Ed Sheeran took the stage Saturday night, issuing a teary apology to the fans who showed up to his solo concert in Philadelphia after a week of chaos.

Sheeran found himself embroiled in controversy after his support act, rapper Macklemore, was dropped from the tour over pro-Palestinian remarks he made on stage. The subsequent fallout saw Sheeran’s other openers quit and drew protests outside Saturday night’s show in Philadelphia.

He opened his Lincoln Financial Field show as part of his ongoing Loop tour by addressing the criticism he’s received, saying, “I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes. I’m so, so sorry. I don’t want to disappoint fans.

“I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division; about humanity, not politics,” he continued.

“But this is a humanitarian issue. I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore. What happened in Israel, and at the music festival on October 7th was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate,” the “Shape of You” singer said.

“My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilian loss and loss of children’s lives. And the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfolding the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”

Sheeran — in his first public statement since his Instagram post addressed Macklemore’s firing — also said he felt that honoring his commitment to his fans is “completely central to who I am.”

“And that is why I’m here tonight, on my own, and continuing my current tour.”

The concert, originally scheduled to kick off at 5:30 p.m. ET, was pushed to 8 p.m. following the fallout from the controversy, which saw ticket prices plummet after Sheeran’s openers quit.

Earlier this week, Macklemore announced that he had been dropped as the support act for the remainder of Sheeran’s U.S. tour dates, claiming that the singer told him that Robert Kraft — the CEO of Kraft Group who owns Gillette Stadium — had personally called to say that he would not be allowed to perform at the venue.

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Hours after Sheeran said he would not be drawn into a public debate about the Gaza war and that the decision to remove Macklemore was “the promoter’s decision,” Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga, the Danish band Lukas Graham, and Finneas announced on Instagram that they were withdrawing from the tour.

Rowe was one of Macklemore’s replacements for Sheeran’s remaining U.S. dates, while Beoga was serving as Sheeran’s touring band. Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother and musical collaborator, was due to tour with Sheeran in South America later this year.

As the backlash over Macklemore’s firing grew, the rapper announced on social media that he would donate $1 million in net earnings from his appearances on Sheeran’s tour to organizations aiding Palestinians, while challenging Kraft to match the sum.

Kraft and Sheeran then each pledged $2 million toward humanitarian relief for Palestinians.

Still, the controversy escalated to the point where protesters showed up Saturday night outside of Lincoln Financial Field, chanting, per TMZ, “F*** your concert, f*** your fans. Palestine is our demand.”

Sheeran is next slated to take the stage September 25 at Kraft’s Gillette Stadium.

Singer Ed Sheeran opened his latest concert alone onstage and apologised to fans for making “mistakes” as he handled the fallout over rapper Macklemore being dropped from his tour over pro-Palestinian remarks.

“I never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about free speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,” he said during Saturday’s Philadelphia show.

He described the 7 October 2023 attacks as “horrific” and called the situation in Gaza “unjustifiable” in his first in-person remarks since the controversy erupted.

The concert was a stripped-down event, and Sheeran performed without opening acts.

Several artists left the tour and the price for tickets dropped and sales declined for the remaining US leg of his Loop Tour due to the controversy.

The singer has said the decision to drop Macklemore was made by his promoters, not him.

“My concerts have always been a safe space for everyone,” he said at the start of Saturday’s show, adding that he is committed to his fans and that is why he returned to the stage.

“Now, I want to address the question of where I stand in the situation in Israel and Palestine, and whether my doing this concert here tonight implies where I stand,” he said.

“I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind, because I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division; about humanity, not politics. But this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore.”

Sheeran said what happened in Israel during the 7 October 2023 attacks was “horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain”.

He added: “What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of of devastation and loss of civilian lives, of children’s lives, and this systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”

He said he is trying “to work out how to make a contribution that helps victims of these terrible times and listening and learning, because I do not know enough”.

The singer said he took issue with the idea that venues would “preapprove” content or performers, which received applause from the audience.

Sheeran then closed his statement by saying that he hoped his concert could be a place where everyone could gather irrespective of their beliefs.

Hopes that an away match today for York City FC would lead to shorter queues have proved unfounded.

Malton Road is at a standstill from the roundabout on the approach to Monks Cross to the Hopgrove roundabout and queues are building on the Outer Ring Road.

The Monks Cross Link Road from the roundabout next to Primark to the Outer Ring Road remains closed to northbound traffic. The alternative route is via Malton Road and Hopgrove roundabout.

The infrastructure work is part of the construction of 970 new houses in the area and the closure is expected to remain in place continuously until November 6.

When it first started two weekends ago, motorists reported spending up to 30 minutes in queues and advised others not to shop in the area.

Monks Cross Shopping Centre and Vangarde remain fully open and all other routes to the two centres are.

This weekend the Minstermen are at Chesterfield. They return to the Community Stadium next weekend when they host Rotherham.

It will “THRILL”

“For the yearners”

“A delight”

“Achingly sweet”

“So exquisite”

The U.S. military attacked a boat suspected of being used to smuggle drugs in the Caribbean Sea on Saturday, killing four people, as the Trump administration continues its monthslong campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America.

The latest attack brings the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military to at least 231 in 69 strikes since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” almost a year ago. As with most of the military’s statements on strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command said it targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes.

The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. A video posted on X showed an image of what appeared to be a moving boat followed by a flash.

The Trump administration is pursuing deals with allied nations to extend its offensive to land across multiple Latin American countries. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a visit to Panama last month that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow the U.S. to carry out joint military operations against criminal groups on their soil. Guatemala denied reaching such a deal. Ecuador launched similar missions with the U.S. in March.

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and fatal overdoses claiming American lives. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing smugglers.

By ASHLEIGH GRAY

Published: 02:08 BST, 20 September 2026 | Updated: 02:22 BST, 20 September 2026

Ed Sheeran has made his stance clear on the Israel-Palestine conflict after his Loop Tour fell apart amid Macklemore’s ‘Free Palestine‘ comments.

The 35-year-old singer-songwriter returned to the stage in Philadelphia on Saturday night for the first time since 43-year-old Macklemore, real name Benjamin Haggerty, was axed from the tour.

He made a solemn speech at Lincoln Financial Field, telling the audience that he plans to ‘continue my own tour’ despite each one of his opening acts dropping out in solidarity with Macklemore and Palestine. 

‘What happened in Israel at Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate,’ he said in a video captured and shared online by a concertgoer. 

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‘My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives, and the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.’

It comes as the concert was swarmed by pro-Palestine protestors before he took the stage.

Ed Sheeran has made his stance clear on the Israel-Palestine conflict after his Loop Tour fell apart amid Macklemore’s ‘Free Palestine’ comments; pictured in October 2025

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It comes as the concert was swarmed by pro-Palestine protestors before he took the stage

 

The 35-year-old singer-songwriter returned to the stage in Philadelphia on Saturday night for the first time since 43-year-old Macklemore, real name Benjamin Haggerty, was axed from the tour; pictured in 2013

The late 80s and early 90s were a great time for ninja games, but as a reader points, they weren’t always the most authentic or plausible.

There was once a time when video games made sense. You had a plumber who ‘fixed’ pipes, hedgehogs ran fairly briskly, and spaceships that shot down aliens. Then, sometime in the 1980s somebody looked at the concept of a ninja and decided that this wasn’t nearly stupid enough.
And so began the age ‘ninja nonsense nunchuk-ery’.

Suddenly, every arcade game was full of these not-so-secret clans. One minute, games were about things like space invaders and rescuing princesses. Then suddenly, everything had ninjas.

And not just the occasional ninja. We’re talking industrial quantities. Entire cities full of them. Streets, factories, forests, sewers, even golf courses absolutely teaming with ninja. Yes, golf courses!

Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja

It’s the sort of video game that as an adult makes you realise how easily pleased you were as an adolescent.

In a time when you never stopped to ask, ‘Does this even make sense?’

You play as Blade or Striker, two extremely patriotic men with predestined names whose solution to the kidnapping of the [resident is to take the law into their own hands, by proceeding to walk across America punching the face of every human being they encounter.

The fact the [resident needs rescuing by two Michael Jackson fans who look like they were rejected from an ‘80s action movie is completely justified.

The gameplay is beautifully simple: walk right, punch ninjas, occasionally spinny kick something, and hopefully nobody notices those approximately three attacks are your whole portfolio of moves.
Every now and then you can pick up can of soda, kept at body temp for your liking and pre-shaken, ensuring the deceased enemy gets the last laugh.

The real star, however, is the premise.

‘Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the [resident?’ Obviously, you are. Ridiculous, repetitive, and gloriously stupid, Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja is gaming distilled to its purest form: punch first, ask questions never.

Shinobi

During the course of this feature, we will establish that stealth apparently means heading directly towards your opponent in plain sight, often given them the opportunity to strike first.

Shinobi’s protagonist is Joe Musashi, a highly trained ninja whose idea of subtle infiltration is to sprint at an army of heavily armed men and reward them by pinning stars to their chests simply for taking part.

Diplomacy as its finest.

Surprisingly, the plot involves kidnapped children and evil organisations. Joe’s mission is simple. Rescue the kids and destroy the criminals; first one to die, loses.

The Revenge Of Shinobi

This is what happens when someone decides that Shinobi isn’t quite ridiculous enough and adds magic, atomic seppuku, Godzilla, and enough shuriken to make the modern day RAM shortage look contrived.

You play as Joe Musashi, a man whose wife has been kidnapped by Neo Zeed, an evil organisation, because according to any media, ninja revenge stories are legally required to begin with somebody being kidnapped.

Naturally, Joe responds by brazenly walking through cities, forests, and military installations, murdering approximately 700 people on the way.

And what a journey it is. One minute you’re fighting ordinary soldiers, the next you’re battling mutant creatures, pickled brains on cargo planes and guardians that appear to have escaped from a fever dream.

And a lawsuit.

Subtlety clearly wasn’t invited.

The controls are kind of adequate, but Mr Musashi’s arsenal of shuriken makes you feel less like a stealthy assassin and more like a noisy draw of cutlery.

Alex Kidd In Shinobi World

Because Sega looked at Shinobi and thought, ‘Needs more small child.’

Alex Kidd In Shinobi World begins with Alex’s girlfriend being kidnapped by the evil ninja Hanzo. A perfectly reasonable set-up for a serious tale of revenge, honour, and ancient martial arts.

But instead of a grim ninja warrior you get a giant-headed child in a little outfit bouncing around, probably skiving with no regard for his attendance record nor the teachers that patrol town monitoring truancy.

The game is essentially Sega taking Shinobi, putting it through a washing machine mixing dark with bright colours, and hoping nobody notices. And somehow it works as well as it’s supposed to.

Ninjas are everywhere, swarming around you like you’ve walked into a very aggressive Shinobi cosplay convention.

The best part is the complete lack of concern from any type of law enforcement. A kidnapped girlfriend? Massive evil ninja organisation? Ancient mystical powers?

Who gives a shidoshi. Ridiculous, charming and wonderfully Sega, Alex KiddIin Shinobi World proves that revenge doesn’t have to be dark and serious.

Sometimes revenge has a massive head and eats burgers.

Shadow Dancer: The Secret Of Shinobi

Shadow-dancing seems a hilariously pacifistic concept for a ninja, when you consider another term like shadow-boxing.

Perhaps shadow-dancing is the secret of Shinobi. How embarrassing.

Staying alive in this game requires you to traverse a city in which the majority of levels take place in broad daylight, so there’s very little fear of night fever setting in; shadows weren’t even cast as extras and dancing is non-existent.

As we do have a wolf sidekick, perhaps a better suited title would’ve been The Secret Of Shinobi – Dances With Wolves, but that sounds boring as hell. When I was a kid I wanted to believe the dog’s name was Shadow, but even that didn’t make sense at the time because he’s bright white.

You play Hayate, a highly trained ninja assassin for once.

Step by step, he’ll dismantle a criminal organisation with his sword, shuriken, mystical powers, and the agility of a cat. And yet his most important instrument is the dog.

Hayate spends years mastering the ancient arts of ninjutsu, to keep his enemies in line, when all the dog has to do is bark rendering the enemy stunned with stage fright.

Your canine accomplice can pin enemies to the ground, allowing you to finish them off. So in an ironic twist, you’re not actually the main event here.

You’re just a bloke waltzing around the place while the dog does all the foot work.

Now, Hayate can throw shuriken, slash people use magic, and perform spectacular ninja manoeuvres, but let’s be honest. Nobody remembers any of that jazz, all they remember is the bloody dog.

But let’s not dance around the real issue, the bad guys should’ve brought their own pet.

Ninja Golf

Finally, a game brave enough to ask, ‘What if golf was considerably more violent?’ Ninja Golf is possibly the greatest example of a development meeting where absolutely nobody said, ‘We’re gonna do what now?’

The concept is radically simple. You’re a ninja playing golf.

But not all ninjas appreciate a second hobby and demand you stop enjoying yourself.

Instead of stealing your golf ball and being done with it, a ninja would rather steal your life.

You tee off and watch your ball disappear into the distance and proceed to leg it to the right as an onslaught of ninja, green with envy, club together with their pets to stand between you and your par.

Because apparently regular golf wasn’t stressful enough.

If you somehow survive this handicap there’s an enormous dragon waiting for you at the end. Why? I don’t know. Who cares. You are a ninja with a golf club… fore!

By reader Bad Edit

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

MORE: Video games should be more like Blood Of Dawnwalker and less like Wolverine – Reader’s Feature

MORE: 15 video game franchises that need to end – Reader’s Feature

MORE: I have huge respect for fans protesting the PS5 no disc policy on social media – Reader’s Feature

Earl Charles Spencer’s book triggered anger from Buckingham Palace.

Princess Diana’s brother is to take part in a new interview amid a row with King Charles.

Earl Charles Spencer’s book triggered anger from Buckingham Palace after allegations Charles told him Diana would be forgotten “soon enough” after her death. Earl Spencer accused the then Prince Charles of launching into a furious tirade during a phone call in the days after the princess was killed in a Paris car crash, alongside her lover Dodi Fayed, in 1997.

However, in a new interview set to air on Sunday in the US, the aristocrat insisted: “I’m absolutely not bitter. I can tell you. If I was bitter, this book would be… more bitter.”

Asked if he has any resentment towards the King or the royal family, including the late Queen, he added: “I’m not really in the business of resentment. I’m at the stage in my life where the past is the past, and some of it’s worth recording.

“But I don’t hold resentments, primarily because I don’t think it’s good for the person to do that themselves. I’ve let a lot go. I’m not a vengeful, resentful, person. I’m just an eyewitness to history.”

The Mirror reports that the Earl, 62, gave a sit-down interview to the US TV station CBS at his home at Althorp, Northamptonshire, ahead of the publication of his new book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, on Tuesday. The publication of extracts this week led to Buckingham Palace issuing a strongly worded rebuke just over an hour after the Earl’s claims were made public.

The extraordinary royal statement denied the claim and said the King is “mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss”. In the new memoir, Earl Spencer also claims Charles had “sounded giddily elated” when he called him after Diana’s death. And he even alleges that he sounded like he had won the lottery.

The book also includes the Earl claiming he hung up the phone on the then future King after telling him how he strongly disagreed with the royals’ decision to have princes William and Harry – then aged just 15 and 12 – walk behind their mother’s coffin. He also claims in the tome that a lack of obvious care for Prince Harry at his mother’s funeral allowed him to “spin out of control” and that immediately after Diana’s funeral he was told Queen Elizabeth had offered to restore his sister’s Her Royal Highness title, which he rejected.

Asked by CBS Senior Foreign Correspondent Mark Phillips during the interview if he has any remaining relationship with King Charles, Earl Spencer said: “No, I don’t actually. Look, he came into my life as a brother-in-law and that relationship ended.

“And so, you know, he’s still my King. I respect the Crown, and that’s it, but there’s no personal relationship. He’s a former brother-in-law to me, really, and he’s my monarch and that’s it.” Earl Spencer added: “I always think people are amazed by how little I follow the royal family ’cause it’s just not me. I have so many interests, but I’m not being rude about them… I’m not interested in the royal family.”

Speaking about his claims in a separate interview with BBC TV presenter Laura Kuenssberg this week, Earl Spencer said: “I’m telling the truth.” He also alleged he had told friends and family “straight away” about an alleged outburst by the then Prince of Wales “because it was so monstrous”.

Meanwhile, veteran journalist David Dimbleby today spoke about the ongoing row and claimed Princess Diana is “still deeply resented” inside Buckingham Palace. Mr Dimbleby, who spent decades covering royal events, told BBC Radio 4: “Diana was the prime example of someone who didn’t act like the rest of the Royal Family – she was fresh, new and exciting to the public and they really adored her.

“And that was deeply resented in the palace. And still is. And this kind of tit for tat over who said what, and only two people know what was actually said just reignites all that.”

Mr Dimbleby went on to describe the Royal Family as “a bit of a soap opera”, but warned against the monarchy becoming “trapped in this cycle of gossip”. He added: “People are fascinated and I think whenever any tittle tattle reaches the public domain, people sort of think about it in terms of their own families.

“They all have problems and then suddenly… this family that is set up on a pedestal of being leaders of the country – they have problems too.”

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Corrie star Sally Dynevor has revealed meeting an original cast member of the ITV soap in Oldham

While she’s achieved her own Coronation Street legend status following more than 40 years on the famous cobbles, Sally Dynevor has recalled her interaction with an original icon of the long-running show that took place long before her own debut.

The Middleton-born actress is famed for playing Sally Metcalfe, with fans of the ITV soap, which is filmed in Salford, aware of the much-loved character’s comedy appeal and status as a street busybody.

Her arrival on the cobbles in 1986 sparked the first romance of her life in Weatherfield – with soon-to-be hubby Kevin Webster, played by Michael Le Vell.

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The couple went on to have two daughters, Rosie and Sophie, before their rocky marriage came to an end on Christmas Day 2009, when Kevin’s affair with Molly Dobbs was revealed. And it was a romance that would result in the birth of their son, Jack.

was diagnosed with breast cancer the following year after finding a lump, in a storyline that would take a personal twist for actor Sally, who discovered that she also had breast cancer whilst researching for the storyline.

She underwent treatment at The Christie in Withington and returned to the Corrie after a six-month break. Sally has since been dedicated to raising awareness and much-needed funds for breast cancer and is a patron of the charity, Prevent Breast Cancer.

As for her character, by 2013, Sally had entered into a new, unlikely relationship with ex-Kevin’s best friend, Tim Metcalfe, played by Joe Duttine. And the rest, as they say, is history.

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But long before her arrival in Weatherfield, Sally, now 63 came face-to-face with one of the original Corrie cast members, Pat Phoenix, and has now recalled their interaction.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News and other press, Sally was asked if there was someone in the current cast she’d love to work more with, or someone from the past who she wishes she’d worked alongside, to which she said: “I mean, you know, one of my favourites, and he’s everybody’s, I think, on Corrie, is David Neilson (Roy Cropper). So I wish I had more. I do have scenes with David, but I think he’s such a wonderful actor, and I love Ben Price (Nick Tilsley). I’d love to work opposite Ben Price more.”

She continued: “In the old days, I joined in January, and Pat Phoenix (Elsie Tanner) left in November before I started, and I wish I had scenes with her because I ran up to her when I was 13 outside Oldham Town Hall and told her I wanted to be an actor. And just the thought of doing some scenes with her would have been amazing, and I missed her by a couple of months. It was such a shame.”

But things could have been very different for Sally, as she was originally only signed for two episodes. Asked whether she thought back then that she’d still be in Corrie more than four decades later, she shared: “Absolutely not. I really, genuinely was very, very happy with the two episodes I was given at the very beginning.

“And thought that that would definitely be it. If I’d known that 40 years later, I would still be here and enjoying it as much as I did on the very first day, I would never have believed it. I’m still loving it.”