Author: SKYNEWS

You have to have a thick skin to take part in Eurovision which might be why last year’s UK entrant, singer Olly Alexander, has already reached out to this year’s hopefuls to talk about the pitfalls of putting yourself out there.Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull, and Charlotte Steele – members of the country-pop girl group Remember Monday – say they plan to get a drink date with the Years And Years singer before they perform in the contest in May. Lauren says they had a “lovely chat” with Olly, and “drinks are pending” after he “reached out to us and has…

In Miche cafe and bar in British Columbia’s capital, Victoria, owner Allan Sinclair is turning around specific alcohol bottles on the top shelf to hide the labels from public view.He picks up a bottle of Jack Daniels. “This is from Tennessee and they supported Trump so we can’t have that,” he says.How Trump’s tariffs could cost UK consumers Image: Allan Sinclair, owner of Miche cafe and bar in British Columbia’s capital, Victoria Image: Bottles of American liquor were being turned around in the Canadian store A bottle of Wayne Gretzky’s cream liquor is nearly finished. “Once it’s gone, I’m going…

Could the Planning and Infrastructure Bill be the most important piece of legislation in this parliament?Today is the first time we have seen the bill – which is meant to clear out the blockages and get Britain growing again. As Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said today: “Far too often, it takes years and years and years of going through these processes. We want to streamline it, make it clear what our expectations are, and then deliver for people and get that infrastructure and the houses we desperately need.”Politics latest: UK to be hit by Trump’s steel…

British YouTuber and rapper Yung Filly has pleaded not guilty to multiple sexual assault charges in Australia.The internet personality, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, appeared before Perth Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.According to court documents, he pleaded not guilty to three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, one of strangulation and four counts of sexual penetration without consent.He will appear before the higher district court on 13 June.The 29-year-old has been on bail since October last year after he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in her 20s in his hotel room, following a performance at a venue in…

Boohoo, the struggling online fashion retailer, has renamed itself Debenhams Group.The company, which has been locked in a battle with its largest shareholder Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group over direction and performance, announced a strategic review last year after the departure of chief executive John Lyttle. His successor Dan Finley said on Tuesday that a turnaround of Debenhams was now complete and the online department store’s updated business model now accounted for the majority of group profitability.Money latest: Airline refuses refund to nut allergy sufferer refused travelBoohoo acquired only the name and website operations from administrators after debt-laden Debenhams, which had…

British actress Simone Ashley says she believes the industry has “come a long way” in terms of diversifying – but says the process is ongoing.The Bridgerton and Sex Education star says that growing up she loved watching Hollywood royalty Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz and Anne Hathaway take on romcom leads. But the 29-year-old – who is of Indian Tamil descent and grew up in Surrey – says she never really saw people like her in those roles.Ashley told Sky News: “I always wanted to play a character like that.”So, when we got the script, I just jumped on it -…

UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA. In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.More than one in five said they would never buy an EV. The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK…

Donald Trump has not ruled out a recession in the United States this year, saying the world’s largest economy is in “transition” through his trade war.Financial markets have been spooked by the implications of his early trade fights involving the country’s nearest partners Canada and Mexico through on-off tariffs of up to 25%. China has also been targeted and the European Union could be next, from 2 April, when Mr Trump has promised to ramp up his “America first” ambitions.Money latest: The financial advice the over-50s would give their younger selvesThe recession question first cropped up a week ago when…

Brian James, founding member of The Damned, has died aged 70.The guitarist, who was part of the group’s original line-up, wrote the first UK punk single New Rose and helped the band create their debut album, 1977’s Damned Damned Damned. A spokesperson for record label Easy Action said: “I can confirm that Brian passed away peacefully yesterday with his family present.” Image: The Damned in 1978. Pic: Sheila Rock/Shutterstock James’ fellow band member, bassist Raymond “Captain Sensible” Burns, said in an Instagram post: “The riffmeister, Brian has gone – that final act that happens to us all, for most is…

The Australian prime minister has warned there is “worse to come” after a low tropical weather system brought heavy rain, strong winds and flooding to the country’s east coast.Anthony Albanese said the impacts of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred are already being felt across parts of Queensland and New South Wales, with the hours ahead expected to bring more downpours. “We must remain vigilant. This is a very serious weather event,” he said in an update on Saturday morning.”The impact will be serious and will intensify over coming hours and coming days. [It will] still bring strong winds, heavy rain, flooding and…