Author: SKYNEWS

Directors of BP were meeting on Tuesday evening to finalise the appointment of Murray Auchincloss, the company’s acting chief executive, as its permanent boss.Sky News can reveal that the FTSE-100 oil major’s board has gathered at a central London hotel to agree the details of Mr Auchincloss’s appointment as the successor to Bernard Looney. The decision is likely to be announced later on Tuesday or before the London stock market opens on Wednesday morning.If confirmed, it will prolong BP’s record of never having appointed an outsider to its top executive job in its 116-year history.Mr Auchincloss has served on the…

A cloned rhesus monkey has survived for more than two years and has led to “valuable insights” into the scientific process, according to experts.Scientists in China used a modified version of the same technique that was used to create Dolly the sheep, the world’s first cloned mammal. Out of the 113 cloned embryos, 11 were implanted into surrogate monkeys, but only one survived. It has been named ReTro.The team said that although the success rate of producing viable and healthy clones is low – less than 1% in this case – it pushes forward the understanding of primate cloning. The…

Kate Beckinsale has announced the death of her stepfather, the TV director Roy Battersby, and has said she has “no words” to describe the loss.Mr Battersby, 87, was best known for his work on detective dramas including Inspector Morse, Cracker and A Touch Of Frost. He had suffered “a massive stroke” and was being treated in hospital in Los Angeles, where the actress lives. He was also battling two forms of cancer, which were diagnosed last summer. Instagram This content is provided by Instagram, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission…

Rich Ricci, the former Barclays executive, is to emerge as the boss of Panmure Liberum, a new mid-market investment bank that will be created this week from the merger of two of the City’s leading brokers.Sky News has learnt that Panmure Gordon and Liberum, both of which are privately owned, will announce on Tuesday that they are to combine in an all-share deal that will create the largest adviser to London-listed companies. Sources said on Monday night that the deal would see Mr Ricci appointed as chief executive of the enlarged group, with Bidhi Bhoma, the Liberum chief, becoming deputy…

The spacecraft which attempted the first US moon landing in more than 50 years is to be allowed to “burn up” during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, the company behind the mission has said.Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic said it had made the “difficult decision” to maintain the craft’s trajectory and was working with NASA and the space community to take the “safe and responsible” course of action. The Peregrine lander developed a “critical” fuel leak hours after its launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on 8 January.The company said it had been “evaluating” the best and safest way to end the…

Controversial commentator Katie Hopkins has been criticised for mocking ITV presenter Kate Garraway after the death of her husband, Derek Draper.Draper was said to be one of the UK’s longest-suffering COVID patients, spending 13 months in hospital after contracting the virus in March 2020, and died earlier this month.In a video posted on X, Hopkins – who has one million followers on the site – wrongly claimed ITV was set to air a documentary titled “Life after Derek”, with Garraway releasing a book to go with it.Neither claim is true, but the former Apprentice contestant added that “he’s only been…

The world’s five richest men have more than doubled their fortunes to £688bn in three years – while the wealth of the poorest 60% has fallen, according to Oxfam.It says the first trillionaire could emerge within a decade but that poverty won’t be eradicated for 229 years. The charity’s report, Inequality Inc, comes as business and political leaders meet for the World Economic Forum in the upmarket Swiss ski resort of Davos.It’s traditionally used the occasion to highlight the divide between rich and poor, but this year says the gap has been “supercharged” since the pandemic.The fortunes of Tesla boss…

Plans for a new government information campaign to tackle the explosion in online fraud have sparked divisions among major banks over concerns about its cost and potentially conflicting public messages.Sky News has learnt that the Home Office has in recent weeks been in discussions with major lenders including Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group and Santander UK, as well as the industry lobbying group UK Finance, about an initiative that will join roughly a dozen existing fraud campaigns. The Home Office is said to have earmarked a multimillions pound budget for the drive, which is expected to launch in the coming months…

Zombie fans can rejoice as it appears a new sequel to much-loved horror flick 28 Days Later is in the works.Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, the director and writer of the 2002 film, are set to reunite for the movie – named 28 Years Later. They are said to be planning a trilogy of sequels.The Hollywood Reporter said multiple sources had confirmed the project would be offered to “studios, streamers and other potential buyers” this week.It said Boyle was lined up to direct the first sequel, while Garland would write all three films, which would reportedly each have a budget…

The UK economy returned to growth in November, according to official figures that are being closely watched amid fears the prospect of recession remains on a knife edge.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported an early estimate for output growth of 0.3% for the month – recovering from a 0.3% decline witnessed in October when many weather-sensitive sectors were hit by heavy rain. The data showed retail was a major contributor to that growth as Christmas shopping got into gear with Black Friday sales.Despite that, there are two scenarios under which a recession – that’s two consecutive quarters of contraction…