Author: SKYNEWS

On today’s episode, Ian King speaks to the chief executive of Pandora about the jewellery firm’s latest results.He also discusses a merger between housebuilder Barratt Developments and its smaller rival Redrow.And the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering’s been awarded to two pioneers of wind power – Ian chats to the chairman of the foundation about green energy.:: Listen and subscribe to The Ian King Business Podcast here. Source link

The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has given an interview to the controversial US media personality Tucker Carlson.The two met on Tuesday and the interview is set to air on Thursday, according to reports. It marks the first time that Mr Putin has been interviewed by Western media since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago. Image: Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Moscow last week about the 2024 Russian presidential election. Pic: Reuters Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the interview was granted because Mr Carlson’s approach differs from the “one-sided” reporting of traditional Western news media.”When…

The owners of The Daily Telegraph are scrambling to find a buyer for Yodel, the parcel delivery group they own, as part of efforts to untangle their web of corporate and financial interests.Sky News has learnt that advisers to the Barclay family have accelerated efforts in recent days to secure new owners for Yodel, and are in talks with a number of trade bidders and potential financial buyers about a deal. Among the parties which has expressed an interest in buying Yodel, according to industry sources, is The Delivery Group, a privately held company based in Cheshire.Money latest:How much you…

Housebuilder Barratt Developments has agreed a £2.5bn deal to buy rival Redrow, claiming the combined company would “accelerate the delivery of the homes this country needs”.The financial terms of the all-share combination, being unanimously recommended by Redrow’s board, represent a premium of approximately 27.2% to Redrow investors, the statement said. The valuation was based on the closing price for Redrow shares on Tuesday.Each Redrow shareholder will get 1.44 new Barratt shares for each Redrow share under the deal.It would result in them owning almost a third of the new company, which is to be called Barratt Redrow. The statement by…

Rishi Sunak’s plan to build HS2 between London and Birmingham but not extend it to Manchester will be “very poor value for money”, cross-party MPs have warned.The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which examines government spending, said there are “many uncertainties” in the assessment that it was better to complete Phase 1 of the project than cancel the whole thing. The group also said it is “highly sceptical” that the Department for Transport (DfT) will be able to attract the private investment needed for the planned central London terminus at Euston.The report stated: “HS2 now offers very poor value for money…

An amateur photographer from the UK has won a prestigious Wildlife Photographer Of The Year award with this emotive shot of a polar bear sleeping in a makeshift bed carved into a small iceberg.Nima Sarikhani captured the image off Norway’s Svalbard archipelago after spending three days “desperately searching” for the animals through thick fog. After his expedition vessel changed course, he eventually encountered two polar bears – and witnessed the smaller male bear making his bed before falling asleep.The picture, titled Ice Bed, has been crowned the winner of the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer Of The Year people’s choice…

The annual cost of enjoying a moderate standard of living in retirement has risen by £8,000 in a year, according to the pensions industry body.The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) put the yearly price of a retirement income deemed “moderate” for a single person at £31,300 for 2023 to 2024 – up from £23,300 a year earlier. The increase has come due to the rising cost of living – as food inflation and energy bills remain high – and higher expectations about retirement lifestyles.A “moderate” level of retirement means retirees can afford a monthly meal out and financially help…

Taylor Swift’s lawyers have threatened legal action against a student who tracks the movements of her and other celebrities’ private jets.Jack Sweeney is the creator of social media accounts that log the takeoffs and landings of planes and helicopters owned by billionaires, politicians, and other public figures. His accounts gained traction at the start of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine for tracking the private jets of Russian oligarchs.Mr Sweeney also became involved in a high-profile spat with Elon Musk, in November 2022 over the tracking of the X and Tesla owner’s private jet.The University of Central Florida student said on…

Police investigating allegations of serious misconduct, including sexual assault, at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) say they are “not able to progress further criminally” with 10 claims looked at to date.Sky News has learned that City of London Police currently has just one matter that officers are continuing to examine. The CBI said it understood that it did not relate to a current member of staff or the organisation itself.The business lobby group’s very future was threatened when, last spring, the Guardian newspaper published a series of historical sexual misconduct claims by staff and former workers.Its report in April…

The head of the US aviation regulator said the current safety system is “not working”, that the body is increasing its oversight of Boeing and reviewing its practice of delegating some safety tasks to the beleaguered airline.It followed an early January mid-flight blowout where a door plug blew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9 Alaska Airlines aircraft. The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), which on Tuesday appeared before US politicians of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, subsequently grounded all 171 of the MAX 9 jets and placed an unprecedented ban on raising production volumes within the entire 737 MAX fleet…