Author: SKYNEWS

Fans of digital ID cards argue that they will speed the UK into a digital future by giving everyone a way to prove who they are.What’s confusing about this argument is that we can do that already. We have physical ID cards in the form of passports and driving licences. We also have an extensive system of digital identification and a whole range of laws that require you to prove your identity, sometimes multiple times a week.If you’ve employed someone recently, even for a few days, you’ll know that you have to check their right to work documents, either physically…

Sean “Diddy” Combs is set to be sentenced over prostitution-related charges next week.The hip-hop mogul has already served just over a year in prison after being arrested in New York in September 2023. Following his high-profile trial earlier in 2025, he was found guilty of two counts of transportation for engagement in prostitution – but cleared of the more serious charges of sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.Combs, 55, was one of the most influential hip-hop producers of the 1990s and 2000s, the founder of Bad Boy Records and a Grammy-winning artist in his own right.Now, he faces up to 20 years…

The government will underwrite a £1.5bn loan guarantee to Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) after a mass cyber attack forced a shutdown.JLR suspended production at its UK factories following the attack on 31 August. The shutdown is expected to last until 1 October, leaving the largest UK carmaker’s suppliers in limbo. The loan is expected to give suppliers some certainty amid the continued shutdown, as the £1.5bn will help bolster JLR’s cash reserves as it pays back companies in its supply chain.The government will give its backing to the loan through the Export Development Guarantee (EDG), a financial support mechanism aimed…

Amazon has reached a historic $2.5bn (£1.9bn) settlement with a US business watchdog over allegations it tricked customers into signing up for Prime membership.The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accused the online giant of tricking customers into the membership scheme – which includes perks like faster delivery – and then making it difficult to cancel. The Seattle-based company will pay $1bn (£750m) in civil penalties, and $1.5bn (£1.1bn) paid back to customers unintentionally enrolled in Prime or deterred from cancelling their subscriptions.Around 35 million Prime customers will be eligible for a payout from the $1.5bn (£1.1bn) fund, the FTC said.Customers who…

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show will return to ABC affiliates belonging to Sinclair and Nexstar after the two major network operators took his programme off-air over his comments in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.Kimmel was accused of being “offensive and insensitive” after using his programme, Jimmy Kimmel Live, to accuse Donald Trump and his allies of capitalising on the killing. Disney-owned ABC suspended the show last week following threats of potential repercussions from the Trump-appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission.Sinclair, which controls 38 ABC affiliates from Seattle to Washington DC, called on Kimmel to apologise to Mr Kirk’s…

The energy supplier Ovo is plotting the sale of a stake in its software arm at a ‘unicorn’ valuation as part of efforts to strengthen the balance sheet of Britain’s fourth-largest residential gas and electricity group.Sky News has learnt that Ovo, which has just under four million retail customers, has appointed Arma Partners, the investment bank, to explore options for Kaluza. It replicates a move by larger rival Octopus Energy – revealed by Sky News – to hire advisers to work on a demerger of its Kraken software arm at a potential valuation of well over $10bn (£7.4bn).Kaluza, which describes…

Donald Trump has signed an executive order on TikTok, which will allow the app to continue to operate in the United States.The US president held talks with China’s President Xi Jinping last week – where the pair discussed the final terms of a deal. The app was ordered to shut down for American users by January 2025 if its Chinese owner – Beijing-based tech firm ByteDance – didn’t sell its assets in the country.The ban was delayed four times by Mr Trump.The deal, which vice president JD Vance said was valued at around $14bn (£10.5bn), will see TikTok’s US operations…

The older brother of Oasis stars Liam and Noel Gallagher has denied a charge of rape.Paul Gallagher, 59, has also pleaded not guilty to coercive and controlling behaviour, three counts of sexual assault, three counts of intentional strangulation, two counts of making a threat to kill, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.The alleged offences took place between 2022 and 2024, according to a charge sheet. Gallagher, of East Finchley, north London, entered his pleas from the dock at Harrow Crown Court, which was sitting at Southwark Crown Court on Friday.He was wearing a dark suit and shirt, and thick-rimmed glasses.Gallagher…

Cornwall’s Eden Project has revealed a doubling of losses and dwindling visitor numbers – as it also cut dozens of jobs. The attraction’s famous domes are home to thousands of plant species but it has recently seen a 10% drop in people through the gate. It blamed “more challenging trading conditions in South West tourism” as visitors fell from 604,000 to 543,000 over the last financial year.Pre-tax losses also grew to £3.5m from £1.5m in the year to April, according to its latest accounts.The company said 75 jobs had been culled as part of a “major restructuring” to become more…

Microsoft has blocked an Israeli military unit from accessing some services after preliminary evidence supported a media investigation that the software was used for surveillance of Palestinian civilian phone calls.The unit used Microsoft’s Azure software to store “millions” of recordings of mobile phone calls made by Palestinians living in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to a joint investigation by The Guardian and other outlets published in August. The investigation prompted an internal review by Microsoft, which found details of the Israel Ministry of Defence’s (IMOD) consumption of Azure storage capacity in the Netherlands and the use of AI…