UK students begin Gaza protests after “horrifying” arrests at US universities

Girls Aloud are kicking off their UK and Ireland tour on Friday, 17 May, but it will be bittersweet as Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts will perform without their late bandmate, Sarah Harding. Sarah sadly passed away from breast cancer in September 2021, aged 39, after valiantly battling the disease.

Great Escape Festival in solidarity with Palestine, with Massive Attack also speaking out in support of the boycott.The 2024 edition of the event – which showcases new and rising artists – is due to take place across various music venues in Brighton from tomorrow (May 15) until Saturday (18).The Great Escape is sponsored by Barclays, which has been a source of controversy amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza because of the bank’s financial investment in companies that supply arms to Israel.The issue was first highlighted in a petition started by the promoter How To Catch A Pig and the band The Menstrual Cramps – which has since been signed by musicians including Kneecap, Lambrini Girls, Alfie Templeman, Lip Critic, Wunderhorse and Mary In The Junkyard.Last month, Cherym pulled out of The Great Escape as a result of the festival’s connection to Barclays, before record labels Alcopop and Big Scary Monsters joined the boycott and withdrew from the event.Dozens more acts soon followed suit, with over half the line-up demanding that The Great Escape drop its sponsorship deal with Barclays.Speaking about their decision not to play the festival, Lambrini Girls said: “We will not be appearing at The Great Escape festival this year. This is a targeted approach of a cultural boycott, considering Barclays sponsorship.“Barclays provide financial services of over £1BN pounds to companies supplying military technology and weapons to the IDF, perpetuating the horrors unfolding in Gaza.”Now, 106 artists have cancelled their scheduled appearances at The Great Escape 2024 in total – constituting approximately a quarter of the full programme.

Brian Eno, as well as members of Fontaines D.C., R.E.M, Bastille and more have read out letters from Palestinians suffering in Gaza as part of a ‘Voices For Gaza’ initiative.The clips have been shared on the Instagram page for Voices For Gaza, and sees famous faces from across the entertainment industry read letters from those in Palestine aloud, recalling the graphic details of the war.It aims to help raise funds for the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians and bring awareness to the ongoing crisis happening in the country.At time of writing, the conflict has led to the deaths of over 34,600 Palestinians. The attacks by Hamas on October 7 last year killed over 1,200 people.Among those who have taken part in the charity initiative is Brian Eno, who reads out a letter from a civilian in Gaza, written in February 2024.

Ayrshire College music students are on the right track after meeting one of the UK’s top DJs for a special Q&A event.

Ellise Shafer Jerry Seinfeld received an honorary degree at Duke University’s commencement on Sunday, but before he could begin his speech, the comedian was met with student walkouts. According to the New York Times, dozens of students left the graduation ceremony and chanted “Free, free Palestine” in protest of Seinfeld, who has been vocal about his support of Israel. Others in the crowd responded to the protesters with applause and cheers of approval for Seinfeld, who began his speech with, “Thank you.

As it enters its second week, those living in the Gaza protest camp at the University of Manchester say 'every day we stay here is a win.' Students began erecting tents at Brunswick Park, on the university's Oxford Road campus, last Thursday.

Switzerland has won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, which took place Saturday evening in Malmo, Sweden.

A crowd of protesters estimated by authorities at up to 10,000 took to the streets of Malmö, Sweden on Saturday, calling for an end to Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest being held tonight in the city.

Eurovision final following days of protests in support of Gaza.Eden Golan, Israel’s entrant in the songwriting competition, qualified for the final following a public vote. Her win into the final came shortly after thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in the streets of Malmö, Sweden, where the contest is being held, to show their support for Gaza.The singer was booed during dress rehearsals and was booed again, this time with a mix of cheering as well, during the semi-finals on Thursday (May 9).

Eurovision Song Contest presenter Rylan Clark has been praised by fans for seemingly taking a stand amid the controversy surrounding Israel's participation in the singing competition.

Israel participated in the Eurovision Song Contest on Thursday evening, as thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in the host city of Malmo, Sweden, to protest against the country’s participation in the competition. 

The Office is to begin filming this summer.Peacock announced today (May 8) that the new, and as yet untitled, series will not be a reboot, as per previous rumours, but will be instead set in the same universe as the US version of the hit show. It will feature a new cast and have its own storyline.The US Office – a reboot of the British mockumentary series starring and created by Ricky Gervais – ran for nine seasons from 2005 to 2013, and followed fictional paper company Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Eurovision organisers have defended their decision not to boycott Israel over the war in Gaza.It comes ahead of the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden this Saturday (May 11).There have been several calls to boycott the competition from various countries. Over 1,000 Swedish artists called for Israel to be banned this year, such as Robyn, Fever Ray, and First Aid Kit, whilst over 1,400 Finnish music industry professionals recently signed a petition to ban the country from taking part in the contest as well.In the buildup to the 2024 edition, individual artists such as Olly Alexander also faced calls to boycott the event.

The New Yorker’s Justin Chang won a Pulitzer Prize for his movie criticism during his tenure at the Los Angeles Times.

John Oliver was back on Last Week Tonight after taking a week off and dinged Fox News over their coverage of college students protesting the war in Gaza.

Anne McCarthy As college campus protests ignite across the U.S. over the Israel-Palestine conflict, “SNL” weighed in with its cold open this week as Kenan Thompson played an incredulous parent of a Columbia University student. Michael Longfellow acted as a reporter for Spectrum News New York 1 on “Community Affairs,” shining light on the ongoing protests throughout the country and their impact.

Saturday Night Live tackled the college campus pro-Palestinian protests by taking aim at high education’s high tuition costs and questionable payoff.

Enid Blyton adaptation The Magic Faraway Tree has found key cast in the shape of two-time Oscar nominee Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider Man) and two-time Emmy winner Claire Foy (All of Us Strangers).

After a dramatic election night, Labour has lost its overall majority in Oldham council for the first time in thirteen years. The group saw seven seats go to independent candidates.

Labour has lost seats at councils across Greater Manchester and no longer holds a majority in Oldham. The party suffered losses, predominantly to independent candidates, in several areas where the war in Gaza was said to be a decisive factor for some voters.