Author: SKYNEWS

Nintendo has revealed how many Switch 2 consoles have been sold in the first four days since launch.More than 3.5 million devices have flown off the shelves worldwide since 5 June – making it the most successful debut in the company’s history. The Switch 2 features a larger, more responsive screen than its predecessor and new magnetic controllers, with more powerful processing and graphics performance.The new system has a GameChat feature, which enables players to voice or video chat as well as share their game screen with friends online while playing a game.Many bundles of the Switch 2 also come…

Sly Stone, one of the pioneers of funk music, has died aged 82, his family have said.As front man for his band Sly And The Family Stone, the musician fused soul, rock, psychedelia and gospel to take the sound that defined an era in the 1960s into new territory, second only to James Brown as an early founder. Several of the band’s seminal tracks became known to a wider audience when they were subsequently sampled by hip hop artists.”Everyday People” was sampled by Arrested Development, while “Sing A Simple Song” was sampled by Public Enemy, De La Soul and Dr…

KPMG, one of the world’s big four accountancy firms, is preparing to kick off a process to select its next global chairman amid growing speculation that its UK chief intends to stand for the role.Sky News has learnt that Jon Holt, who has been chief executive of the professional services giant’s UK arm since 2021, is being widely touted by colleagues as a contender to replace Bill Thomas as chair of KPMG Global next year. The formal election process will not get underway until the first half of 2026, according to insiders.Money latest: My insurance firm charged me £700 after…

Fifteen years after the Sizewell C nuclear power station was proposed, the government will announce a £14.2bn commitment to the Suffolk site.Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to confirm the funding at the GMB union conference ahead of the spending review on Wednesday, which will set departmental budgets until 2029. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband will call it a “golden age” of nuclear to boost the UK’s energy security.The funding will go towards creating 10,000 jobs, the government will say, including 1,500 apprenticeships, and will support thousands more jobs across the UK.On Monday, it was revealed Britain’s nuclear power sector grew by…

Snoop Dogg says he hopes to set up a burger van at Celtic’s stadium and wants to serve fans himself.The US rapper, 53, has described the football club’s supporters as “special” and the best fans in European football. And Snoop, who played Glasgow’s OVO Hydro arena in 2023, has also said he strongly identifies with the club’s mascot Hoopy the Hound.He said a fast-food van at Celtic Park would become a foodie “Paradise” which is a nickname for the ground in the Parkhead area of the city. Image: Celtic Park. Pic: AP Snoop told the Sunday Mail: “I would love…

A for-profit social enterprise which counts HRH Princess Beatrice among its directors will this week announce a funding boost and the appointment of one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent figures to its board.Sky News has learnt that OPUS, a membership community which aims to cultivate a new wave of British entrepreneurs, is to unveil a $2m injection of capital from a syndicate of angel investors and family offices. It will also announce that Marc Porat, co-founder of General Magic – the company credited with inventing the early technologies behind the smartphone – is to become a director of the company.Money…

I don’t really want you to read this copy. Well I do – but first I want you to search out the interview I did with ChatGPT about its own propensity to lie, attached to this article, and watch that first.Because it’s impossible to imagine what we’re up against if you haven’t seen it first hand. An incredibly powerful technology on the cusp of changing our lives – but programmed to simulate human emotions.Empathy, emotional understanding, and a desire to please are all qualities programmed into AI and invariably drive the way we think about them and the way we…

Dawn French has apologised and taken down a video she posted about the war in Gaza after facing backlash.The popular actress and comedian said she apologised “unreservedly” after posting a video in a “mocking tone”. In the original 40-second clip, the Vicar of Dibley star said: “Complicated, no, but nuanced. But bottom line is no.” Then, using a different tone, she went on: “Yeah, but you know they did a bad thing to us, yeah but no.”But we want that land… and we have history… No.”Those people aren’t really even people, are they really? No.”On Saturday afternoon, she issued an…

Mike Ashley, the high street billionaire, is exploring a cut-price takeover bid for struggling Revolution Beauty – a move that would stoke animosity between him and rival London-listed retailer Debenhams.Sky News has learnt that Frasers Group, which owns retailers ranging from House of Fraser to Evans Cycles, has approached Revolution Beauty about a potential offer for the company. Retail industry sources said this weekend that Frasers was considering whether to bid but was not certain to do so.Revolution Beauty, which sells branded cosmetics, put itself up for sale last month as it warned investors that it was evaluating options to…

Research into faster drug treatments and longer-lasting batteries will form part of the £86bn science and technology funding due to be unveiled in the government’s spending review next week. On Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves will unveil how much taxpayer money each government department will get.Each region in England will be handed up to £500m to spend on science and technology projects of their choice, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) says.In Liverpool, the funding is being earmarked to speed up the development of new drug treatments, while in South Wales, it will fund longer-lasting microchips for smartphones and…