
Sky News Business Podcast: Markets react to US strikes on Iran
Joining Darren McCaffrey are former secretary of state for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark, and AJ Bell's Russ Mould.
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Reuters
25 minutes ago
- Reuters
Exclusive: Trump Organization pays off loan on 40 Wall Street in New York
June 23 (Reuters) - The Trump Organization said on Monday it had repaid a $160 million loan on the 40 Wall Street office tower in Manhattan, of which analysts estimate about $114 million was outstanding. Trump has cited the building, which he said he bought for $1 million, as one of his most successful real estate investments ever. However, in recent years the building struggled with low occupancy and its income has been unable to cover debt payments. The loan was due for repayment in early July.


The Sun
27 minutes ago
- The Sun
‘Dead' English ghost town that lost its Wetherspoons & McDonald's is turning its fortunes around with £15million revamp
A 'DEAD' English ghost town which lost its Wetherspoons and McDonald's has turned around its fortunes with a huge £15m revamp. Some of the 64,000 locals living in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, have previously slammed their town for having "gone downhill rapidly" - but new investment aims to reverse this decline. 3 3 3 Kirklees Council has committed millions of pounds to update Dewsbury's market and to create a new park for residents. Officials say the updated market would have a "more varied, day-to-night offering" with more spaces for eating, drinking, socialising and events. On top of this, a new park would be constructed next to the market - offering the largest green space in the town with its own play area and seating. Councillor Graham Turner said: "Once we unveiled our updated plans for Dewsbury Market, the adjoining park was very much the missing piece. "These are both aspects of the town we know local people greatly care about, and they have a huge part to play in Dewsbury's future." The Sun had reported in 2023 how locals in the town felt it had been ruined by drunks and people smoking cannabis - adding that it had lost several shops and pubs. This included Dewbury's Wetherspoons, McDonald's, and Mecca Bingo hall. But now, residents will likely feel hopeful that this new £15m investment could give the town a new lease of life. Kirklees Council said the new park is intended to 'transition smoothly into the market's outdoor offering' before eventually merging with the indoor market. Other improvement works can be found in the town, with the Dewsbury Arcade - which lies adjacent to the market - set to reopen next year, around the same time work on the market and park is due to begin. Our posh village is now ghost town strewn with empty homes Once all the respective work is complete, the number of trees in the town centre would greatly increase, Kirklees Council added. Officials said that the area surrounding the connected park and market would also benefit as the nearby Foundry Street would be earmarked for greening and pedestrian-friendly plans. Previously, residents had explained how they were sickened by the town's state. Speaking in 2023, Matthew, 43, told YorkshireLive: "It's a bit grim. People tapping and drunks bothering people. "And cannabis raids. It stinks and turns my stomach." Domesday English town is transforming its seafront with splash park, pop-up markets & new walkways in £7.2m makeover A DOMESDAY English town is transforming its seafront with a splash park, pop-up markets and new walkways in a £7.2m makeover. It is hoped the improvements will attract more visitors to boost the town's economy. Improvements to Littlehampton's seafront between East Beach, South Terrace and Windmill Road got underway in the autumn. The town, seaside resort and civil parish sits in the Arun District of West Sussex. The work is being funded by a £7 million levelling up fund from the government and it is hoped the improvements will attract more visitors to boost the town's economy. The revamp includes new toilets and beach showers, improvements to the car park, including electric vehicle charging points, walkways and new sustainable planting. A new water play area and a pop-up marketplace off Banjo Road with four fixed stalls will also come to the beach. An activity hub is also planned to include a bouldering wall, beach volleyball, petanque and basketball courts. Waterfalls, rock pools and water jets will be installed for the water play area. There will also be social spaces throughout the development to include pergolas, picnic tables and benches, that will be shaded by new trees and plants. Chris Butterworth, 60, added that the closure of his favourite local pubs and shops had left him " depressed", saying the town had "gone downhill rapidly". Jo, 49, added: " It is run down and the shops are closed, with undesirable people. "I would not walk through Dewsbury after dark. I would be too scared." Elizabeth Cleal, 21, and her mum Sarah Jones, 42, both agreed the town was "dead", with shops shutting left, right, and centre.


BBC News
29 minutes ago
- BBC News
Swansea University graduate applied for 646 roles before getting a job
After applying for more than 600 jobs, university graduate Caitlin Morgan almost felt like giving up hope of finding as she was becoming demotivated, the 23-year-old's persistence was rewarded as she was offered a job as a trainee accountant after her 647th after 18 months of job hunting, Caitlin was left wondering if going to university for four years and getting a degree was worth research from the Institute of Student Employment shows competition for graduate roles is at a "record high" as estimates suggest there were 1.2 million applications for 17,000 graduate vacancies last year. Setting herself a target of sending two applications a day, Caitlin was immediately rejected 150 times without feedback and did not hear back from 271 other applications."I put so much effort into my applications and so much time that when I didn't hear back from them that I just wondered what made my application not worthy of feedback?" she completed a year in industry as part of her finance and accounting degree at Swansea University and hoped it would help her stand out when applying for she has a spreadsheet filled with rejections dating back to September 2023. "I worked hard for my degree and had experience so was thinking, was it worth it?" said Caitlin from south Wales."There was a period where I was feeling completely demotivated and didn't believe in going to university or getting degrees." Caitlin thinks the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by companies as part of their filtering process could be a reason why she did not get very far in some said initially her CV wasn't written in a way that could be read by a resume screening programme called ATS (applicant tracking system), where AI reads CVs."I was just getting straight rejections whereas after adjusting it, sometimes you'd be invited to an assessment after you've applied," said Caitlin. "Had I have known that from the get go, that would've helped me with my other applications."She reached the assessment stages for 221 of the roles she applied for and had five final interviews before getting a data estimates an average of 140 applications were received for each available graduate job in 2024. The Institute of Student Employment spoke to 145 companies that hired almost 40,000 new students and the body said applications were the highest for 30 years - a more than 50% rise from figures showed that for finance roles like the ones Caitlin applied for, an average of 188 applications were submitted for each months of uncertainty after graduating last year, Caitlin has been offered her first degree-level job and will move from her home in Tintern, Monmouthshire, to London to become a trainee accountant in September. "It was exactly what I wanted and is offering all the courses I want to do in finance," she said. "I just wished it would've happened a bit quicker."Despite Wales having the lowest proportion of graduates in the UK workforce, the group that represents universities believes the demand for graduate-level skills will grow by 2035."While we recognise that today's job market presents real challenges for many people, research shows that a degree continues to boost lifetime earnings, career prospects and personal development," said a Universities Wales spokesperson."University offers a transformative experience that not only benefits individuals but also strengthens our communities and economy."Thousands more students are now preparing to follow in Caitlin's footsteps this Williams is getting ready to start his role as Bangor University Student Union's Welsh officer for 12 months, before returning to education next year. "I think I'll apply to be on a teachers' training course in history, a career pathway I've always been interested in," said the Huw knows what the next year looks like for him, the future is not so clear for fellow Bangor graduate Alaw Simpson. The 21-year-old is returning home to nearby Anglesey in north Wales where she hopes to find her first graduate-level said: "I want to move on from education and try something different."It is a worry because it can be very difficult to find professional jobs these days." Recruitment experts have said many employers now focus on attitude and personal behaviour."Getting your first job post-education is the biggest step because you might not necessarily have a lot of experience," said James Fortnam of Robert Half Recruitment."I think there's a lot of noise with employers with a sheer number of applicants for an opportunity, so it's really difficult for clients to whittle that down."It's really important applicants tailor their CV to the opportunity." Mr Fortnam has said some firms use technology to help assess applicants' skills."Companies will use software tools to match somebody's CV to the job," he said."Because they won't have had huge volumes of experience, typically a lot of graduates sometimes appear lower on that matching capacity."