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By Luc Cohen and Jonathan Stempel, Reuters Sean "Diddy" Combs is accused of a decades-long scheme of sex trafficking and racketeering. Photo: MARIA ALEJANDRA CARDONA/AFP Sean "Diddy" Combs used his fame as one of the biggest names in hip-hop to coerce women into engaging in demeaning sex acts as part of a decades-long scheme of sex trafficking and racketeering, according to a three-count federal indictment unsealed on Tuesday. Starting in 2009, Combs used his vast media empire including his record label Bad Boy Entertainment to transport women, as well as male sex workers, across state lines to take part in recorded sexual performances called "Freak Offs" in which the music mogul would watch and masturbate, prosecutors said. The 54-year-old rapper and producer was arrested in Manhatt...

Students gather at Auckland University's city campus to rally against Israel's war in Gaza on 1 May 2024. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi A new poll shows a significant number of New Zealanders support recognising Palestine as a state and applying sanctions against Israel. Commissioned by advocacy group Justice for Palestine and conducted by Talbot-Mills, the poll found support for recognising Palestinian statehood and sanctions for Israel was higher among young people. It also showed many people were not sure where they stood. While Israel's embassy questioned the neutrality of the poll, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said it was a matter of "when, not if" for Palestinian statehood - but the main priority for now was a ceasefire. The poll found 40 percent of the 1116 people surveyed suppo...

By Annika Burgess, ABC News In this handout image released on 16 September 2024 by the Martin County Sheriff's Offfice shows Ryan Wesley Routh following his arrest in Martin County, Florida, on 15 September. Photo: AFP PHOTO / MARTIN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE With a digital camera, black plastic bag of food, and loaded SKS-style rifle, Ryan Routh arrived at Donald Trump's Palm Beach golf course and waited for almost 12 hours. Court documents have provided details of the allegations against the 58-year-old after the second apparent assassination attempt against the former president. Routh made a brief federal court appearance in Florida on Monday, local time, where he faced two gun charges. The initial criminal counts will allow authorities to keep Routh in custody as the investigation ...

US television host John Oliver has credited his 2024 Emmys win to last year's Bird of the Century winner, the "majestic" pūteketeke. In a video exchange posted to Instagram, Bird of the Year 2024 campaigner and television host Phil Keoghan thanked Oliver "for bringing the birds of New Zealand into the limelight, even to places like to Emmys." "Here at the Emmys 2024 with John Oliver, I've just been contacted by the Prime Minister of New Zealand to make an official thank you ... I'd like to thank you on behalf of all New Zealanders, for the birds that never got recognition," Keoghan - a Dunedin resident who got on board as an advocate for Tūhura Otago Museum's hoiho campaign. All the attention is on the hoiho this year - Dunedin's yellow-eyed penguin and 2024 winner of Bird of the Year - bu...