MTV News Round-Up 21/06/2004

*** Red Hot Chili Peppers played the biggest UK gigs of their career over the weekend. The band headlined gigs at London's Hyde Park on Saturday (June 19) and Sunday (20), playing to a combined audience of around 170,000 people. Both sets featured Chilis anthems including 'Californication' and 'Give It Away'. Covers included Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love'.

*** Beyonce's father Mathew Knowles has confirmed that Destiny's Child are back in the studio working on a comeback album, due in November. Mathew, who manages the band, said: "I had the pleasure of listening to their first recording and it was fantastic. It's great that they've started on such a positive note. You can really feel the synergy. They're going to be phenomenal."

*** Pete Doherty of The Libertines has been arrested, just days after walking out of the Thamkrabok Monastery in Thailand where he was being treated for drug addiction. The troubled star was pulled over while driving in London and a flick knife was allegedly found in his car. He will face charges of possessing an offensive weapon, driving without a licence and insurance, and driving dangerously.

*** Liberty X have been dropped from the line-up at the Gay Pride concert after comments made by band member Michelle Heaton, which upset the gay community. When asked by a celebrity magazine about the recent gay kiss on Coronation Street, the singer said she believed it should have been shown after the 9pm watershed. After several complaints, Liberty X were told they were no longer welcome at the annual concert.

*** Madonna has partly won her bid to stop ramblers walking across her 9 million country estate in Wiltshire. Over 100 acres of the land had earlier been classified as open country on a provisional map, allowing the public to walk across the property. But the ruling by the Planning Inspectorate states that the public won't be given access to half of the land in Tollard Royal, owned by Madonna and hubby Guy Ritchie.

DL