Author: SKYNEWS

Every household must be engaged by the government in the shift to clean heating as uptake of heat pumps to replace boilers is running at less than half of expected levels, the public spending watchdog has warned.A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) described assumptions on consumer demand for heat pumps, which use electricity to draw heat from the ground, air or water for heating buildings, as “optimistic”. It also called into question public awareness of the availability of boiler upgrade grants to help smooth the transition from oil and gas-fired boilers amid the battle against climate change.Money latest:…

The first piloted flying taxi could take to the UK skies in two years.The Department for Transport (DfT) has released its Future of Flight Action Plan which also proposes flying taxis without pilots on board by 2030. It has also predicted regular use of crime-fighting drones and critical 999 care deliveries by the end of the decade.The “roadmap” – or more precisely flight plan – would mean the adoption of technology “once confined to the realm of sci-fi”, according to the DfT, with drone technology boosting the country’s economy by £45bn by 2030.Aviation and technology minister Anthony Browne said: “Cutting-edge…

David Seidler – best known as the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind the film The King’s Speech – has died at the age of 86, according to reports.The London-born screenwriter, who had a stammer as a child, was inspired to write about the true story of how King George VI, on the eve of the Second World War, overcame his speech impediment.Seidler died on Saturday during a fly-fishing trip in New Zealand, according to his manager Jeff Aghassi – US media reported.Mr Aghassi said: “David was in the place he loved most in the world – New Zealand – doing what gave…

We all have plenty on our To Do lists, but Japanese tidiness expert Marie Kondo has more ambitious aims than most.”My personal goal is to tidy up the world,” she tells Sky News, “to take these Japanese sensibilities and in a small way, improve the world around us.” Image: Pic: KonMarie Actively tidying from the age of five by putting things in order at home for her mother and in her classroom for fellow pupils, Kondo founded her own organising consulting business at 19 while still a student.Five years working as an attendant maiden at a Shinto shrine helped hone…

<a href='https://news.sky.com/story/kates-doctored-photo-is-a-huge-challenge-for-royal-family-and-for-mainstream-media-13096640' target='_blank'>Kate's doctored photo is a huge challenge for Royal Family – and for mainstream media</a> Source link

Shakira has said she put her “career on hold” for a long time to be with her former partner Gerard Pique while he played football. The Colombian popstar and former professional Spanish footballer were together for 11 years before announcing their separation in June 2022 and have two children. Shakira, 47, is due to release her first album in seven years – Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, which translates to Women No Longer Cry.Reflecting on the time that has passed since she released 2017’s El Dorado, she told The Times: “For a long time I put my career on hold, to…

Mountaineer and adventure filmmaker David Breashears, best known for an IMAX documentary about climbing Mount Everest, has died aged 68.Breashears was found unresponsive at his home in Massachusetts on Thursday and died of natural causes, said his business manager Ellen Golbranson. She added that “the exact cause of death remains unknown at this time”.Breashears was an experienced mountaineered who climbed the world’s most challenging peaks. As a cinematographer he worked on documentaries and feature films.According to his website, in 1983, he transmitted the first live television pictures from the summit of Everest, and in 1985 he became the first American…

Squid Game actor O Yeong-su has been convicted of sexual harassment and given an eight-month suspended prison sentence by a court in South Korea.The 79-year-old actor, who was charged with two counts of sexual harassment in 2017, had denied the allegations. The Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court also ordered him to attend a sexual violence treatment programme.As he left the court on Friday, he told reporters he planned to appeal against the decision.He has seven days to do this or the ruling will be upheld. The controversy over the accusations of sexual harassment saw him dropping out of…

“Technical issues” that affected Sainsbury’s in store contactless payments and online delivery services have been resolved after causing chaos for shoppers.The supermarket said on Saturday morning that it was unable to fulfil the “vast majority” of online deliveries, while staff waited outside some stores to tell customers they could only pay with cash. Tesco also cancelled some online orders as both supermarkets said they were experiencing technical problems.In an update this afternoon, Sainsbury’s said: “We can confirm that contactless payments are now back up and running in all our stores, alongside all other forms of payment.”Our Groceries Online ordering system…

Cara Delevingne has praised firefighters after her two cats were rescued from a huge blaze that ripped through her Hollywood mansion.Her Studio City home, reportedly worth $7m (£5.5m), was engulfed in flames and smoke on Friday morning, causing the roof to collapse. Image: Safe and sound. Pic: Cara Delevingne/Instagram It took 94 firefighters more than two hours to extinguish the blaze, which gutted much of the property and left it burned and smoking.The British-born model and actress feared her beloved cats had been lost in the fire, but has now posted pictures on Instagram of the cats apparently safe and…