Author: admin@primenews

At least 112 people have been killed by forest fires in Chile’s Valparaíso region, local authorities have said. Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency and said he would make “all necessary resources” available to tackle the situation. It is believed to be Chile’s deadliest forest fire on record. Many of those affected were visiting the coastal region during the summer holidays. A health alert was put in place in Valparaíso by the health ministry. The ministry called for the suspension of elective surgeries and authorised temporary field hospitals to be set up. Medicine students nearing the end of their…

President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador – who is credited with cracking down on gangs in the central American nation – says he has been re-elected. The 42-year-old took to social media to say he had won 85% of the vote – but this has yet to be confirmed. Mr Bukele was allowed to stand for a second term by the constitutional court. His popularity has soared following a crackdown on crime that has transformed the country’s security situation El Salvador has gone from one of the most violent country’s in the world to one of the safest in Latin…

Researchers at the world’s biggest particle accelerator in Switzerland have submitted proposals for a new, much larger, supercollider. Its aim is to discover new particles that would revolutionise physics and lead to a more complete understanding of how the Universe works. If approved, it will be three times larger than the current giant machine. But its £17bn price tag has raised some eyebrows, with one critic describing the expenditure as “reckless”. That money – which is only the initial construction cost – would come from member nations of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (Cern) including the UK, and some…

Taylor Swift stole the show at this year’s Grammy Awards, becoming the first performer to win the prize for album of the year four times. The superstar had previously been tied on three best album wins with Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon and Frank Sinatra. She received the prize from Celine Dion, who made an unexpected appearance. Swift also used the event to reveal a surprise new album. Miley Cyrus and Billie Eilish took the other top awards at Sunday’s ceremony. Dion got a rapturous reception when she emerged to present the best album trophy, almost a year after she was…

Angry fans in Hong Kong booed Inter Miami during a pre-season friendly after Lionel Messi did not play. The Argentina World Cup winner, 36, who had a hamstring injury, was left on the bench as Inter beat a local League XI 4-1 in front of almost 40,000 fans. There were chants of “refund”, while a speech by Inter co-owner David Beckham was drowned out by booing. The Hong Kong government said match organisers Tatler Asia may face a reduction in funding. “Regarding Messi not playing the match today, the government, as well as all football fans, are extremely disappointed about…

Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, SZA and Billie Eilish were among the winners at the 2024 Grammy Awards. The main ceremony has taken place in Los Angeles, following an earlier pre-telecast section in which most of the honours were handed out. There were 94 categories in total – here are some of the biggest ones, with the winners as well as the nominated artists: Album of the year Record of the year Song of the year Best new artist Best pop solo performance Best pop duo/group performance Best pop vocal album Best R&B song Best R&B performance Best R&B album Best…

Former US president Donald Trump has said he would impose more tariffs on Chinese goods if he wins the US presidential election in November. In an interview with Fox News, he said the tariffs could be in excess of 60%. “We have to do it,” he said in the interview on Sunday. Mr Trump, currently the front runner for the Republican party, is facing a number of criminal charges including attempting to overturn the 2020 election results. He has denied these. He has long accused China of unfair trading practices and intellectual property theft. “You know, obviously I’m not looking…

Some Chinese developers must now install monitoring equipment at their projects, under official measures which took affect this month. The rules apply to firms that have received at least 30 million yuan ($4.2m; £3.3m) of government funding. It comes as authorities move to support China’s crisis-hit property industry. In January, the country’s housing ministry said it would offer more bailout loans to developers struggling with debt and a slowdown in demand. Announcing the new surveillance rules in January, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in a statement that it was moving to “regulate the implementation of projects and the use…

One of Australia’s most revered Aboriginal leaders Lowitja O’Donoghue has died, aged 91. Dr O’Donoghue spent her life advocating for the health and rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. She received some of the nation’s top honours for her pioneering work and in 1984 was named Australian of the Year. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is among those who have paid tribute to her, as a figure of “grace” and “moral clarity”. She had an “abiding faith in the possibility of a more united and reconciled Australia”, despite enduring discrimination from the “earliest days of her life”, he said…

The expected arrival of a Chinese research ship in the Maldives this week has escalated tensions between Beijing, Delhi and Male. Officially, the vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 is there to “make a port call, for rotation of personnel and replenishment”. In short, an entirely innocuous stop. But that is not how it is being seen in Delhi. Instead, the ship’s presence is at the very least a diplomatic snub. At worst, some fear, it could be a mission to collect data which could – at a later date – be used by the Chinese military in submarine operations. China…