Sky considers ending controversial UAE news joint venture

Sky is considering terminating its joint venture with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after accusations it is involved in broadcasting propaganda and genocide denial.Sky is in talks with its partner in the UAE on Sky News Arabia over the potential termination next year of the licence to use its brand.In 2010, Sky News struck a deal with IMI – the investment vehicle controlled by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the vice-president of the UAE and owner of Manchester City – to launch the 24-hour Arabic language news and current affairs service licensing the Sky brand.Sky executives have become increasingly concerned over the position Sky News Arabia has taken on news in the region.Coverage of the atrocities carried out in Sudan by the UAE-backed paramilitary group, Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has been accused of whitewashing genocide

HelloFresh hit by sales slump as people lose appetite for meal kits

HelloFresh has reported a sharp decline in sales as the struggling food delivery company battles falling demand after the pandemic-era meal kit boom.The German company was forced to make 900 UK job cuts last year with the closure of a delivery site in Nuneaton, and the demand for meal kits tumbled as revenue fell by more than 11% during 2025.Sales slumped “against various uncertainties in the macroeconomic environment and a deliberate effort to target a smaller yet more profitable number of customers”, it said.HelloFresh and competitors such as Gousto and Mindful Chef experienced rapid growth during the Covid lockdowns when people were told to stay at home, and at one point it was projecting revenues of €10bn (£8.6bn) by 2025

Fuel rations and no air con: south-east Asian nations race to conserve energy

In Thailand, news anchors ditched their jackets on air as the government called on the public to reduce their use of air conditioning to save energy. In the Philippines, many government workers are now operating on a four-day week. In Vietnam, officials have urged employers to allow staff to work from home.Across south-east Asia, governments are scrambling to find ways to conserve energy and shield the public from soaring costs as war in the Middle East causes what the International Energy Agency has described as the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.Asia, which relies heavily on imported energy, much of which passes through the strait of Hormuz, is acutely affected by the crisis

US postal service will run out of money by February 2027, says agency chief

The US Postal Service (USPS) will run out of funds within a year, unless lawmakers lift a cap on how much money the agency can borrow, according to the postmaster general.In an interview with the Associated Press, David Steiner warned that the postal service – which relies on stamps and service fees rather than tax dollars to deliver mail six days a week to every address in the country – would run out of cash for employees and vendors by February next year.The agency has operated with a financial shortfall almost every fiscal year since 2007, as people and businesses have moved toward paperless billing and digital communication, forgoing first-class mail. But mail deliveries have continued, with USPS borrowing money from the US treasury to compensate for losses.Steiner, who is scheduled to testify before Congress this month, has called for changes to a federal law that caps the agency’s borrowing at $15bn

Reeves plans to give England’s regional leaders a share of national tax revenues

Rachel Reeves has announced that the Treasury will draw up proposals to hand England’s mayors a share of national tax revenues as part of a radical plan to rebalance the economy.The chancellor promised “a genuine break with the past” that would shift spending power away from Westminster, as she promised to create investment-led growth across the UK.Reeves was delivering the Mais lecture – the second time she has given the high-profile annual address at Bayes Business School in London.It is no coincidence that the UK is “the most politically centralised of advanced democracies, and one of the most geographically unequal”, Reeves said.Treasury officials will bring forward a plan at the autumn budget to allow regional leaders to receive a share of national taxes, starting with income tax, she added

Oil and gas prices rise again after Iran attacks production facilities

Oil and gas prices rose again on Tuesday after Iran carried out attacks on production facilities for the first time since the start of the war with the US and Israel.Brent crude, the international benchmark oil price, climbed 2.3% to almost $103 (£77) a barrel and was up nearly 50% from levels before the war began on 28 February. Wholesale gas prices rose nearly 3% to €52 (£45) a megawatt hour, compared with about €30 before the war.For the first time, Iran successfully targeted oil and gas production facilities rather than just refineries, terminals and storage