How 'blood gold' is fuelling conflict in West Africa

11 hours agoShareSaveJacob BoswallBBC MonitoringShareSaveGetty Images

It has been a good year for gold. A host of turbulent events in the global economy has driven up prices for the glittery commodity to record highs in 2025.

In a world of tariffs and international conflict, gold appeals to investors as one of the few remaining stable assets. Everyone wants a piece of the action, from central banks to large institutions like hedge funds, and retail investors. But few know where their gold comes from, or much about the conflicts it may be fuelling in the countries where it is mined.

For the governments of West Africa's Sahel region, the stakes are even higher. Gold is a lifeline for the military juntas of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, who are beleaguered by jihadist insurgencies, regional isolation, and the ravages of climate change.

"Because gold prices have been at a historic high… the military governments are hoping that they will be able to benefit directly," Beverly Ochieng, a senior researcher at global consultancy firm Control Risks, told the BBC.

Together, the three Sahel states produce around 230 tonnes of gold per year, according to the World Gold Council's estimates, or about sovereignty" – though Russian firms are increasing their stake in the industry at the expense of Western-owned firms.

For example, Mali's junta leader Gen Assimi Goïta laid the foundation stone last month for a gold refinery, in which a Russian conglomerate, the Yadran Group, will have a minority stake. The refinery will reportedly create 500 direct jobs and 2,000 indirect jobs.

Burkina Faso is also building its first-ever gold refinery, and has set up a state-owned mining company, requiring foreign firms to give it a 15% stake in their local operations and to transfer skills to Burkinabé people.

Fake AI media campaigns have even been launched to celebrate the country's charismatic 37-year-old military ruler Capt Ibrahim Traoré for commanding such an important revenue stream for the nation.

"Mining gold from deepest dirt. But souls are rich and true," croons an AI-generated Rihanna in one recent song, pouring her silky, auto-tuned praise on Capt Traoré.

The reality is very different, according to Ms Ochieng, who explained that Burkina Faso and its neighbours need quick cash to fund counterinsurgency campaigns.

In the case of Mali, much of this has been outsourced to Russian mercenaries, including the Wagner Group and its successor, Africa Corps, which falls under the command of Russia's defence ministry.

Africa Corps has been involved in military training in Burkina Faso, but the junta officially denies its presence.

RIA Novosti / Anadolu / Getty ImagesRussia's President Vladimir Putin and Burkina Faso's Ibrahim Traoré have built a strong relationship

Although public spending transparency in the countries is poor, the governments are thought to devote large portions of their budgets to national security.

Military spending in Mali trebled since 2010, amounting to 22% of the national budget by 2020.

The governments are fighting jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS).

But campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Malian government and the Wagner Group of committing atrocities against civilians, including unlawful killings, summary executions, and torture.

It has documented similar atrocities by Burkina Faso's military and its allied militias.

For their services, the Wagner Group and now Africa Corps are often paid directly in gold or in mining concessions, according to Alex Vines of the London-based Chatham House think-tank.

"Very little [of the gold revenues] will trickle down to Malians and Burkinabés," he told the BBC, adding that in fact the armed insurgents themselves may be benefiting from gold.

Since the coup in Mali in 2021, brutal government tactics against communities suspected of harbouring or sympathising with jihadists have increased, pushing more civilians to join the very groups they are fighting.

Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate which is the most active jihadist group in the region, staged an unprecedented number of attacks targeting Burkina Faso military during the first half of 2025, a sign of the group's growing strength.

The armed groups are also literally cashing in on the increased global appetite for gold.

A large proportion of gold mining in the Sahel is from the artisanal and small-scale sector, which is often informal, meaning it takes place on unlicensed and undeclared sites away from government oversight, according to a 2023 report on gold mining in the Sahel by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Armed groups, including jihadist groups, and Sahel governments are in competition for control over many of these small-scale gold mines.

Gold provides an important revenue stream for militant groups, which appear to be expanding their territorial influence in both Mali and Burkina Faso.

The UNODC believes that most gold from this type of mining ends up in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a global centre for gold refining and trading.

"You do see overlap of violent extremist groups moving onto artisanal production areas for control," said Dr Vines.

The global spike in gold prices may be prolonging and exacerbating conflict in the Sahel – but, unfortunately for the diggers in artisanal gold mines, it has not led to owners increasing their wages.

Afrikimages Agency / Universal Images Group / Getty ImagesAs jobs are scarce, many people work in the informal mining sector

One gold miner in Mali's northern Kidal region agreed to respond to written questions from the BBC on condition of anonymity, for fear of his safety.

He estimated that, on a "good day", he earns 10,000 to 20,000 CFA francs, or approximately Prices went up, but the extra profit goes to mine owners… It's risky and uncertain, but for many of us, it's the only option," he added.

Dr Vines, who formerly worked as a blood diamond investigator for the UN, is concerned that gold has become Africa's new main conflict commodity.

He noted that gold has not received the same international attention as diamonds, which fuelled bloodshed in several African states throughout the 20th Century, especially during the 1990s.

Intervention by human rights groups and the UN led to the establishment of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme in 2003, which did much to end the sale of so-called "blood diamonds" on the open market.

But attempts to crack down on "blood gold" have been less successful.

This is partly due to a lack of unified ethical standards. The London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), a major authority in the gold market, requires refiners to comply with standards based on guidelines set by a global body, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OED).

The UAE's enforcement of these regulations has historically been patchy.

In 2021, the country announced its own standards for ethical gold mining – however, the framework remains voluntary. The issue of enforcement has caused tensions in the past between the Gulf state and the LBMA.

Tracing technology represents another hurdle.

"There is no 'DNA testing' for gold. With a lot of effort, you can trace diamonds before they get polished and cut… But I haven't seen ways of tracing the origins of a gold nugget," Dr Vines said.

Gold is smelted early on in the value chain, making it nearly impossible to trace and connect to potential conflict zones, he explained.

Dr Vines believes that it is likely that some blood gold from the Sahel ends up in UK markets.

"[Gold] gets smelted in [the] UAE, then goes onto the jewellery manufacturing industry, or into dentistry, or bullion. Some of it clearly comes into the UK. And once it is here, there is no way of testing what it is."

A UAE official told the BBC that the country had "a robust regulatory framework to maximize the security, integrity and transparency of every gold transaction, supported by rigorous enforcement actions".

The UAE's processes were in line with, and in some areas exceeded, OECD guidelines, the official said, adding: "They are supported by mandatory anti-money-laundering and know-your-customer procedures, annual audits and full enforcement at all points of entry."

Dr Vines said that another reason that it will be difficult to repeat the successes of the Kimberley process is because the certification system was not designed to deal with state governments.

"Kimberley was designed to deal with armed non-state actors in places like Sierra Leone and Liberia," he said.

For now, gold's importance for Sahel governments and the patchy enforcement of ethical gold standards mean that the commodity is likely to continue changing hands, regardless of its origin.

Unfortunately for some communities in the Sahel, that may mean paying for the trade in blood.

You may also be interested in:

• 'I thought I would die' – freed captive tells BBC of life in jihadist base
• Why Burkina Faso's junta leader has captured hearts and minds
• 'We are poisoning ourselves': Ghana gold rush sparks environmental disaster
• The region with more 'terror deaths' than rest of world combined

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Crema de homar și foie gras a bucătarului-șef, distins cu stele Michelin, se îndreaptă spre spațiu

acum 9 oreDistribuieSalveazăTiffany Wertheimer & Hugh SchofieldBBC NewsShareSaveAgenția Spațială EuropeanăAnne-Sophie Pic (stânga), una dintre cele mai apreciate bucătare din lume, a creat un meniu special pentru astronauta Sophie Adenot

Când te gândești la mâncarea pe care o consumă astronauții în spațiu, probabil că nu-ți vin în minte homarul, eglefinul și foie gras – dar exact asta va mânca următorul vizitator al Franței la Stația Spațială Internațională (ISS).

Astronauta Sophie Adenot a făcut echipă cu premiata bucătăreasă franceză Anne-Sophie Pic pentru a crea un meniu de delicii gastronomice care vor călători cu Adenot la ISS anul viitor.

În loc de nutrienții obișnuiți liofilizați pe care îi consumă astronauții, Adenot, 42 de ani, va alege dintre preparate precum „Cremă de foie gras pe brioșă prăjită” și „Sos cremă de homar cu crab și chimion”.

Meniul – pe care Agenția Spațială Europeană (ESA) l-a numit „un strop de Franța în spațiu” – include patru aperitive, două feluri principale și două deserturi.

Adenot a spus că preparatele, care includ și carne de vită fiartă și cremă de ciocolată, nu numai că „ne vor încânta papilele gustative”, dar o vor ajuta și să se simtă conectată la Pământ și la țara ei natală.

„Semnătura ei culinară (a lui Pic’s) este profund influențată de terroir.” „Acest lucru este important pentru mine, deoarece am crescut la țară și îmi va aminti de rădăcinile mele”, a fost citată într-un comunicat ESA.

Există reguli stricte pentru mâncarea de pe ISS – trebuie să fie fără firimituri, ușoară și să se păstreze cel puțin 24 de luni, spune ESA.

Prin urmare, majoritatea meselor sunt conservate, ambalate în vid sau liofilizate, fructele și legumele proaspete fiind un lux rar de care se poate savura doar atunci când o navă spațială sosește cu provizii noi.

Dar pentru a menține lucrurile interesante, a stimula moralul și a ajuta la consolidarea legăturilor dintre echipaj, aproximativ fiecare a zecea masă este una pregătită special pentru fiecare astronaut, cu aceste „mese bonus” adesea preparate în parteneriat cu un bucătar.

Faimoasă pentru bucătăria sa haute cuisine, Pic, în vârstă de 55 de ani, are cele mai multe stele Michelin dintre toate femeile bucătar din lume – 10.

Ea spune că acest proiect „împinge limitele” gastronomiei, deoarece a lucrat cu echipa sa pentru a crea mâncăruri speciale, respectând în același timp constrângerile tehnice.

„A găti pentru spațiu este o provocare captivantă” ESA a declarat că a declarat ea.

Adenot spune că va împărtăși bucătăria haute cuisine cu colegii săi de la bord – este, la urma urmei, un moment important – cultura gastronomică franceză devine pentru prima dată… extraterestră.

Adenot, fost pilot de testare și salvare a elicopterelor, a câștigat o serie de premii, inclusiv o medalie în onoarea acțiunilor sale în domeniul egalității de gen în științe.

Agenția Spațială EuropeanăAstronautul și bucătarul-șef au organizat o degustare la Paris pentru a decide meniul, a declarat ESAFranțaMâncareStația Spațială InternaționalăExplorarea spațiului

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Ukraine fears increased Russian aggression after US halt of weapons supply

7 hours agoShareSaveLaura Gozzi & James ChaterBBC NewsShareSaveEPA

Kyiv has warned that an interruption of US weapons shipments will encourage Russia to prolong the war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.

On Tuesday the White House said it had cut off some weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

The decision was taken "to put America's interests first" following a defence department review of US "military support and assistance to other countries", White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the two countries were now "clarifying all the details on supplies", while the foreign ministry warned any delays "would only encourage the aggressor to continue war and terror, rather than seek peace".

The ministry particularly emphasised the need for Kyiv to strengthen its air defences – as Russia continues to pummel the country with missiles and drones on a near-nightly basis.

A Kyiv-based US diplomat was invited to the foreign ministry for talks on Wednesday.

However, Ukraine's defence ministry said it had not received any official notification from the US about the "suspension or revision" of the weapons deliveries, and urged people not to speculate on the basis of partial information.

But in a statement the defence ministry also said the path to ending the war was "through consistent and joint pressure on the aggressor".

At the weekend Ukraine endured its biggest aerial attack since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, with more than 500 drones and ballistic and cruise missiles launched at its cities.

US officials did not immediately say which shipments were being halted.

According to American broadcaster NBC, the weapons being delayed could include Patriot interceptors, Howitzer munitions, missiles and grenade launchers.

The US has sent tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, leading some in the Trump administration to voice concerns that US stockpiles are too low.

The Kremlin, for its part, welcomed news of the reduction in weapons shipments, saying reducing the flow of weapons to Kyiv will help end the conflict faster.

"The fewer the number of weapons that are delivered to Ukraine, the closer the end of the special military operation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Fedir Venislavskyi, an MP for Ukraine's ruling party, said the decision was "painful, and against the background of the terrorist attacks which Russia commits against Ukraine… it's a very unpleasant situation".

A Ukrainian military source quoted by the AFP news agency said Kyiv was "seriously dependent on American arms supplies, although Europe is doing its best, but it will be difficult for us without American ammunition".

Ukraine's European allies have spent billions in military aid over the last three-and-a-half years.

However, military support for Kyiv is not endorsed by everyone on the political spectrum.

Czech President and former top Nato official, Petr Pavel, has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine – but he told BBC Russian he could "not guarantee" continued ammunition support for Kyiv, as that was dependent on the result of forthcoming Czech elections.

"I don't know what will be the priorities of a new government," he said.

The Pentagon's move is based on concerns that US military stockpiles are falling too low, a source told CBS News, although Anna Kelly stressed "the strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned – just ask Iran".

Separately, the US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Elbridge Colby, said in a statement the Pentagon "continues to provide the President with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine".

However, he added "the department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving US forces' readiness for Administration defence priorities".

ReutersUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Donald Trump at last month's Nato summit

The pause comes less than a week after President Donald Trump discussed air defences with Volodymyr Zelensky at the Nato summit in the Netherlands.

Trump said US officials "are going to see if we can make some of them available" when asked by the BBC about providing extra Patriot anti-missile systems to Ukraine.

Referring to his conversation with Zelensky, Trump said: "We had a little rough times sometimes, but he couldn't have been nicer."

The two had a heated confrontation in the Oval Office in February. Afterwards, Trump said he was pausing military aid to Ukraine that had been earmarked by the previous Biden administration. Intelligence sharing with Ukraine was also suspended.

But both pauses were subsequently lifted.

In late April, the US and Ukraine signed a deal that would give the US access to Ukraine's mineral reserves in exchange for military assistance.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday – the first time in over two-and-a-half years.

They spoke on the phone for more than two hours, Macron's office said, adding the French president had urged a ceasefire in Ukraine and for talks to start on a "solid and lasting settlement of the conflict".

The Kremlin said Putin had "reminded Macron" that the West's policy was to blame for the war, because it had "for many years ignored Russia's security interests".

Last month, Russia's long-time leader told a forum in St Petersburg that he saw Russians and Ukrainians as one people and "in that sense the whole of Ukraine is ours".

Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimea peninsula annexed in 2014.

Despite heavy losses, Russia has made slow, grinding advances in Ukraine in recent months and announced full control of the eastern Luhansk region this week – this has not been independently verified.

Moscow also says it has seized territory in the south-eastern region of Dnipropetrovsk – a claim denied by the Ukrainian military.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday a Ukrainian attack killed three people at a Russian arms production factory making drones and radars in Izhevsk, more than 1,000km (620 miles) from the border with Ukraine.

'They took shrapnel from my heart' – the magnets saving lives in Ukraine

'Mariupol is diseased': Residents deny Russian claims occupied city returning to normal

Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.

War in UkraineUnited StatesUkraine

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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