Business

Ministers are in talks with major US-based producers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in a bid to bolster Britain’s energy security. Sky News has learnt that the government is discussing substantial purchase agreements with companies including Cheniere and Venture Global. Sources said the talks were at a detailed stage although it was possible that they

Ringo Starr has decided to cancel the rest of his tour, citing a second positive Covid-19 test. He had canceled other shows when he tested positive, but a subsequent negative test saw him renew his commitment to performing the dates. The 82-year-old did not indicate if any makeup dates would be planned when he fully

Royal Mail has announced it will begin a process to make 5,000 to 6,000 roles redundant by August next year. The announcement, made in a trading update by the postal service’s parent company, has been blamed on industrial action taken by Royal Mail workers, delays in improving productivity and falling parcel volumes. A process of

Joe Biden continued his visit to Los Angeles on Thursday, as he headlines a fundraiser in Brentwood at the home of producer Marcy Carsey. Among those spotted at the event, per a pool report: Tom Ford and Rob Reiner. The event is to raise money for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, with tickets starting at

The head of the International Monetary Fund has delivered a blunt condemnation of the UK government’s mini-budget – pointing out government and Bank of England policies should not be working against each other. Kristalina Georgieva was speaking at a news conference in Washington after the government’s mini-budget unleashed chaos in the markets when it was

The future of Anthony Rapp’s $40 million sexual misconduct trial against Kevin Spacey suddenly became very uncertain this morning. Mere minutes after proceedings began today in the Manhattan federal courtroom of Judge Lewis A. Kaplan it was revealed that one of Oscar winner Spacey’s key defense lawyers Jennifer Keller has Covid-19. Fellow defense attorney Chase

A leading City lawyer has been shortlisted to become the next chief executive of the competition watchdog. Sky News has learnt that Ali Nikpay, a partner at the American law firm Gibson Dunn, is one of a handful of candidates said to have been interviewed to run the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the

Chris Colfer isn’t going out of his way to catch former Glee castmate Lea Michele’s appearance in Broadway’s Funny Girl. Speaking on Tuesday’s The Michelle Collins Show podcast, Colfer wasn’t cagey when the host asked him if he’d join her for a night out to catch a show. “Oh, no, are you seeing Funny Girl?” Colfer asked

The chancellor’s mini-budget “complicated matters” for the Bank of England as it battled to bring down inflation, the International Monetary Fund’s chief economist has told Sky News. In an interview at the IMF’s annual meetings in Washington, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas warned the coming years would “not be very pleasant” for the global economy. He also said

NBCUniversal parent Comcast has promoted CFO Mike Cavanagh to president, working closely with chairman-CEO Brian Roberts to manage the business and teams across the sprawling company. He’ll only be the third executive to hold that title in the company’s 59-year history, Comcast noted, and will also remain chief financial officer. “Today’s promotion will come as

The economy unexpectedly shrank in August, contracting by 0.3% on the previous month. The growth in July has also been revised downwards, from the previously recorded 0.2% to 0.1%. The Office for National Statistics released its latest reading on the UK’s performance as the government frets over the prospect of recession ahead, given the toll

Ariel Elias says she still hasn’t fully processed the incident at Uncle Vinnie’s Comedy Club Saturday night in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, a moment that’s since gone viral. “I still haven’t cried, and I know I need to,” she said today on Gianmarco Soresi’s podcast The Downside. “I think I’m feeling irritated at some of

The Bank of England’s governor has ruled out extending its bond-buying support for pension funds beyond Friday’s deadline, prompting a dramatic fall in the value of the pound. Andrew Bailey told an event in Washington that funds had “three days left… to get this done” after a series of interventions to support the “dysfunctional” market

UPDATED, 6:23 AM PT: Ron Herrera, the president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor who joined in the leaked audio conversation that has shaken City Hall leadership, has resigned. Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, head of the California Labor Federation, said in a statement on Twitter, “We are a movement of large organizations and deeply

The Bank of England has warned of “a material risk to UK financial stability” and “dysfunction” in part of the pension market despite its unprecedented intervention late last month. It comes after the cost of government borrowing continued to rise yesterday. Gilt yields, the interest rate payable on government bonds, rose on Monday, near the

Art Laboe, a revered Los Angeles radio mainstay for more than half a century who delighted local fans and a syndicated audience by playing those “oldies but goodies,” has died. He was 97. A post on his official Twitter account said Laboe died October 7 of pneumonia at his home in Palm Springs. Born Art

Mortgages continued to become more expensive despite the number of products on the market gradually increasing. The average mortgage interest rate on a two-year fixed term mortgage is now 6.3%, according to data compiled by financial information company Moneyfacts. A similar rise has taken place in the average five year fixed term mortgage, which has

Cast members from Veep and The West Wing reunited for a virtual fundraiser for the Wisconsin Democratic Party on Sunday, an event that was a mix of amusing memories, their own brushes with fame and warnings about what was at stake in the upcoming midterms. During the event, actors re-enacted an abortion-themed scenes from each

Power blackouts this winter are “extremely unlikely” this winter, Cabinet Office Minister Nadhim Zahawi has told Sky News. The Tory frontbencher also insisted there was no need for the government to spend £14m on an energy-saving public information campaign, given the advice already available. Mr Zahawi’s comments come amid concerns of power cuts with the