Foreign

University Strips American Rapper ‘Diddy’ Of Honorary Degree Over Assault Video Of Girlfriend

Published

3 months ago

June 9, 2024

The Howard University board, a historically-black university in Washington DC, on Friday moved to strip Sean “Diddy” Combs of his honourary degree after the video of him physically assaulting his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura surfaced online.

American rapper, Sean “Diddy” Combs, had apologised for physically assaulting his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in 2016.

A surveillance video captured in 2016 which was obtained exclusively by CNN surfaced on the internet showing the moment the rapper physically assaulted his former girlfriend during an altercation that matches allegations in a now-settled federal lawsuit filed by Ventura in November.

The footage, taken from multiple camera angles dated March 5, 2016, showed an incident that, according to Ventura’s complaint, occurred at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles.

CNN verified the location based on publicly available photos of the former hotel’s interior.

In the video, Ventura exits a hotel room and walks to a bank of elevators. Combs, holding a towel around his waist, runs down a hall after Ventura. He grabs her by the back of the neck and throws her to the floor. Still holding his towel closed with one hand, he then turns to kick her, the video shows.

As Ventura is on the ground, Combs retrieves a purse and suitcase from the floor near the elevators. He turns around and kicks Ventura again as she lies motionless on the floor. About four seconds transpire between the two kicks, according to the video. He then briefly drags Ventura by her sweatshirt toward a room before walking away.

Ventura is then seen slowly standing up. She gathers items from the floor and moves to pick up a phone on the hallway wall near the elevators. Combs, still in a towel and socks, returns.

A mirror directly across from the security camera shows Combs appearing to shove Ventura.

Seconds later, he sits down on a chair, grabs an object off a table and forcefully throws it toward Ventura.

Combs is seen walking away, then turns toward Ventura once again when an elevator door opens and someone appears to exit.

Combs in an apology video he posted on his Instagram page said he takes full responsibility for his actions in the video, noting that he had to go for therapy and rehabilitation after the incident.

Combs said, “It is very difficult to reflect on the darkest time in your life, but sometimes you have to do that. I was f***ed up. I make no excuses.

“My behaviour on the video was inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in the video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now.”

However, in a statement on Friday, the university said his “behaviour as captured in a recently released video is so fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs that he is deemed no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honor.”

The university’s statement said Mr Combs’ name would be removed from all documents listing honourary degree recipients.

“The University is unwavering in its opposition to all acts of interpersonal violence,” the statement said.

Howard University conferred the degree on Mr Combs in 2014. It said in its statement that it would also end a scholarship in his name and terminate a 2016 “gift agreement” with the rapper.

That agreement was a $1m (£785,000) donation that he made through his foundation.

The Sean Combs Foundation did not respond to a request for comment.

Foreign

Meta shuts down Russia’s State-media accounts

Published

12 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Facebook parent company Meta is banning RT and other Russian state media networks from its platforms over claims they carried out covert operations to influence social media users.

The ban, which was announced on Monday, will globally block the accounts from Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Threads users over the coming days.

“After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets,” said Meta, which already restricted activity from the accounts.

“Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity.”

Rossiya Segodnya runs news brands including Sputnik and Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

RT had responded to Sky News agency that Meta “censoring information flow to the rest of the world”

“Don’t worry, where they close a door, and then a window, our ‘partisans’ (or in your parlance, guerrilla fighters) will find the cracks to crawl through,” their spokesperson said.

“It’s cute how there’s a competition in the West – who can try to spank RT the hardest, in order to make themselves look better,” they added.

The Kremlin said Meta was “discrediting itself” by banning the networks from its platforms.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Such selective actions against Russian media are unacceptable.”

He added the move complicated prospects for Moscow normalising relations with the company.

The ban comes after the United States filed money-laundering charges earlier this month against two RT employees for what officials said was a scheme to hire an American company to produce online content to influence the 2024 election.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that countries should treat the activities of Russian state broadcaster RT as they do covert intelligence operations.

“We’re exposing how Russia deploys similar tactics around the world,” Mr Blinken said.

“Russian weaponisation of disinformation to subvert and polarise free and open societies extends to every part of the world.”

In July, the US Department of Justice shut down nearly 1,000 social media bot accounts it said were created to spread Russian disinformation in the US.

It linked the accounts to RT, a state-owned broadcaster, accusing one of their senior employees of creating the bot farm which was used to “advance the mission of the FSB and the Russian government”.

When the media company was asked for a response to those allegations, RT replied: “Farming is a beloved pastime for millions of Russians.”

Foreign

Kamala Harris reacts to Trump’s assassination attempt; Says, ‘I am glad he is safe’

Published

2 days ago

September 17, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Following the second assassination attempt of Former President Donald Trump in the Florida golf course ahead of the US Presidential elections, US Vice President Kamala Harris stated,‘ I am glad he is safe’. The shooting took place at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. After the news broke out, Kamala Harris shared a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and said there is no place for violence in America.

“I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) September 15, 2024

According to the White House, both the Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden have been informed about the security incident of the Former President when he was golfing on Sunday and are both “relieved to know” that Donald Trump is safe, reported CNN.

“The President and Vice President have been briefed about the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was golfing. They are relieved to know that he is safe. They will be kept regularly updated by their team,” stated the White House.

Meanwhile, the suspect involved in Sunday’s shooting incident at Trump’s Florida Golf Course has been taken into custody, CNN reported, citing a Facebook post from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.

Meanwhile, a suspect, who, according to the officials, is connected to Sunday’s shooting incident at Trump’s Florida Golf Course, has been taken into custody, CNN reported, citing a Facebook post from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.

The sheriff’s office “has stopped a vehicle and taken a suspect into custody,” the post said. According to the office, a portion of Interstate 95 close to State Route 714 in Martin County is closed. Trump is “safe following gunshots in his vicinity,” the Trump Campaign said in a statement on Sunday, CNN reported.

Foreign

Suspect in Trump assassination attempt charged with gun crimes

Published

3 days ago

September 17, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A man suspected of plotting to assassinate former US president Donald Trump was charged with federal gun crimes on Monday.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number at his initial court appearance.

Routh, who was arrested on Sunday after an alleged abortive bid to shoot the former president at his West Palm Beach golf course, is expected to face further charges at a later arraignment.

Routh appeared calm during the brief court hearing, answering “yes” in a soft voice to several questions from District Judge Ryon McCabe of the Southern District of Florida.

Routh was arrested on Sunday after a US Secret Service agent noticed the barrel of a rifle pointing out of shrubbery at the Trump International Golf Course.

Agents, who were deployed in a moving security bubble extending about one or two holes ahead of the former president, “engaged” an individual, the US Secret Service’s Rafael Barros said.

Support for Trump, questions for Harris in pro-fracking Pennsylvania
Trump was unharmed.

Police said Routh fled in a vehicle and was arrested shortly after.

Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said police recovered a “AK-47-style” rifle equipped with a scope, two backpacks, and a GoPro camera from the scene.

Routh is reported to be a self-employed affordable housing builder based in Hawaii, with an arrest record spanning decades.

He regularly posted about politics and current events on social media, including criticism of Trump, according to US media.

AFP