Author: SKYNEWS

The former UKIP leader Nigel Farage is demanding that a major City law firm discloses information that it holds about him, accusing it of “trying to hide the truth” as he fires another salvo in his debanking campaign.Sky News has learnt that Mr Farage has filed a data subject access request (DSAR) to Travers Smith, the firm commissioned by NatWest Group last year to investigate its handling of the decision to close his accounts with Coutts, the bank’s wealth management arm. NatWest originally claimed it had shut the accounts for economic reasons before he forced it to disclose that his…

Sam Bankman-Fried, also known by the initials SBF, has tumbled from crypto king to convicted fraudster.The founder of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange was found guilty in November of defrauding customers of his cryptocurrency exchange out of billions of dollars.A Manhattan jury convicted him on all seven counts after a month-long trial.FTX collapsed last November, shocking financial markets and wiping out the crypto tycoon’s estimated $26bn (£21bn) fortune.But how did the 31-year-old go from such astronomic financial heights to being sentenced to 25 years in prison?His early lifeBankman-Fried grew up in California’s wealthy San Francisco Bay area, where he attended a…

Coronation Street star Helen Flanagan says she was sent into a psychosis after suffering a “bad reaction” to her ADHD medication earlier this year.The 33-year-old TV star, who’s best known for her role as Rosie Webster in Coronation Street, shared the news on Instagram, after a couple of months away from social media. She said she was left “emotionally struggling” after splitting from the father of her children, footballer Scott Sinclair – with whom she shares Matilda, seven, Delilah, five, and Charlie, two.She also explained her reason for pulling out of a theatre tour of Cluedo 2 which kicked off…

The chief executive of Thames Water has refused to rule out bill increases of up to 40% for customers as the troubled company tries to secure its future.It comes as the business, which serves nearly a quarter of the UK’s population, struggles with more than £15bn of debt and the huge interest payments required to service it. Earlier on Thursday, its situation got worse when it was revealed that a £500m funding injection from shareholders expected by the end of this month would not be forthcoming.Analysis: Why nationalising Thames Water won’t workWhen asked by Sky News’ Ian King if bills…

New Earth-like planets could soon be discovered after scientists made a technological breakthrough.Physicists have developed an astrocomb that can analyse the blue-green light emitted by stars. Astrocombs can detect tiny variations in a star’s light created by orbiting exoplanets (those beyond our own solar system) – potentially revealing one similar to Earth.They have been mainly limited to the green-red part of the light spectrum, but the new system offers the chance to uncover even more space secrets.The breakthrough was made by physicists at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and Cambridge University. “This is a really exciting development that will enable us…

Sean Combs – also known as P Diddy and Puff Daddy – has been embroiled in a string of serious allegations in recent months. The 54-year-old’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by Homeland Security Investigations agents on 25 March. But what exactly is he accused of – and what has he had to say about it?What are the allegations?The raids on the rapper’s properties were part of an ongoing sex-trafficking investigation by federal authorities in New York.According to Sky’s US partner network NBC News, three women and a man were interviewed by federal officials in Manhattan in relation…

Energy bills are projected to fall by less than expected this summer and autumn due to an increase in wholesale prices, according to a closely-watched forecast.The energy price cap projection in both quarters – July to September and October to December – has risen by around 7% since predictions made last month. This means the summer quarter prediction increases from £1,465 a year to £1,559 for the average user, research firm Cornwall Insight said.The October to December forecast has risen from £1,524 to £1,631.A marginal increase is expected in January next year, bringing the cap to £1,634 for a typical…

A “game changer” test could detect signs of motor neurone disease (MND) before symptoms appear, according to scientists.It can spot damaged cell proteins in samples of brain tissue – which are early indicators (biomarkers) of the disease. Motor neurone disease – also known as ALS – is an incurable condition that affects the brain and nerves and causes muscle weakness that gets worse over time.It can significantly shorten life expectancy and about 5,000 people in the UK are affected.The new test is known as TDP-43 aptamer and has been developed by experts from the University of Aberdeen. The university’s Dr…

Stephen Bear has been ordered to pay £22,305 over profits he made from a sex tape he posted of his former partner Georgia Harrison.The former Celebrity Big Brother winner was released from prison earlier this year having served 10-and-a-half months for posting on his OnlyFans page intimate footage of him and Harrison, a former The Only Way Is Essex star, without consent. Bear, 34, has now been ordered to pay the £22,305 that prosecutors said he earned from illegally sharing a sex tape during the Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court. He faces nine months in prison…

More than £1m of unexplained transactions were transferred in to Post Office profit at the height of the Horizon scandal, leaked documents have showed.The papers seen by Sky News show a snapshot of transfers from a Post Office “miscellaneous client” suspense account over a four year period, up to 2014. A suspense account is where unexplained, or disputed, transactions remain until they are able to be “reconciled”.Unaccounted-for transactions were transferred out of the Post Office suspense account and into their Profit and Loss account after three years.Money latest: Further fall in energy bills expected in summer Ian Henderson, director of…