Emergency services were called to Lime Close in the Somerset town at 6.09pm on Monday but Aria Thorpe was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said a 15-year-old boy had been charged with her murder and that a preliminary post-mortem found she died from a single stab wound.

The teenage boy - who can't be named due to his age - will appear at Bristol Magistrates' Court later today.

A police cordon remains in place as forensics officers continue their work.

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Superintendent Jen Appleford, from Avon and Somerset Police, said the community was in shock and Aria's family were being supported by police.

"It is impossible to adequately describe how traumatic the past 36 hours have been for them and we'd like to reiterate in the strongest possible terms their request for privacy," she said.

Supt Appleford said police were working with local schools and other agencies to make sure support is available.

Charles James Spencer-Churchill, a relative of Sir Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales, is accused of three offences between November 2022 and May 2024, Thames Valley Police said.

The 70-year-old has been summonsed to appear at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Thursday, following his arrest in May last year.

The three charges of non-fatal intentional strangulation are alleged to have taken place in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, against the same person.

Spencer-Churchill, known to his family as Jamie, is the 12th Duke of Marlborough and a member of one of Britain's most aristocratic families.

He is well known to have battled with drug addiction in the past.

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Spencer-Churchill inherited his dukedom in 2014, following the death of his father, the 11th Duke of Marlborough.

Prior to this, the twice-married Spencer-Churchill was the Marquess of Blandford, and also known as Jamie Blandford.

His ancestral family home is Sir Winston's birthplace, the 300-year-old Blenheim Palace in Woodstock.

But the duke does not own the 18th-century baroque palace - and has no role in the running of the residence and vast estate.

The palace is a Unesco World Heritage Site and a popular visitor attraction with parklands designed by "Capability" Brown.

In 1994, the late duke brought legal action to ensure his son and heir would not be able to take control of the family seat.

Blenheim is owned and managed by the Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation.

A spokesperson for the foundation said: "Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation is aware legal proceedings have been brought against the Duke of Marlborough.

"The foundation is unable to comment on the charges, which relate to the duke's personal conduct and private life, and which are subject to live, criminal proceedings.

"The foundation is not owned or managed by the Duke of Marlborough, but by independent entities run by boards of trustees."

The King hosted a reception at Blenheim Palace for European leaders in July last year, and the Queen, then the Duchess of Cornwall, joined Spencer-Churchill for the reveal of a bust of Sir Winston in the Blenheim grounds in 2015.

The palace was also the scene of the theft of a £4.75m golden toilet in 2019 after thieves smashed their way into the palace during a heist.

The duke's representatives have been approached for comment.

Naveed Akram, 24, faces 59 counts, including 15 of murder and a terror charge.

The other alleged attacker, his 50-year-old father Sajid, died at the scene in Sydney.

The charges came as people gathered for funerals three days after Sunday's terror attack shocked Australia and intensified concerns about rising antisemitism.

Some 22 victims remain in hospital following the shooting, carried out at an event marking the start of the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah.

At the first of the funerals, relatives mourned the death of British-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a 41-year-old father of five, who organised the Chanukah by the Sea event.

Often speaking through tears, his father-in-law, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, expressed his "biggest regret" that he "could have done more" to tell him "how much we love him".

"I hope he knew that. I'm sure he knew it," he added. "But I think it should've been said more often."

The father of 10-year-old victim Matilda, whose surname has been withheld at her family's request, spoke at a vigil on Tuesday night.

Local media reported him as saying: "We came here from Ukraine… and I thought that Matilda is the most Australian name that can ever exist.

"So just remember the name, remember her."

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Police have said the two alleged gunmen - who were shot by officers - were motivated by Islamic State ideology.

A recent trip to the Philippines is under investigation. The older Akram used an Indian passport to travel, while his son used an Australian one.

The Akrams stayed at the GV Hotel in Davao from 1 November to 28 November, according to a source, who said police had visited on Wednesday.

The pair are said to have only left their rooms for meals and no one was seen visiting them.

Davao is in an area associated with Islamic extremism but a spokesman for the president of the Philippines said he rejected the claim the country is an "ISIS training hotspot".

New South Wales to debate gun reforms

The Australian government and intelligence services have come under pressure because the alleged attackers were legally able to acquire the high-powered rifles and shotguns used in the attack.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has vowed to toughen the country's gun laws after its deadliest mass shooting in three decades, and the state parliament in New South Wales will reconvene next week to discuss reforms.

They include capping the number of guns allowed by a single person and making some shotguns harder to access.

State premier Chris Minns told a news conference: "We've got a monumental task in front of us. It's huge.

"It's a huge responsibility to pull the community together.

"We need a summer of calm and togetherness, not division."

Mr Albanese has vowed to work with the Jewish community to "stamp out and eradicate antisemitism". The prime minister has been accused of not doing enough to prevent its spread since the war in Gaza began two years ago.

Fellow world leaders have expressed their shock and anguish since the attack, including British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who hosted a Hanukkah event at Downing Street on Tuesday.

And speaking at the White House last night, US President Donald Trump said: "We join in mourning all of those who were killed, and we're praying for the swift recovery of the wounded."

"To them, it's a suicide mission because they have never been trained for the military. They don't have military training - they don't have military experience," says Bongani, whose name we have changed for his safety.

In the hidden back garden of a modest hotel in KwaZulu-Natal province, he continues: "They don't have experience of any war. They are just bodyguards who want to get a job and provide for their families. That's all."

Bongani says his brother travelled to Russia on a flight via Dubai after being told he would be receiving bodyguard training along with at least 16 other South African men. After signing a contract in Russian, their fate was sealed.

"The problems started when they were moved from Russia to Ukraine, and they asked them: 'Guys - where are we going now because we are here for training?'

"And then the Russians said: 'Training for what? We don't know anything about training - what we know is that you've signed the contract. You are under our command now - under the Russian army.'"

How is this happening?

Sky News has seen harrowing SOS video messages from South African men who describe entrapment and deployment to the frontline in Ukraine.

In one video, a man in military fatigues details the moment they signed their contracts. He claims Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, encouraged them to sign away their lives.

"We refused to sign the contract forms because it was written in Russia, which we didn't understand. We asked them for a translator - someone who can translate the language. They said there was no network," he says in fluent English.

"That is when Duduzile came with a guy by the name of Khosa. She said we must sign the contract because it is the same thing they did. Duduzile said she is doing the same course we are doing, the same training, and that unfortunately she won't be with us because she is training somewhere else."

"Yes, we agreed. We did sign the forms because we trust the lady, Duduzile."

Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla is accused of trafficking South African men - including eight of her own relatives - for mercenary recruitment by her half-sister Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma-Mncube, who has filed police charges against her.

She denies the allegations and says she was a victim of deception, misrepresentation, and manipulation.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) say they are currently investigating the charges. Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla has resigned as a member of parliament and has not responded to our request for comment.

Five hours away in Johannesburg's Gauteng province, we watched as another case of suspected mercenary recruitment played out in a South African magistrate's court.

Five suspects were ushered out into a crowded courtroom in Kempton Park after being arrested on their way out of Johannesburg's Oliver R Tambo airport following a tip-off to the police that they were allegedly travelling to Russia via the United Arab Emirates.

The line-up is sullen as the three young men on one end of the stand look down at their hands. The youngest is only 21 years old.

At the other end of the stand is a 39-year-old woman called Patricia Mantuala, who stands accused of recruiting them. The five suspects were eventually granted bail by the court after a postponed hearing.

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Colonel Katlego Mogale, a spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), also known as the HAWKS, told Sky News and other journalists in a news conference that they are not ruling out the possibility that more suspects will be arrested.

Amid signs of a growing recruitment drive, the families of those who say they are trapped fighting for Russia in Ukraine are advocating for their loved ones to return home - against all odds.

"You are dealing with people who are well known in South Africa and in South Africa nobody's safe and we may never know what's going to happen next to us," says Bongani.

"What's going to happen to our family?"

The popular programme allowed Britons to spend a year studying at European universities as part of their degree, without paying extra fees, and vice versa for their European counterparts.

It ended for British students after Brexit on 1 January 2021 and was replaced by the Turing scheme.

But the government has announced that the UK will participate in the scheme in the 2027/28 academic year, during which over 100,000 Britons could study or train in Europe.

The UK will pay approximately £570m to join the scheme for that year, after which future participation will have to be negotiated as part of the EU’s long-term budget, which is set from 2028.

The government says any future UK participation in the scheme will need to be “based on a fair and balanced contribution”.

Nonetheless, EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds described the UK's participation in the scheme in 2027 as "a huge win for our young people, breaking down barriers and widening horizons to ensure everyone, from every background, has the opportunity to study and train abroad".

"Today's agreements prove that our new partnership with the EU is working. We have focused on the public's priorities and secured a deal that puts opportunity first," he added.

How did we get here?

Sir Keir Starmer promised a post-Brexit reset deal with Brussels and announced the government was working on rejoining the programme in May.

Negotiations have included work on "mutually agreed financial terms" for the UK and the EU.

The UK had pushed for a discount on membership fees, which are calculated on the basis of a country's gross domestic product (GDP), and the EU offered a 30% reduction for this first year of membership.

Labour MP Darren Frith told Sky News' Politics Hub last night that he would "welcome" such a move.

'Fantastic opportunities for students'

The UK's universities have welcomed the breakthrough.

Tim Bradshaw, chief executive of the Russell Group of leading universities, said: "We're delighted at the UK's association to Erasmus+.

"With an even greater scope than previous programmes, Erasmus+ opens up fantastic opportunities for students, adult learners and young people to all benefit from new experiences and learning.

"It will also renew the huge contributions that EU students and staff make to life on our university campuses."

The Lib Dems, who have been campaigning to rejoin Erasmus, welcomed the news.

Leader Sir Ed Davey said: "This is a moment of real opportunity and a clear step towards repairing the disastrous Conservative Brexit deal."

But Conservative shadow cabinet minister Stuart Andrew told Sky's Mornings With Ridge and Frost that what "puzzles" him is that Labour said in its manifesto that it wasn't going to go near the "European arguments" of the last decade, but "bit by bit we're getting these sorts of announcements".

He added: "The detail will be really important because what we want to ensure is, is it good value for money? Because I think before, we were concerned it wasn't. Equally, how do we ensure we know exactly who's come into the country and that they return once their scheme is up. So there's going to be a lot of detail we need to see."