Author: SKYNEWS

Petrochemicals billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe has completed the purchase of a 27.7% stake in Manchester United through his INEOS conglomerate – enabling him to take control of football operations from the owning Glazer family. The deal ends a protracted saga that has engulfed United for 15 months without the full sale fans had been demanding to end the 19-year reign of the Glazers. But Sir Jim is leading an overhaul of a club in decline – that is facing an 11th consecutive Premier League season ending without adding to their record 20 men’s league titles.Erik ten Hag’s side is sixth in…

An infamous cyber crime gang has been disrupted by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and a coalition of international police agencies. Lockbit and its affiliates have hacked some of the world’s largest organisations in recent months, but as of Monday their extortion website displays a message saying it is “under the control of the National Crime Agency of the UK”.Five Russian nationals have been charged.But what is Lockbit, what are its criminal tactics and who has fallen victim to it? Here’s what we know…What Lockbit doesThe gang makes money by stealing sensitive data and threatening to leak it if victims…

Jodie Foster has told Sky News that Hollywood was an “entirely male environment” when she first began acting, nearly six decades ago.Speaking on The World With Yalda Hakim, the two-time Oscar-winning star said: “When I first started in the 60s, I never saw another woman, for example… “Sometimes it was the lady who played my mum, or sometimes a make-up artist, but for the most part it was really just an entirely male environment.” Image: Foster won her second Oscar in 1992. Pic: AP A director and producer as well as an actress, the 61-year-old star says things have changed…

Not for the first time, the veteran commentator Ray Snoddy came up with a deft turn of phrase.Mr Snoddy, the doyen of Fleet Street media writers during a near-35 year career on The Times and the Financial Times, told his followers on X last night: “Former Post Office chairman Henry Staunton would never win a prize as a stand-up comic but I know him to be a fastidiously honest man and when faced with the claims of a Tory minister – no contest.” He was referring to the extraordinary war of words that has blown up between Mr Staunton and…

One of the world’s most prolific cyber crime gangs has been taken down by law enforcement agencies including the FBI, Europol and the UK’s National Crime Agency.Lockbit is an extortion website that held its victims’ data for ransom – some of the biggest UK bodies affected were the Royal Mail and the NHS. Five Russians have been charged by US authorities and dozens of crypto accounts frozen.On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by science and technology editor Tom Clarke and crime correspondent Martin Brunt to discuss what Lockbit is, Operation Cronos and what this means for other…

Four films about The Beatles are in the works – with each star getting a biopic to share their side of the story of the band that changed the world.The project marks the first time Apple Corps Ltd and The Beatles – Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Ringo Starr, and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison – have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film. Coming from each band member’s point of view, the four theatrical feature films will intersect to tell “the astonishing story of the greatest band in history”. Image: Pic: AP British…

The founder of AJ Bell, one of Britain’s most successful retail investment platforms, is to take the helm of one of Britain’s fastest-growing sports nutrition, health and wellness brands as it speeds towards a London listing.Sky News has learnt that Andy Bell, who stepped down as chief executive of AJ Bell in 2022, is to become chairman of Liverpool-based Applied Nutrition. His appointment is understood to have been ratified at a board meeting on Tuesday.It will be Mr Bell’s first role since leaving the company he founded, with sources saying that he had already demonstrated his confidence in Applied Nutrition’s…

An injection that can “reduce the risk of harmful allergic reactions” in people with food allergies has been approved for use in the US.Certain adults and children aged one or over who have immunoglobulin E-mediated food allergies will be eligible to have the injection, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said. The jab uses omalizumab – sold under the brand name Xolair – to reduce the risk of anaphylaxis, a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction that can occur when a person is accidentally exposed to one or more foods.Xolair is already approved for the treatment of moderate to severe…

Malcolm In The Middle star Frankie Muniz has said “this is just the beginning” after he crashed on his debut in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series racing event.Muniz finished 33rd out of 38 racers after getting caught up in a multi-car crash, known as a “wreck”, on the 37th lap of the 120-lap United Rentals 300 at Daytona International Speedway in Florida on Monday. The 38-year-old, who was driving for Joey Gase Racing, reached as high as 13th place at one point before finishing early due to the crash.Nascar’s Xfinity Series posted on social media that Muniz had been “evaluated and released…

The price of baby formula is coming under fresh regulatory scrutiny – amid fears they remain “historically high”.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had previously identified a 25% price increase over two years – with just two companies, Nestle and Danone, accounting for 85% of sales. The watchdog’s decision to begin a market study, which should conclude by September, gives it the power to force suppliers to provide information on pricing and other issues. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:46 ‘Are families being exploited? Yes’ The CMA has previously relied on voluntary submissions.Last year, Sky…