After a signing trade and defence deals with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, US President Donald Trump told media in Doha that the two had also discussed the Russia-Ukraine war and Iran’s nuclear programme.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’s former partner Casandra Ventura is expected to be grilled by the fallen music mogul’s defense lawyers Wednesday as she returns to court for a second day of testimony.
Singer and model Ventura, better known as Cassie, is also likely to face questions about allegations Combs raped her in 2018, as well as her graphic accounts of elaborate sex parties organised by the hip-hop icon.
In an emotional first day of testimony, Ventura, who is heavily pregnant, also detailed beatings and abuse at the hands of Combs whom she painted as controlling and willing to wield his wealth and influence to get his way.
READ ALSO: Sean Combs’s Ex Cassie Says He Forced Her Into ‘Disgusting’ Sex Ordeals
She gave vivid accounts that will underpin much of the prosecution’s case against the music industry figure who is alleged to have used violence and blackmail to manipulate women over many years.
Ventura recounted so-called “freak-off” sex parties saying she participated because she was “just in love and wanted to make (Combs) happy — to a point I didn’t feel like I had much of a choice.”
Ventura, who is 17 years younger than Combs and first met him when she was 19, described how the mogul would sometimes urinate on her, or he would instruct one of the numerous sex workers he engaged to do so.
The escorts, almost always men, were paid thousands of dollars in cash after encounters.
“It was disgusting. It was too much. It was overwhelming,” she said, adding that the hotel rooms used for the marathon sex sessions were often trashed, with establishments charging sizable cleaning and repair bills including for sheets stained with blood and urine.
Combs’s defence team indicated that during cross-examination, which is expected as early as Wednesday afternoon, they would seek to emphasise that Ventura took drugs of her own free will, and behaved erratically.
Ventura said that during the encounters she took drugs including ecstasy, ketamine and cocaine, and that the “drugs honestly helped” her meet Combs’s demands to stay awake for days on end.
The drugs also had a “dissociative and numbing” effect, she said, “a way to not feel it for what it really was.”
In a hotel surveillance clip from March 2016 shown to jurors Monday and again Tuesday, Combs is seen brutally beating and dragging Ventura down a hallway.
The prosecution played portions of the footage while Ventura was on the stand.
When asked why she didn’t fight back or get up, Ventura answered simply that curled up on the ground “felt like the safest place to be.”
Combs’s defense team insists while some of his behavior was questionable it did not constitute racketeering and sex trafficking. He denies all counts and proceedings are expected to last eight to 10 weeks.
Coco Gauff marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open on Wednesday by beating Mirra Andreeva in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5).
American Gauff has guaranteed herself number two in the world rankings with her solid displays in Rome, where she saw off seventh seed Andreeva on centre court.
Former US Open winner Gauff said that she had “a lot of confidence” for the last four, where she could face tournament favourite Aryna Sabalenka with the world number one taking on Zheng Qinwen later on Wednesday.
“Maybe some points weren’t my best. I still managed to be successful,” said Gauff.
Gauff, 21, is looking for her first title of the season, ahead of Roland Garros starting later this month, after losing the Madrid final to Sabalenka.
READ ALSO: Osaka knocked Out Of Italian Open As Fans Await Sinner
Indian Wells champion Andreeva, at 18 years old the youngest woman to reach the last eight at the Foro Italico since Gauff in 2021, put up surprisingly little resistance in a low-key first set.
And Gauff had too much for her in the second, quickly responding to each of Andreeva’s breaks of serve before coming through a tricky tie-break.
Later Carlos Alcaraz continues his bid for a first Rome crown when he takes on fifth seed Jack Draper, who has put in another strong showing on clay after reaching the Madrid final.
Draper could become the first British man to reach the last four in the Italian capital since 2016, when Andy Murray was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the final.
The winner of that match will then face one of reigning Rome champion Alexander Zverev and home hope Lorenzo Musetti, the day’s final pairing on centre court.
Casper Ruud set up a quarter-final clash with Jannik Sinner on Thursday after winning his postponed match with Jaume Munar 6-3, 6-4.
Sixth seed Ruud was supposed to play on Tuesday but an afternoon downpour forced his match to be moved to Wednesday.
The Borno State Government has arrested 73 underage children involved in substance abuse.
The children were picked up from different locations, including Bulabulin Kasuwa and Gwange Kasan Gada.
The Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, which led the exercise, explained that the action was a bold and decisive step to curb the growing menace of drug abuse and the involvement of children in unlawful activities on the streets of Maiduguri.
The move followed the circulation of a disturbing video on social media showing a young boy, barely in his teens, openly admitting to abusing drugs.
According to a statement from the ministry on Wednesday, many of the children, aged between 12 and 15 years, were not only abusing substances but also exposed to criminal activities.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Zuwaira Gambo, said the children were successfully taken off the streets and transferred to the Bulumkuttu Rehabilitation Centre in Maiduguri.
There, they are expected to undergo comprehensive rehabilitation, counselling, and reintegration programs under the care and supervision of the Borno State Government.
READ ALSO: Police Rearrest Suspect Linked To Anambra Lawmaker’s Murder
While addressing the children before their relocation, Gambo expressed deep concern over the rising trend of drug use among minors and stressed that the government would not stand by and watch the future of its youth being destroyed.
“You are still very young, and you deserve a better life than this. We are not here to punish you, but to support you. The Borno State Government under the leadership of His Excellency, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, is committed to giving you another chance to live a meaningful and responsible life,” she told them.
The commissioner added that the ministry would continue to trace, rescue, and rehabilitate more children at risk across the state while working closely with security agencies, traditional leaders, community members, and NGOs to eliminate the root causes of drug abuse and child endangerment.
Dean Windass speaks to BBC Sport’s Lydia Hayhurst about his alcohol dependency and mental health struggles after retiring from football.
Former Hull, Bradford and Middlesbrough striker Dean Windass has been diagnosed with stage two dementia.
READ MORE: Dean Windass on his dementia diagnosis
World number one Jannik Sinner has met Pope Leo XIV in Rome.
The 23-year-old, who has reached the quarter-finals of the Italian Open in his first tournament since serving a three-month doping ban, was invited by the Vatican to meet the newly elected leader of the Catholic Church.
The Italian was accompanied by his family and a delegation from the Italian Tennis Federation to meet the Pope, who is formerly known as US Cardinal Robert Prevost and a keen tennis player.
Sinner presented his racket to the Pope and asked if he would like to “play a bit” – but the 69-year-old looked up at the lights in the reception room and jokingly responded: “Better not.”
In an interview in 2023, the Pope described himself as “quite the amateur tennis player”.
