Author: admin@primenews

A passenger in India was locked in an airplane toilet for more than an hour after its door malfunctioned mid-journey. The man was on board a SpiceJet flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru city – typically a 105-minute journey – when he got stuck inside the tiny lavatory. He was rescued early Tuesday morning after the flight landed in Bengaluru. SpiceJet has issued an apology, saying it regretted the “inconvenience caused to the passenger”. “Throughout the journey, our crew provided assistance and guidance to the passenger. Upon arrival, an engineer opened the lavatory door and the passenger received immediate medical support,”…

Health advocates and activists plan to intensify their push for a ban on menthol cigarettes this week, ratcheting up pressure on the White House ahead of what they say is a critical deadline. Advocates say January 20 is a key day for the decision because the US Food and Drug Administration, the agency behind the proposed ban, has said it needs a year for full implementation. A decision this week would make a menthol ban effective by next year’s Inauguration Day. But if the White House does not at least decide internally this week to get the wheels of government moving…

Authors including Sir Michael Morpurgo and Malorie Blackman have written an open letter urging the government to invest in early years reading. A BookTrust survey suggests that only half of children aged between one and two from low-income families are read to daily. The letter notes that some families struggle to access books and support. “It is not right that children from poorer backgrounds are deprived of a life that is rich in reading,” it says. The letter was addressed to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. The government said it is “committed to raising literacy…

Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham has spoken about how a drama teacher once told her she would never succeed in TV because of her appearance. “I had one drama teacher that said to the whole class: ‘Oh Hannah will never work on screen because she looks like one side of her face has had a stroke,'” the actress said. The insulting comment only spurred her on, Waddingham said. “I thought, I will do. Come hell or high water, I will work on screen.” Waddingham has won an Emmy, a Critics’ Choice Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for playing…

The Japanese start-up ALI Technologies, which had hoped to reimagine urban transport with a futuristic hoverbike, has filed for bankruptcy. Its US parent company said the move was part of a planned relocation to California, where it hopes to revive its dreams with a new business partner. ALI Technologies’ hoverbike was heavily publicised – with Prince Albert II of Monaco pictured atop the craft at one point. But it never sold in big numbers. The bike, which executives once said was inspired by Star Wars, resembled a kind of aerial water scooter. It could fly for about 40 minutes at…

Former England footballer Eni Aluko says she has “genuinely been scared” after receiving online abuse. Her comments come after ex-footballer Joey Barton compared Aluko, who is now a pundit, and co-commentator Lucy Ward to serial killers Fred and Rose West. ITV criticised the “vindictive remarks”, while sports minister Stuart Andrew said the “dangerous comments open the floodgates for abuse”. “I felt under threat this week,” Aluko said on Instagram. The 36-year-old posted two emotional videos on the social media platform on Tuesday evening. “I’m human, and I’m more than happy to admit I’ve been scared this week” she said. “I’ve genuinely been scared. I…

Some children with cancer are receiving a new type of drug treatment far less toxic than chemotherapy. Arthur, 11, is one of the first to try it, at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital, for his blood cancer. His family call the therapy “a little bit of sunshine”, since it worked without making Arthur feel much sicker. And because it could be given on the go, rather than just in hospital, he spent more time at home with his family, enjoying more of what he loves. He carried it with him in a rucksack – his “blina backpack”. For Arthur, blinatumomab…

Rishi Sunak is facing a crucial vote on his Rwanda bill, after two Conservative deputy chairmen and a ministerial aide resigned to rebel over the issue. On Tuesday Lee Anderson, Brendan Clarke-Smith and Jane Stevenson stepped down to vote for changes they said would toughen up the legislation. In a blow to the PM’s authority, 60 Tory MPs backed rebel amendments. No 10 is confident the bill as a whole will still pass later, but is thought to be preparing to offer concessions. MPs are set to continue debating proposed changes to the legislation – which seeks to deter Channel…

The world’s most popular YouTuber, MrBeast, has shared a full video on X for the first time, having previously said even a “billion views” would not make it worth his while. The star has previously made his material available to his 231 million subscribers on YouTube. MrBeast said he is now trying X because he is “super curious” how much advertising revenue it will make. His U-turn is a boost for the struggling social media platform. Owner Elon Musk has tried various strategies to boost the business – previously known as Twitter – since buying it in October 2022. These include sharing…

A Portuguese dog named Bobi made headlines last year when he was crowned the world’s oldest dog ever by Guinness World Records (GWR) – beating a previous record that stood for a century. Bobi died in October at the official age of 31 years and 165 days. But now his title has been thrown into doubt, after some veterinarians questioned evidence of Bobi’s age. GWR have now suspended the title and launched an investigation. Bobi was a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo – a breed that has an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years. His grand old age was…