Author: SKYNEWS

Elon Musk has just gotten even closer to being the first-ever trillionaire after a court reinstated his Tesla stock options worth billions.According to Forbes’s billionaires index, the Tesla chief executive’s net worth climbed to $749bn (£559bn) on Friday, making Musk the first person to surpass the $700bn milestone. He is already the world’s richest man, and around $500bn (£373bn) richer than the second-richest, Google co-founder Larry Page, the index reports. It follows the Delaware Supreme Court’s ruling to reinstate his 2018 Tesla stock options worth $139bn (£103bn), which were rescinded last year.That year, Musk was awarded a pay package including…

The Christmas period is upon us, and goods are flying off the shelves, but for some reason, the tills are not ringing as loudly as they should be.Across the country, the five-finger discount is being used with such frequency that retailers are taking action into their own hands. With concerns about the police response to shoplifting, many are now resorting to controversial facial recognition technology to catch culprits before they strike.Sainsbury’s, Asda, Budgens and Sports Direct are among the high-street businesses that have signed up to Facewatch, a cloud-based facial recognition security system that scans faces as they enter a…

Puppetry has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years.With the ability to tell political and philosophical stories, fairy tales and musical adventures, all with equal flair, puppeteers bringing the inanimate to life on stage is back in vogue. A staple of the festive season, the year-round resurgence has been invigorated by hit West End shows including War Horse, The Life Of Pi, The Lion King and My Neighbour Totoro, boosting a craft that has been traced back as far as the ancient Greeks. Image: Pinocchio is this year’s Christmas show at Shakespeare’s Globe. Pic: Johan Persson This year, puppets are centre…

The owner of the fashion brand LK Bennett is this weekend racing to find a saviour amid concerns that it could be heading for collapse for the second time in six years.Sky News has learnt that the clothing chain, which was founded by Linda Bennett in 1990, is working with advisers at Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) on an accelerated sale process. Industry sources said on Saturday that A&M had begun sounding out potential buyers and investors in the last few days.At one stage, LK Bennett was among the most recognisable brands on the high street, expanding to 200 branded outlets…

TikTok is being threatened with legal action over cuts to its UK online safety teams.In August, the social media company announced more than 400 workers would lose their jobs, with AI replacing some of the workers and other jobs being rehired abroad. TikTok is being accused of threatening those safety workers with redundancy days before they were due to vote on forming a union.Read more: TikTok moderators warn users may be at riskNow, two moderators have sent a legal letter to TikTok laying out the terms of a potential legal case on grounds of unlawful detriment and automatic unfair dismissal.…

David Walliams has been dropped by his publisher HarperCollins UK.A spokesperson for the company said that “after careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles” from Walliams. “HarperCollins takes employee well-being extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns,” the spokesperson added.”To respect the privacy of individuals, we do not comment on internal matters.”The publisher announced in October that it had appointed Kate Elton as its new chief executive, following the departure of former boss Charlie Redmayne. The 54-year-old, who shot to fame with…

WH Smith is being investigated by the City watchdog after the company revealed accounting failures in its US operations.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said: “The investigation concerns potential breaches of UK Listing Principles and Rules and Disclosure and Transparency Rules in relation to the matters announced by WH Smith PLC on 19 November 2025.” On that day WH Smith revealed that Carl Cowling, its chief executive of six years who had presided over the sale of the company’s UK high street business earlier in the year, had resigned after an independent review into an overstatement of earnings.Money latest: The graduates…

TikTok’s Chinese owner has signed a deal to sell the company’s US arm to American investors – ensuring the video platform can continue operating in the United States. The deal is expected to close on 22 January 2026, according to an internal memo seen by Sky News’ US partner, NBC News. It will end years of uncertainty over the app’s future in the States, after Joe Biden signed a law last year that required TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell up – or else it would be blocked.The law was introduced amid concerns from some US politicians that ByteDance might share…

Actors have voted overwhelmingly to refuse digital scanning on set in a bid to secure adequate AI protections.Equity – the UK’s largest acting union – announced the results of an indicative industrial action ballot on Thursday. With a turnout of over 75%, over 99% of those who voted said they would be prepared to refuse a set scan.There have been growing concerns among actors that their work, voice and likeness are being used without their explicit consent, with Equity pushing for transparency of terms, and fair remuneration for usage via an enforced industry standard. Image: Equity general secretary Paul W…

BP is parting ways with the chief executive who led its early drive for increased profits from oil and gas, after investor pressure for more progress.It was announced after markets had closed in the US last night that Meg O’Neill, the head of Australia’s Woodside Energy since 2021, would take over from Murray Auchincloss. He has spent less than two years in the role.Money latest: Why a Bank of England rate cut is expected today Mr Auchincloss was appointed following the sudden departure of renewables-focused Bernard Looney, who left under a cloud in 2023 amid a row with the board…