Author: SKYNEWS

NASA volunteers who spent over a year in a simulated Mars bunker have completed their mission.After 378 days in a 3D-printed, Mars-imitation bunker in Texas, Kelly Haston, Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell and Nathan Jones were set free Saturday around 10pm UK time. Speaking at a news conference after they were allowed back into the world, Ms Selariu said bringing life to Mars was the “one thing dearest to my heart”.She said her “beloved friends and family have always been there when I needed them” and she will “always have them in my heart and in my memory wherever I go”.The…

Great British Bake Off contestant Dawn Hollyoak has died at the age of 61. A post on her Instagram account announced her death with a “heavy heart”, describing her as “not only a wonderfully talented baker but first and foremost an amazing mother, grandmother, wife and friend”. Mrs Hollyoak competed in the Channel 4 baking show in 2022 and was the sixth contestant to leave the tent.The tribute on her social media page said she had “passed away peacefully surrounded by her family” but did not give any details on her cause of death.”We will miss her forever, but promise to…

Paris’ famed Moulin Rouge cabaret got its iconic red windmill back on Friday after it collapsed earlier this year.A special ceremony that featured can-can dancing on the plaza outside marked the restoration of the windmill – an emblem of the surrounding Montmartre neighbourhood. The mill’s huge sails and part of the cabaret’s illuminated sign crashed to the ground after a show in April due to a technical problem, according to its director. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:31 April: Moulin Rouge loses windmill blades No one was hurt and the mayor of Paris’ 18th district…

One of the advertising gurus who helped propel Margaret Thatcher to power is weighing the formation of a consortium to bid for The Daily Telegraph.Sky News has learnt that Lord Saatchi, the Conservative peer, has been discussing the option of launching an offer for the right-leaning newspapers ahead of a deadline later this month. Lord Saatchi is said to have been discussing the possibility of assembling a bid with Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, a former director of The Economist Group.City sources said they had approached a number of potential financial backers in recent weeks, although neither could be reached…

The pound has remained stable and the markets have reacted positively to Labour’s landslide election victory.Shares in leading companies on the UK stock exchange have risen reflecting expectations among investors of a period of stability after years of market volatility under the Conservatives. The top-flight FTSE 100 rose up to 0.4% at the open before falling back after recording its best day in almost two months in the previous session.Election latest: Results as they are declaredIt was outpaced by the domestically focussed FTSE 250 which was up 1.8% at one point, hitting its highest level since April 2022, and despite…

Having turned the political map red, Labour’s priority is steering the economy into the black.Sir Keir Starmer’s programme for government may be modest but the means to deliver it are not. A new prime minister and, in Rachel Reeves, the first female chancellor, have a tough economic inheritance.Follow general election fallout liveStagnant growth, hefty debt interest payments and an ageing, sickly population have left public services stretched. If they are to revive them without breaking campaign pledges not to increase debt or raise taxes, everything rests on delivering growth.The early indications from the financial markets was positive. More on General…

A housebuilder owned by the investment firm Elliott Advisors has tabled a secret takeover offer for Crest Nicholson, its London-listed rival.Sky News has learnt that Avant Homes, which is run by former Persimmon chief Jeff Fairburn, made an all-share proposal to the board of Crest last month. The bid, which City sources said had been rejected by Crest’s board in the last 10 days, would have seen Elliott become the biggest shareholder in the combined group, according to insiders.Best of the Money blogOne said the combination risked representing an unattractive prospect for some Crest Nicholson shareholders. How to watch and…

For the first time since the pandemic a million cars were sold in the first half of a year, according to industry data.But the numbers are still well below the 2019 pre-pandemic year sales and demand from individual private buyers has collapsed amid a cost of living crisis, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show. Money latest – savers have a rare opportunityIn the first six months of 2024 – 1,006,763 new cars have been registered. While the sum is 6% higher than the previous year it’s still down 20.7% on 2019 registrations.The overall new car…

Forget the UK general election.The poll that financial markets will be watching most closely over the next few days is the second round parliamentary ‘run-off’ in France this Sunday. The French poll is unpredictable, to say the least.The first round of voting last week raised the prospect of a hung parliament and prompted a relief rally in French assets on Monday this week.Markets would prefer a hung parliament because Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement National (RN or National Rally) and the New Popular Front (NPF) – an alliance of the far-left France Unbowed, the Greens and the Socialists – both…

Pop star Paloma Faith is set to read a CBeebies bedtime story as part of a Glastonbury Festival special.The 42-year-old singer recorded her story at Worthy Farm, in Somerset, where she performed barefoot on the Pyramid Stage on Sunday, calling the experience “life-affirming and euphoric”. Image: Faith performing on the Pyramid Stage in Glastonbury. Pic: PA Faith is reading The Party Animals by Alex Willmore, and it will air on Thursday at 6.50pm.The story is about a group of cheeky monkeys who move into the forest and disturb the peace of the other animals with their all-night partying.It offers lessons…