Business

The £4bn flotation of Darktrace, one of Britain’s most prominent technology companies, has been dealt a severe blow by the resignation of one of the investment banks hired to lead it. Sky News has learnt that UBS, the Swiss bank, has informed Darktrace that it is no longer able to work on the cybersecurity provider’s

Los Angeles County will again reserve the majority of its available Covid-19 vaccinations again next week to provide second doses for those ready to receive them, with county-operated large-scale sites exclusively administering second doses, health officials said Friday. “Next week the majority of appointments at our vaccination sites will continue to be for second doses,”

The worst GDP since the invention of GDP. By now we’re mostly all familiar with the scale of the economic contraction this country has faced over the past year. We have lived the lockdowns, the furloughs, the closures. Even so, the scale of the fall in economic output still takes the breath away. Image: Bank

UPDATED with WarnerMedia plans. ViacomCBS, Disney and WarnerMedia have staked out familiar ground during mid-May for their upfront pitches to advertisers, but early signs indicate that 2021 will see continued rethinking of the annual ad-buying ritual. The ViacomCBS event will be held May 19, in virtual form due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions on travel and

The coronavirus crisis meant the UK economy endured its deepest annual slump last year since the Great Frost in 1709, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said early estimates, subject to revision, showed that gross domestic product (GDP) tumbled by 9.9% in 2020. It was a consequence of large parts of

Food exports to the European Union fell by as much as 60% at the start of the year as traders and officials struggled to adapt to post-Brexit arrangements, MPs have been told. Ian Wright, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), said changes since Britain’s trade deal with Europe came into force on

Yet another veteran of Buffy the Vampire Slayer has publicly offered support for Charisma Carpenter after her allegations yesterday of abuse and “misconduct” by Joss Whedon on the supernatural series. Like Carpenter herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Michelle Trachtenberg and Amber Benson, Eliza Dushku took to social media today to tell her co-star “I admire, respect,

Royal Dutch Shell has revealed a new set of targets to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, with carbon intensity reductions to include third party oil and gas the company sells as products. The energy company, which has received criticism from institutional investors over the power behind its earlier climate ambitions, said a “comprehensive carbon

WarnerMedia plans to light up streaming service HBO Max in 39 territories across Latin America and the Caribbean in late June, marking the first international presence for the streaming service. When European territories like Spain, Portugal, Central Europe and the Nordics join the footprint later this year, WarnerMedia expects HBO Max to be operating in

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has urged the EU not to pick a fight over post-Brexit access for financial services and accused it of demanding tougher standards of the UK than other countries. Brussels has been slow to grant “equivalence” status allowing UK firms access to the bloc in the way that has already

EXCLUSIVE: Asher Angel, who starred opposite Zachary Levi’s title superhero in Shazam!, has signed with Atlas Artists. In the 2019 New Line/DC hit, Angel played Billy Baston, the foster teenager who can transform into superhero Shazam. He is set to return for the sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which begins production in May. The original grossed

Britons might not be able to enjoy a holiday either in the UK or abroad this summer, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has admitted. The government will next week introduce fresh border measures – including new testing requirements and hotel quarantine stays for some – in a bid to reduce the risk of new COVID variants

Hollywood has officially arrived in the small market town of Wales – population 65,000 – with Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia actor Rob McElhenney completing their takeover of local soccer club Wrexham. The deal was officially approved by the UK Financial Conduct Authority last week, concluding one of the more

Twitter has revealed that changes to the platform designed to combat misinformation ahead of the US election had resulted in a “small but measurable” hit to user numbers. The social media company made the disclosure as it published results showing better than expected quarterly sales and profits for the three months to the end of

In celebration of Black History Month, the Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) and the Black Artists Group will host a webinar on February 16 that will explore the contributions of Black animation pioneers. The discussion, titled Drawing Ourselves: Being Black in Animation, will feature the personal journeys of panelists Everett Downing Jr., co-director of the

UK and Irish residents returning from 33 “red list” countries will have to pay £1,750 to quarantine in hotels for 10 days, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has told MPs. As part of a new quarantine system due to come into force from Monday next week, the government has booked 4,600 rooms across 16 hotels for

Despite a ratings slip for Fox News in recent weeks and the specter of a pending lawsuit over 2020 election fraud claims by its hosts, Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott has been signed to a multi-year extension. Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch announced the re-upping during the company’s fiscal second-quarter earnings call with Wall

Inequality problems have been made worse for many women during the pandemic with government economic support policies “skewed towards men”, MPs have found. The report by the Commons women and inequalities committee said that while ministers acted quickly to protect jobs and adapt welfare benefits, gender disparities were ignored. Pregnant women and new mothers in

Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations have dropped by 77% and 44% over the past month, respectively, said LA County Health Officials on Monday. That’s great news for the country’s hardest-hit region. The question remains, however, if new variants of the virus will create another surge. LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said on Monday that,

Boohoo is to pay £25m for Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton in a deal set to catapult the fashion brands to an online-only future at the expense of thousands of high street jobs. The online fashion specialist, which has already snapped up the Debenhams name amid the COVID-19 bloodbath for physical retailers, said it was