A confidential presentation shows FIFA wants up to $4.2bn (£3.1bn) banked by October even as President Gianni Infantino is insisting to football associations that a "consultation process" has just been launched ahead of a decision. And in a bid to gain support by September - amid growing opposition - FIFA has now told member associations the $86m (£65m) windfall can help fund bigger salaries to staff. A presentation on the new FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) subsidiary, referencing FIFA and FAs, says the outside cash can help "attract top talent with incentive-driven compensation." The venture has been viewed as a way for Mr Infantino to remain in a lucrative job overseeing the World Cup even if he has to vacate the presidency in 2031 under FIFA's term limits. There has been fury, particularly from UEFA, that Infantino has been secretly working on partly selling off the money-making parts of the governing body to external investors. Sell-off scheme 'crosses a line' The plan "crosses a line that football's governing institutions should never cross," UEFA said. Much of the anger has centred on the rushed process and lack of consultation with football associations - even with members of Mr Infantino's own FIFA Council. The FIFA presentation says it wants binding bids by October with "commitment letters submitted and long form agreements agreed; tender allocations made" before completion, as "investors transfer funds to FIFA by end of October". In a letter to members obtained by Sky News, Asian Football Confederation President, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, says he has not "received any detailed governance, financial or legal analysis of the proposal and its potential repercussions, which is totally unacceptable". The Bahraini royal writes: "The AFC is deeply concerned that FIFA's unilateral actions appear to undermine the very foundations of continental football, which are based on solidarity, cooperation and transparency. Moreover, such an initiative will not succeed without the support of all the confederations, which is not the case now." World Cup boycott discussed European associations have begun discussing a World Cup boycott in protest at the plans, Sky News revealed on Tuesday. The English FA said it was "deeply concerned about the lack of process and governance to get to this point, and the apparent substance and principles involved". The president of the Czech Republic's FA told Sky News he is backing the scheme. September deadline According to another letter seen by Sky News, the 211 football associations have been given until 19 September to sign up or miss out on having access to $86m (£65m) in cash over the next 12 years. And Sheikh Salman said: "The AFC is also surprised that the current timeline allows an extremely limited period for consideration of a proposal of such significance, when such decisions should never be rushed, and it is imperative that all factors be considered and debated." Read more:Blatter criticises FIFA sell-offFIFA chief's extraordinary online rantFIFA opens disciplinary case against Argentina The sustainability of the $20bn (£15bn) FFE subsidiary - with plans to sell off 20% for $4.2bn to investors - could hinge on FIFA expanding its competitions. FIFA has said FFE would now be "regulating and defining competitions", but the presentation for members selling the new project, which has been seen by Sky News, references "competition enhancement" and "commercial optimisation will unlock the next era of growth". Mr Infantino wants to expand the World Cup from 48 to 64 teams, despite only just adding 16 teams for the tournament won by Spain this month. He is working with JP Morgan and Joshua Kushner, the brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, to launch FFE.

The 56-year-old, who shot to fame in The Commitments and later with his band The Frames, died following the single-vehicle crash near the Strawberry Beds area in Lucan just before 4.30am. Irish police did not name Hansard as the victim, but said in a statement that "the motorcyclist, a man in his 50s, was treated at the scene but was pronounced deceased a short time later". The statement continued: "The scene has been preserved for examination by Garda [Irish police] forensic collision investigators. Local traffic diversions are currently in place." Hansard, a married father-of-one, won an Academy Award for best original song in 2008, for Falling Slowly, co-written with Marketa Irglova. The song featured in the hit indie movie, Once, in which the pair starred. He played Outspan Foster in the cult hit The Commitments, the 1991 film based on Roddy Doyle's first novel. He performed as a musician with The Frames and the duo The Swell Season, and also as a solo act. During his career, Hansard collaborated with artists such as Eddie Vedder, Bono and Bruce Springsteen. A clip of him performing on stage with Springsteen in 2013 was shared on his Instagram account less than 24 hours before his death. He was well-known for busking with the U2 frontman on Dublin's Grafton Street every Christmastime, and was involved with various charitable and social causes. He also played a powerful rendition of Fairytale of New York during the funeral for Shane MacGowan in 2023. Police are appealing to anyone who witnessed the crash to contact them, and have urged motorists who may have dashcam footage to come forward. Read more from Sky News:US singer set to face murder trialDoctor Who and Bond actor dies Ireland has seen a surge in road deaths in recent years. Another man, a motorist in his 40s, was killed in Co Clare on Wednesday morning and the Gardai have appealed for road users to slow down. Some 107 people have been killed on Irish roads this year, 15 more than at the same time last year, which itself saw the highest number of deaths in a decade.

Andy Burnham has thrown the future of legalising assisted dying into doubt. After telling Sam Coates that he does not want legislation to proceed until social care and palliative care are "fixed". Supporters of the bill insist they are pressing ahead. But has the Prime Minister's intervention made its passage through Parliament far less likely? Sam and Anne examine what Burnham's comments mean for MPs ahead of the crucial September vote. Plus, new polling from POLITICO shows again the 'Burnham bounce' as his approval rating goes up in every demographic, except one - Reform voters. What will this mean in the long term? And, before Sam and Anne take some time off over summer, what do they make of Burnham's first two weeks?

The decision has been taken following discussions with the club's hierarchy over the last 48 hours, although Howe had started the ball rolling on a potential departure a number of weeks ago. In this time, Howe continued to focus on preparing the Newcastle team for their season opener against Liverpool on August 23, live on Sky Sports. Howe's departure comes 25 days before that fixture. Matthias Jaissle of Al Ahli Is the favourite to replace Howe. Sky Sports News understands talks are at an advanced stage with the 38-year-old German coach. Al Ahli is one of the four clubs owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) - who also own Newcastle. Kieran McKenna and Antonio Conte were also names on Newcastle's shortlist. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Premier League ins and outsNewcastle news & transfers⚫⚪ | Newcastle fixtures Newcastle have already had a challenging summer after the sales of Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon - and that continues with uncertainty over their captain Bruno Guimaraes, who is wanted by Arsenal. Those sales have played a factor in Howe's decision amid concerns about what the squad will look like at the start of the new campaign. Newcastle also sold striker Alexander Isak for a British-record £125m to Liverpool last summer. Howe has spent a number of months reflecting on his time at Newcastle and believed he could take the club forward this season, providing Newcastle recruited well this summer. Newcastle have signed 20-year-old winger Bazoumana Toure from Hoffenheim for £42m, 18-year-old midfielder Sean Steur from Ajax for £23m and 20-year-old goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen from Reims for £18.5m. They have recently, however, appeared to miss out on Johan Manzambi, who decided to move to Aston Villa - which was a big blow for Howe and the club. Howe has been one of Newcastle's greatest-ever managers, winning the League Cup to end the club's 70-year wait for silverware as well as taking the club into the Champions League on two occasions after sealing top-five finishes in the Premier League. Last season, they progressed further in the Champions League than they had ever done before. Howe's final game in charge was a brutal 4-1 pre-season loss to Championship side Bristol City on Wednesday night. When did Howe decide to leave Newcastle? Sky Sports News' Keith Downie: Eddie Howe informed his coaching staff upon return from Bristol City, where they lost 4-1 in a friendly. The decision had nothing to do with the match, it had been in the pipeline for two weeks. Howe gave his full commitment to the club at the end of the season, but has changed his mind. He is set to take a break from football and Howe wanted the club to have a replacement lined up before he left. This is Howe's decision, the club tried to convince him to stay. He feels he has taken it as far as he can after nearly five years at the helm. There is no acrimony, the club love him and think he's done an amazing job. The players have yet to be told. They are on a day off today. The squad fly out to Spain for a pre-season training camp on Friday. Newcastle are yet to comment or put out a statement. This is not ideal timing as far as the club are concerned, but they are moving swiftly to try and replace Howe. They are in advanced talks with Jaissle of Al Alhi, having also spoken to Antonio Conte and Kieran McKenna. 'I cannot assure Bruno future' - Howe's final words as boss In his final words as Newcastle boss, Howe refused to offer assurances over the future of captain Guimaraes amid heavy interest from Arsenal - but added the player is not in control of his own future. Sky Sports News reported earlier this month that Guimaraes had told Newcastle he would like to leave the club in favour of a move to the Premier League champions, but the Magpies had no intention of selling the 28-year-old Brazil international. Asked about Guimaraes, who is yet to rejoin his team-mates following the World Cup, Howe said on Wednesday night: "Assurances - I don't think you can push too hard for those. I think I've said many times you want players that are committed. "Bruno's always been committed here. His training performances, his game performances, have been outstanding. Every time he's worn the shirt, he's played with the fans by his side. I'd love to see that continue. "I think we want to keep all of our best players. They're so valuable, and as I said numerous times, there aren't many of them, and to get them and develop them is so difficult. "So when you have them, you want to keep them. And Bruno's very much in that category; he's an outstanding player." Asked if this saga dragging on creates a negative mood, Howe replied: "Any distraction, if it's not healthy, is unhealthy. So, yeah. "But we're not in control of that. And to some degree, I don't think Bruno's in control of that either. "What will be, will be. We can't control the forces that are at play here, we've just got to make sure that when Bruno comes back, we look after him and he trains well, which I'm sure he will do. And he makes a difference as he always has done." Bothroyd: Newcastle in relegation scrap without Howe Sky Sports News' Jay Bothroyd: "There's so many players leaving, so to be honest I can understand why he [Howe] would want to leave now. "He's saying: 'I had a strong squad. You've taken away some of the best players I had. Some of the best players in the Premier League. You're replacing them with unproven players in the Premier League.' "It seems to me that he doesn't have the control he wants. He doesn't want to see these players leave. "It's just really bad times for Newcastle, yet again. This is even worse than last year. Losing [Alexander] Isak and him not turning up to training is one thing, but now you're losing one of the best managers in the country and all your best players. "Where do Newcastle go from here? It's going to be an unproven manager because who wants to put themselves in a situation where you don't have a strong side. "I said mid-table [as a Premier League prediction]. Now I'm saying bottom half of the table. "They're way off it. They're going to be in a relegation battle this year." Your views on Howe's exit... HullToon: I cannot believe it. Does he feel supported enough? Does the project still match the original plan that he set out for? There are so many questions raised because of this. Last season was disappointing, but there's mitigating circumstances. JimmiDee: Regardless of last years disappointment, Howe has done an unbelievable job, and he's had to put up with his team being pillaged the last two seasons and expected to produce the same results with bargain bin replacements which is just completely unrealistic. He deserves better. SPritc80: A section of our short sighted fans are to blame for Eddie leaving and some big hitters choosing to leave. Results have not gone our way at times. Jumping on the back of players and the head coach in the way they have is disrespectful. No wonder they are all leaving. BrettJ2002: Why didn't Eddie Howe decide to do this before pre-season started so new manager can get a lot more time in with the squad? Thanks to Eddie for what he has done, but his time was definitely up. Chris W: Strongly support Eddie - that's two new statues we need this month! Fez71: Didn't look like Eddie was getting backed, selling all our best players. Very sad times, thanks for all the memories, Eddie.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimates there were 2,877 deaths linked to the hot weather during two heatwaves in May and June this year. In 2024 there were 1,311 heat deaths, while in 2025 there were 1,504. An estimated 753 deaths were associated with the May heatwave between 24 and 27 May and a further 2,124 with the June heatwave between 21 and 28 June. The UKHSA says these are early estimates, but already indicate heat deaths are approaching the annual record reported in 2022. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Mitch Winehouse's own legal costs also amounted to at least £950,000 in the failed bid against Naomi Parry and Catriona Gourlay. He claimed the women had profited from selling dozens of the musician's items at auctions in the US in 2021 and 2023, and argued they had "deliberately concealed" their sale. But Judge Sarah Clarke KC dismissed the claim earlier this year, finding that he "knew all along" about the intended sale and only afterwards started to pursue them for money in an "aggressive and unpleasant way". In a judgment on Wednesday, the judge said: "The claimant chose to bring an inherently weak claim, pursue it aggressively and relentlessly to the end, and make serious and unfounded allegations against the defendants which significantly damaged their reputations, career prospects, financial security and health." As of April, Ms Parry's costs were estimated to be £715,361, while Ms Gourlay's were £487,132, Judge Clarke said. Mr Winehouse must pay interim payments to both women - £569,330 to Ms Parry and £394,521 to Ms Gourlay - within the next two weeks. He has also been ordered to pay their legal costs on an indemnity basis, which means those recovering their costs generally gain a higher percentage of what they spent than is usual. This is often awarded when one side has behaved particularly unreasonably. Read more from Sky News:Half of England in drought, Environment Agency saysSerial killer gets whole life order - as police probe four deaths Judge Clarke said that in pursuing his claim, Mr Winehouse had "deliberately turned this case into large-scale and expensive litigation, in circumstances calculated to exert commercial pressure on the defendants to settle on his terms". He also aimed to expand his claim "very late in the day", which caused the six-day trial in December and January to overrun by three days, while he "actively courted publicity for his serious allegations, including in the press and in court when he knew the press were present". Judge Clarke said: "This deliberate course of action was undertaken by the claimant with the aim of damaging the defendants' reputations and professional prospects in order to force them to settle the litigation on his terms and pay him the proceeds of sale of their items. "He did so, knowing that they were vulnerable both financially and in status, and that his public allegations and insinuations of impropriety would only increase their vulnerability. "The fact that he knowingly and deliberately did this to two young women who had stood faithfully by Amy, and also by him and his family, and who had demonstrated their honesty and integrity over many years, makes his unreasonable conduct particularly serious."

Anne shares what she's been hearing about the new top team at the Foreign Office and Ed Milliband reveals what his grandfather would have said about his new job. Meanwhile, can Andy Burnham really fix Britain's social care system? That's the big question as the new prime minister hosts cross-party talks on one of the country's biggest challenges. There's just one problem: the invitations only went out on Tuesday, and neither Kemi Badenoch nor Ed Davey will be in the room. The Conservative leader is sending the shadow health secretary in her place, while Davey will join by Zoom. Nigel Farage and the Green Party's Zack Polanski weren't invited. Sam and Anne dig into what, if anything, today's meeting could achieve.

The fixtures for the upcoming campaign have been released, with kick-off times and broadcast picks confirmed for the first four weekends, featuring more matches than ever after the league expanded from 12 teams to 14 after Birmingham City, Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic secured promotion from WSL 2. Sky Sports will show 90 per cent of all WSL matches live on Sky Sports and NOW - 163 matches in total, as well as the play-off - with selected games also shown on the Sky Sports WSL YouTube channel. There will be greater flexibility over fixtures, with fewer matches kicking off at the same time. Women's Super League fixtures 2026/27Latest WSL news and gossipGot Sky? Watch the WSL on the Sky Sports app📱Not got Sky? Get instant access with no contract📺 London City, who signed two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas this summer, will launch the new season in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Friday September 4 against Man Utd before champions Man City host newcomers Birmingham City on a bumper day of action on Sunday September 6 featuring five live games. The other matches on the first Sunday of the season see last year's runners-up Arsenal start with a trip to Brighton, while Tottenham host a London derby against West Ham, Liverpool visit newly-promoted Charlton and Crystal Palace, who secured an immediate return to the top flight, face Everton. Eight-time winners Chelsea host Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Saturday September 5. Man Utd face a difficult start to the season with their second game coming at home to Chelsea on Sunday September 13 before they head to the Emirates Stadium to play Arsenal on Saturday September 19, with both matches live on Sky Sports. Arsenal also host Chelsea on Sunday September 27, live on Sky Sports. The first Merseyside derby of the season sees Everton travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday September 27, live on Sky Sports. Relegation remains in place following the expansion to the league, with the last-placed team automatically relegated, and the 13th-placed side facing a play-off with the WSL 2 runners-up. Opening weekend fixtures in full Friday September 4 London City Lionesses vs Manchester United, kick-off 7pm - live on Sky Sports Saturday September 5 Chelsea vs Aston Villa, kick-off 12.30pm Sunday September 6 Brighton vs Arsenal, kick-off 12pm - live on Sky Sports Tottenham vs West Ham, kick-off 12pm - live on Sky Sports Charlton vs Liverpool, kick-off 2pm - live on Sky Sports Crystal Palace vs Everton, kick-off 2pm - live on Sky Sports Man City vs Birmingham City, kick-off 2.30pm - live on Sky Sports Other WSL matches live on Sky Sports Saturday September 12 West Ham vs London City - kick-off 12.45pm Sunday September 13 Man Utd vs Chelsea - kick-off 12pm Birmingham vs Brighton - kick-off 2pm Everton vs Charlton - kick-off 2pm Liverpool vs Tottenham - kick-off 2pm Aston Villa vs Man City - kick-off 6.30pm Friday September 18 Man City vs Liverpool - kick-off 7pm Saturday September 19 Chelsea vs Birmingham - kick-off 12.45pm Arsenal vs Man Utd - kick-off 5.30pm Sunday September 20 Brighton vs Aston Villa - kick-off 2pm Crystal Palace vs Tottenham - kick-off 2pm West Ham vs Everton - kick-off 2pm Saturday September 26 London City vs Brighton - kick-off 5pm Sunday September 27 Man Utd vs West Ham - kick-off 1pm Birmingham vs Crystal Palace - kick-off 2pm Liverpool vs Everton - kick-off 2pm Tottenham vs Aston Villa - kick-off 2pm Chelsea vs Arsenal - kick-off 4.30pm Key dates for the 2026/27 WSL season September 4: Opening weekend December 21 - January 3: Winter break May 22/23: Final weekend of the season May 29/30: The play-off Even more clips and highlights on Sky Sports Digital The Sky Sports app makes it easier than ever to follow the action on mobile with vertical video highlights, match centres packed with scores and stats available for FREE to all fans, plus live streams for Sky Sports customers. Free-to-watch match highlights from EVERY WSL game will continue to be served up on the Sky Sports website and App. Download the Sky Sports App | Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp Beyond that, Sky Sports will serve women's football fans even better on social with a new dedicated WSL YouTube channel. It's the only place to find live streams of selected games, match highlights, exclusive interviews and content showcasing the biggest personalities from across the league as never seen before. Watch more than 1,500 games live on Sky Sports For the 2026/27 season, Sky Sports will show over 1,500 live matches across the Premier League, EFL, Women's Super League and Scottish Premiership, including 215 exclusively live Premier League fixtures. With every first-pick Premier League match, the return of the iconic Super Sunday 4.30pm slot, and more Friday and Monday night coverage, Sky Sports will deliver the biggest games and the defining moments from the first whistle to the final word of every Premier League weekend.