Author: SKYNEWS

An emergency vote on Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest has been called off following developments in the Middle East, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has said.Contest organisers had scheduled “an extraordinary meeting of [its] general assembly to be held online” in early November after several countries said they would no longer take part in Eurovision if Israel participated. The EBU said in a statement that following “recent developments in the Middle East” the executive board had agreed on Monday that there should be an in-person discussion among members “on the issue of participation in the Eurovision Song Contest…

The leisure venue operator behind Flight Club darts and Electric Shuffleboard will this week announce an expansion of its financing firepower as it seeks to meet growing consumer demand for ‘competitive socialising’.Sky News understands that Red Engine, whose brands occupy dozens of venues in the UK and overseas, has landed an additional £10m in debt financing from a syndicate comprising Barclays, HSBC and Santander UK. Money blog: Big retirement age surprise awaits 14% of BritonsThe funding, which will be announced on Wednesday, augments a £60m lending facility agreed with the trio of banks in April last year.Red Engine’s growth comes…

There seem to be plenty of colds going around at the moment – so here’s a possible aid you might not have considered: peppermints.Newly published research from scientists at Cardiff University says sucking on them can increase alertness in people who are ill with the common cold. They monitored 81 students over 10 weeks, during which time 17 developed a mild illness.Six of them were given peppermints, six were given butterscotch, and five were not given any sweets at all.Of the 64 who remained healthy, 21 sucked peppermint, 22 were given placebo sweets, and 21 did not eat any. All…

Back in 1977, the Beatles became the first act to be honoured for their outstanding contribution to music at a London ceremony that would later become the Brit Awards.Ever since then, for more than 40 years, the show has taken place in the capital; the link was celebrated by Sabrina Carpenter and her dancing beefeaters earlier this year, and Dua Lipa when she arrived on stage in a stylised Tube carriage for her performance in 2021. The annual Mercury Prize, another of the industry’s most significant awards ceremonies, has also taken place in London every year since it launch in…

Lloyds Banking Group has set aside a further £800m to cover estimated costs associated with the car finance mis-selling scandal.The bank said the sum took its total provision to £1.95bn. It had been assessing the impact since the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) revealed last week it was consulting on a compensation scheme, with up to 14.2 million car finance agreements potentially eligible for payouts.The regulator had previously found that many lenders failed to disclose commission paid to brokers, which could have led to customers paying more than they should have between April 2007 and November 2024.Money latest: How much a…

The Princess of Wales touched a few nerves this week when she warned that smartphones and computer screens were creating “an epidemic of disconnection” within families.In an essay co-authored by a Harvard professor, Kate wrote: “We’re raising a generation that may be more ‘connected’ than any in history while simultaneously being more isolated, more lonely, and less equipped to form the warm, meaningful relationships that research tells us are the foundation of a healthy life.” Image: Kate, Princess of Wales, caused division among social media users over her comments on screentime. Pic: AP Her words caused ripples on social media,…

Actress Diane Keaton, who starred in films including The Godfather and Annie Hall, has died aged 79.Keaton’s daughter, Dexter Keaton White, confirmed her death in California to Sky’s US partner network NBC News. With a long career, across a series of movies that are regarded as some of the best ever made, Keaton was widely admired.She was awarded an Oscar, a BAFTA and two Golden Globe Awards, and was also nominated for two Emmys, and a Tony, as well as picking up a series of other Academy Award and BAFTA nominations. Image: Diane Keaton, with her best actress Oscar for…

Legal & General (L&G) is plotting a swoop on the workplace pensions provider owned by NatWest Group, the FTSE-100 lender, as its chief executive seeks to grow its share of the UK retirement market.Sky News has learnt that L&G is among a handful of suitors which have expressed an interest in acquiring Cushon from NatWest. This weekend, City sources said there was “significant” competition to buy the business and L&G was not certain to be the eventual buyer.If a deal with L&G does transpire, Cushon would augment a master trust business which manages more than £36.5bn in assets, making it…

An Irish start-up is hoping to have the UK’s first food drone delivery pilot scheme operating in 2026, subject to regulatory approval.With a fleet of specially designed 23kg quadcopters, Manna Aero has carried out more than 200,000 food delivery flights in west Dublin, Espoo in Finland and Texas. As the company aims to expand, its CEO Bobby Healy said the UK “would be our most important market in Europe. It’s by far the biggest delivery market today. We think our product maps really well onto the UK high street, particularly”. Image: The company operates in west Dublin, Finland and Texas.…

Drake’s defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us has been dismissed by a federal judge.Judge Jeannette A Vargas said Lamar’s lyrics accusing Drake of being a paedophile were not defamatory because they were “nonactionable opinion”. The Canadian rapper had sued Universal Music Group (UMG) – which releases both artists’ music – and Lamar was not named in the lawsuit.In a written opinion published on Thursday, the judge described “the vitriolic war of words” that erupted in spring 2024 as “perhaps the most infamous rap battle in the genre’s history”.The feud led to nine tracks back and forth…