Connect with us

Published

on

A Welsh festival has defended its decision not to allow a rapper to perform as he uses both Welsh and English lyrics in his music.

The National Eisteddfod has traditionally had a Welsh language-only policy for the annual cultural event and Sage Todz performs bilingually.

Writing on Twitter, the musician said he would not be performing at the event “due to the Welsh language policy” in place.

“Essentially there’s too much English in my songs,” he wrote.

Defending the decision, Ashok Ahir, chair of the Eisteddfod’s ruling board, said the festival’s main purpose was “to perform, compete and discuss in Welsh – and only in Welsh”.

He added that it was the rapper’s own decision that he “wished to perform in English and bilingually only”.

The festival has also criticised racist remarks aimed at Sage Todz after he announced he would not be performing at the event, with Mr Ahir saying he was “deeply saddened” by the comments on social media.

More on Wales

Born in Essex, Sage Todz lives in North Wales and started releasing music officially in 2020.

He joined forces with the Football Association of Wales (FAW) last year ahead of Wales’ World Cup campaign to remake a famous Welsh protest song, Yma o Hyd.

There have been a number of calls on social media for the Eisteddfod’s policy to be reviewed, while others have defended the decision as the event is a celebration of the Welsh language.

Held in August every year, the festival attracts around 150,000 visitors, 6,000 competitors and 250 stalls.

According to its organisers, the origins of the Eisteddfod date back to 1176, with the modern-day version dating back to 1861.

The week-long event takes place in a different part of Wales each year and this year will be travelling to Llŷn ac Eifionydd in Gwynedd.

The National Eisteddfod was held in Tregaron, Ceredigion in 2022
Image:
The National Eisteddfod was held in Tregaron, Ceredigion in 2022

Mr Ahir said: “The Eisteddfod is a Welsh-language festival, and we take great pride in celebrating the language across every genre of the arts.

“We create lots of opportunities for artists to perform in Welsh for the first time.”

He said the Eisteddfod was working with its partners to make the Welsh language “accessible for a wider range of individuals and groups”.

Read more from Sky News:
‘Disbelief’ as church hit by lightning strike
Men rescued from boat after trip to buy pasties goes wrong

Mr Ahir added: “To perform, compete and discuss in Welsh – and only in Welsh – is the main purpose of the National Eisteddfod for the one week of the year when the festival is held.

“We respect Sage Todz’s passion and dedication to the languages he chooses to use in his music.

“It was his decision that he wished to perform in English and bilingually only. We were keen for him to perform in the festival but we respect his decision not to perform only in Welsh.”

Continue Reading

UK

Protesters throw powder on Tower Bridge during London Marathon

Published

on

By

Protesters throw powder on Tower Bridge during London Marathon

Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.

The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.

A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.

The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.

Pic: LNP
Image:
Pic: LNP

They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.

A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.

Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.

More on London Marathon 2025

There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.

More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.

Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.

Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.

Read more:
Sky’s Beth Rigby running marathon in honour of ‘dearest friend’
Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform

Pic: LNP
Image:
Pic: LNP

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.

“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”

The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.

The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.

Continue Reading

UK

Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week’s council elections

Published

on

By

Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week's council elections

Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out forming coalitions at a local level with Reform after the council elections next week.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the Conservative leader did however categorically rule out a pact with Nigel Farage’s party on a national level.

“I am not going into any coalition with Nigel Farage… read my lips,” she said.

However, she did not deny that deals could be struck with Reform at a local level, arguing that some councils might be under no overall control and in that case, “you have to do what is right for your local area”.

“You look at the moment, we are in coalition with Liberal Democrats, with independents,” she said. “We’ve been in coalition with Labour before at local government level.

“They [councillors] have to look at who the people are that they’re going into coalition with and see how they can deliver for local people.”

She added: “What I don’t want to hear is talks of stitch-ups or people planning things before the results are out. They have to do what is right for their communities.”

More on Electoral Dysfunction

A total of 23 councils are up for grabs when voters go to the polls on Thursday 1 May – mostly in places that were once deemed Tory shires, until last year’s general election.

It includes 14 county councils, all but two of which have been Conservative-controlled, as well as eight unitary authorities, all but one of which are Tory.

Ms Badenoch has set expectations low for the Tories, suggesting they could lose all the councils they are contesting.

The last time this set of councils were up for election was in 2021, when the Conservative Party was led by Boris Johnson who was riding high from the COVID vaccine bounce.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

UK

Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

Published

on

By

Counter-terrorism police investigating after two women injured in Leeds

Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.

Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.

Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.

The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Officers guard one of the crime scenes in Leeds
Image:
Officers guard one of the crime scenes

Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Image:
Officers inside the cordon in Leeds

Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.

“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.

“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

Trending