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A global event celebrating whistleblowers and freedom of expression will be held to mark the fourth anniversary of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's stay in the Ecuadorean Embassy.

Fancy some festival action as part of your summer holidays? Ed Power selects the ten best events around Europe

CORK-BASED artist Suzy O’Mullane has a performance/video/sound event at The Guesthouse, Cork, with Harry Moore on Saturday at 3pm. She will also have a solo exhibition entitled ‘There Was Nothing Good About Good Friday’ at the Origin Gallery in Dublin from March 12.

I’ve been acting since I left school so in a way it’s all I know. I grew up in Castlegregory, Co Kerry. I’m the youngest of five, with two brothers and two sisters.

Hotly-tipped Barclaycard Mercury Prize nominees FKA twigs and Kate Tempest are among the acts which have enjoyed the biggest percentage sales boosts since being shortlisted for tonight’s award.

US NATIONAL Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden delivered a Christmas message from his Russian sanctuary on British TV in which he said: “I didn’t want to change society. I wanted to give society a chance to determine if it should change itself.”

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has suggested he is unapologetic about his role in helping to disclose government secrets.

Soul singer Laura Mvula is favourite to win tonight’s Mercury Prize ahead of acts including chart veteran David Bowie and previous winners Arctic Monkeys.

Elephant by the White Stripes has beaten releases by acts such as Oasis and Radiohead to be named the greatest album of the past two decades.

Chart veteran David Bowie’s comeback album after a 10-year absence has been shortlisted for the Barclaycard Mercury Prize, alongside acts such as teenager Jake Bugg.

GIG WISE:Christy Moore has announced a return to Leeside, playing at Cork Opera House with Declan Sinnott on Thurs, Nov 7.

JOHNNY MARR has stopped running from the past. Ten years ago, the ex-Smiths guitarist refused to play his old songs on tour. When he visited Dublin’s Academy, last March, he led his band through half a dozen Smiths standards; for his encore rendering of ‘How Soon Is Now?’, grown men were hugging.

Richard Hawley is among the favourites to win the Mercury Prize six years after he was controversially “robbed” of the award.

Plan B and past nominee Richard Hawley are joint favourites to win the Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize as the shortlist of 12 was announced for the highly-valued award.

Plan B and past nominee Richard Hawley are joint favourites to win the Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize as the shortlist of 12 was announced tonight for the highly-valued award.

A tearful Adele was named songwriter of the year at the Ivor Novello Awards today – and promptly gave the gong away.

Adele’s success looks set to continue as the singer-songwriter picked up a string of nominations for the Ivor Novello Awards.

Adele is expected to make a triumphant return to the Brits tonight 12 months after her breakthrough appearance at the awards catapulted her to stardom.

Liam Gallagher has proved to be the king of vinyl as his band Beady Eye dominated 7in singles sales in the past year.

Adele looks set to make her UK live comeback at the Brit Awards, three months after surgery to cure a voice-threatening condition.

Teenage pop superstar Justin Bieber will face the cameras - and his girlfriend - when he appears at this year's MTV Europe Music Awards just days after denying allegations he fathered a child in a backstage bathroom.

Irish rock band U2 were honoured today as the greatest act of the past quarter of a century.

Adele, Jessie J and Arctic Monkeys are likely to be the big winners at today’s Q Awards, heading the nominations with three each.

SITTING front row at a Joanne Hynes fashion show should require seat belts — to counter the creative whiplash on the runway.

ADELE, Jessie J and Arctic Monkeys head the nominations for the Q Awards, with three each.

Adele, Jessie J and Arctic Monkeys head the nominations for the Q Awards, with three each.

PJ Harvey throws out 75% of the songs she writes.

PJ Harvey has become the first artist to win the prestigious Barclaycard Mercury Prize for a second time.

PJ Harvey has become the first artist to win the prestigious Barclaycard Mercury Prize for a second time.

Singer-songwriter PJ Harvey could become the first act to win the Mercury Prize twice if she proves the bookies right and picks up the award at tonight’s event.

MEXICAN waves and spontaneous cheering greeted the rare arrival of a ray of Irish sunshine as 30,000 revellers descended on Stradbally for day one of Electric Picnic.

YOU know the summer is officially over when Electric Picnic time rolls around.

WELLIES at the ready!

Adele “doesn’t need” to win the Barclaycard Mercury Prize.

Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea wanted to quit the band when John Frusciante left.

PJ Harvey says performing her songs is "draining" because she puts so much emotion into them.

Tinie Tempah has his "fingers crossed" following his nomination for the Barclaycard Mercury Prize.

Record-breaking star Adele will battle it out with two previous winners PJ Harvey and Elbow for this year's Barclaycard Mercury Prize.

IN John Mendelssohn’s 2004 novel Waiting For Kate Bush the protagonist threatens suicide unless his musical heroine releases a new album in six months.

RECESSION-HIT revellers hungry for the Electric Picnic will be able to get a one-day ticket for the music and arts festival.

Singer-songwriter Laura Marling has followed her success at the Brits by being named best solo artist at the Shockwave NME Awards.