Author: SKYNEWS

Gene Hackman’s wife died from a rare infectious disease around a week before the actor died, medical investigators have said.The couple were found dead in their New Mexico home on 26 February, along with one of their pet dogs. Police have previously said there were no apparent signs of foul play. At a press conference on Friday, chief medical investigator for New Mexico, doctor Heather Jarrell, gave an update on the results of post-mortem investigations carried out following their deaths.Doctor Jarrell said Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare infectious disease. There were no signs of…

SpaceX’s Starship rocket exploded during a test flight, months after a previous failed launch attempt – with multiple flights having to be grounded in Florida due to debris.The 403-foot rocket blasted off from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, at around 6.30pm eastern time (12.30am UK time). But, within minutes of launch, contact was lost as the spacecraft – designed to land astronauts on the moon and ferry crews to Mars – went into an out-of-control spin.Engines on top of Starship started shutting down as it streaked eastward. The flight was supposed to be a controlled entry over the Indian Ocean.It…

Donald Trump has announced that most goods imported from Mexico and some from Canada are to be exempt from his trade tariff regime for at least four weeks, just days after the charges were imposed.”We are working hard, together, on the border, both in terms of stopping illegal aliens from entering the United States and, likewise, stopping fentanyl,” the president posted on his Truth Social platform after first relaxing his sanctions against Mexico. He often gives both issues as reasons for the tariffs.The latest climbdown came after he surprised financial markets 24 hours earlier by waiving tariffs against carmakers following…

Comedian Elaine C Smith has grazed cattle on Glasgow Green – a right that comes with being awarded the Freedom of Glasgow. The city’s highest honour, which she is one of the few women to receive, also allows her to fish in the River Clyde. The Rab C Nesbitt and Two Doors Down star said it was “quite the honour” to be granted the award in recognition of her contribution to the arts and her embodiment as an advocate for women’s rights and values.The official civic reception will take place on Friday, on the eve of International Women’s Day.Smith exercised some of her…

Scientists have discovered how aspirin may stop some cancers from spreading, describing it as a “Eureka moment”.The new research builds on existing evidence suggesting aspirin supports a boost in the immune system to help catch deadly cancer cells. Clinical trials in cancer patients, examining how aspirin could stop the disease coming back, are ongoing – but experts warn against routinely taking aspirin without speaking to a doctor.The new research suggests a path for aspirin to become a cancer treatment, alongside the development of more effective drugs to prevent cancer spreading.Researchers screened 810 genes in mice and found 15 that impact…

Barclays is expected to pay millions in compensation for recent IT outages which prevented customers from banking, a new letter to MPs has revealed.The lender said it expects to pay between £5m and £7.5m in compensation to customers for “inconvenience or distress” caused by days of disruption earlier this year, the influential Treasury Committee of MPs said. The glitch began at the end of January and lasted several days.Money blog: Tourists banned from driving in Spanish townThis was caused by “severe degradation” in the performance of their mainframe computer, a large computer used by big organisations for bulk data processing.…

Sky News has won News Channel of the Year and Sophy Ridge has been named Presenter of the Year at the Royal Television Society (RTS) Awards.Speaking about the News Channel of the Year award – which Sky News has won for the eighth year in a row – Jonathan Levy, Managing Director and Executive Editor of Sky News UK, said: “The recognition of this award is particularly encouraging in such a big news year – a general election and a summer of discontent here at home, the re-election of Donald Trump and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East…

Scientists trying to bring back the woolly mammoth have created a woolly mouse.Colossal Biosciences unveiled plans in 2021 to revive the woolly mammoth – and later the dodo bird – attracting investors, headlines and critics alike. The Texas-based biotech company has since focused on identifying the key traits of extinct animals with the goal of genetically engineering them into living animals, according to chief executive Ben Lamm.Read more: Why ‘de-extincting’ the mammoth won’t be like Jurassic Park Image: Pic: Colossal Biosciences/AP Alongside bringing back species that went extinct, the company hopes their work can be used to help with conservation…

Several billion pounds in spending cuts – including from the welfare budget – are expected in the spring statement later this month.The Treasury will put forward the proposed cuts to the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) on Wednesday, ahead of it providing a financial forecast on 26 March, alongside Chancellor Rachel Reeves announcing her spring statement. Sky’s deputy political editor Sam Coates revealed on the Politics at Jack and Sam’s podcast that welfare cuts are set to be part of the spring statement package to help the chancellor come within her borrowing limit.Politics latest: Ministers to make ‘blizzard of announcements’Coates…

Jay-Z has sued the woman who accused him of raping her, in a now-withdrawn complaint.Sky News’ US partner NBC News reported the 55-year-old music mogul had launched a defamation lawsuit against the woman. The American rapper reportedly said the woman and the lawyers representing her “were soullessly motivated by greed, in abject disregard of the truth” and alleged that they caused harm to his personal and professional reputation.Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, is reported to have filed the lawsuit in a federal court in Alabama, where the woman, referred to in the lawsuit only as “Jane Doe”, lives.The…