ONE year ago, having nicely slotted into England’s midfield at Euro 2024, it seemed Kobbie Mainoo could do no wrong.
But now the Manchester United star is already at a crossroads in his career at the age of 20 — with only the love of the fans for comfort.
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Just a year ago Kobbie Mainoo could do no wrongCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
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But he is now at a crossroads in his Man Utd careerCredit: Getty
After joining United at the age of six, the thought of Mainoo leaving Old Trafford is unthinkable for many supporters.
But the Stockport lad continues to face a brutal battle to secure a spot in the 4-3-2-1 system of manager Ruben Amorim.
His emergence in the 2023–24 season under former boss Erik ten Hag felt like the long-awaited unveiling of United’s next midfield maestro.
Mainoo — who, along with Alejandro Garnacho, became the first teenager to score in the FA Cup final since Cristiano Ronaldo’s strike against Millwall in 2004 — was considered the future of the club.
Weeks after his Wembley triumph, Mainoo’s vision and composure solved Gareth Southgate’s midfield conundrum during England’s surge to the Euros final.
He was regarded as one of Europe’s brightest talents.
That was highlighted by his third-place finish in last year’s Kopa Trophy, which is awarded to the world’s best under-21 talent and was won by Lamine Yamal.
But the youngster suffered the first major setback of his career just months after the Euros as he missed 17 games when fatigue brought about two different muscle injuries.
And Mainoo, whose contract talks stalled months ago, now has two new managers to impress in Amorim and Thomas Tuchel — and it seems the former is not keen at all.
Unlike ex-England boss Southgate, Amorim seems to lack faith in the academy graduate to fix United’s midfield mess.
Behind the scenes of Benjamin Sesko’s first day at Man Utd, from meeting team-mates to interview
In the week former Red Devils star Scott McTominay earned a Ballon d’Or nod, Amorim ramped up his search for upgrades on Manuel Ugarte, 24, and veteran Casemiro, 33.
That search led United to make contact with Brighton about a potential move for 21-year-old holding midfielder Carlos Baleba, who the Seagulls value at £100million.
But new arrivals Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha are set to start the season as the two No 10s, meaning skipper Bruno Fernandes is expected to make a permanent switch to a deeper midfield role.
The only reasonable spot left for Mainoo would be next to Fernandes in the double pivot — but Casemiro and Ugarte seem to hold favour there.
With United out of Europe, there will not be as many opportunities to play in the reduced schedule.
MAN UTD PLAYER RATINGS: Bryan Mbeumo eases pressure on Bruno Fernandes but Matheus Cunha lacks sharpness vs Fiorentina
BRYAN MBEUMO showed fans what they’ve been missing as Manchester United beat Fiorentina 5-4 on penalties in their final pre-season friendly.
United were a mixed bag in their final summer warm-up game- and the only one at Old Trafford – before the start of the new season next Sunday.
United unveiled their four new signings but it was Benjamin Sesko – who was announced from RB Leipzig before kick-off – that got the loudest roar from fans.
And if Mainoo keeps warming the bench, it does not bode well for his chances of making Three Lions boss Tuchel’s squad for the World Cup next summer.
Mainoo got the last 20 minutes of United’s final pre-season friendly against Fiorentina on Saturday, before his team-mates made a beeline for him after he scored the penalty-shootout winner after a 1-1 draw.
It has gone quiet on the new contract and bumped-up wages front for Mainoo.
The club have struggled to nail him down to fresh terms, with Chelsea and Tottenham now waiting with open arms.
While fellow Cup final scorer and academy graduate Garnacho is up for sale, losing Mainoo would be a devastating blow.
He is a Mancunian through-and-through and a boyhood fan.
With the 1958 United supporter group set to protest against Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers before Sunday’s Prem opener against Arsenal, their outrage would pale in comparison to the grief of losing Mainoo — and especially to a rival.
This one features original open coachwork by famed Parisian coachbuilder Joseph Figoni, with desirable Monza cowl.
As a bare chassis, these vehicles were available on the road in both short and long-wheelbase models, with coachwork that could be commissioned by the customer.
It could be done through firms such as Touring, Zagato, and lesser known Carrosserie Figoni, that provided a high quality build, fine woodwork, luxurious interiors and elegant styling.
Figoni is said to have outfitted seven road-going 8C 2300s between 1932 and 1935 on a built-to-order basis.
The striking two-seater Torpedo that is displayed on the 1933 vehicle was ordered to Paris by Alfa Romeo’s first owner, Louis Jeantet.
It includes a rare Alfa Romeo Paris badge, a folding soft top with exposed bows, long fenders, a separate trunk, and dual-mounted spares.
French luxury car authors, Peter M. Larsen and Ben Erickson, described the car as having: “A body that would be plain from the hand of any other carrossier, but its austerity is alleviated by handsome and perfectly balanced proportions that achieve an understated yet exciting look…
Alfa Romeo from legendary episode of BBC comedy up for sale at just £30k
“It is a classic sportscar style conceived at the cusp in time just before aerodynamic thinking changed car design forever.”
There are no side windows on the cars vody, or curtains, beltine or other ornamentation.
Nevertheless, the 8C 2300 boasts an all-aluminium 2.3L twin-cam straight eight that is supercharged to produce 138 horsepower.
It has been dubbed the “premier prewar Italian sports car”, with 140 BHP at 4,800 RPM.
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The car only has 138 horsepowerCredit: Gooding & Company, LLC. Photos by Mathieu Heurtault
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The car won iconic races like the 24-hour Le Mans raceCredit: Gooding & Company, LLC. Photos by Mathieu Heurtault
Last year, another iconic Le Mans racing car hit auctions, and was expected to sell for an eye-popping £7million.
It was a 1954 Jaguar D-Type, that clocked a blistering 172.97 miles per hour.
And earlier this year, another rare Alfa Romeo supercar was bought by a British man to impress his wife on their 1956 honeymoon.
He bought an Alfa Romeo 8C from 1932, for £3million at auction.
CANTON, Ohio — Vice President JD Vance used a speech in his home state on Monday to promote the GOP’s sweeping tax-and-border bill as a small group of protesters outside a northeast Ohio steel plant brandished signs critical of the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Vance spoke to a crowd of steel workers in neon green, orange, yellow and red hard hats and safety glasses gathered inside a rolling mill at Metallus Inc. in Canton, about 60 miles from Cleveland. It was his second trip this month as chief promoter of the hodgepodge of conservative priorities that Republicans have dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
Echoing themes expressed at an industrial machine shop in West Pittston, Pa., Vance said American workers should be able to keep more of their pay in their pockets and U.S. companies should be rewarded when they grow. He highlighted the law’s new tax deductions on overtime and its breaks on tipped income.
Vance decried Democrats — including U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, whose competitive House district he was visiting — for opposing the bill that keeps the current tax rates, which would have otherwise expired later this year.
The legislation cleared the GOP-controlled Congress by the narrowest of margins, with Vance breaking a tie vote in the Senate for the package that also sets aside hundreds of billions of dollars for Trump’s immigration agenda while slashing Medicaid and food stamps.
The vice president is also stepping up his public relations blitz on the bill as the White House tries to deflect attention from the growing controversy over Jeffrey Epstein.
The disgraced financier killed himself, authorities say, in a New York jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. Trump and his top allies stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death before Trump returned to the White House and are now reckoning with the consequences of a Justice Department announcement earlier this month that Epstein did indeed die by suicide and that no further documents about the case would be released.
Vance insisted that the administration of President Trump isn’t trying to cover up information from the investigation that’s in the public interest.
Vance said Trump asked Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi to release all “credible information” but that the process “takes time.” The Justice Department has asked for grand jury transcripts to be made public, but a judge in Florida has rejected that bid while requests remain pending in New York.
Vance said Trump, who was an acquaintance of Epstein before they had a falling out, wants “full transparency” in the case and alleged that prior administrations went “easy on this guy.” A few heads could be seen nodding amid the crowd.
Questions about the case continued to dog Trump in Scotland, where he on Sunday announced a framework trade deal with the European Union.
Asked about the timing of the trade announcement and the Epstein case and whether it was correlated, Trump responded: “You got to be kidding with that.”
“No, had nothing to do with it,” Trump told the reporter. “Only you would think that.”
The White House sees the new law as a political boon, sending Vance to promote it in swing congressional districts that will determine whether Republicans retain their House majority next year.
In a navy jacket and white shirt unbuttoned at the collar, Vance leaned into folksy word choices and characterized the administration’s immigration crackdown as an effort to keep gangs trafficking deadly fentanyl out of the country.
Vance’s decision to visit Sykes’ district comes as the National Republican Congressional Committee has named her narrowly split district as a top target this cycle. His northeastern Pennsylvania stop was in the district represented by Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, a first-term lawmaker who knocked off a six-time Democratic incumbent last fall.
A spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called his visit “another desperate attempt to lie to Ohioans about the devastating impact the Big, Ugly Law will have on working families,” in a statement.
In the statement, Katie Smith said Sykes “fought tooth and nail against this disastrous law.”
Polls before the bill’s passage showed that it largely remained unpopular, although the public approves of some individual provisions such as increasing the child tax credit and allowing workers to deduct more of their tips on taxes.
Elvis Presley’s worn Omega wristwatch, gifted to him by Johnny Cash, sold for $103,700 this week.
Goldin, a leading sports and pop culture memorabilia auction house, sold the engraved timepiece as part of its inaugural music memorabilia auction, which closed Wednesday night. Other high-selling items included a D.A. Millings & Son custom suit worn by John Lennon in 1963 ($102,480), a signed copy of Led Zeppelin’s album “Presence” ($19,520) and George Harrison’s sunglasses ($47,590). Goldin also set a new sale record for a type 1 photo — or photo developed from an original negative within two years of when the picture was taken— of rapper Tupac Shakur, which sold for $10,370, according to the auction house.
Though sports and trading card auctions are Goldin’s “bread and butter,” the company is venturing more into pop culture, said head of revenue Dave Amerman. This transition is documented in Goldin’s Netflix show, “King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch,” which premiered in 2023 and was just renewed for a third season.
“We realized that we get so many music items and we build them into our pop culture sales, we just want to separate it and make its own event out of it,” Amerman told The Times.
Many of the Beatles items belonged to music promoter Chris Agajanian, who’s been building his collection for more than 40 years. Agajanian owns more than 2,000 pieces of Beatles memorabilia and signed letters of provenance for many of the items in the Goldin sale.
The music auction also included more than 500 concert posters graded by the Certified Guaranty Company, the leader in comic book grading. Poster subjects ranged from the Grateful Dead and the Beatles to Sonic Youth and Blink-182.
In 2020, Goldin sold one of the most expensive albums of all time: a copy of Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Double Fantasy” that Lennon unwittingly signed for his assassin, Mark David Chapman, just before the Beatle was shot in 1980. It went for $900,000.
Additionally, the auction house holds the record for most expensive toy sold at an auction: a 1979 prototype action figure of “Star Wars” bounty hunter Boba Fett that went for more than $1 million in 2024.
Jensen Huang says Trump administration has assured his company it will be granted licences to export advanced chips.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says the technology giant has won approval from United States President Donald Trump’s administration to sell its advanced H20 computer chips, used to develop artificial intelligence, to China.
The news came in a company blog post late on Monday, and Huang also spoke about the coup on China’s state-run CGTN television network in remarks shown on X.
“The US government has assured Nvidia that licences will be granted, and Nvidia hopes to start deliveries soon,” the post said.
“Today, I’m announcing that the US government has approved for us filing licences to start shipping H20s,” Huang told reporters in Beijing.
He noted that half of the world’s AI researchers are in China.
“It’s so innovative and dynamic here in China that it’s really important that American companies are able to compete and serve the market here in China,” he said.
Huang recently met with Trump and other US policymakers, and this week, he is in Beijing to attend a supply chain conference and speak with Chinese officials.
The broadcast showed Huang meeting with Ren Hongbin, the head of the China Council for Promotion of International Trade, which is hosting the China International Supply Chain Expo, which Huang was attending.
Nvidia is an exhibitor.
Nvidia has profited enormously from rapid adoption of AI and last week became the first company to have its market value surpass $4 trillion.
However, the trade rivalry between the US and China has been weighing heavily on the industry.
Washington has been tightening controls on exports of advanced technology to China for years, citing concerns that know-how meant for civilian use could be deployed for military purposes.
The emergence of China’s DeepSeek AI chatbot in January renewed concerns over how China might use the advanced chips to help develop its own AI capabilities.
In January before Trump began his second term in office, the administration of US President Joe Biden launched a new framework for exporting advanced computer chips used to develop artificial intelligence, an attempt to balance national security concerns about the technology with the economic interests of producers and other countries.
The White House announced in April that it would restrict sales of Nvidia’s H20 chips and AMD’s MI308 chips to China.
Nvidia had said the tighter export controls would cost the company an extra $5.5bn, and Huang and other technology leaders have been lobbying Trump to reverse the restrictions.
They have argued that such limits hinder US competition in a leading edge sector in one of the world’s largest markets for technology.
They have also warned that US export controls could end up pushing other countries towards China’s AI technology.
Nvidia’s US-traded shares slipped 0.5 percent in after-hours trading on Monday, but its shares traded in Frankfurt, Germany, jumped 3.2 percent early on Tuesday.
A controversial plan to sell hundreds of thousands of acres of public land across Western states — including California — was axed from the Republican tax and spending bill amid bipartisan backlash, prompting celebration from conservationists.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who spearheaded the proposal, announced he was pulling the provision on Saturday night on the social media platform X. Lee had said the land sale was intended to ease the financial burden of housing, pointing to a lack of affordability afflicting families in many communities.
“Because of the strict constraints of the budget reconciliation process, I was unable to secure clear, enforceable safeguards to guarantee that these lands would be sold only to American families — not to China, not to BlackRock and not to any foreign interests,” he wrote in the post.
For that reason, he said, he was withdrawing the measure from the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that Trump has said he wants passed by July 4.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, speaks at a hearing in January.
(Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press)
Lee’s failed measure would have mandated the sale of between roughly 600,000 and 1.2 million acres of Bureau of Land Management land in 11 Western states, including California. The areas available for auction were supposed to be located within a five-mile radius of population centers.
The effort represented a scaled-back version of a plan that was nixed from the reconciliation bill on Monday for violating Senate rules. The initial plan would have allowed for the sale of up to 3.3 million acres of land managed by BLM and the U.S. Forest Service.
Lee’s decision to scrap the proposal arrived after at least four Republican senators from Western states vowed to vote for an amendment to strike the proposal from the bill.
At lease five House Republicans also voiced their opposition to the plan, including Reps. David Valadao of California and Ryan Zinke of Montana, who served as the Interior secretary during Trump’s first term.
The death of the provision was celebrated by conservationists as well as recreation advocates, including hunters and anglers, even as they steeled themselves for an ongoing fight over federal lands.
The Trump administration has taken steps to open public lands for energy and resource extraction, including recently announcing it would rescind a rule that protects 58.5 million acres of national forestland from road construction and timber harvesting.
Some critics saw the now-scrapped proposed land sale as means to offset tax cuts in the reconciliation bill.
“This is a victory for everyone who hikes, hunts, explores and cherishes these places, but it’s not the end of the threats to our public lands,” said Athan Manuel, director of Sierra Club’s Lands Protection Program, in a statement. “Donald Trump and his allies in Congress have made it clear they will use every tool at their disposal to give away our public lands to billionaires and corporate polluters.”
Chris Wood, president and chief executive of Trout Unlimited — a nonprofit dedicated to conserving rivers and streams to support trout and salmon — described protecting public lands as “the most nonpartisan issue in the country.”
“This is certainly not the first attempt to privatize or transfer our public lands, and it won’t be the last,” Wood said in a statement. “We must stay vigilant and defend the places we love to fish, hike, hunt and explore.”
Lee, in the Saturday X post, suggested the issue remained in play.
He said he believed the federal government owns too much land — and that it is mismanaging it. Locked-away land in his state of Utah, he claimed, drives up taxes and limits the ability to build homes.
“President Trump promised to put underutilized federal land to work for American families, and I look forward to helping him achieve that in a way that respects the legacy of our public lands and reflects the values of the people who use them most.”
A controversial proposal to sell off millions of acres of public lands across Western states — including large swaths of California — was stripped Monday from Republican’s tax and spending bill for violating Senate rules.
Senator Mike Lee (R–Utah) had advanced a mandate to sell up to 3.3 million acres of public land managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management for the stated purpose of addressing housing needs — an intent that opponents didn’t believe was guaranteed by the language in the provision.
Late Monday, Elizabeth MacDonough, the Senate parliamentarian — who advises the government body on interpreting procedural rules — determined the proposal didn’t pass muster under the the Byrd Rule, which prevents the inclusion of provisions that are extraneous to the budget in a reconciliation bill.
The move initially appeared to scuttle Lee’s plan, which has drawn bipartisan backlash. But Lee, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, took to the social media platform X to say the fight wasn’t over.
“Yes, the Byrd Rule limits what can go in the reconciliation bill, but I’m doing everything I can to support President Trump and move this forward,” Lee wrote in a post Monday night.
In the post, he outlined changes, including removing all Forest Service land and limiting eligible Bureau of Land Management land to an area within a radius of five miles of population centers. He wrote that housing prices are “crushing young families,” and suggested that his proposed changes would alleviate such economic barriers.
Utah’s Deseret News reported that Lee submitted a revised proposal with new restrictions on Tuesday morning.
Environmentalists and public land advocates celebrated MacDonough’s decision to reject Lee’s proposal, even as they braced for an ongoing battle.
“This is a significant win for public lands,” said Jennifer Rokala, executive director for Center for Western Priorities, in a statement. “Thankfully, the Senate parliamentarian has seen Senator Lee’s ridiculous attempt to sell off millions of acres of public lands for what it is — an ideological crusade against public lands, not a serious proposal to raise revenue for the federal government.”
Lydia Weiss, senior director of government relations for the Wilderness Society, a conservation nonprofit, described the rejection of the proposal as “deafening.”
“And the people across the West who raised their voices to reject the idea of public land sales don’t seem particularly interested in a revised bill,” she added. “They seem interested in this bad idea going away once and for all.”
The proposal, before it was nixed, would have made more than 16 million acres of land in California eligible for sale, according to the Wilderness Society.
Vulnerable areas included roadless stretches in the northern reaches of the Angeles National Forest, which offer recreation opportunities to millions of people living in the Los Angeles Basin and protects wildlife corridors, the group said. Other at-risk areas included portions of San Bernardino, Inyo and Cleveland national forests as well as BLM land in the Mojave Desert, such as Coyote Dry Lake Bed outside of Joshua Tree National Park.
WASHINGTON — A plan to sell more than 3,200 square miles of federal lands has been ruled out of Republicans’ big tax and spending cut bill after the Senate parliamentarian determined the proposal by Senate Energy Chairman Mike Lee would violate the chamber’s rules.
Lee, a Utah Republican, has proposed selling millions of acres of public lands in the West to states or other entities for use as housing or infrastructure. The plan would revive a longtime ambition of Western conservatives to cede lands to local control after a similar proposal failed in the House earlier this year.
The proposal received a mixed reception Monday from the governors of Western states. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, called it problematic in her state because of the close relationship residents have with public lands.
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, voiced qualified support.
“On a piece-by-piece basis where states have the opportunity to craft policies that make sense … we can actually allow for some responsible growth in areas with communities that are landlocked at this point,” he said at a news conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the Western Governors’ Association was meeting.
Lee, in a post on X Monday night, said he would keep trying.
“Housing prices are crushing families and keeping young Americans from living where they grew up. We need to change that,’’ he wrote, adding that a revised plan would remove all U.S. Forest Service land from possible sale. Sales of sites controlled by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management would be significantly reduced, Lee said, so that only land within 5 miles of population centers could be sold.
Environmental advocates celebrated the ruling late Monday by Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, but cautioned that Lee’s proposal was far from dead.
“This is a victory for the American public, who were loud and clear: Public lands belong in public hands, for current and future generations alike,’’ said Tracy Stone-Manning, president of The Wilderness Society. “Our public lands are not for sale.”
Carrie Besnette Hauser, president and CEO of the nonprofit Trust for Public Land, called the procedural ruling in the Senate “an important victory in the fight to protect America’s public lands from short-sighted proposals that would have undermined decades of bipartisan work to protect, steward and expand access to the places we all share.”
“But make no mistake: this threat is far from over,” Hauser added. “Efforts to dismantle our public lands continue, and we must remain vigilant as proposals now under consideration,” including plans to roll back the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act and cut funding for land and water conservation, make their way through Congress, she said.
MacDonough, the Senate parliamentarian, also ruled out a host of other Republican-led provisions Monday night, including construction of a mining road in Alaska and changes to speed permitting of oil and gas leases on federal lands.
While the parliamentarian’s rulings are advisory, they are rarely, if ever, ignored. Lawmakers are using a budget reconciliation process to bypass the Senate filibuster to pass President Trump’s tax-cut package by a self-imposed July Fourth deadline.
Lee’s plan revealed sharp disagreement among Republicans who support wholesale transfers of federal property to spur development and generate revenue, and other lawmakers who are staunchly opposed.
Land in 11 Western states from Alaska to New Mexico would be eligible for sale. Montana was carved out of the proposal after lawmakers there objected. In states such as Utah and Nevada, the government controls the vast majority of lands, protecting them from potential exploitation but hindering growth.
“Washington has proven time and again it can’t manage this land. This bill puts it in better hands,” Lee said in announcing the plan.
Housing advocates have cautioned that federal land is not universally suitable for affordable housing. Some of the parcels up for sale in Utah and Nevada under a House proposal were far from developed areas.
New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, the ranking Democrat on the energy committee, said Lee’s plan would exclude Americans from places where they fish, hunt and camp.
“I don’t think it’s clear that we would even get substantial housing as a result of this,” Heinrich said earlier this month. “What I know would happen is people would lose access to places they know and care about and that drive our Western economies.”
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has signed a “legally binding contract” to buy John Textor’s 43% stake in Crystal Palace in a deal believed to be worth close to £190m.
Palace confirmed the news in a statement on Monday, but it has yet to be announced whether it boosts the club’s fight to be cleared to play in next season’s Europa League.
Palace said the deal is pending approval from the Premier League and Women’s Super League.
“We do not envisage any issues and look forward to welcoming Woody as a partner and director of the club,” the south London club added.
“We would like to go on record to thank John Textor for his contribution over the past four years and wish him every success for the future.”
Eagle Football Holdings – the multi-club company owned by Textor – bought a stake in Palace in 2021 for around £90m.
Johnson, like any such major investor, will have to pass the Premier League’s owners’ and directors’ test.
It is understood that the American businessman indicated he can transfer the funds quickly.
This is believed to have been a crucial factor in why his offer was favoured ahead of two other interested parties, given the predicament in which Palace find themselves with European football’s governing body Uefa regarding their 2025-26 Europa League entry.
Palace could lose their spot in Europe, earned by winning last season’s FA Cup, on the basis of Textor’s perceived involvement at Selhurst Park.
Uefa has been considering whether Palace breach its rules about multiple teams under one multi-club ownership structure competing in the same European competition.
This is because Textor has a stake in French club Lyon, who also qualified for the Europa League.
Whether the process of Textor selling his stake in Palace influences Uefa’s final decision remains to be seen.
But it does provide an indication the businessman is open to severing ties with Palace, an eventual scenario that could allow the Premier League club entry into the Europa League.
The other two parties in the running are unconfirmed but well-placed sources have indicated that a globally-renowned entertainment giant based in Florida have shown an interest, while another consortium that includes the NBA star Jimmy Butler also have a reported interest.
Investment vehicle Sportsbank – who were named as the preferred bidder to buy into Eagle at a time Textor was looking for investment – have also shown an interest in making an offer.
However, it is claimed that it would have taken around a month for Sportsbank to draw the financial contributions from their investors from the Middle East and the US which would not suit Textor’s need for a quick sale to help aid Palace’s case with Uefa.
Sources claim that Johnson is best placed among the interested parties to pass the Premier League’s owner’s and directors test given his estimated £3.39bn fortune and his status as globally-renowned businessman. He is the heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company.
Uefa are expected to make a decision on whether Palace can participate in the Europa League by the end of June.
From Bill Plaschke: For 46 years it’s been a wonderful ride, the sweetest of sagas, the Buss family treating the Lakers like their precocious child, nurturing, embracing, empowering, transforming them into arguably this country’s most celebrated sports franchise.
But it’s time.
It’s time to give their baby to somebody who won’t be burdened by the family ties or deep friendships that have increasingly interfered with the chasing of championships.
It’s time to hand their beloved to somebody with enough money to keep it strong and enough vision to keep it relevant.
Yes! It’s them! They’re here! Welcome, welcome, welcome! Come on in! Make yourself at home! History has been waiting for you!
This is really happening, the majority ownership of the Lakers is really being sold to Dodgers chairman Mark Walter and his TWG Global group at a franchise valuation of $10 billion, making it the richest transaction in sports history.
To Los Angeles sports fans, it’s worth even more.
For the future of professional sports in this city, it’s priceless.
This is the best thing to happen to the Southland’s sports landscape since, well, the last time Walter’s TWG Global group bought something this big.
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DODGERS
From Jack Harris: Twenty-nine hours before his official return to the Dodger Stadium mound, Emmet Sheehan took a moment to get himself reacquainted with his home ballpark.
In an empty Dodger Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, Sheehan walked onto the field at Chavez Ravine, climbed up a slope he hadn’t toed since the 2023 season, and practiced his pitching motion a few times before returning to the clubhouse.
For Sheehan, such dry tosses are part of his normal pre-start routine. In any ballpark where he pitches, he likes to get a feel for the mound and its surroundings before the game.
The only difference this time: how long it had been since he’d taken the bump in a big-league stadium.
A former sixth-round draft pick who blossomed into one of the organization’s top pitching prospects during an impressive minor-league career, Sheehan became one of the many homegrown Dodgers pitchers to endure a major surgery after injuring his elbow in spring training last year.
In recent months, however, his relatively seamless recovery process had fueled excitement throughout the organization leading up to his return on Wednesday.
And over four sharp innings in the Dodgers’ 4-3 win against the San Diego Padres — one that ended on a walk-off home run by Will Smith in the ninth — the 25-year-old right-hander showed exactly why.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered in the second inning to end New York’s 30-inning scoreless streak, but an error in the eighth inning gave the Angels a 3-2 win, sending the Yankees to their sixth straight loss Wednesday.
Mike Trout and Taylor Ward opened the eighth by drawing walks off Fernando Cruz (1-3), and Luis Rengifo walked on four pitches to load the bases. Jo Adell hit a 105.9-mph grounder to New York shortstop Anthony Volpe, who bobbled the ball and threw wide of second, allowing Trout to score.
The Yankees lost for the eighth time in 18 games, and their losing streak is the longest since they lost nine straight from Aug. 12-23, 2023.
Oklahoma City vs. Indiana Indiana 111, at Oklahoma City 110 (box score, story) at Oklahoma City 123, Indiana 107 (box score, story) at Indiana 116, Oklahoma City 107 (box score, story) Oklahoma City 111, at Indiana 104 (box score, story) at Oklahoma City 120, Indiana 109 (box score, story) Thursday at Indiana, 5:30 p.m., ABC Sunday at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m., ABC*
*if necessary
U.S. WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM
From Kevin Baxter: A trio of Angel City players were called up to the women’s national team Wednesday for a pair of friendlies against Ireland and one with Canada.
Sisters Gisele and Alyssa Thompson will be reporting to their fourth training camp together when they arrive Monday in Commerce City, Colo., alongside teammate Angelina Anderson. A goalkeeper, Anderson is one of six players still looking for her first cap with the senior national team, making this 25-women roster one of the most inexperienced in recent USWNT history.
Four players will be training with the national team for the first time.
Midfielders: Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Rose Lavelle (Gotham), Sam Meza (Seattle Reign), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns)
Forwards: Lynn Biyendolo (Seattle Reign), Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City)
1867 — Ruthless, ridden by J. Gilpatrick, wins the inaugural Belmont Stakes at Jerome Park in the Bronx. The filly earns $1,850 for her victory.
1914 — Harry Vardon wins his sixth and final British Open by shooting a 306, three strokes ahead of J.H. Taylor at Prestwick Club.
1936 — German heavyweight boxer Max Schmeling knocks out previously unbeaten Joe Louis in the 12th round. Schmeling’s victory sets off a propaganda war between the Nazi regime and the United States.
1938 — FIFA World Cup Final, Stade Olympique de Colombes, Paris, France: Luigi Colausig & Silvio Piola each score 2 goals as Italy beats Hungary, 4-1.
1954 — Ed Furgol edges Gene Littler by one stroke to win the U.S. Open, the first golf tournament to be televised nationally.
1955 — Jack Fleck beats Ben Hogan by three strokes in a playoff round to win the U.S. Open.
1977 — Hubert Green wins the U.S. Open by one stroke over Lou Graham.
1986 — Len Bias, the second pick in the NBA draft made by the Boston Celtics two days before, dies of a heart attack induced by cocaine use.
1992 — Evander Holyfield wins a unanimous decision over Larry Holmes to remain unbeaten and retain the undisputed heavyweight title.
1992 — Charlie Whittingham becomes the second trainer in history, behind D. Wayne Lukas, to top $100 million in purse earnings when Little by Little finishes second in the sixth race at Hollywood Park.
1999 — Dallas wins its first Stanley Cup, as Brett Hull’s controversial goal at 14:51 of the third overtime gives the Stars a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 6.
2000 — NBA Finals: Lakers beat Indiana Pacers, 116-111 in Game 6 to win the franchise’s first title in 12 years; MVP: Shaquille O’Neal.
2005 — Michael Campbell answers every challenge Tiger Woods throws his way for a two-shot victory in the U.S. Open. Retief Goosen, the two-time U.S. Open champion, turns in a collapse that ranks among the greatest in major championship history. He loses his three-shot lead in three holes and closes with an 81 to tie for 11th at 8 over.
2006 — Cam Ward stops nearly everything giving the Carolina Hurricanes their first Stanley Cup title with a 3-1 victory over Edmonton in Game 7.
2011 — Rory McIlroy runs away with the U.S. Open title, winning by eight shots and breaking the tournament scoring record by a whopping four strokes. McIlroy shoots a 2-under 69 to close the four days at Congressional in Bethesda, Md., at 16-under 268.
2016 — Dustin Johnson atones for his past mishaps in the majors winning the U.S. Open by three shots. Shane Lowry, who began the final round with a four-shot lead, Jim Furyk and Scott Piercy finish tied for second.
2016 — LeBron James and his relentless Cavaliers pulls off an improbable NBA Finals comeback to give the city of Cleveland its first title since 1964. James delivers on a promise from two years ago to bring a championship to his native northeast Ohio, and he and the Cavs become the first team to rally from a 3-1 finals deficit by beating the defending champion Golden State Warriors 93-89.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1927 — Jack Scott of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched two complete games in a doubleheader. Scott beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-1 and lost 3-0 in the second game. Scott was the last pitcher in major league history to complete two games on the same day.
1938 — Cincinnati pitcher Johnny Vander Meer coming off two straight no-hitters, extended his string of hitless innings to 21 2/3 against the Boston Bees. Vander Meer gave up a single to Debs Garms in the fourth inning. The Red won 14-1 behind Vander Meer’s four-hitter.
1941 — En route to 56, Joe DiMaggio hit in his 32nd consecutive game, going 3-for-3, including a home run, against the Chicago White Sox.
1942 — Paul Waner got hit number 3,000 — a single off Rip Sewell — but the Boston Braves lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-6.
1952 — Brooklyn Dodger Carl Erskine pitched a 5-0 no-hitter against the Chicago Cubs at Ebbets Field.
1961 — Roger Maris’ ninth-inning homer off Kansas City’s Jim Archer was his 25th of the year, putting him seven games ahead of Babe Ruth’s pace in 1927.
1973 — Pete Rose of the Reds and Willie Davis of the Dodgers collect their 2,000th hits. It is a single for Rose against the San Francisco Giants and a home run for Davis against the Atlanta Braves.
1974 — Steve Busby of the Kansas City Royals hurled his second no-hitter in 14 months and gave up just one walk in beating the Brewers 2-0 at Milwaukee.
1977 — The Boston Red Sox hit five home runs in an 11-1 triumph over the New York Yankees. The five homers gave the Red Sox a major league record 16 in three games. Boston hit six homers on the 17th and five on the 18th, also against the Yankees. In the series the Yankees had no homers.
1990 — Gary Carter plays in his 1,862nd career game as a catcher to break the National League mark set by Al Lopez.
1994 — John Smoltz became the 14th major league pitcher to give up four homers in an inning when he was tagged by Cincinnati. The Reds set a team record for home runs in an inning, connecting four times in the first inning. Hal Morris, Kevin Mitchell, Jeff Branson and Eddie Taubensee homered. Smoltz allowed 20 total bases in the first inning, the most given up in the NL since 1900.
2015 — Alex Rodriguez homered for his 3,000th career hit as the New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers 7-2.
2017 — Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger launched two more home runs, setting a major league record with his powerful start, and Clayton Kershaw became the first 10-game winner in the National League despite giving up a career-high four long balls as Los Angeles held on for a 10-6 victory over the New York Mets. Bellinger reached 21 homers in 51 career games — faster than any other player in big league history.
2019 — One day after fouling a bunted ball in his face during batting practice and breaking his nose, Max Scherzer takes the mound for the Nationals against the Phillies sporting a prominent black eye. He still stymies the opposition with 7 scoreless innings in a 2-0 win. “Trust me, this thing looks a lot worse than it actually feels,” he explains to journalists.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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AUSTIN, Texas — President Trump and congressional Republicans have made it a priority this year to require people to prove citizenship before they can register to vote. Turning that aspiration into reality has proved difficult.
Trump’s executive order directing a documentary, proof-of-citizenship requirement for federal elections has been blocked by a judge, while federal legislation to accomplish it doesn’t appear to have the votes to pass in the Senate. At the same time, state-level efforts have found little success, even in places where Republicans control the legislature and governor’s office.
The most recent state effort to falter is in Texas, where a Senate bill failed to gain full legislative approval before lawmakers adjourned on Monday. The Texas bill was one of the nation’s most sweeping proof-of-citizenship proposals because it would have applied not only to new registrants but also to the state’s roughly 18.6 million registered voters.
“The bill authors failed spectacularly to explain how this bill would be implemented and how it would be able to be implemented without inconveniencing a ton of voters,” said Anthony Gutierrez, director of the voting rights group Common Cause Texas.
Voting by noncitizens is already illegal and punishable as a felony, potentially leading to deportation, but Trump and his allies have pressed for a proof-of-citizenship mandate by arguing it would improve public confidence in elections.
Before his win last year, Trump falsely claimed noncitizens might vote in large enough numbers to sway the outcome. Although noncitizen voting does occur, research and reviews of state cases has shown it to be rare and more often a mistake.
Voting rights groups say the various proposals seeking to require proof of citizenship are overly burdensome and threaten to disenfranchise millions of Americans. Many do not have easy access to their birth certificates, have not gotten a U.S. passport or have a name that no longer matches the one on their birth certificate — such as women who changed their last name when they married.
The number of states considering bills related to proof of citizenship for voting tripled from 2023 to this year, said Liz Avore, senior policy advisor with the Voting Rights Lab, an advocacy group that tracks election legislation in the states.
That hasn’t resulted in many new laws, at least so far. Republicans in Wyoming passed their own proof-of-citizenship legislation, but similar measures have stalled or failed in multiple GOP-led states, including Florida, Missouri, Texas and Utah. A proposal remains active in Ohio, although Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, has said he doesn’t want to sign any more bills that make it harder to vote.
In Texas, the legislation swiftly passed the state Senate after it was introduced in March but never made it to a floor vote in the House. It was unclear why legislation that was such a priority for Senate Republicans — every one of them co-authored the bill — ended up faltering.
“I just think people realized, as flawed as this playbook has been in other states, Texas didn’t need to make this mistake,” said Rep. John Bucy, a Democrat who serves as vice chair of the House elections committee.
Bucy pointed to specific concerns about married women who changed their last name. This surfaced in local elections earlier this year in New Hampshire, which passed a proof-of-citizenship requirement last year.
Other states that previously sought to add such a requirement have faced lawsuits and complications when trying to implement it.
In Arizona, a state audit found that problems with the way data were handled had affected the tracking and verification of residents’ citizenship status. It came after officials had identified some 200,000 voters who were thought to have provided proof of their citizenship but had not.
A proof-of-citizenship requirement was in effect for three years in Kansas before it was overturned by federal courts. The state’s own expert estimated that almost all of the roughly 30,000 people who were prevented from registering to vote while it was in effect were U.S. citizens who otherwise had been eligible.
In Missouri, legislation seeking to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement cleared a Senate committee but never came to a vote in the Republican-led chamber.
Republican state Sen. Ben Brown had promoted the legislation as a follow-up to a constitutional amendment stating that only U.S. citizens can vote, which Missouri voters overwhelmingly approved last November. He said there were several factors that led to the bill not advancing this year. Due to the session’s limited schedule, he chose to prioritize another elections bill banning foreign contributions in state ballot measure campaigns.
“Our legislative session ending mid-May means a lot of things die at the finish line because you simply run out of time,” Brown said, noting he also took time to research concerns raised by local election officials and plans to reintroduce the proof-of-citizenship bill next year.
The Republican-controlled Legislature in Utah also prioritized other election changes, adding voter ID requirements and requiring people to opt in to receive their ballots in the mail. Before Gov. Spencer Cox signed the bill into law, Utah was the only Republican-controlled state that allowed all elections to be conducted by mail without a need to opt in.
Under the Florida bill that has failed to advance, voter registration applications wouldn’t be considered valid until state officials had verified citizenship, either by confirming a previous voting history, checking the applicant’s status in state and federal databases, or verifying documents they provided.
The bill would have required voters to prove their citizenship even when updating their registration to change their address or party affiliation.
Its sponsor, Republican state Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, said it was meant to follow through on Trump’s executive order: “This bill fully answers the president’s call,” she said.
Cassidy and Lathan write for the Associated Press. Cassidy reported from Atlanta. AP writers Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyo.; David A. Lieb in Jefferson City, Mo.; Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Fla.; Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City; Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio; and Isabella Volmert in Lansing, Mich., contributed to this report.
In a significant retrenchment, media mogul Byron Allen has retained investment banking firm Moelis & Co. to sell his network-affiliate television stations after spending more than $1 billion to scoop up outlets in smaller markets.
The Allen Media Group announced the news Monday morning. It owns nearly two dozen stations, including in Northern California near Redding, as well as Honolulu; Flint, Mich.; Madison, Wis.; and Tupelo, Miss.
The company needs to pay down debt, Allen said in a statement.
Allen’s firm declined to provide details on its finances.
The Los Angeles firm has spent big bucks during the last six years buying stations with a goal of becoming the largest independent television operator in the U.S. Many of Allen’s stations have standing in their markets with programming from one of the Big Four broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.
“We have received numerous inquiries and written offers for most of our television stations and now is the time to explore getting a return on this phenomenal investment,” Allen, chairman and chief executive, said in a statement. “We are going to use this opportunity to take a serious look at the offers, and the sale proceeds will be used to significantly reduce our debt.”
The Los Angeles entrepreneur and former stand-up comedian had been steadily expanding his empire for more than a decade.
However, the television advertising market has become increasingly challenged in recent years as media buyers shift their budgets to digital platforms where they are more likely to find younger consumers. The television advertising market has become more strained with the addition of streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+ competing with legacy stations for dollars.
A decade ago, Allen brought a high-profile $20-billion lawsuit against two of the nation’s largest pay-TV distributors, Comcast and Charter Communications, alleging that racism was the reason his small TV channels were not being carried on those services.
The case ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court and was legally significant because it relied on the historic Civil Rights Act of 1866, which was enacted a year after the Civil War ended and mandated that Black citizens “shall have the same right … to make and enforce contracts … as is enjoyed by white citizens.”
But the Supreme Court struck down many of Allen’s arguments. In a 9-0 decision in March 2020, the high court said it was not enough for a civil rights plaintiff to assert that his race was one of several factors that motivated a company to refuse to do business with him. Instead, the person must show race was the crucial and deciding factor.
Last month, CBS picked up his show “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen” to run at 12:35 a.m.
The Trump brand has been used to hawk cryptocurrencies, Bibles, steaks and guitars. Now the US president’s media company is laying the groundwork to sell investment funds.
Trump Media & Technology Group Corp., which is majority owned by Donald Trump, plans to sell offerings tied to his agenda.
The parent of the Truth Social platform, where the president is also a prominent poster, has announced plans for and trademarked the names of a group of financial products under the Truth.Fi banner—investments that will potentially benefit from the president’s policies with bets on energy, crypto and domestic manufacturing. The proposed products include exchange-traded funds, or portfolios that trade like stocks that can be purchased through most brokers.
Details on the products’ structures and strategies are still scarce. ETFs are subject to approval by regulators, and no public filings are available yet. Yet the brand-building has already begun. So have the arguments. Critics see a sitting US president having a financial stake in the success of funds that are associated with his brand and his politics, built on strategies that he can influence from the White House.
“These transactions fly in the face of government ethics standards,” says Michael Posner, professor of ethics and finance at NYU Stern School of Business. “When you’re president, the assumption is that 100% of your energy is devoted to serving the country—not monetizing your public platform.”
The administration says the president is walled off. “President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children,” Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement. “There are no conflicts of interest.” Trump Media did not respond to a request for comment.
US presidents aren’t required under federal law to divest assets, but past leaders have done so or used blind trusts to avoid perceived conflicts. Trump, however, has maintained financial exposure through family-controlled structures. Right before taking office again, he transferred about $4 billion worth of Trump Media shares to a trust controlled by his son Donald Trump Jr. But the arrangement is not a blind trust with independent oversight.
The concern among ethics experts isn’t only the ownership. It’s the overlap between policy and potential monetary benefit. The Truth.Fi funds could rise and fall in line with decisions the president makes in office. Protectionist policies aimed at various sectors and countries could help the proposed Truth.Fi Made in America ETF, which is set to bet on reshoring. Deregulatory moves in favor of crypto may boost a Bitcoin-themed ETF. And so on.
The crypto angle is a familiar one. Trump and his family have already profited from the digital-asset boom, hyping up a cryptocurrency bearing his name. Such so-called memecoins have no underlying value as investments, but creators of Trump’s coin recently held a promotion offering top holders a private dinner with the president. A company affiliated with the Trump Organization owns a large chunk of the Trump memecoins. Another Trump family-linked company, World Liberty Financial, has also issued its own cryptocurrencies, including a dollar-linked digital token called a stablecoin. World Liberty recently announced the coin would be used to complete a $2 billion transaction between a state-backed Abu Dhabi company and the overseas crypto exchange Binance. Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Jeff Merkley of Oregon have said the stablecoin offers “opportunities for unprecedented corruption” because the Trump family can benefit financially from the use of its product.
In its ETF announcement, Trump Media said the proposed products, which include portfolios known as separately managed accounts in addition to ETFs, offer a conservative alternative to “woke” investing. It’s a niche currently occupied by funds including the Point Bridge America First ETF and the God Bless America ETF, among others. Both have gathered only modest assets, as have left-leaning ETFs, thanks in part to a saturated ETF market that’s making life harder for newbie issuers.
There are already about 60 ETFs based on Bitcoin, a tally that’s grown by at least 22 this year. In addition, there are more than 60 funds tied to energy, including coal, and at least three from issuers including Tema and BlackRock Inc.’s iShares based on reshoring and manufacturing, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Trump Media “will be depending on its brand recognition to set its ETFs apart among a crowd of competing products,” says Roxanna Islam, head of sector and industry research at ETF shop TMX VettaFi. “A strong political following may help gather initial support, but in the long run, flows will ultimately depend on ETF basics like fees and performance.”
The company has announced plans to seed the funds with as much as $250 million. It’s working with trading platform Crypto.com and investment firm Yorkville Advisors to help run the funds. Still, its biggest unrivaled asset is Trump himself. Even if he’s not an explicit spokesperson, almost everything he does makes him a potential ad for the company. “What a competing fund doesn’t have is a person who’s in the news literally every day who can then talk about these things,” says Philip Nichols, a professor of legal studies and business ethics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Hal Lambert, who runs the MAGA ETF and has raised money for Trump’s presidential runs, dismisses concerns about conflicts. For one, the president’s views on issues such as domestic manufacturing have been publicly known for decades. There are more direct ways to have a seat at the table than buying an ETF, he says; people can give money to campaigns or political action committees, for instance. “I just don’t know that that stuff would work on him,” Lambert says. “Trump does what he wants to do.”
SUPERMARKETS have told The Sun they have no plans to sell American beef, upping the stakes for politicians thrashing out the details of a UK-US trade deal.
And the Government has said that imports of hormone-treated beef or chlorinated chicken will remain illegal.
Tesco boss Ken Murphy said this week that he had no plan to sell US beef.
He said: “We source 100 per cent Irish and British and for the foreseeable future that policy will be the same.”
Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons also said they don’t intend to change supply or animal welfare and food standards.
Budget pair Lidl and Aldi are also not budging on beef.
Aldi chief exec Giles Hurley said: “British farming is known for its high welfare, food safety and environmental standards — and we know how important that is to our customers.”
Iceland boss Richard Walker said there was no appetite for US beef from customers or supermarket suppliers.
US agrees trade deal with China following ‘productive talks’ just weeks after trade war threw world economy into chaos
He said: “Consensus is that even at a ten per cent tariff it’s a very price prohibitive option.”
The Co-op’s Matt Hood said: “We’re a long-term supporter of British farming, and the first national UK grocer to switch to 100 per cent British fresh and frozen own brand protein.”
The National Farmers Union said: “It’s brilliant to see supermarkets championing British beef. Consumers value its high standards in animal welfare.”
A government spokesman said: “This is a great deal as we have opened access to a huge American market, without weakening UK food standards on imports.”
Premier in £1B league
PORRIDGE pots and Japanese noodles have helped to lift Premier Foods’ branded revenues above £1billion for the first time.
The Mr Kipling cake to Bisto gravy maker has been broadening its pantry with new products.
Boss Alex Whitehouse said the firm was exploring “mergers and acquisitions” after buying Spice Tailor in 2022 and entering a strategic partnership with Japan’s Nissin Foods in 2016.
Premier, which hailed its Ambrosia Porridge for growth, posted a 5.2 per cent rise in branded sales, boosting overall turnover by 3.5 per cent to £1.14billion.
Pre-tax profits rose 6.5 per cent to £161.3million.
Butty giant spreading
GREENCORE, the UK’s biggest sandwiches maker, announced it has agreed a £1.2billion takeover of rival Bakkavor to create a food-to-go giant.
It will see £4billion of revenues generated from selling pizzas, soups, salads and sushi to almost all of Britain’s supermarkets.
But workers fear job cuts after the firms said they would save at least £80million in costs a year after the deal.
GMB union national officer Eamon O’Hearn said: “The likelihood of site closures and drop in headcount confirms our worst fears — that hard-working production staff will be facing job losses.”
It’s dirty business
THE water firm accused of dumping sewage into Windermere has posted a doubling in profits a month after hiking customer bills.
United Utilities said they had soared to £355million and it would be bumping its dividend by 4.2 per cent to 34.6p.
It recently put bills in the North West up by £86 and says they will rise by an average of 32 per cent over five years.
It said the increase was needed to fund £13.7billion of upgrades to its pipes and sewers.
ITV’s not love sick with US
LOVE Island broadcaster ITV yesterday shrugged off any US tariff concerns as bosses highlighted its Studios arm made TV shows, not films.
President Trump has spooked Britain’s creative industry by slapping 100 per cent tariffs on movies “produced in foreign lands”.
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Love Island broadcaster ITV yesterday shrugged off any US tariff concernsCredit: Rex
ITV yesterday said it did not “anticipate any direct impact”.
It came as the company toasted a return to growth for the Studios business, with revenue up one per cent at £386million after years of disruption from the Hollywood writers’ strike.
Speculation about a takeover of ITV or the Studios business continues to run rife, but insiders downplayed rumours.
MINISTERS have scrapped a Covid fraud recovery unit and transferred investigations to the Insolvency Service — after realising even more taxpayer cash was being wasted.
Around £47billion was paid to firms as bounceback loans but there had been more than 100,000 cases of fraud and error.
The National Investigation Service received £38.5million in state funding but has secured just 14 convictions.
Trade minister Gareth Thomas said transferring the probes would “remove unnecessary waste and inefficiency”.
Cash-strapped country
ONE in ten Brits has no cash savings at all and 21 per cent have less than £1,000 to draw on in an emergency, a survey by the Financial Conduct Authority revealed.
In addition, a third of adults have less than £10,000 saved for their pensions.
B&M goes Dutch
DISCOUNT chain B&M has hired a Dutch former Tesco executive in the latest sign of FTSE firms looking abroad for leadership.
Tjeerd Jegen, who recently led Europe’s biggest ebike maker Accell Group, has also worked at German clothing chain Takko Fashion and Dutch retailer Hema.
He led Tesco’s Malaysian business in 2010 and was its chief operating officer in Thailand before that.
The Chargers will seek approval to sell an 8% stake in the franchise to private investment firm Arctos at next week’s NFL team owners meetings.
The approval request was sent in a memo to NFL team owners, according to a person with knowledge of the memo not authorized to speak publicly about it.
If approved, Chargers owner Dean Spanos and siblings Michael Spanos and Alexis Spanos Ruhl would still own approximately 61% of the franchise.
The NFL spring meeting will be held Tuesday and Wednesday in Eagan, Minn.
It is the second major change for the Chargers ownership group in the last year after Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores bought a 27% stake in the team in September. That transaction resolved a long-running dispute between Dea Spanos Berberian and her siblings as Gores and his wife bought Spanos Berberian’s share of the franchise.
Players recently ranked Spanos and the ownership’s contribution to the Chargers’ success fifth-best out of 32 teams, according to an annual survey conducted by the NFL Players Assn. It was a stark improvement from the previous year’s rankings that placed ownership 24th in the league.
The jump can be attributed to the team’s new $250-million facility in El Segundo, which opened last July. Spanos also brought in coach Jim Harbaugh, who led the team to an 11-6 regular-season record in his first season.
The team entered free agency with the second-highest salary-cap space in the NFL, according to Overthecap.com, but did not make many splashy signings. The biggest contract of the offseason went to free agent offensive lineman Mekhi Becton, who signed a two-year deal worth $20 million after winning the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles.
