Author: SKYNEWS

Surgeons have carried out the world’s first liver transplant from a pig into a human recipient.The operation, carried out in China, used a liver from a pig that had been genetically modified to reduce the chance of the organ being rejected by a human immune system. The organ successfully produced bile and essential proteins in a patient who was brain-dead, but still alive.Relatives asked for the experiment to be stopped after 10 days, but the researchers say the organ could have functioned for longer.They hailed the transplant as a “great achievement”, and European experts have called it a significant milestone…

Lower income households are set to be £500 poorer due to benefit cuts and a weak economic outlook, a thinktank has found.Living standards are on track to fall over the next five years for the poorest half of households, according to the Resolution Foundation’s analysis of Wednesday’s spring statement. It said a fall of this scale had only been exceeded historically by the early 1990s recession and the 2008 financial crisis and fallout. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 3:54 How has the economy changed? Its analysis was released against the backdrop of a backlash against…

Ticketmaster may have misled music fans over Oasis concert ticket prices, a competition watchdog investigation has found.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has urged the online platform to change the way it labels its tickets and provide better pricing information to fans. The CMA has been investigating the site following widespread complaints about the sale of Oasis gig tickets last year, which saw over 900,000 tickets purchased through the site. Image: Over 900,000 tickets were purchased through the Ticketmaster site Liam and Noel Gallagher announced the band would reunite for a tour in 2025, but fans suffered various problems when…

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has the “potential to become a pandemic”, according to an expert at the UK Health Security Agency.Richard Pebody, director of epidemic and emerging infections at UKHSA, explained that while the virus is “not new”, and the risk to the public remains low, its features have changed in recent years. It follows a confirmed case of bird flu in a single sheep in England for the first time on Monday.At the agency’s annual conference in Manchester on Tuesday, Mr Pebody described that news as “a new twist to the story” but stressed the risk “hasn’t…

The rate of inflation eased back by more than expected in February, according to official figures released ahead of a predicted leap in the pace of price growth.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the rolling annual rate for the consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation stood at 2.8%, slowing from 3% the previous month. ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said of the shift: “Clothing prices, particularly for women’s clothing, was the biggest driver of this month’s fall.”This was only partially offset by small increases, for example, from alcoholic drinks.”Money latest: Why the inflation data matters to you Economists…

Artists are boycotting America’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in protest at changes made by Donald Trump.Several performers have cancelled shows at the iconic venue in Washington DC after the president made himself chairman and replaced board members with political loyalists. One musician told Sky News it was “authoritarianism coming for arts institutions”. Image: The Kennedy Center in Washington DC The Kennedy Center stage is seen as a showcase for the best of American performance art.It hosts more than 2,000 shows per year, including its annual honours ceremony, which celebrates artists who have made significant contributions to US culture.…

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Not quite, says the Met Office. This large glowing spiral was spotted in the night sky across the UK and Ireland on Monday evening. Image: Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire. Pic: Keeley Williams Image: The swirl above Castleford in West Yorkshire. Pic: Jake Gill Stargazers from as far north as Denmark and as far south as Milan in Italy noted the cloud-like spiral was visible for several minutes before fading.The Met Office explained in a post on X that the phenomenon was likely caused by frozen exhaust smoke from Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9…

Tesla sales across Europe plunged 40% last month, raising further questions over the extent drivers are being put off by its chief executive Elon Musk’s politics.Data covering the EU, Britain and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) nations on Tuesday showed a rise in overall new electric car sales during February, but Tesla lagging behind its peers. It sold fewer than 17,000 cars compared to over 28,000 in the same month in 2024, with a market share of 1.8% compared to the 2.8% seen 12 months ago.Money latest: What can we expect in the spring statement tomorrow?The European Automobile Manufacturers Association…

Disney’s use of CGI to create the seven miners at the heart of the live-action remake of Snow White And The Seven Dwarves has left little people feeling “disregarded” and “erased,” according to a disability activist.Comedian, model and content creator Fats Timbo, who has spoken about being bullied as a child, told Sky News she believes Disney has missed a golden opportunity to educate children in what is likely to be their first encounter with someone with dwarfism. Image: Fats Timbo is a comedian, model, author and content creator Timbo, who has dedicated her activism to raising the profile of…

Bird flu has been detected in a sheep in England for the first time, the government has said.The single case was identified somewhere in the historical county in Yorkshire during a routine check of livestock on a premises where the H5N1 virus, also called avian influenza, had previously been confirmed in captive birds. No further infection of the virus was detected in the remaining flock, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said.”While this is the first time this virus has been reported in a sheep, it is not the first time influenza of avian origin has been…