Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said he was "flabbergasted" by a fall in the number of defendants accused of knife and gun crimes being remanded in custody – which he claimed was leading to the accused being repeatedly charged and bailed over the same offences. Despite saying stricter knife crime and firearms legislation had helped reduce serious crime over the last 25 years, Sir Mark said the country was now "seeing the consequences" of what he called an "overloaded justice system". He said: "We are seeing rapidly reducing imprisonment for people sentenced for knife crime offences, knife crime possession, even repeat knife carriers, so that's going down. "That is then anticipated at the start of the process, so far fewer are being remanded in custody. "So routinely now we're seeing people charged again and again and again with carrying knives, and they're being bailed again and again and again, and that really concerns me." Referring to a recent example of an individual attempting to take a blade around 18 inches long into Notting Hill Carnival, Sir Mark said it had been that particular individual's fourth knife offence of the year. "He tries to take something that looks like a small sword into carnival, and he's been bailed again," the Met Commissioner added. "That is deeply concerning to me, the message that sends, and that fundamentally undermines offender control." Dozens of weapons were seized at the two-day event last weekend, including a handgun. Read more from Sky News:Top ref admits playing 'games' during matchesMore than 70,000 pints of Guinness stolen Sir Mark said the force is also seeing a similar pattern with firearm offences. He said there are currently around 34 cases of individuals charged with firearms offences in London who are all on bail pending trial, adding that in nine of those cases, the suspects had fired shots in confrontation. Sir Mark insisted that a few years ago this "just wouldn't have happened". Prison crisis The Met chief's comments come just days after Justice Secretary Alex Norris announced plans to spend £110m on creating more prison places as part of the government's pledge to add 14,000 extra prison spaces by 2031. The remarks also come as pressure continues to mount on Prime Minister Andy Burnham over the government's early release scheme, which comes into effect in October in a bid to help ease the prison overcrowding crisis. The scheme has come under particular scrutiny in recent weeks over the potential release of two of PC Andrew Harper's killers, with a petition set up to keep Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers behind bars receiving more than one million signatures last month. Mr Burnham asked Mr Norris to find a way to prevent the pair – who were handed 13 years for manslaughter in 2020 after the death of the Thames Valley Police officer – from being released early.

Right Before I Go, written by Stan Zimmerman - known for The Golden Girls and Gilmore Girls - addresses suicide awareness using real notes and personal stories, and opens at the Soho Theatre in London on Saturday. At the weekend, actor Gerard McCarthy, known for TV shows including Hollyoaks and The Fall, shared a statement saying he had withdrawn from the production following Dame Maureen's arrival, "because of views she has publicly and repeatedly expressed regarding Israel and Palestine". The Jewish actress responded in an interview with The Times, calling McCarthy a "coward" for not addressing the issue with her directly and describing their actions as "virtue-signalling". Now, the creative team behind the show, which has just completed a run in Edinburgh, has issued a statement, saying it keeps "political affiliation separate from artistic collaboration" and "does not vet performers" on the basis of their personal or political views. "We understand that our cast and collaborators hold a wide range of perspectives, including on deeply personal and difficult subjects, and we respect the sincerity behind their decisions," the statement said."Right Before I Go will go on. Suicide and mental health affect people across every background and every political divide, and we believe the urgent work of raising awareness and saving lives is more important than our differences. "If anything, we believe that the ability to stand together - even alongside people we may not agree with - for a cause bigger than any one of us is itself an expression of the common humanity this play is about." The show is not-for-profit, the statement added, with cast, crew and collaborators "donating their time and talent because they believe in what this play can do". Read more from Sky News:Sewage dumped for more than 43,000 hours over summerPistol in lake could be linked to unsolved killings of British family Zimmerman, who is also a performer in the show, said Right Before I Go had "never been about one actor", but rather saving lives through raising awareness about suicide. "It already has and I'm so proud of that," he continued. "That's why we all must stay laser-focused on that goal." He also clarified that the play uses a revolving cast and said McCarthy was "never asked to appear on the same performance date" as Dame Maureen. In the post announcing his departure, McCarthy said he did not ask for the casting of Dame Maureen to be reconsidered, and "simply chose not to use my own platform to promote someone whose political views are at odds with my own". Dame Maureen, known for roles in Coronation Street and The Pianist, told Sky News in 2024 that there was "nowhere safe to be Jewish". In her interview with The Times, she said McCarthy needed to "grow up", saying it is "fair enough" if he did not want to work with her, but that he is going to "limit himself" in his career.

Agricultural goods from Israeli settlements, in areas like the West Bank, have entered the UK in violation of trade rules, according to a letter sent by law firm Leigh Day, representing the Global Echo Litigation Center. Some products entering the UK were labelled Israeli but in fact came from occupied Palestinian territory, according to the July correspondence, seen exclusively by Sky News. Settlement imports are supposed to be subject to tariffs, while Israeli products get preferential tax treatment and mostly enter the UK levy-free. There had been a "failure" by HMRC to determine the true origin of UK imports, the letter read, citing Global Echo's four-year investigation, which suggests "current processes adopted by HMRC to verify the origin of Israeli products are flawed". This has meant settlement products "unlawfully benefitted" from preferential tax treatment, the letter continued. It outlined five companies, identified from 357 invoice declarations, which the non-profit said regularly source agricultural products from settlements but declare the origin as Israel. This is done either by mixing settlement agriculture with Israeli products, by using a settlement postcode but saying the country is Israel, or using a "sham" proxy address within Israel, Global Echo said. The letter also gives an example of what it says is a company listing its corporate headquarters as the origin of the goods, rather than a particular agricultural location, as required by trade rules. Specific months when a producer's items were shipped to and arrived in the UK last year are given in the letter. Aside from the five companies listed, Global Echo said it obtained documentary evidence suggesting a "widespread, systemic issue of origin obfuscation occurring across Europe and specific instances of misleading statements of origin occurring in the UK". Read more from Sky News:Top cop 'flabbergasted' by release of suspectsWorld-first pig kidney transplant is a success A June report from the organisation said one in six shipments it investigated contained agricultural products originating in settlements in occupied Palestine and the Syrian Golan Heights, at least 42% of which had been mislabelled as Israeli-grown. What's it asking for? As a result of the details outlined in the letter, Global Echo has called on HMRC to view imports said to come from Israel as high risk, which would require HMRC to "take reasonable steps" to ensure compliance. It asks HMRC to put in place arrangements to closely scrutinise future claims from exporters of entitlement to preferential treatment based on items originating in Israel and review verification processes to ensure risk and intelligence-based enforcement for all Israeli agricultural imports. What does HMRC say? But the tax agency's response said the Global Echo's letter is not a formal written notice before starting court proceedings, according to an HMRC reply also obtained by Sky News. It also said no specific HMRC decision was identified which would be subject to a legal challenge by Global Echo, and providing the kind of information sought by the non-profit would involve, to the extent it existed, the disclosure of confidential taxpayer information. An HMRC spokesperson said: "We do not comment on potential litigation nor on the tax or customs affairs of individual customers." What are settlements? Israeli settlements have long been opposed by the UK government, which believes them to be a breach of international law and a threat to a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. Settlements have rapidly expanded in recent years, with more planned by the Israeli government. Israel officially recognises and administers some settlements. Palestinians face increasing attacks and, in the past weeks, have had homes besieged. It's in this context that the government is expected this month to announce a ban on imports from and exports to the outposts.

The 34-year-old's agreement was due to expire this summer but she has committed to another 12 months as Sonia Bompastor shapes her squad following a difficult season - the first time since 2019 that Chelsea failed to win the WSL. Bronze arrived at Stamford Bridge from Spanish giants Barcelona in 2024, going on to win a domestic treble in her first campaign, but endured an injury-hit second year. In total, she had made 56 appearances, scoring five times. Bronze said: "I feel like this is the right thing for me at this time. I've really enjoyed the last two years being at Chelsea and back in England, and I feel like we're in a place now where we're moving forward as a club." Transfer Centre LIVE! | Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺 The club's official statement read: "Her experience and never-say-die attitude are invaluable to the Chelsea side, and we are delighted that she has committed to remain with us." The full-back, a five-time Champions League winner, has also played an integral role in England's success over the past decade, a key part of the European Championship-winning squads of 2022 and 2025. News about the situations of out-of-contract goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and forward Aggie Beever-Jones is yet to be confirmed. Bronze a stabilising figure at changeable Chelsea Sky Sports' Laura Hunter: Lucy Bronze has been a vital part of Chelsea's post-Emma Hayes era. She was seen as a staple signing when first recruited by Sonia Bompastor and remains as important now as the club navigates choppier waters. Everyone connected with Chelsea has spoken of the difficulties of last season. Finishing six points adrift of eventual champions Manchester City is not good enough by their lofty standards. And as a consequence, change was inevitable. Sam Kerr, Millie Bright and Guro Reiten's respective exits were a part of that evolution. But Bronze is viewed in a different camp. Her leadership is highly valued by Bompastor and her experience is stabilising for a side that, at times last term, were in freefall. Additional incomings must surely now be the club's focus, as well as concluding negotiations with other members of the squad. No news on Hampton or Beever-Jones, nor are there many murmurings of further approaches for a much-needed striker after missing out on Man City's Khadija Shaw and Salma Paralluelo, who remains without a club after leaving Barcelona. Plenty of work to be done, then, but this is a positive step and one that should aid what looks to be an arduous rebuild process.

Agricultural goods from Israeli settlements, in areas like the West Bank, have entered the UK in violation of trade rules, according to a letter sent by law firm Leigh Day, representing the Global Echo Litigation Center. Some products entering the UK were labelled Israeli but in fact came from occupied Palestinian territory, according to the July correspondence, seen exclusively by Sky News. Settlement imports are supposed to be subject to tariffs, while Israeli products get preferential tax treatment and mostly enter the UK levy-free. There had been a "failure" by HMRC to determine the true origin of UK imports, the letter read, citing Global Echo's four-year investigation, which suggests "current processes adopted by HMRC to verify the origin of Israeli products are flawed". This has meant settlement products "unlawfully benefitted" from preferential tax treatment, the letter continued. It outlined five companies, identified from 357 invoice declarations, which the non-profit said regularly source agricultural products from settlements but declare the origin as Israel. This is done either by mixing settlement agriculture with Israeli products, by using a settlement postcode but saying the country is Israel, or using a "sham" proxy address within Israel, Global Echo said. The letter also gives an example of what it says is a company listing its corporate headquarters as the origin of the goods, rather than a particular agricultural location, as required by trade rules. Specific months when a producer's items were shipped to and arrived in the UK last year are given in the letter. Aside from the five companies listed, Global Echo said it obtained documentary evidence suggesting a "widespread, systemic issue of origin obfuscation occurring across Europe and specific instances of misleading statements of origin occurring in the UK". Read more from Sky News:Top cop 'flabbergasted' by release of suspectsWorld-first pig kidney transplant is a success A June report from the organisation said one in six shipments it investigated contained agricultural products originating in settlements in occupied Palestine and the Syrian Golan Heights, at least 42% of which had been mislabelled as Israeli-grown. What's it asking for? As a result of the details outlined in the letter, Global Echo has called on HMRC to view imports said to come from Israel as high risk, which would require HMRC to "take reasonable steps" to ensure compliance. It asks HMRC to put in place arrangements to closely scrutinise future claims from exporters of entitlement to preferential treatment based on items originating in Israel and review verification processes to ensure risk and intelligence-based enforcement for all Israeli agricultural imports. What does HMRC say? But the tax agency's response said the Global Echo's letter is not a formal written notice before starting court proceedings, according to an HMRC reply also obtained by Sky News. It also said no specific HMRC decision was identified which would be subject to a legal challenge by Global Echo, and providing the kind of information sought by the non-profit would involve, to the extent it existed, the disclosure of confidential taxpayer information. An HMRC spokesperson said: "We do not comment on potential litigation nor on the tax or customs affairs of individual customers." What are settlements? Israeli settlements have long been opposed by the UK government, which believes them to be a breach of international law and a threat to a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. Settlements have rapidly expanded in recent years, with more planned by the Israeli government. Israel officially recognises and administers some settlements. Palestinians face increasing attacks and, in the past weeks, have had homes besieged. It's in this context that the government is expected this month to announce a ban on imports from and exports to the outposts.

The 82-year-old former pop star, whose real name is Paul Gadd, appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday via video link from HMP Channing Wood to enter his pleas. He denied four charges of indecent assault, two counts of indecency with a child, and two charges of sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13. The alleged offences occurred when the complainant, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was aged eight to 11. The offences allegedly took place at Glitter's home address in Kensington and Chelsea, west London. Glitter is accused of committing the offences against the girl between 1978 and 1981, after allegedly giving her chocolate and inviting her to his home. According to the charges, Glitter is accused of at least 20 incidents of sexual abuse against the girl. Judge Tony Baumgartner, the Recorder of Westminster, remanded Glitter into custody and adjourned the case for a three-week trial starting on 27 November 2027. Read more from Sky News:Four charged with murder after death of newborn baby girl21 killed in bus crash in Egyptian area popular with tourists The Metropolitan Police previously said the allegations were first reported to the force in January last year and Glitter was interviewed in July 2025 in relation to the investigation. Glitter was one of the biggest stars of his time, selling 18 million records in five years in the early 1970s and enjoyed transatlantic success with hits including Rock And Roll (Parts One And Two), I'm The Leader Of The Gang (I Am), and Do You Wanna Touch Me. The glam era was short and, despite a series of comebacks, his final UK top 40 hit was in 1984 with Another Rock And Roll Christmas.

The topic of violence against women and girls dominated First Minister's Questions on Thursday. It comes following a pledge by Mr Swinney during his programme for government to tackle the serious issue - which includes plans to bring forward a misogyny bill and launch a public health campaign to challenge misogynistic attitudes in boys and young men. The recent murder cases of Vikki Soloman and Stacy Hunter were highlighted at Holyrood by Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Alex Cole-Hamilton. Mr Cole-Hamilton previously worked closely with aesthetician Ms Soloman as new laws governing the beauty sector passed through the parliament in March. He said to Mr Swinney: "In our last exchange before the summer recess, I asked the first minister about protecting women and girls from male violence. "In the following month, three Scottish women died at the hands of men. "I went to the funeral of one of them. Vikki Soloman was 44. She was a mum, a passionate advocate for the beauty industry, and she was known to several of us here in this chamber. "She called the police asking for help following an assault by the man who hours later would go on to kill her. "The police did not attend. "Stacy Hunter was murdered by an ex-partner out on bail, who should have been nowhere near her. "Can the first minister see that there is a pattern here of women being let down by the system, horrifically let down, and with fatal consequences?" In response, Mr Swinney said "women must be given the ability to raise their concerns, make their complaints, and to have those taken seriously by the police and by the Crown". Lee Greenan, 46, is believed to have murdered mum-of-two Ms Soloman, 44, at a house in Edinburgh's Craigievar Square on 20 July. Greenan was facing charges of assault to injury, murder and assault when he was found dead at HMP Edinburgh on 26 July. Police Scotland's actions in the lead-up to the murder are currently under investigation by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) following instruction from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). Ms Hunter, 35, was found dead at a cottage in Houston, Renfrewshire, on 27 July. Her husband, Jim Mair, 43, was also found dead at the property. Police Scotland said it was treating Ms Hunter's death as murder, while Mair's was classified as "unexplained". The force said there was "nothing to suggest" anyone else was involved. It later emerged Mair had been granted bail after appearing in court on 6 July charged with assaulting his wife. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay highlighted the case of Samantha Lee, 54, who was murdered by partner Joseph Greer, 40, in a violent claw hammer attack in Aberdeen in January. Greer - who last month received a life sentence with at least 22 years behind bars - had earlier been accused of assaulting Ms Lee and was out on bail at the time of the fatal attack with an order not to approach her. Mr Findlay called on Mr Swinney to roll back on bail laws that were changed in 2023. The Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 made holding people in jail before trial a last resort. Acting Scottish Labour leader Dame Jackie Baillie also highlighted the murder of Claire Inglis. Christopher McGowan beat and strangled Ms Inglis, 28, at her flat in Stirling in November 2021. The mother-of-one suffered 76 injuries in the attack, which included being burned with a lighter and having a wet wipe pushed down her throat. Serial offender McGowan - who received a life sentence with a minimum of 23 years behind bars in October 2023 - had been bailed multiple times to Ms Inglis' home in the months leading up to her death. Ms Baillie said Ms Hunter's family are calling for GPS tracking for violent offenders to be implemented. She said: "Women are being failed even after abusers are known to the justice system. "Stacy's family has demanded that the SNP government catch up with other countries and roll out GPS tracking of violent offenders on bail, but the justice secretary has been unable to say when this will be in place." Mr Swinney said pilot work is under way to eventually roll out GPS tracking of criminals on bail. He said: "I don't think I could have been more open about the sense of shock I feel about what we've experienced in Scotland over the summer about the violence against women and girls. "And for all the involvement I've had in areas of policy in the past, I am determined to make sure this has got the strongest possible and emphatic leadership from the first minister. "I am a male first minister. At the heart of all of this is the behaviour of men and boys, and there has to be a cultural effort." Mr Swinney added: "The government's communication is important. "These exchanges are important as well, because it gives me an opportunity to say to parliament - and to the country - that male violence against women is absolutely and completely unacceptable, and every aspect of the state is going to be deployed to root it out."

UEFA has filed legal cases in American courts seeking evidence relating to the controversial venture and warned it is considering launching criminal proceedings against Mr Infantino in Switzerland where FIFA has its headquarters. FIFA has now filed a response in a New York court, saying: "While these applications are styled as legal pleadings with captions and docket numbers, they are little more than press releases in further support of UEFA's smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership." UEFA is trying to oust Mr Infantino from power with a resignation or in the FIFA presidential election in March. FIFA's lawyers say: "UEFA's application suffers from a fundamental defect: UEFA seeks discovery in aid of a foreign criminal proceeding that does not exist and that UEFA admittedly lacks the authority to initiate." There is a defence of the attempt to launch the $20bn World Cup subsidiary, which Mr Infantino's senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, called a "bad deal" for football when quitting the role in a statement to Sky News. Sky News previously revealed there were already plans in June to start to receive up to $4.2bn from private investors in October. But FIFA's legal filing claims it was "only a proposal" that had to be approved by member associations and the ruling council. FIFA claims UEFA was acting out of self-interest to protect its own competitions and that any disputes should be handled within football not the courts. "Rather than participate in that democratic process, UEFA issued a press release - the beginning of a weeks-long smear campaign against FIFA and its leadership," the document filed in the Southern District of New York court states. "UEFA's economic motivation was to prevent smaller countries from having the financial strength to compete with the European elite. "If soccer is strengthened in the developing world, global competition increases, which ultimately reduces UEFA's market power and provides more competition for its flagship tournaments. "By raising funds to allow some of FIFA's smaller member associations to better develop soccer, FIFA Forward Enterprice (FFE) would lead to more players from those nations choosing to represent their countries of origin and playing in their home leagues rather than playing abroad." Sky Sports News has been told the feeling at UEFA is that if there is nothing to worry about, then why not disclose the documents. It is understood the process could be shortened by disclosing documents relating to FFE plans.