Author: SKYNEWS

The science secretary has said he will “keep everything on the table” when it comes to restricting social media for children aged under 16 if tech companies do not act.Peter Kyle told Sky News he wanted the regulator Ofcom to be “more assertive” when it comes to “grotesque” behaviour on social media – including where teenagers have lost their lives. But campaigners are already calling for stricter measures including banning smartphones in all schools – which the government has not backed, saying it should be up to headteachers.There are also calls to ban social media for under-16s, a measure which…

A banana duct-taped to a wall has sold for $6.2m (£4.9m) at an auction in New York.The conceptual art piece, called Comedian, became a viral sensation after Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan debuted it at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019. Festivalgoers tried to make out whether the single piece of fruit stuck to a white wall with silver tape was a joke or cheeky commentary on questionable standards among art collectors.The Sotheby’s auction house said it was the announcement of a new original work by the prominent and provocative artist Cattelan that initially captured the world’s attention, but Comedian “quickly…

Google must sell its Chrome browser to restore competition in the online search market, US prosecutors have argued.The proposed breakup has been floated in a 23-page document filed by the US Justice Department. It also calls for lawmakers to impose restrictions designed to prevent its Android smartphone software from favouring its own search engine.If the rules were brought in, it would essentially result in Google being highly regulated for 10 years.Google controls about 90% of the online search market and 95% on smartphones. Read more:School smartphone ban will not become law after MP drops proposalGrieving parents tell Ofcom to ‘step…

“I’m feeling a mix of excitement and nerves” – that’s how the AI replied when I asked how it felt minutes before the rocket launch.The reply came from the Hera Space Companion, an AI-powered assistant that was developed to “communicate” with the spacecraft of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Hera mission. Launched in October and due to last several years, the Hera mission is part of a planetary defence project designed to assess whether Earth can be protected from a catastrophic asteroid impact.”The ambition is to allow everyone to get closer to this mission and access information in a totally…

Movie fans are being warned they must not sing along to music in the new Wicked film.The movie, which features British singer and actress Cynthia Erivo and American star Ariana Grande, will be released in UK cinemas on Friday 22 November. However, according to an advisory video shown moments before the film in the US, AMC Theatres tells the audience “silence is golden” and fans should stay quiet so everyone can “enjoy the magic of movies”.It urges people not to talk or text, adding “no singing, no wailing, no flirting, and absolutely no name calling”.Ryan Noonan, an AMC spokesman, told…

Inflation is rising faster than expected, with the headline rate hitting 2.3% in October, higher than the 2.2% forecast by economists and above the Bank of England’s 2% target.How worried should we be? These figures are a world away from the double-digit levels of inflation we experienced in 2022, when the index peaked at 11.1%.Money blog: Follow live reaction to inflation newsInflation has broadly been coming down as the Bank has ratcheted up interest rates. Economists expect inflation to hover at around 2% over the next few years. However, Labour’s budget has created inflation jitters.The government is injecting a big…

A new warning system has been launched to monitor donated blood as fears grow of newly emerging viruses potentially reaching the UK.Health experts fear some diseases that are not currently present in the UK could pose a threat in the future due to climate change. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) researchers will examine samples taken from blood donors for tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), West Nile virus and Usutu virus.No human cases of Usutu or West Nile viruses contracted in the UK have been identified.But Usutu has been found in birds in the UK and mosquitos that can spread West Nile…

The leader of a church in New York where pop star Sabrina Carpenter filmed a provocative music video has been relieved of his duties.An investigation into Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel church in Brooklyn was launched after he gave permission for US singer Carpenter to film the video to her hit song, Feather, last year. Mr Gigantiello has now been stripped of any oversight or governance role, after an investigation carried out into the video, which at the time “appalled” the diocese – a group of churches in an area led by a bishop.In the…

The boss of Harrods is to step down next year from the group which represents Britain’s luxury goods industry – one of a number of roles he will have relinquished since allegations emerged about years of abuse perpetrated by the Knightsbridge department store’s former owner.Sky News has learnt that Michael Ward will hand over the chairmanship of Walpole, whose members include the jeweller Boodles, Fortnum & Mason and Gleneagles, when his term ends in 2025. A recruitment process is underway to find his successor, with an announcement expected in the new year.Mr Ward, who has run Harrods for close to…

Salmonella could be engineered to help fight bowel cancer after research found the bacteria stops the body’s own immune cells attacking the disease. Experts have long known that salmonella – which can cause food poisoning – could help beat cancer, but when used in therapies it has not been as effective as hoped. But now, a study has discovered that salmonella could be engineered to allow T cells – a type of white blood cell that protects the body from infection and disease – to kill cancer cells.Using mice, the team of researchers found that salmonella typically stops T cells from…