Author: SKYNEWS

A committee of MPs has recommended the government appoint a new chair for Welsh-language broadcaster S4C.The chair of the Welsh affairs committee has written to the culture secretary after an evidence session with current S4C chair Rhodri Williams and the lead non-executive board member of the unitary board, Chris Jones. Sian Doyle was sacked as chief executive of the public service broadcaster in November after an investigation into the organisation’s culture.The report – conducted by commercial legal firm Capital Law – said Ms Doyle’s leadership style was “dictatorial” and found she was “creating a culture of fear”.Ms Doyle was admitted…

A sports marketing group which works with Formula One motor racing and the International Olympic Committee is in advanced talks to be sold to a British buyout firm for £250m.Sky News has learnt that Two Circles, which was founded by Gareth Balch, a former international athlete, could announce a deal to be acquired by Charterhouse as early as this week. City sources said on Tuesday that the deal had been under discussion for some time.Two Circles, which has been owned by Bruin Sports Capital since 2019, uses data on sports fans to help its clients target their audiences more effectively.It…

An autonomous robot designed to tackle potholes using AI is to venture out of a controlled environment and be tested on actual roads for the first time.The machine called ARRES (Autonomous Road Repair System) PREVENT can identify and characterise potholes and cracks using artificial intelligence. Image: Pic: Zenzic CAM UK Image: It can automatically fill the cracks. Pic: Zenzic CAM UK It can then automatically fill them up to keep out surface water – which otherwise can seep through causing further damage.Should it be successful, ARRES could save time and money identifying potholes that could worsen due to neglect, and…

Baywatch star Nicole Eggert has been diagnosed with breast cancer aged 51.The actress, who also starred in 80s sitcom Charles In Charge, told People Magazine she was diagnosed with stage 2 cribriform carcinoma breast cancer in early December. Image: Nicole Eggert as Roberta ‘Summer’ Quinn in Baywatch. Pic: Fremantle Media/Shutterstock Eggert told the US publication that the journey to being diagnosed has been “rough”, saying: “I always read inspirational quotes and corny stuff, but it gets me through.”The actress will need surgery but is waiting for her doctors to determine if the cancer has spread and when chemotherapy and radiation…

A scary mid-air blowout aboard a Boeing 737-9 MAX passenger plane has led to dozens of aircraft worldwide being grounded while engineers try to establish what went wrong.Six people aboard Alaska Airlines flight 1282 from Portland to California were injured after a window and chunk of fuselage blew out of the plane in mid-air shortly after takeoff on 5 January. Questions around the safety of the jets are swirling and various airlines have come out with statements saying what actions they are taking, or seeking to reassure customers that they do not operate the same variant of plane.What happened on…

The average litre of bottled water contains nearly a quarter of a million invisible pieces of nanoplastics, according to new research.While scientists had long assumed there were large quantities of tiny plastic pieces in bottles of water, they never knew how many or what kind. Researchers at Columbia and Rutgers universities in the US used a microscope with dual lasers to detect and categorise the pieces for the first time.Looking at five samples, each of three common bottled water brands, the scientists found particle levels ranged from 110,000 to 400,000 per litre – averaging at around 240,000 – according to…

Sinead O’Connor died of natural causes, a coroner has confirmedThe singer died in July, aged 56, having been found unresponsive at her home in London. No medical cause for her death was given at the time, with London Inner South Coroner’s Court saying a postmortem would be conducted and the results could take several weeks.Now, the coroner has confirmed she died of natural causes and said it was no longer investigating her death.This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.Please refresh the page for the fullest version.You can receive Breaking News alerts on a…

The justice secretary is meeting with senior judges today to discuss ways to accelerate the appeals of those convicted in the Horizon scandal, with cabinet minister Mel Stride saying an announcement could come this week.The government is facing fresh calls to act following the airing of ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office which returned the spotlight to the scandal. Between 1999 and 2015, more than 700 Post Office branch managers were convicted after the faulty Horizon software made it look like money was missing from their shops.Politics latest: Sunak kicks off 2024 with cabinet meeting Politics Hub with…

The first US moon landing mission in more than 50 years appears to be doomed after a private company’s spacecraft developed a “critical” fuel leak just hours after it launched.Private firm Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology estimated the Peregrine lander would start losing power in about 40 hours. The company had managed to orient it towards the sun, so the solar panel could collect sunlight and charge its battery while a team assessed the status of what was termed “a failure in the propulsion system”. Image: United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida But it soon became clear…

EDF Energy has revealed investment plans to extend the lives of its operational nuclear power plants in the UK.The French state-owned firm said its proposals, which are subject to regulatory approval and a final investment decision, would bolster energy security at a time when the world is seeking emission-free power amid the battle against climate change. The plans would see its advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGRs) at the Torness, Heysham 1 and 2 and Hartlepool plants maintain output at current levels for “as long as possible.”It is also examining the potential for its Sizewell B plant to run for 20 years…