Author: SKYNEWS

A legaltech firm backed by Google’s venture capital arm will this week stake a claim to an industry first when it swoops on Woodstock Legal Services, a bricks-and-mortar law firm.Sky News has learnt that Lawhive, which is run by co-founder and chief executive Pierre Proner, will on Thursday announce that it has concluded a deal to buy Woodstock, which specialises in property law and conveyancing among a full range of legal services. The terms of the deal are not expected to be disclosed.Lawhive’s acquisition of Woodstock will, it says, be a landmark moment for an industry which is proving to…

A major new blood test which could revolutionise the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is being trialled on UK patients with early symptoms, researchers have said.People with suspected dementia are being recruited via memory clinics across the country to see how well the test, which measures the protein p-tau217, works in the NHS. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and is linked to the build-up of two key proteins in the brain called amyloid and tau.P-tau217 is considered a promising biomarker which shows both amyloid and tau are present in the brain.A team led by University College London (UCL)…

BBC director-general Tim Davie has told MPs that “we may see more things coming out” after being asked for assurance there will not be another “scandal of BBC talent abusing their position”.He told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee: “I think things have changed since we last talked to the committee, we are seeing people call it out, and that is a positive change, but it’s ongoing work. “I don’t think you can change culture in six months and suddenly say nothing’s going to occur.”We may see more things coming out, because in some ways I’m asking for it, and…

The deal that finally settles the real-life succession drama of the Murdoch family was driven by a desire to preserve the animating forces of the media mogul’s remarkable career; power and money.Rupert Murdoch’s empire was built on the foundations of a news business that astutely served right-of-centre audiences on three continents. First in his native Australia, then the UK, and finally in America, his titles and channels reflect and sometimes make the political weather. Preserving that influence and the income that comes with it was his priority when, two years ago, he tried to oust three of his children from…

The boss of Nvidia, the chipmaker which has become the world’s most valuable public company, is among the corporate chiefs lining up to accompany US President Donald Trump on next week’s state visit to the UK.Sky News has learnt that Jensen Huang, the Nvidia chief executive who has presided over the stratospheric rise in its valuation to more than $4trn, is expected to attend a state banquet at Windsor Castle hosted by King Charles during the trip. Sources said on Monday that Sam Altman, the boss of OpenAI; Larry Fink, chairman and chief executive of asset management behemoth BlackRock; and…

New work by street artist Banksy has appeared on the wall of the Royal Courts of Justice in London – showing a judge attacking a protester with a gavel – in an apparent reference to the arrest of hundreds of demonstrators.The artwork, which is on the Queen’s Building at the courts complex, has already been concealed by large sheets of black plastic and two metal barriers. The artist, whose identity is the source of constant speculation, posted a photo of the work on Instagram before it was covered up.He included the caption: “Royal Courts Of Justice. London.”A protester is seen…

Once upon a time if folks wanted to pinpoint the most economically-vulnerable country in Europe – the one most likely to face a crisis – they would invariably point to Greece or to Italy.They were the nations with the eye-wateringly high bond yields, signalling how reluctant financiers were to lend them money. Today, however, all of that has changed. The country invariably highlighted as Europe’s problem child is France.Indeed, look at the interest rates investors charge European nations and France faces even higher interest rates than Greece. And these economic travails are central to understanding the political difficulties France is…

The public is being asked to prepare for the risk of flooding with above-average rain and wind likely this autumn.The Met Office is picking up higher chances of a strong jet stream and westerly winds in the long-range forecast, raising the risk of a wet, windy, and potentially stormy season. Get your local weather forecastAlthough the heavy rain and wind aren’t guaranteed, if they do hit, western and northern parts of the UK are expected to bear the brunt.Meanwhile eastern and southern areas may experience drier conditions than the national average. And the unsettled weather is unlikely to eliminate the…

Crystal was 18 when bone cancer changed her face. On top of chemotherapy and operations, she had to deal with other painful realities too.She told Sky News: “Pre-cancer, and everything that happened I wasn’t aware how people who had facial differences were villainised or victimised. Image: Crystal before her diagnosis “Experiencing that, seeing the trauma, I’ve been so affected by people staring at me in the street, and hate comments about my appearance.”She believes part of the problem is the screen portrayal of visibly different characters: “There’s a narrative in Hollywood, especially that’s been going on for years, that people…

Britain’s biggest high street lender is closing in on a deal to buy Curve, a provider of digital wallet technology that its new owner hopes will give it an edge in the race to build smarter online payments systems.Sky News has learnt that Lloyds Banking Group could announce the acquisition of Curve for about £120m as soon as this week. City sources said this weekend that the terms of a transaction had been agreed, although a formal announcement could yet slip to later in the month.Lloyds has been in talks with Curve about a takeover for some time, with Sky…