Police were called on Monday over concerns for three people who had not been seen for several days. Officers forced entry into a property in Great Denham, where they found the bodies of a woman and two children, Bedfordshire Police said. Police said they have identified a suspect, who was known to all three victims, and who they believe has since left the country. Investigators fear the three alleged victims could have been murdered. Official identification of the woman and both children have not yet taken place, the force added.Read more from Sky News:'Significant' heat health alertsCharlie Kirk's widow faces alleged killer Assistant Chief Constable John Murphy called it an "incredibly complex investigation" and said: "This is a deeply distressing incident in which a mother and her two children are believed to have been murdered. "Our thoughts are first and foremost with all those affected. "We recognise that this will cause concern in the local community and beyond." He urged anyone with information about the incident to come forward. ACC Murphy added: "While there is nothing to suggest there is any wider risk to the public, we will be increasing the police presence in and around the area to support the investigation and provide reassurance to residents."

Ward is accused of raping the woman after meeting her at a nightclub in east London. Under cross-examination during his trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Ward said that everything that took place was consensual and described the woman as an "active participant". Ward, 28, of Silvertown, east London, denies two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and one count of sexual assault against the woman on 2 January 2023. Prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC told Ward "you were bent on getting what you wanted". Ward replied: "That definitely was not the case. I have no interest in being with someone who does not want to be with me." Ms Ayling added: "You were bent that night on having sex with her come what may." Ward said: "No miss, it was what we wanted. She was a willing participant in everything that went on." The court heard they later messaged each other. Ward sent her a smiling emoji with a heart and she told him to enjoy the rest of his night. Ms Ayling also said: "I would suggest you were only trying to make sure that she would not report what happened that night." Ward responded: "No, I would suggest that would be wrong." Ward previously told the jury that "everything we did was wholly consensual and we were having a great time". He said they had shared a "quite flirty" conversation and "passionate" kisses, which then turned into a "developing situation". Read more from Sky News:'Significant' heat health alert issuedAt least five dead after China landslide When Ms Ayling suggested "the only person who has a great time was you", Ward said: "She was consenting by the way she was moving with me and she was an active participant in everything we did." He said that everything that took place was consensual, including the intimate acts, adding "it was something she wanted to do and (it was) not that I forced her". Ward hosted a New Year party in Gants Hill, east London, after he spent Christmas with his close-knit family, the court heard. The party took place during a pause in his work schedule. Ward said he thought the woman was "very cute" when he saw her for the first time outside the venue, as she was with a group of friends. He told the court he chatted to them, had a "quite flirty" conversation with the woman, and asked for her Snapchat details. He said they kissed and hugged in a Mercedes outside the party, and later had an intimate encounter in another Mercedes outside an after-party. Ward denied he stopped her from attempting to get out of the unlocked car, in contrast to the woman's claims that she told Ward she needed to leave "on multiple occasions". On Tuesday, Ward told the court: "She stayed which allowed us to grow our sexual contact." Jurors previously heard the woman tell the court that she "did not use the word no" during the encounter and "completely shut down". Ward said he did not force her and they kissed, hugged, and had a conversation before she departed. He wanted to see her again, but he had a busy work schedule. The court heard they later exchanged messages and he sent her a smiling emoji with a heart, meaning he was going to miss her, and the woman told him to enjoy the rest of his night. The trial continues.

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.

England posted 201-7 after being inserted on what looked a belting pitch, only for India to subside to 76 all out after just 11.4 overs of a shambolic display with the bat. Josh Tongue (4-28) and Jofra Archer (3-29) impressed in blasting out the Indian top order before Adil Rashid chipped in with 2-14 to confirm India's largest-ever losing margin by runs. Scorecard: England vs India, third T20I, Old TraffordGot Sky? Watch England vs India live on the Sky Sports appNot got Sky? Get instant access with NOW - no contract India's 15-year-old wonderkid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (13 off 5 balls), playing in just his second international match, struck two huge sixes before he became the second wicket to fall, gloving an Archer bouncer behind. Earlier, Phil Salt (70 off 44) top-scored for England after a scratchy start to his innings, while Sam Curran (44no off 24) and Jos Buttler (36 off 21) also made valuable contributions. England somewhat limped out of the blocks to start the match, with Salt batting out an opening maiden and just runs on the board through the first two overs of the powerplay. Salt, in particular, struggled for rhythm early on, scoring only 17 from his first 19 deliveries but Buttler bailed him out as he found his form down the other end, smashing 34 of the 36 runs added from the next three overs. He departed to start the sixth, bowled off his toes by a beauty of a yorker first ball from Prince Yadav (2-30), who impressed when called into the side for his second T20I cap, also accounting for Harry Brook (16 off 12). Salt finally got motoring with a six over deep midwicket off Varun Chakravarthy, and though Jacob Bethell (13 off 9) and Tom Banton would perish to consecutive Harshit Rana (2-40) deliveries, England's innings would not be derailed. Curran proved a handy foil for Salt as he notched a 36-ball fifty, while Will Jacks (14 off 7) struck a couple of big sixes off Axar Patel (1-49) in the same over Salt finally fell, before he and Archer were run out in the last as England squeaked past 200. Shreyas slams 'atrocious' India performance India captain Shreyas Iyer, speaking on Sky Sports Cricket: "It was atrocious. I can't use a better word. Losing by such a big margin isn't acceptable. "We need to accept this loss and go back to the drawing board and see what we did wrong. "First of all, it wasn't a 200 wicket. Losing four in the powerplay didn't create momentum and we lost our way. "You can plan a lot but once you come into the ground you have to adapt and figure out what lengths are important to bowl. Hard lengths helped the bowlers on this wicket, but we didn't execute many. "When you're chasing, you have to set patterns for how to chase. We fell short, our execution was awful. "It's a great opportunity [in the series] to come back strong, not to dwell on what happened in the past. "We've played awful cricket but there's lots to learn as well. "Players have to figure out ways to create an impact. Every individual has to see how they can win matches and take that responsibility." 'Questions to answer for India' Sky Sports Cricket's Dinesh Karthik: "It should hurt. It's not just these two games, things didn't go well in Ireland prior to this. "Plenty of questions for this young, new captain this team, who let's remember are T20 World Cup champions. "This is not how you're supposed to go down." England's vs India - white-ball series' fixtures/resultsFirst T20 (Durham) - Match abandoned - No resultSecond T20 (Manchester) - England won by four wicketsThird T20 (Nottingham) - England won by 126 runsFourth T20 (Thursday July 9) - Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (5.30pm)Fifth T20 (Saturday July 11) - Utilita Bowl, Southampton (2.30pm)First ODI (Tuesday July 14) - Edgbaston, Birmingham (11am)Second ODI (Thursday July 16) - Sophia Gardens, Cardiff (1pm)Third ODI (Sunday July 19) - Lord's, London (11am) Watch the fourth T20 international between England and India on Thursday, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 5pm (first ball 5.30pm). Not got Sky? Stream cricket and more with NOW.

The decision comes despite the court ruling that the politician would have to wear an electronic tag. Le Pen said she will appeal the ruling to France's highest court. The far-right leader was found guilty of misappropriating public funds by a court last March. Her political future had been on the line today as a Paris appeals court ruled on her eligibility for the next election. She received a five-year ban ​from public office in March 2025 for embezzling more than €4m (£3.4m) from the European Parliament. Judges upheld the earlier court judgement that she was guilty of misappropriating EU funds and ruled she is ineligible to hold public office for 45 months, but suspended this for 30 months. While that ruling clears the way for Le Pen to run in the 2027 presidential election, the court also sentenced her to a three-year jail term: two suspended and one ​with an electronic ankle tag. So while it will not prevent her from entering the race for France's highest office, it would make any campaign politically and logistically difficult. Le Pen left the courtroom without speaking to journalists and her lawyers said she would reflect upon the verdict. Read more from Sky News:Qatari tanker hit as it travelled through Strait of HormuzFinancial stability at risk from artificial intelligence - Bank of England She previously said she would be reluctant to campaign for the presidency while serving a sentence under electronic monitoring. But speaking on Tuesday night, she suggested that she won't be subjected to monitoring at all, and that she'll be vindicated in her appeal. The Court of Cassation previously said it would be able to rule before the presidential election - with the first round of the race due to be held in April. Her National Rally party leads ‌opinion polls for next April's election. And Le Pen, who has three times failed to win the presidency for the far-right in 15 years ​at the helm, is gambling that voters can overlook the guilty verdict.

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."

Speaking on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Harriet Harman said that although Mr Burnham has "got a strong team of women around him and he's got a good record in Manchester of always including women and not having a boys' club", the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) "are not prepared to take it on trust any more". Politics Hub: Follow the latest Baroness Harman added that the number of women in Mr Burnham's cabinet is going to be a "central issue because the women are going to make it so". Mr Burnham is currently the only declared candidate in the upcoming Labour leadership contest, with no other candidate expected to run against him. He will likely become prime minister on 20 July if he remains the only candidate. Baroness Harman said there would be "no more playing nice by the women in the Parliamentary Labour Party", following accusations of a boys' club and misogyny in Downing Street under Sir Keir Starmer. "They really want to see their place on equal terms now," she added. Put to her by Sky's political editor Beth Rigby that, as deputy Labour leader under Gordon Brown she was denied the post of deputy prime minister, alongside reports that Mr Burnham could appoint both Miliband brothers to senior roles in his cabinet, Baroness Harman said there is "scar tissue here". The Women's PLP has drafted a letter to Mr Burnham demanding he ensures at least 50% of ministerial jobs, and jobs in Number 10, go to women, our political reporter Faye Brown has reported. Mr Burnham attended a meeting of the Women's PLP on Tuesday, with multiple sources present telling Sky News that he was receptive to the jobs idea. 👉 Click here to listen to Electoral Dysfunction on your podcast app 👈 'Regretful' the next leader likely be another man Baroness Harman added that while there has "been a very big welcome for Andy Burnham", female Labour MPs were also "regretful that once again, the Labour Party has got their next male leader". Labour have never had a female leader, although they have had two female acting leaders, including Baroness Harman. The party has had four female deputy leaders, including the incumbent, Lucy Powell. Some female Labour MPs have told Sky News that the demands made of Mr Burnham over jobs will make it more likely that a woman succeeds him when the time comes. "There are many talented women in the PLP. The chances of them succeeding [Burnham] are more likely if you've held high office," one MP said.

Instead, when the final whistle came, his tears were very different from those of Ronaldo the night before. Overcome with emotion, there was joy in there. But relief too. This was a game that had looked unlikely to bend to his will. Messi certainly struggled. It was not just the penalty that he had saved - again - although that was bad. Messi is the first man to miss two spot-kicks in one World Cup. In the aftermath, there were passes that were underhit, free-kicks that were overhit, and a shot that ballooned over the crossbar. The pattern continued as the pressure built. He was dispossessed when caught on his heels. Bundled off the ball time and again. When the second Egypt goal went in, the prospect of even Messi digging deep into his reserves must have felt like a forlorn hope. But he came alive again. It was partly tactical. Lautaro Martinez's arrival on the pitch in place of Rodrigo De Paul allowed him to occupy a place closer to the right wing. It had been claustrophobic in the middle of the pitch. Out wide, Messi found breathing space. In minute 79, he conjured his first assist of this World Cup for Romero's goal. Moments later, he went on a mazy run that almost set up Martinez to nod in an equaliser. It was strange to see him dart between bodies again, a man desperate to roll back the years. And then came his goal. Lurking just inside the box, his half-volley was expertly timed, the technique holding together when it mattered most. The goalkeeper could only push the ball into the roof of the net. Messi had rewritten the World Cup script yet again. No man can beat time forever. That opponent is undefeated. But Messi does not need to do it forever. If he can stave off a rival even more fearsome than Ronaldo for the rest of this week and next, he could yet achieve the impossible and retain this World Cup. With Messi, can anyone rule it out? World Cup day-by-day schedule | Latest: World CupFollow our World Cup coverage in the Sky Sports AppKeane praises Argentina 'streetfighters' Roy Keane praised the "streetfighter" mentality of Argentina's players following their extraordinary comeback against Egypt to book their place in the World Cup quarter-finals. Argentina looked destined to exit the tournament with just 11 minutes to go in regular time after goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico gave Egypt a shock two-goal lead. However, three goals in just 13 minutes from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez completed one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the tournament. "These guys are streetfighters. They will not give up," said Keane, speaking about the incredible turnaround on ITV. "I loved it. Amazing game. The quality of Argentina's goals were amazing." The key moments from Atlanta 15 - GOAL! Ibrahim headed Egypt in front to kick off the drama. 21 - PENALTY SAVED! Messi cannot beat Shobeir from the spot. 59 - DISALLOWED! Zico goal disallowed for foul on Martinez. 67 - GOAL! Zico beat Martinez to double Egypt's advantage. 79 - GOAL! Romero pulled one back from Messi's cross. 83 - GOAL! Messi levelled the game by lashing in a half-volley. 90+2 - GOAL! Fernandez headed in to complete the comeback.