Author: SKYNEWS

Singer Olly Murs has admitted he was “desperate to be around people” after becoming estranged from his twin more than a decade ago.”When you’ve been in the womb with someone, you struggle with loneliness,” he told The Times in an interview on Saturday. The Heart Skips A Beat singer, 40, shot to fame when he competed in The X Factor season 6 in 2009. He later admitted missing his twin brother’s wedding to film the show.”We haven’t spoken in ten years,” he told the other judges on an episode of The Voice in 2020, adding he didn’t know where his…

Shein, the online fashion behemoth, is on the verge of taking a huge stride towards a London flotation that would value it at about £50bn and rank among the most significant – and contentious – deals in the UK’s capital markets for years.Sky News can exclusively reveal that Shein, which was founded in China but is headquartered in Singapore, is preparing to file a prospectus with the Financial Conduct Authority for approval ahead of its potential float. City sources said on Sunday evening that the confidential filing could take place as soon as the coming week, although it could yet…

A stingray whose “virgin” pregnancy made global headlines has a rare reproductive disease, the aquarium housing her has said.In an update on the health of Charlotte the stingray, the Aquarium and Shark Lab in North Carolina said she had “developed a rare reproductive disease that has negatively impacted her reproductive system”. Charlotte captured international attention in February when the aquarium said she was carrying “between three and four pups” despite not encountering a male stingray for eight years.”It’s a really strange and unique phenomenon,” Brenda Ramer, its executive director, said at the time while livestreaming Charlotte’s ultrasound.In the update posted…

Taylor Momsen has been nicknamed “bat girl” after a bat bit her during a show.Momsen’s rock band The Pretty Reckless were supporting AC/DC in the Spanish city of Seville on Wednesday night when the bat flew on to her leg during the song Witches Burn. As fans pointed and shouted, Momsen, who is best known for playing Jenny Humphrey in Gossip Girl, asked them what they were pointing at before realising.”There’s a f***ing flying bat on my leg right now, can someone help me please?” she said calmly into the microphone. Image: Taylor Momsen during the AC/DC Power Up Tour.…

Can a lender end your fixed-rate deal early? This was the crux of a question asked by Money blog reader Michelle from Kent…”I bought my first flat in April 2023 with a two-year fixed-rate mortgage. I got the deal with the help of a broker, who has now contacted me saying my deal is due to end in November – significantly earlier than I had expected. I’ve spoken to my lender – they said the deal I was on no longer exists. Is there anything I can do to keep my current rate?” We asked David Hollingworth, associate director at…

Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus are aligning overnight on 3 June – but if you want to see it, you will need stargazing equipment.The planets will line up in a diagonal arrangement across the sky. Saturn will appear at the top, followed by Neptune, then Mars, Uranus and Mercury, with Jupiter appearing closest to the horizon. However, some of the planets will be easier to spot than others.”Try looking east-southeast around an hour before sunrise at a location with a very low horizon,” says Gregory Brown, astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich.”Mars and Saturn will be visible by eye,…

A celebrity antiques expert who was attacked by two men with hammers has said he has “recovered very well” and thanked fans for their support.Ian Towning, 76, said he was much better after being “smashed to bits” when attackers targeted his store in March. The duo damaged property and stole thousands of pounds worth of jewellery during the raid on the Bourbon Hanby Antiques Arcade in Chelsea, west London. Two others, including a security guard, were also injured. Image: Ian Towning on The Alan Titchmarsh Show in 2012. Pic: Steve Meddle/Shutterstock Mr Towning, who has appeared as an antiques expert…

The latest in a spate of corporate transactions in Britain’s estate agency sector will be unveiled this week when London-listed Property Franchise Group (TPFG) strikes a deal to buy the Fine and Country chain.Sky News has learnt that TPFG will announce to the stock exchange as early as Monday that it has acquired Fine and Country and the Guild of Property Property Professionals. The transaction will create a network of roughly 1,800 lettings and estate agents in the UK and overseas.TPFG is said to be paying approximately £15m for the two assets, which operate through a licensing model.They are being…

A new blood test can predict the return of breast cancer years before patients relapse, according to a new study.The ultra-sensitive test looks for signs that cancerous cells remain after treatment. It can detect tiny amounts of cells that may be too small for follow-up scans to pick up. Early detection means patients can be treated “without waiting for incurable, advanced disease to develop and show up on a scan”, according to the study’s authors from London’s Institute of Cancer Research (ICR).”Breast cancer is much easier to treat before it spreads to other parts of the body, so it is…

Rupert Murdoch has married for the fifth time at the age of 93.The media mogul tied the knot with Elena Zhukova, a 67-year-old retired molecular biologist, at a wedding at Moraga, his vineyard and estate in California. Ms Zhukova, from Moscow, wore a white dress while Mr Murdoch wore a dark suit and patterned yellow tie.The couple met at a family gathering last year. Image: Pic: News Corp The former Fox and News Corp chairman called off an engagement to former San Francisco police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith last year. Mr Murdoch divorced his fourth wife Jerry Hall in August…