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The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Kneecap to perform at Glastonbury amid calls for them to be banned
Last week the rapper, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh at Westminster Magistrates' Court in Free Mo Chara T-shirts. The 1975 headlined on Friday at Glastonbury Festival (Yui Mok/PA) He was released on unconditional bail until the next hearing at the same court on August 20. Last week Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it would not be 'appropriate' for them to perform in the slot, which is due to go ahead on the Somerset festival's West Holts Stage at 4pm on Saturday. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch also said the BBC 'should not be showing' the trio's set in a post on social media last week. Badenoch said in an X post, which was accompanied by an article from The Times which said the BBC had not banned the group: 'The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda. 'One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act. 'As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism.' Kneecap are not listed as one of the acts being shown live by the broadcaster. Ahead of the group's set, an Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson told the PA news agency: 'Ticket-holders can once again expect to see uniformed officers on site at Glastonbury Festival 24/7 throughout the festival as part of our extensive policing operation ensuring it is safe for everyone attending, as well as those who live nearby.' Neil Young, best known for songs such as Rockin' In The Free World, Like A Hurricane and Cinnamon Girl, will headline the festival's Pyramid Stage on Saturday night with his band the Chrome Hearts. Lorde performing on the Woodsies Stage (Yui Mok/PA) The BBC confirmed on Thursday that Young's set will not be broadcast live 'at the artist's request'. Another act expected to draw a big crowd is Brat star Charli XCX, who will headline the Other Stage around the same time Young and Grammy Award-winning rapper Doechii will also perform. The 1975 headlined the festival's Pyramid Stage on Friday night, with the performance seeing singer Matty Healy joke he was his generation's 'best songwriter'. After performing Part Of The Band he sat on a stool while smoking and sipping his drink, Healy said: 'What this moment is making me realise is that I probably am the best songwriter of my generation. 'The best what they say, a poet, ladies and gentlemen, is what I am. 'Generational words and I just wanted to remind you, over the next couple of minutes, these lyrics are poetry, I believe.' The band then launched into Chocolate from their 2013 self-titled debut, before Healy remarked 'I was only joking about being a poet' at its conclusion. Made up of four school friends, the group comprised of singer Healy, bassist Ross MacDonald, guitarist Adam Hann and drummer George Daniel were headlining the festival for the first time. Friday also saw a performance from Scottish music star Lewis Capaldi who told the Glastonbury crowds 'I'm back baby' as he played a surprise set, two years after a performance at the festival during which he struggled to manage his Tourette syndrome symptoms. The musician, who announced a break from touring shortly after his performance at the festival in 2023, has just released a new song called Survive. Lewis Capaldi performing on the Pyramid Stage (Yui Mok/PA) He told fans: 'It's so good to be back. I'm not going to say much up here today, because if I do, I think I will probably start crying.' He ended his performance with Somebody You Loved, the track that Glastonbury crowds helped him to sing when he struggled with the condition which can cause physical and verbal tics in 2023. Earlier on Friday, alternative pop star Lorde surprised fans with a secret set at Worthy Farm, performing her latest album Virgin, which was released on Friday, in full. Scottish indie rockers Franz Ferdinand brought out former Doctor Who actor Peter Capaldi during their Other Stage set while they were playing Take Me Out, one of their best-known songs. Celebrities who have been spotted at the festival include singer Harry Styles, Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne and Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn. Friday saw hot dry weather which hardened the Worthy Farm surface after rain in the early hours of the morning, with festival goers expected to see temperatures in the mid-20s on Saturday. A woman in the crowd with an ice cream watching Burning Spear perform on the Pyramid Stage (Yui Mok/PA) The Met Office's Grahame Madge said: 'We anticipate highs of 26C on Saturday, with high levels of humidity. By Monday temperatures can be anticipated to be over 30C. 'There is always the chance of a light shower, but there is nothing in the forecast that suggests anything heavier for Saturday for Somerset.' Avon and Somerset Police said there had been 38 crimes reported at the festival and 14 arrests made. Performing in the coveted Sunday legends slot this year is Sir Rod Stewart, who previously said he will be joined by his former Faces band member Ronnie Wood, as well as other guests. Sir Rod's performance will come after he postponed a string of concerts in the US, due to take place this month, while he recovered from flu. The BBC is providing livestreams of the five main stages: Pyramid, Other, West Holts, Woodsies and The Park.
Toronto Sun
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
72% of Canadians say Canada still offers good quality of life: Poll
A new Angus Reid poll says seven in 10 Canadians, or 72%, say that Canada offers a good quality of life. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Article content Those disagreeing rises to 42% among those who supported the Conservative Party in the April federal election while those who are in middle of their working lives, 35- to 54-year-old Canadians, are more likely than younger (22%) and older (19%) groups to also feel this way, with 28% saying the country doesn't offer a good quality of life. The poll found that younger people are also least certain that Canada is a good place to start a family with a majority of 18- to-34-year-olds still choosing the optimistic view on this question (60%), but three in 10, or 27%, disagree. Among retirement-age Canadians, for whom those families and lives have already been built, four in five, or 79%, say Canada is a great place to start a family.
CTV News
11 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Federal minister plans to hold consultations this summer on immigration intake
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Lena Metlege Diab rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Thursday, June 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Lena Diab says the federal government will consult this summer on its immigration levels plan and whether the student visa system is 'sustainable.' In a recent interview with University Affairs, Diab says the annual consultations will reach out to the provinces, university administrators and students themselves. An Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada spokeswoman says the government expects schools to only accept students they can 'reasonably support' by providing housing and other services. Post-secondary institutions across the country are posting deficit budgets this year, laying off staff and cutting programs as international student enrolment drops. The government last year announced a cap on study permit applications and a gradual decrease in the number of student visas. Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner says her party wants to see an 'immediate and massive' reduction in student visas due to high youth unemployment and the housing crisis. In May, Statistics Canada reported the unemployment rate among returning students had hit 20 per cent, a three per cent increase over the previous year. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025. David Baxter, The Canadian Press
New York Post
12 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Cuomo staying on NYC mayoral election ballot — as critics slam ex-gov as ‘spoiler' candidate
Andrew Cuomo is staying on the New York City mayoral election ballot — a move that prompted critics to slam the ex-gov as a 'spoiler' candidate. Sources confirmed that Cuomo will not decline to run on an independent ballot line, ahead of a Friday deadline to pull his name from the November ballot. Cuomo's defiant stance comes after his stunning loss to socialist contender Zohran Mamdani in Tuesday's Democratic primary. Advertisement Andrew Cuomo Cuomo will not decline to run on an independent ballot line, sources confirmed. John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock The former governor conceded Mamdani's win that night, but played coy on whether he would continue to run on his 'Fight and Deliver' ballot line in the general election. A campaign source Friday confirmed that Cuomo – who faced a deadline of 5 p.m. to effectively withdraw from November's ballot and growing calls to drop out – will not decline his independent line. It remains unclear whether Cuomo will actually mount an active general election campaign. Advertisement Even if he doesn't, staying on the general election ballot could siphon votes from Mayor Eric Adams, who will also be running on an independent line. 'If Cuomo stays in the race he splits the anti-Mamdani vote and helps Mamdani,' said state Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar, a Dyker Heights resident. 'He's playing the spoiler — 100 percent. He has no chance of winning and only takes votes from Adams.' Advertisement Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks on stage with fellow candidate Comptroller Brad Lander at his primary election party. AP Lawyer Jim Walden is running as an independent candidate in the general election, too, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa will also appear on the ballot. Cuomo pulled a similar maneuver during his last stinging electoral defeat in 2002 — when he was trounced in the Democratic gubernatorial primary by Carl McCall. He backed McCall in the general election that year, but stayed on the Liberal party line.
Telegraph
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Michael Gove: I'm not gay, despite the rumours
Michael Gove has addressed rumours about his sexuality, confirming that he is not gay. Lord Gove said people 'like the idea that anyone in public life will have a kink or secret of some kind', but that the rumours he was gay were untrue. Asked by The Times whether he had ever kissed a boy, the former Tory Cabinet minister said: 'No… except my son', adding that he found the speculation 'hilarious'. It comes after Sarah Vine, his ex-wife, wrote a memoir that included details of her relationship with him and her experience in Conservative Party circles. The couple were close friends with David Cameron, the former prime minister, and his wife Samantha in the 2000s and 2010s, until they fell out during Brexit. Lord Gove and Ms Vine split up in 2021 after 20 years of marriage. They have two children together. Ms Vine has said there was 'so much gossip' about her ex-husband's sexuality, because of his 'quite camp' persona and his several gay friends and colleagues. He also lived in a flat in Mayfair with Ivan Massow, a multi-millionaire financier and gay rights campaigner, and Nick Boles, a former Conservative MP, which attracted further speculation. Asked about the rumours, the former levelling up secretary said: 'I also think people like the idea anyone in public life will have a kink or secret of some kind. 'So everyone from Peter Lilley to the current PM has had rumours spread about them, and this was one that latched on to me. I find it hilarious. But any protestation sounds like you're trying to cover something up.' Since splitting with Ms Vine, Lord Gove has started dating Dr Lola Salem, a 32-year-old music lecturer at Oxford University. A mutual friend of the pair told The Times that Dr Salem is 'even more combative and Right-wing than Michael'. The relationship moved into the public domain after a photograph was taken of Lord Gove and Dr Salem kissing in the J Sheekey fish restaurant in London. Addressing the incident, he said: 'In my mind, the street is sniper's alley. But in a restaurant, you expect a certain amount of politeness.' Before getting together with Dr Salem, the former politician told The Times he had tried using the Bumble dating app. He told how he had to prove to one woman on the app that it really was him behind the profile, taking a photograph of himself holding up the day's newspaper. Lord Gove described the experience as 'fascinating… the pictures people choose, the descriptions they give themselves'. The former Cabinet minister had dated Tory peer Baroness Finn, then known as Simone Kubes, and the historian Amanda Foreman before marrying Ms Vine. Lord Gove is now the editor of The Spectator magazine, having worked as a journalist before he entered politics. He has cut a divisive figure in the Conservative Party over his career, which spanned five prime ministers. Lord Cameron described him in his autobiography as 'mendacious' after falling out with him over Brexit, and said that in him 'one quality shone through – disloyalty'. Asked about his friendship with Lord Cameron and whether it was over, Lord Gove told The Times: 'Impaired, which is sort of a euphemism. Not the same, and I can completely understand why. 'He felt he'd earned the right, as the captain, to expect members of the team to recognise it was better for us all to hang together.'
