This week’s news in pictures (July 31)

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Gorillaz played a gig in Damascus last Sunday (July 25) – making Damon Albarn’s outfit the first British band to play in the city. Usual band members and ex-Clash pair Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, plus De La Soul, Kano, Bashy, the National Orchestra For Arabic Music, Bootie Brown and Bobby Womack performed during the show. All of them feature on the band’s current album ‘Plastic Beach’.

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Ozzy Osbourne says that he regrets the impact The Osbournes TV show had on his family – and said he would not repeat the experience. While acknowledging the MTV reality show revitalised his global fame, he admitted to TheQuietus.com that it did have an adverse effect on his loved ones. “Everywhere there’s fucking cameras, you get attacked by the fucking things,” he said of the show.

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star studded Brit Award ceremony – London

California state investigators have said that seven doctors who treated Michael Jackson will not face criminal charges relating to his death. The investigators had been looking into how the doctors prescribed the singer drugs. One of the seven has been referred to the state’s medical board for prescribing drugs under an alias, reports BBC News.

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Kaiser Chiefs guitarist Andrew “Whitey” White has signed up to take part in a world record attempt for the world’s longest scooter rally. The star is set to ride the length of Hull’s Humber Bridge on August 14 with hundreds of other participants from the Yorkshire Scooter Alliance, which he is a member of. If more than 548 riders take part then they will break the world record (This Is Grimbsy).

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SPAIN RON MAIDEN

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson has attacked the price of gig tickets, suggesting fans are paying too much. The singer criticised bands who charge extortionate prices for gig tickets, insisting they only have themselves to blame for half-empty arenas. “It’s a massive commitment to come and see a band,” he told Sky News. “They deserve not just a great show, but reasonable ticket prices.”

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Janelle Monáe has announced details of a one-off London show. The Kansas City songstress is playing KOKO on September 8 in support of her recently released debut album ‘The ArchAndroid’. Tickets go on sale this Friday (July 30) at 9am (BST). To check the availability of Janelle Monáe tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/TICKETS now, or call 0871 230 1094.

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Germany Love Parade Death

More than 500 people were injured at the techno event in the city of Duisburg, in a stampede at an entrance tunnel connecting an old railway station to the parade ground. Prosecutors’ spokesman Rolf Haferkamp said that a 25-year-old German woman died in hospital overnight after failing to recover from her injuries during the crush last Saturday (July 24), reports ABC News.

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Kings Of Leon fans are split over the band’s decision to abandon a gig after being pelted with “pigeon shit”. The group walked offstage in St Louis, Missouri at the weekend (July 23) after they were showered in excrement from birds living in the venue’s rafters.

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Arcade Fire have announced that the online stream of their show at New York’s Madison Square Garden will be directed by Terry Gilliam. Former Monty Python member Gilliam has directed films including Brazil, 12 Monkeys and The Imaginarium Of Dr Parnassus. The gig will take place on August 5 at 10pm (EDT).

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Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn has admitted the band’s recent Glastonbury headline slot lacked “human interaction”. The singer said he regretted not speaking to the audience more at Worthy Farm after stepping in to replace U2 as the main act on the Pyramid Stage on the opening night (June 25).

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