The TV star, who found fame in the 1970s as a member of comic trio The Goodies, alongside Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, died on Saturday. He went on to host wildlife programmes for the BBC, including Birding With Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie Goes Wild, Springwatch and Autumnwatch. His agent and friend David Foster paid tribute to the "intelligence and wit" of "Britain's best-loved birder". "It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of Bill Oddie, the country's best-loved birder," he said. "Bill was a multi-talented celebrity - wildlife presenter, broadcaster, comedian, writer, songwriter, musician and conservationist. Yet it was never fame that he valued. "Instead he encouraged us to respect and protect the environment. He taught us the wonder of it. He protested, lobbied and campaigned for it. "He led the way and people of all ages and backgrounds responded to his call. And such a massive contribution to conservation will never be forgotten. "My thoughts and love are with Bill's wife, Laura, and his daughters Bonnie, Kate and Rosie, who have asked not to be contacted at this sad time. Please respect their wishes." From comedian to nature presenter While Oddie later became known for presenting nature shows, the natural world had always been a passion of his. A birdwatcher since his childhood in Birmingham, he was a respected ornithologist. He was a council member of the RSPB, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and The Worldwide Fund for Nature. He was also president of The Northumberland Wildlife Trust and represented many other nature organisations. His comic career began in the Cambridge Footlights, when he started writing for shows including That Was The Week That Was. He went on to write and appear on numerous programmes including I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, which featured many of his comic songs. Read more from Sky News:UK set for fourth heatwave this weekMan and woman die after being pulled from water His songs led The Goodies to several major chart hits, most notably with the 1975 track The Funky Gibbon. He continued to work with his fellow Goodies on programmes including Bananaman, before turning his attention to nature shows. Oddie spoke openly about suffering from crippling depression and was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The presenter was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in 2009 after being dropped from the BBC's Springwatch show, of which he was one of the original hosts.

The TV star, who found fame in the 1970s as a member of comic trio The Goodies, alongside Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, died on Saturday. He went on to host wildlife programmes for the BBC, including Birding With Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie Goes Wild, Springwatch and Autumnwatch. His agent and friend David Foster paid tribute to the "intelligence and wit" of "Britain's best-loved birder". "It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of Bill Oddie, the country's best-loved birder," he said. "Bill was a multi-talented celebrity - wildlife presenter, broadcaster, comedian, writer, songwriter, musician and conservationist. Yet it was never fame that he valued. "Instead he encouraged us to respect and protect the environment. He taught us the wonder of it. He protested, lobbied and campaigned for it. "He led the way and people of all ages and backgrounds responded to his call. And such a massive contribution to conservation will never be forgotten. "My thoughts and love are with Bill's wife, Laura, and his daughters Bonnie, Kate and Rosie, who have asked not to be contacted at this sad time. Please respect their wishes." From comedian to nature presenter While Oddie later became known for presenting nature shows, the natural world had always been a passion of his. A birdwatcher since his childhood in Birmingham, he was a respected ornithologist. He was a council member of the RSPB, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and The Worldwide Fund for Nature. He was also president of The Northumberland Wildlife Trust and represented many other nature organisations. His comic career began in the Cambridge Footlights, when he started writing for shows including That Was The Week That Was. He went on to write and appear on numerous programmes including I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, which featured many of his comic songs. Read more from Sky News:UK set for fourth heatwave this weekMan and woman die after being pulled from water His songs led The Goodies to several major chart hits, most notably with the 1975 track The Funky Gibbon. He continued to work with his fellow Goodies on programmes including Bananaman, before turning his attention to nature shows. Oddie spoke openly about suffering from crippling depression and was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The presenter was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in 2009 after being dropped from the BBC's Springwatch show, of which he was one of the original hosts.

We had been invited to attend the ceremony before the Ukrainian president began a wide-ranging interview with Sky News. As we walked in the palace grounds, Mr Zelenskyy told me that the medical workers were as important to the war effort as the soldiers on the front lines, the people who make the country's weapons, and the farmers who feed the nation. Dressed in a trademark black T-shirt and black fatigues, the president seemed relaxed, confident and focused on the key issues he has to deal with on a daily basis: successfully prosecuting the war with Russia, ensuring the government and the military work in tandem, and maintaining strong links with allied governments across the world. Our meeting was arranged on the eve of his latest trip abroad to meet allied nations, and follows a tough week of domestic politics for the Ukrainian leader. Faced with a deteriorating relationship between his defence minister and the head of the armed forces, he took the unusual step of sacking them both. He believes it's for the good of the nation. War 'not about one man' The former defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, is credited by many here with boosting Ukrainian military successes by leaning into new technologies and supporting the production of long- and medium-range drones that are hitting supply lines and oil refineries deep inside Russia and Crimea. Read more: Russia is the only winner from Ukraine's internal war Calling for Mr Fedorov's reappointment, thousands of mainly young people have been staging street protests urging the president to change tack. But President Zelenskyy told me that although he respects both Fedorov and Oleksandr Syrski, the former head of the armed forces, both men would acknowledge that "deep strike" missions into Russia are "not about one man" - that it's a joint effort, with operations led by the secret service, intelligence units, and soldiers on the ground. He talked about the realities of preparing for a harsh winter season of fighting, and the challenge of mobilisation. "If you will focus on the important things during this war, you have to understand, first, it's a warrior, it's a soldier," he told me. "If you don't have a soldier on the front, if he's running back or if you think that you can use only drones and you don't need soldiers, then you will fail. "Because there [are] infiltrations of the enemy, and if you don't have soldiers on the front, you will lose this territory, you will lose the village, and after the village you will lose the city." 'I don't have time for talks' I asked Mr Zelenskyy if he would consider reappointing the former defence minister back to his position, as protesters are calling for. He didn't answer the question directly, but he made it clear that he had no time or capacity to allow workplace disagreements to affect military strategy. It appears it got to the point that the president himself was the interlocutor between the two men and their departments, such was their level of breakdown of communications. "I don't have time for talks," he said rather frankly. "Look, I don't have time to listen to one side, then to listen to another side, because two sides are not ready to meet each day. "And I don't need to find who is right and who is not right." 'We don't have enough missiles' Mr Zelenskyy said he was fully focused on reaching out to the United States and President Donald Trump, as well as other allied governments, to ask them to continue to supply money and weapons to defend Ukraine and to keep imposing sanctions on Russia. Air defence remains a priority, he told me, because Russia is stepping up its use of ballistic missiles to target major cities. Just last week we witnessed 40 such missiles fired at Kyiv in a single hour. "We don't have enough missiles to defend, this is a problem," Zelenskyy said. "[There's] not enough sanctions on Russia's military production; they can increase the production of ballistic missiles, so, and that's why we need air defence as quick as possible." The war in the Middle East has also impacted Ukraine - they now have a deficit of anti-air capabilities. "Now I understand the roots of the problem," he said, "I understand that relations between the United States and Middle East countries, and I understand the United State is focusing on the Middle East, but because of this, we had this challenge, and for us, it's a big challenge. "I try to manage it now with some Europeans and with Americans and with some other countries; this, for me, it's a big challenge, big challenge for Ukraine." Talks with Burnham set - with 'drone deal' on table Mr Zelenskyy enjoyed good relations with former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and the UK more generally, and he seemed confident that the close relationship will continue under Andy Burnham, and that talks are already planned. "I had a phone call, a very good phone call with the new prime minister; I congratulated him," he added. "We spoke about some basic things, also not with details, because I understand what does mean when you just became the leader; everybody will call you, etc..." He told me that he wants to repay the British government for help and training given to Ukraine from the start of the war, particularly with regards to drone warfare and protecting against aerial assaults, saying he wants to "open a new page in our nations". Follow our live coverage of the war Mr Zelenskyy wants to make a 'drone deal', and has ambitions to build a big drone factory in Britain, and offer new technologies to share with partners. "We're ready to share all our experience with the UK, and I hope that the UK will do the same, so we need to make this drone deal very strong. "I count on it, and also I count - when we will speak, I will say about not only about our needs, how we see our bilateral relations further, what can we do together to strengthen Ukraine and UK." Ukrainians 'tired' after 'long war' President Zelenskyy believes that Russia's President Vladimir Putin is preparing to mobilise soldiers in their hundreds of thousands and to send them to the front, conceding this would be a significant danger to Ukraine. He underlined once again his belief that Putin will only stop fighting if he is beaten: "What we tried to do to make this challenge also for Russians; otherwise, they will not feel that the war is everywhere... "That's why we started to do everything to respond and to bring this war back to Russia, where it came to us... and that's why we started our mid-strikes and deep-strike operations, just to respond." The president seemed reflective, almost emotional, when I asked if the Ukrainian people will ever get over the trauma of this war and whether he, personally, will ever get over it. "I don't know, we have to do it, we have to think more about veterans, about you know hundreds of thousands of people who will come back home, and this is a big challenge. "Of course it's difficult to do it ourselves, but we will do it, I mean it's only ourselves. But the resilience of people, they surprised everybody in the world... "People are very strong, very strong, but of course, tired, [it's a] long war." As this long war drags on into another winter, I got the impression the president remains determined to keep leading his country, if not to an outright victory, at least to a place where its territorial integrity can be sustained. I finished the interview saying I thought he had one of the most difficult jobs in the world. He simply smiled.

What is the latest on this situation? Brazil star Vinicius Jr, 26, is entering the final year of his contract at Real Madrid. Negotiations over an extension have dragged on without a breakthrough, and it has caused increasing speculation over his future at the club. That intensified last week when it emerged that Arsenal are interested in signing him this summer if he cannot agree a new deal at Real. Meanwhile, Real Madrid have made a significant move for another winger - the exciting Ivory Coast international Yan Diomande at RB Leipzig. Transfer Centre LIVE!Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺Choose the Sky Sports push notifications you want! 🔔 It means doubts around Vinicius' future at the Bernabeu have grown over the past few days. How serious is Arsenal's interest and can they afford him? Arsenal's interest is real but in the early stages and conditional on a number of factors, not least the cost - which would be significant should the door open for Vinicius to leave Real. There have been no club-to-club talks, and there is no guarantee it progresses to a formal bid. Arsenal, as newly-crowned Premier League champions, are looking to add another top-class forward despite signing Christos Tzolis. He was brought in to replace Leandro Trossard and there is doubt around the future of Gabriel Martinelli. Last year they were keen on Vinicius's Real Madrid team-mate Rodrygo, while this summer Sky Sports News has reported their interest in Julian Alvarez and Morgan Rogers, who has since joined Chelsea from Aston Villa. With one year left on his contract, the financial side of purchasing Vinicius would not be as severe as it previously has been - but it is worth remembering the sheer scale of an offer for the player two years ago from the Saudi Pro League. They were ready to pay him €1bn over five years and a transfer fee to Real Madrid of more than £300m (around €350m), which would have made him the most expensive transfer in history. It would not cost anywhere near that much this time, but it gives a sense of what both Real and Vinicius were willing to forego in 2024. Although the real figure is confidential, Vinicius is believed to earn around €15m to €17m net per year. That's around £247,000 to £279,000 per week after tax. To earn that amount in the UK, Arsenal would need to pay him somewhere between £450,000 and £500,000 per week. That would make him far and away Arsenal's highest paid player. Bukayo Saka is widely believed to be the current highest paid on more than £300,000 per week. A report in the Telegraph this morning claims Arsenal would be willing to go to £400,000. But that would still not equal Vinicius' current salary. Widespread reports in Spain claim part of the current impasse with Real is over his increased salary demands. So is it just a dispute over a new contract? The situation has some of the classic hallmarks of a new contract dispute; reports of an impasse over salary demands, emerging Arsenal interest, further talks to come. But there is no strong public evidence yet that Vinicius wants to leave Real Madrid for any reason, sporting or otherwise; no quotes, no interviews, no suggestive social media posts. Real Madrid and - most importantly - new manager Jose Mourinho want him to stay and agree new terms. Sky Sports News reported on Monday morning that there will be further talks this week between Real and Vinicius' representatives, with Arsenal monitoring things closely. Club president Florentino Perez is personally involved and has publicly expressed a desire for Vinicius to stay long term. Reports in Spain have long claimed that both parties have indicated a preference for him to remain at the club. Real Madrid do not want him to run down the deal into a free agent situation either. Vinicius is more than just an outstanding left winger. He is a global superstar - and a Galactico in every sense. In that way he embodies everything about Real Madrid and fits right in. Can the same be said about Arsenal? Signing such an icon has not been part of Mikel Arteta's Arsenal project so far, however exciting it might be to go in that direction. Does Real Madrid's pursuit of Yan Diomande affect things? Sky Sports News has been told Real's proposed deal for Diomande has no real bearing on the Vinicius situation. It says nothing about their desire to keep Vinicius or not, and only suggests they see a front-three with both of these players in the team. Diomande can play from the right wing too, and he only strengthens the attacking options of the biggest club in the world. According to Spanish newspaper AS, the players whose futures would be affected by Diomande's arrival are more likely to be striker Goncalo Garcia - who is wanted by Fulham - and winger Brahim Diaz. Rodrygo is still recovering from a long-term injury, so Diomande has space to come into the team quickly, even at only 19 years old. What is the most likely outcome? At this stage, all signs still point to Vinicius signing a new deal with Real Madrid. The fact that they will all meet again this week to discuss this suggests this is the direction of travel. It will most likely come down to how closely Vinicius' earnings can get to that of Mbappe and satisfy his Galactico status in the squad. Normally, you do not say no to Real Madrid. Real would not want to go into the new season with his contract running down, and the resulting intensification of speculation in the media. Arsenal's interest is only likely to become more concrete if the renewal fully fails - so this week is a crucial one.

In an extraordinary and lengthy statement published on his own and FIFA's Instagram accounts on Monday, Mr Infantino said they "were so consumed by hate and criticism" that they missed all the "joy and happiness" the tournament brought. In the post, which appeared to be aimed at journalists, he contrasted "those behind their pens and papers, behind their screens spreading hate and false rumours", with his organisation, which delivered "the best show in the world". The tournament, hosted jointly by the US, Canada and Mexico, was the largest ever, featuring 48 teams and lasting more than five weeks, but was mired in controversy. Mr Infantino and FIFA were widely criticised for suspending US striker Folarin Balogun's automatic one-match ban after intervention from US President Donald Trump, while US visa restrictions affected supporters and officials from several competing nations, including Iran, Haiti, Senegal and Ivory Coast, along with Somali tournament referee Omar Artan, who was refused entry. Questions were raised over the cost of tickets, while others were unhappy about the introduction of hydration breaks to cope with the intense heat some matches were played in, claiming it meant games were played over four quarters, rather than two halves. Infantino defended the handling of visas, writing: "You mentioned the few people denied visas and overlooked the millions who were approved, from all parts of the world." He also appeared to respond to criticism of the reversal of Balogun's automatic one-match ban after the US striker was sent off against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Mr Trump later revealed he had spoken to the FIFA chief about Balogun's case before FIFA confirmed the striker would be eligible to face Belgium in the last 16 tie. FIFA maintained its independent disciplinary committee made the decision, but the ruling prompted accusations of political interference from UEFA, the Belgian Football Association and European lawmakers. Read more:Domestic abuse peaked during World CupWildfires latest - 'crucial 24 hours' ahead Without referring to the incident directly, Infantino wrote that "'arguable' referees' decisions or "'strange' disciplinary rulings" were "routine and widely accepted in some of the biggest leagues worldwide. "It's curious that the same countries employing these practices are the ones criticising," he said. FIFA's president emphasised how safe the tournament proved to be, despite fears beforehand over fan safety, pointing out that while fans celebrated, critics were "planting seeds of hate". He even took credit for Iran taking part in matches in the US, claiming FIFA had "worked tirelessly to unite two countries at war".

The US musician faced an allegation he attacked a former friend at the Tape club in Mayfair in 2023. The 37-year-old previously denied allegations of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against Abraham Diaw, along with two charges of possessing an offensive weapon - a bottle - in a public place and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm. At Southwark Crown Court on Friday, prosecutors dropped these charges, and the R&B singer admitted an additional charge of affray. Brown, from California, USA, was charged along with his vocal coach, Omololu Akinlolu, 40, who had also denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm and has now pleaded guilty to affray. Prosecutors said Brown approached the victim from the dancefloor and after moving through the crowd, "struck him twice over the head with a glass bottle". The fight was caught on a surveillance camera in front of the club, prosecutors said. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) added that Akinlolu, of Florida, USA, "quickly joined Brown and punched the victim to the head". The CPS said the pair "continued their assault whilst the victim attempted to flee through the club" and "the victim was kicked while he was seated defenceless on the floor". The victim was taken to St Mary's Hospital with head and knee injuries. Following the attack, police discovered Brown and Akinlolu had left the UK and a warrant was issued for their arrest. Brown returned to the UK over two years after the incident for a concert in Manchester as part of his world tour and was arrested on 15 May last year. During the brief court hearing on Friday, prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe KC applied for an extra charge of affray to be added to the indictment, saying this had been accepted by all parties. Brown arrived at court wearing a tan suit, gold-rimmed sunglasses, a St Louis Cardinals baseball hat, and flanked by security guards. He waved to fans who were playing his music and shouting his name, with one saying "I love you Chris". He was previously ordered to pay a £5 million security fee as part of his bail conditions and allowed to go on a world tour, as long as he surrendered his passport on arrival in each country. Detective Constable Zara Ripamonti, from the Metropolitan Police Service, said: "This was a disgraceful, unprovoked assault that put a man in hospital. Read more from Sky News:Car bomb near Irish borderHeat health alerts in place "There is no place for serious violence like this in London and I'm pleased these men accepted what they did wasn't just completely unacceptable - but criminal. "This has been a long investigation and we've worked with police colleagues in the UK to bring these two men to justice." Both Brown and Akinlolu were bailed to be sentenced on October 26 at Southwark Crown Court. Claire Campbell, senior crown prosecutor in CPS London South said after the hearing: "This kind of violence is entirely unacceptable. No one is above the law." Brown initially became famous as a teenager in 2005 and has won two Grammys for best R&B album, one for F.A.M.E. in 2011 and another for 11:11 (Deluxe) earlier this year. He pleaded guilty in 2009 to beating his ex-girlfriend, pop star Rihanna. He admitted one count of felony assault relating to an incident that occurred hours before they were due to perform at the Grammy Awards.

It comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a "pause" to the first tranche of releases, which were due to start in September. One prison service source suggested Burnham had come into office understandably wanting to prioritise the safety of victims but without thinking of the repercussions for prison capacity if the scheme were to be scrapped. It's a "mess", they said. Releases began being prepared at the beginning of the month, according to internal guidance circulated within the probation service and seen by Sky News. Up to 7000 inmates were set to be freed across 10 tranches, starting on 2 September. Probation staff have now had their training on the changes paused, and have little further information about the shape of the review and what could change. The Sentencing Act, which became law earlier this year, introduced an earned progression model which allowed prisoners serving standard sentences in England and Wales to be freed after serving a third of their sentence, rather than half. The rest would be spent on supervision in the community, using electronic tagging. More serious criminals, including those convicted of sexual and violent crimes, would be eligible for release from prison after serving half of their sentence, rather than two-thirds, as is typically the case at the moment. It is believed that this change led to two of the three men convicted of manslaughter over the death of PC Harper being considered for early release from prison. On Friday, the Police Federation for England and Wales urged the government not to allow prison capacity to "redefine the punishment imposed by the courts", saying any celebration of police officer bravery rings "hollow" when officers see "the very people they risked their lives to arrest being released early... because the prison estate has run out of capacity." Some sources have suggested that the government could change the eligibility criteria so that more serious criminals are prevented from release, but there are questions over whether this amendment would do enough to curb overcrowding and deliver the numbers. Read more from Sky News:Chris Brown pleads guilty to affrayIrish police intercepts car bomb near border The men's prison estate is operating at 97% capacity today, with around 2,000 free spaces. Not quite the 99% capacity it was at two summers ago, with just hundreds of free spaces, but it wouldn't take too long to get back to that point. In a statement released on Thursday, the prime minister said keeping the public safe would always be his "top priority" and that "no prisoners will be let out under this policy until we have conducted an urgent review". "Where changes are needed, we will not hesitate to make them," he added.

Those discussions will centre on finding an agreement over a new long-term contract. Arsenal, who are aiming to strengthen their left-wing options this summer, are interested in Vinicius and are monitoring the situation closely. Arsenal news and transfers latestArsenal exploring deal for Real Madrid's Vinicius JrArsenal interested in John Stones and Ezri KonsaChristos Tzolis is Arsenal's new 'warrior mode' winger Manager Jose Mourinho wants to keep the Brazil international and the club want him to sign new terms. However, he has has entered the final year of his contract and if an agreement cannot be found on a new deal, Real could be open to selling, rather than lose him for free next summer. Could Real's Diomande move make Vinicius to Arsenal more likely? Sky Sports News has been told Real Madrid's proposed deal to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig has no bearing on Vinicius's situation. Madrid are increasingly confident of completing a deal for Diomande this week after Paris Saint-Germain withdrew from the race on Sunday. Sky Sports News has reported for several months that the Premier League clubs interested in Diomande are Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City. PSG pull out of Diomande race - Real confident of signing forward But he now looks destined for the Bernabeu, and Sky Sports News understands PSG are to resume their pursuit of Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche next. Last week, Sky Sports News exclusively revealed that Liverpool had made an approach to Monaco for Akliouche, whom PSG will only bid for at the right price. Liverpool are also interested in PSG winger Bradley Barcola, along with Arsenal, in what is an intensive and wide-ranging market for wingers this summer. Analysis: Vinicius Jr would be jaw-dropping signing for Arsenal Sky Sports' Peter Smith: "It's well known Arsenal are aiming to strengthen their left-wing options this summer - but a deal for Brazil ace Vinicius Jr would be a jaw-dropping addition. "Vinicius Jr has one year left on his current Real Madrid contract so this could be the window of opportunity for potential suitors to make their move, as Real try to tie the winger down to a new deal. "Vinicius Jr's relationship with new Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has been in focus. "However, it is understood the player and head coach have been in touch since an incident last season which saw Vinicius Jr abused by Mourinho's Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni and that the pair were ready to start this new campaign together with a clean slate. "But with Arsenal's interest being reported, there is now the possibility Vinicius Jnr will be kicking off the 206/27 season in the Premier League. "It's a thrilling thought for Arsenal fans and neutrals on these shores - but a worrying one for the Gunners' title rivals." Are Vinicius Jr's wage demands too much for Arsenal? Spanish football expert Terry Gibson on Sky Sports News: "Vinicius Jr is currently on 15m Euros a year net. "Real Madrid have offered him 20m Euros. He wants 30m Euros - just over 550,000 Euros a week net. "There's no budging on the contract from Real Madrid or Vinicius. Real Madrid are looking at a potential replacement in Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig. This [contract situation] has been ongoing for 18 months. "But when you put those figures in the melting pot, it's hard to imagine Arsenal or anybody in the Premier League matching those sums of money."