Author: SKYNEWS

The new City minister will on Thursday hail the government’s ambition to orchestrate a “renaissance” of London’s capital markets as he unveils fresh details of proposals for a new platform that will allow investors in private companies to trade shares.Sky News has learnt that Bim Afolami, who replaced Andrew Griffith as economic secretary to the Treasury in November, will use a speech on Thursday to reiterate the government’s determination to press ahead with its financial services regulatory reform agenda ahead of the next general election. Sources said on Wednesday that Mr Afolami was expected to disclose that a new intermittent…

Raye leads the shortlists for this year’s Brit Awards with a record seven nominations – after leaving her label and taking a gamble as an independent artist.The singer-songwriter is up for prizes including best new artist, artist of the year, and album of the year for her debut record, My 21st Century Blues, and also has two entries in the song of the year category. It caps a stellar new beginning for the singer, who topped the charts at the start of 2023 and was also shortlisted for the prestigious Mercury Prize following a public dispute with her former label…

The Abu Dhabi-backed vehicle trying to buy The Daily Telegraph is proposing to amend its corporate structure in a bid to ease opponents’ concerns about media freedoms.Sky News has learnt that RedBird IMI has told ministers it will establish a new UK-based holding company for the Telegraph titles following weeks of complaints from parliamentarians and journalists about the £600m deal. Whitehall sources said on Wednesday that Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary, was expected to update the House of Commons by saying that a fresh public interest probe would be required to scrutinise RedBird IMI’s acquisition of two of Britain’s most…

Glasgow Film Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a special programme of events coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the city’s arthouse cinema.The famous Glasgow Film Theatre opened in 1974 after it developed from its first incarnation as Scotland’s first-ever purpose-built arthouse cinema – which opened in 1939. Glasgow Film Festival (GFF), the cinema’s celebration of independent filmmaking from around the world, launched in 2005.The festival will run from 28 February to 10 March and will feature 11 international premieres, 69 UK premieres and 15 Scottish premieres.It will open with the UK premiere of Love Lies Bleeding, starring Hollywood…

In today’s episode, Ian King discusses Ofcom’s plans for the future of Royal Mail, and what it means for customers.Chris Hayward, policy chairman at the City of London Corporation, talks about research showing the UK capital is the world’s top global financial centre.And he’s joined by Kenyatte Nelson, Co-op’s chief membership and customer officer, to delve into proposals to expand the firm’s retail business.:: Listen and subscribe to The Ian King Business Podcast here. Source link

Harry and Meghan have been spotted on the red carpet in Jamaica, attending the premiere of a film celebrating the life of Bob Marley.The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were photographed with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness in Kingston, who is accelerating plans to make the Caribbean nation a republic. Mr Holness previously told William and Kate during their 2022 tour to the Caribbean that Jamaica was “moving on” and intended to “fulfil our true ambitions and destiny as an independent, developed, prosperous country”.The couple were also pictured with Jamaica’s minister of legal and constitutional affairs, Marlene Malahoo Forte, at…

EasyJet says the conflict in the Middle East is expected to deliver a £40m hit to the airline by the end of March.The no-frills carrier and rivals suspended flights to Israel and Jordan after Israel began its retaliation against Hamas for the 7 October attack in the south of the country. The decision immediately trimmed 4% of its typical flying programme.EasyJet said on Wednesday that weaker demand for trips to Egypt had also been seen but despite the knocks to revenues, it had reduced losses in the final three months of 2023 – its first financial quarter.Money latest: Millions will…

Measles cases are surging, prompting a warning to parents to make sure children are fully vaccinated against the potentially deadly disease. Measles is highly infectious and can result in “life-changing complications”, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Despite the seriousness of the illness, vaccination rates have been falling.If that trend isn’t reversed, outbreaks of the virus are likely to spread, the UKHSA warns.What are the symptoms of the virus, what should you do if you think your child has it – and why are some people hesitant to get the vaccine? What are the symptoms of measles?The first…

A Conservative MP is urging ministers to extend a probe into the prospective takeover of The Daily Telegraph, warning that the Abu Dhabi-backed vehicle which wants to acquire it may already be exerting “material influence” over the newspaper.Sky News has learnt that Neil O’Brien, a former health minister who sits on the Tory backbenches, wants the culture secretary to issue a public interest intervention notice (PIIN) which encompasses RedBird IMI’s repayment of a £1.2bn debt to Lloyds Banking Group on behalf of the Barclay family. Mr O’Brien said that while Lucy Frazer had been right to issue a PIIN focused…

Netflix saw a surge in new subscribers at the end of last year, attributed in part to the streaming giant bringing in a ban on password sharing.The crackdown on password sharing, which started last May in a number of countries, hindered people in different households from using the same account. It appears to be having the desired effect of prompting people to open their own accounts – as the company added 13.1 million worldwide subscribers in the last three months of 2023.It was the third consecutive quarter in which Netflix boosted its subscribers, outstripping the 8.8 million subscribers gained in…