Author: SKYNEWS

China ramped up coal power capacity last year, according to new analysis, despite a pledge to “strictly control” the dirtiest fossil fuel.The country added 47.4 Gigawatts (GW) of new coal power in 2023, more than double the amount added by the rest of the world combined. It raises concerns that gains in clean power, including by China, are being undermined by the persistent use of coal, the worst energy form for climate change and air pollution.Analysts say China may not use all the capacity it has built.Beijing has promised to reduce coal consumption from 2026, and said its polices align…

Police are to reinvestigate the circumstances leading up to the decision to charge Caroline Flack with assaulting her boyfriend.The TV presenter died in February 2020, with a coroner saying she took her own life after discovering she was definitely going to be prosecuted. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had recommended she only get a caution but this was overturned after London’s Metropolitan Police appealed.Flack, 40, was ultimately charged with assault by beating over the incident, which involved her boyfriend, Lewis Burton, in December 2019.Metropolitan Police has now said it’s making “further enquiries” because “new witness evidence may be available” about…

Fake flights and caravans are the two most common items being sold by fraudsters in relation to travel, Lloyds Bank’s research has found.As Britons head online to book deals for the upcoming bank holidays and summer, they have been urged to “remain vigilant”, with the average holiday scam victim being conned out of £765. Amid rising flight costs post-COVID, people have been flocking to social media and other lesser-known websites in order to secure cheaper deals. Follow Sky News on WhatsApp Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News Tap…

The founders of a business telecoms and IT services provider are on the brink of toasting a nine-figure windfall after entering advanced talks to sell it to one of Britain’s leading private equity firms.Sky News has learnt that Focus Group is close to signing a deal to sell a majority stake to Hg Capital, the investor known for its successful bets on software and technology companies. City sources said on Wednesday that the transaction would value Focus Group at just under £800m including debt, making it the latest addition to the ranks of Britain’s private company unicorns – a reference…

Zendaya says her new film Challengers has gifted her the “most unapologetically cruel and direct” character she has ever played.The Spider-Man actress attended the UK premiere of the Luca Guadagnino movie in London on Wednesday. Speaking to Sky News, she says it is a joy to have added Tashi Donaldson to her acting portfolio.”She is so complex, complicated and messy, and I appreciate that about a character,” explains the 27-year-old.”I don’t think you always love her. I don’t think you always hate her either and that was my challenge, to make sure that she has fragility and sensitivity as well…

The investor trying to take control of Everton Football Club has pushed back its target date for completing the deal as it scrambles to raise hundreds of millions of pounds to fund it.Sky News has learnt that 777 Partners has told stakeholders, including the Premier League and prospective lenders, that it now expects its takeover of the Toffees to be finalised late next month. It had been seeking to close the deal by the end of this week.City sources said on Wednesday that 777 had also requested in recent days an extension to a repayment deadline for a loan of…

On today’s show, Tesco has reported a sharp rise in annual profits. It posted an adjusted operating profit of £2.83bn for the year to the end of February – up 11% on the previous year.Ian King speaks to Andrew Gossage, chief executive of homewares supplier Ultimate Products, about shipping costs in light of recent attacks in the Red Sea by Houthi fighters.Plus, British parking app JustPark is to launch in the United States and Canada after merging with a leading US provider. The app’s founder Anthony Eskinazi explains the significance of the deal.:: Listen and subscribe to The Ian King…

Artificial intelligence can be a “sword and a shield” against misinformation as billions of people head to the polls, Sir Nick Clegg has said.During a year in which more than half of the world’s population elects their leaders, “we should be vigilant but we should also think of AI as a tool to navigate that landscape,” he said during an AI panel hosted by Meta at its London office. The former UK deputy prime minister joined Meta in 2018 and is now head of global affairs at the company, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.Of the major elections that have…

For the last four months, one of the biggest talking points in the betting and gaming industry has been who will become the next chief executive of Entain, the FTSE-100 combine whose businesses include Ladbrokes, Coral, Gala Bingo, Bwin and BetMGM.The post was vacated when, 11 days before Christmas, the former incumbent Jette Nygaard-Andersen unexpectedly resigned with immediate effect. Since then, the job has been done on an interim basis by Stella David, former chief executive of William Grant & Sons, the Scotch whisky group behind brands such as The Balvenie and Glenfiddich – but the hunt remains ongoing for…

Millions of people were mesmerised by a total solar eclipse in Mexico, the US and Canada on Monday which briefly plunged large parts into darkness.So, where you can see the next one? You will be able to witness the rare phenomenon in Spain and Portugal on 12 August 2026. It will also be visible in Greenland, Iceland, and Russia.This will be Europe’s first total eclipse for 27 years. Image: Pic: Reuters One year later, on 2 August 2027, another total solar eclipse will be visible in Spain and across North Africa. If you’re in southern Africa, on a ship in…