The future of LV= was thrown into confusion this evening when members of the UK’s second largest mutual life insurer narrowly rejected a takeover by private equity group Bain Capital. The board of LV=, which was formerly known as Liverpool Victoria, had urged its 1.16 million members to support the £530million takeover. However, with 75% of
Ghislaine Maxwell’s fourth accuser has recalled the moment she was left “frozen” after the British socialite allegedly told her to undress and massaged her breasts. Warning: This report contains graphic descriptions of alleged sexual abuse of a child. Annie Farmer, who is the only one of four accusers to give evidence under her full name,
The government has been “presented with some very challenging new information” about the Omicron variant and will keep restrictions “under review”, Michael Gove has said after he chaired a meeting of the COBRA emergency committee. Mr Gove headed the talks with first ministers and deputy first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to discuss
The UK will have more than one million Omicron cases by the end of this month if current trends continue unchanged – but booster jabs provide 70-75% protection against symptomatic infection, says the Health Security Agency. The UKHSA said in a statement: “It is projected that if current trends continue unchanged, the UK will exceed
Sir Lewis Hamilton has failed in his bid to win a record eighth F1 world title after a last-lap drama in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After leading for almost all of the race, the 36-year-old British driver was overtaken on the final lap by championship rival Max Verstappen in controversial circumstances. It means Red
US inflation has hit a 39-year high in the latest sign of a cost of living squeeze for consumers in the world’s biggest economy. Figures from America’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed consumer price index (CPI) inflation hit 6.8% last month, the biggest year-on-year surge in prices since June 1982. The reading, which was
Foreign ministers of the world’s most powerful free nations converge on Liverpool this weekend for a meeting likely to be dominated by Russia’s threatening military build-up on the borders of Ukraine. The gathering comes days after Britain’s new head of armed forces issued a stark warning about the risk of war with Russia. Admiral Sir
It was only a matter of time before two of the largest growing fields in the last few years, micromobility and cryptocurrency, combined their influences. Major micromobility retailer Voro Motors has just announced that it is now accepting Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) as a payment method. As the largest cryptocurrencies gain wider acceptance as
A Shell logo seen at a petrol station in London. A court in The Hague has ordered oil giant Shell to reduce its carbon emissions by 45% compared to 2019 levels by 2030, in what is widely seen as a landmark case. SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images LONDON — Shareholders of oil giant
With more than a hundred thousand Russian troops now amassed on Ukraine’s border, Western forces now fear a new armed incursion. President Joe Biden warned that if Russia invades Ukraine as is feared, he will bring down the might of US sanctions on Mr Putin’s country in a way that will exact ‘a very real
Last month, CNN reported that Parwana and several other underage girls were being sold by their fathers so other members of their families could eat. After an international outcry as a result of CNN’s story, Parwana was returned to her family due to the backlash from the community against the buyer. CNN’s Anna Coren has
An Inbetweener, a detective from Brooklyn, an esteemed TV actor and the former queen of the I’m A Celeb castle all walk into a theatre. But there’s no punchline – instead we get a critically-acclaimed supernatural thriller that will spook audiences over the Christmas period. London’s Gielgud Theatre is home for a second run of
In this article ORCL A sign is posted in front of Oracle headquarters on December 09, 2021 in Redwood Shores, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Shares of Oracle were up more than 13% during premarket trading on Friday after the company reported earnings and revenue that beat analyst estimates for the second quarter of
7:01 AM ET Sidney Crosby hears a lot on the ice during an NHL game. Cheers and jeers. The cacophony of trash talk, interrupted by a few goal horns. But as the years have passed, Crosby’s started to hear something else: Opponents openly confessing that they had the Pittsburgh Penguins star hanging on their bedroom
There are pictures from parties in Downing Street during strict COVID restrictions that will “inevitably get out”, the prime minister’s former chief adviser has said – as two polls showed the Tories being overtaken by Labour. Dominic Cummings, who left Number 10 last November, made the claim about the images on his Twitter account. Downing
The company behind the controversial Cambo oil field has said work on the project is being paused – after oil giant Shell pulled out last week. Siccar Point, which owns 70% of the North Sea project off Shetland, said it would now “evaluate next steps”. The project has become a focal point for campaigners seeking
In the UK he’s probably best known for his comedy, but in Hollywood Jack Whitehall is establishing himself as a family film star. Earlier this year he brought the light-relief in Disney’s Jungle Cruise as the brother of Emily Blunt’s lead character, and now he’s starring as the immature uncle of a young girl in
Holly Humberstone has won the 2022 Brits Rising Star award ahead of the main ceremony next year. The award, which in the past has been won by the likes of Adele and Sam Smith, recognises those who are likely to go on to have successful careers in music. She was shortlisted against viral artist Bree
The High Court has reversed a decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the US, where he is wanted for publishing classified documents. Mr Assange, 50, is wanted in America over an alleged conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information following WikiLeak’s publication of several hundred leaked documents relating to wars in
The prime minister’s standards adviser has had further talks with Number 10 after an official investigation contradicted Boris Johnson’s claim he knew nothing about how the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat was being funded. Questions have been raised about Lord Geidt’s future in the wake of the development, but Boris Johnson’s spokesman said the