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The Guardian
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Byron writers festival cancelled and warnings for Sydney's City2Surf due to east coast rain dump
Heavy rainfall across Australia's eastern states has prompted the cancellation of the Byron writers festival and a warning for participants in Sunday's City2Surfrace in Sydney to take care, after parts of the east coast received nearly double the typical August monthly rainfall in eight days. Festival organisers said they were 'devastated' to announce the cancellation of the annual event due to the condition of the festival site and ongoing rain, and that it was a 'deeply regrettable but necessary decision'. 'The forecast conditions make it impossible to continue the event safely,' the festival's artistic director, Jessica Alice, said in a statement following the festival's first day. This is not the first year the writers festival, of which Guardian Australia is a partner, has been affected by rain. In 2019, one day of the festival was cancelled due to extreme weather and in 2022, as the northern rivers region experienced devastating flooding, the festival changed its venue. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Alice said her team did a lot of site work to mitigate the effects of weather: ensuring there was adequate drainage, creating pathways for people to move safely around and investing in sturdy marquees. But she said extreme weather was now something event organisers need to be plan for. 'It's absolutely something we now need to discuss more urgently,' Alice said. 'This weather that we've had – we're used to rain in the northern rivers … but it's very unusual for it to be this wet at this time of year. 'We're feeling these effects in a different way.' A surface trough sitting off the coast of Queensland and pushing moisture down the east coast led to an extensive area of cloud stretching from central eastern Queensland through the New South Wales coast, and rainy conditions for much of the east coast, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. There were heavy rainfall totals along the eastern seaboard after Friday night, with 75mm to the north of Rockhampton, more than 50mm along the coast from Yamba towards Lismore, and up to 50mm in Sydney's east. Some parts of the NSW coast have already seen their average monthly rainfall dramatically exceeded in the first eight days of August, including Sydney, where average August rainfall has been about 80mm – and which, as of 9am on Saturday, has already received 140mm of rain. Rainfall in Newcastle has reached 147mm. 'In the seven days to 9am this morning, the highest rainfall for NSW is 255mm at Careys Creek [in the Hunter region],' senior BoM meteorologist Jonathan How said. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion There were hazardous surf warnings in place for the K'gari coast and Sunshine Coast Waters in Queensland, said How, and a major flood warning remained in place for the Namoi River at Wee Waa, Bugilbone and Goangra, though How said the rainfall and flooding were subsiding. 'Narrabri's levels are subsiding, but our message is that the rivers still [have] a lot of water flowing through them, so reminding people to take care,' he said. How also flagged conditions for the annual City2Surf race in Sydney. 'It's looking to be quite a showery sort of morning for participants and quite chilly with that southerly wind coming through as well,' he said. 'So, not the best conditions for running.'
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Did BBC's focus on one potential Glastonbury controversy miss another?
Last year the BBC won a Bafta for its Glastonbury coverage. This year it's being attacked for it. Or, to be more precise, for one hour of it, two at the most, if you count Kneecap's set, which followed Bob Vylan's on the West Holts stage on Saturday afternoon.I had arrived early to cover the Belfast rap trio's performance, aware that the prime minister had said it shouldn't go ahead, that the festival organisers had stood firm against political pressure, that one of the band's members is on bail on a terror charge, which he denies, and that the BBC had announced that morning it wouldn't stream the show live.I have to admit, I hadn't heard of Bob Vylan. But I don't imagine many others had either. Of the millions who tuned in to the BBC's coverage over the weekend, the live streamers of the Bob Vylan set would have likely been a tiny you'd have to have been under a rock (or perhaps partying too hard on a Somerset farm) not to have heard of the punk duo now. As I stood in the crowd and caught the lead singer's comments - about using violence to get your message across, and leading the crowd in chants of "death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]" - it was clear, as the festival's organisers said afterwards, that a line had been was not the peace-loving, welcome-to-all vibe that Glastonbury tries to have launched a criminal investigation into Bob Vylan's set to ascertain if statements made on stage broke the people in the crowd chanted "death to the IDF" back. They appeared to be on board. Bob Vylan also platformed the controversial "From the river to the sea" slogan. Some use the chant as a call for Palestinian control of all land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, including Israel. Critics say the slogan is a call for the destruction of the state of Israel. That interpretation is disputed by pro-Palestinian activists who say that most people chanting it are calling for an end to Israel's occupation of the West Bank and blockade of Gaza, not the destruction of Israel itself. I made a note at the time that from my vantage point, conversely that slogan did not get a great deal of reaction from the scrutiny has been on the band, the festival organisers and the BBC. But where does the freedom of expression for the thousands in that Saturday afternoon crowd begin and end?After Kneecap's set, I spoke to fans in the crowd who supported that band's stance on the Israel-Gaza war and were pleased that they were sending a message to the British I also spoke to Jewish festival-goers who told me they had to hide their identities at Glastonbury this year because they feared the response they might get. One told me in a place that is so optimistic and accepting of everyone, "there's a difference if you're a Jew".Both perspectives should be heard. In that field on Saturday, it felt to me that the BBC had spent so much energy on how it would deal with Kneecap at Glastonbury, that it had missed Bob Vylan's potential to cause it problems. Sometimes, when you are focused on one potential controversy, another one arrives to bite could not have known exactly what Bob Vylan would say or do on stage. There are questions whether due diligence was done in the run up. I'm told it was. It's the BBC's reaction as the set unfolded, and the perception it was too slow to act, that is a bigger problem.I've covered quite a lot of BBC 'scandals' in my time as media editor at BBC News and as I look at the headlines across the media, and the bashing the BBC is getting, I keep in mind that stories about the BBC are often used by other media organisations as a stick to hit the corporation. And sometimes, there are other corporate interests at play for those who want to see a weaker BBC for their own the BBC has said it regrets not pulling the live stream during the performance. From memory, the comments came towards the end of the set, but there was still time to take action. It would have needed to have been a quick decision though. So if the team had to refer up for editorial advice, it's possible the performance was already over - and it was later pulled from repeat viewing on the BBC says it's looking at its guidance around live events so that "teams are clear on when it's acceptable to keep output on air". Freedom of speech, the freedom to express opinions and the right to artistic expression will have been in the BBC's mind as it went into the festival. As the sea of Palestinian flags in the crowds at the performance illustrated, solidarity with the Palestinian people (and for some, the accusation that Israel is committing genocide, which it denies) is shared by many at Glastonbury and wider. The BBC would not want to be seen to be censoring to violence, though, isn't an opinion. It can be a criminal often holds a mirror up to politics and what has been playing out at Glastonbury is illustrative of the wider, heated debate raging across the country about what's taking place in Bob Vylan set has rightly begged questions of both the BBC and the Glastonbury organisers, as well as the performers themselves. They were the ones who made the comments in the first place, although it's right that the BBC, as a publicly-funded organisation, faces scrutiny. And in the contested times we live in, what's happened has compounded problems for the corporation with its coverage of Israel and Gaza already called into question. An investigation is ongoing into a documentary it already broadcast about the children of Gaza and another documentary about doctors in Gaza was dropped by the BBC and will now be broadcast on Channel 4.
The Sun
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Glastonbury chaos as bosses are forced to SHUT part of festival as Lorde performs surprise set
GLASTONBURY descended into chaos as organisers were forced to shut down part of the site during a surprise performance by pop star Lorde. Crowds rushed to the Woodsies tent after word spread about the secret set — but the surge quickly overwhelmed the space. 4 4 Festival goers were pushed out of the tent where Lorde performed. A source told the Mirror: 'It's sweltering inside the tent given the amount of people crammed inside. 'Bosses are urging people to stand up off the floor to make room. 'Some people are leaving as it's so intense.' The source added: 'Bosses have now shut down Woodsies as crowds are so big with a festival-wide message saying: 'Woodies is now full'.' The disruption came shortly after Glastonbury bosses revealed the acts expected to draw the biggest crowds today. As well as Lorde at Woodsies, Lola Young, Blossoms, Pink Pantheress, Rudimental and Fatboy Slim are expected to draw the biggest crowds. Festival officials issued a warning: 'There will be large crowds at the Pyramid, Other, West Holts and Park Stages too – with plenty of space to accommodate them. 'This evening, Arcadia will be busy. The one way system in the South East Corner is also likely to come into play. 'We expect that there will be one in, one out queues on some of our tented venues, and on occasion it may be necessary to divert you around some areas when they are at capacity. Please listen to stewards and be patient with them.' Lorde Teases Secret Glastonbury Set Amid New Album Release They added: 'When leaving our bigger arenas and venues, please remember there are lots of you. If you take your time the crowds will thin out and you'll get out more easily. 'And when heading to stages remember, we have a lot of alternative routes to places, the shortest route will often not be the quickest.' Social media quickly lit up with complaints directed at the official Glasto account on X/Twitter. One user posted: 'This #Glastonbury opening ceremony is embarrassing as f***,' while another asked: 'Is there meant to be no sound at the #Glastonbury2025 opening ceremony? Local regs? Crowds a bit restless at the back #Glastonbury.' This year's festival runs from June 25 to June 29, with a stacked line-up including US rapper Doechii, British singer Raye, and legendary performer Sir Rod Stewart, who takes on the iconic legends slot. Irish rap trio Kneecap is performing on Saturday. 4 4
