Author: SKYNEWS

Flash flooding has killed more than 280 people in India and Pakistan over the last 24 hours, according to local officials.Dozens more are missing after torrential rains struck two mountainous districts in the neighbouring countries. Some 1,600 people have been brought to safety.In India-controlled Kashmir, at least 60 people were killed in the remote Himalayan village of Chasoti in the Jammu and Kashmir region on Thursday.Chasoti, around 85 miles (136km) northeast of Jammu, is the last village accessible to vehicles on the route of an annual Hindu pilgrimage to a mountainous shrine, the Machail Mata temple. Image: Rescue teams search…

The metals tycoon Sanjeev Gupta is this weekend plotting a controversial deal to salvage his remaining UK steel operations and avert their collapse into compulsory liquidation – a move that would put close to 1,500 jobs at risk.Sky News has learnt that Mr Gupta is in talks about a so-called connected pre-pack administration of Liberty Steel’s Speciality Steel UK (SSUK) arm, which would involve the assets being sold – potentially to parties linked to him – after shedding hundreds of millions of pounds of tax and other liabilities to creditors. Begbies Traynor, the accountancy firm, is understood to be working…

Comedian Milton Jones has revealed he is cancer free after being treated for prostate cancer.In April, the 61-year-old, who is known for his appearances on Mock The Week, announced he was cancelling a number of UK tour dates to undergo surgery. Jones said in a statement: “A few months ago, I had to stop my tour HA!MILTON because I needed treatment for prostate cancer. I’m glad to say I’ve had that treatment and am now cancer-free!”So, many thanks to all the doctors and nurses who helped me get better – I couldn’t do their job (I tried, but apparently you…

Health authorities have warned of a “worrying increase” in cases of a mosquito-borne infection in people returning to the UK from abroad.A total of 73 cases of chikungunya were reported between January and June 2025 – more than double the 27 cases reported in the same period last year, the UK Health Agency (UKHSA) said. Data released by the agency also revealed three cases of oropouche virus, marking the first time the virus has been reported in the UK.Here is everything you need to know about both viruses, from symptoms to prevention and what could be behind the surge in…

The smell of yeast still hangs in the air at the Vivergo plant in Hull but the machines have fallen quiet. More than 100 lorries usually pass through here each day, carrying 3,000 tonnes of wheat. It is milled, fermented and distilled. The final product is bioethanol, a renewable fuel that is then blended into E10 petrol. This is a vast operation. It took several years to build, with considerable investment, but it is on the verge of closing down. Management and staff are holding out for a last-minute reprieve from the government but time is running out.It’s been a turbulent…

The owner of song catalogues produced by artists such as ZZ Top and Ellie Goulding is raising hundreds of millions of dollars in a deal with the private equity firm Searchlight Capital.Sky News has learnt that Chord Music Partners has struck an agreement for Searchlight to invest $400m in the company, which is backed by Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s leading record label. Industry sources said the deal was likely to be announced this week.Chord, which also owns the rights to songs made by Lorde, The Weeknd and John Legend, recently bought a stake in the catalogue of Morgan…

Photos of rabbits in Colorado with black, horn-like growths around their faces have gone viral, with some describing the animals as “Frankenstein-“, “zombie-” and “demon-rabbits”.Warning: This article contains images of infected rabbits, which some readers may find disturbing. Residents in Fort Collins near Denver recently began posting pictures of the cottontail bunnies, causing a stir online.”This is how the zombie virus starts,” posted one Instagram user on a post showing the rabbits.”We’ve got freaking zombie rabbits now?!” posted another on YouTube. So what’s going on?Firstly, the pictures are real – despite some wishing they weren’t.”One time I need this to…

UK economic growth slowed as US President Donald Trump’s tariffs hit and businesses grappled with higher costs, official figures show.A measure of everything produced in the economy, gross domestic product (GDP), expanded just 0.3% in the three months to June, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It’s a slowdown from the first three months of the year when businesses rushed to prepare for Mr Trump’s taxes on imports, and GDP rose 0.7%.   But it’s also a stronger showing than expected and relatively welcome news for Chancellor Rachel Reeves, whose government has staked its success on growing the…

TV presenter Jay Blades has appeared in court charged with two counts of rape.The 55-year-old appeared via video link at Telford Magistrates’ Court and spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth at the six-minute hearing on Wednesday. Blades, from Claverley in Shropshire, was granted conditional bail to appear at Shrewsbury Crown Court on 10 September.He was not required to enter pleas during his first appearance.The presenter found fame on the furniture restoration programme The Repair Shop after he started presenting in 2017.A furniture restorer, he was the face of the popular BBC show that featured people…

​​​​​​​New “hearing glasses” are being created that use artificial intelligence to help people hear conversations more clearly in real-time.Scientists in Scotland are developing a prototype set of glasses that combine lip-reading technology, artificial intelligence and cloud computing to clean up conversations in people’s hearing aids. The smart glasses are fitted with a camera that records dialogue and uses visual cues to detect the main speaker.The wearer’s phone then sends the recording to a cloud server, where the speaker’s voice is isolated and background noise removed.The cleaned-up audio is then sent back to the listener’s hearing aid almost instantly, despite travelling…