Author: SKYNEWS

In terms of glamour and escapism, it doesn’t get much bigger than the Baftas and, while this weekend, the great and the good from British cinema will be getting ready to party, further down the food chain for those working behind the scenes there’s little cause to celebrate.New research conducted exclusively for Sky News by the broadcasting union BECTU paints a bleak picture of what life is really like for ordinary workers within the British TV and film industry. Thousands got in touch to report a dire shortage of paid work, with many saying they’re stressed, some even suicidal, taking…

Homes in London took twice as long to sell as properties in Scotland last year, according to new figures from Zoopla.Houses and flats for sale in the capital were on the market for an average of 40 days in 2023 – compared to 20 days north of the border, the property listings website said. Properties in Wales were available for an average of 35 days, while the typical timespan was 32 days for a home in both the West Midlands and in Yorkshire and the Humber.Across Britain as a whole, Zoopla said the average property was on the market for…

The family of Beach Boys star Brian Wilson are seeking a conservatorship over concerns about the 81-year-old’s health.Court documents obtained by several US outlets claim the musician is suffering from a “major neurocognitive disorder (such as dementia).” A statement on Wilson’s website from his family confirms two family representatives will serve as co-conservators.The move was made “after careful consideration and consultation” with Wilson, 81, along with his children, doctors and housekeeper, and came after his wife of 28 years, Melinda, died in January.”Brian will be able to enjoy all of his family and friends and continue to work on current…

Last year was a tumultuous one for NatWest Group.The lender was engulfed in a damaging row over ‘debanking’, during which it lost its highly regarded former chief executive Dame Alison Rose. NatWest confirmed this morning – as reported earlier this week by Sky’s Mark Kleinman – that Paul Thwaite, the bank’s former commercial banking chief who has been doing the job on an interim basis since Dame Alison’s resignation, will become chief executive on a permanent basis.The debanking row, with the former UKIP leader Nigel Farage, also cost Peter Flavel, the former Coutts chief executive, his job.What it does not…

Taylor Swift has donated $100,000 to the family of a woman killed during Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebrations.Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a local radio DJ, was killed in the shooting, which left more than 20 injured. Three suspects, including two children, have been arrested after the attack on Wednesday.Swift, whose boyfriend Travis Kelce was in Kansas City for the celebrations after his team won the Super Bowl at the weekend, shared her condolences with Ms Lopez-Galvan’s family through a message on a GoFundMe page. Image: Local DJ Lisa Lopez-Galvan died in the shooting Pic: Facebook Image: Lisa Lopez-Galvan (second from right).…

Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary, has urged English football’s 92 professional clubs to resolve their differences over an £800m-plus financial settlement as the government prepares to launch plans to establish the sport’s first independent regulator.Sky News has learnt that Ms Frazer held separate talks with Premier League and English Football League (EFL) club executives this week, during which she told them not to wait until the new watchdog is established to put the finishing touches to their “New Deal”. Sources close to the discussions, which took place on Thursday, said the culture secretary had indicated that legislation to set up…

OpenAI has shared a first glimpse at a new tool that instantly generates videos from just a line of text.Dubbed Sora after the Japanese word for “sky”, OpenAI’s tool marks the latest leap forward by the artificial intelligence firm, as Google, Meta and the startup Runway ML work on similar models. The company behind ChatGPT said that Sora’s model understands how objects “exist in the physical world,” and can “accurately interpret props and generate compelling characters that express vibrant emotions”.In examples posted on their website, OpenAI showed off a number of videos generated by Sora “without modification”. One clip highlighted…

Singapore has done a deal to ensure Taylor Swift doesn’t perform anywhere else in southeast Asia, Thailand’s prime minister has claimed.Srettha Thavisin said promoter AEG informed him of the agreement that Swift will not do any other The Eras Tour shows in the Association of South East Asian Nations. Speaking at the iBusiness Forum 2024 in Bangkok, he claimed that he was told the Singapore government offered $2m to $3m (£1.6m to £2.4m) per show in exchange for exclusivity on the island.Swift has six sold-out shows scheduled in Singapore at the 55,000-seat National Stadium in March.”The Singapore government is astute,”…

Energy bills are projected to fall by an average of 15% – equivalent to £293 in annual savings – as a mild winter meant high gas storage levels. A closely watched forecast by Cornwall Insight indicates energy bills from April to June will drop to £1,635 a year for the typical user. By comparison, average yearly costs from January to March stood at £1,928. For the rest of the year, however, bills will be lower, Cornwall anticipates.Such a drop would result in the lowest energy bills in two years.Read more:What is the energy price cap – and how will it…

Retail sales have grown significantly – far exceeding expectations – as consumer spending bounced back in January.The 3.4% increase in retail sales is more than double the 1.5% rise forecast by analysts – and suggests the economy is recovering. On Thursday, the UK officially entered recession after two consecutive three-month periods of contraction – and poor retail performance was partly to blame.The January bump in retail sales more than compensates for a shock fall in the key Christmas shopping month of December, where a 3.3% fall was recorded, after the number was revised downwards by the Office for National Statistics…