Author: SKYNEWS

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…

The US launched a reconnaissance satellite into orbit on Tuesday, the second reconnaissance satellite to go up in as many days.On Monday, South Korea sent its second into space, after the first went up in December. The country has a contract with SpaceX to send up three more reconnaissance satellites by 2025. North Korea sent up its own in November and at the end of March, a North Korean official said the nation expects to launch several more reconnaissance satellites this year.Leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to launch three additional military spy satellites in 2024.So what are all those…

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is facing criticism over comments about his previous endorsement of Joe Biden.The 51-year-old actor, who backed Mr Biden when he ran for US president in 2020, was asked in an interview with Fox News whether he would do so again during this campaign. But what did Johnson say and why is he being criticised?Biden endorsement ’caused division’Asked by Fox News whether he was happy with his 2020 endorsement and the current state of America, the former wrestler said: “Am I happy with the state of America right now? Well, that answer’s no. Do I believe we’re…

On today’s episode, Ian chats with Bo Sears from US-based company Helix Exploration about the value of Helium.Also on the show is Andrew Gossage from Ultimate Products after the firm reported pre-tax profit of £9.5m for the six months to the end of January.Listen and subscribe to The Ian King Business Podcast here. Source link

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Professor Peter Higgs, the man behind the discovery of the Higgs boson particle, has died aged 94.The “truly gifted” scientist predicted the existence of the new subatomic particle as far back as 1964. His theory would not be confirmed until 2012, when experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at Cern finally proved the particle’s existence.The following year, Prof Higgs, emeritus professor at Edinburgh University, was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for this work, along with Francois Englert.A statement from the university said: “It has been confirmed that Professor Peter Higgs has passed away at the…