Pope Leo decries ‘shameful’ disregard for international law

As conflicts rage worldwide and international institutions continue to neglect to put an end to abuses and war crimes, Pope Leo XIV has lamented what he has described as the rise of blunt power over the rules of international law.

The pontiff stated in a Thursday social media post that it is depressing to see that the strength of international law and humanitarian law have vanished.

For humanity and the leaders of other countries, this is unworthy and shameful.

Leo’s statement comes as more people are calling for the end to the Israeli assault on Gaza, which prominent rights activists and UN experts have characterized as a genocide, but he did not go into more detail.

During its conflict with Palestinians, Israel has been the target of growing accusations that it broke international humanitarian law, a set of guidelines meant to protect civilians in conflict.

According to health officials, the Israeli military, supported by the United States, has nearly displaced almost all of Gaza’s population and killed at least 56,156 people.

Former US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller, who spearheaded Washington’s defense of Israel’s conduct under the Joe Biden administration, acknowledged earlier this month that the Israeli military has “without a doubt” committed war crimes in Gaza.

Israel defies several international resolutions, including those that the top UN tribunal, the International Criminal Court, has issued in regards to the Israeli blockade and the killings in Gaza.

The ICJ also called for Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, to end “as soon as possible” last year.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant have been subject to an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Gaza, including using starvation as a means of combat.

Despite the allegations, the majority of the ICC members, especially those in Europe, continue to have close military and trade ties to Israel.

Leo pleaded for the end of Gaza’s war after succeeding the late Pope Francis in May as the first US pontiff.

Leo, the most revered spiritual authority among the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, declared in May, “Ceasefire now.”

We are constantly forced to move around in search of a little food and water and safer shelter from bombardments because of the cries of mothers and fathers who clutch the lifeless bodies of their children.

Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell Black Sabbath show in chaos as major act pulls out

Back to the Beginning at Villa Park will host Ozzy Osbourne and his band Black Sabbath next month, along with a number of other musicians who are expected to be performing at the event.

One of the acts who was due to appear at Black Sabbath’s star-studded Back to the Beginning concert has pulled out of the charity event being held next week. The musician has announced that he now won’t be part of the line-up.

The sold-out event, which was announced back in February, will be headlined by Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, who are the original members of Black Sabbath. The reunion has been described as Ozzy’s “final performance” and is said to be raising money for charities.

A host of artists will take to the stage at Villa Park stadium in Birmingham on July 5 for the event, which is set to feature sets from acts like Metallica. It’s also been teased that there will be a “supergroup of musicians,” which was supposed to include Wolfgang Van Halen, 34.

Wolfgang however has now announced that he’s had to drop out of the special occasion due to scheduling conflicts. He’s shared that his band Mammoth has to be back in the US the next day to rehearse as the support act for Creed on tour.

Wolfgang Van Halen has announced that he will no longer perform at the Back to the Beginning concert being held in Birmingham next week(Image: Redferns)

He shared the news whilst on radio station WRIF’s Talkin’ Rock with Meltdown recently. Asked if he will be coming to the UK for the Back to the Beginning concert, he said: “I unfortunately had to back out because the Creed tour starts like the day after and I wouldn’t be able to pull it off, unfortunately.”

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Wolfgang – who’s the son of Van Halen’s Eddie Van Halen – however said that he’s still looking forward to the event. He said: “I’m very excited to see … to watch it, y’know. But I unfortunately had to back out.”

On July 9, Creed’s Summer of ’99 tour is set to debut at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. Along with Daughtry, Sevendust, and Big Wreck, Mammoth are scheduled to play on the tour’s “special guests.”

Four months prior to the one-off concert in July, Back to the Beginning was made public. The idea that “icons of metal” are gathered to celebrate Ozzy’s “final performance” at Villa Park Stadium on July 5th was teased at the time.

Ozzy Osbourne, in a black top, trousers and jacket, on stage in 2022.
The one-off event, headlined by Black Sabbath, marks the ‘final performance’ of Ozzy Osbourne and is set to feature a host of acts(Image: Getty Images)

It was made known that the lineup would also include a number of other acts in addition to the band. According to reports, Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax, and Mastodon are featured there.

It was also revealed that the line-up will feature a “supergroup,” which was meant to include Wolfgang. Other artists previously listed for the event included the Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan and Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash.

Ozzy will play his own “short” set before joining Black Sabbath for “his final bow,” according to the event’s promise to “celebrate the true creators of heavy metal.” The biggest heavy metal show to date, according to music director Tom Morello.

Ozzy stated in a statement that it was time for me to return to the birthplace. How fortunate am I to have people I care about to assist me in this endeavor. The true home of metal is in Birmingham. Forever in Birmingham.

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READ MORE: Oasis have released new tickets for UK tour – how to buy yours if you missed out

New Tax Laws To Take Effect From January 2026 — Adedeji

The newly signed tax laws will become effective as of January 1, 2026, according to Zacch Adedeji, the head of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

He claims that this will give the government six months to do both sensitization planning.

Adedeji told State House correspondents on Thursday that “changing the system takes time for all the parties involved, participants, operators, and even the regulator.”

The effective date will be January 1, 2026, according to the special grace of Almighty God, with the magnanimity of the National Assembly, Mister President. Therefore, we have a full six months to plan for both sensitization and government fiscal year.

Because of this type of change, the media does not produce it because the law’s application is best used right away. Therefore, January 1st, 2026 will be the effective date, by grace of God.

The four tax reform bills that the National Assembly recently passed have received opposition from President Bola Tinubu, which is now made known in Adedeji’s announcement.

The National Assembly’s leadership, some governors, ministers, and President aides also attended the brief ceremony on Thursday at the Presidential Villa.

BBC won’t televise Neil Young Glastonbury set and gives four-word explanation

Millions tune in to see performances from a star-studded lineup including Olivia Rodrigo, Rod Stewart, Franz Ferdinand, and Raye once more.

The BBC’s broadcast will not include the set of one legendary musician. Colin Paterson, a correspondent for BBC Breakfast, recorded a live broadcast from the festival on Wednesday (June 25), which was a gathering place for campers.

He added that “the BBC has published the timings for their TV coverage,” adding that “one more issue has arisen in the last 24 hours.” Saturday night was one of the main highlights.

Neil Young is playing on the Pyramid stage as the headliner on Saturday night. However, on Saturday night, BBC One will be showing Charlie XCX’s set from the other stage.

Neil opposes having his Glastonbury performance live streamed (Getty Images for SXSW)).

Colin recalled Neil Young’s announcement last year that he would play Glastonbury in 2025, but later changed his mind about the BBC’s involvement.

A BBC spokesperson exclusively told The Mirror that a number of live performances will be available on Saturday on BBC iPlayer, our Glastonbury Channel, and five streams for the main stages. We won’t be live streaming Neil Young’s set at the artist’s request. Our plans, including those for our TV highlights shows and on-demand coverage, are still in place prior to and during the festival.

Neil changed his mind and confirmed his participation at the festival. I asked Emily Eavis what was going on, and she responded that the BBC did not believe Neil Young’s set would be broadcast.

“Neil Young’s headline set on Saturday night will not be broadcast by the BBC, despite various backstage wrangling and negotiations,” the BBC said. Instead, Charlie XCX will be shown.

Neil Young will headline on Saturday night of the festival
On Saturday night of the festival, Neil Young will be performing (Getty Images).

The 79-year-old Heart of Gold singer was still arguing with the BBC about what they could show despite concerns that it might be severely cut, according to The Mirror’s report on Tuesday.

It came after we learned that Young was not mentioned in a BBC live-set schedule while Charli xcx and Doechii were also mentioned in a public-accessible schedule.

Fans are now worried after his previous two European performances in Bergen, Norway, and Copenhagen, Denmark, which both had sound issues.

A poor vocal mix was complained about by fans. Some people complained that Neil didn’t have any large screens so they could watch the action from the back of the audience on at least one of those shows.

After the star pulled out of the festival earlier this year because of concerns about the BBC’s “corporate control,” BBC bosses are said to be treading carefully.

Glastonbury fans are eager to see Neil live in action
Fans of Glastonbury are eager to see Neil in action (Getty Images).

He stated in January, “We were informed that BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and that they wanted us to do a lot of things in a way that we were not interested in. Glastonbury appears to be in corporate control and no longer exists as it once did.

Our schedules and plans are still being finalized, right up until and during the festival, according to a BBC spokeswoman. “We aim to bring as many performances as possible from the Pyramid Stage. Young has recently made his concerns known as principled. He claimed a podcaster on the platform had spread vaccine misinformation and had for two years removed his music from Spotify.

Only five songs were broadcast during Young’s 2009 performance at Glastonbury. When Mark Cooper, the then executive producer of the BBC’s Glastonbury coverage, said: “Neil Young’s career has been conducted on his own terms.

They think the live event is still mysterious and dedicated to their artist. To give a taste of his set, they have decided to post one song online over the weekend. They made the decision to decide that in the Free World. “You won’t likely find too many Neil Young performances on television or the internet for free.”

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Kneecap share powerful message ahead of Glastonbury performance that won’t be shown on BBC

In the lead-up to their Glastonbury performance, Irish band Kneecap delivered a powerful message. The rap group’s set will not be broadcast live on the BBC because of the controversy over their political gestures at previous shows, which they will be doing at the iconic festival.

The group has now shared a short film calling for immediate attention to Gaza’s ongoing genocide. In the opening credits, they shared the video, which featured a public service announcement image with the caption “Please pay attention.”

Then they read a statement that calls for genocide, drawing inspiration from sources including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, The Lancet, and a number of UN agencies. Additionally to the words are interviews with doctors and activists, as well as a number of animated illustrations on screen.

The BBC (Redferns) won’t broadcast Kneecap’s performance live.

The group stated in the upload’s caption, “Kneecap is not the story.” Gaza’s Genocide is.

” See it. Say it. ‘Censored’ is a kneecap-produced alternative PSA that calls for immediate response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The film, which was “created by a coalition of artists and is based on the testimony of doctors and activists, draws on reports from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other UN organizations to present the facts and call for urgent action: STOP THE GENOCIDE.”

The upload comes one day after it was revealed that the outspoken group’s Glastonbury set will not likely be broadcast live on BBC. Additionally, the act was reportedly called to end.

Following the controversy surrounding band member Mo Chara’s court case this week, it comes. Mo Chara, better known as Liam ghAnnaidh, was accused of holding a flag atop a concert in November 2024 that supported the militant group Hezbollah.

On June 18, the 27-year-old appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court. Paul Weller and other musicians, among others, gathered outside.

The incident occurred following the band’s O2 Forum performance in Kentish Town, London.

The band, however, had called the investigation into the musician a “witch hunt.” After being investigated by counter-terrorism police in May for videos that purport to show Liam saying “up Hamas, up Hezbollah,” they made the calim in a post shared on Twitter/X.

In the meantime, hundreds of protesters carried placards with the slogans “Free Mo Chara” and “Defend Kneecap” Respected musicians also provided the band with financial support, which also demonstrates public support for the band.

Glastonbury’s contentious slot was also being investigated. The rapper was bailed until later in the summer, but the show has since been successful, much to the delight of many fans.

He told fans in Westminster that he would visit Glastonbury on Saturday at 4 p.m.

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