Author: SKYNEWS

Rats and other rodents are posing a “huge” public health risk amid the ongoing bin strikes in Birmingham, a pest control expert has warned.The rodents are said to be flourishing on the “banquet” of rotting food left out for them. On Tuesday, nearly 400 council bin workers in the Midlands city began indefinite strike action as part of a row over jobs and pay.Unite, the union, said the city council could end the dispute “by agreeing to pay a decent rate of pay”.Birmingham City Council said it had made a “fair and reasonable offer” to the workers and claimed the…

You can hear them before you see them. And smell them.At this time of year – the South Atlantic summer – the penguins of the Falkland Islands mob together in rookeries on these isolated beaches to raise their fluffy chicks.And we’re surrounded by them.The beach at Volunteer Point on the northeast tip of the Falklands is home to its largest colony of king penguins.Up to a metre tall, they stand squabbling in a defensive huddle around their chicks. Image: Gentoo penguins But there are others too, burrowing magellanic penguins and red-billed, yellow-footed gentoo.Across the 740 islands that make up the…

How artificial intelligence will affect our lives going forward is a question being figured out across pretty much all industries right now. While many in the arts have expressed concerns over how algorithms learn from their work, Black Eyes Peas star will.i.am believes it actually should “inspire you to create”. An early artificial intelligence supporter, he says: “If you’re basing what you’re going to do tomorrow off yesterday, you’re not growing.”The music producer spoke to Sky News after giving a demo of his new AI radio app in London.Rather than artificial intelligence being something with negative connotations, he insists its potential…

Since the turn of the year the chancellor Rachel Reeves has had a single priority, repeated loud and clear at every opportunity; growth. It was a battle cry repeated from Beijing to Cape Town via Davos and repeatedly at home but, judging by figures for January, the economy is not yet listening. A contraction in GDP of 0.1% was below economists’ consensus of a similar amount of growth in the first month of the year. Following a larger than expected positive bump of 0.4% in December, it confirms the trend established in the second half of 2024 of an economy…

The moon has turned red in an event known as a blood moon following a lunar eclipse – which was partly visible in the UK just before dawn on Friday.In the UK, the moon had already set below the horizon by the time of the full lunar eclipse at 6.58am, so only a partial lunar eclipse was visible and part, rather than all, of the moon appeared red. But the full lunar eclipse was visible to people in North and South America and spectacular pictures were published from there. Image: People view the full moon as a section moves into…

The Menendez brothers, who were convicted of killing their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989, will soon find out if they can be released from prison.Lyle Menendez, 56, and his 53-year-old brother Erik are serving life in prison without parole for the shotgun murders of their father and mother – Jose and Kitty Menendez. The brothers have maintained their parents abused them since they were first charged with the murders.A Netflix drama series about the brothers called Monsters, which aired in September, thrust them back into the spotlight and led to renewed calls for their release – including…

The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has revealed a 73% rise in annual profits but ruled out a staff bonus for the third year in a row.The employee-owned business, behind John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarkets, said earnings over the 12 months to January came in at £97m – up from the £56m achieved in the previous year. Group sales rose 3% to £12.8bn, driven by Waitrose, in a year when the department store chain restored its ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ price promise that was scrapped in 2022.Money latest: Top chef reveals one thing customers should know about their billNew chair…

The moon will turn red in the night sky tonight in an event known as a blood moon.The phenomenon only happens a handful of times a year, and this is your next chance to spot one in the UK. A blood moon is a full lunar eclipse, occurring when the Earth passes between the moon and the sun.From the UK, only a partial lunar eclipse will be visible, meaning only part of the moon will appear red.But when is it, what exactly will you see, and what causes it? Here’s everything you need to know. When is the blood moon?Those…

You have to have a thick skin to take part in Eurovision which might be why last year’s UK entrant, singer Olly Alexander, has already reached out to this year’s hopefuls to talk about the pitfalls of putting yourself out there.Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull, and Charlotte Steele – members of the country-pop girl group Remember Monday – say they plan to get a drink date with the Years And Years singer before they perform in the contest in May. Lauren says they had a “lovely chat” with Olly, and “drinks are pending” after he “reached out to us and has…

In Miche cafe and bar in British Columbia’s capital, Victoria, owner Allan Sinclair is turning around specific alcohol bottles on the top shelf to hide the labels from public view.He picks up a bottle of Jack Daniels. “This is from Tennessee and they supported Trump so we can’t have that,” he says.How Trump’s tariffs could cost UK consumers Image: Allan Sinclair, owner of Miche cafe and bar in British Columbia’s capital, Victoria Image: Bottles of American liquor were being turned around in the Canadian store A bottle of Wayne Gretzky’s cream liquor is nearly finished. “Once it’s gone, I’m going…