Author: SKYNEWS

A woman who was charged with selling Friends star Matthew Parry the dose of the drug that killed him has agreed to plead guilty. Jasveen Sangha, known as the “Ketamine Queen”, is the fifth and final defendant to strike a plea deal with prosecutors, avoiding a trial that was set to take place in September. The 42-year-old agreed to plead guilty to five federal criminal charges, including providing the Ketamine that led to Perry’s death, federal prosecutors said in a statement.Prosecutors had cast Sangha, a dual US and UK national, as a prolific drug dealer known to her customers as…

TikTok and Instagram have been accused of targeting teenagers with suicide and self-harm content – at a higher rate than two years ago.The Molly Rose Foundation – set up by Ian Russell after his 14-year-old daughter took her own life after viewing harmful content on social media – commissioned analysis of hundreds of posts on the platforms, using accounts of a 15-year-old girl based in the UK.Politics Hub: Follow latest updatesThe charity claimed videos recommended by algorithms on the For You pages continued to feature a “tsunami” of clips containing “suicide, self-harm and intense depression” to under-16s who have previously…

There is one thing scarier than markets lurching around. And that’s markets lurching around without a very compelling explanation.Just yesterday, the yield on the government’s 30-year bonds – the best measure out there of the UK government’s long-term cost of borrowing – closed at the highest level since 1998, not long after Oasis released the album Be Here Now. Indeed, the yields on pretty much all UK government debt has been creeping up in recent weeks, though not all are back to Britpop era levels. Follow the latest in the Money blogIn some senses, this looks very odd indeed. After…

An Ozzy Osbourne documentary has disappeared from the BBC’s schedule without explanation.The film was billed by producers as “a moving and inspirational account” of the last chapter of the metal legend’s life. It was meant to air at 9pm on Monday on BBC One – as well as be available on iPlayer – but an episode of Fake Or Fortune? has replaced it.Sky News has contacted the BBC for comment on why the programme, called Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home, has been pulled.The project was filmed over three years as Ozzy and his family returned to the UK, and was initially…

Sir Billy Connolly has warned fans that scammers are using artificial intelligence to impersonate him online.The Scottish comedian and actor – affectionately known as The Big Yin – said his wife Pamela Stephenson had also been targeted. In a message on his website, the 82-year-old said: “Dear friends, I have learned that, unfortunately, online scam artists are targeting my fans and supporters.”They are impersonating me, often reaching out to fans soliciting direct messaging.”They create multiple deceptive social media and email accounts, and there could well be criminal intent.” Image: Sir Billy during a Celtic and Dunfermline football game in 2019.…

A company which makes miniaturised electric versions of classic cars has secured a rescue deal led by an American merchant banking group.Sky News understands that the future of Hedley Studios – formerly known as The Little Car Company – has been salvaged through a pre-pack administration deal. FRP Advisory is understood to have acted as administrator before selling the business to an entity controlled by Island Capital Group.Hedley Studios was founded in 2018, when luxury car-maker Bugatti approached Ben Hedley to see if he could recreate a 1920s Type 35 racing car at half-scale to mark its 110th anniversary.In a…

South Korea’s courts have rejected a plagiarism claim from a US composer who argued that Baby Shark, the catchy children’s tune which became a global phenomenon, had copied his track.Jonathan Wright launched his case in the South Korean courts in 2021, arguing that Baby Shark had copied his song’s bass line and rhythm, infringing on the copyright of a track he had released four years earlier. However, South Korea’s top court ruled against him on Thursday, noting that both tunes were based on a classic melody played at children’s summer camps in the US.The Supreme Court found Wright’s tune did…

The publishing industry has warned that books created by artificial intelligence – often imitating autobiographies – are a growing concern, and called on retailers to issue clearer warnings to consumers.Sky News has spent months tracking apparent AI recreations, particularly sports books, that have been sold on Amazon as Kindle e-books, as well as printed versions. Some titles were removed after we informed the e-commerce giant.But we understand there are no immediate plans for Amazon to label content that AI was involved in generating. Image: Books apparently created by AI have appeared on Amazon “AI created books are an increasing problem…

Fashion brand Topshop celebrated its relaunch with its first catwalk in seven years.The company’s website promised everyone was invited as models strutted down a runway on Trafalgar Square in front of noughties fashion icons Cara Delevingne and Adwoa Aboah and the London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan. The label has been operating on the online fashion platform ASOS after ceasing to operate as a standalone business in 2020. Image: Topshop held a catwalk in Trafalgar Square. Pic: PA Image: A model on the catwalk Its previous owner, Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia group, collapsed into administration and all of Topshop’s physical stores…

An Italian fan of Oasis died in his hotel room just hours before he was due to see the band in Edinburgh last week.Alessandro Croce, 30, from Teramo in central Italy, died after collapsing at his hotel on 9 August.He was reportedly getting ready to attend the event at Murrayfield Stadium when he suddenly took ill.His friends tried to resuscitate him as they waited for the emergency services to arrive. Paramedics also tried to save him, but all efforts were unsuccessful.Initial reports indicated Mr Croce suffered a cardiac arrest, Sky News Italia said.Tributes poured in for the dentist and amateur…