Author: SKYNEWS

Sir Douglas Flint is facing mounting unrest over his stewardship of IP Group, the London-listed investor in early-stage science and technology companies.Sky News has learnt that Lombard Odier, one of IP Group’s top-three shareholders, has expressed misgivings over the company’s leadership in recent months, fuelling speculation in the City that Sir Douglas could step down. City sources said on Wednesday that a number of other institutional investors were aligned with Lombard Odier, which holds about 4.6% of the company’s shares.It was unclear whether IP Group’s board was discussing Sir Douglas’s future, and the company declined to offer a defence of…

Artificial intelligence could play a pivotal role in the early diagnosis of people who are at risk of heart failure as it is able to identify anomalies which are traditionally hard to detect, new research shows. Heart and circulatory diseases are the world’s biggest killer, claiming one in three lives every year. Researchers in Scotland set out to test how AI could have “real-world benefits” for those at risk. Thanks to patients who voluntarily offered their data to the Scottish Health Research Register and Biobank (SHARE), researchers at the University of Dundee’s School of Medicine looked at a final cohort…

Klarna, the buy now pay later (BNPL) finance giant, has removed the right of large shareholders to block smaller investors’ share trades ahead of a prospective $20bn (£15.7bn) US float.Sky News has learnt that the Stockholm-based company, which has in the region of 150m customers, notified investors last week that it had taken control of stock transaction approvals and eliminated special rights held by a small number of its principal shareholders. In an investor memo, Klarna said it had “listened to…shareholders”.”A lot of you have raised issues with the slow process of approving secondary transfers but even more with lack…

Whoever wins the general election, one potential headache for the new administration will be Thames Water.The current government has already drawn up contingency plans, known as Project Timber, for the possible collapse of a company currently saddled with debt of £15.4bn. A possible collapse of Thames also features strongly on a dossier of potential crises compiled by Sue Gray, Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, that an incoming Labour government would face.Money latest:Man Utd staff ‘given week to resign’ in WFH crackdownTalk of a possible collapse has moved up the agenda because Thames Water’s owners, which include the Canadian pensions…

Around one in five professional football players currently use snus, tobacco-free nicotine pouches or both, according to a study.The research, covering both male and female players, said the actual number was likely to be higher as some may not want to admit using them. Snus, pronounced ‘snoose’, is a smokeless, moist tobacco pouch that’s put under the top lip.Its supporters say it can help people quit smoking, but it still contains high levels of nicotine and evidence suggests a higher risk of oesophagus and pancreatic cancer – as well as cardiovascular disease.There’s also evidence of a link to mouth lesions…

Blackstone, the world’s most prolific private equity investor in real estate, has roared into the £850m auction of Village Hotels, the mid-market hotel chain.Sky News has learnt that Blackstone, which owns property assets in Britain worth billions of pounds, has tabled an offer to buy Village. City sources said on Wednesday that Sixth Street, another US-based investment firm, was also in contention for the deal.Earlier this month, Sky News revealed that Aermont, the majority backer of Pinewood Studios, was among the suitors vying to buy Village.The chain, which operates more than 30 sites, is owned by KSL Capital Partners. Follow…

If you’re on Instagram, it’s an image you will likely have seen: orderly lines of tents stretching into the distance on dusty ground, white structures in the centre spelling out the words “All eyes on Rafah”. On Instagram, a call to action to share the image also clocks the number of people who have added it to their stories: more than 37 million as of Wednesday morning. On Sunday, an Israeli strike on the southern Gazan city of Rafah hit an area housing displaced Palestinians, setting their tents alight, according to Palestinian medics.At least 45 people were killed, and footage verified…

A theatre in the US has apologised after actor Richard Dreyfuss was accused of making offensive remarks during a question-and-answer session before a screening of Jaws, the movie that made him a massive star.Dreyfuss appeared at the Cabot Theatre in the Massachusetts town of Beverly on Saturday. Casey Soward, the theatre’s executive director, said in a statement that Dreyfuss’s remarks – which allegedly included comments about Barbra Streisand, the transgender community and women in film – used words that “do not reflect the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold as an organisation”.He added: “We deeply regret the distress…

For anyone who cares about newspapers, the announcement that London’s Evening Standard is to close its daily print edition and replace it with a weekly freesheet is heartbreaking – and not just because half of the editorial staff look set to lose their jobs.People outside London may not care very much. But this supposed regional title punches well above its weight and, to this day, influences what they read.Money latest:Man Utd staff ‘given week to resign’ in WFH crackdownPeople think the term ‘rolling news’ only applies to TV channels like Sky News. At the height of its powers, though, the…

Crowds gathered in New York on Tuesday evening as onlookers tried to catch a glimpse of ‘Manhattanhenge’.The solar event that brings New Yorkers to the streets twice a year will continue tonight before disappearing from the skies once again. So what is ‘Manhattanhenge’?New York City is built on a grid. It’s a practical way of city planning, but also means that in May and July some of its long, straight streets become filled with light equally on both sides. Image: The setting sun perfectly lines up with Manhattan’s grid. Pic: Reuters It gets its name from Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument…