Police were called on Monday over concerns for three people who had not been seen for several days. Officers forced entry into a property in Great Denham, where they found the bodies of a woman and two children, Bedfordshire Police said. Police said they have identified a suspect, who was known to all three victims, and who they believe has since left the country. Investigators fear the three alleged victims could have been murdered. Official identification of the woman and both children have not yet taken place, the force added.Read more from Sky News:'Significant' heat health alertsCharlie Kirk's widow faces alleged killer Assistant Chief Constable John Murphy called it an "incredibly complex investigation" and said: "This is a deeply distressing incident in which a mother and her two children are believed to have been murdered. "Our thoughts are first and foremost with all those affected. "We recognise that this will cause concern in the local community and beyond." He urged anyone with information about the incident to come forward. ACC Murphy added: "While there is nothing to suggest there is any wider risk to the public, we will be increasing the police presence in and around the area to support the investigation and provide reassurance to residents."

Ward, who rose to fame in the drama series Top Boy and also starred in Blue Story, told Snaresbrook Crown Court that he and the woman flirted and shared "passionate" kisses, and that she was an "active participant". He said he believed she consented to what happened between them and that the sexual encounter would not have happened if she hadn't. Ward, 28, is accused of raping the woman after meeting her at a nightclub in east London and then going to an afterparty in January 2023. The actor denies two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and one count of sexual assault. In court, defence counsel Sallie Bennett-Jenkins KC asked Ward if he raped the woman in January 2023 and also if he sexually assaulted her. "No, Miss, I did not," was Ward's reply to each of the allegations. When asked what he thought about the encounter, he said: "Everything we did was wholly consensual." He told the court he believed they were both "having a great time" and that they had a "mutual attraction". He said: "We engaged in consensual sex, had a great time and she was actively participating in what we were doing all the time." The court heard Ward, a BAFTA rising star winner, had been the host of a New Year party in Gants Hill, east London, held during a break in his work schedule and a soon-to-be released film. Ward said he thought the woman was "very cute" and told the court they had a "quite flirty" conversation and he asked for her Snapchat details. The trial was previously told the woman had seen the actor "on TV and in films". "I could tell there was interest there," Ward told the jury. "From her eye contact and the way she was speaking." The actor saw her "once or twice" at the party and said he got a "great vibe from her". As the party ended, Ward said he got a message from saying she was waiting by a car. They had a "very light" and "very cool" chat and Ward asked her to join him in a car, the court heard. He described what happened inside the vehicle as a "continuation of the flirting, she was touching me and I was touching her". The actor said the woman was "reciprocating the energy". He continued: "For me, that was an inviting act and we were both enjoying that moment." When they stopped, Ward said he wanted to see her again and later shared details of an afterparty in Stratford, also in east London. As he was leaving the afterparty, he asked the woman to go to his friend's Mercedes to talk. He said the woman appeared "absolutely fine" as they sat in the front, and that they had a "nice and engaging general conversation". Again, he said they kissed and touched, telling the jury: "I would say it was very much passionate. She was enjoying it. I was enjoying it." He said he asked her to go into the back seat, which she did. According to Ward, the car door was unlocked and she gave no indication she wanted to get out. "I really feel that she wanted to be there," he told jurors. "She never mentioned anything about wanting to leave." His lawyer asked him if the woman did anything to show she did not consent to what happened, to which he replied. "No, Miss. If she did we would not have done it." Ward reiterated that he did not force the woman and said they kissed, hugged and had a conversation before she left. They later exchanged messages, the court has heard. He sent her a smiling emoji with a heart, and the woman told him to enjoy the rest of his night. The trial continues.

After new claims about Nigel Farage's funding arrangements, Sam Coates and Anne McElvoy discuss the bits of the new allegations which are worrying Reform. Plus, what will an Andy Burnham government actually be like? On the Treasury, the reports that he might try to split it in two seem to have gone quiet - but there appears to be an appetite to go early for this autumn's budget. Anne has also been speaking to Burnham adviser Jim O'Neill about what the PM-in-waiting's foreign policy vision might be.

On matchday two, Pierre Sage faces a testing first home game in charge of Conference League winners Crystal Palace as Enzo Maresca's Manchester City visit Selhurst Park on Friday Night Football (August 28, KO 8pm). Tottenham Hotspur's £100m signing Sandro Tonali comes up against his former club Newcastle United on Saturday Night Football (August 29, KO 5.30pm). Then, on a bumper Super Sunday on August 30, Chelsea host Brighton in Xabi Alonso's first home Premier League game as a manager, with Leeds United entertaining Brentford and Sunderland taking on Fulham (all kicking off at 2pm), before Manchester United play newly-promoted Ipswich Town (KO 4.30pm). On Monday Night Football, Europa League winners Aston Villa face Arsenal under the lights at Villa Park (August 31, KO 8pm). In full: All the 2026/27 Premier League fixturesGot Sky? Watch the Premier League and more on the Sky Sports app📱Not got Sky? Get instant access with no contract📺 Matchday three kicks off with Liverpool's trip to Ipswich on Friday September 4 (KO 8pm), while Hull City host Villa on Saturday September 5 (KO 5.30pm). Sunday September 6 sees Everton host Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium (KO 2pm), before Chelsea travel across the capital to take on London rivals Arsenal (KO 4.30pm). Tottenham vs Everton takes place on Saturday September 12 (KO 5.30pm). Frank Lampard's Coventry City play Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday September 13 (KO 2pm), before Manchester United go head-to-head with rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford in the 4.30pm kick-off. Leeds vs Newcastle rounds off an action-packed matchday four weekend on Monday Night Football. Download the Sky Sports App and follow your Premier League sideStream the Premier League with NOW | Get Sky SportsDownload the Sky Sports app | Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp Friday Night Football returns on September 18 with a London derby between Brentford and Chelsea (KO 8pm), while Nottingham Forest host Coventry at the City Ground on Saturday September 19 (KO 5.30pm). Liverpool and Manchester United are both in action on that Super Sunday. Iraola faces his former club Bournemouth (KO 2pm) and Michael Carrick takes United to Craven Cottage to play Fulham (KO 4.30pm) to round off matchday five. August and September live Premier League games on Sky Sports Friday August 21 Arsenal vs Coventry City - kick-off 8pm Saturday August 22 Brentford vs Tottenham Hotspur - kick-off 5.30pm Sunday August 23 Brighton vs Aston Villa - kick-off 2pm Manchester City vs Bournemouth - kick-off 2pm Newcastle United vs Liverpool - kick-off 4.30pm Monday August 24 Fulham vs Chelsea - kick-off 8pm Friday August 28 Crystal Palace vs Manchester City - kick-off 8pm Saturday August 29 Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United - kick-off 5.30pm Sunday August 30 Chelsea vs Brighton - kick-off 2pm Leeds United vs Brentford - kick-off 2pm Sunderland vs Fulham - kick-off 2pm Manchester United vs Ipswich Town - kick-off 4.30pm Monday August 31 Aston Villa vs Arsenal - kick-off 8pm Friday September 4 Ipswich Town vs Liverpool - kick-off 8pm Saturday September 5 Hull City vs Aston Villa - kick-off 5.30pm Sunday September 6 Everton vs Manchester United - kick-off 2pm Arsenal vs Chelsea - kick-off 4.30pm Saturday September 12 Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton - kick-off 5.30pm Sunderland vs Arsenal - kick-off 8pm Sunday September 13 Coventry City vs Brighton and Hove Albion - kick-off 2pm Manchester United vs Manchester City - kick-off 4.30pm Monday September 14 Leeds United vs Newcastle United - kick-off 8pm Friday September 18 Brentford vs Chelsea - kick-off 8pm Saturday September 19 Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City - kick-off 5.30pm Sunday September 20 Bournemouth vs Liverpool - kick-off 2pm Fulham vs Manchester United - kick-off 4.30pm When does the 2026/27 Premier League season end? The Premier League has confirmed the final match round will be played on Sunday May 30 2027. All 10 fixtures will kick off at the same time and shown live on Sky Sports. That date is a week before the 2027 Champions League final on June 5. What will the Christmas schedule be? The 26/27 season will consist of 33 weekends and five midweek match rounds Only one Premier League game was available for live broadcast on Boxing Day last season, but December falls on a Saturday this year, so fans can expect a busier slate of top-flight matches this time around. The Premier League has said that over the Christmas and New Year period, no two match rounds will take place within 60 hours "to address the congested Christmas and New Year schedule within the expanded international calendar". Got Sky? Watch the Premier League and more on the Sky Sports app📱Not got Sky? Get instant access with no contract📺Download the Sky Sports App and follow your Premier League sideHow many games will be live on Sky Sports? Just like in the bumper 25/26 season, Sky Sports will show a minimum of 215 live Premier League matches as part of its current four-year TV deal. Sky Sports has first pick of matches each week and will continue to show multiple games at 2pm on Sunday on a number of weekends. Sky Sports subscriber? You'll be able to watch all our live football straight from the Sky Sports app. Not got Sky Sports? Upgrade to Sky Sports if you're already a Sky customer, or check out our latest offers. Want even more flexibility? Check out NOW TV, which offers day or month membership options contract-free so customers can cancel anytime. Which new teams are in the Premier League next season? Frank Lampard's Coventry City were promoted from the Championship as champions, while Ipswich Town secured automatic promotion by finishing in second place. Hull complete the Premier League 2026/27 line-up after beating Middlesbrough in the Championship play-off final. Meanwhile, West Ham, Burnley and Wolves were all relegated from the Premier League in 2025/26. 15 - Video - Coventry owner King: We aren't daunted by Premier League challenge!The key dates of the 2026-27 season August 16: Community Shield: Arsenal vs Manchester City, Cardiff's Principality Stadium, kick-off 3pm August 21: Premier League campaign starts w/c August 24: Carabao Cup second round for non-European teams August 27: Champions League league phase draw w/c September 7 and September 14: Carabao Cup third round as European teams enter September 8-10: Champions League league phase starts January 9: FA Cup third round January 27: Champions League league phase ends February 16: Champions League knockout phase begins March 21: Carabao Cup final May 22: FA Cup final May 30: Premier League season ends June 5: Champions League final, Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid When did the summer transfer window open? The summer transfer window opened on Monday June 15 and closes 10 days after the season starts on Tuesday September 1 at 11pm UK time. Stream the Premier League with NOW | Get Sky SportsDownload the Sky Sports app | Get Sky Sports on WhatsAppWhen does the winter transfer window open? The winter transfer window opens on Friday January 1, 2027 and closes on Monday February 1, 2027 at 11pm UK time. When do the cup competitions start? The Carabao Cup will start for EFL clubs on the weekend of August 7-9, with the 11 Premier League teams not competing in Europe entering in round two, which will be week commencing August 24. The remaining nine clubs - Arsenal, Man City, Man Utd, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Brighton, Sunderland and Crystal Palace - will enter in the third round on week commencing September 7 and September 14. The final will be played on Sunday March 21 at Wembley. The FA Cup third round is scheduled around the weekend of January 9/10 2027 and the competition will culminate with the final at Wembley on Saturday May 22 2027. When do European competitions start? Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United have secured Champions League football. By virtue of England's strong UEFA coefficient score, all Champions League qualifiers will avoid any July and August qualifying and playoff rounds and progress straight to the league phase, which runs from September 8-10 to January 27, 2027. Bournemouth and Sunderland secured Europa League football on the final day of the Premier League season, while Crystal Palace will also play in the Europa League next season after winning the Conference League. Brighton will play in the Conference League. The Europa League league phase starts on September 16/17 and the Conference League league phase begins on October 15. When is the Champions League draw? The Champions League league phase draw will take place on Thursday August 27. And the Europa League? The Europa League draw will be held on Friday August 28. Is there a Club World Cup this year? No - the World Cup instead takes centre stage this summer. The hosts have not yet been confirmed, though Mexico and Morocco - ahead of their 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal - have expressed interest in staging the 2029 edition. Follow the new Premier League season with Sky Sports! Sky Sports is the home of domestic club football in the UK & Ireland and will broadcast over 1,500 live matches across the Premier League, WSL, EFL and Scottish Premiership next season. Sky Sports will show a minimum of 215 live Premier League matches in 2026/27. Sky Sports has first pick of matches each week and will continue to show multiple games at 2pm on Sunday on a number of weekends. Sky Sports subscriber? You'll be able to watch all our live football straight from the Sky Sports app. Not got Sky Sports? Upgrade to Sky Sports if you're already a Sky customer, or check out our latest offers. Want even more flexibility? Check out NOW TV, which offers day or month membership options contract-free so customers can cancel anytime.

The far-right leader was found guilty of misappropriating public funds by a court last March. Her political future had been on the line today as a Paris appeals court ruled on her eligibility for the next election. She received a five-year ban ​from public office in March 2025 for embezzling more than €4m (£3.4m) from the European Parliament. Judges upheld the earlier court judgement that she was guilty of misappropriating EU funds and ruled she is ineligible to hold public office for 45 months, but suspended this for 30 months. While that ruling clears the way for Le Pen to run in the 2027 presidential election, the court also sentenced her to a three-year jail term: two suspended and one ​with an electronic ankle tag. So while it will not prevent her from entering the race for France's highest office, it would make any campaign politically and logistically difficult. Le Pen left the courtroom without speaking to journalists and her lawyers said she would reflect upon the verdict. She has previously said she would be reluctant to campaign for the presidency while serving a sentence under electronic monitoring.

The agreement, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, will create the UK's largest commercial broadcaster via the acquisition of the ITVX platform and ITV's free-to-air channels, but not ITV's studio operations. The proposed combination was first revealed last November. It aims to create a UK-focused streaming giant amid the challenge posed by larger, established US platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The integrated streaming platform will have over 16 million viewers every month, Sky's chief executive Dana Strong said. Read more: Why a Sky-ITV deal makes sense Under the agreement ITV channels with shows like Coronation Street, Emmerdale, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and Love Island will remain free-to-air. The combined business could also "supercharge" ITV's sports offering, according to Ms Strong. Studio guarantees Guarantees have been given to the studios wing of ITV, which creates TV shows and is not included in the deal. The combined Sky and ITV entity will spend at least £2.1bn from 2028 to 2032. Money blog: 'I'm an air traffic controller - here's what we earn' This commitment will support British programming, production and creative jobs across the UK, an ITV announcement said. The Sky-owned Love Productions, which makes the Great British Bake Off, is being sold to ITV for £200m to enhance "creative capabilities and portfolio breadth", the corporate announcement said. "As long as consumers love Coronation Street, we will absolutely be delivering Coronation Street," Sky CEO Dana Strong said when asked about what happens after the minimum spend agreement ends. "So we've got all of the shows that consumers love in a five-year contract. That's a pretty long contract, as you know, in our industry. So I have no concerns about what happens after that. You just start negotiations for continuation," Ms Strong said. News operations All ITV public service broadcasting commitments are to be maintained under the deal. And Sky said ITV News, produced by Independent Television News (ITN), and Sky News were set to remain distinct editorial voices. The current ITV-ITN contract is due to expire in 2030, which Ms Strong said is a "pretty long content deal for our industry". As the end of the contract approaches, Ms Strong said, "you just start renegotiating". "The national news, the international news and the regional news that ITV currently produces are all exceptional and will continue," she said. Sky is the owner of Sky News. Job losses? Speaking to Sky News, Ms Strong did not give a number of possible job losses as part of the purchase, but said they would be in commercial and corporate functions. "There is some duplication in roles in corporate functions and commercial functions as there is when you bring, inevitably, two organisations together," she said. "But it's the minority of the synergy." Sky had said about £200m in annual cost savings could be realised by the purchase. "We need to get a little bit closer to the businesses to look at where exactly the overlaps are," Ms Strong added. Reaction The chair of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Caroline Dinenage, said the news "reflects how British broadcasters feel the need to take steps to accelerate their growth so they can better compete with the global media streaming giants". "It will be important to have some early clarification on the future of ITN, which is 40% owned by ITV, given the implications of the deal for the plurality of news," she said. "ITV's role providing regional news programmes that so many people rely on also needs to be protected."

From September, part of the Sentencing Act 2026 will come into force, enabling some offenders to be freed earlier in a bid to reduce overcrowding. Killers, rapists and sex offenders could be among up to 6,000 criminals released early in a few months' time, reports have suggested. Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, said the extra capacity could help governors focus more on rehabilitation, but warned institutions were still failing to provide the education, training and risk-reduction programmes needed to support their release. "This is an area we've been worried about for many years," he said. "A lot of prisoners are going to be going out from jails in September, October, November, and we will watch very closely what the effect of that is in terms of reoffending rates and risk to the public." Prisoners locked up for some violent or sexual offences will become eligible for release halfway through their sentences under the changes, rather than serving the current tariff of two-thirds. Burglars and thieves are among the prisoners who will be considered for release a third of the way through their sentences, down from the current 40%. The first 700 offenders are to be released in September, the Telegraph has reported. Read more from Sky News:Farage reacts to Sky News question on his financesCharlie Kirk's widow faces his alleged killer in court Victims have started to receive letters from the government telling them their abusers or attackers are set to be freed under the scheme. Former Home Office minister Jess Phillips said last week "there should be more exemptions within the release scheme", including to keep adults who rape children in jail for longer. Meanwhile, The Sunday Times reported that Andy Burnham, widely expected to be the next prime minister, is looking at ways to tighten the early prison release scheme to stop child sex offenders walking free. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "This government is fixing the prison crisis it inherited - building 14,000 more prison places and reforming sentencing so we can always lock up dangerous criminals. "Without this decisive action, prisons will run out of space entirely as early as November and we will be unable to lock up serious offenders at all." A spokesperson for Mr Burnham has been contacted.

The PR circus surrounding FIFA's decision to rescind Folarin Balogun's red card and Donald Trump's involvement in the supposedly independent process had dominated the headlines ahead of the last-16 clash in Seattle. However, it appeared only to galvanise Belgium as they thrashed USA 4-1 to book a quarter-final with Spain. And Belgium revelled in the victory, with several players mimicking Donald Trump's trademark dance moves after their fourth goal, while the team's official X account also mocked the US President and FIFA by responding to Balogun's overturned ban with the post: "Overturn this." Trump boasts, Infantino hits back and Belgium vow action amid Balogun furoreBalogun reprieve ends in anti-climax as Belgium dump USA outAs it happened | Teams | Stats | Knockout bracketWorld Cup day-by-day schedule | Latest: World CupFollow our World Cup coverage in the Sky Sports AppRaskin: A sense of justice Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin said his team felt a "sense of injustice" after their thumping win. "A lot has happened off the pitch over the last two days," Raskin said. "There was a sense of injustice within the squad, and we were determined to respond on the field." Belgium captain Youri Tielemans also insisted the build up to the game had boosted his side. "We told ourselves we had to respond on the pitch. That's what we did," he said. Trump has confirmed he personally asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to "review" United States striker Folarin Balogun's World Cup red card. The world governing body announced on Sunday that the automatic one-match ban for Balogun's dismissal against Bosnia and Herzegovina had been suspended, with the Americans' last-16 opponents, Belgium, appealing - unsuccessfully - against the decision. On Monday, UEFA said FIFA had "crossed a red line" and had put the "integrity of the game at stake" in allowing Balogun to play against Belgium. But FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended the independence of FIFA's disciplinary committee. Garcia: Balogun not to blame Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia revealed that Balogun "came to talk" after the game. Garcia said: "I really liked that. It's not his fault, he's not the one to blame and that's what I told him." Asked if the controversy impacted his team, Garcia added: "Regardless of the US starting line-up, what really mattered to us is our game plan. "The group is very mature. I told them what matters the most is us." Pochettino disappointed that politics overshadowed USA's World Cup Mauricio Pochettino admitted his disappointment at the "politics and manipulation" which overshadowed the United States' World Cup exit. Asked afterwards if the outcry the decision sparked had affected he and his players, USA head coach Pochettino told the BBC: "It didn't affect our performance. It's not an excuse. It wasn't our day. "But in a personal way, what is the point to insult or receive a lot of bad messages? "It's a rule for the federation to apply and to try [to overturn the ban]. My position was to train the team. If Balogun is available because FIFA allow for you to have the player, it's not a problem. "I feel disappointed with too many people. They put politics and manipulation, talk about ethics and integrity [first]. If we talk about the history of this game, I am disappointed in a personal way." Like his manager, USA defender Tim Ream refused to use the Balogun situation as an excuse. Speaking to reporters after the final whistle, he said: "No, it had no impact. We've done a good job with this group of allowing outside noise to be outside noise. It's got nothing to do with us as players and getting ready for games. "It's one of those things. That's the world we live in. We were fully focused on us as a group and as a team and fully focused on the game and not really worrying about what was being said or debated in the outside world." Infantino faces resignation calls - but he's not going anywhere Meanwhile, FIFA president Infantino is facing calls to resign over the decision to allow Balogun to play against Belgium. "Infantino must go," said Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey. "No matter where it is held, the World Cup belongs to the fans." Resigning is not something which has crossed Infantino's mind. He has been president for 10 years and he will stand for re-election next year. He is almost guaranteed to win a new four-year term because he already has the votes he needs to win. The African, Asian and South American football confederations are all backing him again. FIFA's president is elected by its 211 member associations. Asia, Africa and South America have 111 votes. Infantino is likely to be the only candidate which would mean he will be clapped back into office by acclamation. Infantino has been flying around the US, Canada and Mexico watching as many World Cup games as possible in a jet provided by Qatar Airways. FIFA say their disciplinary committee is independent and Infantino was not involved in the decision to suspend Balogun's automatic one-match ban.