Bard’s board voted to end Botstein’s tenure as president after independent review of Epstein ties

Leon Botstein announced his retirement on the day the results of the inquiry into his connections with Epstein were released

Bard College’s board of trustees “voted to end” the 51-year tenure of Leon Botstein, the school’s president, last month after board members were presented with the results of an independent review of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, according to emails seen by the Guardian. Botstein framed his departure as a long-planned retirement in a statement on 1 May.

The move appears to have created a rift within the liberal arts college’s board of trustees.

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New York Times defends journalist after Israel threatens to sue

Israel's prime minister says he has ordered legal action over an article which alleged Israeli security officials raped Palestinian detainees.

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Israel says it will sue New York Times over article on sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners

Media law experts cast doubt on viability of a defamation lawsuit promised by Netanyahu over Nicholas Kristof essay

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Nethanyahu, and foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, have threatened to sue the New York Times for defamation over the publication of an essay by Nicholas Kristof detailing allegations that Palestinian women, men and children have been raped and sexually abused in Israeli military detention.

“Following the publication by Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times of one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel in the modern press, which also received the backing of the newspaper, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar have instructed the initiation of a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times,” Israel’s ministry of foreign affairs wrote in a social media post on Thursday.

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Missouri man charged for posting bomb-making tutorials that aided New Orleans attack

Jordan Derrick charged in connection with deadly attack in the French Quarter on New Year’s Day 2025

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Federal authorities have filed charges against a Missouri man accused of publishing online tutorials on how to manufacture explosives that the terrorist who carried out the deadly attack in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter on New Year’s Day 2025 used as a blueprint to make his own improvised bombs.

R Matthew Price, a US attorney, announced Tuesday that 40-year-old Jordan Derrick, of the Missouri city of Sweet Springs, had been charged with one count each of engaging in the business of manufacturing explosive materials without a license, unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device, and illicitly distributing information relating to manufacturing explosives.

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Kash Patel denies excessive drinking allegations as ‘total farce’ in Senate hearing

FBI director also dismisses allegations of unexplained absences as Democrats challenge him over Atlantic report

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Embattled FBI director Kash Patel has denied under oath recent allegations of excessive drinking and unexplained absences on the job, dismissing them as “baseless” during a fiery congressional hearing.

Democrats challenged him over the “extremely alarming” reports, first reported in the Atlantic mid-April, which they argued would a mount to a “gross dereliction” of duty. The FBI director has sued the magazine, and the author of a story it published, filing a defamation lawsuit in US district court for the District of Columbia that seeks $250m in damages.

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Man sentenced to two years in prison for stealing unreleased Beyoncé music

Kelvin Evans pleads guilty to stealing hard drives and laptops from a car before singer’s Atlanta tour dates in 2025

A man arrested for stealing hard drives containing unreleased Beyoncé music has pleaded guilty in an Atlanta court on Tuesday.

Kelvin Evans was arrested by the Atlanta police department in September in connection to a July 2025 car robbery where two suitcases containing Beyoncé music and tour plans were stolen from a rental car.

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Trump calls Iran response to US proposal to end war 'totally unacceptable'

Iran is reported to want lifting of the US naval blockade, recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for war damage.

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How hotels are stopping the 'dawn dash' for sunbeds after man wins payout

Some resorts enforce allocation rules from check-in to prevent people reserving loungers with towels in the "sunbed wars".

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Hungary’s new PM apologises to those wronged under Orbán in first speech

Péter Magyar strikes radically different tone to predecessor but questions remain about how he will lead the country

Moments after he was sworn in as Hungary’s prime minister, Péter Magyar apologised to those who had been maligned by the state during Viktor Orbán’s time in power as questions continue to swirl over what lies ahead for the country as it launches into a new era.

Magyar used his first speech as prime minister on Saturday to address the many in Hungary who had paid a personal price for speaking up about the steady erosion of rights under Orbán and his Fidesz party.

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Mexican parents criticise ending school year a month early for World Cup

The federal government faces widespread anger for saying the school year could end on 5 June to accommodate the football tournament.

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