Author: SKYNEWS

Octopuses, sharks and tuna that are booming in the sea around the UK could be part of a fundamental shift in the marine environment, a leading scientist has told Sky News.Dr Simon Thomas, from the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth, said a perfect storm of factors, including climate change and overfishing, is leading to a rapid change in the species being found around the coast. “Since 2016, you’ve seen a lot of our traditional fish, like cod, ling and pollock decreasing in numbers and pushing northwards,” he said.”Then we’ve seen other fish, especially things like bluefin tuna and blue sharks,…

The high street lender Metro Bank has been approached about a private equity-backed takeover in a move that could lead to the disappearance of another company from the London Stock Exchange.Sky News has learnt that Metro Bank was approached in the last fortnight about an offer to take it private spearheaded by the financial services-focused buyout firm Pollen Street Capital. Pollen Street is one of the major shareholders in Shawbrook, the mid-sized bank which in the past has approached Metro Bank about a merger of the two companies.In recent months, Shawbrook’s owners have stepped up efforts to identify a prospective…

David Beckham has called it “truly humbling” and an “emotional moment” to be made a knight in the King’s Birthday Honours.The former England captain receives the honour alongside The Who frontman Roger Daltrey and Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman. Singer and actress Elaine Paige, novelist Pat Baker, and former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt have been awarded damehoods. Image: Sir David chatted to the King at an event on Thursday. Pic: PA Meanwhile, Strictly Come Dancing hosts Tess Daley and Claudia Winkleman, as well as darts stars Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, will all get MBEs.Beckham was made an OBE in 2003,…

4Chan, an online forum notorious for its extreme content, is being investigated by UK officials over its failure to comply with new internet safety rules. Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, said it had received complaints about potential illegal content on 4Chan, as it announced nine new investigations into sites that may have broken new rules. A porn site and seven file sharing websites are also being investigated.Under the new Online Safety Act, porn sites must develop strict age verification processes for users.Websites where people can see content shared by others, like 4Chan or social media, need to assess the risk of…

The Middle East is the world’s foremost oil-producing region and a major centre for maritime trade.Its waterways are a critical thoroughfare for cargo ships transporting oil and container ships with goods and appliances on board. Flare-ups in the Middle East have a predictable impact on the oil price, causing it to spike as investors grow fearful about supply constraints because of possible blockages and attacks on these maritime routes.As a result, shipping insurance premiums also rise, which are ultimately passed on to the consumer.Brent crude, the international benchmark, was up 8%, at $75 (£55) a barrel. Follow live: Israel-Iran conflict…

British rapper Yung Filly is facing two additional charges over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman while on tour in Australia.The YouTuber and musician, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, appeared before Perth District Court in western Australia on Friday. The 29-year-old social media star has been on bail since October 2024 after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room after a gig last year in Perth.In March this year, he pleaded not guilty to three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, one of strangulation and four counts of sexual penetration without consent.Court documents filed on…

A powerful new supercomputer will be built in Edinburgh after all, the chancellor has announced. Up to £750m has been put aside for the project, Rachel Reeves revealed as part of her spending review. The Conservatives, when in government, had previously pledged £800m for the project but in August, Labour scrapped the plans, claiming it was part of “unfunded commitments”.”We are investing in Scotland’s renewal, so working people are better off,” said Ms Reeves on Wednesday. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:29 Keir Starmer wants UK to embrace AI On Monday, one of the leading figures…

Rachel Reeves is a “gnat’s whisker” away from having to raise taxes in the autumn budget, a leading economist has warned – despite the chancellor insisting her plans are “fully funded”.Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), said “any move in the wrong direction” for the economy before the next fiscal event would “almost certainly spark more tax rises”. ‘Sting in the tail’ in chancellor’s plans – politics latestSpeaking the morning after she delivered her spending review, which sets government budgets until 2029, Ms Reeves told Wilfred Frost hiking taxes wasn’t inevitable.”Everything I set out yesterday was…

Video game actors in the US have ended their strike after nearly a year of industrial action, over the use of artificial intelligence by game studios. More than 2,500 US performers were barred from working on games impacted by the strike while the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) negotiated a deal with studios. Now, after more than 11 months of discussions, a “tentative” agreement has been reached.”Patience and persistence has resulted in a deal that puts in place the necessary AI guardrails that defend performers’ livelihoods in the AI age, alongside other important gains,” said SAG-AFTRA’s…

The sun’s south pole has been seen for the first time from outside the ecliptic plane in unprecedented images sent back to Earth by a solar orbiter.The Solar Orbiter spacecraft travelled 15 degrees below the sun’s solar equator to take the images in mid-March – with the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA revealing them to the world on Wednesday. It is only the second craft to have passed over the sun’s poles – with the ESA and NASA’s 1990-2009 Ulysses craft lacking the capacity to take any photos. Image: The view of the sun’s south pole from Earth. Pic:…