Author: SKYNEWS

Jesy Nelson has spoken of her pride after it was announced screenings for spinal muscular atrophy will begin earlier than planned.The former Little Mix star has campaigned for all newborn babies to be screened for the rare condition after her twins, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe Nelson, were diagnosed. They were found to have the condition, which causes progressive muscle wastage, which Nelson says means they will probably never walk, after being born prematurely last year.The 34-year-old launched a petition for more health checks for babies, appearing on Sky News to promote her campaign, and it reached 100,000 signatures.Health Secretary…

Chocolate-flavour bars and smaller packs appear here to stay despite the fall of cocoa costs to a near three-year low and a 20% drop in the sugar price.It was last year, during near-record-high cocoa prices, that customers began noticing smaller packs and the phrase “chocolate flavour” bar, as the cocoa content dropped to such a level that manufacturers could no longer describe their products as chocolate. Read more: Real-life Wonka explains chocolate crisisToffee Crisp and Blue Riband bars became “chocolate flavour” in December, as they didn’t contain the minimum 20% cocoa solids and 20% milk solids required to be described…

A giant Seychelles tortoise, believed to be the world’s oldest living land animal, is alive and well after claims he had died turned out to be part of an alleged crypto scam.Posts emerged on Wednesday claiming Jonathan, who is thought to be 193 years old according to the official website devoted to him, was dead. Reports of his demise were posted on X by the account @JoeHollinsVet, named after Joe Hollins, a vet who has taken care of Jonathan and previously spoken of his experiences. Image: Jonathan, the Seychelles giant tortoise. File pic: St Helena/PA Image: Posing for tourists on…

A US judge has dismissed Blake Lively’s sexual harassment claims in her lawsuit against co-star Justin Baldoni.The ​decision to throw out most of the claims in the case was made by District Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan on Thursday on jurisdictional grounds. Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment in connection with the filming of their 2024 romantic drama It Ends With Us.The 38-year-old actress – who is married to Ryan Reynolds – sued Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios and others, seeking damages for alleged harassment, defamation, invasion of privacy and violations ‌of federal and state civil rights laws.She claimed…

Marks and Spencer’s retail boss has warned crime is getting “more brazen, more organised and more aggressive” after a week plagued by antisocial behaviour.Retail director Thinus Keeve hit out at the government and London mayor Sadiq Khan in a letter posted to the supermarket’s website. “Without a government seriously cracking down on crime and a mayor that prioritises effective policing, we are powerless,” he said.Following unrest on Saturday, about 100 officers responded to antisocial behaviour in Clapham, south London, on Tuesday, four of whom were assaulted, along with one member of the public.Scores of teenagers and young adults were participating…

The island of Crete, known for its blue skies, is seeing red – thanks to a cloud of Saharan dust.A powerful storm has carried the dust from Africa, and the popular holiday destination has turned an apocalyptic shade of red ahead of the Easter break. Dramatic photographs showed the impact the dust was having on life on the Greek island. Image: A view of the port in Heraklion, Crete, which is cloaked by red dust from Africa. Pic: Reuters Image: A woman in the port city wearing a face mask. Pic: Reuters The island has also been battered by extreme…

Scott Mills was sacked by the BBC after bosses discovered the alleged victim in the police investigation into the DJ was under the age of 16, the broadcaster has reported.The 53-year-old, who hosted the Radio 2 breakfast show, had his contract terminated last Friday over an allegation relating to his “personal conduct”.It emerged the Metropolitan Police had launched an investigation into Mills in December 2016 over “allegations of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy”, said to have taken place between 1997 and 2000.However, the Crown Prosecution Service ultimately decided “the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges”,…

The latest attempt by Donald Trump to ease uncertainty over the US and Israel’s war on Iran has only heightened investor concerns. The US president’s primetime address, saying American forces could leave Iran in two to three weeks, while threatening to strike Iranian electric plants “extremely hard”, has caused the fallen oil price to jump again. Money blog: Top chef shares most underrated ingredientA barrel of benchmark Brent crude oil is now up more than 7% at $107.50 since his comments, having fallen below $100 yesterday. Oil prices impact the cost of petrol and diesel, home heating oil and prices…

A mother left blind after the birth of her first child has had her sight restored following a plasma donation.Jessica Kent-Hazledine, 33, woke up two weeks after giving birth to her son with little vision in her left eye. She put that down to tiredness but then lost vision in her right eye, leaving her fearing “the worst”.But a year on, she said her sight is “so much better”.’I thought I’d never see my son again’ Ms Kent-Hazledine, from Cornwall, said: “I was a new mum, not getting much sleep.”But I thought I should probably get it checked out, and…

Scott Mills has released a statement after his sacking by the BBC as he addressed the police investigation into him.The 53-year-old DJ, who hosted the Radio 2 breakfast show, had his contract terminated last Friday following an allegation relating to his “personal conduct”.It emerged the Metropolitan Police had launched an investigation into Mills in December 2016 over “allegations of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy” who was under 16, said to have taken place between 1997 and 2000.However, the Crown Prosecution Service ultimately decided “the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges” and the case was closed…