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Taylor Swift’s much-anticipated appearance at the Super Bowl saw her down a beer on the big screen as she celebrated her boyfriend’s victory.

The singer was repeatedly shown on the big screens of Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium and the cameras caught her winning what appeared to be a beer-chugging contest, prompting cheers through the stadium.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) kisses Taylor Swift after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. The Chiefs won 25-22. (AP Photo/John Locher)
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Pic: AP

The 14-time Grammy winner cuddled with Blake Lively during Post Malone’s performance of America The Beautiful after she flew halfway around the world to see her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his team the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Chiefs beat the 49ers 25-22 in overtime.

Taylor Swift. Pic: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
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Pic: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Taylor Swift cheers during the first quarter of the Super Bowl. Pic: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
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Pic: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Taylor Swift reacts during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
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Swift flew halfway around the world to see Travis Kelce and his team play. Pic: AP

Travis Kelce. Pic: AP
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Travis Kelce. Pic: AP

Swift made it to the stadium after flying on a private plane across nine time zones from the last of four shows at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, with self-proclaimed Swifties across the globe speculating about the potential strain on her schedule for weeks.

The singer has been criticised for her use of private jets by climate activists and appears to have sold one of her two personal planes over a dispute with a student who had been tracking her flights.

The 34-year-old and Kelce have been dating since around September 2023.

Elsewhere, the “Queen of Country” Reba McEntire sang The Star-Spangled Banner before kickoff, while Andra Day sang Lift Every Voice And Sing, a song that has become known as the black national anthem.

Usher and Lil John perform together. Pic: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
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Usher and Lil John perform together. Pic: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Usher performs alongside Ludacris. Pic: Reuters
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Usher performs alongside Ludacris. Pic: Reuters

Usher put on a halftime show marked by impressive choreography and several guest appearances.

He performed a 13-minute set starting with Caught Up and moving on to other big hits, including U Don’t Have To Call and Love In The Club.

Usher and Alicia Keys. Pic: Mark J Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
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Usher and Alicia Keys. Pic: Mark J Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Usher and Alicia Keys during the halftime show. Pic: Reuters
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Usher and Alicia Keys during the halftime show. Pic: Reuters

Usher performs with Alicia Keys. Pic: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
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Usher performs with Alicia Keys. Pic: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Alicia Keys joined him in front of a red piano resembling an abstract sculpture for her song If I Ain’t Got You, which morphed into My Boo.

Usher also brought out several other guests including HER and Jermaine Dupri, with Lil Jon joining for Turn Down For What and Yeah!, with Ludacris putting in a guest appearance.

Adverts during the Super Bowl also saw Beyonce tease a new album, with her ad for Verizon ending with the superstar saying: “They ready, drop the new music.”

Later, a cryptic Instagram video appeared on her page teasing Act II – her previous album Renaissance is frequently referred to as Act I: Renaissance – and she released two new country tracks.

She was joined at the Super Bowl with her husband Jay Z and their children Blue Ivy and Rumi.

Rumi Carter, from left, Jay-Z, Blue Ivy Carter walks on the sidelines before the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
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Rumi Carter, Jay Z and Blue Ivy Carter. Pic: AP

But they were not the only celebrities at the big game.

Swift’s long-standing nemesis Kanye West, as well as fellow musicians Lana Del Ray, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga were in the stands.

Kanye West, left and, Bianca Censori arrive during the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mark Von Holden)
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Kanye West and his wife Bianca Censori. Pic: AP

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Singer-songwriter Lana Del Ray watches during the first half of Super Bowl LVIII between Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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Lana Del Ray. Pic: Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Recording artist Justin Bieber watches play during the third quarter of Super Bowl LVIII between Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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Justin Bieber. Pic: Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Recording artist Lady Gaga looks on during the third quarter of Super Bowl LVIII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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Lady Gaga. Pic: Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Post Malone performed at the game, while Swift and Paul McCartney were pictured speaking in her suite.

Post Malone performs "America the Beautiful" before the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Doug Benc)
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Post Malone performs before the Super Bowl. Pic: AP

Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift during Super Bowl LVIII
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Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift during Super Bowl LVIII

Actors Paul Rudd and Jeff Goldblum, basketball star LeBron James and X boss Elon Musk were also at the hotly anticipated game.

Paul Rudd ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Picture date: Sunday February 11, 2024.
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Paul Rudd. Pic: PA

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Actor Jeff Goldbloom reacts during the second quarter of Super Bowl LVIII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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Jeff Goldblum. Pic: Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; NBA player LeBron James looks on during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVIII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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LeBron James. Pic: Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Elon Musk watches action during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
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Elon Musk. Pic: AP

And Apple’s Tim Cook and chef Gordon Ramsay were spotted in suites in the Las Vegas stadium.

Tim Cook, Managing director of Apple, ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Picture date: Sunday February 11, 2024.
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Tim Cook, managing director of Apple. Pic: PA

Football - NFL - Super Bowl LVIII - Kansas City Chiefs v San Francisco 49ers - Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States - February 11, 2024 Chef Gordon Ramsay is pictured in the stadiun before the game REUTERS/Carlos Barria
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Gordon Ramsay. Pic: Reuters

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Oasis gig death: Witness saw similar incident and asks ‘were lessons learned’?

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Oasis gig death: Witness saw similar incident and asks 'were lessons learned'?

A woman who saw a man falling from an upper tier at Wembley Stadium says a similar incident at an Oasis concert over the weekend in which a fan died makes her wonder whether lessons have been learned.

Stephanie Good, 39, said a man fell during a Euro 2020 match between England and Croatia at Wembley in June 2021.

He landed “right next to where we were” on the “stairwell between rows of seats”, she said.

Named as Jon, he reportedly survived but suffered two broken ankles, a fractured femur and fractured pelvis just before kick-off.

Ms Good said she tried to give feedback but was unable to and felt the “emergency response was really lacking”.

Oasis, meanwhile, said they were “shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of a fan” at their Wembley concert on Saturday.

The man reportedly fell from the stadium’s upper tier.

In his 40s, he was found with “injuries consistent with a fall” and pronounced dead at the scene, the Met Police said.

Ms Good, an NHS manager from east London, said what happened at the Oasis gig was “so similar” to what she witnessed that it made her wonder “were lessons learned”?

Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage for the first Wembley night of the Oasis reunion tour. Pic: Lewis Evans
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Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage for the first Wembley night of the Oasis reunion tour. Pic: Lewis Evans

During that incident, among stadium staff “nobody seemed to know what to do”, she told the Press Association.

She thinks the man may have been trying to attach a flag to the front of a stand and “somehow managed to fall straight over”.

She said: “They (staff) didn’t seem well-trained in terms of how to respond to a really big emergency.

“Their stewards were kind of paralysed a little bit by fear, or they just weren’t well trained and didn’t know how to call for paramedics.

“It was us who were sort of shouting at them that they needed to get some paramedics.

“The first person on the scene wasn’t a stadium paramedic or St John Ambulance. It was an off-duty firefighter who had seen the guy fall and ran down to just try and offer some help.”

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Regarding the follow-up, Ms Good said staff moved spectators to other seats but did not ask for witness statements.

She added: “They didn’t seek any input from people who’d seen the incident or the aftermath of it. They didn’t seem interested in speaking to anybody about it.

“I was a bit concerned, because I felt that the emergency response was really lacking.”

She then tried to get in touch to give feedback, but was unable to do so and did not receive a response to a message on social media, she said.

A Wembley spokesperson said: “Wembley Stadium operates to a very high health and safety standard, fully meeting legal requirements for the safety of spectators and staff, and is certified to and compliant with the ISO 45001 standard.

“We work very closely and collaboratively with all relevant event delivery stakeholders – including event owners, local authorities, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority and the police – to deliver events to high standards of safety, security and service for everyone attending or working in the venue.”

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TV presenter Jay Blades charged with two counts of rape 

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TV presenter Jay Blades charged with two counts of rape 

TV presenter Jay Blades has been charged with two counts of rape, police have confirmed.

West Mercia Police said the 55-year-old is due to appear in court next week.

The force said: “Jason Blades, 55, of Claverley in Shropshire, has been charged with two counts of rape.

“He is due to appear at Telford Magistrates’ Court on 13 August 2025.”

Blades found fame on the furniture restoration programme The Repair Shop after he started presenting in 2017.

A furniture restorer, he was the face of the popular BBC show that featured people having their treasured objects repaired and rejuvenated.

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Blades was also the presenter of the BBC’s Money For Nothing until 2020 and took part in Celebrity Masterchef, Celebrity Bake Off, and Comic Relief.

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs denied bail again ahead of sentencing

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs denied bail again ahead of sentencing

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been denied bail ahead of his sentencing on prostitution-related charges.

Judge Arun Subramanian said the hip-hop mogul had failed to show sufficient evidence he is not a flight risk and also cited admissions of previous violence made during his trial.

Combs, 55, has been in prison since his arrest in September last year.

During a two-month trial, jurors heard allegations that he had coerced former girlfriends, including singer and model Cassie Ventura, into having drug-fuelled sex marathons with male sex workers, while he watched and filmed them.

Sean "Diddy" Combs reacts after verdicts are read of the five counts against him, during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New
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Diddy fell to his knees after the verdict was delivered last month. Pic: Reuters/ Jane Rosenberg

In July, he was found guilty of two counts of transportation for prostitution – but cleared of more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex-trafficking, which carried potential life sentences.

The rapper’s legal team hailed this a “victory” and immediately applied for bail ahead of sentencing, citing his acquittal on the top charges.

After this was denied, they submitted another application last week. Judge Subramanian has now rejected the request again.

In denying the motion for bail, the judge found Combs had failed to show sufficient evidence to counter arguments he is a flight risk, writing in a court filing: “Increasing the amount of the bond or devising additional conditions doesn’t change the calculus given the circumstances and heavy burden of proof that Combs bears.”

Read more:
How the trial unfolded
The rise and fall of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian gives legal instructions to the jury, during Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City
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Judge Arun Subramanian heard Diddy’s trial and will also sentence the rapper

He also found that an argument by the music star’s legal team that the squalor and danger of the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), where he is being held, did not warrant release.

“The public outcry concerning these conditions has come from all corners,” the judge wrote. “But as Combs acknowledges, MDC staff has been able to keep him safe and attend to his needs, even during an incident of threatened violence from an inmate.”

As well as Combs’s bail application, his legal team has also filed a motion calling for him to be acquitted or given a new trial on the prostitution-related charges only.

The judge has not yet responded to this application.

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How the Diddy trial unfolded

How long could Diddy be jailed for?

Combs is due to be sentenced on 3 October and could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

Discussions on sentencing guidelines which followed the jury’s verdict suggest it is unlikely he will be jailed for this long, with an estimate of around two to five years, taking into account time already served.

However, it is ultimately up to Judge Arun Subramanian to decide the rapper’s punishment.

On Friday, Donald Trump was asked during an interview about a potential pardon for Combs following speculation about the issue.

The president said it was unlikely, adding that the rapper was “very hostile” during his presidential campaign.

Combs, who co-founded Bad Boy Records and launched the career of the late Notorious BIG, was for decades a huge figure in pop culture – a Grammy-winning hip-hop artist and business entrepreneur, who presided over an empire ranging from fashion to reality TV.

As well as the criminal conviction, he is also facing several civil lawsuits.

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