Author: SKYNEWS

Minecraft users are being targeted by criminals posing as game coders online.Analysts tracked two pieces of malware spread by what appears to be Russian gangs on the code-sharing site GitHub, , according to cybersecurity firm Check Point. Its researchers said: “The malware is developed by a Russian-speaking threat actor and contains several artefacts written in the Russian language.”Thousands of Minecraft users have already been tricked into using the malware, which is designed to steal from bank accounts, cryptocurrency wallets, browsers and other computer applications.Graeme Stewart, head of public sector at Check Point, said it was similar to the way “gangs…

Hundreds more high street jobs are being put at risk as part of a sweeping overhaul of the family-owned fashion retailer River Island.Sky News has learnt that the clothing chain, which trades from about 230 stores, is proposing to close 33 shops in a restructuring plan which will be put to creditors in August. The fate of a further 70 stores is dependent upon agreements being reached with landlords to slash rent payments.Money latest: Why Aldi ‘could be forced to rethink’ business model Confirmation of the plans comes less than a month after Sky News revealed that the company, which…

Singer Chris Brown has pleaded not guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm over an alleged bottle attack at a London nightclub two years ago.The US R&B star was arrested at a hotel in Manchester by Metropolitan Police detectives last month, after the singer flew to the city by private jet in preparation for his world tour. The 36-year-old said he had gone “from the cage to the stage” after he was released on bail in time for the tour. Image: Chris Brown arrives at Southwark Crown Court. Pic: PA The musician had been remanded in custody following an…

A “pioneering” new scanner derived from MRI technology could be used to track brain cancer spread and lead to improved treatment for patients, scientists have said.Researchers at the University of Aberdeen and NHS Grampian have been awarded £350,000 funding by the Scottish government to generate never-before-seen images of glioblastoma brain tumours. It is hoped the technology will improve treatment and quality of life for patients by investigating a new way to scan the tumours.Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive type of brain tumour with more than 3,000 new patients in the UK diagnosed each year.The University of Aberdeen said…

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…