Author: SKYNEWS

Rapper Drake has been dismissed from a lawsuit brought over the Astroworld festival tragedy, in which 10 concertgoers died.The families of those killed in a crush at the gig, along with hundreds who were injured, sued Drake, fellow rap star Travis Scott and promotor Live Nation as well as other individuals and companies, alleging they were responsible for the crowd surge. Drake made a guest appearance during Scott’s headlining set at the festival in Houston, Texas, on 5 November 2021.As the crowd surged, revellers were packed so tightly that many could not breathe or move their arms or legs.Those killed,…

The Abu Dhabi-backed vehicle that had been on the brink of buying The Daily Telegraph is in detailed talks with Whitehall officials about the structure of an onward sale of the newspaper.Sky News has learnt that RedBird IMI is negotiating with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) about whether it can convert a call option which constitutes the right to take ownership of the Telegraph and Spectator into shares in the assets prior to their purchase by a new owner. City sources said the discussions were key to the value that RedBird IMI could generate from the sale…

Comedians Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont have announced they are divorcing after nine years of marriage.In a statement, the couple said they had “jointly and amicably made the difficult decision to divorce and go our separate ways”. They added: “As our only priority is managing this difficult transition for our daughter, we would ask that our privacy is respected at this sensitive time to protect her well-being.”We will be making no further comment.”The couple have starred together in the mockumentary Meet The Richardsons – in which they play “exaggerated versions of themselves” – since 2020. The duo, who have a…

Newly-released figures suggest the UK will be out of its technical recession early this year, following two quarters in a row of negative growth in late 2023.Ian King discusses the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data about gross domestic product (GDP) with Victoria Clarke, chief UK economist at Santander corporate and investment banking. Also, the financial regulator has written to providers of motor finance reminding them they must maintain adequate financial resources.It is carrying out a review of discretionary commission agreements on car loans – a practice banned in 2021.Plus, the state-owned oil company of Abu Dhabi has reportedly…

Meta has lowered the minimum age to use the popular messaging platform WhatsApp.The move, which came into effect on Thursday, reduces the age limit from 16 down to 13 in the UK and EU. It has been criticised by a number of campaign groups who have urged the company to reverse the decision.Smartphone Free Childhood told Sky News that it was an example of “a tech giant putting shareholder profits first and children’s safety second”.A spokesperson for the group said: “Reducing their age of use from 16 to 13 sends a message to parents that WhatsApp is safe for children,…

The telecoms entrepreneur who turned Daisy Group into one of the industry’s most successful private companies is closing in on the latest in a string of significant takeover deals.Sky News has learnt that Matthew Riley, Daisy’s chairman, has orchestrated a £215m deal to acquire 4Com, a provider of cloud communications services to more than 17,000 corporate customers. City sources said the deal was expected to be signed within days and was likely to hand 4Com founder Daron Hutt a windfall worth more than £100m.Daisy is understood to have targeted 4Com because of its cloud communication product, HiHi, which has been…

Poor software and bias toward making only small, sequential changes is one of the reasons economic forecasters at the Bank of England failed to predict and prepare for the cost of living crisis, brought about by high inflation, according to a “once in a generation” review.The review announced last year was undertaken by the former head of the US central bank, known as the Fed, and said the quality of the Bank’s economic expectations “deteriorated significantly in the past few years” due to out of date software and “excessive incrementalism”. Economic shocks ‘by their nature difficult to forecast’Though the “unusually…

The government should use TikTok to help combat misinformation directed at young people, a group of MPs has said.Members of the cross-party Culture, Media and Sport Committee said ministers need to adapt to new apps and platforms that appeal to those who are increasingly turning away from traditional news sources. The call comes despite the app being being banned from official electronic devices and the UK Parliament’s network.Politics live: Rishi Sunak vows to secure high-paid jobs for veterans According to data from Ofcom, one in 10 people aged between 12 and 15 cite TikTok as their main source of news,…

Perrie Edwards has said that she’s never lived with her partner of eight years, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.The former Little Mix star is engaged to the ex-Liverpool footballer and they share a son together, two-year-old Axel. But she recently admitted that they have never lived together while speaking on this week’s Jonathan Ross Show on ITV1 and ITVX.Her partner is currently living and playing football in Turkey, with Edwards in the UK as she launches her solo music career while looking after Axel.She said: “I can’t lie, it is hard. When he was playing for Liverpool and based in Manchester, it was…

A former Post Office boss has said he wanted “most strongly” to record his personal apology to branch managers impacted by the Horizon IT scandal.As managing director of the group from 2006 to 2010, Alan Cook was at the helm when about 200 prosecutions were brought against subpostmasters. He said he was “unaware” it was the Post Office that had brought criminal proceedings.Hundreds of people were wrongly convicted of stealing after bugs and errors in the Horizon accounting system made it appear as though money was missing at their branches.Victims faced prison and financial ruin, others were ostracised by their…