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

Police address 'violent incident' claim against Russell Brand made by Jemima Goldsmith
Police have addressed an alleged "violent incident" involving Russell Brand after claims made his then-girlfriend Jemima Goldsmith.

Goldsmith, a TV producer, dated the actor and comedian for a year in 2014, and said she had personal experience of his "violence, coercive control and abuse".

"I had to call the police to have him removed from my house in 2014 during a violent incident," she wrote in a post on X.

Now the relevant force, Thames Valley Police, has confirmed in a statement that they attended the scene and "ensured the victim's partner left the address".

As it happened: Police say new information on Brand from 'several' being assessed

The statement said: "The force was contacted by a woman who reported her partner had assaulted her in Oxfordshire on 25 July 2014.

"Officers were sent to the scene, where they spoke to the victim, listened to her concerns, and provided support and advice.

"We also ensured the victim's partner left the address, as per the victim's wishes."

Ms Goldsmith said she chose not to press charges, fearing the impact that media attention would have on her children.

The 52-year-old, whose father was billionaire financier Sir James Goldsmith, said she had "neither seen nor spoken to Brand since that period in 2014".

She continued: "Whilst my pain in relation to this, pales in comparison to what the women have testified in court have suffered, this was a difficult period in my life which has had a lasting impact."

Goldsmith, who was formerly married to Imran Khan - later Pakistan's prime minister - added that she was "glad and relieved" that Brand had "finally faced justice".

Brand, 51, was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison on Monday, after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault.

More from Sky News:
Thomas Markle's mugshot released after being jailed
Trump's lawsuit against BBC can go ahead, judge rules

At sentencing, Mr Justice Bennathan criticised the disgraced comedian's "staggering arrogance" in using his celebrity status to prey on women, describing him as a "sexual predator" who had told a "series of lies" to the court.

The Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday that they are investigating more "potential criminal allegations" against him, claiming that "several people have contacted the investigation team during and since the trial".


Threatening emails sent to hundreds of schools in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Italy treated as 'hoaxes'
Threatening emails sent to hundreds of schools across Northern Ireland, Scotland and Italy are being treated as hoaxes, authorities have said.

More than 300 schools in Northern Ireland reported receiving the same emailed message, which contained a threat.

Similar emails were received by 470 schools in Scotland, while hundreds of schools in Italy were evacuated after they were sent threatening messages.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it was treating the email, which originated from outside the UK, as a hoax.

Assistant Chief Constable Anthony McNally said: "We take incidents of this nature very seriously and we understand the concern in the community, school communities and for students and parents.

"Our enquiries are ongoing, however, at this stage we consider risk to the public as low."

Police Scotland said the messages were assessed and they were being treated as hoaxes.

A force spokesperson said: "We understand how distressing messages of this nature can be for pupils, parents, carers and school staff, and the concern they can understandably cause.

"Our advice is that there is no requirement to evacuate schools or keep children away from education based solely on the content of the emails."

It comes as at least 300 schools in Italy were evacuated on Wednesday after receiving a bomb alert, the country's education minister said.

Italian education minister Giuseppe Valditara told the La7 TV channel that the alerts were presumed to be hoaxes.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni later posted on social media that the threats posed no danger, adding that police and other public bodies were monitoring the situation.

Ms Meloni said she would chair a meeting at government headquarters to take stock of events and coordinate further action.

A number of schools in Northern Ireland and Scotland were closed last month following hoax bomb threats.

Northern Ireland's Education Authority (EA) said the message sent to its schools had "similarities" with last month's bogus threat.

The EA said it was liaising with police, adding: "At this stage, we have not been made aware of any evidence of any credible threat to schools.

"Investigations are continuing. It is for PSNI to determine the credibility or otherwise of any such message."

The EA advised schools to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to PSNI.

More from Sky News:
Thomas Markle's mugshot released
Jonathan Ross 'horrified' by David Walliams allegations

Police Scotland said its cyber and fraud unit is carrying out extensive enquiries to establish the source of the messages, with officers continuing to liaise with law enforcement partners across the UK and internationally.

The force said in a statement: "They have been sent widely to distribution lists across the UK and Northern Ireland and our assessment remains that they do not represent a credible threat."


UK weather: Temperatures set to fall to -7C as cold health alert issued
Temperatures in parts of the UK could fall to -7C this week, as health chiefs issue the first cold weather alert for the season.

The yellow cold health alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Tuesday, is in place for the North West and West Midlands from 9am on Thursday to midday on Saturday.

The agency warned that low temperatures can lead to increased demand for health and care services, and called on people to check on loved ones and neighbours.

Temperatures are set to fall below average widely by Thursday and Friday, with frost predicted. They could drop to -6C or -7C in some frost-prone rural spots.

Check the weather where you are

Before then, we can expect frequent wintry showers with strong winds on Wednesday evening.

Colder conditions will then begin to move into the north, with snow showers expected in northern Scotland overnight on Wednesday.

Throughout the remainder of the week, northerly winds will lead to colder conditions across the rest of the country.

Overnight frosts are likely, particularly in the countryside, but will become confined to the south over the weekend.

See how temperatures today compare with previous years, and how this year's heatwaves and drought have either hit or missed your area. Search for your postcode or nearest city.

Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson said: "There may also be some fog, locally dense and freezing, though much less widespread and disruptive than recently.

"The colder weather will bring some welcome sunshine as the recent extensive cloud clears. A few showers are possible, turning wintry over northern hills.

"Sunday looks cloudier with some rain, ahead of milder and more unsettled conditions next week."

Dr Anya Gopfert, consultant in public health at UKHSA, said: "This is the first cold health alert of the winter, but we can expect more as we move further into the season.

"We're reminding people to take simple steps to stay warm and look after their health as temperatures begin to fall.

"Keeping homes heated where possible and dressing warmly can help people stay safe and well during colder weather."

More from Sky News:
Nvidia's value plummets $430bn in two days
Jonathan Ross 'horrified' by Walliams allegations

Nazir Hussain, clinical lead at the charity Asthma + Lung UK, added: "The freezing conditions forecast for the next few days could be particularly dangerous for the 12 million people in the UK living with a lung condition, with thousands rushed to hospital with respiratory illness every winter.

"If you have a lung condition take preventative steps to manage your health during the cold weather."


Manchester United 'has agreement in principle with Mauricio Pochettino' as decision due on Michael Carrick's future
Manchester United has reportedly reached an agreement in principle for Mauricio Pochettino to be their next head coach if Michael Carrick is sacked.

The club's chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are due to hold talks with United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco on Wednesday, where they are expected to make a decision about Carrick's future.

Pochettino, who recently signed a contract extension to remain the USA head coach until the 2030 World Cup, is understood to be interested in the Old Trafford position.

Now the 54-year-old Argentine has reached a verbal agreement in principle with the club, Sky Sports News understands, with United expected to pay around £7m to buy him out of his newly-signed contract.

He is still due to coach the USA against Haiti on Saturday as things stand.

Carrick was pictured arriving at United's Carrington training ground on Wednesday morning.

The club is currently in the relegation zone and have suffered their worst start to a season since 1986.

Carrick was given an opportunity to turn the situation around after a 4-1 Champions League defeat by Como and a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth at the end of last month.

United subsequently lost 2-0 at Chelsea, before staging a 3-2 Champions League comeback win against Roma.

On Sunday, United drew 4-4 against Aston Villa, twice coming back after going two goals behind.

Carrick afterwards stressed that he was looking forward to the international break as usual.

More from Sky News:
Thomas Markle's mugshot released
BBC bid to throw out Trump's case dismissed

He said: "I'm pretty clear where we need to go and how we need to get there.

"Obviously some of the boys will be flying off around the world and different things, and the group will be split for 10 days or so.

"But as a normal international week is, you know, we'll have some training. We'll have one or two days off, but not too much. But we'll train, and we'll get ready for the next game."

He was initially appointed in January until the end of the 2025-26 season, before being made permanent in the summer after guiding United to a third-place finish.


Strike by consultant doctors in England paused
A strike by consultant doctors in England has been paused following meetings with the government, the British Medical Association (BMA) announced.

The planned industrial action over the "value and sustainability" of the consultant role was due to take place on 25 and 26 November.

The BMA previously accused the government of "ignoring concerns" around the "wellbeing and workload" of medics.

Emergency care was planned had the strike gone ahead, similar to how hospitals are staffed on Christmas Day.

However, on Wednesday the BMA said it had agreed to pause planned action to allow negotiations to take place, following an urgent meeting of its consultants committee the previous evening.

It said it was seeking "meaningful progress on the 25% real-terms pay cuts consultants have experienced over the last 17 years".

The government will not negotiate pay rises for this financial year, but it has suggested utilising artificial intelligence and designing new technologies to reduce the administrative burden on consultants.

Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta, BMA consultants committee co-chairs, said in a joint statement: "We welcome the opportunity to enter formal negotiations with the government and hope this marks a turning point in a dispute that has gone on for far too long.

"We've always said strikes do not need to go ahead as long as the government is willing to genuinely negotiate, and now is their chance to do so.

"We have received assurances that there are no constraints on what we discuss in these negotiations, and we look forward to hearing their proposals on both pay and working conditions."

Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper called it "welcome news for patients and the wider NHS".

She went on: "I had a constructive discussion with the BMA Consultants Committee on reforms that could give consultants a stronger voice, greater flexibility and more freedom to innovate, while improving services for patients. We are committed to taking that work forward together in the weeks ahead."

More from Sky News:
Thomas Markle's mugshot released
BBC bid to throw out Trump's case dismissed

Along with pay, the BMA also wants to discuss measures to tackle burnout and keep consultants in the NHS.

This includes more protected time to focus on teaching the next generation of medics, reducing standard hours to bring consultants in line with other NHS staff, and higher recognition for the most taxing out-of-hours work.

It has warned that "patience is not infinite" and said that further strikes will be announced if talks fail.

Consultants in England last went on strike in 2023, but have been in dispute with the government since last year.


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...