Cleveland Police said officers were called to a property in the Grangetown area at about 5.20am on Wednesday. A woman remains in the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in a critical condition, and a further three people have suffered non-life-threatening injuries and are receiving treatment in hospital. Investigators are keeping an "open mind and cannot rule out any links to wider organised crime at this time", police said. A full examination of the scene at Birchington Avenue is still underway. The blaze occurred about two miles (3km) from the scene of a horror crash on the A66 over the weekend that killed seven people, including two police officers. Redcar and Cleveland Local Policing Commander, Superintendent Emily Harrison, said: "This is a tragic incident which has sadly resulted in the deaths of a number of people this morning, and their families are being supported by specially trained officers. "We are working to establish the circumstances of exactly what has happened, but we are keeping an open mind and cannot rule out any links to wider organised crime at this time. "We will have a high visibility presence in the Grangetown area as this investigation progresses, and to provide reassurance to local communities, who will no doubt be impacted by this tragic incident." Pictures from the scene show that the roof of one house has been badly burnt and is partially caving in. Firefighters were seen damping down the smoking roof of the home later on Wednesday. A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: "My daughter heard shouting and screaming this morning. "The dogs were barking." The neighbour said a family lived at the house, adding: "I don't know the people who live there, we just say hello when we walk past." Cleveland Fire Brigade said they sent six fire engines and the Incident Command Unit to the scene. See more from Sky News:Raheem Sterling charged with dangerous drivingLeeds and Rangers co-owner Jed York arrested Redcar and Cleveland borough councillor for Grangetown Adam Brook said the fire was "absolutely devastating", and urged people not to speculate or "share unconfirmed information". "Many residents have been in touch with me throughout the morning, and I know there is understandably a great deal of concern," he said. "However, I would urge people not to speculate or share unconfirmed information." He added: "At this stage I don't want to speculate or comment on any information that has not been officially confirmed while the emergency services continue their work." Cleveland Police said the families of the people involved have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers. Officers were maintaining a heavy presence around the scene. Anyone with information concerning the fire has been urged to contact police or Crimestoppers.

For the Queen of Country, who has died at the age of 80, the songs came before anything else. A born storyteller, Parton's gift was finding poetry in the everyday. In Jolene, released in 1973, she captured the indelible sadness of heartbreak and insecurity, helpless as her man is tempted by a rival whose beauty is "beyond compare". So much so, the name Jolene became society's shorthand for the "other woman". It is her most covered and most analysed work, studied today for its role in shaping feminist discourse. And it was written at around the same time she came up with another monumental hit - one that would become one of the biggest-selling songs of all time. An elegant break-up track, acknowledging both an everlasting bond and painful realisation of an ending that has to be, it is to many the ultimate love song. However, I Will Always Love You was no goodbye to a romantic partner, rather to Parton's then mentor and manager Porter Wagoner. The singer released it herself in 1974, but those tender words were elevated to stratospheric heights by Whitney Houston's soaring power ballad cover for the soundtrack to The Bodyguard, her big-screen debut, in 1992. If not for its writer's business savvy, things could have turned out very differently. Because following Parton's own success with the song, topping the US country chart, none other than Elvis Presley saw its potential and wanted to cover it. This was "the greatest thing" that ever happened to her as a songwriter, she thought at the time. But when she was asked to hand over half of the songwriting rights, she knew she had to refuse. "Of course, I cried all night about that." Like many she made throughout her life, it turned out to be the right decision. From rags to rhinestones Dolly Rebecca Parton's story is one of rags to rhinestones. Born in a log cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon River, in the Great Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee, she was the fourth of 12 children. Her Christian family was "dirt poor" but happy, and music played an important role in her life from an early age - first singing in the church congregation as a child and then appearing on local radio and television programmes. At 13, Parton recorded the single Puppy Love on a small Louisiana label, and appeared at the Grand Ole Opre, where she first met Johnny Cash. After graduating from school in 1964, she moved to Nashville the next day, desperate to kick-start her music career. Her initial success came as a songwriter for other artists, before her big break on country star Wagoner's syndicated TV show in 1997. She released her debut album, Hello, I'm Dolly, that same year. Parton sang on The Porter Wagoner Show and duetted with the star for several years, with those songs faring better commercially than her own solo output at first. 'The prettiest song I ever heard' After the success of Jolene, she wanted to spread her wings, but did not know how to have the conversation. "How am I gonna make him understand how much I appreciate everything, but that I have to go?" the country legend said she asked herself. "So I went home and I thought, 'Well, what do you do best? You write songs'. So I sat down and I wrote this song." Wagoner is said to have cried when he heard it. "That's the prettiest song I ever heard," he said, according to Parton's website. "And you can go, providing I get to produce that record." Parton continued writing songs throughout the '70s, '80s, '90s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. During her career, she released an incredible 49 solo studio albums, as well as several live albums, collaborative albums and soundtracks, and more than 200 singles. Country legend to rock star Alongside her solo career, through the late '70s and '80s, she was also a collaborator with Kenny Rogers - with the Motown-inspired duet Islands In The Stream, written by the Bee Gees, providing the pair with their most memorable hit. Her most recent solo album, Rockstar, was released in 2023, a selection of rock covers featuring collaborations with everyone from Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr to her "honorary goddaughter" Miley Cyrus. It was something she wanted to do, she said, after being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame the previous year; as a country artist, she felt she needed to earn her place. It marked the start of the final chapter in a career that represented the quintessential American dream - albeit with a little more glitter than most. Parton was a working-class icon who, no matter how many awards came her way, never abandoned her rural roots. It was a thread that ran through her songs, not least in Coat Of Many Colours; she sang of having no money, but feeling "as rich as I could be" thanks to her mother's love. Parton married the love of her life, Carl Dean, in 1966, before she became a superstar. The pair met outside the Wishy Washy launderette, where she was doing her washing, the day she moved to Nashville at age 18. He stayed behind the scenes, knowing the spotlight belonged to his wife. When he died in 2025, Parton paid tribute - but for someone for whom words had always come so easily, she said none could "do justice to the love" they shared. It was a relationship that deeply shaped her life and work; Jolene, in fact, was said to have been inspired by a bank teller who had taken a fancy to Dean, although the name for the song reportedly came from a young fan who once asked her for an autograph. Nobody's 'dumb blonde' Underestimated by critics, for years Parton was not taken seriously by an industry that could not get past her blonde bombshell image. Parton was aware of the prejudice from early in her career - "this dumb blonde ain't nobody's fool", she sang in Dumb Blonde, released in 1966 - and she always brushed it off with typical Southern belle charm and good nature. "I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb… and I also know I'm not blonde," she famously once joked. In the 2019 documentary Here I Am, she references her plastic surgery and "artificial" looks, but assures she is "totally real inside". Indeed, it takes serious mettle and intuition to turn down Elvis Presley, but it was a decision that earned her millions; Houston's cover of I Will Always Love You remains in the top 10 best-selling singles, globally, of all time. It made Parton "enough money to buy Graceland", she famously joked. And she created her own brand, her own label, her own theme park - Dollywood, one of the most popular tourist attractions in America. Life on the big screen Driven by a desire to expand her brand beyond music, Parton also moved into acting. In 1980, she starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in 9 to 5, very much a case of art imitating life as she took on the role of a sweet but underestimated secretary rebelling against her sexist boss. She wrote 9 to 5, another of her biggest hits, for the soundtrack, eclipsing the film's success with clever, funny lyrics - "Tumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen/ Pour myself a cup of ambition" - and a catchy tune that belied the social commentary behind it, criticising power imbalance in the workplace and limited opportunities for women. The song inspired her concept album, 9 to 5 And Odd Jobs, which was also released that year. A few years later, she starred opposite Sylvester Stallone in Rhinestone, and in 1989 she joined a stellar cast including Sally Field, Julia Roberts and Shirley MacLaine in the much-loved Steel Magnolias, an enduring study of the power of female friendship. Parton also had one of the most impactful philanthropic projects of any entertainer, championing literacy and education through her Imagination Library, which over the years has given away more than 200 million free books to children around the world. During the pandemic, she donated $1m towards vaccine research, but rejected calls for a statue to be erected in her home state. "Given all that is going on in the world, I don't think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time," she said at the time. Her awards and accolades are too many to list, but they include 10 Grammys - from 55 nominations - as well as the ceremony's lifetime achievement award, and the US Library of Congress's living legend prize. In 2024, Billboard named her the greatest country artist of all time. In an age of cultural division, Parton's appeal is universal. To her more conservative fans, she was forever the traditional Southern icon, but there was also plenty for progressives to love her for - philanthropy, feminism, and her LGBTQ+ allyship. But most of all, she will be remembered for her songs - those words that captured real life in all its happiness and joy, tragedy and sadness, so exquisitely.

The number of young care leavers dying has risen by around a quarter. In 2025, 112 care leavers aged 18 to 24 died. And the government's own review warns that the true number may be higher because councils simply lose contact with some young people after they leave care. Look beyond that headline figure, and the picture becomes even more troubling. Care leavers are estimated to be dying at three to four times the rate of other young people their age. More than a third of the deaths examined were believed to be suicides. Drug and alcohol misuse, homelessness, loneliness and serious mental health problems feature repeatedly. And one age stands out: 18. More care leavers died at 18 than at any other age examined by the review. This can be the moment the system around them changes dramatically. Take Joash McCullough. Joash was autistic and had ADHD. His parents had spent years trying to cope with increasingly complex behaviour and serious mental health crises. Eventually they made the agonising decision that he needed care they could no longer provide at home. At 14, he was moved around 200 miles away to a children's home. He would later move again. Then Joash turned 18 and entered the transition from children's services to the adult system. He died later that year on railway lines near to where he lived. An inquest has yet to fully examine the circumstances of his death, so no conclusions should be drawn about what happened to Joash. But his story helps explain why this government's findings matter. Read more from Nick Martin:Questions for council over deaths of teens Why experienced foster carers are quitting The problem is that very little in this review will come as a surprise to ministers. Even the review itself accepts that. Governments have known for years about the so-called "care cliff". They know there aren't enough foster carers. They know councils are spending huge sums placing children wherever they can find beds. They know the quality of children's homes and supported accommodation varies. And they know the transition between children's and adult mental health services can be brutally difficult. So identifying the problems is arguably the easy bit. Fixing them is much harder. Better children's homes require money and skilled staff. More foster placements require a serious recruitment and retention effort, something the government says it is trying to do. Better mental health provision requires capacity on both sides of the 18th birthday. The political question now is: what is government actually going to do differently? The age of 18 is now accepted to be a perilous point for young people in care. They are most at risk. Acknowledging the "care cliff" is no longer enough. The challenge for ministers is working out how to stop young people from falling off it. Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.

Sky Sports News understands City are paying a fixed fee of £81.3m plus £4.3m in add-ons. Bouaddi has signed a five-year contract, keeping him at City until the summer of 2031. The 18-year-old becomes the most expensive teenage signing in Premier League history, surpassing the £58.9m Manchester United committed to paying Lille for Leny Yoro in 2024. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Man City news & transfers🔵Man City fixtures & scores | FREE Man City highlights▶️Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream PL games with no contract📺 Lille have secured the fee they were holding out for in negotiations for Bouaddi, who was one of the breakout stars of this summer's World Cup with Morocco. City are working to rebuild their midfield after the departures of Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders. "Manchester City are, for me, the best club in the world," said Bouaddi. "It's a dream to be here and be able to call myself a City player. "I have spent most of my life working hard to become the best player I can be and reach the top of the game. I've watched City for many years, and I love their style of play. City always try and play quality football. And they have shown they are winners - this club feels like it's built to win. "The squad is world-class and Enzo [Maresca] is a top manager. And I'm really looking forward to playing at the Etihad Stadium, in front of all the fans. "I have plenty of improving to do. I am only 18. I am happy with the progress I have made so far, but I also know I can improve so much. This is undoubtedly the best place for me to do that. "This club demands trophies and I will give everything to make sure we are challenging for every title." Manchester City director of football Hugo Viana said: "Ayyoub's potential is extremely high - a player equipped with everything a top midfielder needs. "At just 18, he already has outstanding football intelligence and that will only improve under the guidance of Enzo. "We have watched him very closely and throughout that process we have become increasingly convinced he is a huge talent who will thrive at City. "We are really happy he has joined us and our job now is to ensure we provide him with everything he needs to fulfil his potential." What position will Bouaddi play at City? Bouaddi revealed the role he is set to play at City - hinting that he's going to play as a defensive midfielder. "I would say I am a player who plays for the team," Bouaddi says. "I am a really collective player. I try to put my team-mate in the best position and to give everything every time for the team. "The most important aspect is to try to balance the team, help your team-mates. "We know as a No 6 that you're not going to score 20 goals in a season, well it can happen but it's quite rare, so you know you have to balance the team and do everything for the team and do your job." Rodri's heir? Why Man City have spent big on Bouaddi Those who followed Morocco's recent World Cup campaign will recognise the name Ayyoub Bouaddi. Perhaps those who only took a passing glance will remember him, too. He tends to stand out. Aside from his throwback curly mop of hair, the way he dominated the big stage with effortless grace over the summer got people talking. The midfielder excelled in his fledgling role at his first major international tournament, particularly noticeable in a group-stage bout with Brazil. But this was not the first time Carlo Ancelotti found himself ruminating over an opposition player who was "better in the duels" than his own. Ancelotti's Brazilian midfield was composed of the experienced Casemiro and Bruno Guimaraes, and yet somehow it was Bouaddi that beamed brightest. It struck a familiar chord... Read Laura Hunter's full article on Ayyoub Bouaddi

It means England will play as planned next week at the Under-20s Women's World Cup in the first FIFA event since Mr Infantino plunged his presidency into crisis by trying to sell shares in the World Cup to private investors. UEFA last month announced boycott plans to force him to drop the controversial scheme, which happened with a climbdown. The European governing body decided Mr Infantino's withdrawal of the privatisation of the World Cup was not enough, saying a condition for European teams to participate in FIFA competitions again would be "assurances such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again". It's understood there have been assurances received by UEFA which will be discussed in meetings being held in Monaco on Thursday. So the threat of boycotting the U20s tournament in Poland has now been lifted. The next senior national team competition being run by FIFA is the main Women's World Cup, but that begins next June after the world body's presidential election in March. European football's governing body is leading a global drive to force Mr Infantino from power, and the boycott threat was deployed as pressure to collapse the sell-off scheme. While the U20s event lacks the visibility of the senior World Cup, it will give Mr Infantino a platform to project himself as president while under attack from his FIFA vice presidents in Asia, Europe and North America. Read more:Infantino asked to stay away from youth tournamentFIFA president likes a baldy joke, but fans will see it as bare-faced cheek Recent days have been used by Mr Infantino and FIFA to highlight how they have raised money and invested it in football associations, who each have a vote carrying equal weight in the presidential election. He has not referenced next year's vote, and this is not the absolute campaign period since the deadline for candidates, who have the support of five FAs, is not until November.

The public service broadcaster, which is part of the NPO - the umbrella organisation for the Dutch public broadcasting system - said recent changes to rules, preventing countries involved in "armed conflict" from hosting, were unclear. AvroTros said in a statement: "The recently announced changes by ‌the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) do not provide sufficient confidence ‌that the independent and neutral character of the Eurovision Song Contest has been restored". The broadcaster went on to say participation in the competition was "no longer consistent with the values of AvroTros: trustworthiness, independence and humanity". AvroTros says ​it will hand the ​decision on Dutch participation to ⁠the NPO. Eurovision director Martin Green said the EBU "regretted" AvroTros's decision, but "understood their choice". Mr Green said the EBU will continue a dialogue with NPO "regarding the opportunities for another broadcaster to participate". Earlier this month, the EBU announced it would be updating the contest's rules, relating to the countries which could host the event. Normally, countries are invited to host if their act has won the contest the previous year. Under the new rules, broadcasters cannot host if their country is involved in armed conflict or a "sensitive geopolitical situation" that could affect the safety of the event. Broadcasters will now "automatically be ineligible to host the contest if an armed conflict, a sensitive geopolitical situation, or any other situation materially affects the security, safety or stability of their state or immediate region". It will be the second year in a row AvroTros has refused to participate in the competition. In 2024, the Dutch representative, Joost Klein, was axed from the competition just hours before the grand final over allegations he made verbal threats to a female member of Eurovision staff. It was the first time in Eurovision history that an act was disqualified after reaching the grand final. A criminal investigation by Swedish police was later dropped. While there is a tradition of a country hosting if its act won, changes have been made in the past, with the 2023 contest held being in Liverpool, in the UK, following Ukraine's win the previous year - because of the Ukraine war. At the time, the EBU said Russia's invasion made it impossible to begin the 12 months of preparation needed to organise the show. The EBU said the rule changes had been made following feedback from participating broadcasters, and that the updates would provide greater clarity for artists and production staff. As the world's largest live music competition, Eurovision is watched by millions around the world. This year, five countries - Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia - all withdrew after Israel's place in the contest was confirmed. Next year's competition is due to take place in Bulgaria in 2027 after singer Dara's victory for the country in May.

After a summer of setting out his stall, Andy Burnham now faces the hard task: turning ambition into action. In the last of the summer boxset, Sam Coates and Anne McElvoy take a deep dive into five big challenges facing the government in the coming months. From defining the 10-year plan to unresolved pressure at home and abroad, the duo give their take and analysis on a critical parliamentary term ahead. With party conferences and a key budget on the horizon, can Burnham's government deliver on the change it has promised?

Root was reinstalled to the role ahead of the series after Ben Stokes' retirement from international cricket, which followed the former captain being involved in an off-field controversy during this summer's series defeat to New Zealand. After Root enjoyed the perfect return to captaincy with a dominant victory at Headingley, video footage emerged of fast bowler Brydon Carse, who had been part of the England squad for the first Test before being released to play for his county, being handcuffed and led away by police on Saturday night after Durham's players had gone out to celebrate their win at Derbyshire in the County Championship. 'Stupid mistakes' - Root 'hacked off' by latest off-field incidentEngland without Carse for Lord's Test after nightclub incidentNot got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream no contract Carse, who was seen in the video talking to Durham team-mate Matthew Potts, with Stokes also pictured in the background, has subsequently been withdrawn from the squad for the second Test at Lord's, which begins on Thursday, with an investigation by the Cricket Regulator under way. After admitting he was "hacked off" at the latest controversy, Root attempted to put a positive spin on the situation by pointing to the opportunity he and incoming Test head coach Stephen Fleming have to alter the public's perception of their side. Speaking on Tuesday, Root said: "Clearly we're not portraying ourselves as we want to. We've got an opportunity to build a culture that is very strong and we can be proud of that's player-driven. "That's not going to happen overnight. We've had conversations about what is expected from us, what it means and takes to play for England. "We want to create something we can be proud of, what people following us can be proud of. We want supporters to look at us and revere, not just what we do on the field but off it as well. "Over the next little while, as leader of this team, with Stephen, and with the group of players as well, is creating something that is just that." The Carse incident is not the first off-field episode England have had to navigate. White-ball captain Harry Brook was punched by a bouncer while out the evening before a one-day international in New Zealand last autumn. An unverified video appeared to show opener Ben Duckett drunk while the team were on a mid-series break in the beach resort of Noosa during their ill-fated Ashes tour. Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson missed the second Test of the 2-1 home defeat to New Zealand earlier this summer after breaking the curfew to attend a Chelsea nightclub as they celebrated victory in the first game of the series at Lord's. Stokes and Atkinson were cleared of violent conduct but hit with written warnings after "breaching specific contractual obligations". Root continued: "We have a chance to build something that lives alongside what we achieved last week on the field. I thought it was a brilliant performance. The way we played was exceptional. "We have to align that with being exceptional off the field as well and understand what that looks like and how we want to represent ourselves and our nation. "With what we've got coming up, there are plenty of opportunities to do that. But like I say, it's not going to happen overnight, in many ways we're going to have to earn a lot of trust back. "And something we're going to have to live and breathe consistently." Tongue: Root has made clear what he expects from us England fast bowler Josh Tongue, who is expected to keep his place in what is likely to be an unchanged XI at Lord's, said Root has reiterated his expectations of the squad. Tongue said on Wednesday: "We had a chat before training yesterday as Joe said. It was a very good conversation and he made it clear what he expects from us. "He's been around the England dressing room for plenty of years now, he knows what it takes to be the top professional and we've just got to do the best we can moving forward. "We've just got to make sure we're as professional as we can be. Obviously things have happened and we need to try and move on from them to show all the youngsters growing up wanting to play for England that it's an amazing place to be. "Playing for England is obviously a privilege. We want to give the next generation the best place that they can be really." The only change to England's squad for the game is Carse being replaced by 23-year-old quick Sonny Baker, who made his Test debut against New Zealand in June. England vs Pakistan Test series schedule All games live on Sky Sports; all 11am starts UK and Ireland First Test (Headingley) - England won by innings and 103 runsSecond Test (Lord's) - August 27-31Third Test (Edgbaston) - September 9-13 Watch day one of the second Test between England and Pakistan, at Lord's, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10am Thursday (11am first ball). Stream with NOW.