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US actors union Sag-Aftra has agreed a “tentative deal” with Hollywood studio bosses to end a historic 118-day strike.

The union said the longest walkout in its history will end at 12.01am US Pacific time on Thursday following a “unanimous vote”.

The union, which represents around 160,000 members of the industry, has been on strike since July 14 causing major disruption to Hollywood productions.

The deal comes after the union’s negotiating committee spent days deliberating over several items it deemed “essential”, including artificial intelligence.

It followed a “last, best and final” offer from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – the group representing studios, streaming services and producers in negotiations.

The tentative deal will go to the Sag-Aftra national board on Friday “for review and consideration”, the union announced.

It comes weeks after the union confirmed industry chief executives had “walked away from the bargaining table” after refusing to counter its latest offer, sparking “profound disappointment”.

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Hollywood has been at a near-standstill for months following both the actors and writers strikes.

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Hollywood writers’ deal explained

In September the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents more than 11,000 members, agreed to a deal with studio bosses after 146 days on the picket line over issues of pay and the threat of artificial intelligence.

Throughout the strikes, Hollywood stars including Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis, US director Olivia Wilde, and Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis have been keen to show their solidarity on the picket line.

On Instagram, Curtis wrote: “Perseverance pays off!” following news that a deal had been made.

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Harvey Weinstein taken to hospital after being moved to a New York jail

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Harvey Weinstein taken to hospital after being moved to a New York jail

The lawyer for Harvey Weinstein says the former film producer has been taken to hospital after being moved to a New York jail.

It comes days after the movie mogul’s 2020 conviction for rape was overturned, with a New York court ordering a new trial in the landmark “MeToo” case.

Arthur Aidala, Weinstein’s lawyer, said his client was moved to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan for tests after his arrival on Friday at a New York City prison.

“They examined him and sent him to Bellevue. It seems like he needs a lot of help, physically. He’s got a lot of problems. He’s getting all kinds of tests. He’s somewhat of a train wreck health-wise,” Mr Aidala said.

The hospital did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Mr Aidala said he is still “sharp as a tack” mentally, and his health problems are physical.

Weinstein has had cardiac issues, diabetes, sleep apnea and eye problems for some time.

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He was moved on Friday to the Rikers Island jail complex, in The Bronx’s East River, from the Mohawk Correctional Facility, in Oneida County, upstate New York, where he had been since 2023.

“He was not treated well. They refused to give him even a sip of water, no food, no bathroom break,” said Mr Aidala.

“He’s a 72-year-old sickly man.”

Aerial photo shows New York's biggest prison, Riker's Island jail. Pic: AP
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Aerial photo shows New York’s biggest prison, Riker’s Island jail. Pic: AP

Frank Dwyer, a spokesperson with the New York City Department of Correction, said Weinstein remains in custody at Bellevue Hospital.

The disgraced producer has been in prison since 2020 and on Thursday, the New York Court of Appeals overturned his first rape conviction.

He has been serving a 23-year sentence after being accused of sexually assaulting ex-production assistant Mimi Haley in 2006 and raping former aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013 following the landmark 2020 trial in New York.

The state’s highest court found the judge at the trial prejudiced Weinstein with “egregious” improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that were not part of the case.

Read more: Harvey Weinstein: The fall of the king of Hollywood

In a 4-3 decision, the court’s majority said it was “an abuse of judicial discretion to permit untested allegations of nothing more than bad behaviour”.

Mr Aidala said the decision was a victory for the defendant and any American charged with a crime, “no matter how popular or unpopular they are”.

“You can’t convict someone based on their entire life,” he said.

“You can’t allow more witnesses to testify against the defendant than the defendant is actually charged with.”

“You can’t throw out a hundred years of legal precedent because someone is unpopular.”

Weinstein remains in jail despite the recent ruling because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape, against which he is also appealing. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for that crime.

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Me Too founder ‘devastated’ by Weinstein decision

Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg – who is already involved in a hush money trial against former president Donald Trump – will now decide whether Weinstein will face a retrial for his 2020 conviction.

A spokesperson for Mr Bragg said in an email: “We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault.”

Weinstein is scheduled to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court at 2.15pm (local time) on Wednesday in a hearing that will set a timetable for future appearances, assuming the retrial goes ahead.

Deborah Tuerkheimer, a professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and former assistant district attorney in Manhattan, said whether there is a second trial will “hinge on the preferences of the women who would have to testify again and endure the ordeal of a retrial.”

“I think ultimately this will come down to whether they feel it’s something they want to do, are able to do,” she said.

Demonstrators outside court ahead of first day of Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault trial
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Demonstrators outside court ahead of first day of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault trial in 2020. Pic: Reuters

Once considered the most powerful man in Hollywood, Weinstein was accused by dozens of women who claimed he bullied, pressured, coerced, or overpowered them while demanding sexual favours.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek, and Lupita Nyong’o all accused Weinstein of sexual harassment, while actresses Asia Argento and Rose McGowan were among others who accused him of raping them.

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He was also accused of reaching settlements to keep the stories quiet.

Weinstein had admitted his behaviour had “caused a lot of pain”, but has maintained his innocence throughout, saying any sexual activity was consensual.

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Hundreds of homes damaged after tornado smashes through Nebraska

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Hundreds of homes damaged after tornado smashes through Nebraska

Hundreds of homes have been damaged and nearly 10,000 are without power after a tornado smashed through parts of Omaha, in the US state of Nebraska.

A number of tornadoes were reported in the state but the worst hit the suburbs to the northwest of the city, which has a population of 485,000.

The homes damaged were mostly in the Elkhorn area, police said, and emergency workers were going door-to-door to help people trapped in the debris.

Elkhorn residents Pat and Kim Woods said they took shelter when the tornado was about 200 yards away.

“We could hear it coming through,” Mr Woods said.

“When we came up, our fence was gone and we looked to the northwest and the whole neighbourhood’s gone.”

Mrs Woods added: “The whole neighbourhood just to the north of us is pretty flattened.”

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Damaged houses are seen after a tornado passed through the area near Omaha, Neb., on Friday, April 26, 2024. (Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP)
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Near Omaha. Pic: Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald/AP

Gopala Penmetsa walks past his house after it was leveled by a tornado near Omaha, Neb., on Friday, April 26, 2024. (Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP)
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Near Omaha. Pic: Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald/AP

But while some homes in the area were destroyed, others appeared untouched.

There were no reports of deaths but a number of people suffered minor injuries, according to Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer, who added: “People had warnings of this and that saved lives.”

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One of the other tornados passed through parts of Eppley Airfield, the city’s airport, which was closed for almost an hour.

Passengers were sent to storm shelters, according to Omaha Airport Authority Chief Strategy Officer Steve McCoy.

The terminal was not affected but other airport buildings “sustained damage”.

The airport has now reopened, although flight delays are expected late into Friday.

Ally Mercer, Gabe Sedlacek Kaleb Andersen and Austin Young watch a tornado from a seventh floor parking garage on Friday, April 26, 2024, in Lincoln, Neb. (Kenneth Ferriera/Lincoln Journal Star via AP)
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Lincoln. Pic: Kenneth Ferriera/Lincoln Journal Star/AP

A tornado is seen near north of Waverly, Neb., on Friday, April 26, 2024. (Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP)
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North of Waverly. Pic: Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald/AP

The tornado then crossed the Missouri River into Iowa, where damage reports are still coming through.

Daniel Fienhold, who owns a steakhouse in Crescent, Iowa, said he watched the weather from outside with his daughter and employees.

“It started raining, and then it started hailing, and then all the clouds started to kind of swirl and come together, and as soon as the wind started to pick up, that’s when I headed for the basement, but we never saw it,” he said.

Three workers at an industrial plant were injured when another tornado struck near the Nebraska city of Lincoln on Friday afternoon.

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The building collapsed with around 70 people inside and several had to be rescued from the debris.

The weekend is not likely to bring any relief – The Weather Service has issued tornado watches across parts of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.

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Student anti-Israel protests continue to sweep the US, with almost 550 arrests

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Student anti-Israel protests continue to sweep the US, with almost 550 arrests

Student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza continue to spread across the US, following last week’s arrest of more than 100 demonstrators at Columbia University.

There have been nearly 550 protest-related arrests in the past week at major US universities, according to a tally by news agency Reuters.

The students want universities to cut ties with companies helping Israel’s war in Gaza and, in some cases, with Israel itself.

Some universities have called in police to end the demonstrations, resulting in clashes and arrests, while others appear to be biding their time as the academic semester enters its final days.

Student protesters stand watch along the perimeter of an encampment supporting Palestinians at the Columbia University campus, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in New York City, U.S., April 25, 2024, REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs
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Students at Columbia. Pic: Reuters

The University of Southern California cancelled its main graduation ceremony, set for 10 May, after the arrests of 93 people at the Los Angeles campus on Wednesday.

At Boston’s Emerson College, 108 people were arrested overnight with video showing students linking arms to resist officers, who then moved forcefully through the crowd, throwing some students to the ground.

A coalition of University of Michigan students camp at an encampment in the Diag to pressure the university to divest its endowment from companies that support Israel of could profit from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas on the University of Michigan college campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S., April 25, 2024. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook
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University of Michigan. Pic: Reuters

Students and others demonstrate at a protest encampment at University Yard in support of Palestinians in Gaza, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at George Washington University in Washington, U.S., April 25, 2024. REUTERS/Leah Millis
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George Washington University. Pic: Reuters

Student protester Ocean Muir said: “There were just more cops on all sides.

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“It felt like we were being slowly pushed in and crushed.”

She said police lifted her by her arms and legs to carry her away and she was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct.

At Emory University’s Atlanta campus, 28 people were detained and the local branch of activist group Jewish Voice For Peace said police used tear gas and tasers on protesters.

Police there admitted using “chemical irritants” but denied using rubber bullets.

Cheryl Elliott, Emory’s vice president for public safety, said the aim was to clear the area of a “disruptive encampment while holding individuals accountable to the law” but human rights groups questioned the “apparent use of excessive force” against free speech.

Charges were dropped, meanwhile, against 46 of the 60 people detained by police at the University of Texas.

A drone view shows an encampment at Harvard University where students protest in support of Palestinians, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., April 25, 2024. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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Harvard University. Pic: Reuters

Police arrest a pro-Palestinian protester at USC campus in Los Angeles, California.
Pic: Reuters
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Police arrest a pro-Palestinian protester at USC campus in Los Angeles, California.
Pic: Reuters

Police arrest a pro-Palestinian protester at USC campus in Los Angeles, California.
Pic: Reuters
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Police arrest a pro-Palestinian protester at USC campus in Los Angeles, California.
Pic: Reuters

At Indiana University Bloomington, police with shields and batons shoved into a line of protesters, arresting 33 people.

At City College of New York, police officers retreated from protests, to cheers from the hundreds of students gathered on the lawn on the Harlem campus.

At California State Polytechnic University in Humboldt, students have been barricaded in a campus building since Monday, with staff trying to negotiate.

At University of Connecticut one protester was arrested and tents torn down, while protests continued at Stanford University and the New Jersey campus of Princeton University.

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Harvard University is among those that have not taken action against protesters who have set up tents.

At New York’s Columbia University, where the protest movement began, university officials remain locked in a stalemate with students.

Police cleared tents and arrested more than 100 people last week but students put the tents up again in an area where graduation ceremonies will be held in a few weeks.

The administration has given protesters until Friday to leave.

There have been accusations that some pro-Palestinian protesters have harassed or abused Jewish students but protesters blame outsiders trying to infiltrate and malign their movement.

Protest leaders admit there has been abuse directed at Jewish students but insist the protests are not antisemitic.

Some of the universities have seen counter-protests from Israel supporters.

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