Author: SKYNEWS

Dame Helen Mirren and Kylie Minogue are among eight women honoured with their own Barbie likenesses ahead of International Women’s Day. Actress Dame Helen, the 78-year-old star of The Queen, Elizabeth I, Gosford Park, Calendar Girls, the TV series Prime Suspect and the narrator of the Barbie movie, has been chosen as a UK Barbie role model by the toy’s maker Mattel. She said she was “absolutely blown away” by the news.”It’s a very special thing and something I can add to my list of my favourite achievements – becoming a Dame of the British Empire, having an Oscar, having…

The Coventry Building Society has enlisted the Wall Street behemoth JP Morgan to strengthen its proposed takeover of the Co-operative Bank.Sky News has learnt that the Coventry has drafted in JP Morgan to work alongside KPMG on the deal, nearly three months after entering exclusive talks to buy its rival high street lender. The appointment comes as an exclusivity period to negotiate the terms of the deal continues, ahead of its planned expiry at the end of this month.The Coventry’s bid for the Co-operative Bank would effectively remutualise the latter and create a financial services powerhouse with sclose to £90bn…

The Princess of Wales’s uncle has accused Meghan of “creating drama” between Kate, William and Harry.Appearing on Celebrity Big Brother, Gary Goldsmith also said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could not “throw your family under a bus in such a dramatic style” – referring to “books” written by Meghan and Harry – and still be expected “to be invited round for Christmas”. He added on Tuesday night’s episode: “I have the opinion that Harry was really, really, really loved, massively loved, and when they were a threesome – Kate, William and Harry – were really comfortable together, loved.”And then…

Graduates in their 20s are earning less in real terms than they were before the 2008 financial crash, and are £1,200 worse off than they were at the start of the pandemic on average, despite recent cuts to national insurance.Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has teased further national insurance cuts in his upcoming budget, following on from the recent decrease announced in his autumn statement. It could be welcome news to some who have seen their pay packets squeezed over recent years as a result of the cost of living crisis, though economists have warned tax cuts would be unaffordable and would…

<a href='https://news.sky.com/story/advertising-watchdog-reverses-ruling-that-fka-twigs-poster-was-overly-sexualised-13087829'>Ban on 'overly sexualised' FKA twigs ad overturned</a> Source link

The private equity giant which owns a stake in Six Nations Rugby is plotting to revive plans for an Amsterdam stock market listing within weeks.Sky News has learnt that CVC Capital Partners, which has its head office in London, is considering launching another attempt to go public as soon as next month. No firm decision has yet been taken to proceed with a listing process, and it could yet be delayed beyond the spring or early summer, according to City sources.CVC, which was preparing to float last autumn, is expected to seek a valuation of well over $15bn.Since it aborted…

Arguably the most famous white shirt in history – worn by Colin Firth as Mr Darcy in the 1995 TV adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice – has sold at auction for £25,000. In an iconic scene, the aristocratic Mr Darcy emerges from a lake soaking wet in the shirt after a swim, before he unexpectedly bumps into his blushing love interest, Elizabeth Bennet (played by Jennifer Ehle). The white linen garment went under the hammer in London on Tuesday as part of the Lights, Camera, Action sale of creations by BAFTA and Academy Award-winning costumier, Cosprop.It was listed…

Jeremy Hunt has promised to help families with “permanent cuts” in tax ahead of today’s budget.The chancellor, who is expected to announce a 2p reduction to national insurance (NI) in what could be the last major fiscal event before the next election, said “lower tax means higher growth”. While he did not confirm what taxes he plans to slash, Sky News understands that a cut to NI is on the cards and the 5p freeze on fuel duty will be extended.Money: What 2p cut to national insurance means for your payMr Hunt is also said to be considering: • A…

Madonna has told fans she “couldn’t walk” after her “near death experience” last summer, when she spent time in intensive care for a serious bacterial infection.The pop icon, 65, was rushed to hospital last June and forced to reschedule the North American leg of The Celebration Tour, marking the 40th anniversary of her musical career. Opening the first of five performances at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, Madonna said the illness was a “surprise” and thanked a “very special man” in the audience, her doctor David Agus.”When I was sick this summer, and I literally couldn’t walk from my…

Young drivers with automatic-only licences face paying £760 more for car insurance than those who can also drive a manual vehicle, according to new figures.In what is described as a “concerning” rise, figures from comparison site Compare the Market show motorists under 25 with automatic licences now pay £2,803 on average. That is a year-on-year increase of £916.It is a concern for the increasing number of drivers taking automatic-only tests, with DVLA data showing that 138,354 passed in an automatic car in 2022-23.That figure was 34,749 in 2012-13. “The increasing cost of car insurance is concerning for young drivers across…