Author: SKYNEWS

For months businesses have been anticipating the impact of a range of tax and regulatory measures announced by the government in the budget and in the weeks since.They will start to apply to companies, employees and ultimately consumers from April. Money blog: Follow latestHere we take a look at the various measures imposed either from 1 April, or the start of the new financial year on 6 April.Business rates The controversial new business rates regime applies from 1 April.Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the changes would deliver “permanently lower” rates for retail, hospitality and leisure, paid for by the largest properties,…

Ever since Australia banned its young people from social media, governments across the globe have been considering following suit.It comes amid mounting concerns over the impact of social media on children’s health and safety. It’s been four months since under-16s in Australia were banned from using platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram. While only one other country has since implemented a straight blanket ban, many have taken steps to regulate online platforms.Here is a summary of which countries already have rules in place for social media, as well as those proposing a stricter ban.Australia Australia’s landmark law came into…

Millions of motorists who were mis-sold car finance agreements are due to receive £829 on average in compensation, it has been announced.But why is this happening, and who can make a claim? Sky News explains… The scandalWhen you buy a car on finance, you are effectively loaned the money for the vehicle, which you pay off in monthly instalments. These loans carry interest, organised by brokers (the people who sell you the finance plan).These brokers earn money in the form of a commission (which is a percentage of the interest payments).Before January 2021, some car finance lenders had what was…

The countdown has begun for the launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission around the moon.

This spring, the most valuable commodity in agriculture is not sunshine or even rain, it is fertiliser.By some estimates, up to half of global production of crops and livestock depends on the magical combination of minerals and chemicals that make up synthetic fertiliser. But the Iran war is pushing up prices and squeezing availability of this fundamental element in the food chain at the start of the European and Asian growing season.British fertiliser importers, farmers and growers have told Sky News that rising costs are squeezing food producers, and, in time, will trigger a food inflation spike for consumers. Prices…

Scientists say they have discovered a new condition behind one of the most common genetic causes of severe epilepsy in children.The condition – named recessive RNU2-2-related neurodevelopmental disorder – leads to seizures and severe developmental delays before children are a year old.Experts estimate millions of people could be carriers of the faulty gene behind the disorder.Children with the condition suffer seizures that can cause them to jerk, stiffen, shake and lose consciousness.It can also take them longer to learn to walk and talk, and sufferers may have significant learning problems.Researchers from the University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation…

First a Grammy, then the Brits – now singer-songwriter Olivia Dean is queen of the MOBO Awards, picking up three of the top prizes.Dean was named best female act at the ceremony, held at Manchester’s Co-op Live, and bagged both the album and song of the year prizes for chart-topper The Art Of Loving and its hit track, Man I Need. The star, whose music blends pop, funk and soul, was also among the night’s performers, alongside acts including FLO, Aitch and Myles Smith, and a grime medley featuring Chip, D Double E, Nolay, Scorcher and Wiley, curated by DJ…

Former hedge fund manager Crispin Odey “bullied” colleagues not to introduce measures at his firm to protect women, a tribunal heard.The hearing on Thursday also heard accusations that the 67-year-old threatened to close the company, Odey Asset Management (OAM), in order to put pressure on its governing body. Mr Odey is taking legal action against the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) after it fined him £1.8m and banned him from the UK finance industry last year over how he handled disciplinary processes into his alleged sexual misconduct at OAM.FCA lawyers told the Upper Tribunal in London that a report published by…

For months, the UK has felt like it’s barrelling towards banning under-16s from social media. Spurred on by Australia’s ban, campaigners and MPs have brought the idea of a teenage ban into the UK’s mainstream, and now the government is consulting the public on what it thinks should happen. Among adults, it’s a popular idea; a YouGov poll found that nearly three-quarters of UK adults want to ban under-16s from social media. It’s easy to understand why; we’ve reported on countless horror stories of parents finding their children dead in bedrooms after being exposed to harmful content. We’ve covered sextortion,…

The family of a musician who was seriously injured in a racist attack have criticised the police’s handling of the investigation, saying there have been “multiple failings” in communication.Boyan Chowdhury, a founding member of indie band The Zutons, was left with a significant head wound after being hit with what is believed to be a piece of wood, near to his home in Wavertree, Liverpool, on Saturday afternoon. Speaking to Sky News earlier this week, he said he could have been killed but that he did not have faith in the way the incident was being dealt with.He shared graphic…