Liam Gallagher has answered fans on social media after they were left disappointed at band manager Alec McKinlay’s apparent reveal that there will be no more new Oasis tunes
Liam Gallagher spoke out about potential new tunes from Oasis(Image: Simon Emmett)
Liam Gallagher has hit back at speculation regarding any future Oasis tunes in the way he knows best. The singer, 52, has refused to let other people talk for him – and that includes the iconic band’s manager.
Manager Alec McKinlay had opened up on what it was like working with Liam and his brother Noel as the pair get ready for an epic summer of reunion gigs. However, he had appeared to pour cold water on the idea of new material, much to the disappointment of fans.
However, Liam has had his say, casting doubt over Alec’s claims in brutal fashion.
The Gallagher brothers are reuniting(Image: Getty Images)
The singer took to X, formerly known as Twitter to contradict his manager’s input. He boldly said any reveal would come from him or his brother only.
His message came after one follower had claimed the dismissal by Alec didn’t feel “very biblical”. It led to Liam hitting back in typical fashion: “Neither do I and the only people that will be making any kind of decisions on the future of OASIS will be ME n RKID so let’s just take it one day at a time.”
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He reaffirmed his stance later on as he answered another fan. They had claimed there “must be a degree of truth” in Alec’s words for him to say it. Liam bluntly labelled Alec the “accountant” for the band.
Last week, fans were adamant they had figured out what the band’s first song will be in their reunion tour. It came after a cryptic teaser post on Instagram ahead of the first concert on July 4.
Although there has been no official announcement yet, sharp-eyed supporters think the recent share on the platform could be a hint to the opener. The band’s official Instagram account shared a visual clue which showed what looked like to be a five-track setlist.
In it, one notably swapped out for ‘Songbird’ from 2002, a crowd-pleaser among the Oasis faithful. The teaser post was captioned: “Less than two months to go. What’s your dream opener?” A post to the r/Oasis subreddit later sparked fan theories as to what this puzzle signifies, sending them into overdrive.
It showed the song list reading Supersonic, Rock and Roll Star, Bring it On Down, Champagne Supernova, and Songbird. However, Songbird had been penned beneath Better Man, which is visibly struck through.
One user pondered: “What are all your thoughts on this? Seems odd, I’d never imagine they’d open with the last two? And why scratch out better man? Cryptic. Interested to hear what you make of it.”
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Another fan thought it wasn’t the start of their song list, however, suggesting: “This is 100% one of Noel’s early setlist drafts from the Heathen Chemistry tour that they plucked out of some archive. It’s not current. These are not clues about what will be on the setlist.”
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Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that a series of recent Israeli attacks on Gaza show that Israel is not interested in ending the war.
In an interview with the US news outlet CNN on Wednesday, Al Thani said that he had hoped that the release of a US-Israeli soldier named Edan Alexander from captivity in Gaza would be a “breakthrough that will help bring back the talks on track” but that Israel had instead opted to step up strikes on the Strip.
“Unfortunately, Israel’s reaction to this was [bombing] the next day, while sending the delegation,” he said.
Al Thani also stated that a US-backed plan for distributing aid in Gaza through a newly created group is unnecessary. Humanitarian and United Nations aid groups have said that they already have the means of delivering aid to Gaza but are being blocked from doing so by Israel.
Israel has completely cut off Gaza’s access to food, water, fuel, and humanitarian aid since March 2, prompting global monitors of extreme hunger to warn of possible famine and allegations of the use of starvation as a weapon of war by human rights groups.
Israel has claimed, with little evidence, that members of the armed Palestinian group Hamas are stealing large portions of aid entering the Strip, and have pushed for the exclusion of UN organisations, long viewed with ire by Israeli authorities, from aid distribution.
A newly created body with US backing called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said on Wednesday that it would begin operations in Gaza by the end of May, and that it has asked Israel to allow increased levels of aid into the Strip.
Critics have said that the new organisation fulfils an Israeli goal of sidelining the UN and independent international organisations from aid distribution in Gaza.
“GHF emphasizes that a successful humanitarian response must eventually include the entire civilian population in Gaza,” the foundation’s executive director, Jake Wood, wrote in a letter to the Israeli government.
“GHF respectfully requests that the [Israeli military] identify and deconflict sufficient locations in northern Gaza capable of hosting GHF-operated secure distribution sites that can be made operational within 30 days,” he added.
A recent report by the Observer, a UK-based news outlet, notes that a GHF fundraising document appears to mirror claims about the problems of humanitarian assistance in Gaza that do not include the actions of the Israeli government itself and instead blame a “collapse” of “traditional humanitarian channels” due to aid diversion and combat operations.
Thousands of aid trucks have been bottlenecked outside of Gaza amid Israel’s blockade for weeks, with UN officials stressing that they are ready and capable of resuming aid distribution in the Strip, if Israel will lift the siege.
Nottingham Forest forward Taiwo Awoniyi has woken from an induced coma after having surgery to repair a serious abdominal injury.
Awoniyi was taken to hospital on Monday, having collided with a goalpost in the closing stages of the 2-2 draw against Leicester City on Sunday.
BBC Sport understands Awoniyi sustained a ruptured intestine in the incident.
Having had the first part of the surgery on Monday, the striker spent Tuesday in an induced coma as medical staff monitored his progress as part of the procedure.
Awoniyi had the second stage of the operation, including closing the wound, on Wednesday.
He was subsequently woken from the induced coma in the early evening.
Forest are set to open an internal review into the episode.
Awoniyi received lengthy medical attention on the pitch after the collision, and he appeared to inform medics that he could continue.
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis came on to the pitch after the game to express his concern to Espirito Santo over how Awoniyi’s injury was handled.
This was amid fears regarding the forward’s health as TV footage clearly showed the Nigerian player was uncomfortable.
It is understood the club will seek to establish the facts around why Awoniyi was allowed back on to the field of play.
‘Potentially life-threatening’
Speaking to BBC Sport, consultant colorectal surgeon Professor Gillian Tierney said injuries similar to the one suffered by Awoniyi can be fatal.
“The injury is really serious. It is potentially life-threatening,” said Tierney.
“It is very easy to miss at the point of contact and can take hours to diagnose.
“In a hospital setting we would send a patient for a CT scan which could take up to 10 hours.
“If it occurred to an athlete who was super fit, very muscular and was running on adrenaline then I think it would be extremely understandable to miss it. Fluid leaking from the intestine would not be easy to diagnose straight away.
“Surgery is usually required and the stomach would be opened up. The mortality stat is 9%. So if an athlete – who went through the procedure – was really fit, they would stand a good chance of being OK.
“It would be different if the operation occurred for an 80-year-old, who has other health issues.”
Mr Harpaul Flora, consultant vascular and general surgeon at The London Clinic, said ruptured intestines are “a pretty rare injury”.
He added: “It’s either a compression of the abdominal wall which has led to tearing and liquid seeping out – or the tear of an artery.
“Neither of those would be able to be diagnosed without a scan, there may have been bruising.
Did ‘late flag’ offside law expose Awoniyi to serious injury?
The injury suffered by Awoniyi has raised questions about the future of the offside law.
Awoniyi was attempting to get on the end of a cross by winger Anthony Elanga when he suffered his injury. Replays showed Elanga was offside in the build-up.
A new protocol on offsides was introduced by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) for the 2020-21 Premier League season following the introduction of the video assistant referee (VAR).
While the law did not change, assistant referees were told to keep their flag down if they felt there was an immediate scoring opportunity.
“With the introduction of VAR came the process of assistant referees delaying the flag to indicate offside until the outcome – either a goal or possession of the ball by the defence,” former Premier League referee Keith Hackett told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“This is to ensure where the assistant referee makes an error on an offside decision, it doesn’t impact on the goal being ruled out incorrectly. Sadly, this practice does expose the risk to players of injury.”
Former England women’s midfielder Fara Williams has called on the law to be reviewed.
“When it is marginal, then I get it. When an offside is so clear and obvious, I think it is the duty of the assistant referee to put their flag up and stop play,” Williams told BBC Sport.
“In this scenario it happened on the halfway line. This has been a time bomb waiting to go off in terms of someone getting seriously injured. Awoniyi got that horrific injury because of it.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to have spent time with Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz at their mansion in Montecito last week amid the rumoured Beckham family rift
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to have met with Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz recently(Image: Getty Images for TIME)
Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz are rumoured to have spent time with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at their home just last week. The two couples are said to have bonded amid rumours of a rift within the Beckham family at the moment.
Brooklyn, 26, and Nicola, 30, are thought to have been absent from a party for his father, David Beckham, 50, earlier this month after reportedly missing other celebrations. The special occasion has fuelled speculation of tension within the high-profile family, and a source told the Mirror recently that there is “distance” between Brooklyn and his parents.
It’s now claimed that Prince Harry and Meghan are “secretly supporting” Brooklyn and Nicola. The news follows previous reports that Prince Harry had once been pals with David, though the relationship reportedly soured.
Brooklyn and Nicola were reportedly invited to Prince Harry and Meghan’s mansion in Montecito last week, just days after David’s birthday celebrations. It has, however, been claimed that the gathering had been planned prior and that any recent circumstances were a “welcome coincidence”.
Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz are said to have been invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s home in the US(Image: Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Burberry)
The Sun reports that the “dinner” had been arranged before the apparent fallout between the Beckham family. However, it’s been suggested that the two couples “found a lot of common ground,” with Prince Harry and Meghan having dealt with apparent tension with his family over the years.
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The outlet adds that it’s understood the two couples swapped numbers whilst at the home. It states that it isn’t known whether they have remained in touch, though.
A source told the outlet that it was an “unexpected invite” for Brooklyn and Nicola, who were described as feeling “pretty battle-wounded,” but was “gratefully received”. The source said that Prince Harry and Meghan were “very kind” and “empathetic” to their guests.
The source added: “Harry was fully aware of the situation and offered Brooklyn his unwavering support as someone who has been through similar.” They added: “Nicola and Meghan also had a bit of a ‘deep [and] meaningful’ [chat] as obviously both women have been positioned in the media as home-wreckers – the women to tear apart their husbands’ families.”
Former actress Meghan reportedly had “a lot of sympathy” for Nicola, who is herself an actor. The source further claimed to the outlet that Meghan said there was “shared common ground” between them.
The source went on to suggest that the meeting wasn’t connected to the Beckham rift rumours. The source said: “They didn’t meet in relation to recent developments and headlines, but it was an honest but very welcome coincidence.”
Meghan and Prince Harry, who live in Montecito in California, reportedly had the other couple over last week(Image: Getty Images)
A source told the Mirror recently that there is “distance” between Brooklyn and his parents, David and Victoria Beckham, 51. The source said, “Brooklyn not turning up was a real blow to David. Brooklyn was close with his dad growing up, but he is married now. His wife Nicola is older and confident in her own right, and so there is distance between Brooklyn and his parents.”
They added: “It has become a problem and not something they can keep private because of the way the family uses social media. Things have escalated in recent months, and there is a very obvious rift that David and Victoria would love to heal.”
A source complained to the Daily Mail about Nicola in an article published earlier this month. The source said: “Victoria and David would do anything to get their son back, but they are done with Nicola now.” The source went on to claim that Nicola “finds a way to start an argument”. They claimed that Brooklyn had told his parents that he would be there for David’s birthday, but the source alleged that, amid his making plans with his family, Nicola would then “kick something off” and in the end it becomes “impossible” for her husband to attend such events.
There’s thought to be tension between Brooklyn and some of his family, which include his parents David Beckham (left) and Victoria Beckham (right)(Image: Getty Images)
However, a source has since suggested to the Mirror that Nicola is the peacekeeper. It came following reports that Brooklyn and Nicola had offered to privately meet David for his milestone birthday in the UK, rather than attend his showbiz party, but didn’t have their request fulfilled.
The source said: “Nicola encourages Brooklyn to see his family and is usually the reason Brooklyn does see his family. They are both devastated. They cannot believe that Victoria & David refused to see them privately after they travelled all the way to London specifically to try to repair the relationship.”
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They added to us: “As parents, it’s shocking that Victoria & David are behaving this way… instead of privately discussing the issue. Victoria and David (appear to) have no interest in finding a solution that works for everyone.”
The Mirror has approached representatives for both parties.
Alleged text conversations between Cassie Ventura and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs have been shown to the jury as the case against the rapper, 55, continued for a third day
Diddy’s ex, Cassie gave evidence on the third day of the trial(Image: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
The trial of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs entered its third day on Wednesday (May 14) with shocking text allegations revealed in court. The rapper is in the lower Manhattan courthouse facing charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution.
In September, the musician, 55, was arrested and has continued to strongly deny all allegations made against him. He has been in prison since his arrest, with a number of bail requests rejected.
His ex-Cassie Ventura took the stand on day two, before retaking her position under oath on the third day. On day three, a number of text conversations between the pair were shown to the jury. We look at some of the shocking allegations here.
Sean Combs and Cassie Ventura in 2018(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Combs ‘threatened to release Freak Off videos’
As Ventura continued to testify, she claimed Combs threatened to publicly share videos on a number of occasions. She said if he had done so it could have ruined everything she had worked for as it would have made her “look like a slut”.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs bombshell texts revealed in court as day three closes
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She said she was always worried about the rapper becoming mad enough to release them. After admitting she feared for her career, saying she wasn’t supposed to be on the videos, a jury saw a text Ventura sent Combs.
It read: “Please delete any video out of your iphone you have. Too many people have access to your stuff.”
It’s said Combs replied: “I did yesterday an no icloud. All Good. Ambien kicking in. Goodnight.”
Despite his claims, Ventura said she kept seeing a video she had previously thought had been deleted.
Ventura says Combs treated her like he was Ike Turner
A mock-up version of Ventura’s alleged text
A text exchange shown to the jury saw Ventura write to Combs: “Nothing good comes out of FOs any more. You treat me like you’re Ike Turner.”
The text came as Ventura continued to testify and expose the underbelly of the former couple’s years-long relationship.
Ventura speaks of French Montana and Drake
How the text may have looked
As her testimony continued, a number of celebrities were mentioned. Ventura discussed a 2013 incident in which she was packing to attend Drake’s music festival in Canada.
It’s claimed Combs got into a scuffle with her friends and threw Ventura into a bed frame. The alleged incident is said to have left her with a ‘pretty significant gash’ above her left eye, she said. It’s claimed the rapper’s security personnel then took her to a plastic surgeon to get the wound stitched up.
She claims she later sent Combs an image of her injured face and wrote: “So you can remember.”
Combs is said to have responded: “You don’t know when to stop. You pushed it too far. And continued to push. Sad.”
Ventura then spoke of a photograph where she was alongside rapper French Montana at the Canadian festival.
Combs ‘threats’ after break-up
An example of how the texts could have looked
According to allegations Combs texted Ventura in 2019 saying: “If I as you, I would get me my money.”
It’s claimed he wanted to be reimbursed by his ex after she married Alex Fine. Combs had initially hired the personal trainer for Ventura.
The texts are said to have gone on: “YOU WILL NOT BE THREATENING ME,” before he added that Ventura had “too many iPads full of skeletons”.
It’s said Ventura replied: “Do you want me to tell the truth? It’s way deeper than iPads.”
The trial continues.
For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk
