Author: SKYNEWS

James Golding was once one half of a unicycling camel at Glastonbury. He also appeared on the Pyramid Stage with The Levellers in 1992, and has a story about how he and his former partner one year convinced everyone, press included, that she was Debbie Harry.Having been to every festival for the last 40 years, this is the go-to man for a Glastonbury anecdote.As a New Age traveller who hitchhiked from North Wales to Somerset and first jumped the fence in 1985, he is now very much part of the furniture – a chainsaw sculptor by day, he even makes…

An expert on the Post Office Horizon IT systems has denied suggestions he was “protecting the monster” in evidence he gave to the trial of a sub-postmaster who was wrongly convicted while pregnant.Former senior Fujitsu engineer Gareth Jenkins told the Post Office Inquiry he did not hide glitches in the branch accounting system at the trial of Seema Misra in 2010 – widely seen as a crucial test case at the time. Mrs Misra was jailed for 15 months on the back of his evidence as an expert witness.On his fourth day in the witness box at the inquiry, Mr…

“Well, you didn’t think we were gonna let you down, did you?”So said Jarvis Cocker as he addressed the enormous crowd at Glastonbury’s Park stage in 2011; thousands and thousands of people stood in front of him to see perhaps the worst-kept secret in the festival’s history, and one of its greatest live music experiences. The speculation that the then newly reformed Pulp would play the surprise set that day – after Radiohead the previous day, no less – had grown so intense that latecomers reportedly had to be turned away, such was demand.Beyonce, Coldplay and U2 headlined that year,…

A total of 27 Just Stop Oil supporters have been arrested on suspicion of planning to disrupt airports this summer, the Metropolitan Police has said.The arrests were made in London, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Devon, Essex, Manchester, Surrey, Sussex, Norfolk and West Yorkshire. “Among those held were several high-profile members of Just Stop Oil who we believe to be key organisers,” the force said.Four people were arrested on Tuesday after being identified at Gatwick Airport and have since been released on bail.On Thursday, six more people were arrested at an east London community centre “as part of a publicly-advertised event promoting airport…

Pearl Jam have cancelled their Tottenham Hotspur Stadium gig on the eve of the event because of “illness in the band”.Fronted by Eddie Vedder, they were due to play the London stadium on Saturday but said in a statement on Friday on Instagram that there was “no other option” but to cancel. Tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase, and stadium officials said the concert will not be rescheduled “despite best efforts”.Standing tickets for the gig on the Dark Matter Tour, which sees the band supported by former Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft and Irish indie rockers The Murder…

The government’s sale of its stake in NatWest Group will reach a new milestone in the coming days when it falls below the threshold at which the Treasury is treated as a related party under stock exchange rules.Sky News can reveal the taxpayer’s shareholding in the high street lender is likely to be reduced below 20% at some point next week – and possibly on the day of the general election. Under proposed changes to UK listing rules expected to be adopted later this year, the classification of related parties is to be raised from a 10% shareholding to 20%.Money…

Michael Jackson was more than $500m (£395.3m) in debt when he died in 2009, new court documents allege.The King of Pop was in a deep financial hole when he died aged 50 of acute propofol intoxication, according to a petition the executors of his estate filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and seen by Sky’s US partner network NBC News. “At the time of Michael Jackson’s death, Michael Jackson’s most significant assets were subject to more than $500 million of debt and creditors’ claims, with some of the debt accruing interest at extremely high interest rates, and some debt…

Nationwide, HSBC, Barclays and Virgin Money customers have been affected by problems affecting their banking services.The issues could affect workers on what is commonly pay day for many across the country. Nationwide said there is a “delay with some customers receiving their salary or pension payments today” and Barclays reports issues with transfers and payments that “may not arrive as normal”.Money blog: Public told to check energy readings to avoid overpayingMeanwhile, HSBC and Virgin Money said it is aware of issues affecting its online and mobile banking – with the former “really sorry” and the latter saying it is working…

A security guard accused of planning to kidnap, rape and murder Holly Willoughby has told a jury the television presenter was “my celebrity crush”.An undercover US police officer on Thursday told Chelmsford Crown Court he believed 37-year-old Gavin Plumb posed an “imminent threat” to the former This Morning Host.Plumb shared a video of his “abduction kit” with the officer, referred to as David Nelson, and said he would use chloroform to snatch Willoughby, 43, from her home to sexually assault her before slitting her throat, the jury has heard.He alerted UK police who found two bottles of liquid, alongside items…

The UK’s exit from recession during the first three months of the year was stronger than initial figures suggested, according to official data.In an update on its first growth estimate, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.7% between January and March. It had originally said on 10 May that output was 0.6% up on the previous three months – a positive figure that brought to an end the shallow recession that struck during the second half of 2023.Then, the effects of Bank of England interest rate rises to combat inflation were widely blamed…