The news service heard by 26 million listeners to commercial radio in the UK
Top Stories

'No evidence' of alleged rape that sparked asylum seeker protests in Epsom, police say
Police have not yet found any evidence to support a woman's claim that she was raped outside a church in Epsom, Surrey.

Protesters gathered in the town this week amid rumours that asylum seekers or immigrants were involved.

However, officers said on Friday there was no evidence of that.

They also said there was no evidence "of the offence as reported".

The woman, in her 20s, said she was followed after leaving Labyrinth Epsom nightclub on Saturday.

The alleged attack is said to have happened between 2am and 4am outside a Methodist church on Ashley Road.

Assistant chief constable Sarah Grahame said Surrey Police had reviewed CCTV, interviewed potential witnesses and carried out house-to-house enquiries and forensic investigations.

"To date, we have not found any evidence of the offence as reported but the investigation is ongoing," she said in a statement.

"There has been much speculation about the non-release of a description of any suspects, especially regarding the ethnicity.

"No descriptions have been released as the information about the incident and potential suspects is so limited. To address the specific commentary, there is no evidence that asylum seekers or immigrants were involved."

Read more from Sky News:
Nursery worker jailed over toddler's manslaughter
Ban for driver after 'completely avoidable' crash

Protesters demanding information on the case congregated in Epsom town centre on Wednesday, with dozens of police carrying shields also deployed.

The demonstration had been promoted online by Danny Tommo, a former associate of right-wing activist Tommy Robinson.

The group blocked the road before leaving the scene around 8pm.


Daniel Kinahan arrested in Dubai over alleged links to 'international organised crime'
Irish national Daniel Kinahan has been arrested in Dubai over alleged links to an "international organised crime network".

He was detained after a court in Ireland issued an arrest warrant

Dubai authorities said they received a judicial file and "immediately launched intensive search and surveillance operations, leading to the suspect's capture" within 48 hours.

They said the "Irish fugitive" was detained on 15 April over his "alleged role in an international organised crime network".

Dublin's high court previously named Kinahan as a senior figure in a crime gang involved in international drug trafficking operations and firearm offences.

In 2022, US authorities issued a reward of up to $5m for his arrest.

Kinahan was previously linked to the boxing world and co-founded a well-known management and promotions company - which later shut down.

In 2016, a bloody feud with the rival Hutch gang led to an attempt on his life when men disguised as armed police opened fire at a boxing weigh-in at a Dublin hotel.

Kinahan managed to escape but gang member David Byrne was killed, shot multiple times as he ran for the exit.

Read more from Sky News:
Nursery worker jailed over suffocated toddler
Ban for driver after 'completely avoidable' crash

Irish police confirmed on Friday that a man in his late 40s was taken into custody in line with the extradition agreement the two countries.

They said the arrest was a "matter for the authorities in the United Arab Emirates at this time".

"Today's arrest is another extremely important demonstration of the need for international law enforcement co-operation in tackling transnational organised crime," a statement added.


England fans facing hugely inflated prices to get to New Jersey's MetLife Stadium for World Cup games
England fans are facing having to pay train fares of more than £100 to watch one of their World Cup group matches in the USA.

Anyone going to a game at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey from New York City's Penn Station will have to pay $150 (£111) for the 15-minute, nine-mile (14km) journey, US transport officials said.

That's nearly 12 times the usual $12.90 (£9.50) fare for the return trip from Manhattan to the venue in East Rutherford, which is home to both the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets.

World Cup 2026 - everything you need to know

With most fans unable or unwilling to shell out $225 (£166) for one of the limited number of parking spaces at the site, New Jersey officials expect around 40,000 fans will use mass transit for each match, including the final that's held at the same ground on 19 July.

England face Panama in their final group game on 27 June at the stadium, with Brazil, France and Germany also set to play there, possibly twice - should any of those sides reach the final.

The price hike came amid a row between state officials and FIFA over who should pay for fans to get to and from matches.

New Jersey Governor, Mikie Sherrill, said the uplift was necessary to ensure regular local commuters weren't stuck with a "tab for years to come" for hosting the first US World Cup since 1994.

NJ Transit officials said it would cost $62m (£46m) to transport fans to the stadium and, with only $14m (£10m) offset by grants, NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri denied it was "price-gouging", telling reporters on Friday they were "literally trying to recoup our costs".

The MetLife Stadium isn't the only venue where transport costs have been raised, as buses from various parts of Boston to the Gillette Stadium for tournament matches will cost $95 (£70), officials said this week.

Thousands of fans have already bought $80 (£59) round-trip train tickets for the 30-mile (48km) journey from the city to the arena in Foxborough, which normally cost $20 (£15) for New England Patriots games in the NFL.

Other World Cup host cities, including Los Angeles and Philadelphia, have said they'll be keeping transport fares unchanged, pointing to the $100m (£74m) or so provided in federal transport grants to host cities for additional buses and trains.

Ms Sherrill said on X on Wednesday that FIFA "should pay for the rides", to which world football's governing body replied that host cities agreed to offer free transportation for fans to all matches in deals signed in 2018.

The huge increase in the fare to MetLife also drew an objection from New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who said the neighbouring state's charge "sounds awfully high to me".


Kanye West's Polish concert cancelled just weeks after he was blocked from entering the UK
US rapper Kanye West has had another concert in Europe cancelled as fury over his past comments continues to grow.

The decision comes days after the artist postponed a show in France amid anger over his past antisemitic comments, he subsequently wrote on social media that he didn't "want to put my fans in the middle of it".

"We would like to inform you that the Ye (Kanye West) concert planned for 19 June 2026 at the...Slaski stadium ‌will not take place due to formal and legal reasons," stadium director Adam Strzyzewski said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Just over a week ago, West - now known as Ye - was blocked from coming to the UK after the government concluded that his presence would "not be conducive to the public good".

The 48-year-old was due to headline all three nights of the Wireless Festival in London, but the event was cancelled after his electronic travel visa authorisation was withdrawn.

There was no immediate comment from West, who in January apologised for his behaviour, which he attributed to untreated bipolar disorder, and renounced past expressions ‌of admiration for Adolf Hitler.

Polish officials had already stated their disapproval at the prospect of him performing in their country.

Marta Cienkowska, Poland's culture minister, said on Thursday: "In a country scarred by the history of the Holocaust, we cannot pretend that this is just entertainment."

More than 1.1 ​million people, most of them Jews, were murdered at the ​Auschwitz death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War ⁠Two.

Read more from Sky News:
Starmer facing almighty clash
Cuba on its knees and 'next' for Trump

On Tuesday, West announced on X that his planned concert at the Orange Velodrome in Marseille on June 11 would be postponed "until further notice".

In a follow-up post, he wrote: "I know it takes time to understand the sincerity of my commitment to make amends."

The rapper was also barred from Australia last year after releasing a song promoting Nazism and advertising swastika T-shirts on his website.

He has performed in the US and Mexico this year, with upcoming appearances in India, Turkey, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

On Wednesday, West wrote on social media after the French gig was shelved, he was "looking forward to the next shows".


Nursery worker jailed over death of toddler suffocated in sleeping bag
A nursery worker has been jailed over the death of a toddler who was suffocated as staff tried to make him fall asleep.

Kimberley Cookson was jailed for three years and four months for the gross negligence manslaughter of Noah Sibanda.

Fairytales Day Nursery in Dudley was fined £240,000 as well as £56,000 in costs at a sentencing hearing on Friday.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Cookson, 23, from Dudley, was captured on CCTV tightly wrapping the 14‑month‑old in a sleeping bag, placing a blanket over his head, and laying him face down to sleep in an indoor tepee on 9 December 2022.

At one point, Cookson used her leg to restrain him, in what the prosecution said appeared to be an effort to "make him sleep when he did not want to", and he was left unchecked for two hours.

After a "considerable duration", it was noticed he was not breathing, and the emergency services were called.

He was pronounced dead in hospital an hour later despite attempts to revive him.

Cookson admitted gross negligence manslaughter last month.

Director and business owner Deborah Latewood, 55, also from Dudley, was fined £240,000 after also pleading guilty to a health and safety offence, accepting she should have known children were being put down to sleep in a dangerous way.

She was spared jail due to a recent change in sentencing laws, as she was given a six-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.

The private nursery, which is no longer in operation, admitted to systemic failures including inadequate training, supervision and unsafe sleeping procedures.

The company previously pleaded guilty to a corporate manslaughter charge and a health and safety offence.

Passing sentence on Friday, High Court Judge Mr Justice Choudhury said: "Tragically, the events of that day meant that Mr and Mrs Sibanda would never see Noah alive again.

"The court has been shown CCTV footage of the baby room. The images on that footage can only be described as shocking.

"There were repeated instances of rough handling of babies by several of the nursery practitioners, including Miss Cookson, often in view of a manager."

The judge said babies had been repeatedly tightly swaddled and then covered in blankets or cloth in what was an "established" practice.

"Not once did any practitioner challenge another about this practice. These dangerous and unacceptable practices, which went unchecked at his nursery, reached their inevitable conclusion on the 9th of December 2022."

The judge told Cookson: "In my judgment Noah's suffering may not have been obvious to you but it ought to have been.

"This is not a case where you knowingly set out to suffocate or asphyxiate.

"You are clearly remorseful. You have attempted to understand that Noah's parents are the real sufferers here. You have not sought to blame others."

Ofsted, which ordered the nursery to close shortly after the incident, said: "Our thoughts remain with Noah's family and we are deeply sorry for their loss.

"No child should ever come to harm in a place that is meant to keep them safe.

"The government has recently announced new funding to allow us to inspect nurseries more frequently and we continually review our work, alongside our partners, to help make nurseries as safe as they can be for children."


News Awards

The Commercial Radio News Awards aim to recognise the talent, hard work and dedication of commercial radio news teams and in the process reward and encourage the very best in radio journalism.
Read more...
Newslink

Newslink is Independent Radio News. Broadcast to an attentive audience of over 26 million every week; it is the perfect space to effectively engage listeners.
Read more...