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No Writer
Jul 25
Cairngorms National Park wildfire declared major incident as hundreds of villagers evacuated

As a result of the fire spreading, all residents of Nethy Bridge, a village of around 650 people, are being evacuated as a precaution, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said. The wildfire has been raging since 15 July, but weather conditions experienced over the past 24 hours have aggravated the situation. Residents of Nethy Bridge are being sent to a dedicated respite centre at the MacDonald Aviemore Resort. More than 500 firefighters have tackled the blaze over the last nine days, alongside specialist wildfire appliances, all-terrain vehicles, helicopter water-bombing operations and partner agencies. The Scottish Government's Resilience Room (SGORR) met on Friday night to discuss the evacuation of Nethy Bridge, with the meeting chaired by First Minister John Swinney. It was attended by the SFRS, Police Scotland, Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth, Justice Secretary Neil Gray and other ministers and partners. The first minister said: "This is clearly a very serious situation and is a hugely concerning and anxious time for residents and businesses in Nethy Bridge, and my thoughts are with them. "As a result of changes in wind conditions that intensified the pace of spread of the wildfire, Police Scotland declared a major incident requiring the evacuation of the village of Nethy Bridge as a precaution. "SFRS resources are focused on creating a fire break and additional police resources are being deployed to assist with the evacuation, including identifying vulnerable residents who may need extra support." He continued: "I am extremely grateful to all the first responders who have been working hard to control this fire since it was first reported last Wednesday. I remain in continued contact with SFRS and partners and SGORR will convene again. "This is a serious situation and I strongly urge people to continue to follow all advice from emergency services and transport authorities and continue to avoid the affected areas in the Cairngorms National Park." Read more from Sky News:'Very difficult' to limit the wildfire spread in FranceWhy new chancellor may be 'culture shock' SFRS deputy assistant chief officer Kenny Barbour said: "Our firefighters, specialist resources and partners have worked tirelessly over the past nine days to respond to this challenging and complex wildfire incident. "The combination of prolonged dry conditions, strengthening winds and challenging terrain has created an extremely complex operational environment. "Large areas of the fire ground are inaccessible by vehicle or on foot, making helicopter water-bombing operations and specialist wildfire tactics essential to our response."

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No Writer
Jul 24
Singer Chris Brown pleads guilty to affray over London nightclub attack

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

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Mollie Malone, home news correspondent
Jul 24
Prison staff asked to warn of any prison unrest due to delays in releases

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

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No Writer
Jul 24
Hungarian GP: Charles Leclerc tops first practice as suspected suspension failure spins off Lance Stroll in new Aston Martin

Leclerc outpaced Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton by half a second in a flying start to the Hungaroring weekend for the Monegasque driver with a best lap of 1:19.075. But Leclerc's session ended seven minutes early when he had to stop at the top of the pit lane after reporting that "something broke" on his SF-26 car. Ferrari have not yet confirmed what went wrong. Hungarian GP: UK schedule and how to watch on Sky SportsF1 2026 standings | F1 2026 Calendar | F1 Gossip ColumnDownload the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺 Aston Martin, meanwhile, revealed 16 separate aerodynamic updates on their AMR26 car ahead of the session in the team's long-awaited first upgrade of a season which has hitherto seen them run at the back of the field. But Stroll's session lasted just 11 laps after a suspected rear suspension failure pitched him off the road in a high-speed spin coming out of Turn Two. The Canadian's car avoided contact with the barriers, but the team will now make the necessary repairs, and conduct investigations into what exactly went wrong, ahead of second practice at 4pm. Team-mate Fernando Alonso, was, however, able to complete the session without apparent problem in the sister car, racking up 20 laps and finishing a promising 13th fastest. That was 2.4 seconds behind Leclerc's pace but Aston Martin's deficit to the front has regularly been between three and four seconds in qualifying at recent events amid a lack of updates. George Russell was fifth fastest, almost a second slower than Leclerc, in a session world championship-leading team-mate Kimi Antonelli sat out so Mercedes could give another P1 outing to third driver Fred Vesti as part of the mandatory young driver requirements all teams must fulfil on four Fridays each season. Vesti was seventh fastest, 0.4s away from Russell. Of the other rookies in action, reigning F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli was 16th fastest in Oscar Piastri's McLaren, Ryo Hirakawa 17th in Oliver Bearman's Haas, Paul Aron 19th in Franco Colapinto's Alpine and Colton Herta 20th in Valtteri Bottas' Cadillac. Isack Hadjar finished fourth quickest in the second Red Bull ahead of Russell and Audi's in-form Gabriel Bortoleto. Verstappen and Williams' Carlos Sainz headed to the stewards after the session, with both drivers charged with driving erratically following an incident early in the session. Sainz initially got in Verstappen's way into Turn 12 before the Red Bull driver then seemed to slow in turn in front of the Williams once ahead through the corner. Sainz was given a formal warning for his driving, while no action was taken against Verstappen. Sainz will also be quizzed by the stewards about a second alleged incident of erratic driving later in the session involving Alpine rookie Aron at Turn Nine. No further action was taken. The Williams driver was slowest of all in an opening session which also included a huge lock-up into the first corner. A host of the drivers ran wide there to a greater or lesser extent during the hour, including Russell and Verstappen. Sky Sports F1's Hungarian GP schedule Friday July 243.45pm: Hungarian GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)5.15pm: The F1 Show Saturday July 259am: F3 Sprint11.15am: Hungarian GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)1.10pm: F2 Sprint*2.15pm: Hungarian GP Qualifying build-up*3pm: HUNGARIAN GP QUALIFYING*5pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook* Sunday July 267.35am: F3 Feature Race9.05am: Porsche Supercup10.20am: F2 Feature Race12.30pm: Hungarian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*2pm: THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX*4pm: Hungarian GP reaction: Chequered Flag*5pm: Ted's Notebook* *Also on Sky Sports Main Event Formula 1 is in Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix with every session live on Sky Sports F1. Sunday's race starts at 2pm. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime

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No Writer
Jul 25
Boy, 17, dies after Luton stabbing as murder investigation launched

The 17-year-old boy was taken to hospital with multiple stab wounds after officers were called to Kingsway Recreation Ground shortly after 6.30pm on Friday. The victim has not yet been formally identified. His family are being supported by specially trained officers. Police said one teenage boy has been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in connection with the incident and is being questioned in police custody. A second teenager arrested on suspicion of violent disorder remains in hospital with serious injuries. A murder investigation has been launched, with detectives from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit appealing for witnesses and anyone with information to come forward. Read more from Sky News:Explosion as firefighters tackle blaze at industrial siteFour officers injured after police boat crashes into bridge Detective Chief Inspector Nick Gardener said: "Horrific violence in Luton has sadly cost a teenage boy his life today. "Our thoughts are first and foremost with the loved ones of the boy who lost his life in such tragic circumstances. "Incidents such as this have a significant impact on our communities. There is currently an increased police presence in the area, and high visibility patrols will continue." He added: "I would urge anyone who witnessed what happened, or who has any information, to come forward and speak to police to help us bring those responsible to justice. "We are aware that images and videos are circulating on social media. Please refrain from sharing any such footage and instead contact police. Not only is this material distressing for the family, but it could also form part of vital evidence in our investigation."

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No Writer
Jul 24
Knife came 'a millimetre from my brain': Salman Rushdie testifies at attacker's terrorism trial

The British-Indian author told jurors about the moment he was attacked by Hadi Matar, 28, who is facing terrorism charges after being found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison last year. It was the second time Rushdie described the incident in court, after giving evidence against Matar - who has pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges - during the 2025 trial. The 79-year-old was blinded in one eye, suffered a severely damaged hand, and spent months recovering following the incident, which took place while the award-winning writer was on stage at an event in New York in 2022. Rushdie, who spent most of the 1990s in hiding in the UK after receiving death threats over his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, was stabbed about 15 times. On Thursday, he told the court in Buffalo, New York, he recalled feeling what he thought was a punch under his chin, then feeling blood coming from his neck. He said: "I was on the stage, lying down, with an enormous pool of blood all around me. "It was an enormous and expansive lake of blood." Rushdie, who at one point removed his glasses to show his now sightless right eye, said knife came "a millimetre from my brain". Read more from Sky News:Follow: Iran war latestUS imposes new tariffs on 60 countries Defendant faces potential life sentence Matar faces a potential life sentence if convicted of federal charges that include engaging in an act of transnational terrorism. However, his defence has argued that his intent or mindset at the time of the attack cannot be proved - a key element in the prosecutors' claim that it was an act of terrorism motivated by an allegiance to Iran's government. In 1989, Iran's late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa - or religious edict - calling for Rushdie to be killed over The Satanic Verses, which which some Muslims consider blasphemous. Iran's government has denied involvement in the 2022 stabbing, but the country's then foreign ministry spokesperson suggested Rushdie invited trouble by insulting Islam. Asked in court if he had anticipated blowback from the book, Rushdie said "probably, but I don't believe the book to be on trial here. I believe someone else is on trial" - a comment the judge struck from the court transcript.

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No Writer
Jul 24
Burnham should 'build bridges' with sacked Starmerites like Darren Jones, says Harman

Baroness Ruth Davidson, a Tory, had slightly harsher words - branding Sir Keir Starmer's former lieutenant Darren Jones "bitter". Mr Jones was chief secretary to the prime minister under Sir Keir before leaving government with the ex-PM. Politics live: Follow the latest updates here After Mr Burnham announced he was scrapping the government's digital ID scheme to spend hundreds of millions of pounds on cutting energy bills, Mr Jones posted on social media that the ID policy was not costed and so there was no money yet to save. It crystallised criticism that Mr Burnham is pledging money to policies that sound popular, but he does not actually have any plans for funding them. On the divisions within the Labour Party, Baroness Harman said: "[Burnham]'s also got to build bridges with the people for whom there has not been space in the cabinet, but are still members of parliament, have still got all the attributes and interests that they have, and that is perfectly possible. "So as well as encouraging and supporting his current cabinet, with the work that they're going to take forward, he's got to talk to the people who are in the previous cabinet who've got expertise - and wisdom - they could feed in. "He's got to be talking to them as well as talking to his current cabinet ministers. And if he does that, I think that he can build bridges." She added that Mr Jones should be invited in by Mr Burnham and consulted as a "repository of a lot of wisdom and expertise". Read more:What Burnham means for your payslipHow pubs will save money from Burnham's tax cuts Baroness Davidson, however, was more cynical. " Can I offer a different idea here, which is that Darren Jones knew exactly what he was doing when he sunk the first policy announcement of the new prime minister," she said. Baroness Davidson added that Jones was "bitter" and "needs to be told that that's not how you behave".

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No Writer
Jul 24
World Matchplay Darts: Luke Littler blows Josh Rock away and Dirk van Duijvenbode wins thriller against Gary Anderson to set up semi-final showdown

Litter beat Rock 16-7 as he looks to become the first person to go back-to-back at this tournament since Michael van Gerwen a decade ago. In what is turning into a tournament for the record books, Littler's stats impressed once again. He posted a 109.57 average with 17 180s and a 53 per cent success rate on the doubles. World Matchplay Day Six: As it happened!Darts in 2026: Key dates, calendar, results 📅Got Sky? Watch on the Sky Sports app 📱Not got Sky? Get instant access with NOW 📺 "Another brilliant game for myself. I've gone 109, 113, 109 again [averages] so I've just got to keep it going," Littler told Sky Sports. "Fair play to Josh. He gave me a really good game there. I think it was the third session where I won all five legs. "I kind of got myself into that lead and I just had to stay there and got the job done." Littler and Rock met at the semi-final stage of this tournament just one year ago when Littler won an 18-15 epic, hitting a nine-darter on way. However after a close opening 10 legs to get Thursday's match going, it was all Littler as he romped into another semi-final. Rock was in the zone early in the contest and matched every break of throw that was thrown at him, a 129 checkout from 'The Nuke' a highlight as the pair of young stars looked in a real battle at 5-5. However, as is now customary from Littler, he took control in second session to reel off five legs in a row. Remarkably, Rock did not get a dart at double in that period. He increased that dominance to seven legs in a row before Rock could stop the onslaught. Two holds of throw were all that the Northern Irishman managed as he sat 13-6 behind. The final blow then came in the 23rd leg when the 19-year-old broke Rock's throw again as he cleaned up 44. With that, the defending champion came to hold his throw and with his third match dart, took his favourite D10. Van Duijvenbode holds on after Anderson rally Van Duijvenbode held off a phenomenal fightback from Anderson in a 16-13 thriller to book a spot in the semi-finals in Blackpool for the first time in his career. The Dutchman was 15-8 ahead, just one from victory, when Anderson roared back and averaged over 114 to take five legs in a row including a massive 154 checkout. It looked like he simply was going to pull off a miracle. However, just when he needed it, Van Duijvenbode found his form to pin D10 for a massive win. "To be fair the break couldn't come at a worse moment. You just know Gary loves the game. He never gives up," Van Duijvenbode told Sky Sports. "He's probably the best in the world when he hits the trebles. "I expected [the 154]. He didn't miss, but I always think my opponent will hit it." The Dutchman added: "At some point I felt nerves in my stomach." The opening session went the way of Van Duijvenbode, with the Dutchman finding two breaks of throw and finishing off the five legs with a 107 checkout to romp into a 4-1 lead. The second session was similar to the first and when Van Duijvenbode found another break of throw and followed it with a clutch 112 checkout, it was looking ominous for Anderson with his opponent 8-3 ahead. Anderson had work to do and he got going by taking out three legs on the spin, including a clutch bullseye finish for 84, to get back into the contest. Van Duijvenbode stopped the rot with a hold of throw but had been reeled back into a contest at 9-6. That was until Van Duijvenbode came back out on fire while the Flying Scotsman fell away in the next session with the Dutchman taking all five legs. Anderson's throw was broken three times with a miracle looking the only option for the former world champion as he sat 14-6 behind. And so nearly did a miracle occur. Anderson showed just he is one of the greats of the game, but Van Duijvenbode found the singular moment he needed to finally get over the line. What is happening on Friday at the World Matchplay Darts? The quarter-finals continue on Friday at the World Matchplay, live from 7.30pm on Sky Sports Main Event and Action. Gian van Veen and James Wade will do battle in the quarter-finals for a second year in a row, with the world No 3 looking to avenge his loss to 'The Machine' in 2025. Then, Gerwyn Price faces Ross Smith. Smith is through to the quarter-finals after Cameron Menzies withdrew from their second round match in the fourth leg due to illness. Who will win this year's World Matchplay Darts? Luke Littler will be defending his title and you can watch all the action on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.

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