Author: SKYNEWS

Tens of millions of mobile phone users could end up paying more if the merger between Vodafone and Three goes ahead, the competition watchdog has warned.The deal would create the UK’s biggest mobile network and could also improve network quality, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said. The proposed £15bn merger, announced last year, would bring 27 million customers together under a single provider.But claims of providing a faster 5G network are “overstated”, the CMA added, and the new combined network would not “necessarily have the incentive” to follow through on its investment and improvement plan.Customers may have to pay…

A mega-tsunami caused by a landslide in Greenland caused the Earth to vibrate for nine days, a new study has shown.The collapse of a 1.2km-high (0.7 miles) mountain peak last September caused water in the fjord below to splash back and forth, causing vibrations right through to the Earth’s crust, researchers found. It was caused by the glacier at the foot of the mountain thinning, which was the result of climate change, according to the study, which included scientists from University College London (UCL).The new phenomenon, which began above Dickson Fjord in east Greenland, left scientists “completely baffled”, the study’s…

Holly Ramsay has announced she is engaged to Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty.The 24-year-old daughter of TV chef Gordon Ramsay revealed the news in a social media post. “I am marrying my best friend,” she wrote on Instagram, alongside photos of the pair and the engagement ring on her finger.”I truly cannot put into words how I am feeling right now… Thank you for letting the little girl inside of me feel loved, seen and happier than ever. I love you & I cannot wait to be your wife.”She added that she will “always be there” for former Strictly Come Dancing…

High-end department store chain John Lewis is on course to profit tens of millions of pounds more despite cost of living pressures eating into shop sales. The profit forecast comes as the employee-owned John Lewis Partnership (JLP) behind the Waitrose and John Lewis shops reported a loss for the first half of the year amid reduced sales. Despite a £30m loss for the six months ending 27 July, the organisation said it was on track to deliver “significantly higher profits” than last year.Money blog: Most stressful jobs in UK revealedThe optimism comes as the loss is nearly half that of…

New AI technology can detect early signs of more than 1,000 diseases, long before there are any symptoms, according to new research.The computer algorithm, called MILTON, analyses patient test results commonly collected by GPs to detect patterns in the data – and predict with high confidence a disease diagnosis many years later. Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, which developed the artificial intelligence tool, said it will accelerate the development of more effective and targeted treatments.But it is also making the data freely available to other researchers, who could develop diagnostic tests that allow early preventative treatment to stop diseases in their tracks.…

Taylor Swift has said she will vote for Kamala Harris in the US election, giving her endorsement just minutes after the debate with Donald Trump ended.The Instagram post showed her holding her cat Benjamin Button – a reference to Mr Trump’s running mate JD Vance’s “childless cat lady” comments. Swift urged her 283 million followers to “do your research,” but said AI-generated images of her supporting Mr Trump made her realise “I need to be very transparent about my actual plans”.Follow the latest on the Trump v Harris debate reaction here Instagram This content is provided by Instagram, which may…

A Swedish buyout firm has joined a queue of buyout firms exploring the purchase of a big stake in the UK operations of Grant Thornton, one of Britain’s biggest accountancy firms.Sky News has learnt that EQT, which is in the process of acquiring the computer games producer Keywords Studios, submitted an offer to Grant Thornton’s advisers ahead of a deadline earlier this week. Stockholm-based EQT joins a list of bidders which includes Carlyle, Cinven, CVC Capital Partners and Permira.Nordic Capital is also said to have considered an offer.A deal could value Grant Thornton’s UK arm at between £1bn and £2bn,…

A tiny knee bone linked to a common type of arthritis may have helped humans to evolve from walking on all fours to standing upright, scientists suggest.Little is known about the lateral fabella, a bone buried in the tendon below the knee which is about the size of a sesame seed and is found in around 39% of the population. It has been linked to conditions such as osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease that sees the tissues in the joints break down over time, causing chronic pain. Image: The lateral fabella of a human (left) and the medial and lateral fabella…

Mel B says she was told to straighten her hair for the video of Wannabe – The Spice Girls’ break-out hit – because her “big hair didn’t fit the pop star mould”.But the 49-year-old star said she defied the stylist “and danced as me, with my big hair, my brown skin and I was totally proud of who I was”. Image: The Spice Girls in 1997. Pic: Alan Davidson/Shutterstock The singer, who rose to fame as “Scary Spice”, is one of the high-profile black British stars calling on the government to make the UK the first Western country to introduce…

Representatives of Britain’s army of small businesses will hold talks with ministers this week amid a mounting backlash against radical government plans to reform workers’ rights.Sky News has learnt that Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, and Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, will meet private sector bosses at 10 Downing Street for the second roundtable summit on the issue. A meeting last week saw the two cabinet ministers hold discussions with larger employers including BT Group, John Lewis Partnership and J Sainsbury. On Wednesday, they will meet SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) representatives including executives from the British Chambers of…