Author: SKYNEWS

Supermarket loyalty schemes offer genuine savings for shoppers, according to the competition regulator following an investigation into claims of price manipulation.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said its review of 50,000 loyalty priced products showed that 92% offered genuine savings against the usual price. That was despite 55% of shoppers thinking “usual” prices were raised to make loyalty deals more appealing, it said.Money latest: UK pension scheme slammed over Bitcoin investmentThe watchdog’s report found “very little evidence” of supermarkets inflating their ‘usual’ prices to make loyalty promotions seem like a better deal but it did call on firms to bolster…

Sir Elton John says he has not been able to see out of his right eye for four months, and his left eye “is not the greatest”, following a severe infection.The 77-year-old singer said he has been unable to finish his new album due to his limited eyesight, and had been left feeling “stuck”. Speaking about his new album with his long-time collaborator Bernie Taupin, which was announced last year, the Rocketman star told ABC News’ Good Morning America: “It’s been a while since I’ve done anything, and well, I just have to get off my backside.”I unfortunately lost my…

A so-called “mini moon” that has been floating round Earth for two months will soon disappear. The harmless space rock, which scientists say could be a boulder that was blasted off the actual moon, was first spotted in August. Known as 2024 PT5, the rock began to partially circle Earth in a horseshoe-shaped path in September, but NASA has clarified that it never fully entered orbit.Astrophysicist brothers, Raul and Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, from Complutense University of Madrid, first identified the asteroid’s “mini moon behaviour”.It is expected to peel away from the Earth on Monday as it is overcome by…

Donald Trump has threatened sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China on his first day in office.The president-elect, who takes office on 20 January next year, said he would introduce a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico. Posting on his Truth Social platform he also threatened an additional 10% tariff on goods from China on top of any he might impose as one of his first executive orders.What Trump’s tariffs could mean for UK, EU, China and the worldIf implemented, the tariffs could raise prices for ordinary American consumers on everything from petrol…

Barbara Taylor Bradford, the bestselling novelist who wrote A Woman Of Substance, has died at the age of 91.The Leeds-born author, who sold more than 90 million books, died peacefully at her home on Sunday after a short illness and was “surrounded by loved ones to the very end”, a spokeswoman said. Taylor Bradford, who was often labelled “the grand dame of blockbusters”, hit the big time when A Woman Of Substance was published in 1979, making her an overnight success.The story sold millions of copies and traced the journey of Emma Harte from life as a servant in rural Yorkshire to…

The UK is in a “new AI arms race” with countries like Russia and North Korea, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will say on Monday.  Minister Pat McFadden will be speaking at the NATO Cyber Defence Conference at Lancaster House, warning the UK and its allies that “cyber war is now a daily reality”. “Be in no doubt: the United Kingdom and others in this room are watching Russia. We know exactly what they are doing, and we are countering their attacks both publicly and behind the scenes,” he will say.”Putin is a man who wants destruction, not…

Barclays has been fined £40m over capital raising that averted its need for taxpayer aid during the 2008 financial crisis.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that the bank should have disclosed more details to the stock market about the £11.8bn in funding, from Qatari and other sovereign investors, that it had previously described as “reckless” and lacking integrity. The penalty followed a protracted investigation that began in 2013 but was held up by criminal proceedings brought by the Serious Fraud Office that led to the acquittal of all defendants charged, including Barclays.A decision by the bank not to refer the…

Zayn Malik paid tribute to former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne as he kicked off his solo tour.Payne died last month of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage” after falling from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires, according to a post-mortem. Images from Leeds’s O2 Academy on Saturday showed Malik – who delayed his Stairway To The Sky tour due to Payne’s funeral on Wednesday – shared a tribute.A message was displayed with a heart on a large blue screen behind the singer reading: “Liam Payne 1993-2024. Love you bro.” X This content is provided by X, which may…

Routine domestic activities could expose people to a cloud of plastic particles so small that they can be inhaled deep into the lungs, according to research seen exclusively by Sky News.The study at the University of Portsmouth found a fitness workout on a synthetic carpet could result in up to 110 plastic fibres or fragments being breathed in every minute. Folding clothes made from fabrics such as polyester, and even just sitting down on a foam-filled sofa, also produced a plume of microscopic particles in the surrounding air.The researchers say the findings underline the urgency of talks by the United…

The managing director of Jaguar has hit out at what he called “vile hatred and intolerance” after the car company released a new advert.A 30-second clip posted on the luxury car brand’s X account on Tuesday prompted online backlash after it featured a diverse group of models posing in bright clothes but no vehicles or the iconic leaping big cat. The advert was viewed 160 million times and gained over 120,000 comments, including from X owner Elon Musk who said: “Do you sell cars?” Image: Jaguar said it wanted to ‘move away from traditional automotive stereotypes’ in its new ad…