Author: admin@primenews

At least 25 people have died after a fire tore through an office building in northern China, state media report. The fire at the four-storey building in Luliang City, Shanxi province broke out at around 07:00 local time on Thursday (23:00 GMT Wednesday). Of the dozens evacuated from the Yongju Coal Industry Joint Building, 51 people were taken to hospital. Rescue operations are ongoing even as the fire is under control, according to state media. Video posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo by the state-run Beijing Youth Daily showed flames and thick smoke coming out of the building. The…

The UK’s controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court Wednesday, dealing a potentially fatal blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s flagship migration policy and sparking a furious revolt from the right wing of British politics. The UK’s highest court ruled unanimously against the government, siding instead with a previous appeals court ruling that found the policy – which has been roundly condemned by humanitarian bodies – was not lawful. Its ruling unambiguously dismantled the government’s appeal, and scuppers an effort to fly asylum seekers who arrive in the UK illegally to the east African…

Meta has called for laws that would force app stores to get parental approval when a child downloads an app. The proposal would put app stores, like those run by Apple and Google, on the hook for implementing parental controls – rather than social media companies. Meta, owner of Instagram and Facebook, has faced criticism for how it handles teens using its platforms. The firm’s safety chief called for a “simple, industry-wide solution” to govern children’s social media use. “Parents should approve their teen’s app downloads, and we support federal legislation that requires app stores to get parents’ approval whenever…

Troye Sivan won big at the Aria Awards, while Kylie Minogue’s Padam Padam won best pop release on Australia’s biggest night in music. Sivan took home four awards, including song of the year for Rush and best solo artist, at the ceremony in Sydney. “This has been the most insane week of my life, like ever,” he said accepting the award for song of the year. It comes days after the singer received two Grammy nominations for best pop dance recording and best music video. Sivan said: “I try and play it cool like this is all normal, but it’s…

The World Health Organization is making loneliness a global health priority, it said Wednesday, launching a new Commission on Social Connection. For the next three years, the commission will focus on ways to address the “pressing health threat” of a global epidemic of loneliness, reviewing the latest science and designing strategies to help people deepen their social connections. It’s co-chaired by African Union Youth Envoy Chido Mpemba and US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, who has written and spoken extensively about the risks of social isolation and has made the issue one of his top concerns while in office. Murthy said it is an…

China is willing to be “a partner and a friend” of the United States, Chinese leader Xi Jinping told American business leaders in San Francisco on Wednesday, as he sought to court US companies amid a decline in foreign investment in China. The dinner event, taking place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, comes hours after Xi held extensive talks with US President Joe Biden, where the two leaders made positive steps in stabilizing rocky relations between the world’s top two economies. Hosted by the US-China Business Council and the National Committee on US-China Relations, the evening…

The US and China have agreed to resume military-to-military communications in an effort to ease rising tensions, President Joe Biden says. “We’re back to direct, open, clear communications,” he said following a rare meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping in California on Wednesday. It was the first time the pair had spoken in person in more than a year. Mr Biden also said both leaders had agreed to establish a direct line of communication with one another. At a news conference following the summit, which took place at a historic country estate near San Francisco, Mr Biden said a lack…

At last month’s Lakmé Fashion Week in India, conversations about making fashion more sustainable took centre-stage. But are the country’s designers ready for this? The four-day event – organised jointly by beauty company Lakmé, billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Brands and the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) – is one of Indian fashion’s biggest highlights. While it had all the essential ingredients – glittering catwalks, clinking wine glasses and fashionistas in the front row – what grabbed eyeballs was a competition encouraging young designers to use eco-friendly materials to create outfits. The event is part of a wider ambition among…

UK inflation fell sharply in October to its lowest rate in two years, largely due to lower energy prices. Inflation, which measures the rate at which consumer prices rise, dropped to 4.6% in the year to October, down from 6.7% the month before. The government says its pledge to halve inflation by end of the year has been met early. But there is a limit to how much credit ministers can take for the fall as energy prices settle. Economists have said the main reason inflation has fallen from its peak of 11.1% in October 2022 is due to a…

PepsiCo has been sued by New York state for plastic pollution along Buffalo River that is allegedly contaminating the water and harming wildlife. According to the lawsuit, PepsiCo is the single largest identifiable contributor to the problem. PepsiCo’s spokesperson has told the BBC that it has been “transparent in its journey to reduce use of plastic”. Last week Coca-Cola, Danone and Nestle were accused of making misleading claims about their plastic bottles. PepsiCo is the world’s second biggest food company and many other big corporations have been facing lawsuits by local authorities about their impact on the environment. Companies are accused of greenwashing when they…