Author: SKYNEWS

Global cocoa prices have surged to a record high this week as bad weather conditions impact crops in West Africa.Cocoa prices on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in New York reached a new all-time high of $5,874 (£4,658) a ton on Thursday, closing up 7.3% at $5,805 (£4,604). The cost of the core ingredient for making chocolate has almost doubled – rising about 90% – since the start of last year.Chocolate production is concentrated among a few major players and some have their stock listed on the public markets.US chocolate giant Hershey said on Thursday it is expecting a further slowdown…

World-renowned music producer DJ Tiesto has pulled out of performing at the Super Bowl because of an undisclosed family matter.Tiesto, who has repeatedly been named the best DJ in the world during his 40-year career, had been expected to warm up the crowd before kick-off and perform throughout the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas on Sunday. However, the 55-year-old wrote on social media on Thursday that he will miss the match as he needed to return home.The Dutch DJ, whose real name is Tijs Verwest, wrote on X: “It was a…

Two men have been arrested after a 17-year-old boy died in a “workplace accident” on an industrial estate.A joint investigation has been launched by police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to establish the circumstances that led to the tragedy in Bury, Greater Manchester. Officers were called to Tile Street in the town shortly after 10am on Thursday, with fire crews and paramedics also attending.A 41-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of driving offences and gross negligence manslaughter, while a 36-year-old man was also detained on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.Read more on Sky News:The epidemic of violence against…

Tesco has announced the sale of most of its banking arm to Barclays in a deal worth up to £1bn.The UK’s largest retailer, which had been in discussions with other major lenders including HSBC and Lloyds over a deal, said all 2,800 staff at Tesco Bank would transfer to Barclays under the agreement over time. The sale only includes its banking operations in credit cards, loans and savings.Tesco Bank’s wider financial services interests, including insurance, gift cards and cash machines, will remain with Tesco.Money latest:Ring Doorbell doubles prices in less than two years The company told the bank’s five million…

Tennis icon Serena Williams and UK supermodel Kate Moss are among 40 women who star on Edward Enninful’s last cover for British Vogue – with Victoria Beckham, Oprah Winfrey, Naomi Campbell and Miley Cyrus also featuring.Enninful, who is Ghanian-British and the first black man to have edited the top fashion magazine, announced he would be stepping down from his role to take up a newly-created position this year. The 51-year-old’s final shoot as editor-in-chief has brought together 40 famous women – including actresses Salma Hayek, Jodie Comer and Jane Fonda.The Queen’s Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy, singer Rina Sawayama, fashion model…

British Airways (BA) has revealed plans to resume flights to and from Israel, beginning in April.The airline, which suspended services to Tel Aviv in October amid the growing hostilities between Israel and Hamas, said it was aiming to launch four return services per week from 1 April. It was understood that these would be on short-haul aircraft as BA anticipated weak demand due to the continued fighting in the region.The decision, the airline confirmed, would be kept under review because of the evolving nature of the conflict.This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.Please…

​​​​​​​Electric heaters that could explode, cause electric shocks or start house fires are being sold on TikTok and Temu, consumer group Which? has warned.The watchdog bought and tested eight heaters costing as little as £7.20 from TikTok Shop and Temu, finding that six were unsafe. Testing found the £7.20 XH-1201 1200W portable electric heater bought from TikTok was a fire hazard and also an explosion threat, which could cause electric shocks.Which? found 16 sellers listing the heater on TikTok, quoting 223 sales.An identical £16.98 portable space heater purchased from Temu from a listing that stated 2,100 had been sold was…

Piers Morgan is leaving TalkTV to focus on his YouTube channel, the broadcaster has revealed.His show, Piers Morgan Uncensored has been shown at 8pm on the Rupert Murdoch owned channel for almost two years, but ratings have been lacklustre. However, his YouTube channel has been garnering far more views, prompting the veteran journalist to decide he wants to go “full digital globally” and escape the “straightjacket” of a nightly show.”There’s something quite anachronistic about a show like mine still trying to create old fashioned TV for a pre-scheduled time slot each night for a relatively small audience – when we’re…

Tariff-free trade with Ukraine has been extended until 2029, the government has announced, marking a deeper commitment to the country’s economy as its war with Russia continues. Trade minister Greg Hands, who was due to sign the reciprocal extension at a virtual ceremony, said the support would continue for “as long as needed”. However, the UK’s National Farmers’ Union (NFU), while welcoming the renewed show of “solidarity”, has expressed concern about the impact on domestic production amid industry anger across Europe about hits to profit margins and shifting regulations.The UK-Ukraine deal had been due to expire at the end of…

There has been a jump in the number of properties falling behind with mortgage payments, according to industry figures that also show an 11% rise in repossessions of buy-to-let (BTL) properties.UK Finance said cost of living pressures and higher interest rates continued to take a toll on borrowers over the final three months of 2023, with the numbers falling behind with payments rising in line with its forecasts. Its data showed that homeowner mortgages in arrears increased by 7% to 93,680 compared to the previous quarter.Buy-to-let (BTL) mortgages, also adjudged to be more than 2.5% behind the outstanding balance of…