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Two brothers who were convicted of killing their parents and featured in Netflix shows could be freed early after 34 years behind bars.

Lyle Menendez, 56, and his 53-year-old brother Erik are serving life in prison without parole for the shotgun murders of their father and mother – Jose and Kitty Menendez – in 1989.

They were jailed after a trial in 1996 when Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18.

Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez sit in Beverly Hills Municipal Court where their attorneys delayed making pleas on behalf of the brothers who are suspected in the murders of their millionaire parents, Jose and Mary Louise ?Kitty? Menendez, in Beverly Hills, Calif., last Aug., March 12, 1990. The arraignment for the brothers has been scheduled for March 26. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
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(L-R) Lyle and Erik Menendez. Pic: AP

On Thursday, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon recommended that the pair be resentenced – replacing their life sentence with a sentence of 50 years to life.

This would mean the brothers would be eligible for parole immediately because they were under 26 years old at the time of the murders, Mr Gascon said.

Read more: The real case behind the Netflix drama

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon speaks during a news conference to announce a decision in the case of brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez, who have spent 34 years in prison for the shotgun murder of their parents, at his office in Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 24, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake
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LA District Attorney George Gascon. Pic: Reuters

“Under the law, resentencing is appropriate. I’m going to recommend that to a court tomorrow,” the district attorney told a news conference.

“I believe they have paid their debt to society.”

Prosecutors must now seek court approval on the case, with the final decision falling to the judge.

Joseph Lyle Menéndez and Erik Galen Menéndez. Pics: Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility
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The brothers in 2023. Pics: Richard J Donovan Correctional Facility

It comes after Mr Gascon said his office would be reviewing new evidence that allegedly corroborates claims that Erik was sexually abused by his father, who was a music executive.

Both the brothers claim they killed their parents in self-defence after enduring a lifetime of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from them.

Their lawyers argue that because of society’s changing views on sexual abuse, if tried today the brothers may not have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon shakes hands with Joan Andersen VanderMolen, sister of Kitty Menendez, at the end of a news conference on a decision in the case of brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez, who have spent 34 years in prison for the shotgun murder of their parents, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 24, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake
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George Gascon shakes hands with Joan Andersen VanderMolen, sister of Kitty Menendez. Pic: Reuters

But prosecutors contended at the time there was no evidence of any molestation and said the brothers were after their parents’ multimillion-dollar estate.

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Multiple extended family members have united to call for the brothers’ release and have formed a “new coalition” called Justice for Erik and Lyle.

Speaking after the recommendation was announced on Thursday, Anamaria Baralt, a niece of Jose, said: “Today is a day filled with hope for our family.

Lyle, left, and Erik Menendez leave courtroom in Santa Monica, Calif., Aug. 6, 1990, after a judge ruled that conversations between the two brothers and their psychologist after their parents were slain are not privileged and can be used as evidence in their murder case. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
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Pic: AP

“This step gives us all hope that the truth will finally be heard and Lyle and Erik can begin to heal from the trauma of their past.”

Another relative, believed to be a niece of Kitty, added: “This decision is not just a legal matter, it is a recognition of the abuse my cousins endured.

“We are grateful to the district attorney for putting justice over politics. We know this wasn’t an easy decision but it is the right one.

“It is time for Lyle and Erik to come home.”

Not all Menendez family members support resentencing. Milton Andersen, the 90-year-old brother of Kitty, has filed a legal brief asking the court to keep the brothers’ original punishment.

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The Menendez case was thrust back into the limelight after Monsters, a Netflix drama telling of their story, and a documentary were recently released.

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Prince William’s Earthshot Awards: Presenter Billy Porter has been ‘crying all day’ over Trump win

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Prince William's Earthshot Awards: Presenter Billy Porter has been 'crying all day' over Trump win

The presenter of Prince William’s Earthshot Awards says he’s been “crying all day” following Donald Trump’s win in the US presidential election.

Billy Porter, the Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning actor and singer spoke to Sky News ahead of presenting William’s environmental award ceremony in Cape Town.

He said he had been feeling “horrible” following the election result and could not explain the outcome.

Performers dance as the Prince of Wales arrives with Earthshot Prize Chief Executive Hannah Jones for the Earthshot Prize Awards at Green Point Shared Fields in Cape Town, on day three of his visit to South Africa for the fourth annual Earthshot Prize Awards. Picture date: Wednesday November 6, 2024.
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The Prince of Wales wore a jacket bought from a London market and biodegradable trainers. Pic: PA

He said: “America has decided, everything has been laid out… good luck to you all, I’m here, I have a face on, we’re going to soldier on, that’s all, I have no idea.

“There’s no more hiding, no more excuses, everybody knew and they decided for this [Donald Trump], so we’ll see. I have no answers for this.”

An ardent supporter of Kamala Harris, he told his two million Instagram followers before Tuesday’s vote, that Americans had to decide if they wanted “democracy or not”.

President-elect Trump is known to be a climate change denier.

Prince William’s Earthshot Awards have been described as the Oscars of the environmental world.

They celebrate and reward innovators working to combat some of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.

William arrived on the green carpet wearing a black and white jacket that was bought from a market in London and sustainable trainers made by Purified Shoes, which contain no plastic and are biodegradable.

In his speech, in front of a live TV audience, he called on everyone to become part of the Earthshot “movement”.

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The prince said the Earthshot Prize “isn’t just a celebration of winners. It’s a collaborative movement for change”.

He invited his audience “to join the movement for climate innovation that’s happening around the world. Because that’s why we’re here. To champion the dreamers, the thinkers, and the innovators from every walk of life, who share an ambition to build a better, more sustainable world”.

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William promised the organisation would “do everything we can to support them and help speed their solutions to scale. Because when they succeed, we all succeed. When they thrive, we all thrive. And when they win, we all win”.

William also spoke in nine different African languages, representing the north, south, east, and west of the continent.

Billy Porter was similarly enthused by the standards of the contestants’ efforts, saying he “loved” how the finalists “have figured out how to be of use. I’ve been blown away by the minds and ideas of finalists to make a difference and make a change.”

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Victoria Beckham presented with a Harper’s Bazaar women of the year prize from daughter Harper

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Victoria Beckham presented with a Harper's Bazaar women of the year prize from daughter Harper

Victoria Beckham shared a sweet moment on stage with her daughter, Harper, as she collected a Harper’s Bazaar women of the year award.

The fashion designer and Spice Girls star was recognised with an entrepreneur prize for her “innovation and dedication to the British and global fashion industry”.

Her daughter Harper presented the award on stage, organisers said, and the pair were pictured together before the event.

The 13-year-old, who is the youngest of Victoria and David Beckham‘s four children, has previously attended fashion events with her mum, as well as the premiere of her football star dad’s Netflix documentary, released last year.

Singer Raye and actresses Nicola Coughlan, Sophie Turner and Ambika Mod were also among the stars honoured at the Harper’s Bazaar Women Of The Year ceremony, held at Claridge’s Hotel in London.

Clockwise from top left: Aidan Turner, Alex Hassell, Dame Jilly Cooper and Bella Maclean at the 2024 Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards, held in partnership with The Platinum Card by American Express, at Claridges Hotel on November 5, 2024 in London, England. ..Photo by Dave Benett
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Dame Jilly Cooper was cheered on by her Rivals stars Aidan Turner (top left), Alex Hassell (right) and Bella Maclean. Pic: Dave Bennett/ Harper’s Bazaar

Author Dame Jilly Cooper was presented with her prize by Poldark star Aidan Turner, who stars in the current hit Disney+ adaptation of her book, Rivals. His co-stars Bella Maclean and Alex Hassell were also there to show support for the writer – who was honoured for “her extraordinary half-century contribution to literature”, organisers said.

Killing Eve and Silo star Dame Harriet Walter, 74, was given the icon award for her long-running career in theatre, film and TV. The gong was presented by Brian Cox, who played her former husband, the fearsome Logan Roy, in the hit series Succession.

Nicola Coughlan was presented with her Harper's Bazaar Women Of The Year Award, for television acting, by her Bridgerton co-star Golda Rosheuvel. Pic: Dave Benett/ Harper's Bazaar
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Nicola Coughlan was presented with her television actress of the year award by her Bridgerton co-star Golda Rosheuvel. Pic: Dave Benett/ Harper’s Bazaar

On the red carpet, Dame Harriet said she hoped to “represent all the other older women who are still good at their job”. She added: “I feel very lucky and if I can inspire anybody to keep going and believe in themselves, that’s a good thing.”

Actors Jodie Comer, Golda Rosheuvel and Paapa Essiedu, and Love Island host Maya Jama were among the stars presenting awards at the event.

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Lydia Slater, the editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar UK, said: “We are hugely privileged to have presented the Women Of The Year Awards to this esteemed group of winners, all of whom have left us inspired by their trailblazing, impactful contribution and dedication to their respective fields.”

Artist Rana Begum, designer Francesca Amfitheatrof, and Olympian Katarina Johnson also received awards at the ceremony.

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Glastonbury Festival announces changes to ticket buying process

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Glastonbury Festival announces changes to ticket buying process

Glastonbury is changing the way fans can buy tickets for the world-famous festival.

While the booking process itself will remain the same, the way people join it is different.

Organisers warned hopefuls to log in “at least a few minutes” before the sale opens on 14 November, to avoid refreshing the page and not to attempt to game the system by using multiple devices.

Fans must be registered by 5pm GMT on Monday 11 November.

Tickets for the annual event at Worthy Farm in Somerset cost £373.50 plus a £5 booking fee, and are sold exclusively through the See Tickets website, with no third-party sellers involved.

The sale follows chaos earlier this year when tickets for the Oasis reunion went on sale, seeing a multitude of disappointed fans as well as those who felt cheated after being charged hundreds of pounds more for their tickets than was originally advertised.

The festival website explains: “Rather than refreshing the holding page to attempt to access the booking page, this year, when the ticket sale begins (at 6pm or 9am respectively) everyone who is already on the glastonbury.seetickets.com page will randomly be assigned a place in a queue to access the booking process.

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“Anyone who logs on once the sale has started will automatically be added to the back of the queue, so it’s important to make sure you are online ready at least a few minutes before the sale opens.

“Once you are in the queue, a progress bar will indicate how close you are to reaching the booking page.

“Please do not refresh this page or use multiple devices or tabs or you may lose your place in the queue.”

Pic: Glastonbury Festival website
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Pic: Glastonbury Festival website

Once fans reach the front of the queue and enter their registration details, they will be able to purchase a maximum of six tickets – but they will not have long to do so.

The site warns: “You will have 10 minutes to complete this page before your session expires, however tickets are not allocated at this point.”

It also cautions: “Do not attempt to minimise the tab or open new tabs. If you move away from the tab you are on your session may expire”.

The advice also says that if the amount of traffic on the website is particularly high, users may see a “reduced version of the See Tickets booking site, with a minimal holding page”.

It adds: “This does not mean the site has crashed”.

The crowd at Coldplay's headline set at Glastonbury Festival. Pic: PA
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The crowd at Coldplay’s 2024 headline set at Glastonbury Festival. Pic: PA

The site discourages users from using multiple devices to increase their chances of getting tickets, warning it could actively harm getting through.

It says: “Refreshing the page, using multiple tabs or many devices can look like suspicious behaviour and can harm your chances of getting through by triggering anti-bot software; therefore you must stick to one tab/device per IP address and please do not refresh your page once you are in the queue”.

One exception to the refresh rule is if the message, “All available tickets have now been allocated” pops up, at which point refreshing the page will mean any orders that haven’t been processed will go back on sale, and so may become available to buy.

Once the message “SOLD OUT” appears, it’s game over, and no more tickets will be released back for sale.

Festival-goers leaving at the end of the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Picture date: Monday July 1, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Glastonbury. Photo credit should read: Ben Birchall/PA Wire
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Festival-goers leaving this year’s event. Pic: PA

There will be another chance, however, when any returned tickets go on resale in the spring, offering festival fans a second bite of the cherry.

While next year’s acts won’t be announced until after tickets go on sale, Oasis have already ruled themselves out of performing, telling fans: “Despite media speculation, Oasis will not be playing Glastonbury 2025 or any other festivals next year. The only way to see the band perform will be on their Oasis Live ’25 World Tour.”

2026 is likely to be a fallow year for Glastonbury (a year off), with the festival traditionally taking place four out of every five years, and the fifth year reserved for rehabilitation of the land.

Glastonbury Festival takes place from 25 to 29 June 2025.

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