Author: SKYNEWS

French actor Alain Delon has died at the age of 88 after suffering from ill health, his family has announced.The star was known for his roles in films such as Purple Noon in 1960, The Leopard in 1963, and Le Samourai in 1967. A family statement said: “Alain Fabien, Anouchka, Anthony, as well as (his dog) Loubo, are deeply saddened to announce the passing of their father.”He passed away peacefully in his home in Douchy, surrounded by his three children and his family.” Image: Delon in Rome in 1969. Pic: AP The actor had been in poor health since suffering…

ASLEF’s lead negotiator has denied the union sees the new government as a “soft touch” after announcing fresh strikes two days after train drivers were offered a pay deal.Drivers working for London North Eastern Railway (LNER) – which runs the passenger service on the East Coast main line between London and Edinburgh – will walk out on weekends from the end of August in a dispute over working agreements. Lead negotiator Nigel Roebuck said it is a separate issue from the long-running row over pay, which looks likely to be resolved after a much-improved new offer from the government which…

Social media company X says it will close its operations in Brazil, after claiming a judge on the country’s supreme court threatened to arrest its legal representative in Brazil if the company did not comply with his orders.X, formerly Twitter, said it was removing its remaining staff in Brazil “effective immediately” though the service will still be available there. The company, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has already clashed with the justice in question, Alexandre de Moraes, over free speech, far-right accounts, and misinformation on X. Image: Brazil’s Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes. Pic: Reuters Image: Elon Musk. Pic:…

Sean Wilson will not reprise his role as Martin Platt on Coronation Street as previously announced, ITV has confirmed.The actor, who last appeared on the cobbles six years ago, was set to reappear on screen in October as part of the departure storyline of his character’s ex-wife, Gail Platt. It comes following a previous announcement that Helen Worth was to leave the ITV soap after starring as Gail for 50 years.”Sean Wilson has stepped down from filming for personal reasons,” a spokesperson for ITV confirmed on Friday.An initial announcement said Wilson was to start filming scenes on July 24, with…

The private equity backer of Six Nations Rugby is plotting to buy a stake in one of Britain’s biggest audit firms – a deal which could have ramifications across the professional services sector.Sky News has learnt that CVC Capital Partners is among the buyout firms preparing to table bids for a controlling stake in Grant Thornton UK. The process, which is at an early stage, is expected to value the accountancy group at between £1bn and £2bn, and could result in the most significant transaction to date in the UK’s audit industry.CVC’s interest is particularly significant, however, because it already…

Fortnite is back on mobile phones for the first time in four years, after bitter legal rows got the game taken off both Android and Apple app stores. Now, developer Epic Games has launched its own app store, making it one of the first third-party stores available on iOS – although UK iPhone users will have to wait until next year to play. Android users can get flossing straight away, but they’ll need to download the new Epic Games Store, which also contains Fall Guys and Rocket League.The store’s launch marks the latest chapter in a long-running battle royale between Epic…

Police are investigating a report of a “hate incident” after two Israeli audience members were reportedly heckled out of Reginald D Hunter’s Edinburgh Fringe show.The US stand-up comedian issued a statement on Thursday following reports two people were booed out of his Fluffy Fluffy Beaver show at Assembly George Square Studios over their objection to a joke about Israel. Hunter, who regularly tours the UK and has appeared on comedy panel shows Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Have I Got News For You and 8 Out Of 10 Cats, described it as an “unfortunate incident”.When asked about the gig, a Police…

British retailers saw sales rise last month after a boost from Euro 2024 and summer discounting, official figures show, in a further sign of a growing economy. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales grew 0.5% in July, after contracting 0.9% in June. It was, however, slightly below predictions, with a consensus of economists forecasting a 0.7% increase for the month.Money blog: Fines for taking children out of school to changeThe increase was thanks to discounts in sports equipment shops and department stores as the Euros football tournament drove purchases, the ONS added. High street retailers said sales…

Kim Dotcom, who founded the globally popular file-sharing site Megaupload, will be extradited to the US from New Zealand.German-born Dotcom, who has New Zealand residency, has been fighting extradition since 2012 following an FBI-ordered raid on his Auckland mansion. He is charged with copyright infringement, money laundering and racketeering.US authorities say Dotcom – born Kim Schmitz – and three other Megaupload executives cost film studios and record companies more than $500m (£388m) by encouraging paying users to store and share copyrighted material.This generated more than $175m (£136m) in revenue for the now-defunct website, according to authorities. In a post on…

American actress Gena Rowlands has died at the age of 94, her son has said.Nick Cassavetes revealed in June that his mother, who won four Emmy awards and two Golden Globes, had Alzheimer’s disease and was “in full dementia”. Rowlands portrayed a woman suffering from the disease in 2004 film The Notebook, directed by her son.”It’s so crazy – we lived it, she acted it, and now it’s on us,” Mr Cassavetes told Entertainment Weekly. Image: Rowlands in 1982. Pic: John Barrett/Photolink/MediaPunch/IPX Rowlands was known for playing strong, troubled women, and was often directed by her husband, John Cassavetes. Operating…