Author: SKYNEWS

Horses are much smarter than previously thought, researchers have claimed.Their findings came during a study in which the animals performed better than expected in a complex reward-based game. When denied treats for not following the rules of the game, researchers found the horses were able to instantly switch strategies to get more rewards.The scientists from Nottingham Trent University (NTU) said this showed the animals have the ability to think and plan ahead – something previously considered to be beyond their capacity.Dr Carrie Ijichi, a senior lecturer in equine science at NTU, said: “Horses are not natural geniuses, they are thought…

A new artwork has appeared in London, sparking speculation it might be another Banksy design.The design – featuring a school of swimming fish – differs from the artist’s characteristic silhouette artworks, and it has yet to be claimed. It appeared on a police box in the City of London.If confirmed, it would be his seventh artwork to be unveiled this week in various locations across the capital.The new design has been examined by two City of London police officers, PA news agency reports, who took pictures from the outside of the police box. One officer said they were asked to…

Coffee shop chain Pret A Manger has announced some staff members will wear body-worn cameras as a new safety measure. The company confirmed to Sky News that six shops across London started trialling the new technology last month, which will only be worn by team leaders and managers. It said the cameras will only be switched on in “specific circumstances” and footage will only be accessible to Pret’s security team.The introduction of the extra safety measure comes as companies reported increasing cases of shoplifting and aggressive behaviour towards staff in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. Image: Shoplifting has reached record…

It’s the plot of plenty of sci-fi films: two astronauts are stranded in space and don’t yet know how they’re getting back.Sunita “Suni” Williams and Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) in June as the first crew to test Boeing’s new Starliner, which suffered helium leaks and thruster failures before it docked – raising questions over how safe it is for the return flight. Boeing has insisted the astronauts are not stuck and said “there’s no increased risk” in bringing them back in the Starliner, but NASA is contemplating getting them back on a SpaceX…

In a city with multiple arts events, in Edinburgh this weekend you’ll find two different stances on festival funding.Running alongside Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival, begins Edinburgh Book Festival. Brilliant cultural platforms in their own rights, both of whom have traditionally welcomed sponsors to help them stage their various artistic and literary endeavours.But when it comes to accepting money from investment management firm Baillie Gifford, they’ve ended up in opposite positions.After on-stage protests at the literary event last year over the firm’s links to Israel and fossil fuel companies, the Book Festival ended its sponsorship deal with Baillie Gifford. While the Fringe,…

A music-streaming service whose shareholders include Simon Cowell, Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams is racing to raise millions of pounds within weeks.Sky News has learnt that ROXi has appointed Begbies Traynor Group, the professional services firm, to work alongside Rockefeller Capital Management on the hunt for new capital. Founded in 2014, ROXi described itself as the world’s first ‘made-for-television’ service, allowing viewers to stream millions of songs and download hundreds of thousands of karaoke tracks.It has drawn a star-studded list of investors, which also includes Alesha Dixon and U2 bassist Adam Clayton.Three of the world’s biggest record labels – Sony…

Elon Musk has branded Sir Keir Starmer a “hypocrite” over his approach to policing – while also goading the prime minister over a Labour MP’s historical tweets.Musk has been sparring with Sir Keir since last week after the prime minister blamed social media companies for allowing the spread of false claims that the Southport stabbings suspect was an asylum seeker – which prompted riots across the UK. The billionaire tycoon, who has proclaimed free speech as a key goal of his takeover of Twitter, which he renamed X, has also expressed his disbelief that people who incite violence online are…

Huw Edwards has been asked to hand back part of his annual BBC salary after pleading guilty to possession of child sex abuse images.The amount, thought to be in the region of £200,000, is what he earned from the broadcaster for five months after he was arrested. In a statement, the BBC board said: “Today, the Board has authorised the Executive to seek the return of salary paid to Mr Edwards from the time he was arrested in November last year.”Mr Edwards pleaded guilty to an appalling crime. Had he been up front when asked by the BBC about his…

Disney plans to spend $5bn (£3.9bn) on making blockbuster films and TV shows in regions including the UK over the next five years.The entertainment giant is said to have been buoyed by the success of its superhero comedy Deadpool & Wolverine, which was made at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire. The recent release, starring Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, has topped box offices around the world and has so far made more than £33m in the UK and Ireland alone, according to trade magazine Variety.The company’s regional president Jan Koeppen told the Financial Times the title’s popularity demonstrated the genre “seems…

The UK’s competition regulator has launched an inquiry into Amazon’s investment of over £3bn into an artificial intelligence (AI) startup as regulators ramp up their scrutiny of mergers involving the fast-growing technology.The deal, which was announced by Amazon in March, included a $4bn (£3.16bn) investment into Anthropic and a commitment from the AI startup to use Amazon Web Services as its “primary cloud provider” for essential functions, including safety research and the development of future foundation models. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had “sufficient information” about Amazon’s partnership with Anthropic, the company behind the Claude generative AI…