The rapid growth of the more transmissible BA.2 variant of Covid-19 is continuing in Los Angeles County. As of March 12, the latest date for which data is available, 32% of local positive Covid tests that underwent laboratory sequencing turned out to be the result of BA.2. During the week ending March 5, 16.7% of
Business
Household energy bills prices are likely to rise even higher this autumn as the war in Ukraine deepens the gas crisis, the boss of one of the UK’s largest energy companies has told Sky News. Greg Jackson, founder and chief executive of Octopus, which has more than two million direct customers, said volatility in wholesale
Household energy bills prices are likely to rise even higher this autumn as the war in Ukraine deepens the gas crisis, the boss of one of the UK’s largest energy companies has told Sky News. Greg Jackson, founder and chief executive of Octopus, which has more than two million direct customers, said volatility in wholesale
The CDC announced this week that the BA.2 Omicron variant, which is reportedly 30% more transmissible than the original BA.1 Omicron strain — has become dominant among new cases sequenced in the United States. That’s a startling rise for a variant that was less than 1% of all sequences as recently as January. But, just
Community volunteers have shared their concern about the cost of living crisis and its impact on children. One mother told Sky News her two sons had gone hungry in the past. Another group – offering free hot meals – estimated more than half of the children they are feeding are malnourished. Image: Nighat Bhola (left)
The Senate narrowly advanced the nomination of Alvaro Bedoya to the Federal Trade Commission, as Democrats seek to end a deadlock on the commission and advance an agenda likely to take a harder line on corporation consolidation and tech giants. The vote on Wednesday was 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking a tie. The
Energy customers around the country have been struggling to submit gas and electricity meter readings, a day before prices are set to soar when the price cap is raised. Millions of households will see their energy bills rise to a typical £1,971 a year when the cap is changed on 1 April. The 54% increase
He’s still just a Regular Joe, Joe Rogan seemed to be saying on his Spotify podcast Tuesday. Rogan was speaking with MMA fighter Josh Barnett who wondered, after his appearance on the massively popular show, “Is everyone going to pour over every single thing I say?” “They will,” the host responded, “but it’s the same
The government’s lead non-executive director has quit with more than a year of his term to run, paving the way for a prominent businessman to inherit one of the most powerful roles in Whitehall. Sky News has learnt that Lord Nash, who was appointed by the prime minister in July 2020, has stepped down from
A bill pending in the Georgia legislature would put a cap of $900 million on the amount of tax incentives the state gives to filmmakers each year, which has turned Georgia into one of the nation’s top filming destinations. That $900 million, which is about what the state pays out now each year, is more
Germany has declared an “early warning” of a gas supply emergency, in one of the starkest signs yet that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is spilling over into European energy markets. The country said that its warning was intended to prepare for the risk of disruption to, or even the end of, natural gas flows
Activision Blizzard said Tuesday a federal court will approve its $18 million settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over a lawsuit charging sexual harassment and retaliation. The EEOC filed its case last September, following a separate suit by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing. According to the EEOC complaint against the Santa Monica-based
The boss of P&O Ferries has flatly rejected the government’s final plea to halt the process of making nearly 800 of its workers redundant. In a letter to transport minister Grant Shapps on Tuesday, the company said the process was in its final stages with most workers already accepting severance offers, and changing course now
Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite couldn’t seem better suited to the long-in-coming stage-taking of real-life couple Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker. What better way for two actors who got their early starts in the theater – she as a young star of Annie, he in Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues – than a
Babcock International Group, the FTSE-250 government contractor, is in talks to offload the bulk of its emergency aviation services division, which counts Britain’s Air Ambulance fleet among its operations. Sky News has learnt that Babcock is in advanced negotiations with Ancala Partners, a London-based infrastructure investor, about acquiring a substantial chunk of the business it
SAG-AFTRA today condemned Will Smith’s assault of Oscar presenter Chris Rock at Sunday night’s ceremony, describing his behavior as “unacceptable” and suggesting that the matter is being looked at for disciplinary action. Smith, who would go on to win the Oscar for Best Actor, slapped Rock in the face after he made a joke about
A second P&O ferry, the Pride of Kent, is being detained after it failed safety checks by authorities amid the backlash over the company’s decision to replace 800 seafarers with lower-paid crew. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) made the revelation as a new crewmember aboard a P&O vessel told Sky News there was an
PVR and INOX Leisure, two of the largest cinema operators in India, are merging to create a multiplex giant in the country. The deal, which will be subject to regulatory approvals, would see the combined entity oversee more than 1,500 screens across 109 cities. PVR is India’s biggest chain with 850 screens, while INOX has
Ministers and the Premier League will be presented with a preferred bid for Chelsea Football Club in three weeks’ time, paving the way for a change of ownership to take place by the end of next month. Sky News has learnt that a letter sent to the four remaining contenders to buy the Blues over
Sycamore Partners, the US- based private equity group, has tabled a £250m offer for the London-listed fashion chain Ted Baker. Sky News has learnt that a proposal valuing Ted Baker at 130p-a-share was submitted in writing in the last few days. It was unclear this weekend whether it had been formally rejected, although City sources