Author: SKYNEWS

The chief executive of National Grid has claimed that Heathrow Airport had enough power from other substations despite Friday’s shutdown.Around 1,300 flights were affected after a fire knocked out an electricity substation in Hayes on Thursday evening. Operations were not able to resume until Friday evening. John Pettigrew from National Grid said there were two other substations “always available for the distribution network companies and Heathrow to take power”. Image: The aftermath of the substation fire. Pic: Reuters Image: The substation fire In his first comments since the disruption, Mr Pettigrew told the Financial Times: “There was no lack of…

Bonnets at the ready, with 2025 marking two and a half centuries since Jane Austen’s birth, does “bad lad” Mr Darcy still do it for Gen Z?From erotic audio books to one-woman comedy shows, an Austen invasion is under way this year with various reinterpretations of her work being offered up from those savvy enough to spot a marketing opportunity. Many promise their own modern twists on classics like Pride & Prejudice but does Austen’s work really need updating to appeal to modern tastes?Nichi Hodgson – whose book The Curious History Of Dating: From Jane Austen To Tinder compares Regency…

Bonnets at the ready, with 2025 marking two and a half centuries since Jane Austen’s birth, does “bad lad” Mr Darcy still do it for Gen Z?From erotic audio books to one-woman comedy shows, an Austen invasion is under way this year with various reinterpretations of her work being offered up from those savvy enough to spot a marketing opportunity. Many promise their own modern twists on classics like Pride & Prejudice but does Austen’s work really need updating to appeal to modern tastes?Nichi Hodgson – whose book The Curious History Of Dating: From Jane Austen To Tinder compares Regency…

Clean-up teams are in a race against time to remove billions of plastic pellets that are building up on England’s east coast before they are washed back out to sea.The pellets – called nurdles – were spilled from containers on board a ship that collided with a tanker off the coast of Grimsby a little over a week ago. Strong winds have blown the plastic pieces – about the size of a lentil – 50 miles south and they’re now being scattered on the nature-critical beaches of Norfolk and Lincolnshire. Image: Nurdles on the beach in Norfolk We walked for…

Campaigners say a new 100% council tax premium on second homes in England will do little to ease the housing crisis, with one group describing it as a “naked cash grab”.Exclusive Sky News data shows around 75% of councils in England will introduce the discretionary charge from April – essentially doubling the council tax on properties classed as second homes. England follows in the footsteps of Wales, which already charges a premium.Government data shows there are around 557,000 second homes in England. Hotspots such as Cornwall, Torbay, Norfolk and Somerset are introducing the tax – but there are many towns…

Former Love Island winner Jack Fincham has won an appeal against his prison sentence for two dangerous dog offences.Fincham, 32, was sentenced to six weeks imprisonment at Southend Magistrates’ Court on 29 January after pleading guilty to two counts of having a dangerously out-of-control black cane corso. But within hours of the sentencing, he was released on conditional bail and vowed to appeal it.On Friday, Fincham, who won the ITV dating show with Dani Dyer in 2018, was told by a judge at Basildon Crown Court that the original sentence had not been “just in the circumstances”. Image: Fincham and…

👉 Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app 👈 Department of Government Efficiency head and business owner Elon Musk visited the Pentagon on Friday, which according to defence secretary Pete Hegseth was to talk about “efficiencies” and “innovations”. It was not, as President Trump insisted, to brief Musk on the US military’s plan for any theoretical war that might break out with China.On day 62 of the Trump presidency, US correspondents James Matthews and Martha Kelner discuss why Musk was at the Pentagon, and if his work presents a conflict of interest for the administration.Plus, James has been to the…

Government spending and borrowing have defied expectations, resulting in “perilous” public finances and placing pressure on the chancellor to raise taxes or cut spending. Government borrowing last month was £15bn more than last year, with the deficit higher than economists predicted, according to official figures. The gap between what the government takes in and what it spends was £10.7bn in February, the Office for National Statistics said, as spending was higher and tax takes were lower than forecast.The sum is the fourth-highest since records began in 1993 and £4.1bn higher than anticipated by economists polled by the Reuters news agency.Money…

The US attorney general has said three people alleged to have damaged Tesla cars and charging stations could be jailed for up to 20 years.Pamela Bondi announced unspecified charges against three people who used Molotov cocktails in what she called a “wave of domestic terrorism”. It comes as US safety regulators recalled almost all Cybertrucks from Elon Musk’s company due to a “dangerous road hazard” that increases the risk of a crash. Image: A Tesla Cybertruck. File pic: AP It is the eighth recall of the Tesla vehicle for safety problems in 15 months.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recall,…

An actress who worked in a film directed by Noel Clarke said she felt “shell-shocked” when he asked her to “bend over further” during a scene where she was naked from the waist down, the High Court has heard.The woman, known only as Mila, gave evidence on Thursday in Clarke’s legal case against Guardian News and Media (GNM).Mila told the court that although she felt uncomfortable about filming the nude scene, she needed the work.In her witness statement, she said: “Noel was telling me to bend over, repeating things like ‘bend over further, come on’, and ‘do it properly’.”I was…