Author: SKYNEWS

A British company aiming to pioneer hypersonic flight and which counts Boeing and Rolls Royce Holdings among its backers is scrambling to raise new funding amid a squeeze on cashflow.Sky News has learnt that Reaction Engines, which is based in Oxfordshire, has appointed advisers to raise fresh capital. Shareholders in the company, which also include the FTSE-100 arms manufacturer BAE Systems, have been informed about the efforts to secure new money in recent weeks.Silverpeak, an advisory firm, has been appointed to orchestrate the fundraising, with the company believed to be in need of tens of millions of pounds more capital.Reaction,…

Google has admitted its greenhouse gas emissions have risen 48% over the past five years – largely because of artificial intelligence – scuppering its climate aims.AI systems require intense levels of computational power, and this has piled pressure on the tech giant’s data centres around the world. In its latest environmental report, Google went on to warn that reducing these emissions “may be challenging” – especially as it builds new infrastructure. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 10:22 Bill Gates on AI and climate At the start of this year, the company announced it was investing…

Travis Kelce has revealed his surprise cameo at Taylor Swift’s London show was his idea. The 34-year-old American football star joined his girlfriend on stage for the first time at the Eras Tour concert at Wembley Stadium. Talking about the origin of the skit on his podcast New Heights, Kelce told his brother and co-host Jason: “I initially mentioned it to Tay”.”I was like, ‘How funny would it be if I just rolled out on one of the bikes during the 1989 era’.”Swift initially laughed, he said – before asking, “Would you seriously be up for doing something like that?”. Kelce…

Whoever wins the next general election will face extremely tough choices on taxation and spending.As the independent Institute of Fiscal Studies has pointed out, both Labour and the Conservatives have ruled out changes to the big four revenue-raisers, income tax, national insurance, VAT and corporation tax. And, while both parties have made relatively modest spending commitments, there seems little doubt that revenue from other sources will be required given the current spending plans already pencilled in from 2025 – which have been described by the Institute for Government as “implausibly tight”.How could a new government raise funds?Assuming both parties stick…

More than £232m has been paid out in compensation to people affected by the now-scrapped northern leg of HS2, Sky News can reveal. Responses to our Freedom of Information requests show just shy of £550m has been spent so far on a range of government compensation schemes for both residents and businesses impacted by the planned route between London and Manchester. But more than 40% of the pot went to land and property owners in phase two of the project – starting at Birmingham and heading north – which was cancelled by the Conservatives at their 2023 party conference and…

Lily Allen has joined OnlyFans to sell photos of her feet – charging subscribers $10 (£8) a month. The singer shared a video showing a glimpse of her toes as she perched by the Trevi fountain in Rome on her Instagram story on Tuesday night. A link labelled “la dolce feeta” took followers to her OnlyFans account – where the puns continue.Her username is Lily Allen FTSE500 and her bio reads “just dipping my toes in”, while a recent post is captioned “sole trader”.OnlyFans is an online platform known for adult content where fans pay creators for their photos and videos.…

An online crafts retailer which saw sales boom during COVID-19 lockdowns is exploring a cut-price sale.Sky News understands that Lovecrafts, which is chaired by the media veteran Sir Peter Bazalgette, is working with Interpath Advisory on a sale. Founded in 2012, Lovecrafts is backed by leading growth investors including Highland Ventures, Balderton Capital and Scottish Equity Partners.City sources said it was likely to be valued at “a knockdown price” if it was able to secure a deal with a buyer. Follow Sky News on WhatsApp Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by…

For fans of Beverly Hills Cop, ending the Eddie Murphy-led franchise on part three seemed less than favourable.Despite the film including a cameo from Star Wars’ George Lucas, it excluded one of the main characters, John Taggart, and received lacklustre reviews from fans. Image: Pic: Melinda Sue Gordon/Netflix Now, not only does John Ashton’s character make a return to the franchise in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, but the film also gives a sly nod to its previous errors.Chatting to Sky News, Judge Reinhold notes the on-screen recognition alongside his co-star Ashton.”Do you remember reading that line where [Joseph Gordon-Levitt]…

Drivers are being warned fuel prices are on the rise again amid rising oil costs and suggestions motorists are still getting a raw deal.The AA declared on Tuesday that a 10-week run of falling pump prices had come to an end. The motoring group said while average costs were still locked at levels seen last week, a growing number of forecourts were imposing hikes to pump costs due to higher oil and wholesale charges.Its rival, the RAC, said in a separate study that prices for both petrol and diesel remained “too expensive”, accusing retailers in England, Scotland and Wales of…

Splitting up household jobs, whether that be cleaning, washing or life admin, is an issue that affects a lot of couples. Starling Bank found women do a total of 36 hours of household tasks and admin per week – equivalent to a full-time job. This is nine hours more than men – and yet men believe they do the majority in their household. The average man estimates they do 52% of work overall.Read all the latest Money news hereIt’s the discrepancy between perception and reality (and, of course, this can work both ways) that leads to arguments. Couples who don’t…