Trump to visit Qatar on Middle East trip amid backlash over $400m plane

President Donald Trump has arrived in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh this morning as part of a landmark visit to three Gulf states this week, which has been clouded by backlash over a potential luxury jet gift from Qatar.

Trump’s first engagement is a meeting with the country’s de facto leader, crown prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss everything from the war in Gaza, Iran’s nuclear program and economic deals. Later, the president is expected to attend a summit of Gulf leaders before travelling to Qatar.

He will end his trip to the Middle East in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, and hopes to secure $1 trillion in deals from the visits.

The visit comes amid furore news the Qatari royal family was planning to gift the U.S. a $400 million Boeing jet for the president to use as a replacement for Air Force One, drawing criticism from across the political spectrum.

The trip comes after the United States and China struck a deal to slash tariffs by 115 per cent for at least 90 days as both countries seek to tone down their trade war.

Tory MP Robert Jenrick backs Keir Starmer in ‘island of strangers’ row

Former immigration minister and Tory frontbencher Robert Jenrick has issued a defence of Sir Keir Starmer’s claim that the UK risks becoming “island of strangers” as a result of migration.

Sir Keir faced backlash for the remark, which he made while laying out some of the toughest rules in recent history to crack down on immigration.

The PM also said that the number of people entering the country is causing “incalculable damage” – comments that have provoked a furious backlash, with his own MPs joining trade unions and charities in comparing the language with that of the far right and Enoch Powell.

But asked what he made of the prime minister’s characterisation, the shadow justice secretary – who has typically been at loggerheads with the Labour leader on migration – said: “I think it’s true. In fact, I think in some places we already are. Aggressive levels of mass migration have made us more divided.”

He suggested that the UK was not a “united country”, adding: “If you look at communities in our country, for example central Bradford, 50 per cent of people were born outside of the United Kingdom; in central Luton, 46 per cent of residents arrived in the past decade.

“There are places like Dagenham where the white British population has fallen by almost 60 per cent in the last 25 years.”

Speaking to Sky News, he added: “People in many parts of our country are experiencing profound change as a result of the levels of migration that we’ve seen, and we’ve got to bring that back to the historic levels that we enjoyed as a country which enabled us to be a well-integrated and united country, rather than the one that we’re seeing today.”

Mr Jenrick oversaw a significant rise in net migration – the difference between the number of people moving into the country minus those leaving – during his time in office.

He held the role between October 2022 and December 2023, which was the same year net migration hit a record high peak of 906,000.

Meanwhile, home secretary Yvette Cooper defended the PM’s language and said it was not right to “make those comparisons” with Mr Powell’s rivers of blood speech.

But, asked repeatedly whether she would use the “island of strangers” comment herself, Ms Cooper refused four times to endorse the remarks. She also said she was not aware of the PM’s plans to use the controversial phrase.

She told BBC Breakfast: “Part of the point that he is making is that we have to recognise people have come to the UK through generations to do really important jobs in our NHS, founding our biggest businesses, doing some of the most difficult jobs.

“But it’s because that’s important, the system has to be controlled and managed, and it just hasn’t been.”

Speaking to BBC Radio 4 Today’s programme, she said it was not right to make comparisons with Enoch Powell’s infamous “rivers of blood” speech.

The 1968 speech whipped up a frenzy of anti-immigration hatred across the UK after it imagined a future where the white population in Britain “found themselves made strangers in their own country”.

“I don’t think it’s right to make those comparisons. It’s completely different”, Ms Cooper said.

“The prime minister said yesterday, I think almost in the same breath… talked about the diverse country that we are, and that being part of our strength.”

Asked if Sir Keir’s speech-writers had been aware of the similarity in language, the home secretary replied: “I don’t know.”

She also insisted that critics should focus of the substance of the migration plans, saying: “I think we do actually have to be able to have a serious conversation about the policies.

“You’re right. Everybody always gets caught up in focusing on different phrases, but we do have to be talking about the policies.”

The home secretary had earlier refused to put a number on the amount she wanted to see net migration reduced by because, she said, targets used by the Tories in government had been “meaningless”.

In a dramatic early morning press conference on Monday aimed at seizing the political agenda after a series of disastrous local election results, Sir Keir insisted his new immigration plans were being unveiled “because they are the right thing to do”.

Among the measures announced were a ban on the recruitment of care workers from overseas, increased English language requirements for immigrants and the tightening of access to skilled worker visas.

But while Sir Keir denied his government’s white paper was a “reaction to a political party” following the success of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK at the local elections, critics condemned his attempts to “pander” to Mr Farage.

Sir Keir’s language marked an extraordinary turnaround in the last five years from when he was Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow immigration minister promoting open borders and from three years ago when he claimed that those raising immigration as an issue were “racist”.

One senior Labour backbencher compared his language to Enoch Powell’s infamous “rivers of blood” speech in 1968 which whipped up a frenzy of anti-immigration hatred across the UK.

Norwich South MP Clive Lewis told The Independent: “This kind of language doesn’t just alienate communities, it drives people away from our country altogether. And if those at the top think this is a clever tactic to win another five years by rolling out the red carpet for Nigel Farage, they’re mistaken. We are losing far more progressive voters than we are gaining from Reform UK.”

Meanwhile, MP Nadia Whittome said the rhetoric was “shameful and dangerous”, and accused the PM of “mimicking the scaremongering of the far right.”

Sheffield Hallam MP Olivia Blake suggested the phrase could “risk legitimising the same far-right violence we saw in last year’s summer riots”.

But asked to respond to accusations he had adopted Powell’s rhetoric, Sir Keir told the Guardian: “Migrants make a massive contribution to the UK, and I would never denigrate that.”

“Britain is an inclusive and tolerant country, but the public expect that people who come here should be expected to learn the language and integrate”, he added.

Kim Kardashian arrives at Paris court to face gang accused of robbing her

Kim Kardashian’s stylist Simone Harouche has told a courtroom she heard the star screaming in a nearby room the night the influencer was bound and gagged in a Paris apartment during a $10m jewellery heist.

The LA based stylist told the Palais de Justice in Paris on Tuesday morning she was sleeping downstairs from Kardashian and was woken by a “sound that I had never heard from Kim. It was terror.”

“What I heard specifically was ‘I have babies and I need to live, take everything, I need to live,” Harouche said. “She came into my room and she had tape around her… I thought she could have been raped or very violated.”

All eyes will be on Kim Kardashian when she steps into the witness box later on Tuesday to give evidence in the trial of ten people accused of violently robbing her in 2016.

The Californian media personality was left traumatised after she was tied up and gagged by a gang of burglars, as they stole millions of dollars worth of jewellery from the central Paris apartment where she was staying during Paris Fashion Week.

Eight of the ten defendants – who face charges including armed robbery, kidnapping, and criminal conspiracy – deny any involvement in the case. The case has been dubbed the “grandpa robbers” trial due to five of them being pensioners.

The Independent will bring you live updates from inside the courtroom.

Our national identity is in crisis. What does it mean to be British?

When it comes to national and personal identity, Paul Gauguin attached the only three questions that matter to his enigmatic masterpiece, a haunting landscape of Tahitian women led by an allegorical depiction of Eve: Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?

Who we are, in the historical present, is an ageless question that demands political savvy and a rhetorical imagination. Occasionally, the cries of pain from those at the top who find themselves on the wrong side of this argument pierce the background hiss of everyday events. Watch ex-president Joe Biden on BBC TV denounce Donald Trump’s brutal Oval Office mugging of Volodymyr Zelensky (“What kind of president even talks like that? That’s not who we are”) and you see the anguish of a man coming to terms with his residence in the dustbin of history.

This search for new and better narratives in a changing world has become a top theme for disrupted times. The election of Pope Leo XIV is a reminder that it’s not just the US (and the UK) that are absorbed in that all-important quest for identity. Some commentators, indeed, have framed the election of Leo as a reassertion of classic American pluralism by the Roman Catholic hierarchy, a priestly riposte to Trump’s ugly “America First” viciousness.

In Britain, that search for a role has bedevilled our politics since Suez, with Brexit just the worst expression of who we aspire to be, a false step that’s steered our politics into its current impasse: a clueless Labour government and a pointless Conservative opposition, with the jackals of Reform snapping at their heels in an opportunistic, unhinged parody of little-England protest.

National identity is fraught with rabbit holes. While you might hesitate trying to unscramble “What does it mean to be British?”, many Brits still declare allegiance to any number of totems – national, sporting, ethnic, civic or sexual – braided into a weird tapestry of Britishness. To take one small example, our literature includes the work of Conrad (Polish); Swift, Wilde, Joyce and Beckett (Irish); Naipaul and Walcott (West Indian), Hume, Burns, and Stevenson, (Scots); and Henry James and TS Eliot (American).

“British” remains a puzzle at the core of who we are. In 2007, when Gordon Brown attempted to define the nature of this conundrum, he was widely mocked for the rhetorical equivalent of trying to pin the tail on the donkey. One newspaper (The Times) sponsored a campaign for a “British” motto, something to match “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité”. Something a bit less embarrassing than “Cool Britannia”. Readers’ suggestions included, for example: “Dipso. Fatso. Bingo. Asbo. Tesco”. Closely followed by: “No Motto Please, We’re British”.

In 2025, our national identity remains contentious. What’s not said is the important bit. With some Britons, a raised eyebrow can be as meaningful as a national mission statement – except, of course, in a crisis. It’s crises that remind us who we really are. As the Luftwaffe massed over London, George Orwell’s brilliant essay The Lion and the Unicorn explored the complexity of a society at war. “We call our islands by no less than six different names,” he wrote. “England, Britain, Great Britain, the British Isles, the United Kingdom and, in very exalted moments, Albion.” Finally, even Orwell was forced to exclaim: “How can one make a pattern out of this muddle?”

Perhaps the last time “British” made sense was in 1940. Winston Churchill wrapped himself in the union flag to unite and mobilise the country. “We shall fight on the beaches” became an atavistic cry of defiance. The latest celebration of VE Day throughout the shires tells you all you need to know about its place in the national psyche. The sea and the beach embody the paradoxes of island life.

Churchill’s rhetorical genius knew what chord he was sounding. It’s the sea that defines, aggravates and inspires us; the sea that‘s always separated us from our enemies and sponsored an urgent traffic with the wider world, translating vigilant curiosity into trade and exploration.

We have salt in our blood. Today, the tides and climate of the sea continue to shape British identity. Some 30 per cent of Britons live within six miles of the coast, and one millennial YouGov poll placed “being an island” sixth in the top 10 of “Best things about Britain”. Best thing of all – at 65 per cent? The countryside. Compared to, say, the French, we are a proud but fundamentally conservative people. And it’s the sea that makes us British. The sea is not just the best defence known to man, and a great natural highway: people who live by water are different. We islanders have different physical, and psychic, horizons. Brexit began on our beaches.

The sea also sponsored the British concept of privacy. Islanders are insular, and insular is synonymous with “defiant, separate, alone, divergent, and self-sufficient”. As Orwell noted, British respect for individual privacy is so deeply ingrained, it is almost a national characteristic. The flip side of privacy is self-assertion, just as shy can be the antonym of arrogant. To be a native of these islands was – and still is – to be conscious of a unique and distinctive character.

Down south, for instance, ours was the first society in Europe to promote its identity, composing a vernacular account of its history, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. As islanders, our ancestors were imprinted with the DNA of self-expression: “Words, words, words.”

For hundreds of years, the name of this misty archipelago was in flux. There were rival kingdoms, in Mercia, Wessex, East Anglia, and further north in the kingdom of Cumbria. The mythic “Britain” of King Arthur or King Lear was defined by its cliffs and seas. Blessed – and cursed – by its position. As well as being highly interactive, our ancestors suffered constant invasion.

The South and Midlands knew what it meant to be subdued by the Romans and successive waves of Anglo-Saxons. Then converted to Christianity by St Augustine. Next, almost annihilated by the Danes. Finally, subjugated by the Normans. The upshot was a tradition of fierce domestic individuality. Today, the legacy of that “unique and distinctive character” is the world’s understanding of “what it means to be British”. This remains paradoxical at every level.

The juxtaposition of sea and land opposes the awesome majesty of the ocean with the petty, parochial and mundane shabbiness of the domestic hearth. As Tolkien implies, at one level, we’re all hobbits. Despite the veneration surrounding Shakespeare’s “sceptr’d isle”, one timeless British quality is a grotty, subtopian mess.

Nevertheless, the English continue to repeat this story in versions more and more detached from reality, celebrating the soft power of English and Englishness as our gift to the world. In this vein, Amorous or Loving: The Highly Peculiar Tale of English and the English by Rupert Gavin explores the vicissitudes of English language and culture, from the mythic origins of “The Land of Tattooed People” to the London Olympics of 2012. Inevitably, there is another reading, one that has little of the cultural superiority implicit in what we might call “the BBC version”.

My England and its English are indeed “peculiar”, but chiefly as the upshot of chance, cock-up, crisis, and catastrophe. Its people survived successive invasions by the skin of their teeth, acquired a fierce and precocious sense of provincial identity, and discovered in words and argument a useful way to regulate the violence of common life with common law.

A thousand years ago, they were comprehensively humiliated by a French army that imposed – top-down – an authoritarian regime famous for its cruelty. But the defeated Anglo-Saxons were a people who had only just acquired – and would never forget – a taste for free thought and free speech.

For more than a hundred years (and even into the 14th century), this language and culture went underground, surviving on the lips and in the minds of common folk while finding self-expression in ballads, riddles, folk tales, and out-of-doors drama. Their governors, meanwhile, spoke French, and ruled in Latin.

Shakespeare dramatised the temper of the English commoner in Henry VI: Part II with “let’s kill all the lawyers”. Indeed, Will Shakespeare from Stratford is the product of a highly informal, provincial society, the son of a Midlands glover. When he came to London, he joined a community of players barely distinguishable from vagabonds.

The pioneers of the English culture we celebrate today were, like the first English writers and artists, outsiders within this society. The idea that their poetry and plays should be a “gift” to global culture would have seemed absurd, even unthinkable. Shakespeare himself was first and foremost an entertainer, never fully recognised as an “author” until the publication of the First Folio (1623), seven years after his death. Approximately a generation later, the playwright’s London audience watched the execution of Charles I: a profound expression of the English belief in the sovereign identity of the free citizen.

‘Amorous or Loving: The Highly Peculiar Tale of English and the English’ by Rupert Gavin is published by Unicorn, £25

Unemployment rate rises to near four-year high as wage growth falters

Wage growth has slowed and unemployment is rising, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The statistics watchdog said the latest figures showed further signs of a “cooling” labour market, as average regular earnings growth eased to 5.6 per cent in the three months to March, the lowest since November 2024.

However, wages also continue to outpace inflation, rising 2.6 per cent after accounting for the Consumer Prices Index.

Experts branded the figures a “major worry”, with the Resolution Foundation blaming chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax-hiking Budget.

Principal Economist at the left-leaning think tank Nye Cominetti said: “While recent UK data on growth has been encouraging, the labour market picture is a major worry.

“The recent rise in employer National Insurance may have accelerated this slowdown, with the number of hospitality jobs falling particularly sharply since the tax rise came into effect in April.”

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales blamed the “double whammy of rising National Insurance and National Living Wage” for the drop in employment.

And the Conservatives seized on the figures to attack Labour’s “jobs tax” as “putting an intolerable burden on employers”. “It’s working people who are paying the price for Labour’s war on business,” shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said.

Figures also show that the unemployment rate ticked upwards to 4.5 per cent in the quarter to March, its highest level since the summer of 2021 and up from 4.4 per cent in the preceding three months. This rise comes amid concerns about the impact of increasing employee costs on businesses.

Figures also show a drop in job vacancies, which remain below pre-pandemic levels for the second consecutive quarter. Additionally, the number of workers on UK payrolls decreased by 33,000 in April, bringing the total to 30.3 million.

Liz McKeown, ONS director of economic statistics, said: “Wage growth slowed slightly in the latest period but remains relatively strong, with public and private sectors now showing little difference.

“The broader picture continues to be of the labour market cooling, with the number of employees on payroll falling in the first quarter of the year.

“The number of job vacancies has also fallen again, with the rate of decline increasing in the last few months.”

Minister for Employment, Alison McGovern said: “Real wages are growing with around 200,000 more people into work since the publication of our Get Britain Working plan.

“But we know that the Government’s Plan for Change needs more workers – in every part of our country. That’s why we will continue to change Jobcentres, invest in British industry, and get help to those who need it until everyone who can work has got a decent job and a good income.”

Julia Turney, Partner and Head of Platform and Benefits, Barnett Waddingham said: “With employer National Insurance hikes now in effect and the Employment Rights Bill expected to progress over the summer, the months ahead will be a real test of how businesses manage the compounding pressures of cost and compliance.

Celebration villa breaks: find your perfect luxury getaway

If you’re planning a milestone birthday, a big anniversary, or a long-awaited reunion, a villa holiday is hard to beat. Imagine clinking glasses on a rooftop terrace at sunset or gathering loved ones around a candlelit garden table for a leisurely dinner under the night sky.

These special occasions deserve much more than booking out a busy hotel, and nothing beats having your own sun-drenched sanctuary where you have the space and privacy to celebrate in style. Whether you’re heading to Marrakech in the shadow of the Atlas Mountains, to the rolling hills of Tuscany, or a tropical oasis further afield, Villas are the perfect home-away-from-home for celebrating something, or someone, special.

CV Villas’ luxurious ABOVE collection offers the perfect backdrop for unforgettable moments – think breathtaking settings, total privacy, and the kind of comfort and space that makes everyone feel at home. All come with stunning interiors, sweeping views as far as the eye can see, and enviable locations in some of the world’s most sought-after spots. Each villa is hand-picked by dedicated CV Villa specialists, who are experts in helping people craft their dream getaway. Many come with their own infinity pools, breathtaking views and large alfresco dining areas, perfect for spending quality time together during life’s most important moments. Villas aren’t just places to stay, they’re a big part of the celebration itself.

From the moment you book your stay to your arrival back home, the CV Villas Concierge team is there to make everything as seamless and stress-free as possible. They are dedicated to looking after you and your party before and throughout your holiday so that you can focus on the things that really matter, like spending quality time together and celebrating without having to worry about the minor details. The team tailors each trip to exactly what you’re after, whether you’re looking to book a private boat day or need to organise a surprise celebration dinner, nothing is too much trouble. Many of the five-star villas even come with their own butlers and chefs so that you can be waited on hand and foot during your special getaway.

ABOVE villas are the epitome of luxury and come with designer interiors, infinity pools boasting panoramic ocean views, and terraces made for golden hour cocktails  – properties with serious star quality. What’s more, they’re located all around the world, from the sun-soaked shores of Spain and Greece to the palm-fringed beaches of far-flung Sri Lanka and beyond.

Sampling delicious local food is a big part of a holiday, but catering for a large group can often mean juggling different requests and palates. Luckily for you, many of these luxury villas come with their very own in-villa chefs – perfect for when you’d rather toast the moment with a glass of fizz than spend time flapping around in the kitchen. Instead, let your chef whip up multi-course meals morning till night, using the freshest local produce, all based on your personal tastes and dietary requirements, before tucking into it alfresco under the undisturbed starry night sky.

The little luxuries make a big difference to a bucket-list trip: daily housekeeping to keep things spic and span, spa treatments for when you need a little R&R, wine tastings for the adults, yoga sessions with epic views, and even round-the-clock babysitting. All of this can be arranged to make your stay feel even more indulgent.

Maison Emilion, France

This rustic French villa is practically made for wine lovers, aptly located amidst the rolling vineyards of Bordeaux. This six-bedroom hilltop hangout boasts views of the working vineyards from every angle, including from the heated pool and surrounding sunbeds. Wander into the nearby village of Saint-Émilion, then enjoy the included wine-tasting experience before settling into the garden for dinner with nothing but the glow of flickering candlelight and the moonlit sky.

Oleander, Corfu

It doesn’t get much more luxurious than Oleander in Corfu, a five-bedroom villa overlooking Avlaki Bay and the picturesque town of Kassiopi. It’s located high above the Ionian Sea and is the ideal villa for memorable summer celebrations. Soak up the sunshine from the infinity pool while enjoying views of Albania’s craggy Ceraunian Mountains, or hang out on the wrap-around terraces and communal outside dining areas. During peak season at Oleander, chef service is also included, so you can enjoy meals with your loved ones without even having to leave the villa.

Spirit of Son Fuster, Mallorca

Spirit of Son Fuster in Mallorca is hard to beat for large groups and multigenerational stays. This five-star bolthole is set in a stunning natural landscape at the foot of the Alaro twin mountains, right near the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Serra de Tramuntana, and is as secluded as it gets. This gorgeous ​​14th-century manor house sleeps twenty people across ten bedrooms and even has its own on-site spa and hammam where everyone can enjoy treatments in the dedicated treatment rooms. There’s even a private cinema room for movie nights and a well-stocked wine cellar filled with local vintage wines.

Masseria Giardini, Puglia

Masseria Giardini in Puglia is the height of luxury and the perfect home-away-from-home for families and large groups. It was built in 1750 and is surrounded by leafy olive groves and landscaped gardens curated by Chelsea Flower Show winners Urquhart & Hunt. Enjoy unparalleled views of the Canale Di Pirro Valley from this ten-bedroom farmhouse and spend days lazing around in the heated pool. This villa is an architectural masterpiece, with signature stone domed roofs and hand-carved stone baths in five of the ten bedrooms.

For more travel information and inspiration and to book your perfect villa getaway, visit CV Villas

Graphic testimony emphasises the reality of Diddy accusations

Just hours after arriving at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse for Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial, jurors had already watched graphic footage of domestic violence and heard salacious testimony about the rapper’s sex life.

Monday marked the first day of hearing evidence in the hotly anticipated trial. It was also the first time Diddy faced the 12 jurors who will determine his fate. The courtroom was stuffed with crowds of people, anxiously awaiting more context for the indictment’s bombshell accusations. In that sense, opening statements and testimony did not disappoint.

The first day already exposed shocking material, including frequent mentions of baby oil, allegations that he made a male sex worker urinate in his girlfriend’s mouth, and the hotel surveillance footage from 2016 capturing Diddy assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.

Attorneys for the government argued that the 55-year-old music mogul ran a decades-long “criminal enterprise” and engaged in sex trafficking and prostitution to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and maintain power. He has pleaded not guilty and his attorneys argued he is a “flawed individual” who came from little wealth to build “lawful businesses,” which his sex life has nothing to do with.

Jurors had to watch the 2016 video filmed in the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, California multiple times on Monday, which captured the music mogul kicking Ventura before dragging her across the sixth-floor hallway. Ventura used a hotel phone to call for help.

Israel Florez, the prosecution’s first witness, was working as a security officer at the hotel and responded to her call. When he reached the couple, Florez testified that Diddy — only wearing a towel and colorful socks — had a “devilish stare” while Ventura — burying herself in a hoodie — cowered in the corner looking “scared.”

After de-escalating the situation, Florez informed Diddy that his room would be charged for the damage to the hotel, including a broken vase. He remembered Diddy handing him a “stack of cash” and told him: “Take care of this. Don’t tell anyone.” The defense later suggested Diddy had offered the wad of cash to pay for the damage.

In opening statements, the defense team admitted that the defendant committed domestic violence. Teny Geragos, one of Diddy’s attorneys, said her client has a “bad temper” and takes “full responsibility for domestic violence in this case.” She noted he’s “not proud of that.”

The 2016 incident at the InterContinental, Geragos said, stemmed from “jealousy,” noting that the argument was over Ventura’s phone due to his suspicion of her infidelity. “Jealousy was on full display” in the footage, she said. Diddy’s actions are “indefensible, dehumanizing, violent and terrible,” his attorney argued, but they are not evidence of sex trafficking.

The footage was not the only time jurors learned about Diddy’s violent tendencies. Daniel Phillip, a manager at a male revue show who was paid anywhere from $700 to $6,000 to sleep with Ventura in 2012 while Diddy watched, told the court about seeing the music mogul assault his then-girlfriend on two occasions.

Phillip first encountered the pair after his boss asked him to dance at a bachelorette party at the Gramercy Park Hotel, in New York City, because none of their Black dancers were available. But he didn’t do a strip tease at a bachelorette party; instead, he was greeted by Ventura wearing a red lace outfit, high heels, and a red wig. She then handed him $200 to sleep with just her while her partner watched.

The hotel room was dotted with velvet couches, lit candles, and a table holding baby oil and lube. Although Diddy was sporting a white robe, a baseball cap and a bandana that covered his nose down — and said he worked in importing and exporting — Phillip said he recognized the music mogul’s voice immediately. Diddy sat in the corner watching as Ventura and Phillip had sex, the male escort told the court. Ventura gave him thousands after the encounter, which kicked off a series of similar encounters at ritzy hotels across the city.

At times, Diddy directed Phillip and Ventura to “slow down” or to “separate” or even where Phillip had to ejaculate, he testified. These encounters lasted anywhere from one to 10 hours and Diddy would record some of them. At one point, Diddy asked Phillip for his driver’s license, “just for insurance” — a move that Phillip understood to be a threat, he told the court.

Another time, at Ventura’s apartment, Phillip saw a liquor bottle fly by her after she told her then-boyfriend to wait a minute before she went back to bed with him. Diddy, according to Phillip, then grabbed Ventura by her hair and dragged her into her bedroom. “B****, when I tell you to come, you come now, not later,” Phillip recalled Diddy saying.

Philip then heard what sounded like Diddy slapping Ventura in her bedroom.

But the male escort didn’t intervene. Pressed as to why he didn’t contact law enforcement, Phillip told the court that he feared he would lose his life, figuring Diddy had “unlimited power.” Phillip started experiencing erectile dysfunction after that incident, he testified.

Elsewhere in Phillip’s testimony, he was asked if he had ever urinated on Ventura, and who directed him to do so. He told the court that Ventura asked him to, and told him he was doing it wrong because he was “supposed to let out a little at time.”

Despite the salacious first day of testimony, Combs’s family presented a united front.

Janice Combs, the music mogul’s mother, walked with her two grandchildren, Quincy Brown and Justin Combs, while his other four children, Christian, Chance, Jessie and D’Lila Combs held hands in and out of the courthouse, maintaining straight faces and refusing to engage with the media.

Even some of Combs’s fan base turned out for the first day of trial.

Roza Leonora, a longtime fan from the Bronx, said she was “heartbroken” for the Victory singer when she saw him appearing greyer and thinner in court than his usual “glitz and glam” self.

“I hope Diddy beats this,” Leonora, 47, said sullenly.

Kiara Williams used her day off from work to attend the first day of the trial – she did the same thing last week for the first day of jury selection.

Although Diddy is now in a much different venue than he once was, his presence still compels some to camp out overnight to try to see him.

Several people have been sleeping in tents in downtown Manhattan since midday Sunday to try to get inside. Others have held front-of-the-line spots only to offer to sell them to journalists and members of the public waiting in the lengthy queue, with one man making $300 for his spot.

The trial continues Tuesday.

Will Zelensky empty-chair Putin in front of Trump?

Volodymyr Zelensky has thrown down the gauntlet – and is calling Vladimir Putin’s bluff – by announcing he will indeed be in Turkey on Thursday for direct talks on a ceasefire.

To add further intrigue to what is already extraordinary encounter, if it happens at all, Donald Trump has now suggested he may fly into Tukey as well, “if it would be helpful”.

Over the weekend, Putin effectively rejected the Ukrainian president’s call for 30-day unconditional truce, which is backed by Sir Keir Starmer, the leaders of France, Germany and Poland (who were all in Ukraine) as well as members of the 31-country “coalition of the willing”.

The month-long break from fighting was designed, Zelensky said, as the “foundation for diplomacy” to allow talks for a longer deal. It was supposed to be a continuation of a three-day temporary truce that Putin had initially called, but which expired on Sunday.

Never one to be cajoled, Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, launching 108 attack drones from six directions, Ukraine’s air force said.

And instead of pausing fighting, Putin called for direct peace talks to be held on 15 May in Istanbul, brokered by his frenemy, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

We can only assume Putin expected his spanner-in-the-works suggestion to be rejected by Zelensky.

But the Ukrainian leader stepped up to the challenge – particularly after Donald Trump cast doubt on Ukraine’s interest in a peace deal, ending a social media post over the weekend with “HAVE THE MEETING NOW!!!”

“I will be in Turkey this Thursday, 15 May, and I expect Putin to come to Turkey as well, personally,” Zelensky said bluntly on Monday.

“I hope that this time, Putin won’t be looking for excuses as to why he ‘can’t’ make it. We are ready to talk, to end this war. Thursday. Turkey.”

Zelensky’s most trusted confidante and chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, goaded Moscow on his own Telegram channel, adding: “What about Putin? Is he afraid? We’ll see.”

If this encounter goes ahead, it would be the first meeting between Putin and Zelensky since December 2019.

The question is: will Putin travel to Istanbul, and could this be a final breakthrough? And if talks begin, will Russia agree to a halt in fighting during the process, as Ukraine and its European allies have called for?

As EU Commission vice-president Kaja Kallas said over the weekend: “If there is no ceasefire, there cannot be talks under fire.”

There may well be an empty chair moment, where Putin does not show up himself – or another scenario where he sends his foreign insider Sergey Lavrov.

The Kremlin has been making positive noises: they said a call between Putin and Erdoğan showed the Turkish leader “fully supported the Russian proposal” and is ready to provide a platform for the talks and assistance in organising them.

Turkey itself appears committed. In a separate phone call to French president Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, Erdoğan said a “historic turning point” had been reached in efforts to end the war, according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications office.

Turkey may be well placed as a key negotiator to end the biggest war in Europe since the Second World War.

Erdoğan has a domestic interest in making it work and presenting himself as a vital world statesman, as he seeks a constitutional amendment to remove term limits and allow him to run for office again – which, according to some reports, is not that popular in Turkey.

He has taken opposing sides to Russia in several bloody conflicts from the Middle East to North Africa. But he is also increasingly in an alliance of convenience with Moscow, as the “axis of the excluded” from the West, where they share a mutual grievance over being isolated from Europe.

Turkey, meanwhile, also has good relations with Ukraine. Turkish-made Bayraktar drones delivered to Ukraine’s military were a game-changer at the start of the war, helping to thwart Russian armoured vehicles and artillery systems. They became so popular that a radio station was named after them, and there were even reported incidents of people naming their pets after the weapon. The drone’s manufacturer, Baykar – owned by the family of one of Erdoğan’s sons-in-law – began constructing a manufacturing plant in Ukraine last year that is expected to be completed this summer.

Pressure is on Putin to do something. On Saturday, the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland threatened Russia with new sanctions if the proposed 30-day truce was violated – though it is unclear what firepower they are able to muster on that front in the near term.

The UK has led the charge, with foreign secretary David Lammy saying on Monday, “No more ifs and buts, no more conditions and delays”, after Starmer’s latest visit to Ukraine.

Also on Monday, Germany warned “the clock is ticking” and European countries will start prepping new sanctions against Russian within hours unless the Kremlin starts abiding by the extended ceasefire plan by the close of play.

President Trump also pressured Ukraine to attend the Turkey meeting “IMMEDIATELY”, adding on Truth Social that at least “they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the US, will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!”

All eyes will be on the gathering in Istanbul on Thursday – to see if Trump really does show up and whether the other seat next to Zelensky will indeed be filled.