The phenomenon, also known as explosive cyclogenesis or bomb cyclone, can result in snow and winds strong enough to bring down trees and cause structural damage. The process has been likened to when ice skaters spin faster by drawing their arms in, according to the Met Office. Storm Goretti live updates What causes a weather bomb? Sky News weather producer Jo Robinson says a weather bomb is caused by a storm "deepening". That's when the central pressure of a storm drops by 24 millibars [a millibar is a unit of atmospheric pressure] or more over 24 hours, Robinson explained. In the case of Storm Goretti, it is likely to "deepen close to 40mbs in the 24 hours between midnight Thursday and midnight Friday," she added. The Met Office explains that when a rapid acceleration of air caused by the jet stream high up in the atmosphere removes air from the storm column, reducing its weight, it causes pressure to fall at sea level. This, in turn, sucks in air which converges from surrounding regions - resulting in faster and faster rotation of the circulation. The resulting winds peak over a period of a few hours and can be strong enough to cause significant damage, the forecaster adds. How often do they affect the UK? The UK has experienced numerous weather bombs in the past. In 2017 Storm Doris moved across the UK, bringing gusts of up to 94mph and heavy snowfall. Northern England was also hit by a weather bomb in 2014, when waves measuring 52ft high - considered "phenomenal" on the Douglas Sea Scale, which classifies sea conditions - were recorded off the Outer Hebrides. Gale-force gusts of more than 80mph also struck some northern coastal areas. Are weather bombs dangerous? It depends. Sometimes, bomb cyclones behave like conventional winter storms. But sometimes they produce heavy flooding, blizzard conditions and high wind speeds. Read more:How cold is too cold to go to work?Cheap and easy tips for keeping warm Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, previously told Sky News that much of the danger lies in the fact that a weather bomb can take people by surprise. He said: "Fundamentally, the impacts of a bomb cyclone are not necessarily different from other strong storm systems, except that the fast strengthening is usually a signature of a very powerful storm system."

The French movie and style icon died on 28 December at the age of 91 at her home in the French Riviera resort, where she lived for more than half a century. Her husband, Bernard d'Ormale, revealed in an interview with Paris Match magazine that she had died from cancer after undergoing two operations. Crowds gathered along the streets and applauded as the late film star's coffin arrived at the Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption Catholic Church. People again applauded as the coffin was driven through the streets after the funeral. The service was attended by family and guests, which included French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who was pictured arriving at the church. Guests also included people invited to the funeral by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals. In a speech at the service, Max Guazzini, a friend and secretary general of the foundation, said: "All the animals she saved and she loved form a procession behind her… thousands of animals say: Brigitte, we will miss you, we love you so much, thank you." In his interview released on Tuesday evening, Bardot's husband said the film legend had been "conscious and concerned about the fate of animals until the very end". Hundreds of people gathered in the coastal town to follow the farewell on large screens set up at the port and on two plazas. After the church service, Bardot was buried "in the strictest privacy" at a cemetery overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, according to the Saint-Tropez town hall. A public homage was also held at a nearby site in Saint-Tropez. Bardot's renowned sex symbol status was set in stone in 1956 with her portrayal of a rebellious teenager in And God Created Woman. Directed by her then-husband Roger Vadim and in line with the sexual liberation of the age, the movie featured Bardot dancing naked on tables, captivating audiences and scandalising censors in equal measure. Read more from Sky News:Timothee Chalamet among winners at Critics Choice AwardsHollywood star says he isn't behind $100k fundraiser She became a global icon and starred in more than 40 films. But she turned away from public life in 1973, aged 39, and gave her attention to animal rights, calling it her "only battle".

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander unveiled the emblem for Great British Railways (GBR) last month, the brand which nationalised trains in England will fall under. Politics Hub: Follow latest updates As well as a fresh logo, which features the familiar double arrow symbol used by British Rail when the country's trains were last publicly owned, carriages are also getting a paint job. Ms Alexander insisted this "isn't just a paint job", and said the design "represents a new railway, casting off the frustrations of the past". But it can now be revealed that the exercise to design the logo and paint job cost £32,400. A Freedom of Information request sent by Sky News found more than £27,000 - excluding VAT - was spent on audience and accessibility testing for the redesign, using a specialist agency. The total £32,400 figure included creating a mock-up of a future GBR app and a set of poster designs. How long will redesign take? Half of the UK's major rail operators are now in public ownership, but the first trains to be painted with the new GBR design will appear in the spring. Asked about the projected total cost of repainting all nationalised rail services in England by the end of the parliament, the Department for Transport (DfT) said this had "not yet been determined". But it said the new livery will primarily be rolled out as and when trains and carriages go for routine maintenance. An estimate of how much it will cost to rebrand stations with GBR signage has not yet been calculated. The Department for Transport refused to tell Sky News how much it expects it will cost to develop the GBR app, which it's championed as a "one-stop shop" for rail users. The department said many decisions regarding the app have not yet been taken, while much of the policy detail not yet been worked through, and a procurement process yet to begin - suggesting it won't arrive any time soon. 'Wasteful spending' The TaxPayers' Alliance, a right-wing thinktank that calls for an end to "wasteful government spending", warned the figures are "simply the tip of a costly rail renationalisation iceberg". John O'Connell, the group's chief executive, told Sky News: "This is just Whitehall playing with logos while passengers pay more for nationalised trains that have no guarantee of providing better services. "Spending £32,000 on branding and focus groups without any idea of the final cost of repainting trains or building the app shows how flippantly taxpayers' money is being treated." Read more from Sky News:More heavy snow on the wayKevin Keegan diagnosed with cancer Sir Keir Starmer has started the year with a renewed push to reduce the cost of living, citing frozen rail fares in England as a way people "will begin to feel positive change". A spokesperson for the DfT said: "To maximise value for money, the GBR brand was designed in-house, and will be rolled out gradually, rather than as an expensive exercise painting all the trains and stations in one go. "As you'd expect with any new brand, the process included focus groups, including those with accessibility needs, which was done to fully comply with relevant accessibility legislation."

Set 160 to win on the final day at the Sydney Cricket Ground after England added 40 to their overnight score for the loss of their final two wickets, Australia stumbled their way to 121-5 before Alex Carey (16no) and Cameron Green (22no) ticked off the remaining 39 runs required to avoid an embarrassing final defeat. Josh Tongue (3-42) was incisive with the ball again for England, taking his wicket tally to 18 over the final three Tests, and making his omission for the first two even more glaring. He should have added Marnus Labuschagne to his haul, only for Jacob Bethell to make his first error in the Test when putting down a sharp chance at gully when Labuschagne, who was eventually run out for 37, was on 20. Scorecard: Australia vs England, fifth Ashes Test, SydneyAshes Daily Podcast with Nasser and Athers in AustraliaChoose the Sky Sports push notifications you want England might also wonder what might have been had Jake Weatherald been dismissed for 16 instead of 34 as the series was plagued by yet more Snicko controversy. The third Ashes Test in Adelaide was dominated by doubts over the reliability of the Snickometer technology used to detect edges off the bat, and the issue reared its head again when replays appeared to show a faint nick behind by Weatherald off Brydon Carse, only for the third umpire to fail to give the decision. Retiring after the Test, Usman Khawaja was dismissed for six in his final innings - bowled off an inside edge by Tongue - as part of Australia's middle-order wobble, before Carey and Green saw the hosts over the line. The result rubber-stamps a convincing series win for Australia, who had already retained the Ashes within 11 days of action as they won the first three Tests in convincing fashion, before England claimed a consolation victory inside two days on a poor pitch in Melbourne. It remains to be seen whether changes will be made to the England management team after such a convincing series defeat, with the team's preparation - or lack thereof, having played only one intra-squad warmup game - coming under particular scrutiny. Captain Ben Stokes is likely to stay in his role, while head coach Brendon McCullum is helped by the fact he is due to lead England's white-ball side in the T20 World Cup beginning in February. Managing director Rob Key could also keep his job, seeing as both were his appointments when assuming his role in 2022. England give Australia final-day scare in Sydney England came into the fifth and final morning of the series in Sydney with a 119-run lead and Bethell 142 not out following his magnificent maiden first-class hundred on day four. He ticked his score beyond 150 but could add only 12 to his overnight total before perishing for 154 to the second new ball, nicking off to a sharp-rising Mitchell Starc delivery that was too close to cut. Starc (3-72) then cleaned up Tongue (6) to end the innings and take his series-leading wicket tally to a staggering 31 claimed at 19.93 a pop. Travis Head and Weatherald helped Australia off to a strong start in pursuit of England's seemingly modest target, sharing in a 62-run opening partnership across the opening 10-and-a-bit overs before Head became Tongue's first victim for the innings. Tongue added Weatherald on the stroke of lunch, with there being zero doubt over his top edge down the throat of deep fine leg following his earlier Snicko reprieve. Will Jacks bowled a befuddled Steve Smith (12) with an off-spinner's dream delivery - bowled through the gate from the rough outside off - shortly after the interval as England began to believe they could pull off the upset. England swiftly spurned a couple of chances that would have only added to their growing confidence, Khawaja edging one past Stokes at slip off Jacks and Labuschagne being put down by Bethell off Tongue. Though both would depart in swift succession soon after, their demise came after Labuschagne hit Jacks out of the attack by smashing 16 priceless runs off his next over. There'd be no fairy-tale finish for Khawaja, though the 39-year-old did receive a warm send-off from the SCG crowd after his dismissal, while Labuschagne looked utterly crestfallen when run out following one of numerous mix-ups Carey had with his partners late on in Australia's chase. Australia still required a further 39 runs to win at that stage but despite Carey's dodgy calling between the wickets, he and Green ultimately saw the home side to victory and to a deserved 4-1 series triumph. Stokes: We play too much 3/10 cricket England captain Ben Stokes, speaking to TNT Sports: "I think that for a while now teams have understood how to operate against us. When we get into a situation with the bat where things look easy, opposition teams are doing the same thing to us. "We need to work out what we do in those situations. We play too much 3/10 cricket in terms of the chances of it coming off, and if you play like that the chances are it is not going to fall your way in big moments. "We did some unbelievable things as a team the first couple of years in terms of result and getting the best out of people who might not have known they were as good as they were. Now we need to do that consistently. "How we develop is by being honest and straightforward. You don't progress unless you have those conversations. "I have been young and had things thrown at me I didn't quite like but I can look back and know that was told to me for the right reasons. "I just want the best for the guys in the dressing room and to give them the best chance of being very successful international players, which I know they can be. We just need a recalibration." [On his groin injury]: "I have been better, been worse. I won't know [the extent] until I get home." 'Snicko nonsense shows inequality of system' Former England spinner Graeme Swann, commentating for TNT Sports, on Jake Weatherald's non-dismissal on 16: "There was clearly a murmur, exactly the way Stokes was out in the first innings. Herein lies the nonsense of Snicko; it shows the inequality of the system. "The third umpire has to be held to account. I think that is one of the most ludicrous decisions I have seen in a long time. "You can't have a system that everyone knows is a joke - how they have kept using it is beyond me. "It was shown up to be farcical in Adelaide and it has just got worse and worse. The players lose faith and play the system rather than cricket. "When you have to be strategic about your use of dodgy technology, the world has gone mad. England have every right to be mad and perplexed." Ashes series in Australia 2025-26 Australia win five-match series 4-1 First Test (Perth): Australia won by eight wicketsSecond Test (Brisbane): Australia won by eight wicketsThird Test (Adelaide): Australia won by 82 runsFourth Test (Melbourne): England won by four wicketsFifth Test (Sydney): Australia won by five wickets

The provincial government set a deadline of 1pm (10am UK time) on Thursday for people to leave Kurdish-majority areas using evacuation corridors. The military later issued maps showing the no-go zones. The army would begin "targeted operations" against Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the areas of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid, the state news agency SANA warned. Shelling and drone strikes intensified on Thursday afternoon and tanks could be seen entering the neighbourhoods. The fighting - which began in the northern city on Tuesday - comes as the Kurdish-led SDF continue to resist integrating into the Syrian army following the overthrow of President Assad in late 2024. The SDF said their fighters were involved in intense clashes with factions linked to the government and that at least eight civilians had been killed in Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods. It claimed warnings of shelling could count as forced displacement and war crimes. Government officials said at least seven civilians and one soldier were dead in nearby government-controlled areas. Nearly 140,000 people have been displaced across Aleppo province, according to the provincial directorate of social affairs and labour. Mohammad Ali, operations director with Aleppo's Syrian Civil Defence (also known as the White Helmets), said those forced to flee included women, children and the elderly - and that "a large percentage" had "difficult medical issues". The SDF controls much of northeastern Syria and for years have been the main US partner in fighting the Islamic State group in the country. It reached a deal with the Syrian government in March that envisaged full integration between the two sides' forces by the end of 2025. However, progress has been slow and the two sides have accused each another of stalling. America, which backs new President Ahmed al Sharaa, has tried to mediate and the latest talks were held as recently as Sunday. There are fears a failure to integrate the SDF into the Syrian army will mean more violence and could prompt Turkey to get involved militarily. Ankara regards the Kurdish fighters as terrorists due to links with the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has waged a long-running insurgency in Turkey. Read more from Sky News:What happened on Iran's 'Bloody Saturday'How UK helped US seize Russian-flagged tanker International powers have urged restraint and de-escalation. A US State Department official said America was "closely monitoring the situation", while UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said secretary general Antonio Guterres was "alarmed by reports of civilian deaths and injuries". "We call on all actors to immediately de-escalate, exercise maximum restraint, and take all measures to prevent further harm to civilians," said Mr Dujarric.

A judge agreed to Alan Jackson's request to exit the case during a Los Angeles Superior Court hearing on Wednesday, at which Nick Reiner, 32, was expected to be arraigned and enter a plea. The hearing took place roughly three weeks after actor-director Rob Reiner and his wife of 36 years, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead with stab wounds in their upscale home in Los Angeles. Mr Jackson said "circumstances beyond our control" were behind the move, without providing specifics. He said he is "legally and ethically prohibited from explaining all the reasons" behind his decision, adding he expects Reiner's public defender to "step in and very capably protect Nick Reiner's interests". "We know the legal process will reveal the true facts of the circumstances surrounding this case," Mr Jackson said. Deputy public defender Kimberly Greene has now taken over as Nick Reiner's lawyer, and the judge has delayed the arraignment until 23 February. Ms Greene said she spoke to Reiner briefly on Wednesday morning to alert him of the change in his counsel. She said Reiner was "understanding" of the situation. During a brief court appearance, Reiner spoke only to agree to the delay. He stood behind glass in a custody area of the courtroom, wearing a brown jail suit with his hair shaved. At one point, Reiner stood on his tiptoes to peek over the lawyers' heads and look at the audience. Read more from Sky News:Football legend Kevin Keegan diagnosed with cancerStorm Goretti to hit with more heavy snow Nathan Hochman, district attorney for Los Angeles County, said his office will ensure Reiner's new lawyer receives "all the facts necessary to effectively represent their client". "I'm fully confident that a jury will convict Nick Reiner beyond reasonable doubt of the brutal murder of his parents... and do so unanimously," he added. Mr Hochman said the charges against Reiner carry a maximum sentence of the death penalty. Execution is a legal punishment in several US states, including California, where Nick Reiner was arrested and will be tried. The Reiner family released a statement following the change of legal representation. A spokesperson said: "They have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings." Rob Reiner, 78, and wife Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were killed early on the morning of 14 December in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles. Authorities said they were found in the late afternoon and died from "multiple sharp force injuries". Before picking up the Reiner case, Alan Jackson had represented high-profile clients, including convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein during his 2022 trial. Mr Jackson also defended Kevin Spacey in a 2019 sexual assault case, in which the actor faced allegations of groping an 18-year-old man. The charges were subsequently dropped by prosecutors.

Mr Trump has been vocal about his desire to annex the territory, despite it being part of Denmark - a NATO ally. A spokesman for the prime minister said the call also included a discussion about the interception of the Bella 1 tanker, sometimes called the Marinera, which involved US and UK military forces. The No 10 spokesperson said: "The prime minister spoke with President Trump this evening. "They discussed the joint operation to intercept the Bella 1 as part of shared efforts to crack down on sanctions busting, recent progress on Ukraine and the US operation in Venezuela. "The prime minister also set out his position on Greenland." That position was revealed in a joint statement on Tuesday, when European allies, including the UK, reasserted that "Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland". Fears that the US will act against Greenland have mounted following the arrest of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in an audacious American raid on Caracas. In the aftermath, Mr Trump left the door open to further interventions in the western hemisphere by citing the Monroe Doctrine. The policy, named after former president James Monroe, asserts the right of the US to intervene in foreign affairs across the Americas in its own interest. Mr Trump calls it the Donroe Doctrine, adapting it with his own name. Against this backdrop, the US president has repeatedly raised the spectre of action over Greenland. On Monday, he spoke to Sky's US partner network NBC News about Greenland, saying that "we need it for national security, right now". Despite opposition from Mr Trump's NATO allies, a subsequent statement from the White House pushed the envelope further by insisting that "utilizing the ‌US military is ‍always an option". Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that any such action against Greenland would spell the end of NATO. 👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈 Earlier, the UK's defence secretary used a statement to the Commons to explain that no UK personnel took part in the boarding of the Bella 1, but that UK forces supported the operation "at the request of the US". John Healey said the oil tanker intercepted by the US was "falsely flagged" and that it is a "sanctioned, stateless vessel". It was intercepted between Iceland and Scotland as it headed towards Russia on Wednesday.

The court heard that police seized the disgraced former Premier League referee's electronic devices and an explicit two-minute video of a 15-year-old boy, initially in a school uniform, from January 2 2020, was found on his laptop. Coote was charged in October with an allegation relating to a category A video, the most serious kind, recovered by police in February. The 43-year-old appeared for his sentencing hearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday where prosecutors said a clip was found after a separate probe into comments he made about ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in 2020. The court heard the former referee answered no comment to relevant questions in a police interview in February 2025, and was cautioned after officers found cocaine in his house in the same month. Sparing Coote an immediate prison sentence, Judge Nirmal Shant KC told the former referee: "You have had a spectacular fall from grace." She told him videos such as the one Coote had downloaded "involve a real child being abused", adding that those viewing similar material should bear in mind the "consequent damage that follows from it". Speaking about his state of mind, Judge Shant told him: "You were a lonely man. You had a relationship that had broken down recently. "You had mental health difficulties and you were consuming cocaine, which of course was your choice, but it had a direct effect on your thinking." Coote was granted access to an area normally reserved for witnesses before leaving the court building via a private exit marked "probation liaison office". He did not speak when asked if he had any comment to make. Coote's barrister Laura Jane Miller said he was "deeply ashamed of himself". She told the court: "For the last six years, Mr Coote has faced intensive media scrutiny. "He has shown remorse for this offending to the probation service. "He said he's deeply ashamed of himself and his actions." Prosecutor Jeremy Janes said the offence of making a category A image can lead to a maximum sentence of three years in prison. The charge of making an indecent image of a child refers to activities such as downloading, sharing or saving photos or videos. Coote was sacked by Professional Game Match Officials Limited in December 2024 after a video of comments he made about Klopp came to light. In August 2025, Coote was given an eight-week suspension by the Football Association over the Klopp footage. In January last year, Coote came out as gay in an interview with The Sun and said a lifelong struggle to hide his sexuality had contributed to his comments about Klopp.