Louise Shackleton has spoken publicly for the first time since her husband's death in December, as parliament prepares to vote again on legislation to introduce assisted dying in England and Wales. Mrs Shackleton surrendered herself to police after returning from Switzerland having seen her husband Anthony die. He had been suffering with motor neurone disease for six years. "I have committed a crime, which I have admitted to, of assisting him by simply pushing him on to a plane and being with him, which I don't regret for one moment. He was my husband and I loved him," she said. "We talked at length over two years about this. What he said to me on many occasions is 'look at my options, look at what my options are. I can either go there and I can die peacefully, with grace, without pain, without suffering or I could be laid in a bed not being able to move, not even being able to look at anything unless you move my head'. "He didn't have options. What he wanted was nothing more than a good death." The law in the UK prohibits people from assisting in the suicide of others, but prosecutions have been rare. In a statement, a North Yorkshire Police spokesman told Sky News: "The investigation is ongoing. There is nothing further to add at this stage." The next vote on the assisted dying bill for England and Wales has been delayed by three weeks to give MPs time to consider amendments. The legislation would permit a person who is terminally ill with less than six months to live to legally end their life after approval by two doctors and an expert panel. 'He was at total peace with his decision' Mrs Shackleton says she saw her husband "physically and mentally" relax once on the flight to Switzerland. She said: "We had the most wonderful four days. "He was laughing. He was at total peace with his decision. "It was in those four days that I realised that he wanted the peaceful death more than he wanted to suffer and stay with me, which was hard, but that's how resolute he was in having this peace. "I was his wife, we'd been together 25 years, we'd known each other since we were 18. I couldn't do anything else but help him." 'We need to safeguard people' She said the hardest part of the journey came after her husband's death. "There was this panic and this fear that I was leaving him," she said. "That was a horrific experience. "If the law had changed in this country, I would have been with family, family would have been with us, family would've been with him. But as it was, that couldn't happen." Opponents to the assisted dying bill have raised concerns about the safety of vulnerable people and the risk of coercion and a change in attitudes toward the elderly, seriously ill and disabled. They say improvements to palliative care should be a priority. "I think that we need to safeguard people," said Mrs Shackleton. "I think that sometimes we need to suffer other people's choices, and when I mean suffer I mean we have to acknowledge that whilst we're not comfortable with those, that we need to respect other people, other people wishes." Read more:Assisted dying: What is in the legislation?Debate over assisted dying delayed Anthony, who died aged 59, was a furniture restorer who had earned worldwide recognition for making rocking horses. "I think the measure of the man is that nobody has ever said a bad word about him in the whole of his life because he was just so caring and giving," his widow said. 'This is about a dying person's choice' She said she had chosen to speak publicly because of a promise she had made him. "I felt that my husband's journey shouldn't be in vain. We discussed this on our last day and my husband made me promise to tell his story. "He told me to fight and the simple thing that I'm fighting for is people to have the choice. "This is about a dying person's choice to either follow their journey through with disease or to die peacefully when they want to, on their terms, and have a good death. It's that simple."

In a bizarre video posted on Telegram by a pro-Russian journalist from Ukraine, the Hollywood action hero, 64, said he would be "honoured" to take on such a role. Addressing the Kremlin leader directly, he said: "We want to come to Russia. We'll try to do this the way you want to do this - to be an ambassador of peace." It would not be the first time the man nicknamed "The Muscles from Brussels" has visited Russia. In 2010, he enjoyed ringside seats alongside Putin at a mixed martial arts event in Sochi. The Belgian-born former bodybuilder shares a love of fighting with the Russian president, who is himself a judo black belt, and they are said to have known each other for years. Tiptoeing around the topic of Russia's war in Ukraine and its ongoing stand-off with the West, Van Damme promised to talk "only about peace, sport and happiness" and not politics, before signing off the video with a "big kiss for Putin". Most celebrities have turned their back on Vladimir Putin since he launched his invasion in February 2022 but a handful continue to defend him. Of those, American actor Steven Seagal is the most high profile. The Under Siege star, who holds a Russian passport and is a frequent visitor to the country, acts as Moscow's special representative for Russian-US humanitarian ties. But when we caught up with him at Putin's latest presidential inauguration last year, he refused to say why he supports the Kremlin leader...

On Wednesday, judges at the UK's highest court unanimously ruled that the definition of a "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act 2010 refers to "a biological woman and biological sex". Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chair of the UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), said the ruling was "enormously consequential" and ensured clarity. Politics latest: Supreme Court ruling should 'draw a line' under debate She vowed to pursue organisations that do not update their policies, saying they should be "taking care" to look at the "very readable judgment". On single-sex hospital wards, Baroness Falkner told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the NHS will "have to change" their 2019 policy, which says transgender patients are entitled to be accommodated on single-sex wards matching how they identify. She said the court ruling means there is now "no confusion" and the NHS "can start to implement the new legal reasoning and produce their exceptions forthwith". Women's sport and changing rooms The baroness also said trans women can no longer take part in women's sport, while single-sex places, such as changing rooms, "must be based on biological sex". However, she said there is no law against organisations providing a "third space", such as unisex toilets, and suggested trans rights organisations "should be using their powers of advocacy to ask for those third spaces". In 2021, Baroness Falkner came under criticism from trans and other LGBTIQ+ organisations after she said women had the right to question transgender identity without fear of abuse, stigmatisation or loss of employment. Some EHRC staff resigned in protest of the body's "descent into transphobia", while others defended her, saying she was depoliticising the organisation. Her four-year term was extended for a further 12 months in November by the Labour government. Public bodies must look at equality laws Health minister Karin Smyth said public bodies have been told to look at how equality laws are implemented following the ruling. She told Anna Jones on Sky News Breakfast: "Obviously, public bodies have been asked to look at their own guidance. "And we will do that very, very carefully." She said the court's ruling was "very clear" about women's rights being defined by sex, which she said "will give clarity to companies". But she warned against public bodies making statements "that may alarm people", telling them to take their time to look at their guidance. The ruling marked the culmination of a long battle between campaign group For Women Scotland and the Scottish government after the group brought a case arguing sex-based protections should only apply to people born female. Read more:Feminists 'feel braver about speaking out' Not a triumph of one group over another Judge Lord Hodge said the ruling should not be read as "a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another". He said the Equality Act 2010 "gives transgender people protection, not only against discrimination through the protected characteristic of gender reassignment, but also against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and harassment in substance in their acquired gender". Ms Smyth said those who identify as transgender "will feel concerned" after the ruling but said the Gender Recognition Act still stands and gives people who identify differently to the sex they were born in "the dignity and privacy of presenting differently". She said NHS policy of having same sex wards remains, but did not mention the 2019 transgender policy, and said the NHS has been looking at how to support both transgender men and women. Scotland's First Minister John Swinney said the Scottish government "accepts" the judgment and said the ruling "gives clarity". Trina Budge, director of For Women Scotland, said it was a "victory for women's rights" and said the case was "never about trans rights" as transgender people are "fully protected in law". "It means there's absolute clarity in law regarding what a woman is. We know for sure now that we are referring to the biological sex class of women," she told Sky News. "And that when we see a women-only space, it means exactly that. Just women. No men. Not even if they have a gender recognition certificate." Transgender woman and Scottish Greens activist Ellie Gomersall said the ruling "represents yet another attack on the rights of trans people to live our lives in peace". Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman added: "This is a deeply concerning ruling for human rights and a huge blow to some of the most marginalised people in our society." LGBT charity Stonewall said there was "deep concern" around the consequences of the ruling.

The 33-year-old's previous deal was due to run out at the end of the season but it is understood Liverpool's captain's new deal runs for an additional two years. The announcement comes six days after Liverpool confirmed a new deal for Mohamed Salah. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Liverpool news & transfers🔴Liverpool fixtures & scores | FREE Liverpool PL highlights▶️Got Sky? Watch Liverpool games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺Choose the Sky Sports push notifications you want! 🔔 The Netherlands international joined Liverpool from Southampton for a then-world-record fee for a defender of £75m in January 2018. Van Dijk has enjoyed a hugely successful spell on Merseyside, winning a Premier League, a Champions League, an FA Cup and two League Cups in addition to a UEFA Super Cup, a FIFA Club World Cup and a host of individual accolades. Van Dijk is also on the verge of captaining Liverpool to a second Premier League title this season and record-equalling 20th English league title, with Arne Slot's side 13 points clear at the top with six games to play. The former Celtic centre-back had been linked with a move to French champions Paris Saint-Germain, but Van Dijk confirmed "it was always Liverpool". Van Dijk told Liverpoolfc.com on his new Reds deal: "I'm very happy, very proud. There are so many emotions obviously that go through my head right now speaking about it. "It's a proud feeling, it's a feeling of joy. It's just incredible. The journey I've had so far in my career, to be able to extend it with another two years at this club is amazing and I'm so happy." He added: "It was always Liverpool. That was the case. It was always in my head, it was always the plan and it was always Liverpool. "There wasn't any doubt in my head that this is the place to be for me and my family. I'm one of Liverpool. Someone called me the other day an adopted Scouser - I'm really proud to hear these things, it gives me a great feeling." It is understood Liverpool's sporting director Richard Hughes successfully oversaw negotiations with Van Dijk and his representative over several months, and throughout the discussions it was clear that both parties wanted to reach an agreement. Meanwhile, Real Madrid are confident of tying up a deal for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is out of contract this summer. Real are believed to be progressing in talks and Alexander-Arnold's preference is to join the LaLiga club. Van Dijk: Liverpool planning a big summer But question marks around the futures of Van Dijk and Salah no longer remain with the pair extending their stays at Anfield. Van Dijk turns 34 in July, but his form this campaign has put him in contention for player of the year alongside Salah after re-establishing himself as one of the world's best centre-backs. After scoring a late winner in Sunday's win over West Ham, the Dutchman spoke about what Liverpool meant to him. "Being successful with Liverpool, the culture of the club, everything that embodies Liverpool - that is just part of me," he said. "I love the club, that's pretty obvious. I think you can see that in the way I speak about the club, the way I work for the club in terms of what I do on the pitch and off the pitch, and that will always be the same." Van Dijk also appears to have been encouraged by moves being made off the pitch to strengthen the squad in anticipation of defending their Premier League title, for which they require a maximum of two wins from their remaining six matches. "I think Liverpool should be able to challenge for titles in the upcoming years," he said. "I think they're planning to make it a big summer, so we all have to trust the board to do the right job." Analysis: Van Dijk is Liverpool's leader on and off the pitch Sky Sports News' Vinny O'Connor at Anfield: "This deal comes as no surprise in some respects, particularly after the interview he gave after the win over West Ham on Sunday. "You go back to March and it seemed Van Dijk didn't know exactly whether he'd be staying at Anfield or not. He said a few weeks ago progress had been made and so it's come to fruition with a deal lasting another two years. "Teams like PSG were rumoured to be interested to be taking Van Dijk but Liverpool are very happy to have got him nailed down to a new deal. "We see his influence on and off the pitch, he always fronts up and is available for an interview whether it's been a good game or bad. "You saw his leadership qualities against West Ham - there was the mistake leading to the equaliser, but then three minutes later he popped up with the winner. "He shoulders the captain's responsibility so well and you can see the influence he has on this Liverpool team - 314 appearances. He captained his 100th game against West Ham at the weekend. "Liverpool's winning rate at Anfield with Van Dijk in the side is 80 per cent. It shows the kind of influence he has on this side. "Now we wait to see whether this deal has any influence on Trent Alexander-Arnold. Obviously we're not hearing the noises out of him we did from Salah or Van Dijk. There is that interest from Real Madrid but maybe the fact these two have signed new deals could influence him." 'Salah and Van Dijk can show true greatness by winning back-to-back leagues' The Anfield Wrap's Neil Atkinson: "First and foremost, it's a pleasure to watch Van Dijk at Anfield. I think he's the best centre-back to have ever played the game, certainly for Liverpool by some distance. "It always felt the likeliest [of the three]. You wondered whether Liverpool might think about having a complete fresh start, a clean sweep, and free up the wage bill a little bit. "But it seemed clear to me it was what Virgil has wanted all the way through. It gives him two years more of trying to win the biggest prizes in the game with Liverpool, it looks as certain as you can be that he's going to win the Premier League again. But there's more he can do and more he can win. "A few of these lads haven't won enough. They've had some really poor fortune, and may regret some injury issues or when the squad was left a little bit light in Virgil's position to retain the title. "They've won the title and won it well, by a distance. But they start back at zero next season and the challenge for Salah and Van Dijk now is to show genuine greatness, and win it back-to-back."

On Wednesday, judges at the UK's highest court unanimously ruled that the definition of a "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act 2010 refers to "a biological woman and biological sex". Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chair of the UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), said the ruling was "enormously consequential" and ensured clarity. Politics latest: Supreme Court ruling should 'draw a line' under debate She vowed to pursue organisations that do not update their policies, saying they should be "taking care" to look at the "very readable judgment". On single-sex hospital wards, Baroness Falkner told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the NHS will "have to change" their 2019 policy, which says transgender patients are entitled to be accommodated on single-sex wards matching how they identify. She said the court ruling means there is now "no confusion" and the NHS "can start to implement the new legal reasoning and produce their exceptions forthwith". Women's sport and changing rooms The baroness also said trans women can no longer take part in women's sport, while single-sex places, such as changing rooms, "must be based on biological sex". However, she said there is no law against organisations providing a "third space", such as unisex toilets, and suggested trans rights organisations "should be using their powers of advocacy to ask for those third spaces". In 2021, Baroness Falkner came under criticism from trans and other LGBTIQ+ organisations after she said women had the right to question transgender identity without fear of abuse, stigmatisation or loss of employment. Some EHRC staff resigned in protest of the body's "descent into transphobia", while others defended her, saying she was depoliticising the organisation. Her four-year term was extended for a further 12 months in November by the Labour government. Public bodies must look at equality laws Health minister Karin Smyth said public bodies have been told to look at how equality laws are implemented following the ruling. She told Anna Jones on Sky News Breakfast: "Obviously, public bodies have been asked to look at their own guidance. "And we will do that very, very carefully." She said the court's ruling was "very clear" about women's rights being defined by sex, which she said "will give clarity to companies". But she warned against public bodies making statements "that may alarm people", telling them to take their time to look at their guidance. The ruling marked the culmination of a long battle between campaign group For Women Scotland and the Scottish government after the group brought a case arguing sex-based protections should only apply to people born female. Read more:Feminists 'feel braver about speaking out' Not a triumph of one group over another Judge Lord Hodge said the ruling should not be read as "a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another". He said the Equality Act 2010 "gives transgender people protection, not only against discrimination through the protected characteristic of gender reassignment, but also against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and harassment in substance in their acquired gender". Ms Smyth said those who identify as transgender "will feel concerned" after the ruling but said the Gender Recognition Act still stands and gives people who identify differently to the sex they were born in "the dignity and privacy of presenting differently". She said NHS policy of having same sex wards remains, but did not mention the 2019 transgender policy, and said the NHS has been looking at how to support both transgender men and women. Scotland's First Minister John Swinney said the Scottish government "accepts" the judgment and said the ruling "gives clarity". Trina Budge, director of For Women Scotland, said it was a "victory for women's rights" and said the case was "never about trans rights" as transgender people are "fully protected in law". "It means there's absolute clarity in law regarding what a woman is. We know for sure now that we are referring to the biological sex class of women," she told Sky News. "And that when we see a women-only space, it means exactly that. Just women. No men. Not even if they have a gender recognition certificate." Transgender woman and Scottish Greens activist Ellie Gomersall said the ruling "represents yet another attack on the rights of trans people to live our lives in peace". Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman added: "This is a deeply concerning ruling for human rights and a huge blow to some of the most marginalised people in our society." LGBT charity Stonewall said there was "deep concern" around the consequences of the ruling.

The 39-year-old, who was also known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harriet the Spy, was found dead at her home in New York City after officers responded to a 911 call on 26 February. According to a source quoted by Sky News' US partner network NBC, she had recently received a liver transplant. At the time of her death, officials said no foul play was suspected, and the medical examiner's office had listed her death as "undetermined". Trachtenberg's family had objected to a post-mortem, which the medical examiner's office honoured because there was no evidence of criminality. But the medical examiner's office said in a statement on Thursday it amended the cause and manner of death for the actress following a review of laboratory test results. Trachtenberg was best known for her role as Dawn Summers in Buffy, the younger sister of the title character played by Sarah Michelle Gellar between 2000 and 2003. Read more from Sky News:What you can't now bring into Britain from EU under new rulesBirmingham bin workers urged to accept 'fair' offer Between 2008 and 2012, she played Georgina Sparks on Gossip Girl - the malevolent rival of Blake Lively's Serena van der Woodsen and Leighton Meester's Blair Waldorf. She also starred in the movie 17 Again, where she portrayed daughter Maggie O'Donnell, comedy film Eurotrip and the 2005 teen film Ice Princess. In 2001, she received a Daytime Emmy nomination for hosting Discovery's Truth or Scare.

Rosie Duffield, now the independent MP for Canterbury, said the judgment helped resolve the "lack of clarity" that has existed in the politics around the issue "for years". She was speaking to Ali Fortescue on the Politics Hub on the same day the UK's highest court delivered its verdict on one of the most contentious debates in politics. Politics latest: MPs respond to Supreme Court ruling on gender The judges were asked to rule on how "sex" is defined in the 2010 Equality Act - whether that means biological sex or "certificated" sex, as legally defined by the 2004 Gender Recognition Act. Their unanimous decision was that the definition of a "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act 2010 refers to "a biological woman and biological sex". Asked what she made about comments by fellow independent MP John McDonnell - who said the court "failed to hear the voice of a single trans person" and that the decision "lacked humanity and fairness" as a result, she said: "This ruling doesn't affect trans people in the slightest. "It's about women's rights - women's rights to single sex spaces, women's rights, not to be discriminated against. "It literally doesn't change a single thing for trans rights and that lack of understanding from a senior politician about the law is a bit worrying, actually." However, Maggie Chapman, a Scottish Green MSP, disagreed with Ms Duffield and said she was "concerned" about the impact the ruling would have on trans people "and for the services and facilities they have been using and have had access to for decades now". "One of the grave concerns that we have with this ruling is that it will embolden people to challenge trans people who have every right to access services," she said. "We know that over the last few years... their [trans people's] lives have become increasingly difficult, they have been blocked from accessing services they need." Delivering the ruling at the London court on Wednesday, Lord Hodge said: "But we counsel against reading this judgment as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another. It is not. "The Equality Act 2010 gives transgender people protection, not only against discrimination through the protected characteristic of gender reassignment, but also against direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and harassment in substance in their acquired gender. "This is the application of the principle of discrimination by association. Those statutory protections are available to transgender people, whether or not they possess a gender recognition certificate." Read more:Supreme Court decision has immediate real-world consequencesPrisons across England and Wales now 98.9% full Asked whether she believed the judgment could "draw a line" under the culture war, Ms Chapman told Fortescue: "Today's judgment only stokes that culture war further." And she said that while Lord Hodge was correct to say there were protections in law for trans people in the 2020 Equality Act, the judgment "doesn't prevent things happening". "It may offer protections once bad things have happened, once harassment, once discrimination, once bigotry, once assaults have happened," she said. She also warned some groups "aren't going to be satisfied with today's ruling". "We know that there are individuals and there are groups who actually want to roll back even further - they want to get rid of the Gender Recognition Act from 2004," she said. "I think today's ruling just emboldens those views."

Ancelotti cast doubt over his future as Real head coach after Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final defeat to Arsenal, which saw his team lose 2-1 at home and 5-1 on aggregate. It is understood the 65-year-old will remain in place until the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona in Seville but is expected to depart the club after that game. Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺Real Madrid fixtures | LaLiga tableChoose the Sky Sports push notifications you want! 🔔 Real and Barcelona are fighting it out for the domestic double, with Ancelotti's side sitting four points behind Barca in the league with seven games to play. The pair meet in El Clasico on May 11 but the Italian is not expected to be in charge for the game in Barcelona. Brazil want to appoint the ex-Everton boss as their new head coach and he could be installed in the role before the end of the Spanish domestic campaign. Speaking about his Real future following Wednesday night's defeat to Arsenal, Ancelotti said: "Maybe the club decides to replace me and maybe it could be this year, or next year when my contract is over. "But when I am done here, I will be grateful to this club. That could be tomorrow, 10 days, one month or in one year, but if my contract ends or doesn't end, I really don't care. "We have managed the bright side many times and we have won titles, but we need to manage the dark side too. We need to accept it because over the two games, Arsenal have been better than us." Ancelotti rejoined Real in the summer of 2021 and has won 11 trophies in his second stint in charge, including two LaLiga titles, two Champions Leagues and the Club World Cup. Could Alonso or Klopp replace Ancelotti? Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon speaking to Sky Sports News: "Of course, there are many names like Xabi Alonso, who played for Real Madrid. And (Jurgen) Klopp, many in the next days and months will be linked with Real Madrid. "But I hope that the president will decide to keep Ancelotti. I don't know if he's willing to stay. This bench is very difficult for any coach. It is an obligation to win, which is not possible to do it all the time. "They are talking about Xabi Alonso, but he is still with Leverkusen. I think he extended his contract, so it won't be easy to get him." Brazil 'hopeful' of appointing Ancelotti Brazil are understood to remain hopeful of appointing Ancelotti as their new head coach. A source has told Sky Sports News that Diego Fernandes, a prominent Brazilian businessman, is attempting to broker a deal. It is understood Fernandes has ties with Ancelotti's team and the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF). Although not officially affiliated with the CBF, Fernandes is said to be in close contact with the ex-Bayern Munich boss and his involvement is being described by the source as "highly strategic", as part of the CBF's attempts to bring the Italian to Brazil. However, it is understood there is mounting concern within the Brazil camp that time is running out to make the appointment and the national team cannot afford to remain without a head coach until August. Their next games come in June against Paraguay and Ecuador in World Cup 2026 qualifying and Brazil have been without a manager since sacking Dorival Junior following a 4-1 loss to Argentina in March. Ancelotti has been widely reported to be the Brazil national team's target since last year's Copa America. They are also reportedly interested in Jorge Jesus, the manager of Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. The CBF has been contacted by Sky Sports News.