Author: SKYNEWS

Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant are set to return for a fourth Bridget Jones film.Two-time Oscar winner Zellweger is back in Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, while Grant reprises his role as rapscallion Daniel Cleaver. Emma Thompson, who starred in the third film as Bridget’s despairing obstetrician, also returns, with 12 Years A Slave star Chiwetel Ejiofor and One Day actor Leo Woodall joining the cast.Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth, will not be back this time. Image: Colin Firth, who plays Mark Darcy, will not be in the new film. Pic: Alamy British author Helen Fielding previously said…

Ted Baker’s American licensing partner is a leading contender to take control of the fashion brand’s British operation weeks after it collapsed into administration.Sky News has learnt that OSL, which was appointed to run Ted Baker’s US retail business just over a year ago, is a frontrunner to take over the European business, which includes dozens of UK shops. The news comes two days after administrators at Teneo confirmed that 15 Ted Baker stores in the UK would close permanently with the loss of more than 200 jobs.The closures are understood to have been necessary in order to assist the…

Some frogs scream at an ear-splitting volume for other animals but its frequency is inaudible to humans, scientists have discovered.While out in the Amazonian jungle studying frogs, researchers in Brazil noticed something strange. Small leaf litter frogs were arching their backs, throwing back their heads and opening their mouths wide.They looked like they were screaming but the scientists could hear nothing.When they recorded the frogs using high-frequency audio recorders, the scientists captured the first documented case of “defensive ultrasound” being used by amphibians. The scream is a response to predators, according to researchers from Brazil’s State University of Campinas.It could…

Eurovision organisers have condemned the abuse and harassment of contestants over Israel’s inclusion in the competition as “unacceptable and totally unfair”.UK entrant Olly Alexander last month rejected calls to boycott the music competition amid the conflict in the Gaza Strip, although he is among several Eurovision entrants who have signed a joint statement calling for an “immediate and lasting ceasefire”. Jean Philip De Tender, deputy director general of Eurovision organiser the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), has now released a statement over the inclusion of Israeli broadcaster Kan and the country’s entrant Hurricane, performed by singer Eden Golan.He said he understands…

Profits at Tesco reached £2.83bn – up more than £300m from a year earlier – as the UK’s largest supermarket group said it had brought down prices.More people are shopping at Tesco, due to improved product value and quality, the company said. Profits topped £2.83bn last year, up from £2.5bn a year earlier, while the amount of money Tesco took in was also up.Money blog – Masterchef judge closing restaurantRevenue reached £68.19bn, not including VAT and fuel sales, an increase of £2.86bn from the same period a year before. It comes after the retailer was cleared of charges of ‘greedflation’…

More than seven million people in the UK were struggling with bills and credit repayments in January, according to a financial watchdog.The number is down significantly on the 10.9 million people in the same position in January 2023. However, it’s still above the 5.8 million recorded in February 2020, before the pandemic and the cost of living crisis.Money blog: Popular pub chain owner admits ‘uncertainty’ over futureRenters, single adults with children, adults from a minority ethnic background and those in northeast England were most likely to be in difficulty, according to Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) research. Almost two-thirds of renters…

Up to £11 million from water company fines will be reinvested in schemes to improve waterways and wetlands, the government has said.The Water Restoration Fund – which has now opened for applications – will offer grants to local groups, charities, farmers and landowners to help them improve rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands where illegal pollution has occurred. Initiatives that could be given money might include schemes to create wetlands, boost wildlife and river habitats, and improve public access to green spaces.The cash will come from fines and penalties issued to water companies for environmental breaches such as dumping sewage.The £11m…

Retail sales were up in March – and are expected to grow further in the coming months as warm weather and events such as Taylor Swift’s UK tour boost consumer spending, according to industry analysts.Sports tournaments such as the Paris Olympics, along with factors such as falling energy bills, are also predicted to boost takings as shops recover from the impact of recent poor weather and high inflation on household budgets. The forecasts come after year-on-year retail sales increased by 3.5% in March – which is above the average of 2.9% for the past 12 months, according to the British…

Spain is to scrap a “golden visa” scheme that grants residency rights to foreigners who make large investments in real estate.Ending the scheme would help make access to affordable housing “a right instead of a speculative business”, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said. Money blog: Latest updatesThe programme awards non-EU citizens investing at least €500,000 (around £429,000) in Spanish real estate – without taking out a mortgage – a special permit, allowing them to live and work in the country for three years.Mr Sanchez said: “Today, 94 out of every 100 such visas are linked to real estate investment… in…

Bake Off star Dame Prue Leith has told Sky News of her older brother’s “absolute agony” before his death, as she campaigns for assisted dying.Under the Suicide Act 1961, it is a criminal offence to help someone take their own life, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Dame Prue, who is patron of Dignity in Dying, said her brother David died in pain from bone cancer in 2012.”He was spending every three weeks out of four in absolute agony” before his death, she told The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee.”For his family to be round while he was…