One went to script, the other did not. The SNP held Stephen Gethins' former seat of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, in the Dundee heartland of Scottish nationalism, but it lost in Aberdeen South, where Stephen Flynn's departure has delivered the first Conservative by-election gain in Scotland for nearly 60 years. The Conservatives won 49.5% of the vote, up 25.1%, a vote gain bigger than the party achieved in its 2021 Hartlepool by-election win, and the biggest achieved by the party at any by-election since 1945. Indeed, it was the best vote share for the Conservatives in this seat since 1964. On any other night, such a stunning gain by a party lately confined to the margins of Scottish politics would lead the headlines. Yet, while it was overshadowed on the night by Andy Burnham's return in Makerfield, this result, plus gains from Reform in local council by-elections, might hint at a turning of the tide for the Tories after a long post-general election slump. In some respects, this was a return to form for Aberdeen South, a seat which features some of the wealthiest suburbs in Scotland, and which was Conservative for nearly 70 years, with one brief interruption, from 1918 to 1987. The Tories have held it more recently, too, winning it in 2017 as part of the Scottish blue wave that year. The SNP's long-running embezzlement scandal, and the travails of the oil industry, which formed the focus of the Conservative campaign, may both have contributed to this stunning win, the first Conservative gain at a by-election in Scotland since Glasgow Pollok in 1967. The slump in Scottish Labour likely played a role here, too. The Scottish Conservatives won the seat from third place, after Labour surged to overtake them in the 2024 general election. That surge was fully reversed here, as Labour suffered their eighth-largest decline in vote share across all Scottish by-elections. Unhappiness with the national Labour government doubtless played a role, but perhaps also tactical voting by unionists who could use the Conservatives as a vehicle for registering discontent with the Holyrood and Westminster governments. The SNP's comfortable hold in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry also featured warning signs for both incumbent governments. The turnout was just 31.9%, the lowest in a Scottish contest in post-war by-election history. Read more from Sky News:Tories and SNP win Scottish by-electionsAnalysis: Why Burnham's win is so significant Unhappy nationalist voters may not have marked ballots against the SNP, but instead opted not to cast a ballot at all. Scottish Labour also slumped in this seat, suffering their 10th largest drop in Scottish by-elections here. Reform's vote shares in both seats set new records for Scottish by-elections, but the party has not contested many. The party won 8.6% in Aberdeen South, coming a distant third, and in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry managed 18.2%, nearly beating the Conservatives for second place. The Arbroath result is Reform's fourth-highest vote share in all by-elections, while Aberdeen South is the ninth best.

Chase, a former child star also known for her role as the villain in the 2002 US remake of the Japanese horror film The Ring, reportedly died on Tuesday from complications of bacterial meningitis and a blood infection. Her father, John David Schwallier, told The New York Times that Chase had been homeless in Los Angeles with her boyfriend near the hospital where she died. Mr Schwallier also told the outlet that his daughter had struggled with drugs since she was 13 years old, and that she had been estranged from her parents, who are divorced. He added that he had been in touch with Chase's boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, and arrived at the hospital where she was being treated just before she died. Chase is perhaps best known for her role as Lilo in the 2002 animated film, voicing the eponymous orphaned Hawaiian girl who adopts a genetically engineered extra-terrestrial, whom she names Stitch. She voiced the same character in the subsequent spin-off TV series, which first aired in 2003. For her role as Samara Morgan in The Ring, starring alongside Oscar-nominated actress Naomi Watts, Chase won an MTV movie award for best villain. She landed another prominent voice lead in the English dub of the 2001 Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away, and also appeared in the 2001 movie Donnie Darko and the 2003 show Oliver Beene. Read more from Sky News:Explainer: What's in the US-Iran deal?Teenager dies in horse-drawn carriage accident in New York Chase was born in Las Vegas and raised in Albany, Oregon. According to IMDb, she began singing and dancing at the age of three and starred in her first commercial - for Campbell's Soup - aged seven. An online fundraiser set up by her boyfriend has raised close to $4,000 as of Thursday. A post on the site read: "Many people know her as a talented childhood actor from 'Lilo & Stitch,' 'Spirited Away,' and 'Donnie Darko'. "But behind the scenes, she's faced more than her share of hardship."

A seat whose wards swung hard to Reform last month in local elections has now swung back just as hard to Labour. With Labour trailing Reform by double digits in national polls, the now former Greater Manchester Mayor achieved a bigger win over Reform, on a higher turnout, than his predecessor Josh Simons managed in 2024. Labour won 54.8%, up 9.6% on 2024; Reform won 34.5%, up 2.7%, meaning a 3.4 point swing from Reform to Labour. Burnham returns to Westminster with a majority of 9,231 (20.3%). This was, of course, no normal by-election. Burnham is widely believed to have prime ministerial ambitions; his main opponents in the seat, Reform UK, sought to slay a local political giant. Makerfield's voters responded strongly to these extraordinary circumstances by turning out in exceptional numbers. Turnout in the seat was 58.7%, up on 52.5% in the 2024 general election, the first time since the SDP's gain of Greenwich in 1987 that a by-election has seen higher turnout than the preceding general election. The 6.2% rise in turnout on the general election is the third highest in post-war electoral history - only Torrington (11.4%, 1958) and Montgomeryshire (8.4%, 1962) were bigger. Burnham's win involved a second rare achievement - he achieved a by-election swing to the governing party. The last time a governing party gained ground in a by-election was in Hartlepool in 2021 at the peak of Boris Johnson's "vaccine bounce", while the last time Labour saw a vote increase while in government was in Beckenham in 1997, at the height of Tony Blair's post-landslide electoral honeymoon. Although they were narrowly defeated, this was on many metrics a strong performance for Reform. The 15,696 votes the party won in Makerfield is the party's best ever vote total, surpassing the 12,645 votes the party won when taking Runcorn and Helsby from Labour last May by a margin of six votes. Reform's 34.5% vote share this time is second only to the 38.7% won in Runcorn and Helsby. One reason Reform fell short despite a record vote total was the exceptional squeeze on support for the three other national parties in England's current five party system. The Greens (0.7%), the Liberal Democrats (0.4%) and the Conservatives (2.2%) all lost their deposits, and all saw their vote shares fall sharply on the 2024 general election. The Liberal Democrats' 0.4% of the vote is the lowest vote share for a major party in any by-election, surpassing the party's 0.9% in Rochester and Strood. The Conservatives' 2.2% was their second-lowest ever by-election vote share, beaten only by the February Gorton and Denton contest. This by-election was the first contested by the Restore Britain party, founded by former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe earlier this year. Restore candidate Rebecca Shepherd won 6.8%, an impressive showing for a first by-election contest by a new party. The past electoral strength of the far-right British National Party, which won 7.4% in Makerfield in 2010, may help explain why there was a substantial constituency here for Restore, whose signature policy is the mass deportation of immigrants. Reform will no doubt grumble about Restore as spoilers, but even winning every single Restore vote would have left Reform well short here. This by-election forms part of an emerging trend of anti-Reform tactical voting in by-elections. In the Senedd by-election in Caerphilly, the anti-Reform vote coalesced behind Plaid Cymru, in Gorton and Denton they backed the Greens, and here they rallied behind Burnham's Labour. Labour and Reform will clash at the polls again soon, as Burnham's win this week now triggers another Manchester by-election, this time to pick Burnham's replacement as Greater Manchester mayor, which must by law take place by 6 August. This contest will be, in electorate terms, by far the largest by-election Britain has ever seen, and will either form the backdrop for an ongoing leadership struggle at the top of the Labour Party or provide a big early test for any new leader.

Only six of the morning wave were able to break par in gusty conditions at Shinnecock Hills, where fog forced an early two-hour suspension in play, but Clark took advantage of the calmer afternoon weather to charge to the top of the leaderboard. The 2023 champion reached the turn in 32 before cancelling out a bogey at the par-three second with back-to-back birdies on his next two holes. He then produced a stunning approach into the par-five fifth to set up a close-range eagle. US Open R1 recap: Opening round as it happenedRory McIlroy makes expensive finish to opening roundLatest US Open leaderboard and other golf scoresGet Sky Sports or stream golf with no contract Clark was six under for his round with two holes remaining when play was suspended due to darkness at 8.25pm local time (1.25am UK time), with the American having the chance to create major history when play resumes at 6.35am (11.35am BST) on Friday. He needs to birdie one of his remaining two holes to post an opening-round 63 and equal the course record, while a birdie-birdie finish would see him match the lowest round in men's major history. "Birdieing the first two was really nice," Clark said. "Then I had a little bit of a lull, but made some great par saves. It was great birdieing 18. Then a little mishap, missed a shorty on one and then a bogey on two, but then got into a nice rhythm. Everything was clicking." Sam Stevens was the pick of the morning starters as he set the clubhouse target with a two-under 68, only for compatriot Max McGreevy and amateur Ryder Cowan to match it later in the day, with four former US Open champions also sitting on two under with holes to complete. Matt Fitzpatrick has two holes to play, and both Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland have three remaining, while two-time major winner Jon Rahm completes the group and is tied-second with five holes to complete. McIlroy impresses as Scheffler makes slow start Masters champion McIlroy temporarily held a two-shot lead earlier in the day when an eagle at the fifth lifted him to three under, only for the world No 2 - chasing a second major win of the season - to make a bogey-bogey finish to his opening-round 69. "With the conditions today, anything under par or anything around even par is a good score," McIlroy said. "It was a day to really keep yourself in the tournament and not shoot yourself out of it, which is exactly what I did eight years ago here [opening-round 80]. "Went out with the mindset that pars were going to be good and if you could pick up a couple of birdies here and there, that's always a bonus. Really just minimising the mistakes and I did that for the most part today." McIlroy's playing partner Ludvig Åberg also finished on one under, with Tommy Fleetwood a further stroke back, while world No 1 Scheffler was four strokes back after opening with a two-over 72. Scheffler was joined on two over by Players champion Cameron Young, while Brooks Koepka - the champion the last time the US Open was held at Shinnecock Hills in 2017 - posted a three-over 73 and defending champion JJ Spaun struggled to an opening 77. "It was a really challenging day," Scheffler said. "If you told me when I was staring at my par putt on the ninth that I would post two over today, I would definitely have taken it at the time. Overall, it was a good battle." Those in the afternoon wave got the best of the conditions and will be the early starters on Friday, where tee times have been pushed back to 15 minutes later than originally scheduled. Who will win the US Open? Watch throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Friday from 12.30pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.

Officers were called to Johnson's of Old Hurst in Huntingdon, at 1.24pm to reports of a "distressing" incident involving a three-year-old child. The boy suffered serious wounds and was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital in a "critical but stable" condition, according to Cambridgeshire Police. A 30-year-old man, from Norfolk, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, police added. Detectives from the force's Major Crime Unit are investigating. "At this stage, we are speaking to people who were at the zoo at the time of this distressing incident to understand more about the circumstances," said Detective Inspector Verity McCann. "We do not believe the man arrested and the child are known to each other. "Officers are supporting the boy's family at hospital, and our thoughts remain with them." The zoo at Johnson's is home to more than 100 animals, including crocodiles, Bengal tigers, African lions, capybaras, meerkats and sloth bears, according to its website. The crocodiles are kept in a converted cattle barn, which has metal-fenced elevated walkways looking down on large pools of water surrounded by tropical vegetation. This enclosure has been closed "until further notice", according to the zoo. Read more from Sky News:Amber heat alert for EnglandJames Bulger's grave vandalised In a statement, the zoo said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family following the incident that occurred today. "Out of respect to the family, our Tropical House will remain closed until further notice." A blog post from the zoo states that the crocodiles were initially kept to help dispose of waste meat from the butchery, but they went on to be the start of a zoo. According to its website, Johnson's of Old Hurst is a family-run farming business that now features a butchers, a farm shop, tea room, steakhouse and zoo. Ben Obese-Jecty, MP for Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, said: "I am aware of the incident at Johnson's of Old Hurst, and have been liaising with senior officers, who are treating this as a critical incident. "This is now a live criminal investigation, and I would ask people to refrain from speculation online. "The police will provide an update with further information in due course. "My thoughts are with the young victim and his family during a hugely traumatic and difficult time." A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire County Council said: "Our thoughts are with the victim and their family, but, as this is a live police investigation, we cannot comment any further."

Director-general Matt Brittin, who took up the role in May, told employees on Wednesday that £160m of staff and non-staff cost savings would be made from across BBC News and TV and radio teams by the end of the financial year. More savings across all areas will be set out in the coming months, with 700 corporate roles also expected to go and senior leader roles to be reduced by at least 10%, he added. In a follow-up message from Jonathan Munro, the interim chief executive of BBC News and Current Affairs, staff were told details of cuts and changes to specific shows, and that a review of chief presenter roles would also be carried out. These cuts are the first to be announced as part of a huge savings plan announced in April, with up to 2,000 jobs to go in total - the corporation's biggest downsizing in almost 15 years. In his memo, Mr Munro told staff: "Our news presenters have a unique relationship with our audiences. However, given the savings we need to make across the whole of BBC News, we are carrying out a review of our chief presenter roles. "This is designed to ensure we have the right number of presenters, deployed as flexibly and efficiently as possible, to balance audience needs with best value for money." On-air editor roles are also being reviewed and a proposal has been made to close dedicated social presenter roles. In one positive for Newsnight, Mr Munro said it would move to a peak-time slot on Fridays, "building on the success of its refreshed format". 'A doubly difficult time for everyone' The scale of savings needed "requires tough choices" and all divisions "will be making significant savings", Mr Brittin said in his internal note to staff. Overall, the plan is to cut commissioning spend across the Content, News and Nations departments by about £80 million in the year 2027-28. Broadcast TV channels and the radio network portfolio would be reviewed "as audiences move online", Mr Brittin said, and steps will also be taken to "reduce duplication, clarify accountability, and increase the speed of decision making". "We live in very uncertain times," the BBC boss added. "Our audiences rely on us every day to keep them informed, entertained and equipped to make sense of the world. Making savings while fulfilling our mission means a doubly difficult time for everyone." 'Death by a thousand cuts' Philippa Childs, head of media and entertainment union Bectu, responded to the announcement by saying the cuts were "far from ideal" taking place at the same time as the BBC's charter renewal - and that they would affect the broadcaster's ability to deliver its public service mission. "In an era of fake news and an industry that is becoming more concentrated in the hands of a few multinational corporations, the UK needs a confident, ambitious and sustainably-funded BBC more than ever," she said. "The charter renewal must put the BBC's funding on a secure, long-term pathway or it risks death by a thousand cuts." Read more from Sky News:World Cup data tracker: Who will win?Jeremy Clarkson reveals cancer diagnosis The union is in talks with the BBC "to mitigate the impact as much as possible", she added. Cathy Sweet, head of TV and film at entertainment and performing arts trade union Equity, described the cuts as "devastating" and said they risked the BBC becoming "unable to live up to its aim to inform, educate and entertain". Mr Brittin, a former Google executive, replaced Tim Davie as director-general in last month. Mr Davie announced his resignation from the corporation in November last year, amid controversy and a $10bn (about $7.5bn) lawsuit over the editing of a BBC documentary about Donald Trump.

One went to script, the other did not. The SNP held Stephen Gethins' former seat of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, in the Dundee heartland of Scottish nationalism, but it lost in Aberdeen South, where Stephen Flynn's departure has delivered the first Conservative by-election gain in Scotland for nearly 60 years. The Conservatives won 49.5% of the vote, up 25.1%, a vote gain bigger than the party achieved in its 2021 Hartlepool by-election win, and the biggest achieved by the party at any by-election since 1945. Indeed, it was the best vote share for the Conservatives in this seat since 1964. On any other night, such a stunning gain by a party lately confined to the margins of Scottish politics would lead the headlines. Yet, while it was overshadowed on the night by Andy Burnham's return in Makerfield, this result, plus gains from Reform in local council by-elections, might hint at a turning of the tide for the Tories after a long post-general election slump. In some respects, this was a return to form for Aberdeen South, a seat which features some of the wealthiest suburbs in Scotland, and which was Conservative for nearly 70 years, with one brief interruption, from 1918 to 1987. The Tories have held it more recently, too, winning it in 2017 as part of the Scottish blue wave that year. The SNP's long-running embezzlement scandal, and the travails of the oil industry, which formed the focus of the Conservative campaign, may both have contributed to this stunning win, the first Conservative gain at a by-election in Scotland since Glasgow Pollok in 1967. The slump in Scottish Labour likely played a role here, too. The Scottish Conservatives won the seat from third place, after Labour surged to overtake them in the 2024 general election. That surge was fully reversed here, as Labour suffered their eighth-largest decline in vote share across all Scottish by-elections. Unhappiness with the national Labour government doubtless played a role, but perhaps also tactical voting by unionists who could use the Conservatives as a vehicle for registering discontent with the Holyrood and Westminster governments. The SNP's comfortable hold in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry also featured warning signs for both incumbent governments. The turnout was just 31.9%, the lowest in a Scottish contest in post-war by-election history. Read more from Sky News:Tories and SNP win Scottish by-electionsAnalysis: Why Burnham's win is so significant Unhappy nationalist voters may not have marked ballots against the SNP, but instead opted not to cast a ballot at all. Scottish Labour also slumped in this seat, suffering their 10th largest drop in Scottish by-elections here. Reform's vote shares in both seats set new records for Scottish by-elections, but the party has not contested many. The party won 8.6% in Aberdeen South, coming a distant third, and in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry managed 18.2%, nearly beating the Conservatives for second place. The Arbroath result is Reform's fourth-highest vote share in all by-elections, while Aberdeen South is the ninth best.

McIlroy temporarily held a two-shot cushion in windy conditions at Shinnecock Hills, where only six of the morning wave finished under-par and play was halted for two hours due to thick fog, only to bogey the final two holes for a one-under 69. The world No 2 mixed an eagle and three birdies with four bogeys to finish on one under, the seventh time he has opened with a sub-70 opening round at the US Open, leaving him a shot behind morning clubhouse leader Sam Stevens. US Open R1 recap: Opening round as it happenedLatest US Open leaderboard and other golf scoresUS Open golf: Latest news, headlines and highlightsGet Sky Sports or stream golf with no contract McIlroy's playing partner Ludvig Åberg also finished on one under, with Tommy Fleetwood a further stroke back, while world No 1 Scheffler was four strokes back after opening with a two-over 72. The strongest forecasted gusts hadn't materialised but caused players problems as Scheffler, making his first attempt at becoming just the seventh male in history to win all four majors, made an over-par start to the US Open for the third consecutive year. Former major champions Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele were among the later starters, who will be unable to get their opening rounds finished - because of the earlier delay - before darkness. McIlroy makes 'good start' despite expensive finish Starting on the back nine alongside Åberg and Fleetwood, McIlroy made a super start when he followed a 10-foot birdie at the 11th by holing from 25 feet at the next to grab a share of the lead. McIlroy missed from eight feet to save par at the 13th but converted from the same distance at the next to avoid back-to-back bogeys, only to drop a shot at the par-five 16th after an errant drive left him having to pitch out from an awkward lie. A brilliant approach into the par-three third set up a close-range birdie before McIlroy scrambled an unlikely par at the par-four fourth, rolling in from 20 feet after spraying his tee shot and then missing the green with his second. McIlroy nailed a 396-yard drive down the par-five fifth and then fired another impressive iron shot, producing a 12-foot eagle - his first in a US Open for nine years - to briefly put him two ahead, but lost ground after failing to get up and down to save par on both his final two holes. "With the conditions today, anything under par or anything around even par is a good score," McIlroy said. "It was a day to really keep yourself in the tournament and not shoot yourself out of it, which is exactly what I did eight years ago here [opening-round 80]. "Went out with the mindset that pars were going to be good and if you could pick up a couple of birdies here and there, that's always a bonus. Really just minimising the mistakes and I did that for the most part today." McIlroy trails shock leader Stevens Stevens teed off at 6.57am local time (11.57am UK time), just minutes before play was halted with fog, with the American bouncing back from double-bogeying his opening hole - the par-four 10th - to fire six birdies in his two-under 68. Former Open champion Brian Harman, Max Greyserman and Ben James, who secured his spot via Final Qualifying, were the others to join Åberg and McIlroy in the morning wave to make an under-par start. Scheffler was joined on two over by Players champion Cameron Young, with Brooks Koepka - the champion the last time the US Open was held at Shinnecock Hills - posting a three-over 73 and defending champion JJ Spaun struggling to an opening 77. "It was a really challenging day," Scheffler said. "If you told me when I was staring at my par putt on the ninth that I would post two over today, I would definitely have taken it at the time. Overall, it was a good battle." Who will win the US Open? Watch throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Friday from 12.30pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.