe this week, temperatures also topped 30C in Gaza.

Displaced people living in tents said they were struggling to stay cool without electricity and fans, and with little access to water.

Reda Abu Hadayed told the Associated Press the heat is "indescribable" and her children cannot sleep.

"They cry all day until sunset, when the temperature drops a little, then they go to sleep," she said. "When morning comes, they start crying again due to the heat."

Israel has continued to bomb Gaza and control the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid as mediators meet to negotiate a potential ceasefire proposal.

Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 back to Gaza as hostages.

Since then, Israel's military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 57,000 people, including more than 15,000 children, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Trump says Israel has agreed to conditions for 60-day Gaza ceasefire

Israeli strike on Gaza seafront cafe kills at least 20 Palestinians, witnesses and rescuers say

Gaza doctor whose nine children were killed in Israeli strike dies from injuries

Middle EastIsrael-Gaza war

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Sursa: BBC News

Trump cere demisia imediată a șefului băncii centrale a SUA

Acum o orăDistribuieSalveazăPeter HoskinsReporter de afaceri, BBC NewsReportează din SingaporeDistribuieSalveazăGetty Images

Președintele SUA, Donald Trump, a cerut demisia „imediată” a președintelui Rezervei Federale, într-o escaladare a atacurilor sale la adresa lui Jerome Powell.

„„Prea târziu” ar trebui să demisioneze imediat!!!”, a declarat Trump într-o postare pe platforma sa Truth Social.

De asemenea, a inclus un link către un articol de știri despre o autoritate federală de reglementare în domeniul locuințelor din SUA care solicită investigarea domnului Powell pentru mărturia sa despre renovările sediului central al băncii centrale din Washington.

Trump l-a nominalizat pe domnul Powell pentru funcția de președinte al Fed în timpul primului său mandat. De atunci, l-a criticat în repetate rânduri pentru că nu a redus ratele dobânzilor, dar nu este clar dacă președintele are autoritatea de a-l demite din funcție.

În ciuda criticilor continue ale președintelui la adresa domnului Powell, acesta a declarat la începutul acestui an că „nu are nicio intenție să-l concedieze”.

Trump dorește ca Rezerva Federală să reducă ratele dobânzilor pentru a ajuta la stimularea creșterii economice.

Domnul Powell a declarat marți că Fed ar fi redus deja ratele dacă nu ar fi fost impactul politicilor tarifare ale lui Trump.

Întrebat în timpul unei întâlniri a bancherilor centrali din Portugalia dacă ratele dobânzilor din SUA ar fi fost reduse din nou anul acesta dacă administrația nu și-ar fi anunțat planul de a crește brusc tarifele pentru țări din întreaga lume, dl Powell a răspuns: „Cred că este corect”.

Rezerva Federală a SUA a refuzat să comenteze remarcile lui Trump atunci când a fost contactată de BBC.

Înainte de revenirea lui Trump la Casa Albă la începutul acestui an, dl Powell a declarat că nu se va retrage dacă președintele i-ar cere acest lucru și că „nu este permis prin lege” ca Casa Albă să-l forțeze să plece.

Membrii consiliilor de administrație ale agențiilor federale independente, cum ar fi Rezerva Federală, pot fi forțați să plece doar înainte de expirarea mandatelor lor „din motive justificate”. conform unei hotărâri istorice a Curții Supreme a SUA din 1935.

Cu toate acestea, Trump a contestat adesea normele politice, inclusiv concedierea unor autorități de reglementare independente, acțiuni care au fost contestate în instanță.

De ce Trump continuă să atace banca centrală a SUA

Miercuri, directorul Agenției Federale de Finanțare a Locuințelor, Bill Pulte, care l-a criticat anterior aspru pe domnul Powell, a cerut ca acesta să fie investigat.

„Cer Congresului să-l investigheze pe președintele Jerome Powell, părtinirea sa politică și mărturia sa înșelătoare din Senat, care este suficientă pentru a fi înlăturată „pe motiv”.” a postat pe X.

Săptămâna trecută, dl Powell a declarat Senatului că rapoartele despre costurile în creștere și caracteristicile costisitoare de la sediul Fed au fost „înșelătoare și inexacte în multe, multe privințe”.

Urmăriți răsturnările de situație ale celui de-al doilea mandat al lui Trump cu buletinul informativ săptămânal US Politics Unspun al corespondentului pentru America de Nord, Anthony Zurcher. Cititorii din Marea Britanie se pot înscrie aici. Cei din afara Marii Britanii se pot înscrie aici.

Afaceri internaționaleRezerva Federală a SUAJerome PowellDonald Trump

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Sursa: BBC News

Evacuări în masă în timpul incendiilor de vegetație din insula grecească Creta

acum 2 oreDistribuieSalveazăNikos PapanikolaouBBC NewsDistribuieSalveazăUrmărește: Persoanele care merg la plajă privesc cum incendiile de vegetație ard în Grecia

Un incendiu major din Grecia continuă să scape de sub control în estul Cretei, după ce a izbucnit miercuri după-amiază pe un teren împădurit accidentat în apropierea municipalității Ierapetra.

Intensificate de vânturi puternice care au atins până la opt grade pe scara Beaufort, flăcările s-au răspândit rapid spre sud, amenințând locuințele, unitățile de cazare turistice și infrastructura critică, inclusiv o stație de alimentare cu combustibil.

Frontul incendiului se extinde acum pe cel puțin 6 km, potrivit serviciilor de urgență, ceea ce face ca izolarea incendiului să fie din ce în ce mai dificilă.

Un fum gros a cuprins zona extinsă, reducând vizibilitatea aproape la zero în anumite locuri.

EPATuriștii evacuează un hotel în timpul unui incendiu de vegetație din Ierapetra, pe insula grecească Creta

Fumul s-a întins până la plaja Makry Gialos, la 10 km de Achlia din Lasithi, unde pompierii se luptau cu incendiul.

Drumul principal din apropierea așezării Agia Fotia a fost închis de poliție, care a îndemnat locuitorii și vizitatorii să evite toate deplasările neesențiale din cauza calității periculoase a aerului, a căldurii extreme și a cenușii care cade.

În așezarea Agia Fotia, casele și proprietățile de închiriat au fost distruse, iar zona se confruntă cu o pană de curent, potrivit rapoartelor locale. Cel puțin patru persoane în vârstă au fost transportate la spital cu probleme respiratorii cauzate de inhalarea fumului.

Ca măsură de precauție, toate spitalele din Creta au fost plasate în stare de alertă de către autoritățile sanitare.

Autoritățile au ordonat, de asemenea, evacuarea în masă a hotelurilor, camerelor de închiriat și a locuințelor din municipiul Ferma, pe măsură ce flăcările se apropie de zonă. Operațiunea este în desfășurare cu sprijinul pompierilor, poliției și voluntarilor locali.

Până în prezent, aproximativ 1.500 de persoane au fost evacuate din așezările și zonele turistice din jur și mutate la Ierapetra. Aproximativ 200 de persoane evacuate sunt adăpostite în arena sportivă interioară a orașului.

EPA

Intervenția pompierilor a fost consolidată semnificativ. Începând de miercuri seară, 155 de pompieri, opt echipe specializate pe jos și 38 de autospeciale de pompieri acționează la sol. Patru elicoptere au efectuat transporturi de apă până la căderea nopții. Municipalitățile locale au desfășurat, de asemenea, cisterne de apă și utilaje grele.

Forțe suplimentare sunt pe drum. Șaptesprezece pompieri și o echipă pe jos din cadrul Primei Unități EMODE (Unitatea Specială de Stingere a Incendiilor Pădurii) călătoresc cu feribotul din Pireu, împreună cu cinci autospeciale de pompieri, în timp ce 33 de pompieri și patru echipe EMODE suplimentare urmează să sosească pe calea aerului din Elefsina.

Potrivit postului public de radio ERT, serviciul de pompieri a ordonat o retragere tactică de pe frontul incendiilor pentru a proteja personalul și a acorda prioritate creării de zone de stingere a incendiilor în jurul așezărilor aflate în pericol. Se așteaptă ca echipajele să rămână la sol pe tot parcursul nopții.

Alerte de urgență prin intermediul sistemului de avertizare publică 112 au fost emise pe tot parcursul zilei, solicitând evacuarea din Achlia, Ferma, Agia Fotia, Galini și ulterior Koutsounari, instruind locuitorii și turiștii să se deplaseze spre Ierapetra.

Se pare că unele persoane care au fost izolate de drum au fost evacuate cu barca de pe plajele locale.

Incendiul, despre care se crede că a izbucnit între Agia Fotia și satul Skinokapsala, continuă să ardă printr-o pădure densă, extrem de inflamabilă, cu teren abrupt, condiții de secetă și vânturi puternice care fac extrem de dificilă stingerea incendiului.

La începutul acestei săptămâni, în Turcia, peste 50.000 de persoane au fost evacuate din cauza incendiilor de vegetație din provincia vestică Izmir.

Cel puțin șase decese legate de căldură au fost raportate în Europa, în timp ce continentul se confruntă cu un val de căldură la începutul verii. Cele mai recente decese înregistrate au fost în Spania și Italia. Au existat, de asemenea, victime în Franța.

EuropaGreciaIncendiiVreme severă

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Sursa: BBC News

Colaboratoarea politică CNN Maggie Haberman explică raționamentul din spatele atacurilor lui Donald Trump asupra judecătorului și a familiei sale în timpul unui discurs la stațiunea sa din Mar-a-Lago, după ce a fost pus sub acuzare pentru infracțiuni grave.

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Sursa: CNN

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Sursa: CNN

CNN  — 

The escalating climate crisis is shifting many people’s purchasing patterns and this extends to the Delay means death': We're running out of ways to adapt to the climate crisis, new report shows. Here are the key takeaways

Strategy and consulting firm Simon Kucher’s Global Sustainability Study 2021 found 60% of consumers around the world rated sustainability as an important purchase criterion, and 35% were willing to pay more for sustainable products or services.

This shift in consumer preferences has propelled many beauty brands to set environmental goals: to move away from single-use and virgin plastics, provide recyclable, reusable and refillable packaging and offer more transparency around products’ ingredients so customers can ascertain how “green” their purchase is.

However, consumers still struggle to understand the sustainability credentials of many products, according to the British Beauty Council. This is because the industry’s clean-up efforts have been inconsistent, and fall short of making a recognizable impact in the absence of collective goal-setting, global strategy and standardized regulations.

Ingredient and branding transparency

There is no international standard for the beauty industry on how much product ingredient information to share with customers — or how to do so. Brands can set their own rules and goals, giving rise to confusion and “greenwashing,” where sustainability claims are often touted but not substantiated.

Companies often use marketing language like “clean beauty” to make it seem like their products are natural, for example, when they may not actually be organic, sustainable or ethically made.

Related article After rebranding in the West, many beauty companies are still offering to 'whiten' skin elsewhere

“The term ‘clean beauty’ has become quite dangerous. It’s used to sell more products,” according to British Beauty Council CEO Millie Kendall, who added that such buzzwords are losing traction in the UK as British customers wise up to their shortcomings. “Customers need better marketing information and certification information.”

In a 2021 report calling on the industry to have “the courage to change” their business practices, the British Beauty Council wrote that, all too often, even natural ingredients involved in manufacturing products give way to “over-consumption, non-regenerative farming practices, pollution, waste and neglect.”

“The only way out of this is transparency,” Kendall told CNN.

Jen Lee, chief impact officer at US-based brand Beautycounter, said she continues to see confusion over ingredients among consumers. (In 2013, the company launched and published “The Never List,” which currently cites more than 2,800 chemicals — including heavy metals, parabens and formaldehyde — it claims to never use in its products.)

“Natural vs. synthetic ingredients has been a conversation. People think natural is safer, but it’s not always the case,” Lee explained. “Natural ingredients formulated in the industry can have toxic load. Heavy metals can occur in natural components of the earth.”

Related article Mother loses peripheral vision from apparent exposure to mercury in beauty creams. Toxic levels in her home put family at risk, say experts

“We used to be more natural and organic,” added Sasha Plavsic, founder of makeup brand ILIA Beauty. “What was challenging is (that) raw materials were difficult to source or would come in inconsistently or products wouldn’t perform.”

Most makeup is created and molded at high temperatures, Plavsic explained. Purely organic materials often fall apart in this heat, leading to inconsistent results and subpar product performance. “Not every synthetic is bad,” Plavsic said. “Sometimes, it helps create the best in class formula.”

Unpacking plastics

The industry’s plastic packaging is a particular sustainability challenge — 95% is thrown away and the vast majority is not recycled, according to the British Beauty Council.

The cosmetics business is the fourth biggest plastic packaging user globally — after food and beverage, industrial packaging and pharmaceuticals — and plastic is about 67% of the industry’s packaging volume, according to Vantage Market Research. Beauty giant L’Oreal used 144,430 metric tons of plastic in its packaging material in 2021, for example, according to the Ellen Macarthur Foundation (EMF). Estee Lauder Companies reported its brands produced 71,600 metric tons of plastic in product packaging that same year.

And only 9% of the global plastic waste is recycled, according to a report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The United States only recycles 4% of its plastic waste.

Related article Single-use plastic is wreaking havoc on the planet. Here's what you can do to minimize your impact

Many brands are trying to phase out harmful plastics from their operations and adopt post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic. (L’Oreal has set a target of 50% PCR plastic usage by 2025, while Estee Lauder is targeting 25% “or more” PCR plastic — but both are far from achieving their targets.)

“Between 60-70 major global brands have made unprecedented progress” in PCR plastic usage across industries, EMF’s Plastic Initiative Lead Sander DeFruyt told CNN. But DeFruyt stressed that PCR plastic must be adopted in conjunction with brands removing single and virgin plastics from their usage cycles to truly make a difference.

However, PCR plastic is not easy to find — low recycling rates around the world mean there is limited supply. Meanwhile, demand for it is growing demand across industries, DeFruyt said. This competition hikes up its price, which is already higher than virgin plastic.

Hair care brand FEKKAI claims that it used up to 95% PCR content in its packaging, but pricing and supply issues posed a challenge, forcing it to currently aim for containers and packaging that feature at least 50% PCR in its packaging.

“PCR plastic is more expensive than stock plastic. The cost is hard and then sourcing it is too,” founder Frédéric Fekkai told CNN. “PCR is close to our heart, but there is a massive demand, so finding recycled plastic is difficult.”

The weight of retail

Beauty retailers plays a pivotal — and under-utilized — role, with control over stocking decisions and supply chains. But many vary when it comes to the standards they set for brands they sell.

“Smaller businesses do more, full stop,” said Jessi Baker, founder of the technology platform Provenance, which helps brands display their sustainability credentials for customers. “They move more nimbly. Some of them are born-good brands — climate friendliness was part of their setup. They don’t need to restructure their entire supply chain. Their culture already has it compared to the larger brands who need to work hard to change.”

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Sephora launched its “Clean + Planet Positive” initiative in 2021, which labeled products that met its set criteria. (This is separate from the French retailer’s “Clean at Sephora” program, which is currently facing a consumer lawsuit alleging it carries a significant percentage of products understood by customers to be harmful.) Target launched a similar program in 2022, featuring a “Target Zero” icon for both online and in-store offerings that either have reusable, recyclable, compostable or reduced plastic packaging, or feature waterless or concentrated products.

Still, many steps taken by brands and retailers do not even begin to touch on the waste and pollution generated throughout supply chains, manufacturing and shipping, all huge problems for the industry to grapple with.

The missing player

The gaps in standardization in the beauty ecosystem can, to some extent, be filled by certifications such as the US-born B Corporation, or B Corp. This accreditation, one of the most well-known in the beauty space, is issued by the non-profit B Lab, which scores a company on a variety of criteria around ethics and sustainability. However beneficial it may be among eco-conscious consumers, though, it is currently completely voluntary for brands to apply for.

Governments and multinationals enforcing regulations and setting a base line for brands to operate from when making sustainability claims would go a long way to making change, many experts and business leaders believe.

Susanne Kaufmann, founder of her namesake beauty brand, says her efforts in Austria would reap better results if more countries around the world had stricter, more uniform garbage disposal laws.

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“I package our product in a recyclable material,” Kaufmann said. (Her products’ packaging, which is refillable and reusable, is made from 75% recycled plastic — and is 100% recyclable.) If I send this to the US, the garbage is not separated… and it’s not recyclable,” she explained, referring to inconsistencies in recycling laws across the United States.

And when it comes to ingredients, the European Chemicals Agency lists 2,495 substances banned from use in cosmetic products marketed for sale or use in the bloc. But the US Food and Drug administration only lists 11, making it more challenging for American consumers to find safer, greener options. The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit watchdog, studied lab tests of 51 sunscreen products in 2021 and found that only 35% of products met the EU standard, compared with 94% that passed the US standard.

However, while government can set minimum requirements, Mia Davis, vice president of sustainability and impact at beauty retailer Credo Beauty, says the needle will move in the private sector.

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“Regulation can raise the floor a bit. A person who doesn’t know about any (sustainability issues) should still be able to walk into a bodega and get clean products… But that’s never going to be what the market can do,” she said. “Market leadership is key.”

In the absence of bold regulations or global standards on sustainability practices, this “leadership” — undertaken both by brands and customers in the beauty marketplace — is likely to be the most immediately impactful vector for addressing the industry’s climate shortcomings. It will take continued collective advocacy and initiative to see meaningful climate-conscious change.

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Sursa: CNN