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The gates to this year’s Glastonbury Festival have opened – with revellers scrambling to find the best camping spots.

A brass band played as organiser Emily Eavis led the countdown for the start of the world-famous music event.

However, arriving alongside the army of campers at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, could be scattered showers, forecasters warn.

Emily Eavis opens the gates on the first day of the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Picture date: Wednesday June 26, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Glastonbury. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
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Emily Eavis opens the gates on the first day of the world-famous event. Pic: PA

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Pic: PA

Festival-goers have been told to expect “mostly warm, dry and settled” weather for the next five days.

But scattered showers could begin from day one and last until the end of the weekend, according to the Met Office.

As in previous years, there will be no amplified entertainment on Wednesday, with the main music stages not kicking off until Friday.

This year’s headliners include pop star Dua Lipa, British rock band Coldplay, and American singer Sza, while Canadian country star Shania Twain will play the coveted legends slot.

Other attractions at the 900-acre festival, include speeches, film screenings and Q&As, circus performances, and comedy sets.

People queue for entry on the first day of the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Picture date: Wednesday June 26, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Glastonbury. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
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Festival-goers queue for entry on the first day. Pic: PA

People queue for entry on the first day of the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Picture date: Wednesday June 26, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Glastonbury. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
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Pic: PA

Rock band Squeeze open the Pyramid Stage on Friday at midday, followed by rising star Olivia Dean, K-pop group Seventeen and singer Paul Heaton.

Later, PJ Harvey and LCD Soundsystem will warm up for Dua Lipa ahead of her main stage debut.

The 28-year-old star is expected to treat revellers to a selection of her hit songs, including Houdini and Training Season from her third studio album, Radical Optimism, released earlier this year.

On Saturday, the main stage will welcome Nigerian stars Femi Kuti and Ayra Starr, followed by US ’80s chart-topper Cyndi Lauper and rock band Keane.

Mercury Prize winner Michael Kiwanuka and British rapper Little Simz will play in the evening before Coldplay top the bill.

It will be the band’s first appearance since 2016 and make them the first act to headline Glastonbury five times.

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Campers are well-prepared for the five-day festival. Pic: PA

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Pic: PA

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Pic: PA

The main stage on the final day will open with a performance by Interlinked Ballet, with Seasick Steve and Paloma Faith set to play in the afternoon.

They will be followed by Twain, who is expected to play her hits including Man! I Feel Like A Woman!, You’re Still The One and That Don’t Impress Me Much.

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The sun is out, but showers are forecast. Pic: PA

Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

The country star follows in the footsteps of artists such as Dolly Parton, Kylie Minogue and Diana Ross in the prestigious slot.

US singer and actress Janelle Monae and Nigerian singer Burna Boy will take over for the evening session before SZA closes out the Pyramid Stage with her hits including Saturn and Kill Bill.

The US singer, real name Solana Imani Rowe, who was named international artist of the year at the Brit Awards in March, will be making her festival debut this year.

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A number of spots across the schedule have been left as “TBA”, including a space at 6pm on Saturday on the Woodsies stage.

In previous years, acts such as the Foo Fighters, The Killers and Radiohead have surprised festival-goers in these secret slots.

The festival will also pay tribute to DJ Annie Nightingale, the first female presenter on BBC Radio 1, who died in January at the age of 83.

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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:
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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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