Author: SKYNEWS

In recent years superhero, fantasy and animation have dominated the movie box office, making billions of pounds for franchises like Marvel and Star Wars. But their runaway success hasn’t been matched with top awards at the Oscars.But Barbie and Oppenheimer could, at this year’s awards, break that trend. Going back to the 1980s and 1990s, the trend had been that box office hits were often rewarded with Academy Award nods, as shown by our analysis of historic box office data and the Academy Awards Database.Read more: Oppenheimer leads Oscar nominations – with big nods for Barbie too But since the…

Completion of the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant has been delayed for up to another four years, according to the French company developing it.The final cost of the power station, which will be the UK’s first new nuclear plant in decades, could also end up being as much as £46bn. The start of electricity production at the site had been scheduled for June 2027 – but a re-evaluation of the schedule suggests that one of the two planned reactors in Somerset will not be ready until 2029.Another evaluation assumes it could be operational a year later, while a final scenario…

A man has been charged with harassment and stalking following complaints about an “emotionally disturbed male acting erratically” in the vicinity of Taylor Swift’s home, US authorities have confirmed.David Crowe, 33, from Seattle, Washington, was arrested near the pop star’s townhouse in the Tribeca neighbourhood in Lower Manhattan, New York, on Monday evening. He was then taken into custody, where he was charged. A New York Police Department (NYPD) spokesperson said: “Officers were approached by multiple complainants who pointed out an emotionally disturbed male acting erratically at the location.”Once officers observed the male harassing multiple complainants, they took him to…

“Fiscal headroom”. It is a desperately boring term, meaningless to many. Yet this bit of economic jargon may well have the power to swing the next election.It is thanks to fiscal headroom that the chancellor may be able to splurge on billions of pounds of tax cuts in the coming months, hoping to lift the Conservatives’ sagging polls. It is on the basis of “fiscal headroom” that Sir Keir Starmer will decide whether he can go ahead with his much-vaunted plans to invest untold amounts in Britain’s energy sector. All of which raises a rather important question – what is…

Oscar winner Kate Winslet has donated thousands of pounds to help a young girl with a rare eye condition.The British actress, best known for films including Titanic and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, and thriller series Mare Of Easttown, sent the donation and left a message for Lily-Rae Merchant-O’Hanlon on a GoFundMe page set up by her mother, Emma Merchant. Lily-Rae, 11, from Nottingham, was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, an inherited eye condition which causes blurriness in the central part of the eye, in December. Image: Pic: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP The condition affects one in 10,000 people according to…

The UK’s largest building society is dropping its cheapest mortgage rate to an eight-month low and significantly under the Bank of England’s base interest rate. From Wednesday, Nationwide will offer new remortgaging customers a 3.84% rate on a five-year fixed deal. Existing mortgage holders can get the low rate on additional borrowing and switcher deals, also on five-year offers.New members and first-time buyers can get a slightly higher five-year fixed rate of 3.85%.Money latest: Woolworths could return to UK high street As well as being below the Bank of England’s 5.25% base rate, such an offer is also below the…

Actor Gary Graham, best known for his roles in TV series Alien Nation and Star Trek: Enterprise, has died “suddenly” at the age of 73, his ex-wife has announced.Susan Lavelle shared the news on Facebook, where she called Graham an “amazing actor and father” to their daughter, Haylee. She said his wife Becky Hopkins was by his side when he died.”It is with deep profound sadness to say that Gary Graham, my ex-husband, amazing actor and father of our beautiful only child together, Haylee Graham, has passed away today,” Ms Lavelle said.”We are completely devastated, especially our daughter… this was…

On today’s show, we’ve got the latest reports about potential cutbacks at fund manager abrdn.Ian King speaks to Carina Namih, partner at Plural, about a new €400m (£342m) fund to back the next generation of start-ups. Yoko Spirig, co-founder and chief executive of Ledgy, discusses research showing almost three-quarters of UK tech companies would prefer to launch their initial public offerings in the UK over any other destination.Plus there’s the latest on UK public borrowing figures, and trading updates from Primark’s owner Associated British Foods.:: Listen and subscribe to The Ian King Business Podcast here. Source link

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 threat does it pose – and why are some people hesitant to get the vaccine? What are the symptoms of measles?The first symptoms of measles include:• A high…

Home Alone actor Devin Ratray has been treated in hospital – delaying a domestic assault trial, according to US media.The 47-year-old child star, who played older brother Buzz alongside Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister in the hit 1990s films, had been due to stand trial on Monday. Ahead of the planned start date in Oklahoma, his lawyers spoke with the judge overseeing the case, as well as the district attorney’s office, and said Ratray was in hospital, NBC Montana reported. Image: Ratray played Buzz in the Home Alone films. Pic: ©20th Century Fox/Landmark Media/Alamy The trial has been delayed indefinitely, the…