Author: SKYNEWS

Two of England’s mayors have outlined their proposals to revive rail in the Midlands and North post-HS2, insisting they “won’t accept a do-nothing scenario”. Greater Manchester’s mayor, Andy Burnham, and his West Midlands counterpart, Andy Street, teamed up after the government axed the northern leg of the high speed rail project last year, and are trying to find an alternative to improve services between the cities with the help of the private sector. Now the pair have offered up three options – from smaller upgrades through to a whole new line – they believe would provide “real benefits” to both…

A crew member has died following a fall on the set of the new Marvel series Wonder Man.The man, a rigger, fell from a catwalk on to a stage at the Radford Studios just outside Los Angeles on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Police Department said. A spokesperson for Marvel confirmed the man’s death and the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner identified him as 41-year-old Juan Carlos Osorio of Temple City, California.”Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident,” a Marvel spokesperson said.Riggers…

Uber has announced its first full-year profit after bookings rose by more than a fifth in the last three months of 2023.The American company’s revenue for the quarter rose by 15% in the three months to December 30, compared with the same period in 2022. Dara Khosrowshahi, the chief executive, said that 2023 marked a year of “sustainable, profitable growth for Uber” after the company benefited from a shift in consumer spending away from retail towards services.Use of the ride-hailing app has recovered since the pandemic, and the company’s finances have been supported by the successful launch of its food…

A scam website impersonating legitimate phone network Lyca Mobile has found a way to reach the top of Google searches, Which? has warned.Google allows companies to pay for verified adverts, meaning their sites can feature at the top of relevant searches, but they need to pass an advertiser identity verification process beforehand, which is aimed at weeding out dodgy pages. But the consumer champion says a scammer mimicking Lyca Mobile has managed to bypass the verification check, allowing them to put a “persuasive” ad at the top of search listings in an attempt to take consumers to a copycat website…

Former Neighbours star Holly Valance has described “leftie” ideas as “crap” and backed Jacob Rees-Mogg for prime minister.The actress, model and former singer, who topped the charts in the UK and Australia with her hit song Kiss Kiss in 2002, made the comments at the launch of former prime minister Liz Truss’s Popular Conservatism – or “PopCon” – movement on Tuesday. Valance, who attended the rally in Westminster with her British property tycoon husband Nick Candy, described the speakers as “fantastic” in an interview at the event.Politics Live: Sunak faces Starmer at PMQs Image: Jacob Rees-Mogg has Holly Valance’s support.…

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…