Octopus Energy to spin off $8.65bn tech arm Kraken Octopus Energy is set to spin off its Kraken Technologies arm as a standalone company after a deal to sell a stake in the platform valued it at $8.65bn (£6.4bn). The energy giant, Britain's biggest gas and electricity supplier, has sold a $1bn stake in the AI-based division to a group of investors led by New York-based D1 Capital Partners. The move paves the way for Kraken to be demerged from Octopus, and for a potential stock market flotation for the business in the future. Octopus founder and chief executive Greg Jackson told the BBC there was every chance Kraken would list its shares in the medium term, with the location of the flotation between London and the US. Kraken uses AI to automate customer service and billing for energy companies and can manage when customers use energy, rewarding them for reducing consumption at peak times. It was initially built for use by Octopus but has since picked up a raft of other utilities clients, including EDF, E.On Next, TalkTalk and National Grid US.

Could Ukraine hold a presidential election right now? Will Europe use frozen Russian assets to fund war? How can Ukraine rebuild China ties? 'Ukraine is running out of men, money and time' Each week, Myroshnyk Vassyl Savych heads north to deliver his newspaper to border communities exposed to Russian fire and disinformation. Editor-in-Chief Myroshnyk Vassyl Savych gets ready to deliver his weekly newspaper, Zorya Visnyk (The Dawn Bulletin), from his office in Zolochiv, in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, to front-line villages in November 2025 [Louis Lemaire/Al Jazeera] Editor-in-Chief Myroshnyk Vassyl Savych gets ready to deliver his weekly newspaper, Zorya Visnyk (The Dawn Bulletin), from his office in Zolochiv, in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, to front-line villages in November 2025 [Louis Lemaire/Al Jazeera] It's a cold, foggy morning in early November, and Myroshnyk Vassyl Savych is driving north on a narrow road in eastern Ukraine towards the Russian border. He's headed to villages where, owing to increasing exposure to Russian fire, only a fraction of residents remain. The war has cut them off from regular services. They no longer receive mail, and Russian transmitters often overpower or interfere with their Ukrainian mobile-phone signals. Before large-scale signal jamming was introduced to counter drones, Russian television and radio channels were accessible on televisions and radios in border-area communities. In his trunk are bundles of Zorya Visnyk ( The Dawn Bulletin), a local newspaper that Vassyl edits and delivers to front-line communities in Ukraine's Kharkiv region.

Daycare scandal deepens as unearthed video shows parents'pretending to drop kids off before they all leave just MINUTES later' Incredible Chinese military feat has chilling consequences for America and its allies as new'High North' threat emerges Everyone's getting sacked': An electrifying phone call, spiralling costs and a troubling'transition'... as Harry and Meghan's most loyal aide leaves, insiders tell ALISON BOSHOFF what's really going on behind the scenes I was told my weight gain, facial hair and fatigue were normal. Astronaut reveals depression after an'avalanche of misogyny' following Blue Origin all-female space flight The mob used Marilyn Monroe as bait to blackmail the Kennedys. And when it didn't work she was murdered... in the most obscene way George Clooney, wife Amal and their eight-year-old twins become French citizens despite the actor admitting he's'bad' at speaking the language Blonde-haired teenage girl reveals what she thinks of Elon Musk's'creepy' public lust for her CIA'carries out drone strike' on Venezuelan drug port in first US land attack inside the country I shed a staggering 100lbs WITHOUT Ozempic: How I conquered my'out of control' eating habits to transform my life with a simple change Grim details of how shark lover's body was identified after she was killed by one of the predators while swimming off California coast US strikes'terrorist boat' lurking in international waters as dramatic footage shows devastating moment of impact A Boy Scout vanished in the mountains then stumbled into a police station 12 years later. The tale gripped social media... but then the truth came out Inside the somber birthday of Rob Reiner's heartbroken daughter Romy: Pictured for first time since parents' murders... she seeks solace at the beach with boyfriend and family by her side Daycare accused of multimillion-dollar fraud shifts blame for'revealing' mistake above its front door... as kids are suddenly'trucked in' David Muir's stunning $7m lakeside retreat revealed... as locals in cozy town where ABC News star can be himself offer intriguing glimpses into his private life Loch Ness Monster has been'spotted' FIVE times this year, official records show The Loch Ness Monster was'spotted' five times in 2025, official records have revealed. The mythical creature has been a staple feature of Scottish folklore for centuries, but gained worldwide attention in 1933, when the first photo was snapped.

Trump says US hit'big facility' linked to alleged Venezuelan drug boats Donald Trump has said the US has carried out a strike on a dock area linked to alleged Venezuelan drug boats. The US president said there had been a major explosion where they load the boats up with drugs - but did not give more details. Venezuela's government is yet to respond. The explosion was caused by a drone strike carried out by the CIA, CNN and the New York Times reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. If confirmed, it would be the first known US operation inside Venezuela.

Daycare accused of multimillion-dollar fraud shifts blame for'revealing' mistake above its front door... as kids are suddenly'trucked in' Pilot best friends die after their helicopters collided in mid-air just after they'd eaten breakfast together at local cafe Everyone's getting sacked': An electrifying phone call, spiralling costs and a troubling'transition'... as Harry and Meghan's most loyal aide leaves, insiders tell ALISON BOSHOFF what's really going on behind the scenes I was told my weight gain, facial hair and fatigue were normal. The mob used Marilyn Monroe as bait to blackmail the Kennedys. And when it didn't work she was murdered... in the most obscene way George Clooney, wife Amal and their eight-year-old twins become French citizens despite the actor admitting he's'bad' at speaking the language Blonde-haired teenage girl reveals what she thinks of Elon Musk's'creepy' public lust for her US strikes'terrorist boat' lurking in international waters as dramatic footage shows devastating moment of impact I shed a staggering 100lbs WITHOUT Ozempic: How I conquered my'out of control' eating habits to transform my life with a simple change Grim details of how shark lover's body was identified after she was killed by one of the predators while swimming off California coast Health and wellness expert reveals the fitness trend of 2026... 'Zone Zero exercise will be essential' Fears Anthony Joshua's car crash injuries are worse than first thought: Sources say £100m Tyson Fury mega-fight is in the balance amid potential internal injuries and psychological trauma of seeing close friends killed Joe Rogan slammed for'pretty girl' comment about champion fighter Dakota Ditcheva A Boy Scout vanished in the mountains then stumbled into a police station 12 years later. The tale gripped social media... but then the truth came out Inside the somber birthday of Rob Reiner's heartbroken daughter Romy: Pictured for first time since parents' murders... she seeks solace at the beach with boyfriend and family by her side Promising young graduate, 23, was coaxed into suicide by ChatGPT'friend', distraught parents allege David Muir's stunning $7m lakeside retreat revealed... as locals in cozy town where ABC News star can be himself offer intriguing glimpses into his private life A snapshot of the universe at work: Incredible image shows'star-making factory' inside a Large Magellanic Cloud A new picture from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a beautiful'star-making factory' deep in the universe this week. The image focuses in on a piece of space 160,000 light years from Earth in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

SoftBank Group aims to capitalize on soaring demand for the computing capacity that underpins artificial intelligence applications. SoftBank Group agreed to buy private equity firm DigitalBridge Group for about $3 billion in cash, part of the Japanese conglomerate's push to invest in data centers and other digital infrastructure fueling the artificial intelligence boom. SoftBank will pay $16 per share for New York-listed DigitalBridge, the companies said in statement Monday, confirming an earlier Bloomberg News report. The offer -- valued at $4 billion, including debt -- is a 65% premium to DigitalBridge's closing share price on Dec. 4, the last trading day before talks between the two companies were reported. SoftBank's billionaire founder Masayoshi Son aims to capitalize on soaring demand for digital infrastructure, driven by the AI boom.

Music in 2026: Who's releasing new albums and will Oasis play Knebworth? As the sun sets on 2025, all the year-end lists have been published and it's time to look forward to what 2026 has in store. In many ways, the last 12 months have felt transitional. With relatively few A-list releases, and a Brat-shaped hole in the summer, music seemed to split in two. The charts were agonisingly static: Just three songs held the number one spot hostage for half the year: Taylor Swift's Fate of Ophelia, Huntr/x's Golden, and Alex Warren's Ordinary (never has a song been so aptly titled).

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Could Ukraine hold a presidential election right now? Will Europe use frozen Russian assets to fund war? How can Ukraine rebuild China ties? 'Ukraine is running out of men, money and time' Volodymyr Zelenskyy quickly denied a claim by Moscow that his country's military launched a drone attack on Vladimir Putin's residence in the city of Novgorod. The Ukrainian leader accused Russia of trying to derail peace talks a day after Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery had an unhappy 18-month spell in charge of Arsenal that ended in 2019, but can he get the better of his old club on Tuesday? After the abuse he took from Arsenal fans, I'd love nothing more than Emery to go back to the Emirates and win, said BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton. He absolutely didn't deserve that. Some of those fans should take a long, hard look at themselves for the way they mocked him. I hope Villa go there and spank them, just because of that. Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, BBC Sport readers and a variety of guests. For week 19 - which includes the final games of 2025 on Tuesday, 30 December and the first matches of 2026 on New Year's Day - he takes on singer-songwriter Tom A Smith, who is a Sunderland fan.