Author: SKYNEWS

A major winter storm is set to sweep the United States this weekend, bringing with it snow, sleet, ice and sub-zero temperatures from the Arizona-New Mexico border to upstate New York.What is it? A winter storm is defined as a combination of heavy snow, blowing snow and/or dangerous wind chills, according to the NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory, which also describes it as “life-threatening”.The approaching storm is due to an area of low pressure moving up from the Gulf of Mexico (bringing lots of moisture) and meeting extremely cold Arctic air plunging south from Canada.The winter storm set to hit…

Stars of the runway and the screen have said farewell to fashion designer Valentino at a church service in Rome.The biggest names ​in fashion – including Donatella Versace, Tom Ford and Maria Grazia Chiuri – gathered in the Basilica di Santa ⁠Maria degli Angeli on Friday for the funeral. The couturier, who built one of ⁠Italy’s most celebrated fashion houses, died on Monday aged 93, with the news being met by an outpouring of tributes from global celebrities.The crowd of mourners – which included actresses Anne Hathaway and Elizabeth Hurley and models Natalia Vodianova and Bianca Brandolini d’Adda – was…

Donald Trump has filed a $5bn (£3.7bn) lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase (JPMC), accusing it of debanking him and his business empire after his first term in the White House ended.The US president claims America’s largest bank by assets and its chief executive Jamie Dimon closed a number of personal and business accounts in February 2021, with 60 days’ notice, for political reasons. The bank has denied this was the case.Money latest: Is era of high savings rates over? Mr Trump argues that he and his business interests were cut off from millions of dollars and suffered disruption as they scrambled…

The US and China have signed off on a deal for TikTok’s Chinese owner to hand over the company’s American division to investors backed by Donald Trump.It means the US version of TikTok will become majority-owned by a group of investors that includes American tech giant Oracle, California-based private equity fund Silver Lake, and United Arab Emirates investment firm MGX. The deal will ensure the video platform can continue operating in the US and comes just ahead of a takeover deadline set by the Trump administration that was extended several times.Writing on Truth Social after the deal’s announcement, Mr Trump…

While Sinners has surpassed all expectations at this year’s Oscar nominations, coming away with a whopping 16 nods, not all movies will be coming away from the nominations with the same happy glow.Wicked: For Good may have done fairly swift business at the box office, but that simply did not translate into Oscar votes. Image: Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in Hamnet. Pic: Agata Grzybowska/ Focus Features Read more: Oscar nominations 2026 as it happenedAfter the first instalment of the movie got 10 nods last year, the second part did not receive a single nomination.While its two stars – Cynthia…

The brewery group behind brands such as Black Sheep and Fourpure is to be rescued from the brink of collapse by Saltaire Brewery, a Yorkshire-based rival.Sky News has learnt that the future of Keystone Brewing Group, which has filed a series of notices of its intention to appoint administrators in recent weeks, is close to being salvaged in a deal which could take place as early as Thursday. Saltaire is understood to have proposed a deal which would maintain Keystone’s workforce, which is thought to number between 150 and 200 people.The transaction is expected to take place through a pre-pack…

The House of Lords has backed a ban on under-16s using social media.Peers passed an amendment to the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which is currently making its way through parliament. Lords debate as it happened – politics latestThe amendment says within 12 months of the act passing, social media sites must be required to use “highly effective” age checks to make sure no under-16s can become users.With peers having backed the ban, the government will have the chance to overturn it in the Commons – but that’s looking increasingly tricky. The prime minister was initially opposed to such…

Prince Harry became emotional as he finished an intense day of evidence against the publisher of the Daily Mail – telling the High Court his wife Meghan’s life had been made an “absolute misery”.The Duke of Sussex spent about two hours being cross-examined by Associated Newspapers Limited’s lawyer, at times appearing visibly frustrated with the line of questioning. He told the court the idea that he has no right to privacy is “disgusting” and it was “fundamentally wrong to put us through this again when all we wanted was an apology and accountability”.Harry, 41, has brought legal action against Associated…

The rate of price increases rose again in December, official figures have confirmed, with inflation rising to 3.4%.It’s higher than anticipated – an increase to 3.3% was forecast by economists polled by the Reuters news agency. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation ticked up from 3.2% a month earlier. It’s the first time since July there’s been an increase.Higher tobacco prices, due to raised taxes, and more expensive airfares are behind the increase, the ONS said. Elevated food costs, especially bread and cereal, were also said to have brought…

Microsoft, the $3.4trn computing behemoth, will this week unveil a partnership with the Mercedes Formula One team that will underline the sport’s resurgent appeal among the world’s biggest technology companies.Sky News understands that Microsoft will be announced as a major sponsor of the Brackley-based outfit when it unveils its 2026 car livery and design at an event on Thursday. One sponsorship expert estimated that the deal could be worth in the region of $60m-a-year, adding that if that figure was accurate, it would rank among F1’s biggest individual team sponsorship agreements.Money blog: Inflation rises again – here’s what it could…