Author: SKYNEWS

Former RTE correspondent Charlie Bird has died aged 74 after a long battle with motor neurone disease.Bird was chief news correspondent with RTE News until January 2009, before later retiring in 2012. The veteran broadcaster reported on a range of stories, from the Northern Ireland peace process to the Stardust fire tragedy in 1981.He spoke vocally about his terminal diagnosis and helped raised over €3.3m (£2.8m) for charity during a campaign that saw him climb Croagh Patrick in 2022.Seamus Dooley, Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists, said: “Although we have been expecting this news, it is still a…

Wages are rising less than expected and unemployment surprisingly rose, official figures show – but likely not fast enough for interest rates to come down. The rate of unemployment tipped up slightly to 3.9% in January, when it had been forecast by economists to remain at 3.8%. Money blog: Six £1m lottery prizes unclaimed – here’s where they were boughtPay growth has also slowed more quickly than expected.When bonuses are factored in, pay packets grew 5.6%, lower than the 5.7% rise expected by economists polled by Reuters, and regular pay – not including bonuses – ticked up to 6.1%, when…

Pet owners could be paying too much for medicines or prescriptions, the competition watchdog has said.It follows a review into the UK’s £2bn veterinary industry by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after concerns pet owners are not getting value for money. Money latest: Six lottery jackpots unclaimed – here’s where they were boughtThe CMA said it had identified “multiple concerns” in the vet market, including that pet owners may be overpaying for medicines and not being given enough information about treatments – with the review prompting an “unprecedented” 56,000 responses from pet owners and professionals in the industry.The CMA…

The Raspberries frontman Eric Carmen – whose solo hits include All By Myself and Hungry Eyes – has died at the age of 74.His wife, Amy, announced his death on the singer’s official website.”It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen,” she said.”Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep, over the weekend.”It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy.”She ended the statement with the quote “love is all that matters… faithful and forever” from…

World Party frontman and former The Waterboys member Karl Wallinger has died aged 66.The Welsh-born musician formed World Party in 1986 and wrote the track She’s The One which featured on the band’s 1997 album Egyptology. She’s The One was covered by Robbie Williams in 1999 and reached number one on the UK singles chart.A statement from Wallinger’s publicist says he died on Sunday 10 March but no cause of death is given.The multi-instrumentalist recorded five albums with World Party between 1987 and 2000 – with debut record Private Revolution including the minor hit Ship Of Fools. Wallinger was the…

British carmakers appear to have continued selling hundreds of millions of pounds of luxury vehicles to Russia even after the invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions, exporting the cars indirectly via former Soviet states, Sky News analysis suggests. While direct British car exports to Russia have fallen to zero following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, that collapse has been followed by a corresponding increase in car exports to countries neighbouring Russia, most notably Azerbaijan. Our analysis, based on official HMRC trade data, finds that the UK exported £273m of vehicles to Azerbaijan last year, a 1,860% increase…

After Amy Hart appeared on Love Island, men started sending her unsolicited pictures of their penises online.As her social media following grew to one million after being on the show in 2019, she says she was consistently tagged in ‘dick pics’.”You’re flicking through the Instagram stories you’ve been tagged in and they just pop up,” the 31-year-old tells Sky News.”These people tag loads of women in the public eye so they can say ‘this list of people have all seen my penis’.” Image: Amy Hart after appearing on Love Island in 2019. Pic: PA Journalist Sophie Gallagher received 120 images…

The UK needs to build more gas power capacity, the government has said, even while it is also trying to wean the energy system off of fossil fuels to meet climate targets. It also forged ahead with proposals for regional electricity pricing, with the potential for households and businesses to be charged different amounts in different parts of the country – though other options remain on the table. Electricity demand is increasing as the UK electrifies things like heating and cars, and the population grows.Officials have been reviewing how to make sure supply keeps up with demand, is reliable, and reaches…

After her mother’s death, Sirine Malas was desperate for an outlet for her grief.”When you’re weak, you accept anything,” she says. The actress was separated from her mother Najah after fleeing Syria, their home country, to move to Germany in 2015.In Berlin, Sirine gave birth to her first child – a daughter called Ischtar – and she wanted more than anything for her mother to meet her. But before they had chance, tragedy struck. Image: Sirine’s mother Najah Najah died unexpectedly from kidney failure in 2018 at the age of 82. “She was a guiding force in my life,” Sirine…

Oscars nominees and guests are walking the red carpet in style ahead of this year’s star-studded ceremony.It’s the biggest night in showbiz, with anyone who’s anyone making their way into the biggest awards ceremony of the year – the Academy Awards.With stars including Emma Stone, Margot Robbie, Jodie Foster, Emily Blunt, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Ariana Grande and Anya Taylor-Joy – here are all the best looks from the Oscars red carpet. Image: Da’Vine Joy Randolph poses on the red carpet in beautiful sky blue. Pic: Reuters Image: Emma Stone – a favourite in the best actress category – in…