Author: SKYNEWS

Former deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg has said he is stepping down from his role at Facebook parent firm Meta.He said it was the “right time for me to move on” from president of global affairs. With Donald Trump just weeks from being sworn in, he will be replaced by former Republican White House deputy chief of staff Joel Kaplan, who served under George W Bush from 2006 to 2009.Sir Nick said: “As a new year begins, I have come to the view that this is the right time for me to move on from my role as president,…

Neil Young has announced he will not be performing at this year’s Glastonbury, saying he believes the BBC’s involvement in the popular festival means it is “now under corporate control”.The 79-year-old musician wrote on his website that both he and his band, The Chrome Hearts, were pulling out because it was a “corporate turn-off”. Glastonbury, which takes place at Worthy Farm in Somerset in summer, has worked closely with the BBC since 1997.The BBC is the festival’s exclusive broadcast partner.Canadian-born Young had yet to be announced as an act at this year’s event. Posting on Neil Young Archives, the Rock…

The Post Office is proposing a big hike in the fees that banks pay to allow their customers to access its network as it attempts to secure additional funding to boost postmasters’ pay.Sky News understands that more than two dozen banks and building societies are considering a proposal submitted to them recently by the Post Office that would see the next banking framework costing them between £350m and £400m annually – up from about £250m-a-year under the current deal. Banking sources said the roughly 30 high street lenders were due to respond to the Post Office’s proposal in the early…

The typical household could see major bills rise by almost £270 by April, Sky News analysis suggests.The increase in costs for energy, water and council tax would outstrip inflation and add to pressure on family budgets. The first impact will be felt from New Year’s Day, with the domestic energy price cap rising for the second time this winter.A household paying by direct debit and using the typical amount of gas and electricity will pay an extra £21 – or 1.2% – a year, increasing their bill to £1,738, according to the regulator Ofgem.But there will be more pain in…

Ross Kemp is returning to Albert Square in celebration of EastEnders’ 40th anniversary.The 60-year-old first made his debut as Grant Mitchell in 1990 and has returned to the soap a number of times over the past 35 years. He last appeared in the show in 2016 but will reprise his role this year in what the BBC has described as an “explosive” storyline.Kemp said: “I’m delighted to be returning to EastEnders as the show heads towards its 40th anniversary.”EastEnders has always meant so much to me, so to return as the show is about to celebrate such a special anniversary…

UK business goes into the new year in a surly mood.New Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s hike in employer’s National Insurance contributions (NICs) in her autumn budget will raise the cost of employing people and that is likely to have an impact on both hiring and investment. For individual sectors, there are specific challenges: the car industry, for example, is still grappling with the threat of penalties where electric vehicles are too low a proportion of their overall sales.Consumer-facing businesses are also under considerable pressure, not only from the rise in employer’s NICs but also the forthcoming rise in the national living…

Each cigarette a person smokes could shorten their life by 20 minutes, according to new estimates.The new figures are an increase on previous estimates, which suggested a cigarette shortens a smoker’s life by 11 minutes. The data suggests if a 10-a-day smoker quits on 1 January, then by 8 January they could “prevent loss of a full day of life”.By 20 February, their lives could be extended by a whole week.If their quitting is successful until 5 August, they will likely live for a whole month longer than if they had continued to smoke. The figures come from analysis commissioned by…

Veteran radio DJ Johnnie Walker, who hosted BBC Radio 2’s Sounds Of The 70s and The Rock Show, has died aged 79.Known for championing artists like Lou Reed, Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles, Walker in October announced he would retire from radio after 58 years. He had previously diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a lung condition.Weeks later, he presented his final Sounds Of The 70s show on BBC Radio 2 and hosted his last episode of The Rock Show as he hung up his headphones due to ill health.Tiggy Walker, Johnnie’s wife, said: “I couldn’t be more proud of…

The operator of nearly 150 Pizza Hut restaurants in the UK is in advanced talks with potential buyers as it races to wrap up a deal to secure its future.Sky News has learnt that Heart With Smart (HWS), the US-owned brand’s biggest UK franchisee, is aiming to select a preferred bidder in January after weeks of talks with suitors. Sources close to the process said a range of trade and financial buyers had expressed interest in acquiring a large stake in the dine-in chain.In November, Sky News revealed that HWS had begun approaching potential bidders as it sought to mitigate…

The world has experienced a “decade of deadly heat”, the head of the UN says, as he urged countries to “exit this road to ruin”.UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said the top ten hottest years on record had occurred in the past decade and warned the world was witnessing “climate breakdown in real time”. “We must exit this road to ruin – and we have no time to lose,” he said in his New Year’s message.”In 2025, countries must put the world on a safer path by dramatically slashing emissions, and supporting the transition to a renewable future. It is…