Author: SKYNEWS

Kevin Hart says there’s absolutely no chance he will ever host the Oscars, labelling award show gigs as “very cold” and not “comedy friendly environments”.The 44-year-old comedian and actor stepped down from hosting the 2019 Oscars after a series of old tweets emerged in which he’d used homophobic slurs. Chat show host Ellen DeGeneres later campaigned for him to return to the role, without success.Hart, who is currently starring in Netflix heist movie Lift, told Sky News: “Those gigs aren’t good gigs for comics. It’s no shot to the Oscars, no shot to the Globes or anything else. Those just…

Shipping costs have risen by more than 300% since November amid the disruption caused to freight in the Red Sea from attacks, according to fresh data.Just hours after US and UK-led attacks on Yemen aimed at preventing renewed assaults on shipping by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, oil costs rose sharply and it was revealed that freight prices continued to surge over the past week. The most widely used measure of freight cost, the Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI), hit $3,101 (£2,429) per container from $2,871 (£2,249) last Friday, according to data given to Sky News by global logistics company DSV.It meant…

If you’ve read anything about Emma Stone’s latest film Poor Things, you’ll know the big takeaway: there’s lots and lots of sex.Stone plays Bella Baxter, a woman who was pregnant before she died, only for a scientist to bring her back to life and replace her brain with that of the still-living baby. (Yes, you read that correctly). Bella has the mind of an infant, but the needs of a young woman discovering what life is all about. The story of a Frankenstein-inspired sex-obsessive might sound too bizarre to work, but the film has been universally praised by critics and…

Burberry shares have fallen sharply after the luxury brand said it had failed to see the global pick-up in demand it had hoped for over the crucial Christmas season.The UK company, which has been seeking to move upmarket under a turnaround plan initiated by chief executive Jonathan Akeroyd, had previously warned on its annual profits outlook in November. At that time, it had reported encouraging signs for the first collection under the creative guidance of new designer Daniel Lee.But Burberry said on Friday in an unscheduled trading update that retail revenue over the 13 weeks to 30 December was down…

Patsy Palmer is returning to EastEnders for a short stint as Bianca Jackson.The 51-year-old actress and DJ, who has already started filming, will be back on screen in the spring. In the episodes, she will be visited by her step-daughter Whitney and Whitney’s partner Zack.Bianca, who was last seen in 2019, will return in a “special episode focusing on Whitney and the drama she faces in Milton Keynes” where Bianca now lives, the BBC said. “I’m so excited to be reprising the role of Bianca,” Palmer said. “EastEnders holds such a special place in my heart, so it’s always a…

A Telegraph Media Group executive has been elevated to the company’s top finance role as the initial phase of two government-commissioned probes into the broadsheet’s sale nears its conclusion.Sky News understands that Cathy Southgate has been appointed acting chief financial officer, replacing Cormac O’Shea, who will leave next month. According to a memo sent by Nick Hugh, the Telegraph chief executive, on Friday morning and seen by Sky News, the audit and senior accounting officer functions will be overseen by Stephen Welch, one of the parent company’s independent directors.The announcement comes amid protracted uncertainty about the future of two of…

Astrobotic have given up on their Peregrine-1 spacecraft landing on the moon after it sprang a crippling propellant leak.The problem occurred in the first few hours of the lunar lander’s journey into space. The Pittsburgh-based firm – which had been hoping to be the first private company to complete a moon landing – said there was “no chance” of the spacecraft being able to survive the descent.”Given the propellant leak, there is, unfortunately, no chance of a soft landing on the moon,” Astrobotic said in a statement.However, the company said the lander has enough fuel left to allow it to…

Tributes have been paid to the “original trailblazer” and broadcast icon Annie Nightingale – Radio 1’s first female DJ – who has died aged 83.Nightingale started presenting on Radio 1 in 1970 and became its longest-serving broadcaster, hosting her show Annie Nightingale presents… until late last year. She was awarded an MBE in 2002 and a CBE in 2020. In 2004, she became the first female DJ from Radio 1 to be inducted into the Radio Academy Hall of Fame.In a statement, Nightingale’s family said she died at home in London on Thursday, following a short illness, and hailed her…

A court has been told Scottish sub-postmasters who were given a criminal record as a result of the Post Office scandal have been placed in an “intolerable” position by politicians promising to pardon victims.Around 100 Scots were criminalised due to the faulty computer system but only four have so far been successful in overturning their convictions. In England and Wales, the Post Office acted as a private prosecutor in all cases but the legal system in Scotland is different. Scotland’s public prosecution service, the Crown Office, oversaw cases.It has emerged the Crown Office first became aware of issues linked to…

Questions are being raised over security measures at X after hackers were blamed for a fake post on the US financial market regulator’s account that prompted a jump in the value of Bitcoin.Crypto investors were widely anticipating confirmation from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this week that it had approved a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund. Such a move would allow investment without the need to buy Bitcoin through an exchange.So there were initially no alarm bells when the SEC’s X account revealed on Tuesday night that it had granted “approval for #Bitcoin ETFs for listing on all registered national…