I feel like I've been gaslit - like the life I had before the war was made up

39 minutes ago Share Save Simon Maybin BBC Radio 4 Share Save

BBC

"I don't think God intended for people in their late 20s to live with their parents," Hanya Aljamal says. She's hanging out on the balcony of the tiny apartment where she lives with her mother, father and five grown-up siblings - because it's the only place she can get any peace and quiet. Two years ago, 28-year-old Hanya was working as an English teacher and lived in a flat of her own. She was applying to colleges in the US to do a Master's in international development, and on course for a scholarship to pay for it. Things were going well - but life is different now. Like most days, Sunday begins with a morning coffee on the balcony, while Hanya watches her neighbour, a man in his 70s, carefully tending pots of herbs, seedlings and plants in his tidy garden, just across the road from a blown-up building. "It just looks like the purest form of resistance," Hanya says. "In the middle of all this horror and uncertainty, he still finds time to grow something - and there's something absolutely beautiful about that." Hanya lives in Deir al-Balah, a town in the middle of Gaza, a 25-mile stretch of land on the south-eastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea that's been a war zone since October 2023. She has recorded an audio diary which she shared with the BBC for a radio documentary about what life is like there. The school where she taught had to close down when the war started. Hanya has become a teacher with no students and no school, her sense of who she was slipping through her fingers. "It's very hard finding purpose in this time, finding some sort of solace or meaning as your entire world falls apart."

Hanya says watching her neighbour gardening from her balcony brings her solace

The apartment Hanya shares with her family is her fifth home since the war started. The UN estimates 90% of Gazans have been displaced by the war - many multiple times. Most Gazans now live in temporary shelters. On Monday, Hanya is jolted awake in bed at 2am. "There was an explosion really close by that was then followed by a second, and a third," she says, "it was so loud and very scary. I tried to soothe myself to sleep." The Israeli government says its military action in Gaza is intended to destroy the capabilities of Hamas, which describes itself as an Islamist resistance movement. It is designated a terrorist organisation by the UK, the US, Israel, and others. Israel's military action began after armed Palestinian groups from Gaza led by Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 251 hostages. So far, the Israeli military has killed more than 56,000 people in the conflict - the majority civilians - according to Gaza's Ministry of Health, which is run by Hamas. Israel doesn't currently allow international journalists to report freely from Gaza.

The view from Hanya's balcony

Hanya is working for an aid organisation called Action for Humanity and spends the day at one of their projects. A group of girls wearing white T-shirts and with keffiyehs tied around their waists perform a dance and then take part in a group therapy session. One talks about what it means to lose your home, others talk about losing their belongings, their friends, someone they love. And then one suddenly starts crying and everyone else falls silent. A teaching assistant takes the girl away to comfort her in private. "And then someone tells me that she lost both parents," Hanya says.

For Hanya kites flying in the sky represent children trying to have normal childhoods

On Tuesday, Hanya is watching five colourful kites soaring in the sky from her balcony. "I like kites - they're like an active act of hope," she says. "Every kite is a couple of kids down there trying to have a normal childhood in the midst of all this." Seeing kites flying makes a nice change to the drones, jets and "killing machines" Hanya is used to seeing above her apartment, she says. But later that evening, the "nightly orchestra" of nearby drones buzzing at discordant pitches begins. She describes the sound they make as "psychological torture". "Sometimes they're so loud you can't even listen to your own thoughts," she says. "They're kind of a reminder that they're there watching, waiting, ready to pounce."

On Thursday morning, Hanya hears loud, consistent gunfire and wonders what it might be. Maybe theft. Maybe a turf war between families. Maybe someone defending a warehouse. She spends most of the day in bed. She feels dizzy every time she tries to get up and puts it down to the effect of fasting ahead of Eid al-Adha, when she's already very malnourished. Hanya says the lack of control over what she eats - and the rest of her life - is having a big psychological impact. "You cannot control anything - not even your thoughts, not even your wellbeing, not even who you are," she says. "It took me a while to accept the fact that I am no longer the person that I identify myself as." The school where Hanya used to teach has been destroyed, and the idea of studying abroad now seems very distant. "I felt like I was gaslit," Hanya says, "like all of these things were made up. Like none of it was true."

Action For Humanity/Fadi Badwan Hanya distributes supplies in her role as an aid worker

The next morning, Hanya wakes to the sound of birds chirping and the call to prayer. It's the first day of Eid al-Adha, when her dad would usually sacrifice a sheep and they'd share the meat with the needy and their relatives. But her family don't have the means to travel now and there's no animal to sacrifice anyway. "All of Gaza's population has been not eating any sort of protein, outside canned fava beans, for three months now," she says. Hanya's family discover that one of her cousins has been killed while trying to get aid. "To be honest, I hadn't known him very well," she says, "but it's the general tragedy of someone hungry, seeking food and getting shot in the process that is quite grotesque."

There have been multiple shooting incidents and hundreds of deaths reported at or near aid distribution points in recent weeks. The circumstances are disputed and difficult to verify without being able to report freely in Gaza. Hanya knows at least 10 people who have lost their lives during the war. This number includes several of her students and a colleague who had got engaged a month before the war started. She was the same age as Hanya and shared her ambition. Hanya is updating her CV to remove her college professor's name. He was her referee and writing mentor - but he is dead now too. "It's a huge thing when someone tells you that they see you, that they believe in you, and that they bet on you," she says. Hanya doesn't think she's grieved for any of these people properly, and says she feels she has to ration her emotions in case any of her close family are hurt. "Grieving is a luxury many of us can't afford."

Hanya watches the sun rise from her balcony

'Proud to be gay': K-pop star on coming out to the world

2 hours ago Share Save Yvette Tan BBC News Reporting from Singapore Juna Moon BBC Korean Reporting from Seoul Share Save

Watch: The BBC speaks to K-pop idol Bain of Just B about coming out

Bain was halfway through his band's Los Angeles concert on a crisp April night when the music stopped. In an oversized fur coat and black sunglasses, the 24-year-old K-pop star told thousands of fans: "Before I start the next song - I want to share something with you guys." A brief pause and then: "I'm [expletive] proud to be part of the LGBTQ community!" The crowd erupted in applause and screams as Bain broke into Lady Gaga's pride anthem: "Just put your paws up, 'Cause you were born this way, baby". In that moment, as he came out to the world, he was not nervous, he tells the BBC in an interview at his studio in Seoul - rather, he had been trying to "sound cool". A handful of K-pop artists have come out as gay in recent years - but none as publicly as Bain. Even in 2025, that is a bold move in South Korea's entertainment industry, where stars are held to impossible standards. Admitting to even a heterosexual relationship is scandalous. "There were some people in the industry who knew [I was thinking of coming out] and warned me against it, saying it would be a risk," Bain says. "And of course I thought about the risk - that we might lose fans. "But then I thought, society is changing… I might gain more than I might lose." That's the big question: has he thrown open the door to change in an industry that has become global but remains deeply rooted in a conservative South Korea?

'I thought I could just pretend'

Bain, whose real name is Song Byeonghee, says he was in secondary school, about 12 years old, when he realised he was gay. Shortly afterwards, he decided to become a K-pop trainee but he kept his sexuality a secret - he felt like being gay was "not allowed". "It wasn't something I questioned… I just thought I had no choice," he says. "There was no-one else [around me that was gay]. I thought I could just pretend and keep going."

BBC Korean/Jungmin Choi Bain says he was about 12 when he realised he was gay

Wealthy, modern South Korea is still traditional in many ways. Powerful yet conservative churches often see homosexuality as a disability or sin. And same-sex marriage is not legally recognised. In 2021, Bain made his debut as part of a six-member boyband, Just B. They have released several albums and have taken part in reality shows, earning a dedicated audience. But through it all, the years of hiding a part of himself took a toll on Bain. "I was so overwhelmed, I thought maybe I can't be an idol at all. I felt I'd been hiding so much. I decided to talk to Mom." That was about three years ago. His mother was the first person in his family to find out: "We talked for an hour, and I finally said, 'I like men more than women.' That's when she knew." Her reaction was difficult for him. "Honestly, she didn't like it - not at first. She said she thought I could overcome it, that maybe I'd someday like women. She felt sad... that I'd now face bad reactions from others. But [she] said, 'You're my son, so I love you, I support you, I love you.' It was mixed. I was sad, but in the end grateful she said she loves me." Then his team members and company began encouraging him to take the leap - and tell the world. Earlier this year the band began a world tour, and on the last stop of their US tour, Bain decided to come out on stage.

Getty Images Bain (centre) made his debut in 2021 as part of a six-member boyband, Just B

Since then, the band has been thrust into the spotlight - with Bain giving countless interviews as he quickly became the new face of the Korean LGBTQ community. "I feel like I've changed a lot since coming out. I feel more confident. When I meet someone new, I show who I am immediately," he says. "But I also feel sad that my identity is such a big deal now." Over time, he hopes, people will stop saying "oh, he's gay, but rather, oh, that's just who he is".

The taboos in K-pop

When South Korean actor Hong Seok-Cheon came out as gay in 2000, LGBTQ representation truly entered the country's mainstream. He was the first Korean celebrity to open up about his sexuality - and it came at a cost. He was dropped from TV shows and advertisements. Attitudes have certainly changed since then. A Pew survey from 2019 showed that the number of people who accepted homosexuality has risen to 44% from 25% in 2002. And yet, only a handful of other celebrities have come out. In 2018, Holland became the country's first openly gay K-pop artist and, in 2020, Jiae, a former member of girl group Wassup, came out as bisexual. Both have said they found it hard to sign with a record label as a result. Bain's announcement, however, has been celebrated by both fans and South Korea's LGBTQ community. "When someone like an idol comes out, it gives people like me a sense that we are not alone," says a 26-year-old Korean transgender woman, who does not want to be named. "It brings comfort…makes me think, maybe I'm ok the way I am." Online too, a majority of the comments have been positive. One gay fan in a YouTube comment wrote how he was encouraged by Bain, after feeling "so much despair" over "the hateful comments" and discrimination. "But thanks to Bain, I've found the courage to keep going."

Getty Images Acceptance of the LGBTQ community is growing in South Korea - but same-sex marriage not recognised

International fans have especially cheered him on: "After the initial shock, I started to cry," said Lia, a K-pop fan from the US who identifies as lesbian. "Knowing that Korea still has some repression against LGBTQ people, the bravery and courage he displayed by coming out…[was] admirable." South Korea's cultural footprint has been growing globally, and that has brought fans from everywhere, with their own perspectives and beliefs. They may well reshape the K-pop industry. But that will take time. And that is evident in the range of comments in response to Bain's announcement - disapproval to apathy. For one, the country has seen a rise in right-wing, often avowed anti-feminist beliefs in young men, who seem to oppose any challenge to traditional gender roles. And those roles remain strong in South Korea. The government and the church champion conventional family values, encouraging young people to marry and have children so they can boost birth rates, currently the lowest in the world. Given all that, it may not be a surprise that homosexuality is still a taboo, even in a global industry like K-pop. This is a world where even straight couples don't talk about their private lives, says critic Lim Hee-yun. "K-pop has spent nearly 25 years avoiding the topic of sexuality [altogether]. Even heterosexual relationships are hidden to protect fan fantasies."

BBC Korean/Jungmin Choi "Because I came out, others felt safe to do so too," Bain says

Get me to the Euros! How to nab last-minute tickets for a summer of football

9 minutes ago Share Save Rosemary McCabe BBC Digital Journalist Share Save

BBC

Euro 2025 will bring a summer of fierce competition and fantastic football. Sixteen teams are set to play across eight venues in Switzerland from 2 to 27 July. In the group stages, defending champions England take on Wales - who are playing in their first international tournament. Tickets are still available for a range of matches and there's a host of activities outside the games - including fan zones in Switzerland and the UK. Whether you fancy a last-minute trip or want to watch the games at home, here's a complete guide to all the action.

Can I still get tickets?

Yes, but secure your spot quickly. Tickets for high-demand matches go on sale daily at 10:00 BST via UEFA's ticketing site, with a limit of 10 tickets per person per game. Prices start at 25 CHF (about £22) and go up to 90 CHF (about £81) for the final. You can access your tickets via the UEFA Mobile Tickets app, which can be downloaded for free by Android and iPhone users. There's also a resale platform where fans can safely resell any tickets purchased - but it's best not to rely on this for the big games.

Where in Switzerland?

The tournament will take place across eight Swiss cities: Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St Gallen, Lucerne, Sion, and Thun. The action kicks off in Thun on Wednesday 2 July at 17:00 BST. Expect a breathtaking backdrop of idyllic lakes and mountains. England matches in the group stages will be held across two cities - Zurich and St Gallen. The Lionesses take on France in Zurich on Saturday 5 July and the Netherlands in Zurich on Wednesday 9 July. Then we're off to St Gallen for the crunch England v Wales match on Sunday 13 July. Wales' first game will be in Lucerne against the Netherlands on Saturday 5 July, followed by their second game against France in St Gallen on Wednesday 9 July.

How do I get there?

Flights from London to Zurich start at around £50 to £70 for one person on a one-way ticket on 2 July. Tickets get more expensive over the weekend rising to about £150 plus for a direct one-way flight. From Manchester prices for the most direct flights on 5 July start at about £200. For Cardiff, the cost is even higher. Zurich is the best destination for England and Wales fans heading to the games, because Lucerne and St Gallen are a short train ride away. There's also the option of going to Bern or Geneva and travelling on from there. In the car, it's about an 11-hour drive from London to Zurich. The car ferry from Dover to Calais for two people starts at about £85 on 2 July and £100 on 5 July for a one-way trip. If you take the Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais, prices range from about £140 to £270 on 2 and 5 July. Trains via Paris or Brussels cost about £310 to £530 and take between seven-and-a-half and 10 hours. Coaches are cheaper, with some routes starting at about £70. But the journey takes more than 20 hours. A very long bike ride from London to Zurich takes about 52 to 60 hours. It costs about £23 to £30 to take your bike on the ferry, not counting the toll it will take on your legs. British citizens can travel to Switzerland without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period if the visit is for tourism and sporting events. But double check that the expiry date on your passport is dated at least three months after the day you plan to leave.

Where do I stay?

Switzerland is known for being a pricey holiday pick. But there's a range of accommodation options for different budgets. As one of the tournament's main hubs, Zurich is in high demand. Hotel prices start around £210 to £300 per night for two people on key match nights like Saturday 5 July. If you're on a tighter budget, Airbnb prices start from £70 to £200 per night although lots of options involve staying in a room rather than renting a whole flat. In St Gallen, hotels for Sunday 13 July range from about £200 to £600. Lots of places are already booked up. The town also offers a variety of Airbnb accommodation, with prices ranging from £50 to £800 for the same dates. Accommodation is still available slightly outside the town, so it's worth checking these spots too. If hotels and Airbnbs stretch your budget, camping is one alternative. Campsites near Zurich and St Gallen offer scenic views and you could look into renting a car or bike to get around. The average cost for an overnight stay at a Swiss campsite is about £20 - £35, though prices vary between locations.

How do I get around?

Switzerland has good public transport networks, with fast and reliable services between major cities. On match days, public transport is free for ticket holders. Every ticket will be valid on the match day for a second-class round trip between any Swiss locality and the stadium. Switzerland's vast network of trains offer an efficient and scenic way to travel. The SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) has a range of different tickets on their website. There's also Postbus, a bus service connecting rural areas to urban centres, which offers hundreds of journeys via several apps or you can purchase tickets from stations and drivers. If you're planning on staying for a longer break, a Swiss Travel Pass offers unlimited travel by train, bus and boat, and is available for three, four, six, eight or 15 consecutive days. If you're feeling more adventurous, there are also plenty of iconic cycle routes across Switzerland.

Where do I find fan zones?

There will be city centre fan zones across the eight cities where Euro 2025 games are taking place. Organisers have planned a "packed schedule of activities for all ages" with live screenings of matches, concerts, workshops and child-friendly football pitches. In Zurich, the ZüriFanzone will be right by the main station – with screenings of all the matches, concerts, and workshops. In St Gallen, Marktgasse in the old town will host the fan zone with lunchtime panel talks, street football and live music. In Lucerne, the fan zone is located at Europaplatz next to Lake Lucerne and will offer a range of music, concerts and football entertainment. Fan zones open on 2 July, the day of the first game. Double check their closing dates on the UEFA event guides.

Getty Images

Anything else I should know?

The Swiss Franc (CHF) is the official currency in Switzerland. For every pound, it's roughly 1.10 Swiss Francs. In most cases, you can also pay in Euros. A pound is worth roughly €1.17. Switzerland has four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. German is the most widely spoken but English is a common second language for many Swiss people. Switzerland is not part of the EU so mobile roaming charges could differ from rates in European countries. Check with your network provider before you travel. One solution is buying a local eSIM to cover you for the tournament.

Where to watch in the UK?

For fans at home there are events taking place across England and Wales. There will be watch parties of each England match in the group stages in Birmingham, London and Brighton. In Wales, there will also be lots of watch parties and concerts, including in Swansea, Newport and Wrexham. Look out for events on social media in your local area as the tournament goes on.

How can I watch the games from home?

What a night in Glasto's 'Naughty Corner' looks like

40 minutes ago Share Save Annabel Rackham Culture reporter Reporting from Glastonbury Festival Share Save

Arcadia/ Shotawaydotcom Sonny Fodera performs at the Arcadia stage

After ten years of experimenting, I've found there are just two ways to master Glastonbury's after-dark experience. The first involves picking one night to really go all in - your step count will be absolutely astronomical, but with the correct intake of carbohydrates and tinned cocktails that 18-hour day will pay off. Or you can take the second approach, which involves going fully nocturnal for the long weekend, but has to involve a few mates who are also willing to emerge from their tents at dinner time each day. For the sake of my colleague's workloads this weekend, I picked the first option and dedicated my Friday night to the famous Glasto "naughty corner".

Lonely Hearts Club is a recent addition to the Silver Hayes dance village at Glastonbury

The best (and least overwhelming way) to tackle each of the vast dance sites is to not do too much planning and instead see where the evening takes you. After warming up with Four Tet's Woodsies headline slot, I strolled down to Silver Hayes, which is actually Glastonbury's newest dance corner. Introduced in 2013, it recently expanded to include two huge stages - Levels and Lonely Hearts Club. It was at the latter that I caught a bit of Scouse duo CamelPhat, whose unique blend of tech house attracted huge crowds, despite clashing with some of the main stage headliners. Shortly afterwards, I made my way to perhaps the festival's most visually alluring site - Arcadia. It was first built in 2007 and became a permanent stage in 2014, gaining an international reputation as the giant spider where some of the world's biggest DJs have performed. Now a huge dragonfly repurposed from a former Royal Navy helicopter, it was lit up last night by Australian DJ and producer Sonny Fodera, who told the BBC that performing there "was one of the most insane experiences of my life". Arcadia is often top of the to-do list for first-time Glasto goers, thanks to its lasers and pyrotechnics, which certainly look great on an Instagram story. But the stage's sound system has received criticism over the years for being too quiet to those who aren't directly under it - so you have to really push your way to the front for the best experience. However, I stood pretty far away from the main structure and could still hear his hits pretty clearly. The 39-year-old, who has performed at Worthy Farm twice before, said the stage was "unmatched" this year. "The production and the sound system were definitely the best I've ever had at a festival," he added.

Late-night revellers packed out Glastonbury's after-hours dance tents

Glastonbury's late-night dance music offering has evolved massively in the last 25 years - expanding from one humble tent in 2000 to multiple sites across the festival. The South East Corner is perhaps the greatest innovation of them all - first formed in 2008, it is so far from the main stages that the walk itself has become legendary. By the time I began my journey to the site, it was 1am and my legs were beginning to give in on me. But luckily I managed to find a friend to join me on the pilgrimage - beginning with a quick peek in the Cabaret tent, where comedians James Acaster and Nish Kumar were much to my surprise, going back to back in a DJ set. This was just a primer for the assault on the senses that is Shangri-La. It's one of the most well-known after-dark locations at Glastonbury, mostly due to its intricate instillations that often reflect a political topic or environmental issue. The area, which began to take shape more than 17 years ago has undergone many changes, but was completely reinvented for this year's festival to open up the space. Everywhere you turn there is something weird and wonderful enough to get you to stop and look - from a mattress sprouting plant leaves to a phone line that serves to connect you to nature. The stages have also had a makeover, which is really exciting to dance vocalist Katy B. She tells the BBC: “I love dance music and I'm definitely someone who loves Glastonbury at night. I'm playing Shangri-La main stage at four in the morning, which is going to be intense”. Katy says the area being expanded shows Glastonbury's organisers have "recognised the demand for dance music" and says she remembers coming to the festival when "the dance section was literally just two tents".

Getty Images The area of Shangri-La has been expanded this year so more people can visit

When a nine-year-old Jonathan Rowe was walking out alongside England and Brazil at a packed Wembley he was living every football-mad child's dream.

An AFC Wembley youth player, he was picked to be mascot for the visit of the five-time world champions in 2013. He later watched on as Frank Lampard's second-half goal gave the Three Lions a memorable 2-1 victory.

Skip forward 12 and a half years, it was now Rowe's turn to be England's matchwinner.

The Marseille forward came off the bench to give his country a dramatic 3-2 extra-time win over Germany in the final of the European Under-21 Championship.

A senior call-up may yet be some way off, but this was a night the 22-year-old will never forget.

With England boss Thomas Tuchel watching on from the stands, Rowe told Channel 4: "I came into the game with [the mindset of] anything I could do to help the team.

"I'm so happy I managed to do that in front of some important people tonight."

But who exactly is England's new U21 hero - and how did he end up in France at Marseille?

Charli, Neil Young and Scissor Sisters give Glastonbury goosebumps

33 minutes ago Share Save Mark Savage Music Correspondent Reporting from Glastonbury Festival Share Save

Getty Images Pop star Charli XCX drew Saturday's biggest crowd

Saturday was a night of four headliners at Glastonbury, with fans facing the cruel choice between pop queen Charli XCX, rock legend Neil Young, disco scamps Scissor Sisters and Doechii - rap's hottest new voice. Charli XCX won the biggest audience, closing down The Other Stage and turning it into a sweat-drenched, laser lit club night. Young, topping the bill on the Pyramid Stage, also delivered an all-time hits set, with gnarly, ragged versions of hits like Cinnamon Girl and Like A Hurricane. Doechii, who only played for 45 minutes, still managed to mark herself out as a future headliner; while Scissor Sisters brought out actual Gandalf Sir Ian McKellen to perform Invisible Light.

Getty Images Doechii's set was watched by Harry Styles, amongst others

There was a lot to take in, then, thanks to one of the most crammed line-ups in the festival's history. Let's start with Charli XCX. Using up the festival's entire smoke machine budget, she was alone on stage all night, but in constant motion - a mesmerising blur of hip-rolls, hair tosses, stomach crunches and knee-drops. She opened her set with a mash-up of 360 and Von Dutch, two of the the standout track from last summer's culture-swallowing Brat album, as the record's logo burst into flames behind her - indicating that she's slowly coming to terms with leaving it behind. Despite rumours that she'd bring out a host of special guests, Lorde doesn't appear to duet on Girl, So Confusing, and Billie Eilish is missing from the number one smash, Guess. The only famous face we got was Gracie Abrams, who appeared on the big screens to perform the "Apple dance" that went viral on TikTok last year.

Gracie Abrams danced to Charli's viral hit Apple

Getty Images Charli won five Brit Awards for her Brat album earlier this year

Fans were momentarily disappointed, but nothing could detract from the insolent, messy glory of tracks like Club Classics or Sympathy Is A Knife. At the end of her set, she reclaimed I Love It - the bubblegum pop anthem she donated to Icona Pop in 2012, before reassuring fans that she wasn't really ready to let go of her breakthrough album, after all. "I think you have all proven to me that Brat is forever," flashed a message on the video screens as the music disintegrated into glitched siren sounds and pyrotechnics exploded. "And honestly, I don't know who I am if it's over." So that's settled: Charli can come back and headline again after Glastonbury's fallow year in 2026.

PA Media Neil Young previously headlined the festival in 2009

Neil Young's set was a very different, but equally gnarly, proposition. The rocker walked on stage alone, hunched over with his face obscured by a corduroy cap, to play a hushed acoustic version of the classic Sugar Mountain. But that was a cunning misdirect. His new band, The Chrome Hearts, joined him immediately afterwards, launching into a furious flurry of guitar anthems - Be The Rain, Cinnamon Girl and Hey Hey, My My - full of jagged chords and intense solos. The crowd swooned when they switched back to acoustic mode for The Needle and The Damage Done and Harvest Moon; and cheered when Young announced he was playing Hank Williams' old guitar (a battered and worn acoustic) on the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song Looking Forward. The star might be 79 years old, but his voice is still unusually supple and youthful, cutting through the night with crystalline clarity, and buoyed by The Chrome Hearts' close-knit harmonies. They were at their best on the heavier material - in particular Like A Hurricane, whose time-bending guitar solo was a revelation. Young always seems to get great pleasure from playing that particular song, and it was mesmerising to watch. He ended the set with Tear Your Hatred Down, a savage takedown of politicians and the war machine, that contrasts the idealism of the 1960s with the cruelties of the modern world. Both as a protest song and a lament for human nature, it was a powerful way to end a peerless set.

Getty Images Doechii went through multiple costume changes in her 45 minute set

Doechii drew a huge crowd to the West Holts Stage - including pop star Harry Styles, who danced away to her brief set in the middle of the field, unbothered by fans. The Florida-born rapper, known to fans as the Swamp Princess, sang, rapped, danced and changed outfits multiple times, in a show that was themed as a lesson in the history of hip-hop. Her flow was flawless on breakout tracks like Persuasive, Anxiety, Denial Is A River and Alter Ego - and she even made fun of herself, recreating a popular social media clip from this year's Met Gala, where she was overhead demanding "more umbrellas" to cover her body as she changed outfits. She was aided by her eight dancers, who climbed over props, twerked and even vogued while descending a slide. Doechii's rise over the past year has been nothing short of phenomenal and, while fans await her debut album, this slick, bespoke Glastonbury performance felt like a new feather in her cap. How Doechii's Glastonbury slot was part of a five-year plan Scissor Sisters, meanwhile, continued their reunion by packing out the Woodsies tent for a set that reminded everyone how many classics they'd written - from I Don't Feel Like Dancing and Laura to the ever so sleazy Filthy/Gorgeous. Jessie Ware joined them on stage for a celebratory strut through I Don't Feel Like Dancin', while Ian McKellen recreated his monologue from the 2010 single Invisible Light. As he stood in the wings, fans started chanting "Oh, Ian McKellen" to the tune of The White Stripes Seven Nation Army, at which the actor clasped his hands to his face in shock.

What happened earlier?

Although the clash between acts was tough, none of them suffered the ignominy of a small crowd. Charli definitively had the biggest audience and while Young's set started with a thinner-than-usual crowd at the Pyramid Stage, people drifted in during the first 15 minutes - and most of those who did stuck with him.

EPA Brandi Carlile was one of the day's breakout stars

Earlier in the day, Kaiser Chiefs opened up the main stage, striding out to the strains of the Was (Not Was) classic, Walk The Dinosaur. Was it a self-deprecating reference to their advancing age? Who knows. But after 20 years, songs like Every Day I Love You Less And Less and I Predict A Riot sounded as fresh as ever. US country singer Brandi Carlile was also a revelation to much of the audience. A huge star at home, she'd never had a Top 40 album in this country until she released the Elton John collaboration Who Believes In Angels this April. Despite her early afternoon slot, she won the crowd over with a gorgeous cover of Radiohead's Fake Plastic Trees, and prompted a few tears with the acoustic ballad You Without Me, which depicts her daughter's rocky teenage years. By the end of the set, she was on the receiving end of a supportive chant of "olé, olé, olé". "It's official," Carlile beamed. "I have now played the greatest festival on earth… And it only took me to 44 years old to do it."

Getty Images Jade's set was an adrenalin shot for fans flagging in the mid-afternoon heat

Jade drew a huge crowd to the Woodsies stage, displaying her 17 years of pop experience with a slick, high concept set full of pop bangers; including a thrilling medley of songs from her old band, Little Mix. And Raye got one of the day's biggest audiences at the Pyramid Stage. Backed by a miniature orchestra, she put a jazzy spin on hits like You Don't Know Me, Oscar Winning Tears and her award-winning psychodrama Escapism. The singer played the same stage just two years ago, near the bottom of the bill, before her career enjoyed a remarkable turnaround that culminated in a record haul of six Brit Awards. "When I came out here I was so nervous," said the singer, who'd earlier admitted her voice was "a bit croaky". "Now I feel so up home at here and I don't want to leave."

PA Media Raye brought a splash of old-school glamour to the Pyramid Stage

Raye inherited her audience from a "secret" set by Pulp, who'd been billed as Patchwork, fooling no-one. The band were there to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their career-making headline performance in 1995, when they were booked at the last minute to replace The Stone Roses. "We only had 10 days notice," said frontman Jarvis Cocker, "so consequently we were the most nervous we've ever been. "But today I feel very relaxed." Patchwork were Pulp, after all Haim were the special guests on The Park stage, drawing a humungous crowd for their rhythmic take on classic rock. Highlights included set opener The Wire (a song they wrote in 2008!), the sleazy groove of Gasoline and the party-jam R&B of Relationships.

PA Media Kneecap's DJ Provaí stripped off his boiler suit to reveal a pro-Palestinian message

The day had a share of controversy, courtesy of rap trio Kneecap and punk-rap band Bob Vylan, after their performances on the West Holts Stage. Police say they are assessing videos of comments made by both acts, who criticised the UK government and Israel's actions in Gaza during consecutive, politically-charged sets. Kneecap hit back at Kier Starmer in politically-charged set

Government condemns Glastonbury chants aired live on BBC

There was drama on The Other Stage - the festival's second-biggest arena - after Deftones had to pull out due to illness. A quick ring around the site fixed the gap in the schedule, with UK rap supremo Skepta putting on an impromptu performance. "No crew, no production but I am ready to shut Glastonbury down," he posted on social media, ahead of the show. "Victory lap time."

Getty Images Ezra Collective instigated a massive dance party on The Other Stage