Author: SKYNEWS

Virgin Atlantic has announced it will resume flights between London Heathrow and Israel after it suspended them after the beginning of the conflict with Hamas.From 5 September it will operate a daily flight in each direction. Many carriers suspended flights to Israel in October last year after Hamas militants rampaged across the border with Gaza, sparking the nearly eight-month war.Wizz Air resumed operations in March, with British Airways doing the same in April.But easyJet has extended its suspension of flights to Israel until at least late October. Virgin Atlantic also announced a new codeshare partnership with Israel’s El Al, aimed…

A contraceptive gel that men rub on their shoulders to lower their sperm count is safe, effective and starts working more quickly than other similar methods, new research shows. The gel lowered men’s sperm count to the threshold deemed effective for contraception within eight weeks on average – faster than the nine to 15 weeks seen with male contraceptive injections. This could make the birth control choice more attractive to men, according to researchers from the Contraceptive Development Programme at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).The 222 men who took part in the trial rubbed 5ml – about a teaspoon…

Colin Gibb, a founding member of the novelty pop group Black Lace, has died aged 70.The band were best known for their hits Agadoo, Superman and Do The Conga, which were staple songs at summer discos across the UK throughout the mid-1980s.They also performed in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in seventh place.Gibb’s wife Sue Kelly announced his death on Facebook, writing: “It is with heartbreaking news that I am letting you all know my dearest husband Colin Gibb died this afternoon.”I love you Colin, spent 22 years living your Agadoo dream, we were due to retire to Spain…

An early backer of TransferWise, the London-listed foreign exchange app, is investing in an artificial intelligence start-up which aims to give rights-holders more control over how their work is used.Sky News understands Human Native AI will announce this week it has secured close to £3m from investors led by LocalGlobe and Mercuri. The new funding will be used to help the London-based company, which was launched in April, build its workforce and marketing capability.It was founded by James Smith and Jack Galilee.Human Native AI, which has already signed up customers including Mumsnet and Reach, the publisher of The Daily Mirror,…

A woman who was told she was simply drunk on the multiple occasions she showed up at hospital with slurred speech and extreme tiredness has been diagnosed with auto-brewery syndrome.The 50-year-old visited hospital seven times, only to be discharged with a diagnosis of being drunk – despite saying she had not been drinking – before she was correctly diagnosed with the condition. Auto-brewery syndrome is a condition which sees fungi in the gut create alcohol through fermentation.In April, a 40-year-old Belgian man was cleared of drink-driving after doctors diagnosed him with the extremely rare condition.Those with the condition can have…

Actor Toby Jones has hailed former sub-postmaster Alan Bates a “hero” after playing him in a drama which has been credited with raising awareness of the Post Office scandal.Bates tenaciously led the campaign for justice for the hundreds of sub-postmasters who were wrongly convicted of theft and false accounting because of a faulty IT system called Horizon. Many more lost their homes, livelihoods and good reputations to repay non-existent shortfalls. Image: Former sub-postmaster and lead campaigner Alan Bates. Pic: PA The four-part ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office brought the story – which has been called the largest…

The pop band behind New Labour’s 1997 anthem Things Can Only Get Better has banned Sir Keir Starmer from using the song in the election.D:Ream’s founding members Alan Mackenzie and Peter Cunnah said they were dismayed to hear their number one hit play through a loudspeaker as Rishi Sunak announced he was calling a general election on 4 July. The pair told LBC their first thought was: “Not again.”Election latest: Starmer takes pop at Johnson hiding in fridge Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 7:48 Things Can Only Get Better started blaring around two minutes into…

Robert De Niro has been denied a prestigious award after making a speech calling Donald Trump a “clown” and a “dictator “outside the former president’s trial.The actor, 80, joined a Democrat-organised event on Tuesday outside the New York court where Trump was on trial for falsifying business records to cover up an affair before the 2016 presidential election. Standing by Manhattan Criminal Court, De Niro tore into the Republican – calling him a “monster” – and argued with Trump supporters who he called “gangsters”. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:00 ‘Trump is a monster,’ De…

Footage of Adele confronting a homophobic heckler has been shared widely on social media.During the Saturday night show of her Weekends With Adele residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the award-winning artist took aim at an audience member who yelled: “Pride sucks.” The Hello singer replied: “Did you come to my f***ing show and say that Pride sucks?”Are you fucking stupid? Don’t be so f***ing ridiculous.”The Tottenham-born star added: “If you’ve got nothing nice to say, shut up, alright?” Image: File pic: AP June is Pride month – dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ communities around the world.The…

China has landed a spacecraft on the far side of the moon to collect soil and rock samples and bring them back to Earth for the first time.The Chang’e-6 craft touched down in a huge crater known as the South Pole-Aitken Basin at 6.23am Beijing time on Sunday (11.23pm on Saturday in the UK), the China National Space Administration said. The Chang’e landing module – named after a Chinese moon goddess – will use a mechanical arm and drill to gather up to 2kg (4.4lb) of surface and underground material for about two days.An ascender on top of the lander…