Author: SKYNEWS

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…

In Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, the ITV drama that introduced the scandalous treatment of sub-postmasters to a mass audience, Toby Jones portrayed its eponymous hero as stubborn, acerbic and indefatigable.Appearing at the public inquiry that would not be happening without him, the real-life Alan Bates was all these and more. Having waited almost two decades for the opportunity, he set out the case against the Post Office with the moral authority of a man who has spent three times as long campaigning for justice as he did as a sub-postmaster in Llandudno, Wales.That, he said, “was down to…

On Monday, an estimated 31.6 million people across America will be in the path of the biggest solar eclipse since 2017. Scientists will be able to study its effects on layers of the atmosphere, but according to conspiracy theorists, it could also be the end of days. The internet is running wild with some outlandish claims.Signs from GodRepublican congresswoman Majorie Taylor Greene says she thinks it is a sign from God that America needs to repent its sins.Her post on X suggested New York’s recent earthquake combined with the eclipse were “strong signs”. Image: Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested the solar…

A four-day working week risks “widening existing inequalities”, according to a group tasked with exploring a potential Welsh pilot.The Welsh government commissioned the group to look at the possibility of introducing the new work pattern. But a report has found the gap could be widened between those who work in offices and those on the frontline, “particularly in 24/7 operations”.”Given the different gender, race and other characteristics of different workforces in the public sector, there is potential for negative and differential impacts on particular protected characteristics,” the report found. Follow Sky News on WhatsApp Keep up with all the latest…