Author: SKYNEWS

The owner of British Gas has reported a big jump in profits – as its boss called for a “social tariff” that would help poorer Britons pay less for their gas and electricity.The retail wing of parent company Centrica, which is mostly made up of British Gas, said profits soared to £799m in 2023, an increase from £94m a year earlier. Profits were made in the first half of the year due to the energy-supplier firm’s ability to recover previous trading losses via the energy regulator Ofgem price cap, which limits how much users pay per unit of power.Money latest:UK…

US officials say they have disrupted a hacking network linked to Russian intelligence services.They say the hackers – believed to be from the secretive hacking arm of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (better known as the GRU) – gained access to more than 1,000 personal and small business internet routers in the US and around the world. The hackers then used the infected devices to launch “harvesting campaigns” against targets of “intelligence interest” to the Russian government, according to the US Justice Department.However, the department says the campaign was disrupted by US officials, including teams from the FBI, who managed to…

Jet2 has upgraded its profit forecast for the financial year amid a recent surge in demand for foreign trips.The package holiday firm said winter bookings were up 17% on the previous year – with earnings also likely to be boosted by the extra leap year day in February and Easter coming earlier in 2024. Jet2 said demand for breaks in the sun came despite ongoing cost of living pressures on households – and said it showed customers “cherish their time away from our rainy island”.It said profits before tax in the year ending 31 March were likely to be between…

Much of the attention at the world premiere of Dune: Part Two in London was on Emmy-winning actor-come-fashion-icon Zendaya’s scene-stealing silver C-3PO-esque robot outfit.But for actress Florence Pugh the focus should be firmly on director Denis Villeneuve for creating a film she believes will be studied by students of cinema for years to come. Speaking to Sky News on the red carpet at Leicester Square, she said: “When I watched the movie I said ‘I think this might be the best movie I’ve ever watched in my life.'”And people will study this movie for a long, long time, removing myself…

Sky News’s economics and data editor Ed Conway looks at the implications of Britain entering recession on this episode. Although the two quarters of negative growth is a fairly arbitrary definition and could be revised, Ed tells host Greg Milam why the GDP per head figures could tell us more. They also discuss the political implications for Rishi Sunak who’d made growing the economy one of his big five pledges.Plus, Manchester restaurant owner Karina Jadhav on what recession means for her business.Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts Producer: Alex EddenAssistant producers: Evan Dale,…

Odysseus is on its epic journey to the moon.The 240,000-mile voyage is one of jeopardy and challenge for the spacecraft, just as it was for its namesake in the Greek myth. Even reaching the launch pad was an achievement.NASA contracted the Texas-based Intuitive Machines to take several instruments to the moon for a fixed price of $116m (£94m).That’s well below what it would cost NASA to undertake the same mission. NASA believes that private companies can innovate new ways of getting to the moon for less money. Lift-off – as it happened:SpaceX rocket launches for moon’s south pole Image: Intuitive…

Financial firms have been warned to watch out for junior members of staff being recruited or compromised by organised crime gangs wanting to make money from insider trading.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued the advice after three men were arrested on suspicion of insider dealing and money laundering “linked to organised crime”. The regulator revealed that the trio, which included two men aged 52 and another aged 53, had been detained following raids at three residential properties in London on 1 February. They have since been released on bail.A fourth suspect, a 48-year-old man, was also interviewed under caution on…

An Oklahoma radio station has backtracked after its refusal to play a country song by Beyonce went viral.The star unveiled two country-style songs during the Super Bowl ads at the weekend, but when a fan asked KYKC to play one they flatly refused. Its curt reply – that we “do not play Beyonce on KYKC as we are a country music station” – racked up 3.5 million views and 25,000 likes on X.The fan accused the station of “blatant racism and discrimination” and urged others to email to request the track.Tagging fan account @BeyLegion appeared to do the trick and…

The founders of White Stuff, the fashion retailer, are exploring a potential sale of the business they founded in 1985.Sky News has learnt that George Treves and Sean Thomas have engaged Rothschild, the investment bank, to field offers following the receipt of an unsolicited approach from a prospective buyer. Money latest: Biggest rise in average mortgage rates since last JulyCity sources said on Thursday that the pair had not committed to a sale of the chain and that a decision to do so would depend on the valuation it attracted.One analyst suggested that the company could be worth in the…

Marvel Studios have revealed the actors who will play The Fantastic Four in their upcoming movie.English stars Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn, The Last Of Us actor Pedro Pascal and The Bear star Ebon Moss-Bachrach will take on the roles of astronauts who develop special powers. Instagram This content is provided by Instagram, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Instagram cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at…