Author: SKYNEWS

The owners of Riviera Travel, one of Britain’s biggest providers of escorted foreign tours for the over-55s, have hired bankers to prepare a sale of the company.Sky News understands that Silverfleet Capital, which has owned Riviera since 2017, has hired Baird, the investment bank, to oversee an auction later this year. Riviera runs river cruises as well as holidays to destinations in Europe, India and South Africa.Money latest: Why you should look out for candles at a house viewingFounded in 1984 by Michael Wright, it was initially backed by private equity firm Phoenix Equity Partners in 2014. The value of…

Japanese manga comic creator Akira Toriyama, best known for his work on popular titles like Dragon Ball and Dr Slump, has died aged 68, his publisher has said.He died of acute subdural haematoma, a type of bleeding near the brain, on 1 March, Bird Studio, the company he created, said in a statement on Friday. Announcing the news “with deep regret”, the statement said “he would have many more things to achieve”, but “he has left many manga titles and works of art to this world. Image: Akira Toriyama in 1988. Pic: The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Image: A memorial…

Any party you’ve been to over the last 10 years is likely to have featured a caterpillar cake.Now, researchers have answered the ultimate question: which is the best? Marks and Spencer’s Colin the caterpillar and Aldi’s Cuthbert the caterpillar might have been the cakes in the headlines in recent years, after M&S accused Aldi of copying its design.But a blind taste test by consumer watchdog Which? has found that the Co-op’s Charlie the caterpillar is the best cake – edging out all competitors with its “ultimate combination” of chocolate, sponge and buttercream.The Co-op’s Charlie, at a cost of £8 for…

Rupert Murdoch is engaged again at the age of 92.The former Fox and News Corp chairman, and Sky News founder, plans to marry his girlfriend Elena Zhukova, a retired molecular biologist. The wedding will be held in California, at Mr Murdoch’s vineyard and estate, Moraga, a spokesman for the media mogul said on Thursday.The New York Times, which first reported the news, said Ms Zhukova, who is from Moscow, is 67.Last year, he called off an engagement to former San Francisco police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith. Mr Murdoch, who turns 93 next week, divorced his fourth wife Jerry Hall in…

The founder of AJ Bell, one of Britain’s biggest funds supermarkets, has criticised Jeremy Hunt’s proposed British ISA as “a white elephant” that will fail to support UK-based companies.Speaking to Sky News, Andy Bell, who still owns a big stake in the company he took public in 2018, said the chancellor’s plan “would confuse the ISA landscape” – and said he could not guarantee that AJ Bell would offer British ISA products. The initiative was one of the flagship measures unveiled in Mr Hunt’s budget this week, offering savers the chance to increase their tax-free savings pot each year from…

BBC Radio Scotland presenter Nick Sheridan has died aged 32, the broadcaster has announced.Confirming his death, head of news and current affairs at BBC Scotland Gary Smith paid tribute to him, calling him “wonderful” and “hugely talented”. He wrote on X: “We’re devastated to hear news our colleague and friend, Nick Sheridan, has died.”Nick has been a wonderful colleague. He was a hugely talented journalist, presenter and author – and one of those rare people who light up the lives of everyone around them.”Funny, clever, kind. A lovely man. “Our hearts go out to his parents, to his partner and…

The chancellor has unveiled the budget for 2024. Here are the key points: • National insurance contributions for employees are being cut from 10% to 8% from April – impacting about 27 million workers – with savings of up to £450 a year.• Self-employed NI rates will drop by two percentage points as well.• Higher rate of property capital gains tax will be reduced from 28% to 24%.• The non-dom tax status has been abolished. It means foreign nationals who live in the UK, but are officially domiciled overseas, will no longer be able to avoid paying UK tax on…

This budget was delivered just 105 days after the autumn statement and it showed.The overwhelming message was that, politically and economically, not enough has changed since November to give the chancellor the means or motivation to deliver a truly significant moment. Monthly pay calculator shows if you’re really getting a tax cutJeremy Hunt’s speech was a rabbit-free zone, a series of pre-briefed tweaks and extensions to existing policy, most notably the 2p cut to employees’ national insurance, and a couple of shameless land-grabs of Labour policy to cover the £10bn price tag, including reform of “non-dom” status and an extension…

The Princess of Wales’s uncle, who is currently appearing on ITV’s Celebrity Big Brother, has said she is getting the “best care in the world”.But Gary Goldsmith declined to talk further about Kate’s health due to a “code of etiquette”. There has been huge speculation on social media about the princess’s health after she underwent abdominal surgery earlier this year and has been absent from royal duties.Love Island winner Ekin-Su Culculoglu asked Goldsmith in footage shown on Wednesday’s edition of the show: “Where’s Kate?”He replied: “Because she doesn’t want to talk about… The last thing I’m going to do is……

Labour is demanding the Tories spell out how they will pay for a “reckless” plan to abolish national insurance contributions. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said in his budget it was his long-term ambition to “end this unfairness”, while an email sent to Tory members said “we’ll be able to make progress towards that goal in the next parliament”. Politics Live: Braverman joins Tory critics of budget announcementsTreasury minister Bim Afolami also confirmed the plan to Sky News on Wednesday, telling the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge: “We want to eliminate that double tax on work.”Labour said the move would cost £46bn…