The four who died had tried to board a dinghy at Equihen-Plage, near Boulogne-sur-mer, but were swept away by strong currents, a French government official said, in an incident which happened around 7am local time.

Authorities said more than 40 were assisted, including three who required medical attention, between Equihen-Plage and Hardelot-Plage.

Two children were among those taken taken to hospital, while another person was treated for hypothermia.

The dinghy proceeded into deeper waters and continued its journey to the UK, local authorities ⁠said.

It comes less than two weeks after two migrants died off the coast of France during an attempt to cross the Channel, one of the world's ​busiest shipping lanes.

Francois-Xavier Lauch, an official for Pas-de-Calais, said: "We sadly have to report four deaths this morning.

"The people who died were attempting to board a taxi-boat.

"I have to commend the actions of our officers and firefighters who, as you know, are deployed every day to stop these crossings."

Speaking of the four people who died, he said: "They were already quite far into the sea.

"The currents, which can be dangerous here, swept them away.

"This provisional toll - and I insist that it is provisional - states four deceased: two men, two women."

In the ‌past year, traffickers have taken to motor dinghies along stretches of ‌the northern French and Belgian
coasts picking migrants up along the shore. Authorities refer to them as 'taxi-boats'.

Read more from Sky News:
British teen dies in Vietnam
Festival cancelled after Kanye West blocked from entering UK

The UK government last month signed an extension with France over current arrangements on beach patrols as part of efforts to reduce the number of Channel crossings.

Some 4,441 migrants arrived in the first three months of 2026, according to Home Office data.

This is 33% lower than the number who had reached the UK by this point in 2025, which was 6,642.

Carlo Tritta, from Eastleigh, Hampshire, had pleaded guilty to offences including making indecent images of a child, engaging in sexual communications with a child, and intimidating a witness.

He was 18 when he began messaging his victim on the gaming app, building her trust online until she felt they were in a relationship.

After moving to other platforms as well as Roblox, he then encouraged her to send explicit sexual images.

Soon, the grooming moved offline and Tritta started sending the girl - whose identity is protected by law - gifts and takeaways at her family home.

After a year of grooming, the victim's mother became concerned and reported Tritta to the police.

"I can't even explain how I felt, what I'd seen on my girl's phone," the victim's mother told Sky News.

"I can't even explain it, it's like... I have medication to calm me down, I'm in therapy.

"It's like a continuing nightmare," she said.

After his arrest, when he was ordered not to contact the girl, he continued to do so.

Tritta, now 19, sent his victim greeting cards containing his new phone number, because his old phone was being held by the police, and contacted her friends.

In one card, he warned her if the case against him ended up in court, "both our names" would be "ran through dirt for the world to see".

He also warned her the officer leading the case was male and "would see anything", and claimed he had tried to stop that.

Tritta travelled from his Hampshire home to her home in Manchester several times and maliciously called social services about the girl's mother, as well as telling the teenager he had called the police on her mother and brother "for your protection".

In December, he was arrested for perverting the course of justice after he tried to get his victim to drop the charges. But, three days after he was given a suspended sentence, Tritta returned to her family home.

He was rearrested and was charged with a series of child sex offences.

In court the next day, Tritta pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of a child, engaging in sexual communications with a child, causing a child aged 13-15 to watch/look at a sexual image, two counts of intimidating a witness, and criminal damage.

Read more from Sky News:
Face of a 'vampire' revealed
This AI just passed the 'vending machine test'

"Once the police came, and they sat talking to my daughter, and they asked, 'Where did you meet him?' [She said] 'Roblox'. I was like... 'Roblox? The kids game you go on? What?'" said the victim's mother.

She blames Roblox for what happened to her daughter, because she said the company "should do more" to protect children.

"[It's] a child's game where predators are going on. And they might not even be necessarily there to groom children but they can talk to them freely and do what they want," she said.

"It's like a nice playing field for them with children, isn't it?"

A Roblox spokesperson said: "We are deeply saddened to hear of this troubling case. With more than 144 million daily active users on Roblox, cases of harm are rare, but we know any incident of harm is one too many and we are committed to building safeguards designed to prevent that from happening."

They added: "We cannot comment on this specific case but we work closely with law enforcement to support investigations and will take action where violations of our Terms of Service are found."

The EES, which replaces passport stamping for all non-EU citizens, began its much-delayed rollout on 12 October 2025 and is scheduled to become fully operational across all Schengen area border crossing points from Friday 10 April.

But not all countries appear ready to start processing "third-country nationals", including the British, in accordance with the rules laid down by Brussels.

Which countries will have the Entry/Exit System?

It will apply to 29 European countries in the Schengen area free travel zone - 25 EU member states and four non-EU countries.

Here's the full list:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland

Manual passport stamping will continue to be used in Ireland and Cyprus.

Who does it apply to?

The system applies if you are a non-EU national, including from the UK, who is travelling to an EU country for a short stay, which means up to 90 days within a 180-day period.

Children under the age of 12 will be exempt from giving fingerprints, but they will still need to have their faces scanned for the system.

There are some exemptions, which are listed here.

How will it work?

The EES will register the person's name, type of travel document, biometric data - fingerprints and captured facial images - and the date and place of entry and exit.

When you first visit one of the listed countries after the EES is adopted, you will need to register your details at an automated kiosk.

In normal circumstances, you will complete the EES checks when you arrive at your destination airport or port in a purpose-built booth.

However, if you enter one of the countries through the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone or St Pancras International, EES checks will be completed at the border before you leave the UK. EES kiosks have been installed specifically for this purpose.

This will mean passengers will have to get out of their cars to register at the Eurotunnel terminal and the Port of Dover. The latter will have an EES processing site at the Western docks.

Rollout supposed to be complete - but is it?

The European Commission has said the EES will be "fully operational" from Friday April 10 - but this is not the case across the board.

Arianna Podesta, deputy chief spokesperson for the European Commission, said in a news conference on Thursday: "We are well aware that despite the agreed timeline, a few member states are still encountering technical difficulties.

"In these months of the rollout, we have been in close contact with these member states."

She said that contact included "sharing best practices from the member states where the system is working very well".

According to travel expert Simon Calder, the digital border scheme is "unravelling".

He says countries such as France are still "far from ready", there are known problems connecting to the system's central database and the hopes of ending "wet stamping" at all frontiers by 10 April are no longer realistic.

France's technical issues are having a knock-on effect on the rollout for the Eurostar from St Pancras, Eurotunnel and the Port of Dover.

Spokespersons for Eurostar and Eurotunnel told Sky News that EES enrolments were being completed manually by border officers, rather than by the automated kiosks that have been installed at St Pancras, Folkestone and Coquelles in France for millions of pounds.

A Port of Dover spokesperson said the EES has not been rolled out there yet for the same reasons.

All companies said they were working closely with French authorities to get the new system up and running.

Among the biggest issues troubling the system generally, Mr Calder says, is each EU member state introducing it in its own way.

"These range from a single airport in the case of Luxembourg to nations with possibly dozens of airports, ferry ports, road and rail borders - such as France, Greece, Poland and Spain," Mr Calder says.

Mr Calder also says the long-planned European Travel Information and Authorisation System also looks "extremely unlikely to be in effect before the end of the year", despite repeated pledges that it will be.

What happens to your data?

Your digital EES record will be valid for three years before it has to be renewed.

If you enter the Schengen area again during this time, you will only need to provide a fingerprint or photo at the border, when you enter and exit.

The European Commission says the data being collected when you use the EES is:

• The information listed in your travel document(s) (e.g. full name, date of birth, etc.)
• Date and place of each entry and exit
• Facial image and fingerprints
• Whether you were refused entry

This data will be stored in the system and cannot be transferred to third parties - except in specific cases, which you can read about here.

Your data will be used by countries for several reasons, including identifying travellers who aren't allowed to enter, finding those using fake identities, and helping to prevent and investigate serious crimes.

If you refuse to provide your biometric data, you will be denied entry.

Why is it being implemented?

The EU says the new system is aimed at making several improvements to the manual stamping system, which the European Commission views as time-consuming and unreliable in providing data on border crossings.

It says the EES will make border checks more modern, efficient, easier and faster. It says that once they are registered, travellers will spend less time at the border thanks to faster checks.

It is also aimed at preventing illegal migration. It says the EES will help track who comes in and out of the Schengen countries better than the old system, using fingerprint and face data to stop people from overstaying, using fake identities or misusing visa-free travel.

It also says the EES will increase security in the countries, giving the authorities access to important traveller information and helping them to spot security risks and support the fight against serious crimes and terrorism.

The hip-hop mogul was found guilty of two prostitution-related charges, involving male sex workers and former girlfriends, following a trial last year - but was cleared of more serious charges of sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.

Combs, 56, was sentenced to more than four years in prison in October - and filed to appeal his conviction a few weeks later.

Now, his lawyers have made their case to judges sitting at the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, New York. They say the conviction should be reversed, or the rapper should at least be resentenced.

Combs' defence team argues Judge Arun Subramanian, who oversaw the trial, should not have considered evidence related to the more serious charges when sentencing.

"This case presents an important issue about a respect for jury verdicts and public confidence in our criminal ​justice system," defence attorney Alexandra Shapiro said during the hearing on Thursday.

Combs, a Grammy-winning artist and founder of Bad Boy Records, is serving his sentence ​at a low-security federal prison in Fort Dix, New Jersey.

With time served before sentencing, he is currently due to be released ​in April 2028, Bureau of Prisons records show.

During the rapper's seven-week trial last year, jurors heard allegations about drug-fuelled sex and sometimes days-long sexual encounters, referred to as "freak offs" and "hotel nights", involving former girlfriends and male sex workers.

But while Combs was found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution in relation to sexual encounters involving former girlfriends Cassie Ventura and a woman who used the pseudonym Jane in court, he was cleared of the more serious charges alleging the women were forced or coerced into taking part.

Ms Shapiro argued in court papers that the conviction on prostitution charges should be overturned because Combs was alleged to have watched his former girlfriends having sex with paid escorts, but did not take part himself.

Read more from Sky News:
Man jailed for £2m theft of bag holding Faberge egg
The shocking photo people thought was AI

"It was unlawful, unconstitutional and a perversion of justice to sentence Combs as if ​the jury had found him guilty of sex trafficking and [racketeering charges]," she wrote.

Prosecutor Christy Slavik, who presented her arguments after Shapiro, told the appeals judges that the 50-month sentence handed to Combs was not unreasonable.

In the government's court documents, Ms Slavik ​said Mr Subramanian was right to consider evidence of threats and abuse by Combs toward his former girlfriends, ⁠even though he was acquitted of sex trafficking, because that alleged conduct was relevant to the prostitution counts.

After hearing the arguments during a two-hour hearing, the appeals court judges reserved judgment for a later date.

Nancy Pexton, 69, is accused of murdering Jennifer Abbott at her flat in Camden, north London, on 10 June last year.

At the opening of the case at the Old Bailey on Thursday, prosecutor Bill Boyce KC said there was no evidence that the director was alive after Pexton, of no fixed address, visited.

The court heard that three days later, a neighbour had forced open Ms Abbott's door after becoming concerned he could not hear her corgi dog barking.

He called emergency services after discovering Ms Abbott's partially naked and decomposing body on the floor, where she had a large, gaping "slash-type" wound across her neck and gaffer tape across her mouth.

Mr Boyce told the court that Ms Abbott was without her Rolex watch, which she was "greatly attached to", and the dog had been locked in the bathroom and was freed by firefighters.

The watch was later discovered when police searched Pexton's bag, Mr Boyce said. The defendant is said to have responded: "Oh yes, that's my sister's. She asked me to look after it."

A post-mortem examination found Ms Abbott had sustained several stab and slash wounds and a single defensive wound to the right hand.

Pexton, who was nine months younger than the victim and turns 70 on Friday, was effectively homeless and had been staying near Baker Street.

Read more from Sky News:
Why e-bike and e-scooter fires have hit a record high
Irish army called in to remove fuel depot blockades
Four die off French coast during crossing attempt

Mr Boyce said after the alleged incident, Pexton called her GP and said she had taken an overdose. She was taken to hospital by ambulance, where she stayed before her arrest on 18 June.

Pexton denies murder. The trial continues.