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Festival severs Army and defense contractor sponsorships after more than 80 artists withdrew from 2024 editionSouth by Southwest has discontinued its partnership with the US Army and the defense contractor RTX Corporation for its 2025 festival in response to concerns from numerous artists who withdrew from the 2024 event, the festival announced on Wednesday.After careful consideration, we are revising our sponsorship model," the festival said in a statement on its website's FAQ page. As a result, the US army, and companies who engage in weapons manufacturing, will not be sponsors of SXSW 2025." Continue reading...

Paul Anderson, who has been in post for 10 months, is under investigation for alleged inappropriate behaviourA chief constable has announced his retirement after being told he was under investigation for alleged inappropriate behaviour after complaints by junior staff, the Guardian has learned.On Tuesday Paul Anderson's retirement as leader of Humberside police was announced, just 10 months after taking the role. Continue reading...

Jury finds multiple agencies' contributed to death of Aleena, 35, who was attacked in east London in June 2022Failures across multiple agencies" contributed to the death of Zara Aleena, who was murdered as she walked home from a night out in east London, an inquest jury has found.Jordan McSweeney killed the 35-year-old law graduate as she walked home from a night out in Ilford in the early hours of 26 June 2022, nine days after he was released from prison. Continue reading...

Nearly 1,000 people charged in five years in England and Wales under doctrine that supreme court said had taken wrong turn'The number of people facing murder and manslaughter charges despite not being the principal offender has risen significantly, amid official warnings about the use of joint enterprise laws.Nearly 1,000 people have been charged and more than 600 convicted in the past five years in England and Wales even though they may not have been physically responsible or present at the crime scene. Continue reading...

William Ruto said he had listened to the people of Kenya, who gathered across the country to oppose the lawThe Kenyan president, William Ruto, has withdrawn a bill to raise taxes a day after violent protests erupted around the country following its approval by parliament.Ruto said he would not sign the finance bill after violent clashes between police and protesters at the Kenyan assembly and across the country left at least 23 people dead and scores wounded, according to medics. Continue reading...

Motion filed claims Georgia's deputy attorney general violated attorney-client privileges of multiple defendantsGeorgia's deputy attorney general violated the attorney-client privileges of multiple defendants in its case against 61 people accused of organizing a criminal conspiracy in their opposition to the Cop City" police training center, according to a motion filed this week and the Guardian's reporting.The motion filed Monday petitions Fulton county superior court to dismiss the charges against three of the defendants who run a bail fund known as the Atlanta Solidarity Fund. It also aims to disqualify both the attorney general's office and the Atlanta police from continuing to prosecute the case. Additionally, a hearing is sought on the matter. Continue reading...

Outgoing Dutch PM will take over from Jens Stoltenberg as secretary-general in OctoberJosep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, has issued a statement on Russia's decision to block a number of European media. He did so on his own after Hungary blocked a joint EU27 statement.The EU condemns the totally unfounded decision by the Russian authorities to block access to over eighty European media in Russia," Borrell said.The banned European media work according to journalistic principles and standards. They give factual information, also to Russian audiences, including on Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.In contrast, the Russian disinformation and propaganda outlets, against which the EU has introduced restrictive measures, do not represent a free and independent media. Their broadcasting activities in the EU have been suspended because these outlets are under the control of the Russian authorities and they are instrumental in supporting the war of aggression against Ukraine. Continue reading...

Pair will face retrial over baby's death after jury in previous trial was discharged at Old Bailey last weekConstance Marten and her partner, Mark Gordon, have been found guilty of concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice after the body of their baby daughter was found following a high-profile search, it can now be reported.Marten, 37, and Gordon, 50, had also faced charges of manslaughter by gross negligence and causing or allowing the death of a child, all of which they denied. Continue reading...

Court strikes down a lower court ruling, permitting government to call on platforms to remove falsehoodsThe US supreme court has struck down a lower court ruling in the case of Murthy v Missouri, finding that the government's communications with social media platforms about Covid-19 misinformation did not violate the first amendment. The court's decision permits the government to call on tech companies to remove falsehoods and establishes boundaries around free speech online.Conservative blocAlito - MinorityBarrett - MajorityGorsuch - MinorityKavanaugh - MajorityRoberts - MajorityThomas - MinorityJackson - MajorityKagan - MajoritySotomayor - Majority Continue reading...

World's first emissions tax on agriculture will require farmers to pay for greenhouse gas pollution from livestockFarmers in Denmark will have to pay for planet-heating pollutants that their cattle expel as gas, after the government agreed to set the world's first emissions tax on agriculture.The agreement - reached on Monday night after months of fraught negotiations between farmers, industry, politicians and environmental groups - will introduce an effective tax of 120 kroner (14) per ton of greenhouse gas pollution from livestock in 2030, which will rise to 300 kroner per ton in 2035. Continue reading...

The work and pensions secretary's colleagues must be trapped under something heavy because no one but Stride is pulling their weight

Move fuels fears that Viktor Orban's government is increasing efforts to crack down on independent voicesA Hungarian transparency watchdog and independent media outlet say they have been targeted in an investigation designed to intimidate voices critical of the government of Hungary's far-right prime minister, Viktor Orban.On Tuesday, Transparency International Hungary, an NGO, and Atlatszo, one of the country's best-known investigative outlets, said they had received formal notification that they were being investigated as organisationsthat, using support from abroad, conduct activities aimed at influencing the will of the voters". Continue reading...

Alice Diop, whose documentaries have explored the lives of people in housing estates, wants to mobilise voters against the far rightThe award-winning French film-maker Alice Diop has warned of rampant racism" in France and launched a collective to mobilise residents of housing estates to vote in the snap election in an attempt to hold back the far right.For people like me it's life or death," said the acclaimed director, as Marine Le Pen's far-right anti-immigration National Rally (RN) is forecast by pollsters to take the largest number of seats in the French parliament on 7 July and is seeking an absolute majority to form a government. Continue reading...

President's surprise visit to Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, comes days after Russian strikes kill five people in cityVolodymyr Zelenskiy has made an unannounced visit to the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine to bolster morale among troops, amid continuing advances by Russian forces.The Ukrainian president recorded a video address against the backdrop of Pokrovsk, a city with a prewar population of about 61,000 that has experienced some of the most intense fighting during the 28-month-long full-scale invasion. Continue reading...

Daniel Ketinsky asks more than 100,000 shareholders, including current and former staff, to sell shares

Judge says boy has denounced Islamic State' and now knows the dangers of such activity'

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US plea deal allows WikiLeaks founder to return to Australia after an extraordinary legal fight spanning more than a decade

Closure means Fulham and Ravenhall prisons will be the state's only privately run jails

Robbie Geeves tells court how birth of baby ruptured his relationship with his parents Robert and Anne Geeves, who have pleaded not guilty to Haigh's murder

Officers had sought $1.42m in damages, claiming former ACT chief prosecutor defamed them in complaint about Bruce Lehrmann prosecution

Several balloons were spotted in and around the airport boundaries, as one balloon landed on the tarmac near passenger terminal twoTakeoffs and landings at South Korea's Incheon international airport have been disrupted for about three hours because of balloons launched by North Korea filled with refuse, an airport spokesperson said.One balloon landed on the tarmac near passenger terminal two and the three runways at Incheon were temporarily shut down on Wednesday, the spokesperson said. Continue reading...

National Rally win may hamper bloc's ability to get things done and pose existential question over French roleOn the night her party swept to a crushing victory in European elections and France's president triggered a political earthquake by dissolving parliament, Marine Le Pen, the longtime leader of the National Rally (RN), could not have been much clearer.Tonight's message - including the dissolution - is also addressed to the leaders in Brussels," she said. This great victory for patriotic movements is in alignment with the direction of history ... We are ready to take power if the people so wish." Continue reading...

RNIB calls on all parties to commit to remove barriers that prevent people with sight loss voting on their own

Attempt to find British teenager now in its second week as groundless theories circulate about his disappearanceAs the search for Jay Slater, the British teenager who went missing while on holiday in Tenerife, enters its second week Spanish rescuers continue to comb the rugged mountain terrain where he was last seen for clues.Staff and volunteers from the local police, fire brigade and civil defence force have been using dogs, drones and helicopters to hunt for the 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer from Lancashire. Continue reading...

Insults hurled at Lindsay Selby, who has not yet entered a plea, while leaving Brisbane court after being charged over a fatal CBD bus crash

The consumer price index increased to its highest level in 2024, indicating the Reserve Bank is unlikely to cut interest rates soon

Prof Andrew McNaughton also warns plan to build Sydney-Newcastle route is doomed' to fail unless a shorter stretch to Gosford comes first

Harbourside amusement park has chequered past with numerous closures over past 90 years including after fatal fire on ghost train in late 1970s

Deputy PM says now is not the time to be going around expelling people' as he calls for social cohesion across Australia

Music teacher Nathaniel Dye, 38, who had spoken about delays for treatment, gave update on TuesdayA man who had a terminal cancer diagnosis, and who described Labour as the party of hope for a brighter future I won't live to see" at the party's manifesto launch, is now cancer-free.Nathaniel Dye, a 38-year-old music teacher, was diagnosed with stage four incurable bowel cancer in October 2022, and tumours were understood to have spread to his lungs, liver and lymph nodes. Continue reading...

Men aged between 20 and 52 escorted from grounds of PM's constituency home after lunchtime entry to estateFour men have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass at the prime minister's constituency home in Yorkshire, police have said.The suspects were arrested on Tuesday in the grounds of Rishi Sunak's home in Kirby Sigston, near Northallerton at about 12.40pm before being escorted off the property, North Yorkshire police said. Continue reading...

Revelations engulfing the Tory party and now Labour have echoes of Partygate and the expenses scandal

Kevin Craig, standing in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, suspended as Tories drop support for two hopefuls in election betting U-turnLabour has suspended one of its general election candidates after the party was drawn into the controversy surrounding betting and the general election.Kevin Craig, Labour's Central Suffolk and North Ipswich candidate, was administratively" suspended after Labour was told by the Gambling Commission that an investigation had been launched into one of the party's candidates. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Welsh politician Russell George told by Gambling Commission he is part of inquiry as Tories drop Craig Williams and Laura SaundersA Conservative politician has become the fifth party figure to be investigated by the gambling watchdog for allegedly placing a suspicious bet on the general election date, as the developing scandal continued to overshadow Rishi Sunak's campaign.The Gambling Commission has informed Russell George, a Tory member of the Welsh parliament who represents the same constituency as Sunak's closest parliamentary aide Craig Williams, that he is part of its inquiry. Continue reading...

First contingent of multinational team lands in operation to end chaos in gang-controlled countryHundreds of Kenyan police officers have arrived in Haiti as part of a US-backed security intervention aiming to rescue the Caribbean country from a criminal insurrection that toppled the prime minister and brought death and chaos to the streets.About 400 members of the Kenya-led multinational police operation stepped off a Kenyan Airways plane at Port-au-Prince's international airport on Tuesday. The US president, Joe Biden, hailed their arrival as the start of an effort that will bring much-needed relief to Haitians". Continue reading...

Gareth Jenkins, co-architect of flawed Horizon IT system, was expert witness in wrongful prosecutions of operatorsA former IT engineer has admitted he changed crucial expert court testimony at the request of the Post Office during wrongful prosecutions of branch operators.Gareth Jenkins, a former senior engineer at the contractor Fujitsu, on Tuesday told the public inquiry into one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British history that lawyers had asked him to change witness statements. Continue reading...

Charity says it has breathing space' after donation, as Liverpool food bank network also receives incredible gift'Taylor Swift has a convoy of at least 50 trucks for her Eras tour, and now her donations to food banks in every UK city in which she performs have enabled one charity to use a lorry of its own.Thanks to a discreet donation by Swift - the largest donation by an individual that Cardiff Foodbank has ever received - the charity says it has the breathing space" to try something different. Continue reading...

At least five demonstrators reportedly shot dead at rally against legislation to raise taxes during a cost of living crisisPolice have opened fire on protesters outside the Kenyan parliament as they attempted to storm the building while MPs inside passed legislation to raise taxes.At least five people were shot dead, according to Reuters, amid chaotic scenes in which police started shooting after teargas and water cannon failed to disperse a crowd of thousands who had overwhelmed officers. Flames could be seen coming from inside the building. Continue reading...

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Leftist film-maker Michael Moore applauds deal while Mike Pence says it dishonors' US military membersReaction to the news that Julian Assange had agreed to plead guilty to a single charge under the Espionage Act in order to go free came from various parts of the US political spectrum on Tuesday.James Clapper, director of US national intelligence in 2010 when Assange and his WikiLeaks organization published secret US intelligence documents with a consortium of newspapers including the Guardian, told CNN: I actually think this came out pretty well ... Critical to this was his plea of one count of espionage.

Sir Tim Laurence brings Princess Royal a few little treats from home' and says she is making slow but sure' progressThe Princess Royal, who is recovering from head injuries believed to have been inflicted by a horse, is making slow but sure" progress, her husband has said.V Adm Sir Tim Laurence visited Anne after she spent a second night at Southmead hospital in Bristol, where she remains under observation having had a concussion. Continue reading...

UK government deal struck at height of pandemic described as colossal misuse of public funds'An estimated 1.4bn-worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) bought by the government in single a deal has been destroyed or written off, according to new figures described as the worst example of waste in the Covid pandemic.The figures obtained by the BBC under freedom of information laws showed that 1.57bn items from the NHS supplier Full Support Healthcare will never been used. Continue reading...

Army chief and ex-minister of defence accused over missile attacks on civilian targets

Tenterden-based producer seeks investment to plant more vineyards and build new winery

Force says Gambling Commission has passed it information alleging more police placed bets relating to date of poll

Exclusive: Organisation that collects and distributes royalties in UK says it will vigorously defend' lawsuit which alleges preferential treatment for major songwritersA group of songwriters, including Jim and William Reid from the Jesus and Mary Chain and King Crimson's Robert Fripp, are suing UK body PRS for Music over how it handles royalties from live performances, accusing it of levying high administration costs for smaller songwriters while giving preferential treatment to already successful stars.PRS has a near monopoly in the UK, acting as an intermediary between companies that play music (such as radio stations and shops as well as live events) and those who write it: companies sign licences, and PRS distributes the proceeds to songwriters. Continue reading...

Fedja Stukan says he was not allowed to enter country after writing dangerous book' on his experience in 1990s warA Bosnian actor who was deported from Serbia this week has said he believes he was expelled for writing openly about his experience in the war in the 1990s and that there is no such thing" as freedom of expression under the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vui.Serbian authorities detained Fedja Stukan after he arrived at a Belgrade airport to attend a literary festival and put him on a flight to Sarajevo on Monday. Continue reading...

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Pharma group plans plant in North Carolina to produce diabetes drug and weight-loss product Wegovy