Author: SKYNEWS

A company started by “two blokes in a Cardiff garage” is about to launch a game-changing space factory that could start a new industrial revolution.Space Forge will ship its prototype manufacturing satellite in the coming weeks from an industrial park in the city to the US, where it will be sent into orbit on a SpaceX rocket. Sky News was given exclusive access to the company’s dust-free ‘clean room’ to watch engineers carry out final checks.ForgeStar-1 is already loaded up with the raw ingredients to make a new generation of super-efficient semiconductor chips that would be impossible to produce on…

We’ve been waiting for a while for the Office for National Statistics to deliver us some good news on the British economy – and today it came.Output grew by 0.5% in February, up from zero growth in January and higher than the 0.1% forecast by economists. Some usual caveats apply. Monthly data can be volatile and prone to revision – but it can go up as well as down.While publishing the latest figures, the ONS also revised up its January figure from -0.1% to zero.It’s clear that, across the economy, sectors performed robustly. The big surprise was manufacturing.Business surveys told…

The Menendez brothers, who were convicted of killing their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989, will soon find out if they can be released from prison.Lyle Menendez, 56, and his 53-year-old brother Erik are serving life in prison without parole for the shotgun murders of their father and mother – Jose and Kitty Menendez. Speaking from prison for the first time in nearly 10 years, Lyle said he and his brother are “cautiously hopeful” about being freed.”Hope for the future is really kind of a new thing for us. I think Erik would probably agree with that. It’s…

A new spit test for prostate cancer which can be done at home may be better than current testing methods, a study suggests.Experts have developed a simple saliva test which analyses genetic variants in a man’s DNA, which appears to perform better than the current method for assessing prostate cancer risk. Currently, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test is used to check for prostate conditions, including prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate.Routine testing is not currently available on the NHS, but patients may be offered a PSA test if a GP suspects they have prostate cancer. Men over 50 can…

The chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is to remain in post for a second term, following a rapprochement with the Treasury over the watchdog’s approach to pro-growth regulation.Sky News has learnt that the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has approved the reappointment of Nikhil Rathi, whose initial five-year term expires in September. An announcement is expected from the Treasury later on Thursday, according to government officials.The extension of Mr Rathi’s tenure until 2030 will come at a time when the Labour government is scrutinising the performance and strategy of scores of economic regulators amid a frantic search for growth.The…

A new Universal theme park in Bedfordshire has been confirmed on what Sir Keir Starmer hailed as a “momentous” day for the UK. It will be the first Universal-branded theme park and resort in Europe and is set to open in 2031, when it is expected to become the UK’s most popular visitor attraction. The government said it will bring an estimated £50bn into the British economy and will create about 28,000 jobs – nearly 20,000 during the construction phase, and 8,000 more in hospitality and the creative industries when it opens.A 500-room hotel and a retail and entertainment complex…

Ofcom is investigating whether the provider of a suicide forum has failed to comply with its duties under the Online Safety Act.It’s the first investigation into an individual service provider under the new laws. The act was passed in 2023 and requires firms to reduce illegal and harmful content, but its protections are only just taking effect through Ofcom codes of practice.The watchdog said it was looking at whether the forum failed to have appropriate measures to protect users from illegal content and how it could be used to commit or facilitate “priority” offences, including encouraging or assisting suicide.The provider…

Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs last week spooked the markets. Stock markets tumbled on Monday, with most US markets down and stocks in Hong Kong falling 13.2%, their worst day since 1997 during the Asian financial crisis. There was slight growth in Asian and UK markets on Tuesday, but that was before top-rate tariffs came into effect on 60 countries, including a massive 104% levy on China on Wednesday, which sent markets down again.Tariffs latest: Follow live updatesUS economists at Goldman Sachs raised their assessment of the odds that America will tip into recession to 45%, up from 35% the week…

Blondie drummer Clem Burke has died at the age of 70The band said Burke had been diagnosed with cancer, and described his death as a “profound loss”. He featured on all the Debbie Harry-fronted group’s studio albums since joining a year after their formation in 1975.Burke was with the band from their self-titled debut, through their 1978 classic Parallel Lines, to 2017’s Pollinator. Image: Drummer Burke. Pic: Reuters In a statement on Blondie’s Instagram, Harry and the band’s guitarist, Chris Stein, said: “It is with profound sadness that we relay news of the passing of our beloved friend and bandmate…

Last month was the hottest March on record in Europe, new data has found – surpassing the average by some margin.And that raises the risk, for now, of wildfires this summer, campaigners have warned. The average air temperature across the continent was a significant 2.41C above the recent average for March (1991-2020), according to new figures from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.That figure may not sound like much, but as it is an average figure, it smooths out the extremes, meaning it will have been much higher in some places.Eastern Europe and southwest Russia in particular saw the mercury…