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

Thieves steal paintings from Renoir Museum on French Riviera
Thieves have stolen two valuable paintings by the French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir from the Renoir Museum in the South of France, the town's mayor has said.

Two raiders ‌broke into the museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer through a hole made in a ⁠garden fence a little before 6am on Tuesday, taking four paintings in all.

The thieves dropped two of the paintings in the museum's garden as they were chased by police, but escaped with the others.

Cagnes-sur-Mer ​mayor Bryan Masson said the raid began at 5.48am when the museum's alarm went off, and police were on the scene five minutes later.

The thieves were seen on CCTV entering the museum and taking four paintings, Mr Masson said.

French regional newspaper Nice-Matin named the stolen paintings as Portrait Of Madame Pichon (1895), Portrait Of Madame Colonna Romano (1910), Coco Reading (1905) and Young Woman At The Well (1886), valued together at $10.5m (£7.7m), but these details have not been confirmed.

Renoir's most valuable works ​have sold for millions at ​auctions in the past.

All of the paintings are by the French painter and are visible on the museum's website, the paper said. It is not yet clear which paintings the thieves abandoned.

Mr Masson said ‌attacking ⁠the museum "is attacking ⁠a part of the history and heritage of Cagnes-sur-Mer. These actions are particularly serious".

Police are investigating the theft.

Christopher Marinello, CEO at Art Recovery International, told Sky News the stolen paintings will be "very difficult to sell", predicting the thieves will look for buyers in Eastern Europe or Russia "where people tend to buy stolen items without doing proper due diligence".

He said it's "very unlikely that these were stolen to order" and the proximity of the Mediterranean Sea "could be very problematic" for investigators.

The Renoir Museum, which was closed on Tuesday after the raid, was set up in 1960 in Renoir's home in the town, near Nice on the French Riviera, where he died in 1919.

The collection on display includes 13 of his works and some 40 sculptures, pieces of furniture and photographs.

Art thieves in Europe are committing ​more violent robberies and specialist gangs have been replaced ⁠by ad hoc opportunists recruited through social media, pan-European police body Europol said last month.

Read more:
Oasis documentary premieres
Baby's world-first treatment
Trump's plane warning to Canada

A prime example of this new trend was last October's break-in at the Louvre Museum in Paris, the agency said.

Thieves threatened guards ​and visitors and stole €88 million (£76m) worth of jewels, such as Empress Eugenie's tiara.

Last month, four Renaissance paintings by 15th-century painter Antonello da Messina were stolen from a museum in Sicily during the country's summer national holiday.

Renoir was one of the leading painters of the Impressionist group. La Loge (1874), La Parisienne (1874) and Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette (1876) are among his best-known pieces, ImpressionistArts website said.


Prince George starts first day at Eton College
Prince George has started his first day at Eton College on Tuesday, as the future King begins the latest phase in his education.

He was joined by his parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, who walked with him as he arrived at the public school in Windsor, Berkshire.

Kate placed a hand on his back during the greetings with senior staff and when the royals first arrived, Eton's head master Simon Henderson told the future king: "Welcome, good luck, enjoy it".

The prince and princess travelled with their son the short distance from their home in Forest Lodge, Windsor Great Park.

It's the same school that William and George's uncle, the Duke of Sussex, attended, along with many other famous names.

George, 13, was previously at Lambrook School, the private prep school in Berkshire, where his sister and brother, Princess Charlotte, 11, and eight-year-old Prince Louis, were also pupils.

George, whose last major public appearance was at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with his family last month, was reportedly seen touring Eton with his parents in 2023.

It fuelled speculation the school was high on their list of possible places to send their eldest child.

Read more:
Oasis documentary premieres
Baby's world-first treatment

On William's first day there, in 1995, he was pictured signing in with his parents, Charles and Diana, the then Prince and Princess of Wales, and brother Harry.

Actors Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie and Eddie Redmayne, along with a large number of prime ministers including Lord David Cameron, writers George Orwell and Ian Fleming, and adventurer Bear Grylls are among its famous past pupils.

The King went to Gordonstoun, a school in the Scottish Highlands attended by his father, the late Duke of Edinburgh, and he told biographer Jonathan Dimbleby his time there was "a prison sentence" - but instilled self-discipline and a sense of responsibility.


Investigation launched after female Eiffel Tower staff 'hidden from Hindu delegation'
Female Eiffel Tower employees were asked to step out of sight during a visit by a ​Hindu religious delegation at the weekend, according to union representatives, sparking a staff protest ‌and an investigation by authorities.

The monument was closed late on Monday as workers held a meeting over the incident, which has also drawn criticism from French politicians, but reopened on Tuesday.

On Saturday, around 100 ​people linked to the Hindu group Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS, made ​a private visit to the landmark.

"As the delegation passed through, women were ⁠asked to leave their workstations so that men could take their places," Diane Davoine, a ​union representative, said.

"Tensions mounted over the weekend, so this morning, the employees decided to meet: first, ​to open a dialogue with management, and second, to ensure that women are never treated this way at the company again," she said.

Signs at the base of the tower on Monday read: "The opening of the Eiffel Tower ​is delayed for operational reasons."

Ms Davoine said management issued an apology to staff over the incident.

Paris mayor Emmanuel Gregoire ​said that an investigation would be launched "as soon as possible".

He said ⁠in a post on X he was taking note of the employees' anger and agreed their dissatisfaction was "legitimate".

"It is urgent that all light be shed on the facts that led to this protest," Mr Gregoire wrote.

"Equality between women and men will never stop at the foot of our historical monuments, nor anywhere in this city. It must be applied everywhere, for everyone."

Read more from Sky News:
Greenland to get huge EU investment to improve relations
Trump threatens to halt sale of Canadian Bombardier jets in US

BAPS, whose representatives were in the country for festivities related to the inauguration of a Hindu temple in the suburbs of the capital, said in a statement ​that the Eiffel Tower visit was arranged at the start of opening hours to avoid disrupting others, due to the size of its delegation.

"To the best ​of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the ​Eiffel Tower. ⁠Nevertheless, we sincerely apologise for any pain or inconvenience caused," the statement said.

A spokesperson for SETE, the company operating the monument, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Yael Braun-Pivet, the president of ⁠the ​National Assembly, wrote in a post on X: "Welcoming others never ​means giving up our values. In France, women are fully present in public life. No one tells them to become ​invisible."


Police Scotland hunt for women and man after driver killed in hit-and-run crash near Edinburgh Airport
Police are on the hunt for two women and a man who fled the scene of a fatal hit-and-run crash near Edinburgh Airport.

The collision - involving a grey Mercedes A250, a black Renault Captur, a grey Skoda Karoq and a grey Hyundai i30 - occurred on the A8 Glasgow Road at about 9.25am on Monday.

Emergency crews attended; however, the 58-year-old driver of the Hyundai was pronounced dead at the scene.

Four other people were taken to hospital for treatment and were later released.

Police Scotland said two women and a man from the Mercedes left on foot prior to officers arriving.

The force mobilised its air support and dog unit in a bid to trace them, and searches remain ongoing.

Inspector Thomas Mallinson said: "My thoughts are with the family of the person who died at this incredibly difficult time.

"Our enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of this crash, and it is vital we trace the three people who left the area before police arrived."

The collision occurred near Newbridge and closed the road between the village and Edinburgh Airport, causing traffic tailbacks.

Drivers heading to the airport were advised to travel via the M8 and city bypass through Gogar.

The Scottish Ambulance Service said it dispatched three ambulances, two special operations response teams, a paramedic response unit and a critical care paramedic.

Read more from Sky News:
Trans woman jailed for false rape claims
Murder arrests after baby dies while camping with family

The vehicles were recovered and the road eventually reopened shortly after 7pm.

Inspector Mallinson appealed for witnesses or anyone with additional information to contact Police Scotland.

He added: "I would also ask anyone who was in the area and may have dashcam footage to please get in touch if it holds anything which could be relevant."


Noel and Liam Gallagher unite for Oasis's UK documentary premiere - here's what we learn from the film
As it was for their reunion shows, the Gallagher brothers arrived at the premiere for their new documentary with the same show of unity - Liam with one arm draped around Noel's shoulder, the other fist held aloft, triumphant.

It is something we see several times throughout Don't Look Back In Anger as the film covers several of those on-stage arrivals from the 2025 tour. At the first, in Cardiff, Noel seems guarded, unsure of the gesture of brotherly affection. By the time the band are playing in Dublin a few weeks later, he is laughing, relaxed, as the pair hold hands.

For years, Oasis fans thought they would never see anything like this. Don't Look Back In Anger, written by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) and directed by Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern, was a chance to tell the story of how the brothers got here.

Towards the end of the film, we see Noel and Liam interviewed together for the first time since before the band's split in 2009.

"All the little things that used to annoy us about each other have gone away," says Noel at one point. "It's not a power struggle anymore." He describes Liam as "delightful" - a word he says he never thought he'd use in that context - and also praises his talents as a frontman. "I'd forgotten what he means to people. The songs are one thing but then there's what he means to them."

Liam is equally complimentary: "I'm glad to see Noel doing it again. They're his songs... they come from his soul. He deserves it and the songs deserve it." The brothers are in contact "way more" now than they ever were before the band's split, they say. "It was all forgiven without saying a word," says Noel.

Unanswered questions

This is what we find out about the brothers' relationship now and there's a genuine sense of friendship. What Don't Look Back In Anger doesn't do is answer the question of how it came to be.

How do you go from Liam calling Noel a potato (and worse) on Twitter, and Noel saying he would never perform with his little brother again, to holding hands on stage?

The answers to these questions remain off-camera. The documentary is titled Don't Look Back In Anger after all, so maybe that was always the intention. This film is about those 2025 shows, documenting fans' disbelief at first, and then the euphoria, the tears, the nostalgia and everything the tour encapsulated.

First, there is a quick recap of Oasis's rise to fame, including the huge Knebworth gigs in 1996, followed by growing tensions and the split just before they were due to perform in Paris in 2009.

Cut to the reunion and the first rehearsal with both brothers together. Noel and the rest of the band had been rehearsing for a few weeks before Liam's presence was required.

"I was born with one fatal flaw in my character," says Noel beforehand. "I cannot forgive people."

We also hear from Liam: "I'm not a yes man... I'm f****** Liam Gallagher."

Could this reunion, as many cynics believed, implode before the brothers even made it on stage?

The first rehearsal

Noel paces as they wait. Then in Liam strolls, parka on, strut unmistakable. There are no hugs, no overt affection, no mention of what has been said before. They just get on with it.

When he leaves without announcement, again, there is no fanfare. "I'm not sure whether our kid's enjoying himself," says Noel, mystified. But Liam is taking it very seriously. He's given up cigarettes and alcohol, he says, because the songs "need to be treated with the utmost respect".

When the documentary gets to that first show in Cardiff, you see what this means to the audience. From here, the film tells the story of the tour through songs, and the stories of fans all around the world - from the woman in Brazil who named her dog Bonehead, to a survivor of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.

These gigs brought bucket-hatted fans old and young together in a way even Noel says he could not quite believe. "I certainly wasn't prepared for the intense outpouring of joy and tears," he says at one point. He had to turn his back to the crowd several times during the tour to stop his own emotions from getting the better of him, he says later.

The sense of community, the collective joy is what the filmmakers capture here. From Manchester's "Gallagher Hill" to South Korea, the lyrics are sung back to the band by tens of thousands of people in the crowds, and fans all have stories about what those words mean to them.

The brothers' children met for the first time during the tour, the documentary reveals, and they were all there to show support at the premiere, along with musicians including Johnny Marr and Bobby Gillespie, and band members Bonehead, Gem Archer and Andy Bell.

Will there be another tour?

There is nothing in the film about these other band members, save for praise from Noel for Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs; Oasis's original guitarist, he quit in 1999, 10 years before Noel called time on the band.

"He's a massive, massive part not only of the sound but of the dynamic" of the band. When he left... we spent 11 years chasing that sound. He is the f****** sound of Oasis."

There is also no real mention of the eyewatering ticket pricing many were stung by, which threatened to overshadow the launch of the tour. Presumably because, by the time the gigs rolled around, all was forgiven. "Was it worth the £40,000 you paid for a ticket?" Liam joked at the Cardiff show, and was met by a roar of "yeah!" back. In the documentary, we hear him joke again: "There are no cheap seats... sorry about that."

Just as Oasis's best songs were about defiant optimism, Don't Look Back In Anger runs with positivity. With so much turmoil in the world, more than ever now, people "want to escape", the brothers say, and the film captures that feeling - for those two hours or so, life was joyous, uncomplicated.

So the documentary is all about the music, the brothers' relationship now, and the fans. "It's about 'we' and 'us'," as Noel puts it when describing the songs and why they have endured. The fans have always played a huge part in Oasis's story.

With all signs pointing to another tour (if the band's now daily teasers on social media are anything to go by), it feels like "we" could be doing it all again very soon.


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...