Author: SKYNEWS

Train drivers at five companies have voted to continue taking strike action for six months, union ASLEF has said.The workers who voted are from Chiltern, c2c, East Midlands, Northern and TransPennine. Unions have to re-ballot members every six months to see if they want to continue industrial action.Striking drivers caused disruption to many services in December – and now more strike days are likely to be set.ASLEF boss Mick Whelan said it was a “clear rejection” of the “ridiculous offer put to us in April last year”. Rail minister Huw Merriman has said the “fair and reasonable” offer would increase…

Olivia Colman has complained about the way women are judged and said people “act shocked” when they swear.The actress was speaking ahead of the release of her new movie, Wicked Little Letters, in which she plays one of several women targeted by anonymous obscene mail in an English seaside town in the 1920s. The movie is based on real events and the swearing in the letters outraged people at the time. Image: Olivia Colman takes selfies with fans at the world premiere of Wonka in London in November. Pic: PA Ms Colman told the Radio Times Podcast the film’s swearing…

The rate of inflation has remained at 4%, below expectations, official figures show. The consumer price index measure of inflation stood at 4% in January, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Money latest: Inflation rate holds – as surprise US data leads to market sell-offIt’s the same as in December and below economists’ expectations, including the Bank of England.The central bank forecast a 4.1% rate while economists polled by Reuters were expecting a rise to 4.2%. Keeping prices rising was the energy price cap, which rose in the month, bringing up the cost of gas and electricity and the…

The right-to-buy scheme must be reformed to ensure those most in need have access to secure accommodation, councils have warned.The Local Government Association (LGA) said the scheme, that enables social tenants to purchase their homes with big discounts, meant that 7,449 social homes were lost on a net basis during the last financial year. Its figures showed that of 10,896 social homes sold through right-to-buy in 2022/23, only 3,447 had been replaced since, in breach of government commitments.The cross-party body said the budget, due on 6 March, was an opportunity to address a number of flaws that were exacerbating shortages.The…

A hospital has apologised to more than 100 women after their eggs and embryos were likely damaged during the freezing process.Guy’s Hospital in London contacted the 136 women after discovering its NHS-operated clinic may have inadvertently used some bottles of a faulty freezing solution in September and October 2022. The clinic said it did not know the liquid was defective at the time.A Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said the manufacturing issue may adversely impact the chance of frozen egg or embryo surviving during thawing.”We were made aware of a manufacturing issue with some bottles of a…

Shoplifting has hit a record high with 16.7 million incidents recorded last year – more than double compared to 2022. The spate cost retailers around £1.8bn, a record sum, and the first time it has surpassed the £1bn mark, according to an annual survey by the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Violence and abuse against shop workers also spiked last year with about 1,300 incidents daily, a rise of 50% from 870 the year before, the trade association reported.About 8,800 of the total across the year resulted in injury.Retail staff faced a range of incidents including physical violence, threats with weapons,…

The UK arm of The Body Shop has entered administration, threatening stores and more than 2,000 jobs.As first reported by Sky News, FRP Advisory has been brought in to handle a restructuring process just weeks after the new owners took control of the cosmetics retailer. The Body Shop has roughly 200 outlets across the UK, and it’s understood up to 100 of them could be closed to bring the number of shops in line with competitors, such as Lush, which trades from 104 premises in the UK and Ireland.Inflation to rise on Wednesday, experts say – here’s what it could…

Remember the days of lining up alongside your classmates for school photos, teachers smoothing your collar down as a frazzled photographer desperately tried to ensure dozens of little faces were all smiling for the camera at the same time?Well, exactly the same thing happens ahead of the Oscars each year – just replace the teachers with stylists and the scruffy children with nominated A-listers with fancier wardrobes, and you have your Academy Awards class photo. It’s the one chance to capture all the stars, including some of the most famous people in the world, in one place – no pressure,…

Housing minister Lee Rowley has insisted the government has “got to have targets” for building homes – despite ministers dropping the ambition.In its 2019 manifesto, the Conservative Party pledged to build 300,000 new houses each year by the mid-2020s if it got into power. But the figure has never been achieved, and in December 2022, Housing Secretary Michael Gove confirmed it had been watered down after a backbench backlash – which saw Tory MPs threaten to vote against their own party’s pledge in the Commons.Politics live: Labour withdraws support for Rochdale by-election candidateLast summer, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended the…

Love was in the air for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce during this year’s Super Bowl – but they’re not the only couple who are head over heels. Usher and his partner Jenn Goicoechea got married in Las Vegas just hours after the R&B superstar’s headline appearance at the Super Bowl half-time show. According to their marriage certificate, which was released publicly on Monday, the couple tied the knot at Vegas Weddings with Usher’s mother Jonnetta Patton being one of the witnesses. Image: Usher during his Super Bowl half-time show. Pic: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters Image: Vegas Weddings, where Usher and…