Author: SKYNEWS

US rapper Ja Rule says he is “devastated” after being denied entry to the UK – days before his tour begins.The Livin’ It Up star, whose real name is Jeffrey Bruce Atkins Senior, is due to kick off his Sunrise tour in Cardiff on Friday before further gigs in Liverpool, Nottingham, Leeds, Birmingham and London. But he says he won’t be on stage because he is not allowed to enter the country due to his criminal record, having previously served two years in prison on gun and tax evasion charges.”I’m so devastated. I can’t believe the UK won’t let me…

A cabal of senior public and private sector figures is proposing a new funding solution to help local authority planning departments unblock the logjam in planning applications across the UK.Sky News has learnt that a report to be published on Thursday by the Purposeful Finance Commission (PFC) will outline plans for a so-called ‘Pipeline Fund’ of private sector cash to increase capacity in local authority planning departments. Sources said that Michael Gove, the levelling-up secretary, and officials at his department had been briefed on the proposal.The Pipeline Fund would be independently administered and supplement the government’s Skills and Delivery Fund,…

An independent gun expert has cast new doubt on Alec Baldwin’s account of what happened when cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot on the set of the western film Rust.Firearms expert Lucien Haag gave evidence in court on Tuesday during the trial of the film’s armourer, Hannah Gutierrez, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. Ms Hutchins died after a gun held by Baldwin went off during rehearsals on the film set on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico, in October 2021. Image: Alec Baldwin, pictured on the set of Rust following the shooting, has not appeared…

MPs have raised concerns over the treatment of small businesses by major banks after figures showed more than 140,000 accounts were shut down by lenders over the past year.As part of an inquiry into access to finance, the Treasury Committee gathered information from eight banks, including the so-called big four, on how many business accounts had been shut down. The data showed that out of about 5.3 million accounts held by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), 141,620 were forcibly closed by banks – 2.7% of the total.The banks – Barclays, HSBC, TSB, Lloyds, Santander, NatWest, Metro Bank and Handelsbanken -…

Mobile phone customers face either a “huge” mid-contract price rise or a “crippling” exit fee from April, according to a watchdog.Which? says Virgin Media and O2 are expected to hike prices by up to 8.8% in April – the highest increase in percentage terms among major providers. The alternative is a potentially “exorbitant” exit fee, with its analysis suggesting their customers could face a combined cost of up to £692.37 if 12 months were remaining on their contracts.Money latest: Bitcoin spikes 10% in a single day as rare event looms Image: Pic: iStock Which? calculations suggest an in-contract Virgin Media…

Two men have been found guilty of the murder of Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay.His godson Karl Jordan Jr and childhood friend Ronald Washington were convicted of killing the DJ over what prosecutors said was revenge for being cut out of a cocaine deal. The 37-year-old victim, whose real name was Jason Mizell, was fatally shot in the head in his New York recording studio in 2002.It was one of hip hop’s most infamous killings, along with those of rap icons Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.Making his closing arguments, assistant US attorney Artie McConnell told jurors that “20 years is…

The production company behind series such as Doctor Who has secured a new deal with the Welsh government.The Welsh government says the £4m deal will ensure Cardiff-based company, Bad Wolf, shoots and produces between four and nine productions in Wales up to March 2027. The deal commits Bad Wolf to a minimum Welsh spend of £60m over the four-year period, according to the government.It says the investment will deliver a return of 15:1 based on its own projections.Other series produced by the company include I Hate Suzie, His Dark Materials and A Discovery of Witches. Deputy culture minister Dawn Bowden…

Adele has been forced to postpone her Las Vegas residency next month due to illness. The singer announced the update on social media, apologising to fans for the “inconvenience” and explaining she had not fully recovered after falling ill at the end of the last leg of her Weekends With Adele residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The 35-year-old postponed all five weekends in March but told her followers they would receive the later dates as soon as possible.”Sadly I have to take a beat and pause my Vegas residency,” Adele’s post read.”I was sick at the end of…

Forrest Gump and Apollo 13 star Gary Sinise has announced the death of his son Mac, 33, after battling a rare cancer.In a post on the Gary Sinise Foundation website the 68-year-old revealed his son died on 5 January. In a lengthy tribute to his son, he said: “Like any family experiencing such a loss, we are heartbroken and have been managing as best we can.”As parents, it is so difficult losing a child. My heart goes out to all who have suffered a similar loss, and to anyone who has lost a loved one.” Image: Gary Sinise starred in…

More than £1bn will be spent on compensating victims of the Post Office’s faulty Horizon IT software, according to a senior civil servant. Only the taxpayer is currently lined up to foot the bill, Carl Creswell, director of business resilience at the Department of Business and Trade, told MPs on the Business and Trade Committee. While Fujitsu “seem open” to contributing to the cost, the government is not currently negotiating with the Japanese software-maker on a figure, he said.To begin sum negotiations now may be “wrong”, said Mr Cresswell, the official tasked with overseeing one of the Post Office compensation…