Author: SKYNEWS

The first fan started queuing before 8am on Friday.Heaton Park, just north of Manchester City centre, is hosting 80,000 fans who’ve come to see the Gallaghers’ homecoming. “I would honestly say it’s a real cultural moment of the 21st century,” says Sam, who’s from Manchester and has come here with a group of friends – including one who has travelled from Australia for the gig. Image: Oasis fans wear band T-shirts with the almost obligatory bucket hats. Pic: Reuters This will be the fourth time Sam has seen Oasis play, although obviously not for many years, and he says he…

A mystery interstellar object discovered by British astronomers is most likely the oldest comet ever seen.The “water ice-rich” visitor, which has been given the name 3I/ATLAS, is the first object to reach us from a completely different region of our galaxy, researchers have said. Just two other objects have entered our solar system from elsewhere.Unlike its predecessors, 3I/ATLAS seems to be travelling on a steep path that suggests it came from the Milky Way’s “thick disk”, an area of ancient stars that orbits above and below the thin plane where most stars reside.University of Oxford astronomer Matthew Hopkins explained: “All…

Britain’s biggest high street bank is in talks to buy Curve, the digital wallet provider, amid growing regulatory pressure on Apple to open its payment services to rivals.Sky News has learnt that Lloyds Banking Group is in advanced discussions to acquire Curve for a price believed to be up to £120m. City sources said this weekend that if the negotiations were successfully concluded, a deal could be announced by the end of September.Curve was founded by Shachar Bialick, a former Israeli special forces soldier, in 2016.Three years later, he told an interviewer: “In 10 years time we are going to…

R&B singer Chris Brown has denied further charges following an alleged bottle attack in a London nightclub.The 36-year-old pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) to music producer Abraham Diaw, during a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on Friday. Brown also denied one count of having an offensive weapon – a bottle – in a public place. Image: Chris Brown arriving at Southwark Crown Court on Friday. Pic: PA The Grammy-winning US musician last month pleaded not guilty to a more serious charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent to Mr Diaw.The attack…

Heat-related deaths in England and Wales could rise 50-fold by the 2070s as climate change collides with an ageing population, a study has warned.It comes as areas of the UK face another heatwave, with temperatures over the next few days forecast to be above average and exceed 30C (86F) for many. Annual heat-related deaths might climb into the tens of thousands in the coming decades, according to research by University College London (UCL) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.They say today’s baseline figure of 634 heat deaths a year could hit 10,317 in the 2050s and, in…

The UK economy unexpectedly shrank in May, even after the worst of Donald Trump’s tariffs were paused, official figures showed.A standard measure of economic growth, gross domestic product (GDP), contracted 0.1% in May, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Rather than a fall being anticipated, growth of 0.1% was forecast by economists polled by Reuters as big falls in production and construction were seen. It followed a 0.3% contraction in April, when Mr Trump announced his country-specific tariffs and sparked a global trade war.A 90-day pause on these import taxes, which has been extended, allowed more normality to…

Salt Path author Raynor Winn has said claims she lied about her story are “highly misleading” and called suggestions her husband made up his illness “utterly vile”.A report in The Observer disputed key aspects of the hit book, billed as an “inspiring and life-affirming true story” about a couple’s coastal trek. Winn released a lengthy statement denying the paper’s claims and shared medical letters apparently sent to her husband, Moth, that appear to support a diagnosis for a rare neurological condition, Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD).One letter mentions his prior “CBS [Corticobasal Syndrome] diagnosis”, while another concludes he has “an atypical form”…

A robot has performed realistic surgery on its own with 100% accuracy, researchers have announced.Warning: Graphic images of the surgery below In a “major leap” towards using more robots in operating theatres, a machine trained on the videos of surgeries was able to remove a gallbladder from a life-like patient.The robot was said to have operated with the expertise of a skilled human surgeon, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers in the US, even during unexpected scenarios typical in real-life medical emergencies.The robot was able to respond to and learn from voice commands from the team, just like a novice…

A New York-listed company with a valuation of more than $21bn is to snap up Space NK, the British high street beauty chain.Sky News has learnt that Ulta Beauty, which operates close to 1,500 stores, is on the verge of a deal to buy Space NK from existing owner Manzanita Capital. Ulta Beauty is understood to have registered an acquisition vehicle at Companies House in recent weeks.Money blog: Top chef reveals thing he hates about customersThe exact price being paid by Ulta was unclear on Thursday morning, although one source said it was likely to be well in excess of…

Actor Michael Madsen, who starred in Reservoir Dogs and Thelma & Louise, died from heart failure, his cardiologist has said.The 67-year-old was found unresponsive in his home in Malibu, California, last Thursday and pronounced dead. His doctor said heart disease and alcoholism will be listed as factors which contributed to the star’s death, reported NBC Los Angeles.With no suspicious circumstances and the death listed as being from natural causes, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department considers the case closed.In a career spanning more than 40 years, Madsen’s film credits include Free Willy, Donnie Brasco and Sin City. He was also known…