The government is working to persuade Vauxhall’s parent company to commit to future production at its Ellesmere Port plant, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has said. Stellantis says it will decide the fate of the Cheshire plant, which employs around 1,000 people directly, “in the coming weeks”. Ellesmere Port currently makes the Astra, a model which
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UPDATED, 3:47 PM PT: The second impeachment trial of Donald Trump will start the week of February 8, giving time for the former president’s team to prepare its defense and for the Senate to confirm Joe Biden’s cabinet nominees. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer gave the timeline on Friday. The article of impeachment against Trump
Asos, the online fashion retailer, has emerged as the surprise frontrunner to buy TopShop from the administrators to Sir Philip Green’s former high street empire. Sky News has learnt that Asos has moved into pole position to buy the brand for more than £250m, days after a consortium led by Next withdrew from the race.
Another week during the coronavirus pandemic, another grim milestone for Los Angeles County. Los Angeles has exceeded 15,000 total coronavirus-related deaths, Public Health officials announced on Saturday. The county has counted a total of 15,162 deaths and 1,064,887 confirmed Covid-19 cases. Saturday’s stats show 269 new deaths and 10,537 new cases. There are also 6,881
The London Stock Exchange is hatching plans to create a £300m listed vehicle aimed at bolstering the survival chances of companies hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Sky News has learnt that David Schwimmer, the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) chief executive, has been spearheading talks with top City figures and the Treasury about establishing
There was good news and bad news on the LA Covid-19 front on Friday. On the one hand, the key numbers were down virtually across the board. On the other hand, with virus variants worrying officials and the region’s vaccine rollout sputtering, there was concern of another surge. “Cases have peaked at about 15,000 a
French authorities have said they are ready to give financial support to the struggling Eurostar. The country’s junior transport minister, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, told a parliamentary hearing in Paris he was talking with the UK government about ensuring the cross-Channel train operator survives the coronavirus pandemic. He said the French state would be “at Eurostar’s side
California on Monday recorded by far the highest number of Covid-19 deaths it has seen over the course of the pandemic. But the shocking loss of 764 lives may not have been the biggest virus-related news in the state. Nor was the generally better news on Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations. On Friday, the Associated Press
Retail sales in 2020 saw the largest annual fall since records began in 1996, as retailers continued to suffer from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite a 0.3% rise in sales volumes during December, the figure for 2020 as a whole saw sales down 1.9%, with clothing sales slumping by more than a quarter.
Speaking from Dodger Stadium, which he proposed was the country’s — and possibly the world’s — “largest Covid-19 vaccination site,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that Los Angeles’ five vaccination sites have already administered vaccines to more than 80,000 people. The mayor said that, on Wednesday alone, the Dodger Stadium facility delivered a staggering
Next has pulled out of the bidding for TopShop as the auction of Sir Philip Green’s former high street empire enters its closing stages. Sky News has learnt that a consortium comprising Next and Davidson Kempner Capital Management, a US investment firm, have withdrawn from a process being run by Arcadia Group’s administrator. The surprise
Dr. Anthony Fauci led his first Covid-19 press conference for the Biden Administration on Thursday. Asked about newly-confirmed President Joe Biden’s directive to “be completely transparent,” Fauci called it “liberating.” The nation’s foremost infectious diseases expert then went on to confirm that, while the United States may be seeing a “plateauing” of its Covid-19 numbers,
Ladbrokes owner Entain has appointed Jette Nygaard-Andersen as the first female chief executive of a major listed British gambling group. The announcement, confirming a move first reported by Sky News, adds to the small number of women who are FTSE 100 bosses. They also include Severn Trent’s Liv Garfield, Whitbread’s Alison Brittain and NatWest chief
New numbers from the Los Angeles Department of Health Services seem to confirm one of health experts’ worst fears. Officials long have warned about an exponentially increasing number of deaths should hospitals become overwhelmed by Covid-19 cases and patients no longer can receive the same high standard of care. Estimates released Wednesday by L.A. Health
Pressure is mounting on the UK and French governments to agree financial aid for Eurostar, the cross-Channel rail operator, as it fights for survival. The company admitted late last year that the continuing COVID-19 crisis, which has forced it to slash services from a normal level of more than 50 trains a day to just
Democrats took control of the Senate for the first time since 2015, as Vice President Kamala Harris swore in her appointed successor, Alex Padilla, as well as Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, who won their races in Georgia earlier this month. “I need to catch my breath, so much is happening,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer
Inflation rose to 0.6% last month as clothing prices edged higher following extended Black Friday discounting the month before. The consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation was up from 0.3% in November and a little higher than the expected figure of 0.5%. Clothes prices increased fractionally during December over a period when they usually
Tom Holland unveiled a handful of details about Disneyland’s newest ride inspired by his Marvel superhero, Spider-Man. In a video posted on Tuesday, the Cherry and Onward actor gave fans and theme park enthusiasts a rundown on what to expect when the upcoming attraction opens up for business. “Peter has started an initiative called W.E.B.,
HSBC has announced plans to shut 82 UK branches this year after a shift towards telephone and internet banking. The bank said it would “aim to redeploy all customer service colleagues who are impacted… into suitable nearby locations” but did not immediately say how many jobs were affected. HSBC said the decision reflected “local market
Fangoria is expanding its genre-driven empire with Fangoria Studios. The entertainment and publishing company is teaming with Circle of Confusion for the newly launched banner to develop and produce film, television, and podcasts using the Fangoria, Starlog, and Gorezone brands with a focus on sci-fi and horror projects with global appeal. Circle of Confusion is