The global payment giants Mastercard and Visa are facing the latest in a string of multibillion-pound competition lawsuits with the launch of a potentially vast class action claim on behalf of British companies. Sky News has learnt that Harcus Parker, a London-based commercial litigation law firm, is close to filing what it believes will be
Business
Don Lemon will not appear on Monday’s edition of CNN This Morning, missing the show amid controversy over comments about women he made last week that led to an apology on Twitter and to staffers. Lemon is taking the holiday break, a CNN rep confirmed. He was absent from Friday’s show because of pre-scheduled time
The steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta has sparked a row over the administration of one of his biggest British customers after launching an attempt to take control of it. Sky News has learnt that Mr Gupta’s GFG Alliance has acquired control of a Singapore-based company called Aartee Group Pte Limited which is an indirect shareholder in
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is launching a paid verification service that will give their users a blue checkmark. “This week we’re starting to roll out Meta Verified — a subscription service that lets you verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts
Planet Organic, the organic supermarket chain, has drafted in City advisers to explore a possible sale. Sky News has learnt that Planet Organic, which was founded in 1995 by Renee Elliot, is working with Interpath on a review of its strategic options. A source close to the process said this weekend that the company was
The need for greater residuals and more diversity were some of the vital issues expressed by filmmakers tonight at the DGA Awards ahead of the guild’s talks with the AMPTP. The DGA’s contract expires on June 30, the same day as SAG-AFTRA’s and two months after the May 1 expiration of the WGA’s contract. Eric
Railway engineering workers are set to take part in a series of 48-hour strikes next month due to a pay dispute. The action comes after the workers at infrastructure group Balfour Beatty overwhelmingly rejected the company’s offer of a 5.5% increase in pay. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union will take strike
Former President Jimmy Carter has decided to receive home hospice care, deciding to spend his remaining time with his family “instead of additional medical intervention,” the Carter Center announced on Saturday. “He has the full support of his family and his medical team,” the Carter Center said. “The Carter family asks for privacy during this
Tesco, Britain’s biggest supermarket chain, is to kick off a review of its presence in the UK banking sector – a move that could lead to a sale of the business. Sky News has learnt that the grocery giant is lining up Goldman Sachs to advise on the future of Tesco Bank, which launched in
EXCLUSIVE: Peter Morgan — the Academy Award-nominated producer of American Sniper formerly serving as a production exec at Katalyst Films and Gilbert Films — has announced the launch of TantrumPM, a development and production company that will look to produce uniquely accessible and important, A-list driven content. TantrumPM is currently developing a dozen or so projects,
Charging customers higher electricity prices has helped the UK wing of the French state-owned energy giant turn a profit. While an overall loss was recorded at EDF (Électricité de France) earnings rose at its UK operations, it said in its 2022 annual results. Core profits in the UK electricity-producing entity hit £1.12bn, up from a
SAG-AFTRA has extended the contract of Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the guild’s national executive director. The guild’s national board, meeting today via videoconference, voted overwhelmingly to extend his contract through June 20, 2028. The vote to approve his new deal was 87.68% in favor and 12.32% opposed. Crabtree-Ireland is the guild’s chief contract negotiator, and the extension
Retail sales rose in January, surprising economists after a two month fall, according to official figures. Sales were expected to fall 0.3% according to a Reuters poll of economist forecasts, but data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) showed the numbers were better than the loss in December. But there was an overall fall
A pair of shootings of Jewish men after they left synagogues in the Pico-Robertson district less than 24 hours apart are being investigated as hate crimes by the Los Angeles Police Department and FBI, Mayor Karen Bass said. A suspect in the shootings was arrested Thursday night, police said. Federal civil rights charges will be
Profits at NatWest have risen to their highest since the global financial crash. The bank recorded profits of £5.1bn before tax in its 2022 full-year results, a high not seen since 2007 and an increase from the £3.8bn booked a year earlier. The payment of a bonus to its chief executive, Dame Alison Rose, was
Actors’ Equity Association is looking to change its name to be more reflective of its entire membership. Founded in 1913, the 51,000-member union represents not only actors and stage managers who work in live theater but recently has organized strip club dancers, planetarium lecturers and others who work in live arts and entertainment. The union
Rail workers and nurses will strike again next month, while frontline Royal Mail workers are also threatening a new wave of strikes. Tens of thousands of RMT members will strike again beginning on 16 March after the union received “no new offers” from employers involved in the national rail dispute. The RMT revealed the start
Rihanna smashed it during her Super Bowl LVII performance when she revealed she was pregnant with her second baby. However, one question that many fans still have for the “Umbrella” singer is when she will drop a new album. In an interview with British Vogue, the Barbados-born artist opened up about being ready to release
Centrica, the company that owns British Gas, has reported record profits for the 2022 financial year. Operating profits of £3.3bn were recorded at the company, up from £948m in 2021, and surpassing the firm’s previous highest ever yearly profit of £2.7bn, posted in 2012. Profit at the oil and gas producer has been helped by
The fate of AMC Networks has always been determined by its controlling shareholders, the Dolan family, and now Kristin Dolan will get a chance to get the ailing programmer back on track. The wife of Executive Chairman James Dolan (though the pair is separated), who has worked as a media and entertainment exec for more