On Tuesday, Health Secretary James Murray took questions from birth trauma survivors and bereaved mothers wanting to know how he intends to address shortfalls in the system. The queries were put to the health secretary by Sky News' Sophy Ridge as part of a special programme on the Mornings show, which she hosts alongside Wilfred Frost. It comes as Sky News has spent months highlighting the flaws and issues across the UK's maternity care system. After the health secretary replied to the questions put to him on maternity services, women on the panel who had been listening in were unimpressed. Rachel Coles, birth trauma survivor, said: "We've had review after review after review, and we've heard things just said like 'oh yeah, we'll be looking at that, we'll be doing that'... when? "Because people are dying, women and babies are dying. "And there comes a point when you actually have to step up and step in and they're not doing it." Read more from Sky News: Breaking point: Inside the UK's maternity crisisWhat is it like to give birth in your area? Another survivor wondered how it took so little for the government to green-light the opening of pubs until 5am on Monday to watch England play against Mexico in the World Cup, but action on maternity care keeps dragging. "I just think there is just such blatant misogyny rife within government and obviously within healthcare from kind of what we're talking about," Hannah Swinburn said. "Women have been screaming and shouting for years that they just want safer, respectful maternity care. And yet we can't pass legislation for that." She added: "I don't understand what's just taking so long. If this is a priority, make it a priority." Birth trauma survivor Neya Joshi asked the health secretary how the government would seek to improve post-natal care in hospital. The health secretary replied: "There are some things that I'm prioritising right now as things we can do straight away. But I know that that's not the answer. "I know that the answer has to be comprehensive, to take every aspect of maternity services and every part of women's interaction with maternity services from beginning to end." Asked about his reply, Ms Joshi said she didn't really feel like Mr Murray had answered her question. "I think staff accountability is really important because if you don't have that, then the same behaviours are going to be repeated," Ms Joshi said. "Women are literally getting traumatised from the way that they're being spoken to, not just on postnatal wards, but generally as well." Mr Murray was also asked if a public inquiry was being considered. He replied an inquiry was "not off the table", but added it would be helpful to have a Hillsborough Law in place, forcing a duty of candour on public servants who could face jail if they don't answer questions honestly. "In Nottingham, Donna Ockenden's review there, senior leaders in the local NHS refused to take part in her review," Mr Murray said. "I think that's completely unacceptable, it feels wrong. I cannot understand how they, on a personal level, take that decision not to be part of it. "So that's why the duty of candour that I mentioned means that in future in Leeds and Sussex, when the reviews are taking place there, senior leadership in the NHS won't be able to refuse; if they do, up to two years in prison is the ultimate sanction. "They will have to take part because no one should be able to avoid that accountability."

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

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

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

Interpol put out an alert after Vadym Iermolaiev was said to have been targeted in a blast in Monaco last week. The attack injured three people and sparked a manhunt across multiple countries. Anastasiia Berezovska, a 39-year-old from Ukraine, was named as the suspect in an Interpol red notice but has now been found dead in Ukraine, the country's security service (SBU) has said. In a lengthy statement, the SBU outlined what appears to be a complex and convoluted investigation, involving a serving intelligence officer and cryptocurrency wallets. Sky News has been unable to independently verify the account as outlined by the SBU. The security service says it was able to establish who Berezovska had been in contact with and traced her movements, arriving in in Ukraine on 1 July. Contacts included members of her family and two men - the first a former law enforcement officer and the second a serving officer in Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR). The SBU said it has information that both men repeatedly transferred money to Berezovska's cryptocurrency wallets and bank accounts, possibly implicating them as accomplices in the attempted murder in Monaco. Urgent investigative actions and searches were carried out, the security service added. The SBU said that, during these investigations, the serving HUR officer stated that he had killed Berezovska together with the other suspect. He also said that he had not informed his superiors about his contacts with Berezovska, the money transfers to her, or any of his other actions, and that he had acted on his own initiative, the SBU alleged. Read more from Sky News:Island facing Trump blockade suffers nationwide blackout During a search of the former law enforcement officer's residence, investigators also discovered a basement that resembled a torture chamber, the SBU claimed. Both suspects have been detained on suspicion of committing murder by prior conspiracy as a group. Berezovska's body was found with gunshot wounds to the head along with spent pistol cartridge cases.

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

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

Ronaldo exited the World Cup for the final time as his Portugal side lost 1-0 to Spain thanks to Mikel Merino's stoppage-time winner in the last 16 in Dallas. The 41-year-old was emotional at the full-time whistle, as his career-long dream for a World Cup trophy disappeared forever. He will go down as one of the best players to never lift the famous international trophy. World Cup day-by-day schedule | Latest: World CupFollow our World Cup coverage in the Sky Sports App After the game, Ronaldo addressed the media to discuss his international future in general. "I'm sad to be leaving the World Cup like this," he said. "I gave it my all. I did my best. It was my last World Cup, yes, but I'll now have time to reflect and be with my family. I won't be making any rash decisions. "I don't decide anything in the heat of the moment. Now is not important whether I will continue [to play]. Tomorrow I will get up the same way I got up today: with a clear conscience. "I played 23 years in the national team and won three titles. Before Cristiano, Portugal had not won anything. The Euros was the most important. For me, 2016 has the same dimension as a World Cup, honestly." Ronaldo will be 43 by the time the next major tournament comes around - the 2028 European Championships hosted in the UK & Ireland. Martinez leaves Portugal job and pays tribute to Ronaldo Roberto Martinez has confirmed that he will step down from his role as Portugal's manager after their World Cup exit to Spain. Sky Sports News reported on June 16 that Martinez was set to step down from his role at the end of the tournament and confirmed this after the match. "I came to Portugal to win the World Cup and I ​think that, without winning it, there's no point in continuing," Martinez said. "The board and the president ⁠now have the opportunity to choose the new manager... my contract ends today. ​There isn't much more to say. "Yes, it's my last game for the national team. I'm very proud... I've felt welcomed as just ​another Portuguese person, in a very warm way. It's been a pleasure, a ​source of pride and a responsibility." Martinez also paid tribute to Ronaldo - but could not give any more details about what his captain is thinking. "A word of thanks, because he was an exemplary captain," Martinez said. "Not ⁠just in terms of goals - the statistics speak for ​themselves - but also in terms of assists. "It's his day-to-day ​commitment, the way he lives and breathes football. He's an ​example and something we must celebrate. "We will always be grateful for what he tried to do at this World Cup, because the dream was to win ​the World Cup and he tried with an incredible example of leadership as a captain," Martinez said. "This is not the moment to look beyond what we're talking about: a soccer icon. There are not many Cristiano Ronaldos." Sutton: Portugal are out because Ronaldo waddled around like a grandad Sky Sports pundit Chris Sutton blasted both Ronaldo and Martinez for Portugal's World Cup exit - adding that the now-former boss also made a mess of Belgium. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: "He [Ronaldo] is waddling around the field like a grandad, that's why Portugal are out. Ronaldo does nothing: he did nothing. What is Roberto Martinez doing? How can you pander to a player so much? Portugal are out because of Roberto Martinez. "It's scandalous the way he has managed this team. He made a mess of Belgium when they had an opportunity of really doing great things with that golden generation; they ended up Belgian buffoons. Now Portugal, it was pathetic to see a manager act in that manner."