Author: SKYNEWS

A Highland port set to become an “offshore wind hub” has secured a £100m credit boost from UK and Scottish government-backed banks.Haventus, owner of Ardersier Port in the Moray Firth, is currently redeveloping the 450-acre site between Inverness and Nairn. It is hoped the transformation of the former McDermott construction yard will support future offshore wind projects across the UK and Europe in the transition to net zero, as well as enable the domestic decommissioning of aged North Sea oil and gas assets.The development, part of the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport site, is expected to open in 2025…

The largest and longest study of the obesity drug Wegovy has shown people maintain significant weight loss for at least four years, with fewer serious adverse events than those given placebo ‘dummy’ treatment.Doctors say the finding will add pressure on UK health authorities, which currently limit treatment to just two years. Results revealed at an international obesity conference show those given weekly injections of the drug shed pounds for the first 65 weeks of treatment, and then sustained a stable body weight over the longer term.On average they lost 10.2% of their body weight and 7.7cm from their waist size…

The swimmer who was the first victim in the 1975 blockbuster Jaws has died. Susan Backlinie died in her home in California at the age of 77, according to her agent. Her death was first reported by The Daily Jaws website. The opening scene of Steven Spielberg’s classic features Ms Backlinie running along the beach and before diving into the water and skinny dipping. Image: The poster for the film Jaws. Pic: HA/THA/Shutterstock Her character Chrissie Watkins is then suddenly pulled under the water and she screams as she is violently attacked by an unseen great white shark.Ms Backlinie had been…

You may like your smashed avocado on toast but a new report has revealed climate change is having a “terrible impact” on the popular fruit.The superfood, which is high in fibre and healthy fats, guzzles vast amounts of water as it grows, making it especially vulnerable in a hotter, drier world. The fruit boomed globally in the 2010s, becoming associated with millennials and expensive brunch menus.But as its popularity grows, productivity in key growing countries, including Burundi, Chile, Peru, Spain, South Africa and Mexico, is shrinking due to more volatile conditions, according to a report by the charity Christian Aid.There…

The new version of the ChatGPT AI chatbot has been unveiled and offers near-instant results across text, vision and audio, according to its maker.OpenAI said it was much better at understanding visuals and sounds than previous versions. It offers the prospect of real-time ‘conversations’ with the chatbot, including the ability to interrupt its answers.The firm says it “accepts as input any combination of text, audio, and image and generates any combination of text, audio, and image outputs”.GPT-4o is to be rolled out over the next few weeks amid a battle by tech firms to develop ever-more advanced artificial intelligence tools.…

Hollywood actor Steve Buscemi “is okay” after he was punched in the face by a man on a New York City street, his publicist has said.The 66-year-old was assaulted just before noon on Wednesday in Manhattan. The Boardwalk Empire star was taken to a nearby hospital with bruising, swelling and bleeding to his left eye. Follow Sky News on WhatsApp Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News Tap here “Steve Buscemi was assaulted in mid-town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city,” a statement…

On Ian’s show he talks to Lynn Calder, the chief executive of Ineos Automotive, about decarbonisation in transport.Bas Burger, chief executive of BT Business, is discussing the economic impact of deferring tech investment.And there’s Janet Mui, head of market analysis at Brewin Dolphin, who discusses the latest from mining giant Anglo American – which has rejected an improved takeover approach from rival BHP.:: Listen and subscribe to The Ian King Business Podcast here. Source link

Democracy is under attack across the world and must be “protected under all circumstances”, legendary Bollywood actress Shabana Azmi has told Sky News.In an interview with Yalda Hakim, she said religion was also used for “political gain” – but how she also remained an “optimist by nature”. India is currently in the fourth phase of a seven-week long general election which has been dominated by campaign rhetoric over economic disparities and religious divisions.Azmi said: “The ordinary citizen who feels that ‘I have absolutely no voice’, has a right to express that voice every five years.”And that has to be protected…

More than 500 nuclear power station workers will walk out this week amid a row over pay.Unite union members at the Dounreay plant in the Scottish Highlands plan to take 24-hour strike action on Wednesday after rejecting a revised pay offer from their employer Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS). The union members will also support an overtime ban from Thursday.NRS proposed a one-off £500 payment on top of a basic 4.5% increase.Unite said 80% of the 92% turnout rejected the deal, with the union saying it represented a “significant real terms pay cut” as inflation – in terms of the retail…

The BBC’s plans to run adverts on its podcasts would have a “disastrous impact” on the UK’s media market, businesses have warned. The broadcaster shared plans to run advertising on its podcasts and on-demand audio that are played on third-party platforms like Spotify in March. A group of 20 media businesses – including Sky – have now signed an open letter addressed to Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, saying the move could set “a dangerous precedent”.In the letter, they say: “The BBC has vast funds to create content for its audiences and is not driven by commercial success, but instead by…