Author: SKYNEWS

Tech giant Apple has recorded the biggest drop in iPhone sales since the early months of the COVID pandemic.Sales for January to March were down 10% on the same period last year – something not seen since the 2020 iPhone model was delayed due to lockdown factory closures. Overall, Apple earned $90.8bn (£72.4bn) in the latest quarter – down 4% from last year. It was the fifth consecutive three-month period that the company’s revenue dipped from the previous year.Apple’s profit in the past quarter was $23.64bn (£18.85bn) – a 2% dip from last year.It was good news, however, for the…

An orangutan has been observed using a plant with healing properties to treat a wound on its face, in what scientists say is a first for wild animals.Biologists witnessed the male Sumatran orangutan – named Rakus – chewing the leaves of a climbing plant known as Akar Kuning. He applied the juicy mixture that was produced on to a wound on his right cheek for more than 30 minutes, until the injury was completely covered.Scientists said he selectively ripped off leaves and chewed on them, before applying the resulting mixture precisely on to the injured area, just below his right…

Comic actor John Cleese has said he is “too tired to be unpleasant” nowadays – having accepted that those at the top “have no idea” what they are doing.The Monty Python star made the comments as he spoke to Sky News ahead of Fawlty Towers, his hit sitcom, opening as a play in London’s West End. Fans will not get to see the comic legend himself on stage, with Cleese admitting he was happy to hand over the role of his iconic creation – frustrated hotelier Basil Fawlty – to actor Adam Jackson-Smith.Cleese joked how, at 84, summoning up the…

Ian King looks at news that Europe’s biggest company Novo Nordisk is once again raising its sales and profits forecasts for the year.John Reade, the chief market strategist of the World Gold Council, joins Ian to discuss why demand for gold has enjoyed its best start to a year since 2016.And Pandora’s chief executive Alexander Lacik speaks to Ian after the world’s largest jewellery producer said sales will be better than expected this year.:: Listen and subscribe to The Ian King Business Podcast here. Source link

China’s Chang’e-6 robotic spacecraft is due to blast off on Friday, hoping to become the first mission to collect rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon.It is the next step in a tense race between NASA and China to create bases on the moon, and from there, lift off to Mars. Since the first Chang’e mission in 2007, named after the mythical Chinese moon goddess, Beijing has made leaps forward in its lunar exploration.What is Chang’e 6 going to do?The spacecraft is set to land on the northeastern side of the huge South Pole-Aitken Basin. It’s…

Take That say they are moving their shows in May from the new Co-op Live venue to another Manchester arena.The band wrote on X: “Given the ongoing technical issues around the opening of Co-op Live we have taken the difficult decision to move our May shows to the AO Arena. “This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we wanted to give our fans as much notice as possible.” X This content is provided by X, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can…

Pint-sized bottles of wine will be allowed on UK shelves from autumn under new post-Brexit trade rules – but doubts have been raised over their demand. Business minister Kevin Hollinrake said seven changes to pre-packaged wine sizes are due to come into force on 19 September. Announcing the date in the House of Commons, he said the measure will support the “thriving” UK wine sector by providing opportunities for “innovation and greater choice”.But the SNP’s Patrick Grady said the government should admit there is “little to no demand or interest for this supposedly glorious Brexit benefit”. Follow Sky News on…

Uber faces a multimillion-pound lawsuit from London’s black cab drivers in a revival of the longstanding dispute over the operation of the ride-hailing app in the UK capital.The action, which will be filed in the High Court on Thursday, alleges that Uber improperly obtained a licence from Transport for London in 2012 and therefore took business away from other drivers unlawfully. The value of the claim is estimated at a minimum of £250m, with each of the 10,500 black cab drivers potentially eligible for compensation of up to £25,000, according to RGL Management, the litigation claims management company representing them.All…

Wales is to get its own version of talent show The Voice, it has been announced.The series named Y Llais (Welsh for The Voice) will be presented by Radio 1 DJ Sian Eleri. The Boom Cymru-produced show will make its debut on S4C next year.Opera star Sir Bryn Terfel has been announced as one of the four coaches. Image: Sir Bryn Terfel. Pic: AP The Grammy award-winning artist performed at the King’s coronation last May. The Welsh-language version becomes the 75th international adaptation of The Voice format.The series sees contestants take part in “blind auditions” as they hope to impress…

A price comparison platform which enables small businesses to assess the relative cost of payment services is raising millions of pounds to fund its growth.Sky News understands that Tuza, which launched last September, has secured £4m of seed capital from investors led by Connect Ventures. Northzone, an early-stage backer of Spotify, also participated in the round, alongside Triple Point and Entrepreneur First.Tuza, which had raised £1.5m in pre-seed funding nearly a year ago, aims to tackle inertia among SMEs in the £205bn payments sector, with more than 90% of smaller companies remaining with the same payment provider for more than…