Author: SKYNEWS

A director of Marks & Spencer Group (M&S) is quitting the retailer’s board after being blindsided about the poaching of its new finance chief from another company he chairs.Sky News has learnt that Andrew Fisher, a long-serving M&S non-executive director, only discovered late in the recruitment process that M&S intended to hire Alison Dolan from Rightmove, the listed digital property portal, as its chief financial officer. Mr Fisher, who has been chairman of Rightmove since 2020, resigned from the M&S board on Tuesday last week.The following day, M&S announced that Ms Dolan – a former executive at Sky News’ parent…

Boeing’s troubled space capsule has finally made it off the launchpad with two astronauts on board.The first crewed test flight of Starliner had been delayed by series of faults, either with the capsule or the rocket that fired it off pad 41 at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Commander Butch Wilmore and colleague Suni Williams will dock with the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, where they will spend a week before returning to Earth.Suni is the first female test pilot of an orbital spacecraft.Three previous launch attempts this year were scrubbed, most recently on Saturday when mission control stopped the…

An extremely rare Star Wars action figure has become the world’s most valuable toy after it sold for a record $525,000 (£411,000).The hand-painted and missile-firing model of the bounty hunter Boba Fett was never released to the public after it was deemed a choking hazard in the 1970s. The toy, one of only two still in existence, comfortably beat what was previously the world’s priciest toy, a one-of-a-kind Barbie wearing a one-carat diamond, which sold for $302,000 (£236,000) in 2010.Heritage Auctions said the price of the figure more than doubled the record for the most expensive Star Wars action figure…

The next government is being urged to do more to help drive the transition to electric vehicles as private sales of new pure battery models go into reverse.According to data covering May released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), there was a 2% dip in UK sales of new battery electric vehicles (BEVs) among consumers when compared to the same month in 2023. The organisation’s chief executive said that was despite “very attractive offers” to lure buyers.Mike Hawes warned manufacturers could not sustain the level of discounting indefinitely and argued a fairer transition was needed with “carrots,…

An award-winning Swedish rapper has been shot dead aged just 26.C.Gambino, whose real name is Karar Ramadan, was parked in Gothenburg, Sweden, last night when he was attacked and killed. Local police confirmed to Swedish media that he was shot twice after being attacked by “several men”.The rapper, not to be confused with American artist Childish Gambino, has over one million monthly listeners on Spotify and had won a Grammi – his country’s equivalent of a Grammy – just last month.Thomas Fuxborg, a spokesperson for police in the region, said that authorities were made aware of the attack in a…

Since 1992 the Premier League has been funnelling previously unimagined wealth to the elite players, coaches and clubs of English football. For almost as long as it has existed, however, those running the league have battled to maintain the commercial and competitive balance on which its success is based. Competition is its essence, predictability a deadly enemy.Unlike Germany or Spain, the league has never been dominated by one or two clubs. The list of winners is not long – just seven clubs have won the title in 32 seasons – but it has never resembled a hegemony.Until now. Manchester City’s recent…

Pop singer Halsey has said she is “lucky to be alive” as she revealed she has been privately battling chronic illnesses.The 29-year-old American shared the personal news in a social media post – at the same time as announcing a new album.Halsey, whose real name is Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, did not disclose the diagnosis, but tagged the Lupus Research Alliance and the Leukemia & Lymphona Society in the post.In a video posted to Instagram, she described herself as “like an old lady”.”I told myself I’m giving myself two more years to be sick,” she said.”And 30… I’m having a rebirth…

The owner of Williams Advanced Engineering is the leading contender to buy TeamSport, the pan-European operator of go-karting circuits.Sky News understands that EMK Capital, a London-based private equity firm, has emerged as the frontrunner to acquire the business. The price is expected to be in the region of £150m.Livingbridge and 3i Group were among the other buyout firms which had expressed interest in TeamSport.The go-karting group is owned by Duke Street, one of the UK’s best-known buyout firms and the former owner of Wagamama. Follow latest:New table ranks supermarkets for price Follow Sky News on WhatsApp Keep up with all…

A new vaccine treatment for the deadly skin cancer melanoma has an overall survival rate of 96%, a new study has found. Moderna and their partner Merck and Co announced their cancer vaccine, in combination with blockbuster cancer therapy Keytruda, improved survival and showed durable efficacy. The 157-patient trial showed that after two-and-a-half years, melanoma patients that had received the cancer vaccine combination had an overall survival rate of 96%, compared to 90.2% with Keytruda alone.About 75% of the patients on the vaccine combination had a recurrence-free survival, compared to 55.6% on Keytruda alone.A December report found there was a 49%…

A Peaky Blinders film has been announced – with Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy returning to star.”It seems like Tommy Shelby wasn’t finished with me,” Murphy said in a statement as his return to playing the gangster was confirmed by Netflix. The streaming site shared a photography of a bulky script, titled A Peaky Blinders Film, to reveal the news.It follows on from the BBC show created by Steven Knight, which ran for six series from 2013 to 2022, and will be helmed by season one director Tom Harper. Instagram This content is provided by Instagram, which may be using cookies and…