Author: SKYNEWS

Retail sales volumes suffered their largest monthly fall since December 2023 last month, according to official figures which suggest a link to rising bills.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported a 2.7% decline in the quantity of goods bought in May compared to the previous month. The body said its interaction with retailers suggested “inflation and customer cutbacks” accounted for the fall, which was across all categories, but led by food.Money latest: The sunscreens failing safety tests The seasonally adjusted data – which reflects the effects of holidays – means that those for Easter are modified to give a clearer…

Dame Judi Dench, Malala and Stanley Tucci are among another 100 famous names who have added their signatures to a letter urging Sir Keir Starmer to “end the UK’s complicity” in Gaza.Sky News can exclusively reveal the Bond actress, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Conclave actor are among a host of public figures who have added their names to the letter. At the end of May, Sky News revealed about 300 actors, bands, singers, activists and sportspeople signed the letter, organised by refugee charity Choose Love, calling on Sir Keir to suspend all UK arms sales and licences to Israel.Dua…

A SpaceX rocket has exploded before launch – sending a dramatic fireball high into the sky.Starship 36 was preparing for its 10th test flight at Starbase – SpaceX’s launch site at the southern tip of Texas – when the incident occurred on Wednesday evening. During take off procedures just after 11pm local time, the rocket exploded into a giant fireball.The company described the incident as a “major anomaly”. Image: Starship 36 was preparing for its 10th test flight. Pic: NASASpaceFlight Image: The test flight failed at Starbase – SpaceX’s launch site. Pic: NASASpaceFlight In a statement, it added: “A safety…

Energy bill discounts of £150 will be extended to another 2.7 million households to help with fuel costs this winter.It brings the number of households eligible for the Warm Home Discount up to just over 6 million, including 900,000 families with children, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said. The changes mean every bill payer on means-tested benefits will qualify, removing the high-cost-to-heat threshold in the current regulations.It follows a government consultation on expanding the one-off payment to more people struggling with fuel poverty.Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “I know families are still struggling with the cost…

R Kelly was hospitalised after prison officials gave him an overdose of medication, his lawyers have claimed – as part of what they say is an ongoing assassination plot.Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is currently serving time at the Federal Correctional Institute in Butner, North Carolina, after being convicted of sex trafficking and racketeering in 2021. A year later, he was found guilty on three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticement of minors for sex.The 58-year-old was taken to hospital on Friday after prison staff “administered an overdose of his medication”,…

The head of Britain’s biggest energy supplier has claimed his competitors oppose proposals for so-called postcode pricing because they financially benefit from the current system.Octopus Energy chief executive Greg Jackson told Sky News his business’s rivals were against customers being charged based on where they lived, rather than on a national basis, because they would lose out on profits. He said: “A very small number of companies that today get paid tens of millions, sometimes in a single day, to turn off wind farms and generate gas elsewhere, don’t like it.”The reason you’re seeing that kind of behaviour from the…

Co-op is offering its members a 25% discount on a £40 shop as a “thank you” gesture after a major cyberattack caused disruption in stores.The retailer’s stock was affected due to the attack in May, leaving shelves bare, and payments were disrupted. Hackers also stole personal data including members’ names and contact details. Image: Empty shelves in a Co-op branch in Manchester last month. Pic: PA Co-op was among several retailers like Marks & Spencer (M&S) and Harrods to have been hit by a cyberattack recently, with bosses at M&S saying the incident was likely to cost the business around…

Kim Woodburn – a former cleaner who found fame presenting the hit TV show How Clean Is Your House? – has died.Woodburn, who was 83, later became a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother in 2017, finishing as runner-up. Image: Woodburn came third in Celebrity Big Brother 2017. Pic: PA Her manager said in a statement: “It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved Kim Woodburn passed away yesterday following a short illness.”Kim was an incredibly kind, caring, charismatic and strong person.”Her husband, Peter, is heartbroken at the loss of his soulmate. “We are so proud of…

Would you buy a Trump phone? The Trump Organization has announced a mobile service and smartphone branded with the president’s name.”Get ready to experience the power of Trump Mobile,” the website proclaims alongside an image of a golden mobile phone. Positioned as an alternative to telecom giants like AT&T and T-Mobile, the new mobile venture is apparently an effort to court conservative consumers with promises of phones made in America.”We are going to be introducing an entire package of products,” the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, said at the launch at Trump Tower in New York on Monday.Products include…

The UK-US trade deal has been signed and is “done”, US President Donald Trump has said as he met Sir Keir Starmer at the G7 summit.The US president told reporters: “We signed it, and it’s done. It’s a fair deal for both. It’ll produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income.” As Mr Trump and his British counterpart exited a mountain lodge in the Canadian Rockies where the summit is being held, the US president held up a physical copy of the trade agreement to show reporters.Several leaves of paper fell from the binding, and Mr Starmer quickly bent…