The mayor of Duisburg told a press conference that it was too early to blame anyone for the incident. The organiser of the festival said that there would be no more Love Parades. "The Love Parade has always been a joyful and peaceful party, but in future would always be overshadowed by yesterday's events," , Rainer Schaller said. "Out of respect for the victims, their families and friends, we are going to discontinue the event in the future, and that means the end of the Love Parade."
Mayor Adolf Sauerland said that although the question of why the disaster had happened was "absolutely justified and must be answered" he insisted that until the investigation was complete, any apportioning of guilt would be "out of order".
Behind Closed Doors - An order of Benedictine nuns has signed a major record deal with the company behind Lady Gaga. The Nuns of the Abbaye de Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation, from France, won a global search of more than 70 convents across Europe, the US and Africa. The reclusive order, based near Avignon, were deemed to have the finest Gregorian Chant singers. They have signed a deal with Decca Records, part of Universal Music, which counts Lady Gaga and U2 among its acts. The nuns' ancient order dates back to the 6th Century and they follow a tradition of leading a hidden life behind closed doors.
The Reverend Mother Abbess said, "We never sought this, it came looking for us. At first we were worried it would affect our cloistered life, so we asked St Joseph in prayer. Our prayers were answered, and we thought that this album would be a good thing if it touches people's lives and helps them find peace."
The nuns are self-sufficient and include a plumber, an engineer, an electrician, a silk-weaver and a dental assistant.The sisters' album, Voice: Chant From Avignon, will be released in November.
Geldof Honoured - Bob Geldof joined students at the University for the Creative Arts in Canterbury, Kent, to receive a degree. The anti-poverty campaigner and singer received an honorary Master of Arts for his contribution to the arts and humanitarian work. The Live Aid organiser, who lives in Faversham, said he had received several awards for his charity work. "It's great to also receive recognition from UCA for the creative work that I've been doing for the past 35 years. I live up the road, so to be recognised by a local university, in the region that I love, adds even greater significance for me. I wouldn't have accepted this award if it didn't mean anything to me."
Pigeons Stop Play - The Kings of Leon were forced to end a concert early after pigeons defecated on them from the rafters of a US venue. The rockers abandoned the gig in St Louis after three songs when bass player Jared Followill was hit in the mouth and face by pigeon droppings. Drummer Nathan Followill later apologised to fans via Twitter, saying "it was too unsanitary to continue".
Their publicist added the band found it hard to carry on after the incident. "Jared was hit several times during the first two songs. On the third song, when he was hit in the cheek and some of it landed near his mouth, they couldn't deal [with it] any longer," said Amy Mendelsohn. "It's not only disgusting - it's a toxic hazard. They really tried to hang in there."
(Jim Evans)
