Author: SKYNEWS

Four members of Britain’s richest family have received jail sentences after being found guilty of exploiting their workers and providing unauthorised employment.Prakash Hinduja and his wife Kamal, along with their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, were, however, cleared by a Swiss court of more serious charges of human trafficking linked to their servants. The court ruled the servants, who were mostly illiterate Indians and worked at their lakeside villa in Geneva, knew what they were getting into.The four family members were sentenced to between four and four-and-a-half years in prison.The lawyers representing the defendants said they would appeal. They…

Two men have been charged over the robbery of celebrity antiques expert Ian Towning’s west London jewellers. Thomas Loring, 40, and James Dixon, 41, were on Wednesday arrested by detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad, who were investigating a series of raids. They include a robbery at Mr Towning’s Bourbon Hanby Antiques Arcade on Sydney Street, which is just off the King’s Road in Chelsea, on 26 March.Mr Towning, 76, who has appeared as an antiques expert on ITV’s Dickinson’s Real Deal and Posh Pawn on Channel 4, first opened his antiques store at the Chelsea Antiques Market in…

The former head of a union for sub-postmasters has denied it became “too close” to the Post Office and was “flush with money”.George Thomson, formerly of the National Federation of SubPostmasters (NFSP), also denied lacking sympathy for those who were wrongfully convicted during the Post Office scandal, which occurred following faults in the organisation’s Horizon IT system. It comes after the TUC claimed earlier this year that the Communication Workers Union (CWU) had been blocked from effectively organising at the Post Office, and alleged the NFSP was given funds by the Post Office.Mr Thomson, who served as its general secretary…

London’s iconic Tube map has been redrawn to celebrate the arrival of Taylor Swift’s tour in the capital.As the US megastar’s Eras Tour descends on the city, fans, or Swifties, will be able to navigate their way around using a redesigned London Underground layout, with each line named after a different album and drawn in sequin colours to match – with stations denoted by her songs. Under the changes, the Central Line has been renamed Red after the singer’s fourth album while the Victoria Line becomes 1989, the Bakerloo Line Evermore and the Northern Line her latest release, The Tortured…

Around 1,500 workers at Tata Steel are to hold an “all-out indefinite strike”, a union has announced.The industrial action at Port Talbot and Llanwern, Newport, will begin on 8 July and is expected to “severely impact” the company’s UK operations, Unite said. It comes in response to plans to close Tata Steel’s blast furnaces in South Wales, putting 2,800 jobs at risk, according to the union.Unite said it would be the first time in more than 40 years that steel workers in the UK have gone on strike.Industrial action short of a walkout, including staff working to rule and a…

CVC Capital Partners, the newly listed private equity giant, is in advanced talks to buy one of Britain’s biggest infrastructure services providers.Sky News understands that CVC, which floated in Amsterdam last month, is the final remaining bidder for M Group. CVC is said to have seen off competition from rival bidders including Apollo Global Management, with a deal expected to be signed in the coming weeks.The price that CVC, which owns assets including a stake in rugby union’s Six Nations Championship, is paying for M Group was unclear on Friday, although previous reports about the auction pegged its value at…

Government borrowing was less than expected in May, new figures have revealed.Net borrowing – the difference between public sector spending and income – was £15bn, an increase of £0.8bn on the same time last year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported on Friday. The amount is below the £15.7bn forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and less than expected by economists.However, it was still the highest amount for the month of May since the COVID-19 pandemic.The ONS also said that public sector net debt, excluding public sector banks, was provisionally estimated at 99.8% of gross domestic product…

Some of the UK’s most popular sunscreens have failed safety tests – but cheaper alternatives from Aldi and Lidl passed with flying colours.Which? examined the SPF and UVA protection offered by products on supermarket shelves, and warned three in particular fell short: • Asda Protect Moisturising Sun Lotion SPF 30 High• Calypso Press & Protect Sun Lotion SPF 30• Bondi Sands SPF 50+ Fragrance Free Face Sunscreen Lotion Follow Sky News on WhatsApp Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News Tap here The consumer watchdog tested face-specific sunscreens for…

Retail sales rose by a better-than-expected 2.9% in May as increased footfall, better weather and deals saw shoppers return to high streets, according to officials.It comes following a poor performance during the previous month as days of heavy rain dampened demand in much of the country. Non-food shops reported strong monthly growth in May, with a rebound in clothes and furniture sales in particular, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported on Friday.Money latest: Three major brands fail sunscreen testsFootwear, sports equipment, games and toys outlets also experienced an improvement in their quantity of sales. Economists polled by news agency…

Drugs used to treat HIV are to be trialled in people with incurable multiple brain tumours.Scientists think ritonavir and lopinavir could shrink tumours in patients with neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2), a genetic condition where tumours grow along nerves. The tumours are normally non-cancerous but can cause symptoms such as balance problems, hearing loss and ringing in the ears.If they are in the brain and spinal cord or along the nerves of the arms and legs, sufferers can get persistent headaches and limb weakness.About one in 25,000 to 40,000 people have NF2 but there are no treatments apart from surgery. A trial…