Latest news with #A31
The Advertiser
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
Trump cuts off trade talks with Canada over digital tax
US President Donald Trump has abruptly cut off trade talks with Canada over its tax targeting US technology firms, calling it a "blatant attack" and saying that he would set a new tariff rate on Canadian goods within the next week. The move plunges US relations with its second-largest trading partner back into chaos after a period of relative calm. It also came just hours after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent struck an upbeat tone on trade, touting progress had been made with China on reviving the flow of critical minerals for the US manufacturing sector and in other key tariff negotiations. The often-chaotic rollout of Trump's import levies since his return to office this year have frequently whipsawed financial markets, and have begun to weigh on consumer spending, the bedrock of the US economy. US stocks were briefly batted lower by his broadside against Canada but managed to close out the week at record highs for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. Trump's action comes ahead of Canada's plans to begin collecting on Monday a longstanding digital services tax on US technology firms including Amazon, Meta, Alphabet's Google and Apple among others. The tax is 3.0 per cent of the digital services revenue a firm takes in from Canadian users above $US20 million ($A31 million) in a calendar year, and payments will be retroactive to 2022. Trump, in a post on his Truth Social media platform, called the tax "a direct and blatant attack on our country" and said Canada was a "very difficult country to TRADE with". "Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately," Trump said. "We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period." Canada is the second-largest US trading partner after Mexico, buying $US349.4 billion of US goods last year and exporting $US412.7 billion to the US, according to US Census Bureau data. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had said on June 16 he and Trump agreed to try to wrap up a new economic and security deal within 30 days. "The Canadian government will continue to engage in these complex negotiations with the United States in the best interests of Canadian workers and businesses," Carney's office said in a statement. Earlier on Friday, Bessent said the Trump administration's various trade deals with other countries could be done by the September 1 Labor Day holiday, citing talks with 18 top trade partners and another revision to a deal with China to reopen the flow of rare earth minerals and magnets. The United States sent a new proposal to the European Union on Thursday and India sent a delegation to Washington DC for more talks. "So we have countries approaching us with very good deals," Bessent said on Fox Business Network. "We have 18 important trading partners. ... If we can ink 10 or 12 of the important 18, there are another important 20 relationships, then I think we could have trade wrapped up by Labor Day," Bessent said. He did not mention any changes to a July 9 deadline for countries to reach deals with the United States or see tariffs spike higher but has previously said that countries negotiating in good faith could get deals. But Trump told reporters at the White House that he could extend the tariff deadline or "make it shorter," adding that within the next week and a half, he would notify countries of their tariff rates. "I'd like to just send letters out to everybody: Congratulations. You're paying 25 per cent" tariffs, Trump said in an apparent joke. Bessent said the United States and China had resolved issues surrounding shipments of Chinese rare earth minerals and magnets to the US, further modifying a deal reached in May in Geneva. China's commerce ministry said on Friday the two countries have confirmed details on the framework of implementing the Geneva trade talks consensus. It said China will approve export applications of controlled items in accordance with the law. It did not mention rare earths. US President Donald Trump has abruptly cut off trade talks with Canada over its tax targeting US technology firms, calling it a "blatant attack" and saying that he would set a new tariff rate on Canadian goods within the next week. The move plunges US relations with its second-largest trading partner back into chaos after a period of relative calm. It also came just hours after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent struck an upbeat tone on trade, touting progress had been made with China on reviving the flow of critical minerals for the US manufacturing sector and in other key tariff negotiations. The often-chaotic rollout of Trump's import levies since his return to office this year have frequently whipsawed financial markets, and have begun to weigh on consumer spending, the bedrock of the US economy. US stocks were briefly batted lower by his broadside against Canada but managed to close out the week at record highs for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. Trump's action comes ahead of Canada's plans to begin collecting on Monday a longstanding digital services tax on US technology firms including Amazon, Meta, Alphabet's Google and Apple among others. The tax is 3.0 per cent of the digital services revenue a firm takes in from Canadian users above $US20 million ($A31 million) in a calendar year, and payments will be retroactive to 2022. Trump, in a post on his Truth Social media platform, called the tax "a direct and blatant attack on our country" and said Canada was a "very difficult country to TRADE with". "Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately," Trump said. "We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period." Canada is the second-largest US trading partner after Mexico, buying $US349.4 billion of US goods last year and exporting $US412.7 billion to the US, according to US Census Bureau data. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had said on June 16 he and Trump agreed to try to wrap up a new economic and security deal within 30 days. "The Canadian government will continue to engage in these complex negotiations with the United States in the best interests of Canadian workers and businesses," Carney's office said in a statement. Earlier on Friday, Bessent said the Trump administration's various trade deals with other countries could be done by the September 1 Labor Day holiday, citing talks with 18 top trade partners and another revision to a deal with China to reopen the flow of rare earth minerals and magnets. The United States sent a new proposal to the European Union on Thursday and India sent a delegation to Washington DC for more talks. "So we have countries approaching us with very good deals," Bessent said on Fox Business Network. "We have 18 important trading partners. ... If we can ink 10 or 12 of the important 18, there are another important 20 relationships, then I think we could have trade wrapped up by Labor Day," Bessent said. He did not mention any changes to a July 9 deadline for countries to reach deals with the United States or see tariffs spike higher but has previously said that countries negotiating in good faith could get deals. But Trump told reporters at the White House that he could extend the tariff deadline or "make it shorter," adding that within the next week and a half, he would notify countries of their tariff rates. "I'd like to just send letters out to everybody: Congratulations. You're paying 25 per cent" tariffs, Trump said in an apparent joke. Bessent said the United States and China had resolved issues surrounding shipments of Chinese rare earth minerals and magnets to the US, further modifying a deal reached in May in Geneva. China's commerce ministry said on Friday the two countries have confirmed details on the framework of implementing the Geneva trade talks consensus. It said China will approve export applications of controlled items in accordance with the law. It did not mention rare earths. US President Donald Trump has abruptly cut off trade talks with Canada over its tax targeting US technology firms, calling it a "blatant attack" and saying that he would set a new tariff rate on Canadian goods within the next week. The move plunges US relations with its second-largest trading partner back into chaos after a period of relative calm. It also came just hours after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent struck an upbeat tone on trade, touting progress had been made with China on reviving the flow of critical minerals for the US manufacturing sector and in other key tariff negotiations. The often-chaotic rollout of Trump's import levies since his return to office this year have frequently whipsawed financial markets, and have begun to weigh on consumer spending, the bedrock of the US economy. US stocks were briefly batted lower by his broadside against Canada but managed to close out the week at record highs for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. Trump's action comes ahead of Canada's plans to begin collecting on Monday a longstanding digital services tax on US technology firms including Amazon, Meta, Alphabet's Google and Apple among others. The tax is 3.0 per cent of the digital services revenue a firm takes in from Canadian users above $US20 million ($A31 million) in a calendar year, and payments will be retroactive to 2022. Trump, in a post on his Truth Social media platform, called the tax "a direct and blatant attack on our country" and said Canada was a "very difficult country to TRADE with". "Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately," Trump said. "We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period." Canada is the second-largest US trading partner after Mexico, buying $US349.4 billion of US goods last year and exporting $US412.7 billion to the US, according to US Census Bureau data. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had said on June 16 he and Trump agreed to try to wrap up a new economic and security deal within 30 days. "The Canadian government will continue to engage in these complex negotiations with the United States in the best interests of Canadian workers and businesses," Carney's office said in a statement. Earlier on Friday, Bessent said the Trump administration's various trade deals with other countries could be done by the September 1 Labor Day holiday, citing talks with 18 top trade partners and another revision to a deal with China to reopen the flow of rare earth minerals and magnets. The United States sent a new proposal to the European Union on Thursday and India sent a delegation to Washington DC for more talks. "So we have countries approaching us with very good deals," Bessent said on Fox Business Network. "We have 18 important trading partners. ... If we can ink 10 or 12 of the important 18, there are another important 20 relationships, then I think we could have trade wrapped up by Labor Day," Bessent said. He did not mention any changes to a July 9 deadline for countries to reach deals with the United States or see tariffs spike higher but has previously said that countries negotiating in good faith could get deals. But Trump told reporters at the White House that he could extend the tariff deadline or "make it shorter," adding that within the next week and a half, he would notify countries of their tariff rates. "I'd like to just send letters out to everybody: Congratulations. You're paying 25 per cent" tariffs, Trump said in an apparent joke. Bessent said the United States and China had resolved issues surrounding shipments of Chinese rare earth minerals and magnets to the US, further modifying a deal reached in May in Geneva. China's commerce ministry said on Friday the two countries have confirmed details on the framework of implementing the Geneva trade talks consensus. It said China will approve export applications of controlled items in accordance with the law. It did not mention rare earths. US President Donald Trump has abruptly cut off trade talks with Canada over its tax targeting US technology firms, calling it a "blatant attack" and saying that he would set a new tariff rate on Canadian goods within the next week. The move plunges US relations with its second-largest trading partner back into chaos after a period of relative calm. It also came just hours after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent struck an upbeat tone on trade, touting progress had been made with China on reviving the flow of critical minerals for the US manufacturing sector and in other key tariff negotiations. The often-chaotic rollout of Trump's import levies since his return to office this year have frequently whipsawed financial markets, and have begun to weigh on consumer spending, the bedrock of the US economy. US stocks were briefly batted lower by his broadside against Canada but managed to close out the week at record highs for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. Trump's action comes ahead of Canada's plans to begin collecting on Monday a longstanding digital services tax on US technology firms including Amazon, Meta, Alphabet's Google and Apple among others. The tax is 3.0 per cent of the digital services revenue a firm takes in from Canadian users above $US20 million ($A31 million) in a calendar year, and payments will be retroactive to 2022. Trump, in a post on his Truth Social media platform, called the tax "a direct and blatant attack on our country" and said Canada was a "very difficult country to TRADE with". "Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately," Trump said. "We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period." Canada is the second-largest US trading partner after Mexico, buying $US349.4 billion of US goods last year and exporting $US412.7 billion to the US, according to US Census Bureau data. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had said on June 16 he and Trump agreed to try to wrap up a new economic and security deal within 30 days. "The Canadian government will continue to engage in these complex negotiations with the United States in the best interests of Canadian workers and businesses," Carney's office said in a statement. Earlier on Friday, Bessent said the Trump administration's various trade deals with other countries could be done by the September 1 Labor Day holiday, citing talks with 18 top trade partners and another revision to a deal with China to reopen the flow of rare earth minerals and magnets. The United States sent a new proposal to the European Union on Thursday and India sent a delegation to Washington DC for more talks. "So we have countries approaching us with very good deals," Bessent said on Fox Business Network. "We have 18 important trading partners. ... If we can ink 10 or 12 of the important 18, there are another important 20 relationships, then I think we could have trade wrapped up by Labor Day," Bessent said. He did not mention any changes to a July 9 deadline for countries to reach deals with the United States or see tariffs spike higher but has previously said that countries negotiating in good faith could get deals. But Trump told reporters at the White House that he could extend the tariff deadline or "make it shorter," adding that within the next week and a half, he would notify countries of their tariff rates. "I'd like to just send letters out to everybody: Congratulations. You're paying 25 per cent" tariffs, Trump said in an apparent joke. Bessent said the United States and China had resolved issues surrounding shipments of Chinese rare earth minerals and magnets to the US, further modifying a deal reached in May in Geneva. China's commerce ministry said on Friday the two countries have confirmed details on the framework of implementing the Geneva trade talks consensus. It said China will approve export applications of controlled items in accordance with the law. It did not mention rare earths.
The Advertiser
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Diddy's lawyer says charges 'badly exaggerated'
Sean "Diddy" Combs has been portrayed in his lawyer's closing argument as the victim of an overzealous prosecution that tried to turn the recreational use of drugs and a swinger lifestyle into a racketeering conspiracy that could put the music mogul behind bars for life. Lawyer Marc Angifilo mocked the government's case against Combs and belittled the agents who seized hundreds of bottles of Astroglide lubricant and baby oil at the hip hop impresario's properties. "Way to go, fellas," Agnifilo said as he began a presentation expected to last several hours. He said prosecutors had "badly exaggerated" evidence of the swinger lifestyle and threesomes to combine it with recreational drug use and call it a racketeering conspiracy. "He did not do the things he's charged with. He didn't do racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking," the lawyer said. Agnifilo also called Combs' prosecution a "fake trial" and ridiculed the notion that he engaged in racketeering. "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?" Agnifilo asked. "Did any witness get on that witness stand and say yes, I was part of a racketeering enterprise - I engaged in racketeering?" No, Agnifilo argued, telling jurors that those accusations were a figment of the prosecution's imagination. Combs' family, including six of his children and his mother, were in the audience for the closing. All his life Combs has taken care of people, Agnifilo said, including the ex-girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym Jane, whose rent he is paying. "I don't know what Jane is doing today," Agnifilo said. "But she's doing it in a house he's paying for." Referring to lawsuits filed by Combs' accusers, he said: "This isn't about crime. It's about money. This is about money." He noted that Combs' girlfriend of nearly 11 years - Casandra "Cassie" Ventura - sued him in a lawsuit that was settled for $US20 million ($A31 million) in a day in November 2023, triggering a federal probe the following day. "If you had to pick a winner in this whole thing, it's hard not to pick Cassie," Agnifilo said. Cassie and Jane both testified during the trial that they were coerced repeatedly by Combs to perform in drug-fuelled days-long sex marathons with male sex workers while Combs watched and sometimes filmed the encounters. If convicted, Combs could face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life. He did not testify during the trial that is in its seventh week. After Agnifilo completes his closing, Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey was expected to deliver a rebuttal summation before the judge reads the law to the jury, which is not expected to begin deliberations until Monday. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Sean "Diddy" Combs has been portrayed in his lawyer's closing argument as the victim of an overzealous prosecution that tried to turn the recreational use of drugs and a swinger lifestyle into a racketeering conspiracy that could put the music mogul behind bars for life. Lawyer Marc Angifilo mocked the government's case against Combs and belittled the agents who seized hundreds of bottles of Astroglide lubricant and baby oil at the hip hop impresario's properties. "Way to go, fellas," Agnifilo said as he began a presentation expected to last several hours. He said prosecutors had "badly exaggerated" evidence of the swinger lifestyle and threesomes to combine it with recreational drug use and call it a racketeering conspiracy. "He did not do the things he's charged with. He didn't do racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking," the lawyer said. Agnifilo also called Combs' prosecution a "fake trial" and ridiculed the notion that he engaged in racketeering. "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?" Agnifilo asked. "Did any witness get on that witness stand and say yes, I was part of a racketeering enterprise - I engaged in racketeering?" No, Agnifilo argued, telling jurors that those accusations were a figment of the prosecution's imagination. Combs' family, including six of his children and his mother, were in the audience for the closing. All his life Combs has taken care of people, Agnifilo said, including the ex-girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym Jane, whose rent he is paying. "I don't know what Jane is doing today," Agnifilo said. "But she's doing it in a house he's paying for." Referring to lawsuits filed by Combs' accusers, he said: "This isn't about crime. It's about money. This is about money." He noted that Combs' girlfriend of nearly 11 years - Casandra "Cassie" Ventura - sued him in a lawsuit that was settled for $US20 million ($A31 million) in a day in November 2023, triggering a federal probe the following day. "If you had to pick a winner in this whole thing, it's hard not to pick Cassie," Agnifilo said. Cassie and Jane both testified during the trial that they were coerced repeatedly by Combs to perform in drug-fuelled days-long sex marathons with male sex workers while Combs watched and sometimes filmed the encounters. If convicted, Combs could face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life. He did not testify during the trial that is in its seventh week. After Agnifilo completes his closing, Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey was expected to deliver a rebuttal summation before the judge reads the law to the jury, which is not expected to begin deliberations until Monday. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Sean "Diddy" Combs has been portrayed in his lawyer's closing argument as the victim of an overzealous prosecution that tried to turn the recreational use of drugs and a swinger lifestyle into a racketeering conspiracy that could put the music mogul behind bars for life. Lawyer Marc Angifilo mocked the government's case against Combs and belittled the agents who seized hundreds of bottles of Astroglide lubricant and baby oil at the hip hop impresario's properties. "Way to go, fellas," Agnifilo said as he began a presentation expected to last several hours. He said prosecutors had "badly exaggerated" evidence of the swinger lifestyle and threesomes to combine it with recreational drug use and call it a racketeering conspiracy. "He did not do the things he's charged with. He didn't do racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking," the lawyer said. Agnifilo also called Combs' prosecution a "fake trial" and ridiculed the notion that he engaged in racketeering. "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?" Agnifilo asked. "Did any witness get on that witness stand and say yes, I was part of a racketeering enterprise - I engaged in racketeering?" No, Agnifilo argued, telling jurors that those accusations were a figment of the prosecution's imagination. Combs' family, including six of his children and his mother, were in the audience for the closing. All his life Combs has taken care of people, Agnifilo said, including the ex-girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym Jane, whose rent he is paying. "I don't know what Jane is doing today," Agnifilo said. "But she's doing it in a house he's paying for." Referring to lawsuits filed by Combs' accusers, he said: "This isn't about crime. It's about money. This is about money." He noted that Combs' girlfriend of nearly 11 years - Casandra "Cassie" Ventura - sued him in a lawsuit that was settled for $US20 million ($A31 million) in a day in November 2023, triggering a federal probe the following day. "If you had to pick a winner in this whole thing, it's hard not to pick Cassie," Agnifilo said. Cassie and Jane both testified during the trial that they were coerced repeatedly by Combs to perform in drug-fuelled days-long sex marathons with male sex workers while Combs watched and sometimes filmed the encounters. If convicted, Combs could face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life. He did not testify during the trial that is in its seventh week. After Agnifilo completes his closing, Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey was expected to deliver a rebuttal summation before the judge reads the law to the jury, which is not expected to begin deliberations until Monday. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Sean "Diddy" Combs has been portrayed in his lawyer's closing argument as the victim of an overzealous prosecution that tried to turn the recreational use of drugs and a swinger lifestyle into a racketeering conspiracy that could put the music mogul behind bars for life. Lawyer Marc Angifilo mocked the government's case against Combs and belittled the agents who seized hundreds of bottles of Astroglide lubricant and baby oil at the hip hop impresario's properties. "Way to go, fellas," Agnifilo said as he began a presentation expected to last several hours. He said prosecutors had "badly exaggerated" evidence of the swinger lifestyle and threesomes to combine it with recreational drug use and call it a racketeering conspiracy. "He did not do the things he's charged with. He didn't do racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking," the lawyer said. Agnifilo also called Combs' prosecution a "fake trial" and ridiculed the notion that he engaged in racketeering. "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?" Agnifilo asked. "Did any witness get on that witness stand and say yes, I was part of a racketeering enterprise - I engaged in racketeering?" No, Agnifilo argued, telling jurors that those accusations were a figment of the prosecution's imagination. Combs' family, including six of his children and his mother, were in the audience for the closing. All his life Combs has taken care of people, Agnifilo said, including the ex-girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym Jane, whose rent he is paying. "I don't know what Jane is doing today," Agnifilo said. "But she's doing it in a house he's paying for." Referring to lawsuits filed by Combs' accusers, he said: "This isn't about crime. It's about money. This is about money." He noted that Combs' girlfriend of nearly 11 years - Casandra "Cassie" Ventura - sued him in a lawsuit that was settled for $US20 million ($A31 million) in a day in November 2023, triggering a federal probe the following day. "If you had to pick a winner in this whole thing, it's hard not to pick Cassie," Agnifilo said. Cassie and Jane both testified during the trial that they were coerced repeatedly by Combs to perform in drug-fuelled days-long sex marathons with male sex workers while Combs watched and sometimes filmed the encounters. If convicted, Combs could face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life. He did not testify during the trial that is in its seventh week. After Agnifilo completes his closing, Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey was expected to deliver a rebuttal summation before the judge reads the law to the jury, which is not expected to begin deliberations until Monday. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Perth Now
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Diddy's lawyer says charges 'badly exaggerated'
Sean "Diddy" Combs has been portrayed in his lawyer's closing argument as the victim of an overzealous prosecution that tried to turn the recreational use of drugs and a swinger lifestyle into a racketeering conspiracy that could put the music mogul behind bars for life. Lawyer Marc Angifilo mocked the government's case against Combs and belittled the agents who seized hundreds of bottles of Astroglide lubricant and baby oil at the hip hop impresario's properties. "Way to go, fellas," Agnifilo said as he began a presentation expected to last several hours. He said prosecutors had "badly exaggerated" evidence of the swinger lifestyle and threesomes to combine it with recreational drug use and call it a racketeering conspiracy. "He did not do the things he's charged with. He didn't do racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking," the lawyer said. Agnifilo also called Combs' prosecution a "fake trial" and ridiculed the notion that he engaged in racketeering. "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?" Agnifilo asked. "Did any witness get on that witness stand and say yes, I was part of a racketeering enterprise - I engaged in racketeering?" No, Agnifilo argued, telling jurors that those accusations were a figment of the prosecution's imagination. Combs' family, including six of his children and his mother, were in the audience for the closing. All his life Combs has taken care of people, Agnifilo said, including the ex-girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym Jane, whose rent he is paying. "I don't know what Jane is doing today," Agnifilo said. "But she's doing it in a house he's paying for." Referring to lawsuits filed by Combs' accusers, he said: "This isn't about crime. It's about money. This is about money." He noted that Combs' girlfriend of nearly 11 years - Casandra "Cassie" Ventura - sued him in a lawsuit that was settled for $US20 million ($A31 million) in a day in November 2023, triggering a federal probe the following day. "If you had to pick a winner in this whole thing, it's hard not to pick Cassie," Agnifilo said. Cassie and Jane both testified during the trial that they were coerced repeatedly by Combs to perform in drug-fuelled days-long sex marathons with male sex workers while Combs watched and sometimes filmed the encounters. If convicted, Combs could face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life. He did not testify during the trial that is in its seventh week. After Agnifilo completes his closing, Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey was expected to deliver a rebuttal summation before the judge reads the law to the jury, which is not expected to begin deliberations until Monday. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Bull killed and people injured in A31 Sturminster Marshall crash
A bull has died and several people have been injured in a crash on a main route through crash, involving a lorry, a car and the bull, happened on the A31 near to the Sturminster Marshall junction, shortly after 01:00 Police said a number of people were taken to hospital for treatment to injuries not described as road was closed in both directions between the Roundhouse Roundabout with the A350 and the Townsend Roundabout with the A35 near Bere Regis, until about 06:30. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Advertiser
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex-aide says she was 'brainwashed'
A former personal assistant who accuses Sean "Diddy" Combs of rape has testified that she continued sending the hip-hop mogul loving messages for years after her job ended in 2017 because she was "brainwashed". The woman, testifying under the pseudonym "Mia" pushed back at defence lawyer Brian Steel's suggestions that she fabricated her claims to cash in on "the #MeToo money grab against Sean Combs". Mia was on the witness stand on Monday for her third and final day at Comb's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan, which is in its fourth week of testimony. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers concede he could be violent, but he denies using threats or his music industry clout to commit abuse. Steel had Mia read aloud numerous text messages she sent Combs. In one from 2019, she told Combs that he'd rescued her in a nightmare in which she was trapped in an elevator with R Kelly, the singer who has since been convicted of sex trafficking. "And the person who sexually assaulted you came to your rescue?" Steel asked incredulously. He rephrased, asking if she really dreamed of being saved by a man "who terrorised you and caused you PTSD?" Prosecutors objected and the judge sustained it. It was one of many objections during a combative and often meandering cross-examination that stood in contrast to the defence's gentler treatment of other prosecution witnesses. Several times, the judge interrupted Steel, instructing him to move along or rephrase complicated questions. In an August 29, 2020, message to Combs, Mia recalled happy highlights from her eight years working for him - such as drinking champagne at the Eiffel Tower at 4am and rejecting Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger's offer to take her home - saying she remembered only "the good times". Mia mentioned once feeling "bamboozled" by a woman. Steel asked why she didn't say Combs had bamboozled her as well. "Because I was still brainwashed," Mia answered. Mia said that in an environment where "the highs were really high and the lows were really low", she developed "huge confusion in trusting my instincts". When Steel suggested her assault claims were made up, Mia responded: "I have never lied in this courtroom and I never will lie in this courtroom. Everything I said is true." She said she felt a moral obligation to speak out after others came forward against Combs, telling jurors: "It's been a long process. I'm untangling things. I'm in therapy." Mia alleges Combs forcibly kissed her and molested her at his 40th birthday party and raped her months later in a guest room at his Los Angeles home. She testified last week that the assaults were "random, sporadic, so oddly spaced out" she didn't think they'd happen again. For a long time, Mia said, she kept the assaults to herself - staying quiet even after her friend, Combs' former longtime girlfriend Cassie, sued Combs in November 2023 alleging sexual abuse. The lawsuit, settled within hours for $US20 million ($A31 million), touched off Combs' criminal investigation. Mia followed Cassie as the second of three key prosecution witnesses. The third, using the pseudonym "Jane", will testify later this week. Mia said she didn't feel comfortable telling Cassie, the R&B singer whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, that she was also victimised. Steel suggested Mia only told prosecutors after she obtained legal counsel, accusing the witness of trying to lay the groundwork for a lawsuit against Combs. But Judge Arun Subramanian shut down Steel's attempts to ask Mia if she chose her lawyer because of that lawyer's success getting hefty judgments for writer E Jean Carroll in sex abuse-related lawsuits against President Donald Trump. A former personal assistant who accuses Sean "Diddy" Combs of rape has testified that she continued sending the hip-hop mogul loving messages for years after her job ended in 2017 because she was "brainwashed". The woman, testifying under the pseudonym "Mia" pushed back at defence lawyer Brian Steel's suggestions that she fabricated her claims to cash in on "the #MeToo money grab against Sean Combs". Mia was on the witness stand on Monday for her third and final day at Comb's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan, which is in its fourth week of testimony. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers concede he could be violent, but he denies using threats or his music industry clout to commit abuse. Steel had Mia read aloud numerous text messages she sent Combs. In one from 2019, she told Combs that he'd rescued her in a nightmare in which she was trapped in an elevator with R Kelly, the singer who has since been convicted of sex trafficking. "And the person who sexually assaulted you came to your rescue?" Steel asked incredulously. He rephrased, asking if she really dreamed of being saved by a man "who terrorised you and caused you PTSD?" Prosecutors objected and the judge sustained it. It was one of many objections during a combative and often meandering cross-examination that stood in contrast to the defence's gentler treatment of other prosecution witnesses. Several times, the judge interrupted Steel, instructing him to move along or rephrase complicated questions. In an August 29, 2020, message to Combs, Mia recalled happy highlights from her eight years working for him - such as drinking champagne at the Eiffel Tower at 4am and rejecting Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger's offer to take her home - saying she remembered only "the good times". Mia mentioned once feeling "bamboozled" by a woman. Steel asked why she didn't say Combs had bamboozled her as well. "Because I was still brainwashed," Mia answered. Mia said that in an environment where "the highs were really high and the lows were really low", she developed "huge confusion in trusting my instincts". When Steel suggested her assault claims were made up, Mia responded: "I have never lied in this courtroom and I never will lie in this courtroom. Everything I said is true." She said she felt a moral obligation to speak out after others came forward against Combs, telling jurors: "It's been a long process. I'm untangling things. I'm in therapy." Mia alleges Combs forcibly kissed her and molested her at his 40th birthday party and raped her months later in a guest room at his Los Angeles home. She testified last week that the assaults were "random, sporadic, so oddly spaced out" she didn't think they'd happen again. For a long time, Mia said, she kept the assaults to herself - staying quiet even after her friend, Combs' former longtime girlfriend Cassie, sued Combs in November 2023 alleging sexual abuse. The lawsuit, settled within hours for $US20 million ($A31 million), touched off Combs' criminal investigation. Mia followed Cassie as the second of three key prosecution witnesses. The third, using the pseudonym "Jane", will testify later this week. Mia said she didn't feel comfortable telling Cassie, the R&B singer whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, that she was also victimised. Steel suggested Mia only told prosecutors after she obtained legal counsel, accusing the witness of trying to lay the groundwork for a lawsuit against Combs. But Judge Arun Subramanian shut down Steel's attempts to ask Mia if she chose her lawyer because of that lawyer's success getting hefty judgments for writer E Jean Carroll in sex abuse-related lawsuits against President Donald Trump. A former personal assistant who accuses Sean "Diddy" Combs of rape has testified that she continued sending the hip-hop mogul loving messages for years after her job ended in 2017 because she was "brainwashed". The woman, testifying under the pseudonym "Mia" pushed back at defence lawyer Brian Steel's suggestions that she fabricated her claims to cash in on "the #MeToo money grab against Sean Combs". Mia was on the witness stand on Monday for her third and final day at Comb's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan, which is in its fourth week of testimony. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers concede he could be violent, but he denies using threats or his music industry clout to commit abuse. Steel had Mia read aloud numerous text messages she sent Combs. In one from 2019, she told Combs that he'd rescued her in a nightmare in which she was trapped in an elevator with R Kelly, the singer who has since been convicted of sex trafficking. "And the person who sexually assaulted you came to your rescue?" Steel asked incredulously. He rephrased, asking if she really dreamed of being saved by a man "who terrorised you and caused you PTSD?" Prosecutors objected and the judge sustained it. It was one of many objections during a combative and often meandering cross-examination that stood in contrast to the defence's gentler treatment of other prosecution witnesses. Several times, the judge interrupted Steel, instructing him to move along or rephrase complicated questions. In an August 29, 2020, message to Combs, Mia recalled happy highlights from her eight years working for him - such as drinking champagne at the Eiffel Tower at 4am and rejecting Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger's offer to take her home - saying she remembered only "the good times". Mia mentioned once feeling "bamboozled" by a woman. Steel asked why she didn't say Combs had bamboozled her as well. "Because I was still brainwashed," Mia answered. Mia said that in an environment where "the highs were really high and the lows were really low", she developed "huge confusion in trusting my instincts". When Steel suggested her assault claims were made up, Mia responded: "I have never lied in this courtroom and I never will lie in this courtroom. Everything I said is true." She said she felt a moral obligation to speak out after others came forward against Combs, telling jurors: "It's been a long process. I'm untangling things. I'm in therapy." Mia alleges Combs forcibly kissed her and molested her at his 40th birthday party and raped her months later in a guest room at his Los Angeles home. She testified last week that the assaults were "random, sporadic, so oddly spaced out" she didn't think they'd happen again. For a long time, Mia said, she kept the assaults to herself - staying quiet even after her friend, Combs' former longtime girlfriend Cassie, sued Combs in November 2023 alleging sexual abuse. The lawsuit, settled within hours for $US20 million ($A31 million), touched off Combs' criminal investigation. Mia followed Cassie as the second of three key prosecution witnesses. The third, using the pseudonym "Jane", will testify later this week. Mia said she didn't feel comfortable telling Cassie, the R&B singer whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, that she was also victimised. Steel suggested Mia only told prosecutors after she obtained legal counsel, accusing the witness of trying to lay the groundwork for a lawsuit against Combs. But Judge Arun Subramanian shut down Steel's attempts to ask Mia if she chose her lawyer because of that lawyer's success getting hefty judgments for writer E Jean Carroll in sex abuse-related lawsuits against President Donald Trump. A former personal assistant who accuses Sean "Diddy" Combs of rape has testified that she continued sending the hip-hop mogul loving messages for years after her job ended in 2017 because she was "brainwashed". The woman, testifying under the pseudonym "Mia" pushed back at defence lawyer Brian Steel's suggestions that she fabricated her claims to cash in on "the #MeToo money grab against Sean Combs". Mia was on the witness stand on Monday for her third and final day at Comb's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan, which is in its fourth week of testimony. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers concede he could be violent, but he denies using threats or his music industry clout to commit abuse. Steel had Mia read aloud numerous text messages she sent Combs. In one from 2019, she told Combs that he'd rescued her in a nightmare in which she was trapped in an elevator with R Kelly, the singer who has since been convicted of sex trafficking. "And the person who sexually assaulted you came to your rescue?" Steel asked incredulously. He rephrased, asking if she really dreamed of being saved by a man "who terrorised you and caused you PTSD?" Prosecutors objected and the judge sustained it. It was one of many objections during a combative and often meandering cross-examination that stood in contrast to the defence's gentler treatment of other prosecution witnesses. Several times, the judge interrupted Steel, instructing him to move along or rephrase complicated questions. In an August 29, 2020, message to Combs, Mia recalled happy highlights from her eight years working for him - such as drinking champagne at the Eiffel Tower at 4am and rejecting Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger's offer to take her home - saying she remembered only "the good times". Mia mentioned once feeling "bamboozled" by a woman. Steel asked why she didn't say Combs had bamboozled her as well. "Because I was still brainwashed," Mia answered. Mia said that in an environment where "the highs were really high and the lows were really low", she developed "huge confusion in trusting my instincts". When Steel suggested her assault claims were made up, Mia responded: "I have never lied in this courtroom and I never will lie in this courtroom. Everything I said is true." She said she felt a moral obligation to speak out after others came forward against Combs, telling jurors: "It's been a long process. I'm untangling things. I'm in therapy." Mia alleges Combs forcibly kissed her and molested her at his 40th birthday party and raped her months later in a guest room at his Los Angeles home. She testified last week that the assaults were "random, sporadic, so oddly spaced out" she didn't think they'd happen again. For a long time, Mia said, she kept the assaults to herself - staying quiet even after her friend, Combs' former longtime girlfriend Cassie, sued Combs in November 2023 alleging sexual abuse. The lawsuit, settled within hours for $US20 million ($A31 million), touched off Combs' criminal investigation. Mia followed Cassie as the second of three key prosecution witnesses. The third, using the pseudonym "Jane", will testify later this week. Mia said she didn't feel comfortable telling Cassie, the R&B singer whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, that she was also victimised. Steel suggested Mia only told prosecutors after she obtained legal counsel, accusing the witness of trying to lay the groundwork for a lawsuit against Combs. But Judge Arun Subramanian shut down Steel's attempts to ask Mia if she chose her lawyer because of that lawyer's success getting hefty judgments for writer E Jean Carroll in sex abuse-related lawsuits against President Donald Trump.
