Author: SKYNEWS

The UK economy just about returned to growth in November after two months of contraction, the latest official figures show. Gross domestic product (GDP), the standard measure of an economy’s value and everything it produces, grew by 0.1%, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. It was expected to grow by 0.2%.Money blog: Renowned chef shares his worst type of customer, overrated food and cheap recipeIt is mixed news for the government, which has made economic growth its top priority.   Despite this political focus, the economy shrank by 0.1% in both October and September. Latest quarterly data…

Singer Linda Nolan, who rose to fame alongside her sisters in The Nolans, has died after several years of battling cancer.The Irish star, 65, and her sisters Coleen, Maureen, Bernie, Denise and Anne, had a run of hits in the late 1970s and ’80s – including the disco classic I’m In The Mood For Dancing. Paying tribute on The Nolans’ X account, her sisters described her as “a pop icon and beacon of hope”, who “faced incurable cancer with courage, grace and determination, inspiring millions”. X This content is provided by X, which may be using cookies and other technologies.…

Elon Musk is being sued for failing to disclose his purchase of more than 5% of Twitter stock in a timely fashion.The world’s richest man bought the stock in March 2022 and the complaint by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said the delay allowed him to continue buying Twitter stock at artificially low prices. In papers filed in Washington DC federal court, the SEC said the move allowed Mr Musk to underpay by at least $150m (£123m).The commission wants Mr Musk to pay a civil fine and give up profits he was not entitled to.In response to the…

There’s been a surprise fall in inflation to 2.5% after two months of rises, official figures show.It means prices are still rising but at a slower pace than before, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data for December. Economists had expected the figure to remain at 2.6%, the level recorded in November. Inflation is still above the 2% target of interest rate setters at the Bank of England but exactly as they had forecast in November.What does it mean for interest rates? It means there is more chance of an interest rate cut when the Bank’s rate-setting Monetary Policy…

Comedian and actor Tony Slattery has died aged 65 following a heart attack, his partner has said.The actor was famous for appearing on the Channel 4 comedy improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and other series such as Just A Minute and Have I Got News For You.He had recently been touring a comedy show and launched his podcast, Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club, just a few months ago, in October.A statement made on behalf of his partner, Mark Michael Hutchinson, said: “It is with great sadness we must announce actor and comedian Tony Slattery, aged 65, has passed away…

The social media site Snapchat is “fundamentally failing to act on suicide and self-harm content”, according to the Molly Rose Foundation.Just 2% of reported suicide and self-harm content on Snapchat was removed between January and July last year, according to Snapchat’s latest transparency report. There were 289 posts relating to suicide and self-harm that were proactively discovered and dealt with by the company.”For Snapchat to be identifying such a minuscule amount of content on their platform just illustrates they are absolutely asleep at the wheel when it comes to these risks,” Andy Burrows, chief executive of the suicide prevention charity,…

The first episode of a podcast hosted by AI replicating Sir Michael Parkinson has been released – and comedian and podcaster Jenny Eclair has branded it a “terrible, terrible idea”.The podcast Virtually Parkinson sees AI technology synthetically recreate the late presenter’s voice and style to interview real-life celebrities. Known for his interviews with the world’s biggest stars, Parkinson died in 2023 aged 88, following a brief illness.The first episode released on Monday saw the Parkinson AI speak to R&B singer Jason Derulo, who was answering questions about his upbringing, fatherhood and fracturing part of his neck.Eclair, who co-hosts the podcast…

The government will “mainline AI into the veins” of the UK, with plans being unveiled today by Sir Keir Starmer.The prime minister is set to promise investment, jobs and economic growth due to a boom in the sector. It comes as his government battles against allegations they are mismanaging the economy and stymied growth with the budget last autumn.The government’s announcement claims that, if AI is “fully embraced”, it could bring £47bn to the economy every year.And it says that £14bn is set to be invested by the private sector, bringing around 13,000 jobs. The majority of those would be…

The launch of a huge, partially reusable rocket, built by Jeff Bezos’s company, has been called off this morning after hours of delays.The 98-metre rocket, called New Glenn, is around as tall as Big Ben. It was set to carry up to 45 tonnes of tech to low Earth orbit. However, the team at Blue Origin, Amazon founder Mr Bezos’s space technology company, confirmed this morning that the launch was called off.The decision came following a series of delays due to unspecified issues.The team said they would work out a new date for lift-off, adding: “We can’t wait to get…

The Wanted star Max George has told of the moment he wrote his will from a hospital bed, as he was convinced he “was going to die”.In December, George revealed he had to undergo urgent heart surgery after being diagnosed with a block. In an interview with The Sun, his first since he underwent the lifesaving surgery, the 36-year-old described the moment when he thought he would die.He said: “If I could go from being absolutely on top of the world to being told ‘the bottom part of your heart isn’t working’, I kept thinking in my head, ‘Well, what…