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No Writer
May 13
Man arrested over arson attacks after fire at Sir Keir Starmer's house

The suspect was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, according to the Metropolitan Police. He remains in custody. Emergency services were called to fires at the doors of two homes in north London within 24 hours of each other - one just after 1.35am on Monday in Kentish Town and the other on Sunday in Islington. Both properties are linked to Sir Keir. Detectives were also checking a vehicle fire last Thursday on the same street as the Kentish Town property to see whether it is connected. Part of the area was cordoned off as police and London Fire Brigade (LFB) investigators examined the scene. The prime minister is understood to still own the home which was damaged by fire on Monday, but nobody was hurt. Pictures showed scorching at the entrance to the property. Sir Keir used to live there before he and his family moved into 10 Downing Street after Labour won last year's general election. It is believed the property is being rented out. In the early hours of Sunday, firefighters dealt with a small fire at the front door of a house converted into flats in nearby Islington, which is also linked to the prime minister. In a statement, police said: "As a precaution and due to the property having previous connections with a high-profile public figure, officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command are leading the investigation into this fire. "Enquiries are ongoing to establish what caused it. All three fires are being treated as suspicious at this time, and enquiries remain ongoing." Read more from Sky News:QR codes linked to online drugsCould UK get US-style 'supermax' jails?Report: IS fighters in UK must face justice The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "I can only say that the Prime Minister thanks the emergency services for their work and it is subject to a live investigation. So I can't comment any further." Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick told Sky News on Tuesday: "It's important that the Prime Minister and anyone in public life has their family, their homes, protected. "It is absolutely wrong, disgraceful, for any individual to take the kind of action that we saw against the Prime Minister's home."

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Greg Milam, chief North of England correspondent
May 13
Man jailed for Diane Sindall murder in 1986 could have conviction quashed

Peter Sullivan was convicted of murdering Diane Sindall in Birkenhead in August 1986. The 21-year-old florist had been beaten and raped and left in an alleyway. Mr Sullivan has always maintained his innocence and new tests ordered by the Criminal Cases Review Commission have revealed his DNA was not present on samples preserved at the time. Merseyside Police have confirmed detectives are now "carrying out an extensive investigation in a bid to identify who the new DNA profile belongs to, as to date there is no match on the national DNA database". Detectives are also contacting individuals identified in the original investigation to request voluntary DNA samples. That original investigation was the largest in the force's history and, for many officers, the "frenzied" nature of the attack made it the worst case they had ever encountered. Diane, who was engaged to be married, had just left her shift as a part-time barmaid at a pub in Bebington when her small blue van ran out of petrol. She was walking to an all-night garage when she was attacked. Mr Sullivan, who was 29 at the time and described as a loner, initially denied the attack but later signed a confession. Questions have since been raised about whether he had proper legal representation during police interviews. Evidence related to bite marks on Diane's body, considered crucial at the trial, has also since been called into question. At the time of Mr Sullivan's trial in 1987, DNA technology was not available and subsequent requests for new tests had been refused. In its statement, Merseyside Police said: "In November 2024, the Criminal Cases Review Commission announced that Peter Sullivan's murder conviction was being referred to the Court of Appeal due to the discovery of new DNA evidence, which was not available at the time of the trial. "There have been significant developments in the use and understanding of DNA evidence in criminal investigations, that was still in its infancy at the time of the murder of Diane Sindall. "These developments have led to the discovery of the new evidence." Read more from Sky News:Weight loss jabs 'could almost halve risk of cancer'Pope Leo calls for end to polarising 'war of words' The murder sent a chill through the community. On the grass verge close to where Diane's body was found, a memorial stone has been placed in memory of her and "and all of our sisters who have been raped and murdered". Diane Sindall's family told Sky News they did not want to comment on the case.

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No Writer
May 13
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept Qatari plane - as jet already in the US

The US president toured the Boeing 747-8 earlier this year and he is now preparing to accept it as a gift from the Qatari royal family. Despite concerns raised over the president accepting the $400m (£303m) gift, Mr Trump told reporters on Monday: "I think it's a great gesture from Qatar." He added: "I appreciate it very much. I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. "I mean, I could be a stupid person saying: 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane'." The jet is currently sitting at San Antonio International Airport, according to tracking data, Sky News' US partner NBC News reported, adding it has been parked there since 3 April. It is the same plane the US leader toured at Palm Beach International Airport on 15 February. Friendly fire Critics of the plan have warned that the move threatens to turn a global symbol of American power into an airborne collection of ethical, legal, security and counterintelligence concerns. In an effort to cut off some opposition, Mr Trump said he would not keep the plane after his term finished, instead donating it to a future presidential library. However, that has done little to quell anger, which has even come from within the Republican party. "My view is that it would be better if Air Force One were a big, beautiful jet made in the United States of America. That would be ideal," said senator Josh Hawley. Senator Rand Paul, when asked whether Mr Trump should accept the plane, simply said: "No." Read more:Trump attacks Europe as he hails China 'reset'Why Trump's Middle East tour takes on new importanceSky correspondent on her run-in with Trump loyalist Some of the most vocal members of his MAGA group of supporters, including Ben Shapiro and Laura Loomer, have voiced their opposition to the move in a rare show of dissent to the president they usually back so vociferously. Mr Trump will likely face questions over the plane in the coming days as he travels to the Middle East, including a stop in Qatar. Inside the 'palace in the sky' The following images are from inside the Boeing 747-8 that Mr Trump is pushing to accept. It shows the luxury jet before any potential refitting it might undergo in the hands of the US president. The 78-year-old has previously complained about Boeing taking too long to deliver the new Air Force One planes commissioned during his first term. The current Air Force One planes were built from scratch near the end of the Cold War and host a range of improved security features, including being hardened against the effects of a nuclear blast and hosting a vast communications suite. A former US official briefed on the replacement project said there would be no time to add the full host capabilities to the Qatari replacement plane. There are fears Mr Trump would be compromising security by rushing to modify the replacement jet. William Evanina, who served as director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center during Mr Trump's first term, said checking the Qatari plane for surveillance devices alone would "take years". Others have also questioned what it means for the sitting president to accept such an expensive gift.

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Lara Keay, news reporter
May 13
Why is actor Gerard Depardieu on trial – and what does it mean for #MeToo in France?

Gerard Depardieu, 76, has starred in more than 200 films over five decades, winning two best lead actor awards at the Cesars, as well as being nominated for an Oscar and 15 other Cesars. On Tuesday, judges at the Tribunal de Paris are expected to reveal whether he has been found guilty of the two counts of sexual assault alleged to have happened in 2021, both of which he denies. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison or a fine of €75,000 (£62,000). While the #MeToo movement ultimately led to the downfall of Hollywood film director Harvey Weinstein in the US, France's #balancestonporc equivalent has struggled to gain momentum. But Depardieu's court case, coming soon after that of Gisele Pelicot, who waived her anonymity to reveal her husband had orchestrated her drugging and rape by more than 50 men, is proof for many that France is finally getting its own #MeToo moment. Here, Sky News looks at the case - and what it means for women's rights in France. What is he accused of? Depardieu is accused of sexually assaulting two female crew members on the set of the film Les Volets Verts (Green Shutters) in 2021. The anonymous women both claim the actor forced himself on them on multiple occasions, touching them over their clothes, the court was told. The first woman said in one incident, as she passed him in a corridor he grabbed her, pinned her down between his legs and rubbed himself against her waist, hips, and chest, making accompanying gestures and lewd comments. The other woman claimed he touched her buttocks in public on more than one occasion, as well as touching her chest. Depardieu denies the allegations and appeared in person at the Tribunal de Paris, telling the court: "I've always been told I have a Russian nature, I don't know if it's because of the drinking or the vulgarity." But he added: "I'm not touching the butts of women." Read moreInside court at Depardieu's trialDepardieu acknowledges his 'vulgarity' One of the alleged victims claimed he behaved "like a madman" who took "pleasure in frightening me". Depardieu responded: "I understand perfectly if she's a bit upset. I am capable of trash talk... I don't have to talk like that, get angry like that, voila." He also claimed that he had been in a "bad mood" because the set was hot, which was difficult for him, being overweight. The trial was due to start in October but was postponed until March after Depardieu's legal team asked for a six-month delay due to his poor health. Suffering complications from diabetes and high blood pressure, they said he was unable to sit for long periods. Separately, he also remains under investigation for the alleged rape and sexual assault of a 22-year-old actress. The woman claims Depardieu sexually assaulted her twice at his home. She originally reported the alleged incidents in 2018 but the charges were dropped in 2019 following a nine-month investigation. However, the case was reopened in October 2020 when the woman refiled the complaint. In March 2022, Depardieu's bid to get the case thrown out was rejected by Paris's court of appeal, with authorities saying he would remain under investigation until the matter is either sent to trial or dismissed. He denies the allegations. In April 2023, investigative French media outlet Mediapart reported claims of 13 women who said Depardieu sexually assaulted or harassed them between 2004 and 2022. In an open letter in the newspaper Le Figaro that October, Depardieu said he had "never abused a woman". A group of 50 French stars, including singer and wife of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy Carla Bruni, wrote their own open letter defending him in Le Monde, condemning what they described as his "lynching" and describing him as "probably the greatest" French actor. A week later, President Emmanuel Macron condemned the "manhunt" for Depardieu, calling him an "immense actor" who "makes France proud". Who is Gerard Depardieu? Depardieu was born in Chateauroux, central France in 1948. He left home at the age of 16 for Paris, where he got his first acting job with a travelling theatre company. After a few minor film roles, his break came in 1973 with a lead part in Bertrand Blier's film Les Valseuses (Going Places) - alongside his former theatre friends Patrick Dewaere and Miou Miou. From there his popularity boomed and he became one of the most prolific French actors of the 1980s and 1990s. He won awards for his roles in The Last Metro and Cyrano de Bergerac, which also received an Oscar nomination. He was made president of the Cannes Film Festival jury in 1992. His success also saw him become a Chevalier of France's Legion d'Honneur and its Ordre national du Merite - two of the country's most prestigious honours. Read more from Sky NewsInside Gerard Depardieu's court hearingGisele Pelicot - from victim to feminist heroPelicot's son relives moment he discovered his father was a monster Across roughly 250 films, he has worked with more than 150 directors, including Jean-Luc Godard and Ridley Scott. He became close friends with Robert De Niro after they starred together in Bernardo Bertolucci's film 1900 in 1976. Depardieu married fellow actor Elisabeth Depardieu in 1971. She starred alongside him in Jean de Florette and Manon Of The Spring in 1986. They had two children, who both became actors. Their son Guillaume died from pneumonia aged 37 in 2008. The couple divorced in 1996. He announced his retirement from acting in 2005, claiming he had made "enough" films and wished to pursue other things. In 2012 he moved to Belgium to avoid paying taxes in France. He wrote an open letter to the then prime minister, saying he was surrendering his French passport because he wanted "nothing to do" with his home country and the government was trying to "punish success". Vladimir Putin personally signed an executive order to give him Russian citizenship in 2013. Two years later his films were banned in Ukraine over comments he made questioning the country's sovereignty as an independent state. He has since condemned Russia's war there. He also claims to have been given citizenship by the United Arab Emirates. In 2023 he was stripped of his National Order of Quebec after a documentary revealed him making lewd comments and sexual gestures on a trip to North Korea in 2018, which the region's premier described as "shocking". Why is the Depardieu case so important in France? The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements in the US saw women in the creative industries calling out sexual harassment and assault by their male counterparts. But it "didn't really take off in France" in the same way, Sarah McGrath, chief executive of Women For Women France, an organisation fighting against gender-based violence, tells Sky News. While she saw colleagues around the world "thrilled that victims could finally feel confident to talk about the crimes they'd be subjected to", she says in France "we had a very different experience". In 2018, dozens of female French stars and intellectuals signed an "anti-MeToo manifesto", condemning the movement as a "witch hunt" and defending men's sexual freedom to proposition women. Although some, notably Depardieu's co-star and friend Catherine Deneuve, have publicly U-turned on the issue, it demonstrated a resistance to change in French society. Blanche Sabbah, a French feminist activist and comic book author, says: "We love to talk about being the cultural exception in France. "We have this idea that if you are some kind of artistic genius then you are less accountable for bad behaviour - and that we're more sexually liberated - and don't concern ourselves with moral panics like in the US. I think that stopped the [MeToo] movement in its tracks." Ms McGrath describes this "cultural exception" as "an attitude that a man's reputation and livelihood is more important than victims". Both women also point to a "general distrust" of claimants and "false ideas" they are bypassing the courts and telling their stories in the media to "get money". "It's simply not true and comes from a lack of understanding that the French justice system does not play a protective role for victims of sexual violence," she says. "Victims are actually more likely to come out with debts of thousands of euros if they go through the justice system, which far exceeds any compensation they might get." But while the "balancestonporc" - report your pig - hashtag struggled to gain momentum in 2018, the women say they have seen a shift - particularly following the case of Gisele Pelicot and the conviction of her husband for raping and inviting at least 50 other men to rape her while she was drugged and unconscious. "It's taken time, but finally we're getting somewhere," Ms Sabbah says. "Gisele's case serves as a reminder that our culture has a huge influence on how we behave." Those found guilty in the Pelicot case were aged between 20 and 70 and included a journalist, nurse, firefighters, and a DJ. "She has proven that this is the problem of every man - that what you think your favourite movie star can do serves as an argument for justifying what crimes you would commit as a 'normal' person'," Ms Sabbah adds. Regardless of the outcome of the Depardieu case, both women agree that his prosecution represents a "huge step forward" for women's rights and victims of gender-based violence. "There have been three or four convictions [of men for gender-based violence] recently, so I think the way those cases are perceived now is different to how it was in 2018," Ms Sabbah says. "We have gone from 'classement sans suite' (no further action) to movie stars on trial."

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No Writer
May 13
Islamic State fighters who return to the UK must face justice, committee says

More than 400 people who fought for the group, also called ISIS and Daesh, are thought to have then returned to the UK, after travelling to the Middle East. ISIS once held swathes of land in Syria and Iraq and was responsible for widespread campaigns of terror, murder, and rape. This often targeted minority religious groups like the Yazidis. Sky News recently released a documentary on ISIS and the Yazidis, led by special correspondent Alex Crawford. Crawford gave evidence to parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), which in a new report has warned that none of the ISIS supporters who had made their way back to the UK had been successfully prosecuted. It called on the government to take steps to ensure they can be tried in British courts, after ministers previously claimed such crimes were "best investigated and prosecuted under local laws" - meaning abroad. 'The UK cannot wash its hands of this' "Where the UK has jurisdiction over international crimes, the UK should seek to investigate and prosecute such crimes," the committee's latest report said. However, the report said that UK courts faced a "key barrier" to delivering justice on war crimes and genocide. This was because it is not possible to prosecute people for these crimes unless they are UK nationals, residents or "subject to service personnel laws". The committee said ministers should use the Crime and Policing Bill, currently making its way through parliament, to amend the law. Read more:The camps full of the radicalised children of ISThe Londoner locked up in a forgotten prison Lord Alton, chairman of the JCHR, said: "This is not something the UK can simply wash its hands of because it happened overseas. "We know that British nationals committed the most horrendous crimes in Iraq and Syria under the Daesh [ISIS] regime and we have a duty to see them brought to justice. "To date, no Daesh fighters have been successfully prosecuted for international crimes in the UK and we find this unacceptable." The committee added that more must also be done to repatriate children held in camps in northeast Syria where former ISIS fighters and their families are being held. 'There are no rights for anything' Crawford was one of those who gave evidence to the committee. She first met Yazidi women captured by ISIS in 2014, and has covered the topic a number of times since, including most recently in the 10 Years Of Darkness: ISIS & The Yazidis documentary. She told the committee the camps in northeast Syria were "filled with hopelessness and helplessness, and a really strong anger and frustration". "There are multiple human rights concerns," she said, adding that those living there essentially had no rights. She went on: "There is no right of freedom. There is no right to access to legal representation. There are no rights for anything. "Many of the children - I do not know how many - have been born there. "They are very young - younger than six - so many of them have been born there in, to be honest, very dirty, disgusting conditions."

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Henry Vaughan, Tom Cheshire, data and forensics correspondent, and Sam Doak, OSINT producer
May 13
The online drug trade behind QR code stickers plastered on streets across the UK

The former prison officer, who is in his 50s, wanted to try the Class B drug as an alternative to prescribed opiates to ease his pain after breaking his back in three places. He had only recently moved to the Staffordshire market town and was reluctant to buy off the street. "I didn't want to just tap up some roadman," he says. Using his smartphone camera, he was taken to a slick, colourful site on the open web offering a wide range of cannabis products - from vapes and tinctures to pre-rolled joints, buds and gummies. Just like legitimate online shops, it promised free delivery to arrive the next day and had glowing reviews on Google and Trustpilot. Steve (not his real name) went on to order products including vapes and herbal cannabis. "The first time I was shaking… when the postman came down the path - the package absolutely stank," he says. "It's letterbox shaped so you don't get a knock. The postman shoves it through your door and that's it - job done." Similar stickers have been reported across the UK, from cities such as Birmingham, Glasgow and London, to smaller towns including Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, and Droitwich, in Worcestershire. There have also been sightings in South Wales. Some have appeared near schools, universities and police stations. Hidden gang network A Sky News investigation has identified three different sticker designs, each of which directs users to separate, but linked, websites (which we are not naming), with their own branding. Hidden in their source code is a long list of bank accounts and business names which are randomly selected when users make a purchase. Using publicly available tools, we were able to build a network map of the businesses involved, the people behind them and how they are linked. All are Lithuanian nationals, mostly registered to addresses in a small area of east London, one of which is linked to an alleged gangster found guilty of kidnap and torture in Lithuania. Royal Mail tracking details also suggest the operation is based in this area as the packages passed through Romford’s mail centre. An analysis of Bitcoin wallets - carried out by TRM Labs - shows one of the sites had received around $109,000 (£82,000) by mid-March, although the true income is likely to be far higher as more buyers use regular bank transfers than cryptocurrency. When we visited a woman who owns two of the houses associated with the bank accounts, she said she had never heard of the website and had no idea a criminal enterprise may be being run from her properties. She also said three Lithuanian nationals we identified as being connected with the site had left the UK. Former head of drugs threat and intelligence for the National Crime Agency (NCA), Tony Saggers, says the scale of the operation suggests those behind it have access to wholesale quantities of cannabis, which has probably been grown in the UK. It also demonstrates the "evolution of online drug markets" from the dark web to open websites, "making them more accessible to the wider population", he tells Sky News. Ben (not his real name), a student in his early 20s, scanned a QR code sticker out of "genuine curiosity" after spotting it on a telecoms cabinet near the University of York. He'd never bought or used drugs before but says he "had a moment of free will and the risk of losing money was minimal so I tried it". "Perhaps it's something to do with the website, it's like you are buying a professional regulated product so that made me worry less." A £10 pre-rolled joint arrived by Royal Mail first class post in "branded packaging and looked clean and professional". However, he says he didn't enjoy smoking it and for his "mental health" hasn't bought any more. 'Russian roulette' Dr Simon Erridge, research director at Curaleaf Clinic, where specialist doctors can legally prescribe medical cannabis, says people like Steve and Ben are playing "Russian roulette". The clinic has run a campaign using its own QR code stickers, which direct people to results from its study with Manchester Metropolitan University. It found 90% of 60 illegal cannabis samples seized by the Greater Manchester and Northumbria police forces were contaminated with mould, yeast, lead, E.coli or salmonella. An analysis of WEDINOS data, a service that tests drugs sent in by users, found 43% of the 1,635 samples bought as cannabis contained no compounds naturally derived from the plant. Some 38% contained harmful substances, with 27% containing synthetic chemicals such as spice, a drug which is popular in prisons and that can cause dangerous side effects including cardiac arrest. The clinic's research also shows consumer habits are changing. A survey of 500 cannabis users last year found that while street dealers are still the most common source (45%), just above friends and family (44%), more people are buying online. Some 7% said they had engaged with QR codes, while the use of websites offering illegal cannabis products almost doubled from 6% in 2022 to around one in ten (11%) in 2024. The trend is even more pronounced among young adults, with 15% of 18-24-year-olds buying cannabis online. Sarah (not her real name), a professional in her 40s, says "buying on the streets isn't an option for me". She has bought fake cannabis vapes through Instagram in the past. But she says tests confirmed THC was present in a vape she bought through one of the websites. It's illegal to possess and sell products containing THC without a prescription, but Sarah says she's more worried about losing money if the package gets intercepted. "I don't think the police would do much anyway," she says. What are police doing about it? Supply can carry a maximum 14-year prison sentence, with five years for possession, although those caught with a small amount of cannabis are often dealt with by way of a warning or on-the-spot fine. Police are aware QR code stickers are being used to sell drugs and see it as part of the evolution of how criminals have adopted technology. They believe they could be used as evidence in future prosecutions, although none of the forces we contacted, where the issue has been reported, were able to point to any arrests. Derbyshire Police says officers are on the look-out for stickers and will remove them when out on patrol but have not yet been able to identify the people responsible. Detective Constable Matt Pedrick, from West Mercia Police, another area where the stickers have been reported, says any website advertising the sale of cannabis "is probably based outside the UK". "We remove the stickers when we find them, and would advise anyone to steer clear of these websites and to remember that drugs laws apply to all drugs regardless of where they are purchased." Police also believe the stickers aren't just a matter for their officers and want councils, businesses and transport companies to remove them - and for postal services to ensure they're not inadvertently helping supply drugs. Read more from Sky News:Driver who used car to murder e-bike rider is jailedCrossbow attack suspect died from self-inflicted gunshot Ex-NCA officer Tony Saggers says the brazen nature of the operation suggests those behind it are "laughing in the face of law enforcement" but doesn't think it represents decriminalisation by the back door. He says the combination of an online marketplace and a drug that's a lower priority for police "make it easier for some people to get away with that for periods of time". "But I wouldn't ever suggest that they're always going to get away with it because people's time does come round," he says. "And if a site that's doing well and selling high volumes and increasingly high volumes continues to be successful, they're more likely to attract attention." We contacted the NCA about our findings. “Many organised crime groups selling drugs use social media and communication platforms to promote and sell their illicit produce," it said in a statement. “The NCA is working with partners across law enforcement and government to tackle drug trafficking. They suggested we contact the Metropolitan Police and Ofcom, which regulates the postal service. The Met pointed us to the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) because "the website covers the UK", but the NPCC wouldn't provide a comment on the record.

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Martha Kelner, US correspondent
May 13
What it was like in court for start of P Diddy trial - as gasps heard from public gallery

Less than two years later and just three miles down the road, people were now queueing around the block to secure a spot to see him inside the courtroom to face charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation for prostitution. Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial: As it happened The fall from grace of this music mogul has been sharp and shocking. The contrast of the image of him that day, holding a giant gold plated key aloft, his sleek black hair neatly groomed and wearing expensive jewellery with the man sitting at the defence table is stark. After spending seven months imprisoned at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, Combs's hair is now fully grey, his beard overgrown. His mother Janice arrived at the court in a black SUV. I asked her how her son was feeling ahead of the first day of evidence in this case but she remained stony faced. Combs's sons Justin and King and his 17-year-old twin daughters, D'Lila Star and Jessie James, followed behind in a large people carrier van with other family members. When Combs was escorted into the courtroom he waved and blew a kiss to his family, who were seated in the second row of the public gallery. They may never again see him as a free man, with the most serious charges against him carrying a possible life prison sentence. Combs, who was wearing a cream jumper, grey trousers and dark-rimmed glasses embraced members of his defence team when he arrived. He listened intently as the prosecution painted a picture of a violent monster, sometimes taking notes. Read more: Combs forced women into 'freak offs', jurors told Combs used his business empire and considerable power, the government said, to force women into sex, to beat them and then to cover it up. There were gasps from the public gallery in the overflow courtroom as prosecutor Emily Johnson delivered the opening statement, especially as she mentioned disturbing detail about Combs's alleged drug-fuelled sex parties, which he called "freak offs". Read more:The rise and fall of Sean 'Diddy' CombsDiddy - a timeline of allegationsEverything you need to know about the trial The prosecution's star witness will be Cassie Ventura. The pop star was in a relationship with Combs for eleven years. Her husband Alex Fine was in court as the trial began in earnest and Cassie is expected to begin giving evidence on Tuesday morning. She is heavily pregnant and may choose to make a low profile entrance into the courthouse, avoiding the scrum of national and international media outside. Even before the first day concluded, people were already queuing for a seat in the public gallery tomorrow. Those at the front of the line are being paid (between $25 to $40 an hour) to hold a spot for others. These "professional line sitters" will be here outside the courthouse overnight when it is expected to rain. P Diddy is used to being the hottest ticket in town but he presumably never imagined it would be in these circumstances. He denies all the charges against him.

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Bethany Minelle, arts and entertainment reporter
May 13
Kim Kardashian's Paris robbery trial: Everything you need to know

It was the biggest robbery of an individual in France for more than 20 years - and made front pages around the world. Now, almost a decade on, the case has finally come to court, with Kardiashan herself testifying. Why has it taken so long? When is Kardashian giving evidence? And who exactly are the "grandpa robbers" facing trial? Here's everything you need to know. What happened? Two years after Kardashian and rapper Kanye West tied the knot in an ostentatious week-long celebration spanning Paris and Florence, the Kardashian-West clan were back in the French capital for Paris Fashion Week. Her then husband had returned to the US to pick up his Saint Pablo tour - but Kardashian, along with her sister Kourtney and various members of their entourage, remained in Paris, staying in an exclusive set of apartments so discreet they've been dubbed the No Address Hotel. Nestled on Tronchet Street, just a stone's throw from Place de l'Opéra, and close to the fashionable Avenue Montaigne, the Hotel de Pourtalès is popular with A-list stars staying in the French capital. A stay in the Sky Penthouse, the suite occupied by Kardashian, will currently set you back about £13,000 a night. On the evening of 3 October, after attending a fashion show with her sister, Kardashian remained in the apartment alone while the rest of her convoy - including her bodyguard Pascal Duvier - went out for the night. At about 2.30am, three armed men wearing ski masks and dressed as police forced their way into the apartment block - and according to investigators, they threatened the concierge at gunpoint. Two of them are alleged to have forced the concierge to lead them to Kardashian's suite. He later told police they yelled at him: "Where's the rapper's wife?" Kardashian said she had been "dozing" on her bed when the men then entered her room. She has said she believes her social media posts provided the alleged robbers with "a window of opportunity". "I was Snapchatting that I was home, and that everyone was going out," she said in the months after the incident. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star vividly described the attack in a police report, as reported in the French weekly paper Le Journal Du Dimanche. "They grabbed me and took me into the hallway. They tied me up with plastic cables and taped my hands, then they put tape over my mouth and my legs." She said they pointed a gun at her, asking specifically for her ring and also for money. Kardashian says they carried her into the bathroom and put her in the bathtub. She said she was wearing only a bathrobe at the time. She had initially thought the robbers "were terrorists who had come to kidnap me", according to a French police report taken in New York three months after the robbery. Kardashian told officers: "I thought I was going to die." According to police, the robbers - who left the room after grabbing their haul, escaped on bicycles with items estimated to be worth about $10m (£7.5m), including a $4m (£3m) 18.88-carat diamond engagement ring from West. After they had left, Kardashian said she escaped her restraints and went to find help. After speaking to detectives, she immediately returned to the US on a private jet and later hired a completely new security team. What was stolen? As well as her engagement ring, Kardashian said the thieves took her large Louis Vuitton jewellery box, which she said contained "everything I owned". In police reports given to the French authorities at about 4.30am on the night of the alleged robbery, Kardashian listed these items as having been stolen: • Two diamond Cartier bracelets• A gold and diamond Jacob necklace• Diamond earrings by Lauren Schwartz• Yanina earrings• Three gold Jacob necklaces• Little bracelets, jewels and rings• A Lauren Schwartz diamond necklace• A necklace with six little diamonds• A necklace with Saint spelt out in diamonds• A cross-shaped diamond-encrusted Jacob cross• A yellow gold Rolex watch• Two yellow gold rings• An iPhone 6 and a BlackBerry Police recovered only the diamond-encrusted cross that was dropped by the robbers while leaving. It's likely the gold in the haul was melted down and resold, while the diamond engagement ring that is now so associated with the robbery would be far too recognisable to sell on the open market. What will happen in court? The hearing started at the Court of Appeal of Paris - the largest appeals court in France - on 28 April and was originally scheduled to last a month. It is being presided over by a lead judge, two professional assessors, and six main jurors. The hearing involves more than 2,000 documents and there are four civil parties. Who is being tried? There were initially 12 defendants in the case, but one person has died and another has a medical condition that prevents their involvement. This means 10 people - nine men and one woman - are standing trial. Five of them, who were all aged between 60 and 72 at the time of the incident, face armed robbery and kidnapping charges. They are: • Yunice Abbas• Aomar Ait Khedache• Harminv Ait Khedache• Didier Dubreucq• Marc-Alexandre Boyer Abbas, 72, has admitted his participation in the robbery. In 2021, he published a book about the robbery, titled I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian. In 2021, a court ruled he would not benefit financially from the book. Aomar Ait Khedache, 69, known to French crime reporters as "Old Omar", has also admitted participating in the heist but denies the prosecution's accusation that he was the ringleader. The remaining five defendants are charged with complicity in the heist or the unauthorised possession of a weapon. They are: • Florus Heroui• Gary Madar• Christiane Glotin• François Delaporte• Marc Boyer Among those, Mader was a VIP greeter who worked for the car company Kardashian used in Paris, and Heroui was a bar manager who allegedly passed on information about Kardashian's movements. With many of the accused now ageing and with various serious health conditions, and some having spent time in jail following their arrest, all are currently free under judicial supervision. If found guilty, those accused of the more serious crimes could face 10 years to life imprisonment. Will Kardashian give evidence? Yes, Kardashian is due to give evidence from 13 May. Lawyer Michael Rhodes said Kardashian has "tremendous appreciation and admiration for the French judicial system" and "wishes for the trial to proceed in an orderly fashion in accordance with French law and with respect for all parties to the case". A trainee lawyer herself, Kardashian has become a high-profile criminal justice advocate in the US in recent years. Why has it taken so long to come to court? There was initially a manhunt after the robbery, with French police under pressure to prove that Paris's security was not in question. Just the year before in 2015, the capital had been shaken by terrorist attacks by Islamic militants, in which 130 people were killed, including 90 at a music event at the Bataclan theatre. French police initially arrested 17 people in the Kardashian case in January 2017 - three months after the robbery - assisted by DNA traces found on plastic bands used to tie her wrists. Twelve people were later charged. It was ordered to be sent to trial in 2021 - at a time when limited court proceedings were happening due to multiple COVID lockdowns, and France was holding its largest ever criminal trial over the November 2015 terror attacks. What has Kardashian said about the incident? Kardashian has described the robbery as a "life-changing" moment. She took three weeks away from filming her reality TV show Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and took a three-month break from social media. In a March 2017 episode titled Paris, Kardashian first spoke publicly about her ordeal. She described first hearing a noise in her apartment, and calling out, thinking it was her sister and assistant: "At that moment when there wasn't an answer, my heart started to get really tense. Like, you know, your stomach just kind of like, knots up and you're like, 'OK, what's going on?' I knew something wasn't quite right." She added: "They asked for money. I said, 'I don't have any money'. They dragged me out to the hallway on top of the stairs. That's when I saw the gun, clear as day. I was looking at the gun, looking down back at the stairs. I was like, I have a split second in my mind to make this quick decision. "Either they're going to shoot me in the back or if I make it [down the stairs] and the elevator does not open in time or the stairs are locked, there's no way out." Three months later, she told a Forbes Power Women's Summit she had changed her approach to posting on social media: "They had followed my moves on social media, and they knew my every move and what I had." She added: "It was definitely a huge, huge, huge lesson for me to not show off some of the things that I have. It was a huge lesson to me to not show off where I go. "It's just changed my whole life, but I think for the better." In October 2020, Kardashian told US interviewer David Letterman she feared she would be raped and murdered during the heist, and that her sister had been at the forefront of her mind during the incident. Speaking on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, Kardashian said: "I kept on thinking about Kourtney, I kept on thinking she's going to come home and I'm going to be dead in the room and she's going to be traumatised for the rest of her life if she sees me... I thought that was my fate." When speaking to French police about the impact the robbery had had on her three months after it, Kardashian said: "I think that my perception of jewellery now is that I am not as attached to it as I used to be. I don't have the same feeling about it. In fact, I even think that it has become a bit of a burden to have the responsibility of such expensive jewels. "There is nothing of sentimental value to compare with the act of going home and finding one's children and one's family." She went on to describe Paris as "not the right place" for her, and didn't return to the French capital for two years following the robbery. Kardashian has since said in a 2023 episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians that she did not purchase any jewellery in the seven years following the robbery, kept no jewellery at her home and only wore items that are either borrowed or fake. She said the realisation that material items don't matter has made her "a completely different person in the best way".

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Gemma Peplow, culture and entertainment reporter
May 12
Sean 'Diddy' Combs forced women into 'freak offs', jurors told - as hotel CCTV is played in court

In the courtroom in Manhattan, New York, Combs blew a kiss to his mother and family members supporting him, before listening intently as opening statements from the prosecution and defence outlined the details of the high-profile case. Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial: As it happened The 55-year-old has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution, and strenuously denied all allegations of sexual abuse. His defence lawyers say all sexual encounters were consensual and that the case is really about nothing more than Combs's sexual preferences, which they say should remain private. Combs is a "flawed individual", they argue, but not a racketeer or a sex trafficker. The court also heard evidence from two witnesses - a former hotel security guard and a male escort. But first, prosecutor Emily Johnson gave her opening statement. "To the public, he was Puff Daddy or Diddy," she told the court, describing Combs as a "business icon" and "larger than life". However, there was another side to the rapper, she says - a side that "ran a criminal enterprise", she said. He sometimes "called himself the king", Ms Johnson said, and expected to be treated like one. "This is Sean Combs," Ms Johnson told jurors as she pointed at Combs, who leaned back in his chair. "During this trial you are going to hear about 20 years of the defendant's crimes." Those crimes, she said, included kidnapping, arson, drugs, sex crimes, bribery and obstruction. Ms Johnson said Combs beat and sexually exploited his former long-term girlfriend Cassie, who was named in court, and compelled the singer and other women to take drugs and have sex with male escorts. He threatened to ruin Cassie's career by publicly releasing videos of these sexual encounters, which were dubbed "freak offs", jurors heard. "Her livelihood depended on keeping him happy," the prosecutor said. Jurors will hear testimonies from alleged victims who will talk about "some of the most painful experiences of their lives", Ms Johnson continued. "The days they spent in hotel rooms, high on drugs, dressed in costumes to perform the defendant's sexual fantasies." 'This is not a complicated case' But Teny Geragos, who is on Combs's defence team, painted a very different picture. "Sean Combs is a complicated man," she told the court. "But this is not a complicated case. This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity and money." Ms Geragos conceded that Combs could be violent and said she understood some jurors might not condone this, nor his "kinky sex". But the rapper is "not charged with being mean", she said, and his lifestyle may have been indulgent, but it was not illegal. She also claimed Combs's accusers were motivated by money. Cassie hotel footage shown in court After the opening statements, the first witness, Israel Florez, was called to the stand. Now a police officer in LA, in March 2016, Mr Florez worked as a security guard at a hotel in Los Angeles, where Combs was filmed on CCTV seemingly attacking R&B singer and model Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Ventura. After CNN aired video of the attack last year, the rapper apologised in a video on social media and said he was "disgusted" by his actions. Video footage of this incident was shown in court as Mr Florez gave his testimony. He told the court he recognised Combs after responding to a call of a woman in distress on the sixth floor of the hotel. The rapper was wearing only a towel and socks, Mr Florez told the court, and had "a blank stare, like a devilish stare, just looking at me". He said that as he was escorting Ms Ventura and Combs to their room, she indicated she wanted to leave and the rapper told her: "You're not going to leave." Combs then offered him money and told him "don't tell nobody", Mr Florez said. Read more:The rise and fall of Sean CombsDiddy - a timeline of allegationsEverything you need to know about the trial The second witness, Daniel Phillip, used to work as a male escort, the court was told. He said he met Ms Ventura at a hotel in Manhattan, where he thought he was attending a bachelorette party. However, he said he ended up having sex with Ms Ventura as Combs watched and masturbated, and that he was paid several thousand dollars. Mr Phillip said he had several subsequent encounters with the then couple, which lasted between an hour and 10 hours, and that he witnessed or heard the rapper being violent on two occasions. He told the court he did not intervene as Combs was powerful, and that he feared for his life. His evidence will continue tomorrow. The trial is expected to last about eight weeks. Combs faces up to life in prison if he is convicted.

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No Writer
May 13
'Simple' MRI test can identify heart disease risk 10 years early - study

University of Dundee researchers collected data from 5,015 volunteers between 2008 and 2013. At the time, none had a history of heart disease or were at immediate risk. However, 10 years on, they found that an increased (but normal) mass of the heart's left ventricle was a "clear indicator" of the risk of future cardiovascular disease. The risk was the same even if the organ was functioning as expected at the time of the tests. The study also found men and women had different risk factors: A larger left ventricle was linked with diastolic blood pressure in men, but in women, it was linked with cholesterol. Ventricles are the lower two chambers of the heart - blood is pumped through them, aided by four valves. Professor Jill Belch, who led the study, said a "simple" MRI scan could be used to identify people at risk years before a potential heart attack or stroke. "The ability to provide pre-emptive treatment for patients at a stage where their heart is working perfectly well could save vast numbers of lives," she said. Read more from Sky News:Weight loss jabs could almost halve risk of cancers - studyFirst moon rocks on Earth in half a century arrive in UK Prof Belch added: "The volunteers who took part in this study had no immediate risk of heart disease. "This is exciting as it allows us to pick up people, and treat them, before any organ damage has occurred." Lifestyle factors such as obesity, smoking, bad diet and lack of exercise can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease - but some people are also genetically more susceptible. The study appears in the journal Radiology.

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