Author: SKYNEWS

A privately-built spacecraft has embarked on an unprecedented deep space mission to scout out an asteroid’s potential for mining.The probe, called Odin, was launched on a SpaceX rocket alongside a robotic moon lander that will drill for water and a lunar orbiter that will map water resources with an instrument built by the University of Oxford. The asteroid mission is a high-risk venture that heralds a new dawn of commercial exploitation of our celestial neighbours.Odin is destined for asteroid 2022 OB5 that’s believed to be rich in platinum and similar metals, which are critical for electronic, medical and green technology.…

Donald Trump’s threats of additional trade tariffs against China, on top of the 10% hike imposed earlier this month, have contributed to a widespread stock market sell-off.Sentiment was already sour on the tariff front, given the spectre of 25% import duties being slapped on the EU, before the US president confirmed his intention to target Canada, Mexico and China next week. Mr Trump said his proposed 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods – delayed by a month – would take effect on 4 March as planned, alongside an extra 10% duty on Chinese imports.Money latest: Pocket money for kids…

The UK could face a second norovirus wave, according to health officials, who warned that people who have recently had the illness may be at risk again.On Thursday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned laboratory reports of the virus, which can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, are at their highest-ever levels. There are an “exceptionally high” number of cases at the moment, said Amy Douglas, lead epidemiologist at UKHSA.New NHS figures also show the number of beds taken up by patients with the virus is nearly 150% higher than last year.Health officials believe a certain norovirus strain could be…

Katy Perry is set to head to space as part of an all-female mission.The 40-year-old singer will travel on the next launch of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket, the aerospace engineering company said. The Teenage Dream singer will be joined on the New Shepard programme’s 11th human flight by former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, research scientist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn and TV hosts Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez – who is also Bezos’ fiancee.The mission will “challenge [the crew’s] perspectives of Earth”, “empower them” and “create lasting impact that will inspire generations”, according to organisers.Perry is one…

Nvidia has signalled no drop in demand for its flagship chips among big artificial intelligence (AI) spenders despite the low-cost challenge posed by Chinese rival DeepSeek.The leading AI chipmaker said it expected Blackwell sales to continue to grow after its latest earnings beat market expectations. Nvidia forecast revenue of around $43bn (£34bn) for its first quarter after achieving a figure of $39.3bn (£31bn) over its last three months – up 12% from the previous quarter and 78% from one year ago.Just a month ago, its shares took a hammering when it emerged DeepSeek’s primary chatbot, which uses lower-cost chips, had…

The CIA, NSA and multiple other US intelligence agencies have been asked to examine a reported request from the UK government for Apple to implement a backdoor in their encryption. Tulsi Gabbard, the US director of national intelligence (DNI), announced the measures in a letter to two US politicians who had raised concerns about the move. Apple last week withdrew some of its secure storage features from the UK. It was reported previously that the UK government had asked the US tech giant to give it access to users’ protected data worldwide.Both the current Labour government, the previous Tory administrations…

Gossip Girl and Buffy The Vampire actress Michelle Trachtenberg has died aged 39.The actress was found dead at her home in New York City after officers responded to a 911 call just after 8am local time this morning.An investigation into her death has been opened but “criminality is not suspected”, police said.”The family requests privacy for their loss,” Trachtenberg’s representative, Gary Mantoosh, said in a statement on Wednesday. Image: Sarah Michelle Gellar and Michelle Trachtenberg in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Pic: Rex/20th Century Fox/Everett/Shutterstock Trachtenberg was best known for her role as Dawn Summers in Buffy, the younger sister of…

How much have America, Britain and the rest paid Ukraine in aid since the Russian invasion? And do they have any hope of getting money back in return? These are big questions, and they’re likely to dominate much of the discussion in the coming months as Donald Trump pressurises his Ukrainian counterparts for a deal on ending the war. So let’s go through some of the answers. First off, the question of who has given the most money to Ukraine rather depends on what you’re counting.War latest: Ukraine agrees minerals deal with US – sourceIf you’re looking solely at the…

Something has changed dramatically in your home in a way you won’t have even noticed.The electricity in your plug socket no longer comes from coal, the workhorse of the industrial revolution that powered our economy for decades but which is also the most polluting fossil fuel. Now it is generated by cleaner gas, renewable and nuclear power.That shift has helped the UK cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% since 1990 – a world-leading feat – and you won’t have batted an eyelid.That’s about to change. The country’s climate advisers, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), say in new advice today that…

A 37-year-old man has pleaded guilty to stalking Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas over the course of six years.Kyle Shaw admitted stalking the 64-year-old dancer and TV star between 31 August 2017 and 29 November 2023. According to the charge, he caused Ballas “serious alarm or distress, which had a substantial adverse effect on her usual day-to-day activities”. Image: Shaw at court earlier this month. Pic: PA The court heard he made continued attempts to contact Ballas, including posting an image of her house on social media.He also tried to contact family, friends and colleagues, monitored her online and…