Author: SKYNEWS

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…

Retail tycoon Sir Philip Green’s human rights were not breached when he was named in Parliament as the holder of an injunction against the Telegraph newspaper, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled.The former Topshop boss previously obtained a court injunction preventing the Telegraph from publishing allegations of misconduct made against him by five ex-employees who had agreed to keep the details of their complaints confidential under non-disclosure agreements (NDA). However, he was named in Parliament as the businessman behind the injunction against the newspaper by Labour peer Lord Hain in October 2018, using parliamentary privilege – which…

British star Lesley Manville and American actor John Lithgow have won the acting categories at this year’s Olivier Awards, which recognise excellence in London theatre. Lithgow, 79, played Roald Dahl in Giant, which is about the children’s author wondering whether to make a public apology. While accepting his award he appeared to reference the current controversy over Donald Trump’s second term as US president.The Conclave star quipped: “It’s not always easy to welcome an American into your midst, and at this particular moment, it’s probably a little more complicated than usual.”He also told the audience at the Royal Albert Hall…

A second child in Texas with measles has died as the outbreak of the childhood disease reached nearly 500 cases in the state, officials have said.The unvaccinated schoolgirl, who had no underlying health conditions, died on Thursday in hospital from measles pulmonary failure, the Texas Department of State Health Services said. She was being treated for complications from the illness, a spokesperson for University Medical Center Children’s Hospital in Lubbock said in an email. Image: US health and human services secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr (right) at the girl’s funeral. Pic: AP The girl was recently diagnosed with the viral…

From today, drivers using London’s Blackwall Tunnel will have to pay a toll.The charge is being implemented the same day the new Silvertown Tunnel – which will link east London to southeast London – also opens to drivers. For car drivers, a return journey at peak times will cost £8, jumping up to £13 for large vans.Here is everything you need to know about the new tunnel, the tolls and the decision behind its implementation.What is the Silvertown Tunnel? The 1.4km (just under one mile) long tunnel stretches from Silvertown in Newham, east London, to the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast…

Despite The Who’s Quadrophenia being set over 60 years ago, Pete Townshend’s themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.The album is having a renaissance as Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia A Mod ballet is being brought to life via dance at Sadler’s Wells East, and Sky News has an exclusive first look. As Townshend puts it, the album he wrote is “perfect” for the stage. Image: Pete Townshend “My wife Rachel did the orchestration for me, and as soon as I heard it I said to her it would make a fabulous ballet and we never…

Four space tourists have safely arrived back on Earth after completing a novel space route on board one of Elon Musk’s SpaceX capsules.Bitcoin tycoon Chun Wang, who chartered the SpaceX flight, and three others splashed down off the Southern California coast on Friday, pumping their fists in celebration of the successful voyage. After taking off on Monday, it became the first human spaceflight to circle the globe above both the North Pole and South Pole – and the first Pacific splashdown for a space crew in 50 years.The crew passed over the icy masses roughly every 40 minutes from 270…

Sir Keir Starmer has said his government stands ready to use industrial policy to “shelter British business from the storm” after Donald Trump’s new 10% tariff kicked in.The UK was among a number of countries hit with the lowest import duty rate following the president’s announcement on 2 April – which he called ‘Liberation Day’, while other nations, such as Vietnam, Cambodia and China face much higher US levies. But a global trade war will hurt the UK’s open economy.The prime minister said “these new times demand a new mentality”, after the 10% tax on British imports into America came…