Author: SKYNEWS

Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is seeking a heavyweight outsider to run Britain’s main banking watchdog, with a senior Barclays executive expected to be among the top contenders for the job.Sky News has learnt that the Treasury is to advertise the post of chief executive of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), which oversees financial services firms such as banks and insurers, within days. One source said the recruitment process could kick off as early as next week.The process, which will run for several months, will lead to the appointment of a successor to Sam Woods, a long-serving official who has served…

Nearly a quarter of vehicles sold in the UK last month were battery electric (BEV) models, according to industry figures.More than 72,000 new BEVs were registered in September, accounting for 23.3% of the total market, the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. It described the figures – a 29% rise on the 56,000 BEVs sold in September 2024 – as “the best month on record for BEV volumes”.The motor lobby group attributed the increase to the government’s Electric Car Grant scheme, as well as factors such as the “ever-increasing choice of models” in the sector.More than 20,000 consumers…

Actress Dame Patricia Routledge, best known for TV show Keeping Up Appearances, has died aged 96, her agent has said.”We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of Dame Patricia Routledge, who died peacefully in her sleep this morning surrounded by love,” her agent said in a statement.”Even at 96 years old, Dame Patricia’s passion for her work and for connecting with live audiences never waned, just as new generations of audiences have continued to find her through her beloved television roles.”She will be dearly missed by those closest to her and by her devoted admirers around the world.”Dame Patricia…

Japan could be hours away from running out of Asahi, the country’s most popular beer.Dozens of factories nationwide have ground to a halt following a cyber attack on Monday. The breach disabled the company’s ordering and delivery systems – and also took its call centre operations offline.Supermarkets and Japanese pubs known as izakayas risk running super dry, with some retailers raising fears of potential panic buying. Image: Reuters file pic According to NHK, Asahi Group has now had to suspend plans to launch new products including soft drinks, coffee and throat lozenges. One wholesaler expects to run out of beer…

Two species of disease-carrying mosquitoes have been found in the UK – and are spreading as the climate warms, scientists have warned. Aedes aegypti, also known as the Egyptian mosquito, and Aedes albopictus, also known as the (Asian) tiger or forest mosquito, are known vectors of several diseases including yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya, Zika and dirofilariasis.The species were detected in surveillance traps set by the UK Health Security Agency, a peer-reviewed study on invasive mosquito surveillance in the UK has revealed.Egyptian mosquito eggs were detected in a freight storage facility near London’s Heathrow Airport in September 2023 – and tiger…

A lawsuit against Nirvana – filed by a man who claimed his depiction as a naked four-month-old baby on their album cover was child pornography – has been dismissed for the second time.A photo of Spencer Elden swimming towards a dollar bill on a fishhook had appeared on the cover of the rock band’s iconic album Nevermind in 1991. But Judge Fernando Olguin threw out the case after ruling that no reasonable jury would consider the image pornographic, likening it instead to a “family photo of a nude child bathing”.”Other than the fact that plaintiff was nude on the album…

A Manchester-based software company which claims to deliver faster and more energy-efficient AI systems has landed millions of pounds in funding from a syndicate of prominent investors.Sky News understands that PEAK:AIO has secured the money amid a race to confront the infrastructure challenges posed by the global explosion in spending on AI and related technology advances. The company will announce the funding round publicly on Friday.The deal is being led by Pembroke VCT, which is providing £3.7m of the £5m capital injection.PEAK:AIO has developed ultra-fast storage systems for AI workloads, and has signed up a number of institutions as customers…

The Conservatives have pledged to scrap Britain’s landmark climate change law that limits pollution, and replace it with a plan for “cheap and reliable” energy.Party leader Kemi Badenoch said scrapping the Climate Change Act – brought in by Labour in 2008 and later strengthened by Tory PM Theresa May – would benefit cheap energy, economic growth and Britain’s declining industrial sector. “Climate change is real. But Labour’s laws tied us in red tape, loaded us with costs, and did nothing to cut global emissions,” said Ms Badenoch.”Under my leadership, we will scrap those failed targets. Our priority now is growth,…

The death of journalist and author Hunter S Thompson will be reviewed by Colorado officials at the request of his widow, the state’s bureau of investigation has announced.Thompson, best known for his 1971 novel Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, died aged 67 on 20 February 2005. The original investigation concluded the death was from an allegedly self-inflicted gunshot wound and was suicide.In a statement on Tuesday, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said Anita Thompson had requested a case review into her husband’s death, and that it is being carried out to provide an independent perspective on the investigation.…

A company linked to Tory peer Baroness Michelle Mone breached a government contract of nearly £122m to supply surgical gowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, the High Court has ruled.The £121.9m sum must now be repaid by the company, PPE Medpro. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) brought the case, saying it provided 25 million “faulty”, non-sterile gowns.On Wednesday, the High Court said the gowns did not comply with the requirement of having a validated process to demonstrate sterility, and it was not possible for the DHSC to have sold them and recouped the loss.The company, a consortium led…