PROUD MEDIA NEWS CENTRE

  Oasis will kickstart their long-awaited worldwide reunion tour in Cardiff on Friday, their first concert in almost 16 years. Brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher will perform together for the first time since their dramatic split in 2009, when they appear at the Welsh capital’s Principality Stadium. The brothers announced the Oasis Live ‘25 tour last August, starting with two dates in Cardiff on Friday and Saturday, before heading across the UK and Ireland. Doors are expected to open at 5pm, with Cast and the Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft in support. Former members of the group are expected to make a return, with Andy Bell on bass, and Gem Archer and Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs on guitars. Noel was spotted getting off the train in Cardiff on Tuesday, while a drone display spelling out the band’s name could be seen over the stadium on Wednesday. Fans across the city have also heard what they believe to be rehearsals in the Principality throughout the week. The reunion announcement came ...

  Councils will have to agree targets to improve the number of children ready for school, under new plans to be announced by the Education Secretary. Bridget Phillipson will decry “a national scandal” when she speaks at a Government regional improvement conference on Friday. Ministers have previously set a target of 75% of school children being “school-ready” by 2028. As part of the Government’s plans, Ms Phillipson will confirm that all local authorities will have to work with Whitehall to agree targets that could improve school readiness in their area. Officials have pointed to wanting to bring down the number of children starting school in nappies or unable to hold a pencil as part of their plans. A tool focused on school readiness data will also be launched this autumn, designed to help schools support children through their Reception year, and will be demonstrated at the conference. Ms Phillipson is expected to tell school leaders: “How can there be a fair race to success in o...

  Mourners are to gather to honour Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota at a wake in Portugal on Friday morning, a local parish priest has said. The 28-year-old father of three, who had married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso just 11 days ago, died in a car crash in Spain alongside his brother Andre Silva after a Lamborghini they were travelling in veered off the road and burst into flames following a suspected tyre blowout. The pair were found dead following the crash on the A-52 in Palacios de Sanabria near the city of Zamora at 12.40am on Thursday. Jose Manuel Macedo, parish priest at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in Sao Cosme, told the PA news agency in a translated message that a wake for the brothers will take place on Friday at the nearby Capela da Ressurreicao before their funeral at the Igreja Matriz on Saturday at 10am. The wake is expected to begin late in the afternoon. Liverpool manager Arne Slot said the “sense of shock is absolute” for the club. “Diogo was not just our...

  A critical shortage of skilled workers is jeopardising the Government’s pledge to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029, according to research. Skills development organisation City & Guilds surveyed employers, training providers and employees, finding 76% of construction firms are struggling to recruit the skilled people they need, with 84% agreeing the industry is suffering from critical skills shortages. The latest outlook from the Construction Industry Training Board suggests the industry needs to recruit 239,300 workers by 2029 to be able to meet the projected demand for the 1.5 million homes target. More than half (54%) of employers do not think the sector has the workforce it needs to meet this target, with the same percentage also putting into doubt the sector’s ability to deliver net zero housing goals. Kirstie Donnelly, chief executive of City & Guilds, said: “We can’t build 1.5 million homes without the people to deliver it. We urgently need to reset how we attrac...

  Roads in central Cardiff will close from 12pm on Friday and Saturday, as train operators warn commuters that trains will be "busy". Oasis are set to kick off their reunion tour in Cardiff this weekend, with thousands expected to descend on the Welsh capital. The 41-date  Oasis  Live 25 tour begins in the city on Friday and Saturday, amid warnings for people to plan ahead before they travel. The Gallagher brothers' last performance together was in 2009, and the tour sold out within hours of its announcement last August, with fans eager to catch a glimpse of the reunion. But where is the tour heading - and why was Cardiff chosen as the city where the brothers will perform for the first time together in almost 16 years? When does the tour start and where is it heading? After  Cardiff , Oasis will go on to perform at  Manchester ,  London ,  Edinburgh  and  Dublin  on their UK and Ireland leg of the tour. See below for a full list of tour ...

  Jurors in the high-profile trial of hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs found him guilty of transportation for prostitution after hearing seven weeks of evidence. The date for his sentencing has now been set. Sean "Diddy" Combs has been found guilty of transportation for prostitution following a landmark trial in New York - but cleared of more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. The hip-hop mogul was accused by prosecutors of abusing and coercing three alleged victims, including his former long-term partner, singer and model Cassie Ventura, and other crimes including kidnapping, arson and blackmail. Jurors decided not all the allegations were proven - but  Combs  still faces several years in prison after being convicted of transporting people across the US, including Cassie and another former girlfriend "Jane", and paying male escorts to engage in sexual encounters. However, with the not guilty verdict on three other more serious...

  Singer-songwriter Sam Fender’s People Watching is the biggest-selling album to be released this year so far, according to the Official Charts Company. People Watching became Fender’s third number one album when it came out in February, with sales soaring as the North Shields-born singer played a series of sold-out shows in the North West last month. Meanwhile, another singer-songwriter – US star Alex Warren – has overtaken British star Lola Young as the artist with the UK’s biggest song of the year so far. His song Ordinary has enjoyed a total of 1.09 million chart sales and been streamed 128 million times since its February release. It spent 12 weeks at number one, making him the US artist with the most consecutive weeks at number one in Official Singles Chart history. Close behind is Young with her self-proclaimed “ADHD anthem” Messy, which has had 113 million streams and more than 33,000 downloads, making it the most-downloaded track of the year so far. Fresh from her Glastonb...