Author: SKYNEWS

Hundreds of British teenagers are set to take part in a trial to find out how effective a ban or restrictions on social media would be. The six-week pilot will see 300 people aged 13 to 17 try out different restrictions – from time limits to curfews to an all-out ban. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will measure the effects it has on their schoolwork, sleep and family life.It comes as the government’s consultation on a potential Australia-style social media ban is set to conclude on 26 May.How trial will work Parents will be split into four groups and…

A former member of indie band The Zutons has spoken after being seriously injured in a racist assault, telling Sky News he could have been killed and that he wants his attackers to face justice.Boyan Chowdhury was treated in hospital following the incident, described by police as an “abhorrent” hate-related assault, which happened in the Wavertree area of Liverpool on Saturday afternoon.Mr Chowdhury, who is in his 40s, says a group of young males, believed to be in their late teens, started shouting racist slurs when he asked them to move away as they were smoking near to him and…

The chancellor is to set out plans to tackle price hikes driven by the war in Iran, which has seen the cost of oil and gas soar.Rachel Reeves will deliver a statement in the Commons this afternoon after advising the prime minister of her proposals during an emergency Cobra meeting yesterday. They include an “anti-profiteering framework” to detect and crack down on firms exploiting the Middle East crisis and help the Competition and Markets Authority root out price gouging.It could see the regulator given “time-limited, targeted powers” after Sir Keir Starmer told MPs he wanted to give it “further teeth”.A…

England has recovered from drought after four months of above average rainfall, but officials are concerned about future dry spells.A wetter-than-normal February saw England receive 170% of the long-term average rainfall, the Environment Agency said. A regular government-led meeting of water stakeholders noted that while wetter than normal months had been positive for water supplies, they had “caused devastating flooding” in many areas.The South West recorded the second-highest December to February winter rainfall since records began in 1871. Image: While England saw above average rain in February, March is drier than normal so far. Pic: PA On Monday, East Anglia…

The family of Nancy Guthrie – the missing mother of US TV anchor Savannah Guthrie – who has not been seen for seven weeks, have renewed their appeal for public help.In a statement issued to coincide with a special report on local TV station KVOA, they asked people in and around Tucson, Arizona, where the 84-year-old lives, not to forget her case, saying they “hold the key to finding resolution”. Her daughter, who co-anchors the morning programme on Sky’s US partner network, NBC, has led the campaign to find her and was one of the signatories of the statement, along…

Sir Keir Starmer is to chair a COBRA meeting today, Sky News understands.Cabinet ministers are expected to join him, including the chancellor, foreign secretary, energy secretary, as well as the governor of the Bank of England, to discuss the cost-of-living impacts of the ongoing Iran war and plans to help households. COBRA meetings are the government’s regular way to respond to a national emergency.Politics Hub: Follow all the latest newsThe prime minister last chaired a COBRA meeting on Thursday to discuss the UK’s response to Iranian strikes on energy infrastructure in the Gulf. He also chaired a meeting in late…

The number of confirmed and suspected meningitis cases in the outbreak in Kent has fallen to 29.The total marks a decrease from 34 cases reported on Saturday, and includes two – a 21-year-old student at the University of Kent and a sixth form pupil at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Faversham – who died from the virus last weekend. It includes confirmed cases and those that remain under investigation.Read more: The symptoms, treatments and if you need the vaccine Explaining the fall in the total, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said: “Some cases initially classified as confirmed cases have…

Chappell Roan has said she is “really sad” after claims her security guard made the daughter of footballer Jorginho cry. The former Premier League player wrote on Instagram on Saturday that the singer’s security guard spoke “in an extremely aggressive manner” to his wife and daughter after they saw the popstar at a hotel in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Jorginho, 34, who played for Arsenal and Chelsea, but is now with Brazil’s Flamengo, said his 11-year-old daughter was “extremely shaken and cried a lot” after the interaction.He also hit out at the singer, adding: “Without your fans, you would be nothing.”…

Sharp rises in the price of oil and gas as a result of the war in Iran have set off an economic chain reaction which is already hitting people in the pocket.The benchmark Brent crude oil remains around $110 a barrel, compared to around $72 before the war. And a unit of wholesale gas now stands at 150p – almost double the 77p per unit it was just three weeks ago.As a result, it is thought that inflation – which was anticipated to fall to 2% by the end of the year – could, in fact, now reach 5%, according…

Preliminary readings of sites in Arizona and southern California indicate that the US has suffered its hottest March day on record.Large parts of the southwest of the United States are trapped in a dangerous heatwave, made worse in some places by a heat dome, with temperatures reaching around 43C (110F) at testing sites. The heatwave has shattered March temperature records all over the southwest of the country, with hot weather arriving months ahead of schedule. Image: A new air conditioning unit is installed during record-breaking heat. Pic: AP “This is what climate change looks like in real time: extremes pushing…