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A three-day music festival in Malaysia has been cancelled by the authorities after the frontman of The 1975 kissed a male bandmate on stage – and criticised the country’s anti-LGBT laws.

The British band were headlining the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur on Friday when Matt Healy staged his protest.

The gig was cut short and the group were banned from performing in the Muslim-majority country, where homosexuality is a crime punishable by 20 years in prison.

On Saturday, the festival organisers announced the whole event had been cancelled as a result of Healy’s “controversial conduct and remarks”.

The statement said government had “underlined its unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws”.

Other bands due to play over the weekend were The Strokes, who had been Sunday’s headline act, The Kid Laroi and Ty Dollar $ign.

It comes after Healy hit out at the Malaysian government’s stance on LGBT rights in a profanity-strewn speech to the festival audience.

More on Lgbt

In footage posted on social media, he said the band had considered pulling out of the show but did not want to disappoint their fans.

He said: “I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it.

“I don’t see the f***** point… of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.”

‘We just got banned’

Healy then kissed bassist Ross MacDonald as the band played the song I Like America & America Likes Me.

Soon afterwards Healy cut short the set, telling the crowd: “All right, we gotta go.

“We just got banned from Kuala Lumpur, I’ll see you later.”

In a statement, festival organisers said the band’s set was stopped due to “non-compliance with local performance guidelines”.

Malaysia’s communications minister Fahmi Fadzil branded the band’s actions as “very disrespectful” and demanded a full report by the event’s organisers.

The festival had been due to continue on Saturday and Sunday, but was dramatically halted at the direction of the government.

Read more:
Watchmaker sues Malaysian government for seizing rainbow Pride watches

‘Immediate cancellation directive’

In a statement the organisers said: “We deeply regret to announce that the remaining schedule of Good Vibes Festival 2023, planned for today and tomorrow has been cancelled following the controversial conduct and remarks by UK artist Matt Healy from the band The 1975.

“This decisions adheres to the immediate cancellation directive issued… by the Ministry of Communications and Digital.

“The ministry has underlined its unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws.

“We sincerely apologise to all of our ticket holders, vendors, sponsors, and partners.

“We are aware of the time, energy, and efforts you have put into making this festival a success, and we value your steadfast support.

“We will update you on refund mechanics as soon as possible.

“We appreciate your understanding and continued support during this challenging time.”

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Challenging anti-LGBT laws

Healy has previously used stage appearances to challenge anti-LGBT laws.

He was criticised for kissing a male fan at a 2019 concert in the United Arab Emirates, where homosexuality is outlawed and punishable by 10 years in jail.

Writing on Twitter at the time, Healy said: “Thank you Dubai you were so amazing. I don’t think we’ll be allowed back due to my ‘behaviour’ but know that I love you and I wouldn’t have done anything differently given the chance again.”

The incident in Malaysia comes before crucial regional elections that see Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s progressive coalition go up against a mostly conservative ethnic-Malay, Muslim alliance, which has accused the government of not doing enough to protect the rights of Muslims in the multiracial country.

The premier has repeatedly said his government would uphold principles of Islam and would not recognise LGBT rights.

In May, Malaysian authorities confiscated watches made by the Swiss company Swatch from its “Pride collection”, which celebrates LGBT rights.

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COP30: Countries reach draft deal to help speed up climate action

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COP30: Countries reach draft deal to help speed up climate action

Countries attending COP30, the biggest climate meeting of the year, have agreed steps to help speed up climate action, according to a draft deal.

The meeting of leaders in the Brazilian city of Belem also saw them agree to reviewing related trade barriers and triple the money given to developing countries to help them withstand extreme weather events, according to the draft.

However, the summit’s president Correa do Lago said “roadmaps” on fossil fuels and forests would be published as there was no consensus on these issues.

The annual United Nations conference brings together world leaders, scientists, campaigners, and negotiators from across the globe, who agree on collective next steps for tackling climate change.

The two-week conference in the Amazon city of Belem was due to end at 6pm local time (9pm UK time) on Friday, but it dragged into overtime.

The standoff was between the EU, which pressed for language on transitioning away from fossil fuels, and the Arab Group of nations, including major oil exporter Saudi Arabia, which opposed it.

The impasse was resolved following all-night negotiations led by Brazil, negotiators said.

More on Cop30

The European Union’s climate commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, said on Saturday that the proposed accord was acceptable, even though the bloc would have liked more.

“We should support it because at least it is going in the right direction,” he said.

The Brazilian presidency scheduled a closing plenary session.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and about 80 countries, including the UK and coal-rich Colombia, had been pushing for a plan on how to “transition away from fossil fuels”.

This is a pledge all countries agreed to two years ago at COP28 – then did very little about since.

But scores of countries – including major oil and gas producers like Saudi Arabia and Russia – see this push as too prescriptive or a threat to their economies.

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Israel launches strikes on Gaza in further test of fragile ceasefire

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Israel launches strikes on Gaza in further test of fragile ceasefire

Israel says it has begun striking Hamas targets in Gaza, reportedly killing at least nine people, after what it called a “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement”.

Local health authorities in Gaza said there had been three separate airstrikes, one hit a car in the densely populated Rimal neighbourhood, killing five people and wounding several others.

Shortly after the attack on the car, the Israeli air force hit two more targets in the central Gaza Strip, medics said.

They said at least four people died when two houses were struck in Deir Al-Balah city and Nuseirat camp.

The Israeli military said there had been a “blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement”.

It claimed a gunman had crossed into Israeli-held territory after exploiting “the humanitarian road in the area through which humanitarian aid enters southern Gaza”.

A Hamas official rejected the Israeli military’s allegations as baseless, calling them an “excuse to kill”, adding the Palestinian group was committed to the ceasefire agreement.

More on Gaza

The Israeli airstrikes are a further test of a fragile ceasefire with Hamas, which has held since 10 October following the two-year Gaza war.

Israel pulled back its troops, and the flow of aid into the territory has increased. But violence has not completely halted.

Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed 316 people in strikes on Gaza since the truce.

Meanwhile, Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began and it has attacked scores of militants.

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

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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.

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Europe scrambles for counter-proposal to US-Russian plan for Ukraine

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Europe scrambles for counter-proposal to US-Russian plan for Ukraine

The fast-moving developments on Trump’s Ukraine peace deal are dominating the G20 summit in South Africa, as European leaders scramble to put together a counter-proposal to the US-Russia 28-point plan and reinsert Ukraine into these discussions.

European countries are now working up proposals to put to President Trump ahead of his deadline of Thursday to agree a deal.

Ukraine is in a tight spot. It cannot reject Washington outright – it relies on US military support to continue this war – but neither can it accept the terms of a deal that is acutely favourable to Russia, requiring Ukraine to give up territory not even occupied by Moscow and reducing its army.

Overnight, the UK government has reiterated its position that any deal must deliver a “just and lasting peace”.

Ukraine war latest: Kyiv to discuss ending war in talks in Switzerland

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Keir Starmer calls for growth plan at G20

The prime minister, who spoke with E3 allies President Macron of France, Chancellor Merz of Germany and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine on the phone on Friday, is having more conversations today with key partners as they work out how to handle Trump and improve this deal for Ukraine.

One diplomatic source told me allies are being very careful not to criticise Trump or his approach for fear of exacerbating an already delicate situation.

Instead, the prime minister is directing his attacks at Russia.

Read more:
Trump’s 28-point Ukraine peace plan in full
Analysis: We could all pay if Europe doesn’t guarantee Ukraine’s security

Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a plenary session on the first day of the G20 Leaders' Summit. Pic: Reuters
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Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a plenary session on the first day of the G20 Leaders’ Summit. Pic: Reuters

“There is only one country around the G20 table that is not calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine and one country that is deploying a barrage of drones and missiles to destroy livelihoods and murder innocent civilians,” he said on Friday evening.

“Time and again, Russia pretends to be serious about peace, but its actions never live up to its words.”

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

On the Trump plan, the prime minister said allies are meetin on Saturday “to discuss the current proposal on the table, and in support of Trump’s push for peace, look at how we can strengthen this plan for the next phase of negotiations”.

Strengthening the plan really means that they want to rebalance it towards Ukraine’s position and make it tougher on Russia.

“Ukraine has been ready to negotiate for months, while Russia has stalled and continued its murderous rampage. That is why we must all work together with both the US and Ukraine, to secure a just and lasting peace once and for all,” said the prime minister.

“We will continue to coordinate closely with Washington and Kyiv to achieve that. However, we cannot simply wait for peace.

“We must strain every sinew to secure it. We must cut off Putin’s finance flows by ending our reliance on Russian gas. It won’t be easy, but it’s the right thing to do.”

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

Europeans hadn’t even seen this deal earlier in the week, in a sign that the US is cutting other allies out of negotiations – for now at least.

Starmer and other European leaders want to get to a position where Ukraine and Europe are at least at the table.

There is some discussion about whether European leaders such as Macron and Meloni might travel to Washington to speak to Trump early next week in order to persuade him of the European and Ukrainian perspective, as leaders did last August following the US-Russian summit in Alaska.

But Sky News understands there are no discussions about the PM travelling to Washington next week ahead of the budget.

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