Author: SKYNEWS

Rishi Sunak is to call for an end to the “sick note culture” in a major speech on welfare reform – as he warns against “over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life”.The prime minister wants to shift the focus to “what people can do with the right support in place, rather than what they can’t do”. Mr Sunak also wants sick notes to be issued by “specialist work and health professionals” rather the GPs in order to reduce workloads.Politics latest: ‘Big questions’ for Sunak over claims against suspended Tory MPThe plans, which the government is now set to consult…

Police in Los Angeles have said they are investigating whether Kanye West was involved in an alleged battery.Officers were called to Sunset Boulevard around 12.30am on Wednesday after receiving reports of an incident, LAPD confirmed to Sky News’ US partner network, NBC News. West, also known by his rapper name Ye, was gone when police arrived.The alleged victim, an unidentified man, told officers that the US star punched him in the face multiple times, a police spokesman said.Milo Yiannopoulos, West’s chief of staff at his clothing and apparel company Yeezy, told NBC News in a statement that the incident happened…

A sub-postmaster victim of faulty IT software Horizon was described as a “bluffer” when he alerted senior Post Office officials about bugs in the system.One of the Post Office’s heads of legal Rodric Williams dismissed the complainant and told the Post Office Horizon Inquiry on Thursday there was “bunker mentality” among staff in relation to the media’s coverage of the IT system. The inquiry has been hearing evidence to examine who in government and the Post Office knew what and when about the accounting computer programme that falsely generated financial losses at Post Office branches across the UK and led…

The Allman Brothers Band guitarist and singer Dickey Betts has died aged 80, his family announced.The musician, who was known for writing one of the band’s biggest hits, Ramblin’ Man, which appeared on their 1973 album Brothers and Sisters.Betts shared lead guitar duties with Duane Allman, who died in a motorcycle accident in 1971, in the original Allman Brothers Band to help give the group its distinctive sound and create a new genre – Southern rock.Acts ranging from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Kid Rock were influenced by the Allmans’ music, which combined the blues, country, R&B and jazz with sixties rock.Founded…

A woman who stalked Harry Styles has been jailed and banned from seeing him perform.Myra Carvalho, 35, who appeared at Harrow Crown Court sitting at Hendon Magistrates’ Court in London, was said to have stalked the 30-year-old English singer by sending him 8,000 cards in less than a month.She was sentenced to 14 weeks’ imprisonment after pleading guilty on Tuesday to a charge of stalking involving serious alarm or distress, a court official said.A restraining order lasting for 10 years was also imposed on Carvalho who was also told she cannot attend any event where Styles is performing. Follow Sky…

Meta’s AI has told a Facebook user it has a disabled child that was part of a New York gifted and talented programme.An anonymous parent posted in a private parenting group, asking for advice on which New York education programme would suit their child. They described the child as ‘2e’ which stands for twice-exceptional and means they have exceptional ability and also a disability.”Does anyone here have experience with a ‘2e’ child in any of the NYC G&T [Gifted & Talented] programs?” the user asked.”Would love to hear your experience, good or bad or anything in between.” Instead of getting…

Sydney Sweeney has hit back at a Hollywood producer who said she “can’t act” and is “not pretty”, calling her comments “sad” and “shameful”.The 26-year-old actress, who’s starred in hits including White Lotus and Euphoria, is hot property in LA right now, most recently producing and starring in independent horror film Immaculate – just one of three feature films she’s had out in the last six months. Image: Producer Carol Baum, pictured in 2007. Pic: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for CineVegas However, the Emmy-nominated actress came in for negative attention from veteran producer Carol Baum, who specifically referenced Sweeney following a…

Hundreds of UK partners at EY, the big four accountancy firm, have been warned of a potential slide in profits this year amid a wider slowdown in the professional services sector.Sky News has learnt that a presentation given last week by Stuart Gregory, a senior figure in EY’s finance and transformation team, notified colleagues that profit-per-partner could slip by as much as 15% in its financial year to the end of June. Last year, EY recorded average distributable profit per partner of £761,000 – down from a record £803,000 the year before, and well below rival PricewaterhouseCoopers.A fall on the…

Travis Kelce has landed his first TV presenting role – hosting the game show Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?The American Football star – who has become more famous since he began dating Taylor Swift last year – plays for the Kansas City Chiefs and helped them win the Super Bowl for a second year running in February. Image: Kelce and Swift at Coachella. Pic: Jennifer Johnson/Shutterstock for Neon Carnival Their high-profile relationship has been credited with bringing NFL a legion of new fans, and causing a buzz every time they’re seen out together, including their recent date night at…

The average cost of car insurance in the UK is now more than £900 according to one comparison website – that up 43% over the space of one year. Ian’s joined by Steve Dukes, Chief Executive of Confused.com to discuss what it means for premiums and payouts.Music investment company Hipgnosis has agreed to a £1.1bn takeover by Alchemy Copyrights. The fund owns 138 catalogues with more than 40,000 songs by artists including Blondie and Red Hot Chili Peppers.And Security giant Cisco is teaming up with the design team at McLaren F1 on building and upgrading their cars – hear from…