Author: SKYNEWS

The UK economy “continued to slow” and recorded zero growth in July, according to official figures showing a big drag from manufacturers.The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) followed a figure of 0.4% growth the previous month and negative growth of 0.1% in May. Output of 0.3% was achieved over the April-June quarter as a whole, slowing from the 0.7% recorded over the first three months of 2025.Money latest: Reaction as economy slows The latest figures signal concern for the months ahead as the labour market slows and the effects of elevated inflation and the US trade war…

A lizard at a UK zoo has given birth without mating in what has been described as “one of the rarest events in the animal kingdom”.A female casque-headed iguana produced eight healthy hatchlings at Exotic Zoo in Telford, Shropshire, without ever being housed with a male. The babies are receiving “round-the-clock care” and are expected to go on public display in the coming weeks.The “virgin births” were due to parthenogenesis, when an embryo develops from an unfertilised egg – a process which the zoo said had been documented in “only a handful of reptile species worldwide”.The offspring are identical genetic…

Ireland will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest next year if Israel is allowed to take part, RTE has announced.The Irish broadcaster said in a statement that a number of European Broadcasting Union (EBU) members raised concerns over the participation of Israel in the competition at the union’s general assembly in July. RTE added that its “position” is that Ireland will not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if the participation of Israel goes ahead.The broadcaster will make its “final decision regarding Ireland’s participation” once the EBU decides whether Israel will take part, the statement continues.It adds:…

The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has blamed budget tax hikes for a deeper half-year loss.The UK’s largest employee-owned business, which owns John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarkets, reported a headline loss before tax and exceptional items of £34m for the six months to 26 July. That compared to a £5m loss in the same period last year. The higher figure was reached despite a 4% rise in group sales to £6.2bn.Money latest: How to give your child a financial head start”This result was significantly impacted by costs not present in the equivalent prior period”, the partnership explained, “including £29m…

“Leopard spots” found on a rock on Mars contain the clearest signs yet that life once existed on the red planet, NASA has announced.The space agency said analysis of the unusual markings by the Perseverance rover has revealed they contain minerals that on Earth can be a byproduct of microbes. Scientists can’t rule out that the spots were caused by natural geological processes. Image: The leopard spot-like marking on the rock. Pic: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS But Nicky Fox, associate director of NASA’s science mission directorate, said after a year of “pressure testing” the evidence, it still points to a biological origin.”This finding…

A new Banksy artwork that sprung up at the Royal Courts of Justice in London is being scrubbed off.The mural depicted a protester lying on the ground holding a blood-spattered placard, while a judge, dressed in a wig and gown, loomed over him while wielding a gavel. Image: Pic: PA/Banksy The work was first seen on Monday on an external wall of the Queen’s Building, part of the Royal Courts of Justice complex.It was covered up and guarded by security staff, with HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) taking the decision to remove it due to the building being listed…

A legaltech firm backed by Google’s venture capital arm will this week stake a claim to an industry first when it swoops on Woodstock Legal Services, a bricks-and-mortar law firm.Sky News has learnt that Lawhive, which is run by co-founder and chief executive Pierre Proner, will on Thursday announce that it has concluded a deal to buy Woodstock, which specialises in property law and conveyancing among a full range of legal services. The terms of the deal are not expected to be disclosed.Lawhive’s acquisition of Woodstock will, it says, be a landmark moment for an industry which is proving to…

A major new blood test which could revolutionise the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is being trialled on UK patients with early symptoms, researchers have said.People with suspected dementia are being recruited via memory clinics across the country to see how well the test, which measures the protein p-tau217, works in the NHS. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and is linked to the build-up of two key proteins in the brain called amyloid and tau.P-tau217 is considered a promising biomarker which shows both amyloid and tau are present in the brain.A team led by University College London (UCL)…

BBC director-general Tim Davie has told MPs that “we may see more things coming out” after being asked for assurance there will not be another “scandal of BBC talent abusing their position”.He told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee: “I think things have changed since we last talked to the committee, we are seeing people call it out, and that is a positive change, but it’s ongoing work. “I don’t think you can change culture in six months and suddenly say nothing’s going to occur.”We may see more things coming out, because in some ways I’m asking for it, and…

The deal that finally settles the real-life succession drama of the Murdoch family was driven by a desire to preserve the animating forces of the media mogul’s remarkable career; power and money.Rupert Murdoch’s empire was built on the foundations of a news business that astutely served right-of-centre audiences on three continents. First in his native Australia, then the UK, and finally in America, his titles and channels reflect and sometimes make the political weather. Preserving that influence and the income that comes with it was his priority when, two years ago, he tried to oust three of his children from…