Author: SKYNEWS

Shakira has criticised the Barbie movie as “emasculating”, adding men and women both have a “purpose” in society and one shouldn’t be at the expense of the other. Speaking to Allure magazine, the 47-year-old Colombian popstar spoke about the blockbuster film released last summer, as well as her new album and her break-up with former footballer Gerard Pique. Barbie is set in Barbie Land – a matriarchal system where women work all the high-end jobs, while the men (Kens) are subordinates to the Barbies and spend all their time at the beach.The Mattel dolls travel to the real world where…

A New York-listed car dealer is plotting a bid for the UK operations of Inchcape.Sky News has learned that AutoNation, which has a market capitalisation of nearly $7bn (£5.5bn), is among the suitors circling the business since Inchcape confirmed in January it was conducting a strategic review. AutoNation is said to be at the early stages of considering an offer and may yet not decide to proceed with one, according to industry sources.If it does go ahead, it would represent a first step into the UK for AutoNation after it withdrew six months ago from a bidding war for Pendragon,…

Scientists are gearing up for next week’s total solar eclipse – but what will they be hoping to learn as parts of the Earth temporarily fall dark?NASA’s deputy chief Pam Melroy says it will give an “entirely different” opportunity to study the interaction between the Earth, moon and sun. The US space agency and others will focus much of their work on observing the corona, the sun’s outer atmosphere.It can’t normally be seen because the sun is too bright, but during an eclipse the corona’s white halo can be seen bursting out from behind the shadow.The corona is hundreds of…

A burial crypt next to the resting place of Marilyn Monroe and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner has been bought by a tech investor for £154,000 ($195,000).The one-space mausoleum at Pierce Brother Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary in Los Angeles went up for auction between 28 and 30 March. Anthony Jabin, from Beverly Hills, said: “I’ve always dreamt of being next to Marilyn Monroe for the rest of my life and I bought Hugh Hefner’s round bed and Marilyn Monroe’s bathing suit at Julien’s this weekend.”The marker on Monroe’s grave, which had to be replaced due to damage, sold for…

This Easter, chocolate lovers will no doubt have noticed they had to pay more for their eggs.Now, the cost of chocolate could soar after changing climate patterns hit cocoa supplies in west Africa. Seasonal dusty winds from the Sahara have been severe in recent months, blocking out the sunlight needed for cocoa bean pods to grow in Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Cameroon – where around three-quarters of the world’s cocoa is produced.In the previous season, heavy rainfall spread a rotting disease among the cacao trees, which produce cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate. Image: Around three-quarters of the…

Colin Farrell is swapping rural Ireland for the mean streets of Los Angeles in his new detective series, Sugar.Oscar-nominated Farrell, 47, was a film fan before he became an actor and says he finds solace in stories told on both the big and small screens. He told Sky News: “Films are constantly teaching me how to be a human being and how not to be a human being.” X This content is provided by X, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons…

The owner of Formula One (F1) motor racing will unveil a £3.5bn takeover of MotoGP’s parent company early this week.Sky News has learnt that Greg Maffei, the president and chief executive of Liberty Media Corporation, is expected to announce the motorsport industry’s most significant corporate deal for years during a trip to Madrid as early as Monday. The deal has been on the cards for weeks, with Sky News revealing earlier this month that Liberty was in talks to buy Dorna Sports for €4bn.The ultimate price could be slightly higher than that blockbuster figure, sources said on Sunday, with one…

“So, do we have a serial killer in the UK pushing people or drowning people in rivers, canals, lakes, etc?” a TikToker cheerfully asks, in a video that has attracted more than 300,000 views.She uses mainstream media reports of unconnected women found dead in the water across the country, Google maps, and studies published online to add credibility to the baseless theory on her account, which has more than 90,000 followers and more than two million likes. People have always been interested in “solving a mystery”, says criminal psychologist Dr Amanda Vicary, but now people have access to tools they…

“Hate and death threats and abuse, and personal, deep things. All the hate out there… I don’t think anyone can prepare you for that.”Georgia Steel doesn’t find it easy talking about the trolling directed at her during her time on Love Island, but says it is an issue she needs to address.The reality star rose to fame in 2018, when, aged 20, she appeared in the fourth series and earned her place among the show’s most memorable contestants.In January this year, with more than 1.6m followers on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms, she returned to appear in a new “all…

A headless robot about the size of a labrador will be camouflaged as a coyote to ward off migratory birds and other wildlife at Alaska’s second largest airport.The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities said it will be based at the Fairbanks airport to “enhance and augment safety and operations”. Images have been released showing the robot – named Aurora – climbing rocks, going up stairs and doing something akin to dancing while flashing green lights.Those dancing skills will be put to use during the migratory bird season when Aurora will imitate predator-like movements to keep birds and other…