Author: admin@primenews

There was an “alarming” nearly 45-fold increase in measles cases in Europe last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. Health chiefs are warning that cases are still rising and “urgent measures” are needed to prevent further spread. Some 42,200 people were infected in 2023, compared to 941 during the whole of 2022. The WHO believes this is a result of fewer children being vaccinated against the disease during the Covid pandemic. In the UK, health officials said last week that an outbreak of highly contagious measles in the West Midlands could spread rapidly to other towns and cities with low vaccination…

The warm hues of the Scottish landscape act as a dramatic backdrop to the majestic castle in the foreground. To the left, the outline of three cloaked bodies huddle around a well but the most striking character stands confidently in the centre, heavy fringed and resplendent in a plum-coloured velvet smoking jacket. No I’m not looking at a painting in an art gallery. I’m watching The Traitors, where the aesthetic is almost as important as the game. In particular, host Claudia Winkleman’s wardrobe has caught the attention of the style press. The Telegraph’s fashion director Bethan Holt wrote: “Forget the…

Tesla is forecasting a sharp sales slowdown this year, becoming the latest car company to warn of sagging demand. Elon Musk’s electric vehicle (EV) maker said growth would be “notably lower” than in 2023, when deliveries rose 38%. The company’s shares fell by almost 6% in extended trade in New York after the announcement. Mr Musk also warned that Chinese rivals “will pretty much demolish most other car companies in the world” unless trade barriers are put in place. Tesla slashed prices repeatedly last year in a bid to keep demand up. The moves helped the firm sell a record…

Sri Lanka’s lawmakers passed a bill on Wednesday regulating internet use among its citizens, in a move that has sparked fears among rights groups of a free speech crackdown. The Online Safety Bill, which passed with 108-62 votes, aims to “make provisions to prohibit online communication of certain statements of fact in Sri Lanka” and “prevent the use of online accounts and inauthentic online accounts for prohibited purposes.” The bill will also create an “Online Safety Commission,” a five-member committee appointed by the president, to “issue directives to persons who communicate prohibited statements under this Act to stop the communication of…

Spanish police say they have busted a gang of ex-military men from Eastern Europe who allegedly robbed luxury homes in the southern Málaga province. Six people were arrested on Wednesday, including the alleged ringleader from Albania. A stash of jewellery, watches, cash and weapons was found. The gang is alleged to have carried out 71 thefts from luxury homes and businesses mostly in Marbella. Police say the suspects were “highly skilled” in robberies and break-ins. “With their knowledge of military techniques, they used strict personal security and counter-surveillance measures while moving around on foot or in vehicles, changing direction or…

A Japanese man has been sentenced to death for an arson attack at a Kyoto animation studio in 2019 which killed 36 people and injured dozens more. The incident, one of Japan’s deadliest in recent decades, killed mostly young artists and shocked the anime world. Shinji Aoba, 45, pleaded guilty to the attack but his lawyers had sought a lighter sentence, arguing grounds of “mental incompetence”. Judges rejected this however, ruling Aoba knew what he was doing. “I have determined that the defendant was not mentally insane or weak at the time of the crime,” Chief Judge Masuda said on…

US Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry’s sci-fi film, The Mothership, will not be released on Netflix, US media report. The Hollywood Reporter said Netflix shelved the film because significant reshoots were required at the post-production stage. Co-producer Berry and her team completed filming in 2021, and the release had been planned for 2022. Berry and Netflix have not yet publicly commented. In a preview of new releases back in February 2021, Netflix announced: “Oscar Winner Halle Berry to Star in The Mothership”. It billed the film as as “a sci-fi adventure that follows Sara Morse (Halle Berry) one year since her…

The UK is sending some of Ghana’s “crown jewels” back home, 150 years after looting them from the court of the Asante king. A gold peace pipe is among 32 items returning under long-term loan deals, the BBC can reveal. The Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) is lending 17 pieces and 15 are from the British Museum. Ghana’s chief negotiator said he hoped for “a new sense of cultural co-operation” after generations of anger. Some national museums in the UK – including the V&A and the British Museum – are banned by law from permanently giving back contested items in…

An Alabama death row inmate is hours away from undergoing the first US execution by nitrogen gas after losing last-minute appeals. The US Supreme Court and a lower appeals court have declined to block what Kenneth Eugene Smith’s lawyers called a cruel and unusual punishment. Nitrogen is to be pumped into his body through a mask for up to 15 minutes. Smith, 58, was convicted in 1989 of murdering a preacher’s wife, Elizabeth Sennett, in a killing-for-hire. Alabama’s execution is scheduled to take place from Thursday. Smith would be the first person to be put to death by this method…

At least 39 people have been killed and nine injured in a fire that started in the basement of a shop in the Chinese city of Xinyu. State media said the fire started on Wednesday afternoon local time in the city in Jiangxi province. Footage from state-backed Global Times showed smoke billowing from buildings and people jumping from windows. The video has not been verified by the BBC. President Xi Jinping has called for an investigation into the blaze. He also demanded the “resolute containment” of similar deadly incidents in the country. Wednesday’s fire comes days after 13 children died…