Author: SKYNEWS

The long-awaited Oasis reunion tour would represent a big boost to not only Liam and Noel Gallagher’s respective bank balances but the UK economy as a whole, according to experts.Confirmation on Tuesday that the warring brothers had put aside their differences to plan 14 dates – with two of those in Dublin – prompted a frenzy of interest in the British Isles and also overseas. An investment analyst at AJ Bell said the 2025 stadium shows had the “potential” to bring as much as the £1bn cash injection a report by Barclays said the economy had enjoyed from Taylor Swift’s…

The owner of Ted Baker will on Wednesday announce that it has struck a deal with an American group to re-establish an online presence in the UK, days after its remaining retail stores were shut for good.Sky News has learnt that Authentic, which has owned Ted Baker since 2022, has struck a deal with United Legwear and Apparel Co (ULAC) to operate an e-commerce presence for the brand in Britain and Europe. ULAC, which has partnerships of varying kinds with clothing brands including Skechers, Puma North American, Scotch & Soda and DKNY, is already Authentic’s operating partner for Ted Baker…

Kirstie Allsopp has hit out at the “absurd” reports made to social services about her 15-year-old son’s interrailing trip across Europe.The TV presenter has come under significant criticism after she revealed her son went travelling to several European cities with a 16-year-old friend this summer. After he returned, she was contacted by a social worker who informed her that a file had been opened because child protection concerns had been raised. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:25 Allsopp reported to social services She later issued a defence saying he was almost 16 years old and…

Shop prices have come down for the first time in nearly two years, according to industry data.Goods in UK shops cost 0.3% less in August than a year ago, figures from industry body the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed. The price fall is due to discounts on summer clothing and other seasonal household goods. Wet weather and the cost of living crisis prompted retailers to sell reduced items to shift stock, the BRC said.Trading had been difficult for shops due to those factors, it added.Money blog: The hidden refund that could save you hundreds Prices had been rising but at…

Is Pavel Durov a brave crusader for liberty and free-speech, or a compromised individual whose social media platform empowers criminals, paedophiles and even Vladmir Putin?The French authorities certainly think he has questions to answer. Social media bosses are regularly questioned by governments – like the recent grilling of the heads of TikTok, Meta, and X before US Congress.But French prosecutors have taken the virtually unprecedented step of arresting a tech boss over what they say is criminal activity on Durov’s platform Telegram and his refusal to cooperate in their investigations.Telegram has rejected any such accusation saying it abides with all…

British pop star Lily Allen says she has received death threats after revealing she returned an adopted puppy because it ate her family’s passports. Animal rights charity PETA published an open letter to Allen saying it was “appalled” to hear she returned the dog, adding, that the pets “should never be treated as accessories to be discarded when they become inconvenient”. “It’s for this reason that we beg you, please, not to get another dog,” PETA added.Allen was speaking on an episode of her Miss Me? podcast on Thursday when she revealed she had adopted the dog during the COVID…

The jersey Babe Ruth wore when he “called the shot” in the 1932 World Series before hitting a home run has sold at an auction for over $24.1m (£18.1m) – making it the most expensive sports memorabilia ever.The shirt, which sold at Heritage Auctions, tops the previous record held by fellow Yankee Mickey Mantle’s 1952 rookie card, which the Dallas-based auction house sold for $12.6m (£9.5m) in 2022. A bidding war lasted for over six hours and concluded at 4.30am local time, Heritage Auctions said, adding the buyer wished to remain anonymous. Image: The jersey. Pic: AP It was for…

It’s summer season in the Northern Hemisphere and wildfires have been raging in Greece, Madeira and France.As the risk of forest fires changes in a hotter climate, so is the way firefighters respond to them. Traditionally firefighters have practised with live fires to prepare for the real thing.But these come with risk, cost and damage to the environment by way of air pollution and water use. Image: Mick Dewer from the Fire Service College practising with the VR kit The Fire Service College (FSC) in Gloucestershire, which trains UK and international fire services, has increasingly been using virtual reality to…

Liam Gallagher continues to fuel rumours of an Oasis reunion, writing on X: “I never did like that word FORMER.”Industry insiders are adamant next summer will be the return of the biggest band in Brit-pop, telling the Sunday Times Wembley Stadium is booked for 10 nights, smashing Taylor Swift’s eight-gig record set earlier this month. When The Times tweeted about it, Liam appeared to confirm shows were planned, telling a user on X: “See you down the front”.Glastonbury will also be hoping to lure the bickering brothers to the pyramid stage, with a headline slot open to them – if…

A British fraud detection company backed by Mike Lynch, the technology entrepreneur who died this week, is in talks about a sale to Visa, the American payments giant, worth hundreds of millions of pounds.Sky News has learnt that Featurespace, which was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Cambridge, is in advanced negotiations about a deal. Estimates of its potential value varied this weekend, but one insider said it could be worth more than £700m, while another said it could ultimately be worth less than that.Sources cautioned, however, that a deal had yet to be formally agreed and could still…