Author: SKYNEWS

Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary, will next week meet the Czech tycoon who is on the verge of becoming the first foreign owner of Royal Mail in its 500-year history.Sky News has learnt that Ms Badenoch will hold talks with Daniel Kretinsky after his investment company, EP Group, struck a £3.6bn deal with the board of International Distribution Services (IDS). A meeting has been provisionally scheduled for the middle of next week, insiders said on Thursday.The government has not raised any fundamental objection to the takeover, although it will be subjected to a review under the National Security and Investment…

Three more babies have died after developing whooping cough in England.Eight infants have died between January and April 2024, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). This is three more than the previously reported figure for the year so far. Health officials are urging pregnant women to get the whooping cough vaccine.In England, provisionally there were 4,793 laboratory-confirmed cases reported to the UKHSA between January and April with 555 cases in January 2024, 920 in February, 1,430 in March and 1,888 cases in April.The UKHSA said the first signs of whooping cough are similar to a cold, but after…

Nvidia has overtaken Apple to become the world’s second most valuable public company. The AI microchip maker’s share price has risen to be worth more than $3trn (£2.34trn). Only Microsoft is a more valuable company listed on a stock exchange, while Apple has fallen into third place.Meteoric riseNvidia shares rose 5% on Wednesday after a year of growth – with one share now costing $1,224.40 (£957). A year ago a share was priced at $386.54 (£302), but investors have flocked to the firm to invest in AI.As recently as February, Nvidia was valued at $1trn less than now, but fresh…

Britney Spears has baffled fans by posting a sketch of what appears to be some of Birmingham’s landmarks on her Instagram profile. The American pop singer, 42, posted a picture of the sketch saying: “Just a pen and church!” The image seems to have been inspired by Birmingham’s skyline with St Martin’s Church and Selfridges, at the Bullring shopping centre, in the background. Instagram This content is provided by Instagram, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to…

Around one in six people who stop antidepressants will experience withdrawal symptoms as a direct result of the medicine.This figure is lower than previous estimates, according to the largest study of its kind. New analysis of randomised controlled trials published in The Lancet Psychiatry found 15% of patients will experience one or more discontinuation symptoms that are directly caused by stopping the drugs, while around 2-3% will suffer severe symptoms.Previous research suggested much higher rates of withdrawal symptoms, with 56% of all patients affected.In 2022/23, NHS figures showed 86 million antidepressants were prescribed to an estimated 8.6 million patients in…

D-Day has been re-created in literature, TV, film – and even video games – across the last eight decades.The largest amphibious invasion in history – when Allied forces landed on the coast in northern France on 6 June 1944 – was an event that changed the course of history. So, it’s no surprise it’s made an impression on the big screen. We’re revisiting 13 of the best-known screen adaptations – and with the help of three top historians – helping you pick the best of the bunch to mark D-Day’s 80th anniversary.THE HISTORIANS:- Paul Woodadge: British D-Day historian, YouTuber, author…

Manchester City are taking legal action against the Premier League over its financial rules.The legal challenge, in the form of arbitration, will be heard on Monday, according to The Times. Sky News reported in February the competition was facing legal battles and had been warned by a club that changes to rules governing commercial deals between related parties were unlawful.The basis of the claim centres around associated party transaction (APT) regulations, which ensure that commercial deals between a club and other corporate bodies linked to club owners are done at a fair market price.A 165-page challenge has been issued by…

A former senior executive at the Post Office was told by auditors the Horizon IT system was “a real risk”, four years before sub-postmaster prosecutions stopped. Post Office’s auditors Ernst and Young (now called EY) warned Alice Perkins, the company chair in 2011, that the accountancy software “is a real risk” and asked, “does it capture data accurately?”. Despite this, the computer programme data was used to prosecute more than 700 people for theft and false accounting as it wrongly generated losses at Post Office branches across the UK.Many other sub-postmasters incurred significant debts, lost homes, became unwell and left…

A major cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been discovered which could be treated with existing drugs.The breakthrough was described as a “massive step forwards” by researchers. IBD is the umbrella term for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and such conditions are becoming more prevalent.As recently as 2022, more than 500,000 people in the UK were living with IBD – almost double the previous 300,000 estimate.But despite the diseases being more common, existing treatments do not work in every patient and attempts to develop new drugs often fail because of a lack of understanding over what causes IBD. The…

Muhammad Ali’s childhood home in Kentucky has gone on sale.The two-bedroom, one-bathroom house in Louisville, Kentucky, was converted into a museum that offered a glimpse into the early years of “The Greatest” when he still went by the name of Cassius Clay. It went on the market on Tuesday along with two neighbouring homes – one was turned into a welcome centre and gift shop while the other was meant to become a short-term rental.The owners are asking for $1.5m (£1.1m) for the three properties. Finding a buyer willing to maintain Ali’s childhood home as a museum would be “the…