Author: SKYNEWS

Speaking with Chris Weston this morning, it was striking just how confident the Thames Water chief executive seems to be that a deal will eventually be struck between his shareholders and Ofwat, the industry regulator.The former are refusing to go ahead with what was a planned injection of fresh equity to the tune of £500m which was due by the end of the month because of the latter’s imposition of conditions which, they say, makes the business uninvestable. It is difficult to see why Mr Weston, a turnaround specialist who only took on the role in January, is quite as…

Disgraced crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted of stealing billions of dollars from his customers. He was the chief executive of FTX, which suddenly went bankrupt in November 2022 – leaving millions of users frozen out of their accounts and unable to make withdrawals. The 32-year-old could have faced up to 100 years behind bars – but last month, his lawyers argued such a sentence would have been “barbaric” and a five-year term would be more appropriate.Initial reports said he had been sentenced to 20 years – but this has since…

A man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the death of Gogglebox star George Gilbey.Essex Police say the 40-year-old is thought to have died after a fall at work. Gilbey appeared on the Channel 4 series alongside his mother Linda McGarry and stepfather Pete McGarry, who died in 2021 aged 71.The reality star also appeared on the 14th series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2014, reaching the final.An Essex Police spokesperson said: “As part of our ongoing investigation into the death of a man in Campfield Road, Shoebury, we have arrested…

Ian King’s been speaking in detail with Thames Water’s chief executive Chris Weston about the company’s financial status, after shareholders refused to inject new funds into the company.Jo Boydell, CEO of Travelodge, discusses their record annual sales which topped £1bn.And Lloyd’s of London has also reported strong results – Ian talks to chief executive, John Neal.Plus there’s a roundup of the markets with Rachel Winter, Partner at Killik & Co.Listen and subscribe to The Ian King Business Podcast here. Source link

Elon Musk has announced further changes to social media platform X that will see certain accounts get premium features for free.The tech billionaire, writing on the platform formerly known as Twitter, said all accounts with more than 2,500 verified subscriber followers would be able to access features that usually cost $8 (£6.30) a month. Premium features include the ability to edit and write longer posts, as well as reducing the number of adverts seen by the user. It also gives the account holder a blue tick next to their display name.The Tesla owner, who took over the website for $44bn…

Nick Cave has said he has “feelings of culpability” over the deaths of his sons.The Bad Seeds singer, 66, made the comments after losing two of his children in the space of seven years. His son Arthur died aged 15 after he fell from a cliff near his home in Brighton in 2015. It came after he took the drug LSD for the first time, an inquest heard.Then in 2022 his 31-year-old son Jethro, who had schizophrenia, died in Melbourne.The 66-year-old, speaking during an interview with The Guardian, said it was “against nature” for a parent to bury their child.…

The chairman of Heathrow Airport is returning to Goldman Sachs, the Wall Street bank where he spent more than 20 years, in a key international role.Sky News has learnt that Lord Deighton, who played a key part in the 2012 Olympic Games in London, is to become chairman of Goldman Sachs International (GSI), its main holding company outside the US. The appointment of Lord Deighton, who also chairs The Economist Group, was announced in an internal memo by David Solomon, Goldman’s boss, on Thursday.In the note, seen by Sky News, Mr Solomon said Lord Deighton would succeed Sir Bradley Fried…

Hormonal contraception used by millions of women worldwide has been linked to an increased risk of developing a rare type of brain tumour.Prolonged use of certain drugs containing the hormone progestogen can increase the risk of meningioma – a tumour which is mostly non-cancerous – by up to five-fold, a study found. However, experts are warning women not to stop using their birth control without consulting their doctor.Of the progestogens included in the study, the only one used in the UK linked to a higher tumour risk was medroxyprogesterone acetate, a contraceptive injection available under the brand name Depo-Provera.NHS data…

Shareholders in troubled Thames Water have blamed Ofwat for not giving the “regulatory support” needed to help the company’s turnaround plan.The nine shareholders said they had been in talks with Thames Water and the regulator to try and find a way through the “complex challenges” facing the company. But in a statement, they said: “After more than a year of negotiations, Ofwat has not been prepared to provide the necessary regulatory support for a business plan which ultimately addresses the issues that Thames Water faces.”As a result, shareholders are not in a position to provide further funding to Thames Water.”The…

Scientists have trained dogs to recognise the scent of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on people’s breath.A study, published in the journal Frontiers in Allergy, found evidence that some dogs may be able to sniff out volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – which make up a human’s “scent profile”. Certain VOCs are associated with stress, which a golden retriever named Ivy and a German shepherd named Callie both detected when put to the test.PTSD is a mental health condition caused by stressful, frightening or distressing events, with those afflicted often reliving these moments through nightmares and flashbacks.During the study, 26 people -…