Happy Saturday to everyone except those who went to Glastonbury – it looked like a mess anyway.
While you certainly have a lot of Pride plans to catch up, you first have the news to get through.
Never one to shy away from fulfilling his role of providing existentialism and fear, the old news cycle showed up with some potential war crimes, travel slaughter and a bit of nasty ablism.
But this week we also gave a few cheers, even if one of them (* cough * Glastonbury) caused an epidemic of FOMO and envy.
While Metro.co.uk sincerely hopes anyone who has gone to Glastonbury is still suffering the worst hangover of their life, but we also hope that Monday’s will compare.
Enjoy a wonderful Pride weekend!
But before you get to that fun, here’s our breakdown of the week’s biggest stories.
Russia bombs Ukrainian mall
Russia has launched a missile attack on a shopping center in the city of Kremenchuk with more than 1,000 civilians inside.
Moscow’s Ministry of Defense claimed the mall was ‘non-functioning’ and that it only burned down because the bombing of a nearby ammunition depot caused a secondary fire that spread outside.
But several video clips filmed before the blast, including verified footage, show buyers walking around and opening businesses as usual.
Putin’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations also claimed the whole tragedy was ‘false’ or ‘staged’.
CCTV footage apparently shows one missile hitting the mall while another hits a factory on another premises.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “Russia continues to exert its powerlessness on ordinary civilians. It is useless to hope for decency and humanity on his part. ‘
The attack came as G7 countries met in Germany for a summit, promising to phase out Russian oil in a ‘timely and orderly manner, and in ways that provide time for the world to obtain alternative supplies’ .
At the time, Boris Johnson and his colleagues joked with a photo of Putin riding a horse shirtless.
Canada’s Justin Trudeau said: “We’re going to get the bare-chested equestrian show.”
Mr. Johnson said to him, ‘There you go! We have to show them our images. ‘
TL; DR: That’s it, all Putin needed was a good old tease to get to his senses.
Ghislaine Maxwell jailed for 20 years
Jeffrey Epstein’s girlfriend will spend two decades behind bars because her young girls traded to the convicted pedophile.
The 60-year-old was sentenced on Tuesday when she insisted she was also a victim of Epstein’s abuse.
She also said she hoped her ‘hard conviction’ would bring the victims ‘pleasure’.
“To those of you who spoke here today and those of you who did not, may this day help you to travel from darkness to light,” she added.
The U.S. District Judge has recommended that she be jailed at the Alison Nathan Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, near New York.
Maxwell’s legal team asked Judge Nathan to send her to Danbury – a correctional facility known for its comparative convenience.
It previously housed other well-known prisoners, including singer Lauryn Hill, and where Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black, served time.
Danbury houses 1,000 inmates in separate male and female prisons, and offers a variety of hobby or fitness programs for inmates
Maxwell is currently being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center – where she says she has been subjected to excessive cavity searches, ill-treatment by prison guards and a prison cell full of rats.
TL; DR: Goodbye and good ride.
Airport chaos – still
There is still no end in sight to the absolute mania currently traveling everywhere to or from a UK airport.
The industry laid off too many staff members during the Covid pandemic and now airports and airlines cannot keep up with the increase in demand.
Most recently, a Tui flight was canceled more than two hours after passengers had already boarded the plane.
The flight from Cardiff to Dalaman, in Turkey, was originally scheduled to take off at around 18:00 on Monday, but travelers say the gates only opened at 20:45.
After waiting 45 minutes on the runway, they were reportedly told by staff that take-off should be pushed back while staff were handling a drunk passenger.
One woman said they were told to fasten their seat belts at 10pm and the plane only started moving around midnight.
But the plane eventually turned around on the runway and passengers were told the flight had been canceled.
One tourist took matters into his own hands and pretended to be a wheelchair user skipping two-hour airport queues in Turkey.
Wolf Jenkins (28) filmed himself limping around without his sock and shoe while airport staff mocked his allegedly ‘sprained’ ankle.
“I hurt my leg to get through security faster and get back on the plane from Ibiza,” he wrote. “Amazing what it can accomplish to pull off one sock.”
Needless to say, many who watched Wolf’s prank on social media were shocked and added that he should be ashamed of himself.
One woman said, ‘Be careful, because what goes around comes back. Coming from a wheelchair user. ‘
TL; DR: A vacation has never looked more stressful.
Glastonbury
About 200,000 people went to Glastonbury this year, with an incredible range that includes Sir Paul McCartney, the Sugarbabes and Diana Ross.
Sunday was the last day off with Kendrick Lamar bringing the epic event to an end.
The rapper was one of several artists who used the platform to condemn the U.S. Supreme Court for overthrowing Roe v Wade and terminating any constitutional right to abortion.
Lorde shouted ‘f ** k the Supreme Court’ during her performance on Sunday and Billie Eilish said it was a ‘really, really dark day for women in the US’ while performing on the day news was announced.
Olivia Rodrigo and Lily Allen also dedicated the iconic song ‘f ** k you’ to the Supreme Court on Saturday.
An organizer called this year’s festival ‘the best one yet’.
The BBC has revealed that its coverage of Glastonbury 2022 across its digital platforms reached a record 34.1 million times on BBC iPlayer and played 2.3 million times on BBC Sounds.
Meanwhile, a huge 23m stream was live on BBC iPlayer – the highest on record for a BBC program brand.
The clean-up operation on the site has begun, in an attempt to return it from a booming city to a Somerset dairy farm.
TL; DR: Do NOT be jealous.
Pride
IT’S PROUD WEEKEND!
London is in for a colorful weekend of celebrations as more than 1.5 million people are expected to march today.
Okay, this is not exactly the heat wave people were hoping for, but it’s not cold or wet and it’s a victory in this country.
You can join the parade at Hyde Park Corner at 12:00.
Crowds will follow the same route that was marched in 1972 in the UK’s first Pride ever.
It is expected to get very busy by the time the parade reaches Piccadilly before everyone changes direction and moves south to The Mall.
The march will end at 18:00 at Whitehall.
It is expected to get very busy by the time the parade reaches Piccadilly before everyone changes direction and moves south to The Mall.
The march will end at 18:00 at Whitehall.
TL; DR: Happy Pride!
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Metro.co.uk celebrates 50 years of Pride
This year is 50 years of Pride, so it just seems fitting that Metro.co.uk goes above and beyond in our ongoing LGBTQ + support, through a wealth of content that not only celebrates everything Pride celebrates, but also shares stories, time take to reflect and cultivate community awareness this Pride month.
And we have some amazing names on board to help us too. From a list of well-known guest editors who take over the site for a week that includes roof rinder, Nicholas Adams, Peter Tatchell, Kimberly Hart Simpson, John White, Anna Richardson and Dr Ranjas well as keeping Sir Ian McKellen a Drag Race stars The Vivienne, Lawrence Chaney and Tannie Kofi to offer their insights.
During Pride Month, which runs from 1 – 30 June, Metro.co.uk will also support Kyiv Pride, a Ukrainian charity that is forced to work harder than ever to protect the rights of the LGBTQ + community during times of conflict, and the Youth Homelessness Charity AKT. To find out more about their work, and what you can do to support them, click here.
For Metro.co.uk‘s latest Pride coverage, click here.