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Apr 20
Half marathon organisers apologise after Coventry route was set too long

Run For All, which operates events across the UK, admitted in a statement that the race "was longer than 13.1 miles". The organisation offered an apology and explained how the mistake happened. It said an initial investigation found a turning point was wrongly positioned by more than 250m, which meant the route was longer by over half a kilometre. Run For All said: "We are disappointed that this has happened and apologise unreservedly that this has occurred and we take full responsibility for the error. "Our initial investigation shows that the turning point was positioned incorrectly with it being 256m out, which has resulted in the route therefore being 512m long overall." Runners have been told their results have been updated to provide a time equivalent to a 13.1-mile (21km) finish. Participants have also been told they will be offered half-price entry to next year's run. Organisers added they would be "running a full internal investigation... to ensure this doesn't take place again". Read more from Sky News:Crunch week for Keir StarmerUK to 'flirt' with recessionArrests after synagogue attack The marathon, which began in the city centre before moving out to the northwest suburbs and looping back, coincided with a 10K run on the same day. Run For All was created by the late amateur athlete Jane Tomlinson CBE, after her cancer diagnosis. The company describes itself as a "fundraising vehicle for a huge number of local and national charities".

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No Writer
Apr 20
Amy Winehouse's father loses High Court challenge over daughter's former belongings

Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning in July 2011, aged 27. Mitch Winehouse, acting as the administrator of his daughter's estate, claimed her stylist Naomi Parry and friend Catriona Gourlay profited from selling dozens of items at auctions in the US in 2021 and 2023. Suing them for hundreds of thousands of pounds at the High Court, his lawyers told a trial in December that the two women did not inform him they were selling the items. He said the legal proceedings were his "only means of obtaining answers". Ms Parry and Ms Gourlay defended the claim, with their barristers telling the court the items were either gifted by the star or that they already owned them. In a judgment handed down on Monday, deputy High Court judge Sarah Clarke KC said: "I find that neither Ms Parry nor Ms Gourlay deliberately concealed any of their disputed items from the claimant and even if I am wrong about that, Mr Winehouse could have discovered what disputed items the defendants had with reasonable diligence." What happened in court? During the trial, lawyers for Ms Parry accused Mr Winehouse of bringing the claim out of "petty jealousy", which he denied. He said he thought the money from the 2021 auction would be split between the Amy Winehouse Foundation (AWF), himself, and the singer's mother, Janis. The court heard the auction catalogue contained 834 items and that the sale raised $1.4m dollars (£1.05m) for the star's estate, 30% of which went to the foundation. One item sold by Ms Parry included a silk mini-dress worn during the singer's final performance in Belgrade, Serbia, which was auctioned for $243,200 (£182,656). Ms Parry told the court Mr Winehouse had offered her $250,000 (£187,000) for the proceeds of her sale and to make the legal claim go away, but that she would "rather set the money on fire than give him a penny". Judge Clarke said Mr Winehouse had "suffered a great tragedy in the loss of his daughter", and that since her death he had "worked hard to keep her memory alive" - including through the foundation. "It is also the case that Amy's estate, including in particular the royalties from Back To Black, has made Mr Winehouse personally extremely wealthy," the judge continued. "Mr Winehouse is therefore understandably sensitive about anyone who he perceives as exploiting Amy's memory, particularly for financial gain, and he is keen to promote the AWF, but also, in my judgment, he is equally sensitive about ensuring that the family continue to benefit financially." Read more from Sky News:The night Amy Winehouse performed for the last timeBack To Black stars on love, loss and 'evil' of addiction In a statement through her lawyers, Naomi Parry said after the ruling that the High Court had cleared her name "unequivocally and in full, after years of deeply damaging and unfounded allegations". "I stood beside Amy as a friend, a creative partner, and her costume designer," she said. "What we shared was built on trust, loyalty, and a genuine love of the work. To see that relationship misrepresented so publicly has been both painful and profoundly unjust." Winehouse, one of the defining talents of her generation, became a household name with her second album, the multiplatinum-selling Back To Black. She was known for songs including Rehab, Love Is A Losing Game, Tears Dry On Their Own and the album's hit titular track, along with her cover of The Zutons' Valerie with Mark Ronson. She won six Grammys and three Ivor Novello awards for her music and songwriting and a biopic about her life and career, also titled Back To Black and starring Marisa Abela, was released in 2024.

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No Writer
Apr 19
Reform's Richard Tice responds to reported failure to pay £100,000 tax

It comes after he reportedly failed to pay nearly £100,000 in corporation tax. Mr Tice did not pay any tax on the profits he made from four shell companies between 2020 and 2022, The Sunday Times has reported. The companies were set up to receive dividends from his property investment firm and pass the money to their parent company, the newspaper said. It said Tisun Investments Ltd then transferred £1,113,000 to Reform UK between March 2020 and May 2022. In a statement on X, Mr Tice said his "long career with multiple businesses" meant his accounting was "bound to feature some errors". He said: "In a highly successful career spanning 40 years, I have done business in 12 countries across three continents, and been a director of more than 150 companies. "I have helped build thousands of homes, creating thousands of jobs and generating hundreds of millions of value for shareholders and investors along with many tens of millions of tax for HMRC. "I am very proud of this record. Throughout this career I have taken professional tax advice and have always paid everything that I was advised to pay. "Here's the reality: tax efficiency is a basic corporate responsibility and duty to shareholders. A long career with multiple businesses is bound to feature some errors. "Naturally, I am always happy to put things right and if numbers need rechecking, of course, I will pay what is owed - be that more or less." Dan Neidle, founder of Tax Policy Associates, wrote on X that "around £98k of corporation tax is due", plus "about £27k of interest". Reform's Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick said on Sunday morning that Mr Tice "thinks he may have overpaid tax because he paid it through his personal taxation, rather than through the company". He told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: "If it transpires that he's underpaid tax, of course he'll settle it. But that is not his position. He thinks he's paid the right tax, and that's absolutely right. "As far as I know, HMRC are not investigating. So there is no story." Reform UK last week said any oversight on Mr Tice's part was "a minor administrative error". The Boston and Skegness MP received at least £91,000 because his property investment company, Quidnet REIT Limited, did not pay the required 20% tax on the dividends before they were issued to him and his offshore trust in Jersey, The Sunday Times reported. Mr Tice said on X that "overall HMRC received the correct amount of tax due" and that any issue was due to "complex tax technicality around dividends to certain shareholder classes in REITs". Read more from Sky News:Attempted 'firebomb attack' at London synagoguePublic warned not to approach 'dangerous' missing man Labour Party chair Anna Turley said: "Richard Tice's credibility is in tatters and Nigel Farage needs to urgently explain why he remains Reform's deputy leader. "This is a major scandal that's not going away. Tice has called for others to resign over tax errors that involved less money than this."

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No Writer
Apr 20
Premier League title-race verdict: Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, players and Sky Sports pundits have their say after Man City beat Arsenal

If City beat Burnley on Wednesday night in their game in hand, they will go to the summit, level on points with the Gunners. But there could yet be more twists to come with this season not over yet! Here, Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, their players and our Sky Sports pundits have their say on what happens next in this thrilling race to be crowned champions of England... Guardiola: Momentum shifts in one instance Man City boss Pep Guardiola: "I am happy because we can extend the hope. Maybe it goes until the end, we will try. "Momentum changes. People said to me that the momentum from Arsenal is bad. What I saw today wasn't a bad momentum. They are in the semi-final of the Champions League, where they haven't lost a single game. Momentum shifts in one instance. "The reality is just one thing: they are top of the league. One ahead on goal difference. We have to enjoy it, celebrate it, take the good things. But don't lose the focus. In three days we go to Burnley." Arteta: We have full belief we can do it Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta: "The positive thing is we have seen the level, we can cope with that, and not just that but do even better. "There are five games to go, but we're going to give a real go for it. We have full belief we can do it. Today we have shown the team that we are. It's still in our hands, and it's there for the taking. "We were close, not close enough. But now we have to reset. We lost an opportunity today, a big one. But there is still another five to go. There are still a lot of positives today." Haaland: We need to stay humble Man City striker Erling Haaland: "Every game is a final. On Wednesday we have a new final. When we have stopped speaking here, it's about recovering for the Burnley game. Because the Burnley game is just as important as this game. We need to stay focused, stay humble." Odegaard: We are going to focus on ourselves Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard: "There's always that pressure in football. Always noise. That's a part of being a football player at this level. We are going to keep going, focus on ourselves. Look forward to the next game and move on. That's all we're doing to do." Does he still believe? "Of course!" Live Premier League table | Watch FREE PL highlightsGot Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺Neville: City have a massive, massive advantage now Eight-time Premier League winner and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville: "I don't think both teams will win every game. City are going to have to drop points somewhere [for Arsenal to win it]. I'm not quite sure where that is. I think they have a massive, massive advantage now. "I think next Saturday night [at home to Newcastle] has got a lot of danger [for Arsenal]. The nerves inside that stadium if Arsenal don't start well... it's imperative Arsenal get over the line in that game. "That tension will still be there next Saturday and Arsenal have to cope with that and come through it. "For the first time this season, I'm going to say [the Premier League ribbons] are going to be blue." Vieira: I question the mental strength of the Arsenal team Three-time Premier League winner and former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira on Sky Sports: "Today, [Arsenal] had a good performance but the difference between good and great teams are the teams who are not used to winning and the ones who compete at this level all the time. "You can see the difference today on the field and those top players made a difference today. "The momentum is on City's side. It will be interesting to see how Arsenal recover because it's a huge disappointment for them. They will feel the pressure more now. "I always question the mental strength of the team and I will question it more now regarding the result today. "I believe City will do it." Keane: Man City are the best team at dealing with pressure Seven-time Premier League winner and Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane: "The momentum's all with Man City. They've been the best team the last eight, nine, 10 years at dealing with pressure. We saw that again today. "Pep mentioned pressure before the game; if they didn't win, that was the league over, so these players can deal with pressure and they did that in the second half. "They rode their luck a little bit, but they're peaking at the right time. "I'm going to stick with Arsenal. That belief isn't as strong as it was before the game." Richards: Momentum with City Man City Premier League winner and Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards: "I always said if Man City win this game, it would give them the momentum. I just thought this was the game. If City could get over the line and stay within three points of Arsenal, with the experience, the big players, the big moments, they would turn up. "I thought Arsenal were very good today, but Man City just get over the line. "I said: if Man City win this game, they win the league."

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Apr 20
Zoologist, TV presenter and author Desmond Morris dies aged 98

He was the face of Granada's hit Zoo Time - a nature series exploring animal behaviour which ran from 1956 to 1967. Morris also fronted the BBC's Life In The Animal World and other documentaries for the broadcaster after starting his career with the corporation in 1965. The Wiltshire-born author won global acclaim in 1967 for his most successful book, The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study Of The Human Animal. Many more books followed, including The Human Zoo (1969), Manwatching (1977) and The Naked Man (1977), and he contributed to more than 90 titles during his career. Morris followed his passion for animals after joining the Army in 1946 and completing two years of national service. He also served as London Zoo's curator of mammals for eight years from 1959. He began his academic career studying zoology at the University of Birmingham, and later completed a doctorate in animal behaviour at Oxford University, where he remained to study the reproductive behaviour of birds. His son Jason said he died on Sunday, but that his father had enjoyed a "lifetime of exploration, curiosity and creativity". "A zoologist, manwatcher, author and artist, he was still writing and painting right up until his death. "He was a great man and an even better father and grandfather." Read more from Sky News:Winehouse's dad loses challenge over daughter's belongingsHalf marathon organisers apologise after route too long

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No Writer
Apr 20
Zoologist, TV presenter and author Desmond Morris dies aged 98

He was the face of Granada's hit Zoo Time - a nature series exploring animal behaviour which ran from 1956 to 1967. Morris also fronted the BBC's Life In The Animal World and other documentaries for the broadcaster after starting his career with the corporation in 1965. The Wiltshire-born author won global acclaim in 1967 for his most successful book, The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study Of The Human Animal. Many more books followed, including The Human Zoo (1969), Manwatching (1977) and The Naked Man (1977), and he contributed to more than 90 titles during his career. Morris followed his passion for animals after joining the Army in 1946 and completing two years of national service. He also served as London Zoo's curator of mammals for eight years from 1959. He began his academic career studying zoology at the University of Birmingham, and later completed a doctorate in animal behaviour at Oxford University, where he remained to study the reproductive behaviour of birds. His son Jason said he died on Sunday, but that his father had enjoyed a "lifetime of exploration, curiosity and creativity". "A zoologist, manwatcher, author and artist, he was still writing and painting right up until his death. "He was a great man and an even better father and grandfather." Read more from Sky News:Winehouse's dad loses challenge over daughter's belongingsHalf marathon organisers apologise after route too long

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Faye Brown, political reporter
Apr 19
Louise Haigh to set out economic polices that can 'unite Labour' in new intervention

Ms Haigh, an influential figure within the soft-left Tribune group, will speak at an event next week alongside the Labour MP Chris Curtis - a former YouGov pollster seen as a rising star from within the 2024 intake. Mr Curtis chairs the Labour Growth Group (LGG), a caucus of around 100 Labour MPs who are broadly loyal to Sir Keir Starmer but believe the government must be more radical to bring about growth that puts more money in people's pockets. While from different wings of the party (the LGG defines itself as moderate), the pair will outline polices they believe can unite both the party and Labour's wider voter coalition. They want to challenge the assumption that Labour MPs, who have forced the government into several U-turns, are unmanageable and nothing can unite them. Speaking together on a panel at the Good Growth Foundation's National Growth Debate, they are expected to make the case for a revamp of council tax and stamp duty as well as regulatory reform to encourage investment and support businesses to grow. They will argue that this is not about left or right, but a plan that pitches Labour against the status quo rather than as its defenders, with an economy that rewards hard work and takes on profiteering. Tuesday's event will also hear from senior cabinet ministers including Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones. It follows a difficult week for the government after another turn in the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal led to fresh calls for the prime minister to resign. An LGG source told Sky News: "People are fed up of week after week of firefighting when we need to be talking about how we're going to change the country. "This concept that government can't do that because the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) can't be united is nonsense. There's an agenda that can unite Labour MPs and the country and they're (Chris and Lou) going to show that this week." Read more from Faye Brown:Government YouTube drive to fight 'conspiracy theorists'Ban on step-incest porn in government climbdown Ms Haigh was forced to resign in November 2024 after it emerged she had pleaded guilty to an offence related to incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013. However, she remains well respected by colleagues who credit her with Labour's railway nationalisation. Last year she was involved in reviving the Tribune group, which has been pushing for the government to have bolder, more progressive policies. Sky News understands that Ms Haigh is leading a piece of work for the Tribune group on tax and institutional reform. She has previously called for an overhaul of the Office for Budget Responsibility, and is expected to expand on that in the coming weeks. In a sign of frustration coming from all factions of the party, the LGG has separately drawn up a blueprint for how Labour could cut taxes and incentivise small businesses as part of an overhaul of its economic strategy. As Sky News reported last month, the report will be published following May's local elections, which are expected to be disastrous for Labour and will pile further pressure on the government for a change of direction. Growth debate 'to define next decade of politics' Labour's manifesto has pledged to grow the economy, but there have been concerns the chancellor's self-imposed fiscal rules will make that difficult to achieve. The war in the Middle East has posed another blow, with experts predicting the UK will be harder hit than other advanced economies. The Good Growth Foundation's (GGF) director is Praful Nargund, who stood as Labour's candidate in Islington North at the general election, which Jeremy Corbyn held onto as an independent. As well as running the GGF he is a skills adviser to the Department for Work and Pensions. The think tank is campaigning for a fairer economy that prioritises growth which improves living standards. Nick Thomas-Symonds, the minister in charge of EU relations, will not give a public address but will host a private roundtable on the UK-EU relationship at the event. The event will also hear from opposition figures, including the Conservatives' shadow chancellor Mel Stride, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper, and the Green Party's Treasury spokesperson Adrian Ramsay MP. Attendees will include business leaders, unions, campaign groups and think tanks as well as MPs. Mr Nargund said the event "isn't another economics conference about GDP numbers" but about "kicking off a debate about how we give people back a stake in growing the economy". He added: "The perma-instability of the last few years, let alone the last few months, hasn't just meant the relentless pressure of rising bills. "It's robbed people of the agency and choices they once took for granted. We're here to lead the fight to give that back, so that people can once again feel that they contribute to, and help shape, the economy they live in."

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Apr 20
LIV Golf League: What is their long-term future in men's golf and how will it impact the PGA Tour and DP World Tour?

It was always going to be a real stretch to be successful, because of the huge sums of money that they had to invest in order to take on and compete with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. It was - and is - an enormous challenge from a business and sustainability point of view. Although there's mixed messaging from their chief executive Scott O'Neil, where he's done an interview and then retracted some of that to try and backtrack on what he said, what's rumoured to be happening appears quite clear in that LIV Golf is at a major - and possible terminal - crossroad. LIV Golf chief executive plays down funding fearsSergio Garcia responds to LIV shutdown rumoursWhen are the majors? Key dates in 2026Get Sky Sports or stream golf with no contract Most reputable media companies are aligned in saying that the end of the LIV Golf League in its present format is imminent, maybe as soon as the end of the year. So, from there, the question is what happens next? An 'impossible situation' for LIV Golf or chance to evolve? LIV Golf are paying their players colossal amounts of money, on top of huge prize monies and staging costs. You're talking about $5m to $70m overhead for every single event they have played around the world. An estimated figure of $5bn has been spent since it started four years ago. With limited media rights and sponsorship coming in they have admitted that they are quite a number of years away from break even or profitability. Even with big crowds in places like South Africa and Australia, you're still not going to get anywhere near that financial outlay back, because ticket prices can only go so high in those countries. It has been quite clear that the golf public seem to prefer the old traditional form of golf, the history of golf and the connection with that history. It appears people are generally more interested in historic events than the 'golf but louder' offering as well as team events that LIV Golf offer. The music and in-your-face golf is what they felt was the future and what young people wanted. Young people haven't reacted that way, certainly in the United States, because viewing figures are only a tiny fraction of what the PGA Tour still have. I think it's going to be next to impossible to get sponsors to take over the financial undertaking to the level that the Saudis are doing for LIV. Although I'm an ex-Tour player, I've also been on the board of the DP World Tour and know what the commercial challenges are like. Even the PGA Tour are having challenges, as they have been forced to react financially to the emergence of LIV. They had to bring in private equity to help sustain paying the bills that they have now that their prize funds have had to increase so much, in order to be comparable to what LIV are offering. Could LIV's struggles bring a rebalance in power? Brian Rolapp has gone into the PGA Tour as CEO and his job has been to repackage the Tour and try to sell it for more money, whether that be to the sponsors or whether to TV companies. That's not an easy sell. Prize funds have more than doubled since LIV have come on the pitch and the business model overheads have become very, very expensive now for the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Going back to sponsors and looking for two or three times the money they were paying before, considering golf is somewhat of a minority sport compared to football, NFL or the NBA in America, is not going to be easy. There may well be an adjustment or reset coming . However what may work in their favour is that you've got three tours currently and a small pool of players, making the players very powerful. Those players have had leverage over the three tours but if LIV were to not exist anymore, that gives a lot more leverage back to the tours again. I'd love to have been playing in this era. It's just unbelievable how much money is available to all players nowadays because of the emergence of LIV. The DP World Tour because of its strategic alliance with the PGA Tour are playing for record prize funds over the past few years. Those prizes are largely unaffected by any kind of a downturn in the economy, which is unrealistic long-term. I believe LIV has created a dangerous false economy for golf. A period of readjustment is needed, and you may well see a power shift back to the administrators and Tours - rather than the players - should players' leverage go away. The DP World Tour is an obvious place where LIV could well try to hang their hat and maybe do an alignment with, but that's not going to be an easy fix. You have to remember that LIV has been a hostile competitor to the DP World Tour over the past few years and have taken sponsors, as well as venues, off the DPW Tour schedule. There has also been a lot of claims from people at LIV in recent years about LIV being the 'world tour', which rankles and is somewhat disrespectful to the DP World Tour and all its history. It's fair to say relations are not amicable at the moment and a lot of negotiation and progress would have to be made in order for LIV to forge any kind of alignment with the DP World Tour, let alone with the PGA Tour. How could LIV Golf players be reintegrated, if needed? It's not going to be easy to mould these players back in again, should they be allowed to do so. Over the last few years, since LIV Golf has been going, all of the spots that these players had - whether that be on the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour - have been filled by new players. You can't just muscle your way back in again, especially when the PGA Tour is going to be having smaller fields rather than the bigger fields that these players left behind, so there's a lot of roadblocks in the way. There will be suspensions, there will be fining, and all the things that that have been talked about for last few years will have to remain in place, in order to be fair to the guys who remained with the main tours. Of course, the very top LIV players will probably have better options than lower ranked LIV players. Everybody who went to LIV went with a huge amount of risk attached. They got paid a huge amount of money to take a massive risk, to leave behind the safety net of the tours and compete against the model they left behind. They justified it as a tough business decision, making a decision looking out for themselves. The roles could be reversed now and the tours can play really hardball back against them. There's a lot of negotiation to be done between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the LIV players, if it comes to pass that LIV is going to fold, in terms of what the future may be. It's not going to be plain sailing for the LIV guys, I can assure you of that. Disruption creates opportunity, so let's see how things play out as a number of different paths are possible. Watch the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, majors and more live on Sky Sports, with the PGA Championship (May 14-17), US Open (June 18-21) and The Open (July 16-19) all exclusively live on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.

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