Author: SKYNEWS

Documentary maker Morgan Spurlock, who famously ate only at McDonald’s for a month in Super Size Me, has died.Spurlock died from complications of cancer at the age of 53 in New York, his family confirmed in a statement. Craig Spurlock, the filmmaker’s brother, said: “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity.”The world has lost a true creative genius and a special man. I am so proud to have worked together with him.” Image: Morgan Spurlock. Pic: Pia Torelli/Sipa/Shutterstock Born on 7 November 1970, Spurlock started off his career as a playwright before creating I Bet You Will…

An American property group is close to finalising a £650m deal to refinance debt secured against dozens of British hospitals.Sky News understands that Medical Properties Trust, which is listed in New York, is close to announcing an agreement with a group of financial institutions. City sources said on Thursday that the deal would encompass 27 hospitals across the UK, all of which are operated by Circle Health on long-term leases.The $800m refinancing will be among the largest such deals in the UK healthcare sector in recent months.Money latest: Fashion brand to charge £8.99 for returns Insiders said it was being…

A former Chinese takeaway worker found guilty of money laundering after police seized more than £3bn worth of Bitcoin has been jailed for more than six years.Jian Wen, 42, came to the attention of police when she tried to buy some of London’s most expensive properties, including a £23.5m seven-bedroom Hampstead mansion with a swimming pool and a nearby £12.5m home with a cinema and gym. The investigation led to the UK’s biggest-ever cryptocurrency seizure when more than 61,000 Bitcoin were discovered in digital wallets.The cryptocurrency was worth £1.4bn at the time but its value has now risen to more…

A former fashion student has accused rapper P Diddy of sexually assaulting her more than 20 years ago when she was a fashion student in New York City.April Lampros, who is now 51, filed a claim at the Supreme Court of New York County on Thursday, according to NBC, Sky News’s sister outlet in the United States. She claims the musician – whose real name is Sean Combs – sexually assaulted her on four occasions between 1995 and the early 2000s, including once when she was forced to take ecstasy and have sex with Combs’ former girlfriend Kim Porter.Porter died…

The reason for the fall in the household energy price cap is pretty straightforward – wholesale electricity and gas prices have fallen since the price cap was last set in February this year.Wholesale gas and electricity prices make up by far the biggest proportion of the energy bills – £720 of the current £1,690 – and Ofgem is assuming, for July, August and September, a wholesale electricity price of 22.36 pence per kilowatt hour (kWh), down from 24.50 pence per kWh during the current quarter. It is assuming also a wholesale gas price of 5.48 pence per kWh from July…

Paloma Faith, KT Tunstall and other songwriters at the Ivor Novello Awards have spoken out about the use of AI in music, saying meaningful songs cannot be written by “robots”.The awards ceremony, which honours the craft of songwriting, was held in London this afternoon, with artists including Raye, Bruce Springsteen, Lana Del Rey and Skepta honoured. It comes at a time of instability for songwriters as artificial intelligence has grown in its capabilities. Dozens of artists have called for more protections against the use of their identities without consent, and the use of their music to train AI models. Image:…

Labour is trying to persuade prominent business leaders to sign a public letter endorsing the party in a move underlining its encroachment onto general election territory traditionally occupied by the Conservatives.Sky News has seen a draft letter being circulated by Labour officials in the last 24 hours which urges them to back it ahead of the July 4 poll. The draft, which has been sent to a large number of corporate chiefs and investors, underlines the party’s move under Sir Keir Starmer to reposition itself as the natural party of business.At previous elections, the Tories have often won public support…

The US Justice Department (DOJ) is suing Live Nation, arguing the big concert promoter and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, have been “monopolising” the live events industry.The antitrust lawsuit was launched on Thursday by the DOJ, 30 US states, and the District of Columbia, with US Attorney General Merrick Garland saying: “It is time to break up Live Nation.” The entertainment company merged with Ticketmaster back in 2010. Through Ticketmaster, Live Nation now controls roughly 80% or more of big venues’ primary ticketing for concerts, the suit says.A Live Nation spokesperson said the company would defend itself “against these baseless allegations” and…

Retail sales fell sharply last month – even worse than expected – as official figures show that wet weather once again put shoppers off. Source link

Bruce Springsteen has become the first international artist ever to receive the Ivor Novello Awards’ biggest prize – presented on stage by a surprise guest, his friend Sir Paul McCartney.Receiving a standing ovation at the ceremony in London, Springsteen performed an acoustic version of Thunder Road on stage after being inducted into the Fellowship of the Ivors Academy. He follows in the footsteps of artists including Sir Elton John, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Kate Bush, Annie Lennox and Sir Paul himself – the first recipient some 20 years ago.The pair are good friends, with Springsteen joining the Beatle on stage…