Author: SKYNEWS

A joint investigation into a data breach at DNA testing company has been launched by UK and Canadian watchdogs.The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) announced the investigation into the October 2023 incident. US-based genetics company 23andMe analyses its customers’ DNA through home saliva collection kits to provide insights on factors such as health and ancestry.According to the company’s website, it has sold more than 12 million DNA testing kits since 2006.The UK and Canadian data protection regulators said they will combine their expertise and resources to jointly conduct the investigation. It…

Giovanni Pernice will not return for the new series of Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC has confirmed.The 33-year-old Italian dancer has performed on the BBC One primetime show for nine years. Image: Pernice with actress Amanda Abbington in 2023. Pic: BBC He was not announced as part of the show’s line-up of professional dancers for 2024 following reports he would not compete.Pernice has rejected allegations he displayed “abusive or threatening behaviour” while working as a professional dancer on the show, following complaints about his conduct.A legal firm acting on behalf of the complainants said the broadcaster is “evidence gathering” -…

The price of shipping has reached an 18-month high – threatening to impact the falling inflation rate.It is now more expensive to ship a typical container on a key shipping route than when Houthi militants first started attacking boats in the Red Sea late last year to prevent ships docking in and exporting from Israel. An index that measures the average cost of a 20ft container being shipped from Shanghai to Europe – and is the most widely used measure of freight cost – has reached $3,949 (£3,102).The Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI) has risen sharply in the last month…

Conservationist and TV presenter Simon Cowell, who hosted the show Wildlife SOS, has died at the age of 72.Cowell “passed away peacefully” on Sunday surrounded by his daughters, his partners and his dogs after a “brave battle with cancer”, said the Wildlife Aid Foundation, which he founded.Paying tribute, the charity called him “one of the UK’s respected conservationists” who was a “passionate advocate for wildlife protection and environmental causes”.It said he “dedicated his life to British wildlife” and “worked tirelessly” to make sure injured and orphaned animals were given a second chance in the wild through rescue, clinical treatment, and…

First things first, if you’re wondering whether the sums in the Liberal Democrat manifesto add up and – to adopt the phrase that leader Sir Ed Davey used rather a lot today – are “fully costed”, the answer is: well, yes, sort of.If you have full faith in all the numbers published in the costings document published alongside the Lib Dem manifesto, then they are indeed fully-funded. For the £27bn or so of extra spending commitments is paid for with the £27bn or so of extra taxes and money raising. Hurrah! Except that it’s not so simple, because it’s not…

A doctor, a gifted presenter and a gonzo journalist, Michael Mosley pushed his body to extreme lengths in his mission to improve the nation’s health.News of the TV doctor’s death on the Greek island of Symi at the age of 67, after leaving for a walk and never returning, has been met with shock from fellow celebrities and members of the public alike, with multiple tributes highlighting his groundbreaking work across a five-decade career. Image: The area of Greek island of Symi where Mosley was found. Pic: Reuters In numerous shows exploring health and wellbeing, he carried out unusual experiments…

The Liberal Democrats would seek to bring the UK back into the European Union’s single market, the party says in its manifesto. While policies on health and social care have been front and centre of their election campaign, the 114-page document also includes an aim “to place the UK-EU relationship on a more formal and stable footing by seeking to join the single market”. General Election latest: Lib Dem leader unveils plan to ‘save the NHS’The party also has a “longer-term ambition” to rejoin the EU.This is a more muted commitment than their policy to “stop Brexit” in 2019 -…

A glowing dye that sticks to cancer cells gives surgeons a “second pair of eyes”, according to experts at the University of Oxford.The dye clings to prostate cancer cells and then starts glowing when illuminated during surgery. This means doctors can remove more of the cancer during the operation and reduces the chance of it coming back.Although the dye currently identifies prostate cancer, it could be adapted for other forms of the disease.”With this technique, we can strip all the cancer away, including the cells that have spread from the tumour – which could give it the chance to come…

Emilia Clarke has admitted she thought she would be fired from Game Of Thrones after she suffered a brain bleed.The 37-year-old starred in the fantasy series as Daenerys Targaryen but suffered a brain bleed while working out in a gym in north London in 2011. Clarke didn’t want to go public with news of her injury, and kept it largely a secret from her colleagues on the show.But she admitted she was worried bosses would think she wasn’t capable of doing her job after the brain bleed.Doctors also discovered a second brain haemorrhage in 2013, while she was still acting…

An electric headset for treating depression has been recommended as a more widespread treatment for depression after a successful NHS trial. But it’s not yet known what the long term benefits of the device are.An NHS trial has found that an innovative electric headset for treating depression is an effective way of reducing the symptoms, and has recommended its more widespread use within the health service. The headset from Flow Neuroscience was given to patients with depression by their GP to wear for 30 minutes daily for a period of six weeks, as a non-invasive way to manage the condition.The…