Author: SKYNEWS

Britain’s biggest high street bank is in talks to buy Curve, the digital wallet provider, amid growing regulatory pressure on Apple to open its payment services to rivals.Sky News has learnt that Lloyds Banking Group is in advanced discussions to acquire Curve for a price believed to be up to £120m. City sources said this weekend that if the negotiations were successfully concluded, a deal could be announced by the end of September.Curve was founded by Shachar Bialick, a former Israeli special forces soldier, in 2016.Three years later, he told an interviewer: “In 10 years time we are going to…

R&B singer Chris Brown has denied further charges following an alleged bottle attack in a London nightclub.The 36-year-old pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) to music producer Abraham Diaw, during a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on Friday. Brown also denied one count of having an offensive weapon – a bottle – in a public place. Image: Chris Brown arriving at Southwark Crown Court on Friday. Pic: PA The Grammy-winning US musician last month pleaded not guilty to a more serious charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent to Mr Diaw.The attack…

Heat-related deaths in England and Wales could rise 50-fold by the 2070s as climate change collides with an ageing population, a study has warned.It comes as areas of the UK face another heatwave, with temperatures over the next few days forecast to be above average and exceed 30C (86F) for many. Annual heat-related deaths might climb into the tens of thousands in the coming decades, according to research by University College London (UCL) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.They say today’s baseline figure of 634 heat deaths a year could hit 10,317 in the 2050s and, in…

The UK economy unexpectedly shrank in May, even after the worst of Donald Trump’s tariffs were paused, official figures showed.A standard measure of economic growth, gross domestic product (GDP), contracted 0.1% in May, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Rather than a fall being anticipated, growth of 0.1% was forecast by economists polled by Reuters as big falls in production and construction were seen. It followed a 0.3% contraction in April, when Mr Trump announced his country-specific tariffs and sparked a global trade war.A 90-day pause on these import taxes, which has been extended, allowed more normality to…

Salt Path author Raynor Winn has said claims she lied about her story are “highly misleading” and called suggestions her husband made up his illness “utterly vile”.A report in The Observer disputed key aspects of the hit book, billed as an “inspiring and life-affirming true story” about a couple’s coastal trek. Winn released a lengthy statement denying the paper’s claims and shared medical letters apparently sent to her husband, Moth, that appear to support a diagnosis for a rare neurological condition, Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD).One letter mentions his prior “CBS [Corticobasal Syndrome] diagnosis”, while another concludes he has “an atypical form”…

A robot has performed realistic surgery on its own with 100% accuracy, researchers have announced.Warning: Graphic images of the surgery below In a “major leap” towards using more robots in operating theatres, a machine trained on the videos of surgeries was able to remove a gallbladder from a life-like patient.The robot was said to have operated with the expertise of a skilled human surgeon, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers in the US, even during unexpected scenarios typical in real-life medical emergencies.The robot was able to respond to and learn from voice commands from the team, just like a novice…

A New York-listed company with a valuation of more than $21bn is to snap up Space NK, the British high street beauty chain.Sky News has learnt that Ulta Beauty, which operates close to 1,500 stores, is on the verge of a deal to buy Space NK from existing owner Manzanita Capital. Ulta Beauty is understood to have registered an acquisition vehicle at Companies House in recent weeks.Money blog: Top chef reveals thing he hates about customersThe exact price being paid by Ulta was unclear on Thursday morning, although one source said it was likely to be well in excess of…

Actor Michael Madsen, who starred in Reservoir Dogs and Thelma & Louise, died from heart failure, his cardiologist has said.The 67-year-old was found unresponsive in his home in Malibu, California, last Thursday and pronounced dead. His doctor said heart disease and alcoholism will be listed as factors which contributed to the star’s death, reported NBC Los Angeles.With no suspicious circumstances and the death listed as being from natural causes, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department considers the case closed.In a career spanning more than 40 years, Madsen’s film credits include Free Willy, Donnie Brasco and Sin City. He was also known…

An extra 263 Londoners likely died in the recent heatwave, according to stark new estimates.It has prompted warnings that British classrooms, homes and hospitals are ill-prepared to deal with increasing temperatures, as another heatwave kicks in today. Last week temperatures reached up to 34.7C (94.5F) in the capital, which was under an amber health alert, warning of disruption to hospitals.Meanwhile, Wimbledon players relied on ice packs to cope with the relentless, baking sun. Image: The weather forecasted for Monday 30 June But away from the spotlight, 263 people are thought to have lost their lives between 23 June to 2…

The UK’s biggest housebuilders are set to pay a record sum to fund affordable housing after the competition regulator investigated sensitive information sharing among the firms. A total of £100m, paid for by seven companies, will go to affordable housing programmes across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, following a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation. The inquiry was launched last year due to concerns that the companies were sharing commercially sensitive information, which could influence the prices of new homes.There was concern that the housebuilders – Barratt Redrow, Bellway, Berkeley Group, Bloor Homes, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey and Vistry -…