Author: SKYNEWS

“Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!” wrote poet John Betjeman in 1937.The scruffy trading estate west of London may only have got uglier since. But it’s definitely not somewhere you’d want to obliterate. Slough is now Europe’s largest data hub and the second largest in the world.Nearly every foreign exchange transaction passes through a single data centre here.Others handle 95% of card purchases in the capital, not to mention the majority of data traffic on the global internet, from AI models to cat videos. And that demand is growing – by around 35% a year according to industry data.But…

Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan will receive a knighthood, documents published by the government show.His wife, movie producer Emma Thomas, is to receive a damehood. British filmmaker Nolan won a best director Oscar this month for his biopic Oppenheimer, which also won the prize for best picture and swept the awards season.He had previously been nominated for six Academy Awards.Born in London to a British father and American mother, Nolan read English at University College London, choosing the school because of its filmmaking facilities. It is also where he met his future wife, Thomas, with whom he has four children.Nolan and…

High margins for fuel retailers may mean drivers are still paying over the odds at the pump, according to the competition regulator.In a monitoring report, following its fuel market study of 2022, the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) said fuel margins – the difference between what retailers pay for their fuel and the price they sell it at – remained “concerning”. The watchdog previously found motorists were overcharged by £900m in 2022 due to supermarkets failing to pass on cuts from falling oil prices.In its latest update covering the end of October last year to the end of February, the…

Sam Bankman-Fried was breathlessly described as a wunderkind – a boy wonder transforming the world of finance.Renowned for his messy hair and unkempt appearance, he graced the covers of Forbes and Fortune, who pondered whether he could become the next Warren Buffett. The 32-year-old was the founder of FTX, which had quickly become the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange – a place where investors could buy and sell digital assets like Bitcoin. Image: Larry David appeared in an advert for FTX during the Super Bowl in 2022 Star-studded adverts featuring the tennis player Naomi Osaka and the comedian Larry David added…

The war between Mickey Mouse and Ron DeSantis appears to be over.Allies of the outspoken Florida governor and Disney have reached a settlement in their court battle over how Walt Disney World in the Orlando area is developed in the future. The agreement brings to an end almost two years of litigation sparked after Mr DeSantis’ takeover of a special tourism district from Disney supporters following the company’s opposition to Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law. Image: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Pic: AP The controversial 2022 law bans classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades and…

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…