Author: admin@primenews

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel in a show of support after the weekend’s deadly attacks by Hamas. Mr Blinken is expected to seek the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas, some of whom are American. He will also urge restraint and seek safe passage for Gaza’s civilians ahead of a possible Israeli ground offensive. At least 1,200 Israelis died in the attack, and over 1,100 Palestinians have died in air strikes on Gaza. Some 22 US citizens are also known to have died in Israel. Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organisation by the US,…

A 12-year-old girl who suffered a lung collapse and spent four days in an induced coma has told the BBC that children should never start vaping. Sarah Griffin had asthma and was a heavy vaper when she was rushed to hospital with breathing problems a month ago. Her mum Mary told the BBC she feared she was going to lose her daughter. The UK government has announced plans to restrict the marketing and sale of vapes targeted at children. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the proposals – which are open for public consultation for the next eight weeks – would “reverse…

Beyoncé, Rachel Zegler and Adam Sandler were among the stars attending the world premiere of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Swift, wearing an Oscar de la Renta full-length blue gown, posed with her fans and fellow celebrities on the red carpet. “I’ve always had fun doing this. I can’t believe I get to do music as a career. That’s crazy,” she said. The Eras tour was “the most electric experience” of her career, she added. “I’ve never had this much fun in my life as I have had on The Eras Tour. “We did this…

Microsoft has said it will contest a US tax authority’s request to pay an additional $28.9bn (£23.5bn) in back taxes for the years 2004 to 2013. The Internal Revenue Service has been auditing how the firm allocates profits among countries and jurisdictions. But Microsoft said “the issues raised by the IRS are relevant to the past but not to our current practices”. There have long been concerns that the biggest corporations do not pay enough tax in developed nations. Tech giants have been criticised for reporting lower profits in high-tax countries and higher profits in lower-tax jurisdictions to minimise their tax burden.…

Hospital and school caterers are not doing enough to stop farmers from overusing antibiotics in their animals, according to campaign groups. Such overuse raises the risk of antibiotic resistance rendering key human medicines ineffective. Health and animal welfare campaigners analysed 10 UK caterers’ policies and found a lack of a ban meant controls on antibiotics could be weak or absent. The government, caterers and suppliers say voluntary measures are effective. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) points to a 55% drop in antibiotic use in food-producing animals since 2014 and an 83% decrease in the use of antibiotics most…

Whenever India and Pakistan meet on a cricket pitch, the world witnesses another instalment of what is one of sports’ most fiercely contested rivalries. And when the two meet at a World Cup, as they will on 14 October in the western Indian state of Gujarat, anticipation is driven to feverish extremes. The nuclear-armed neighbours share a fraught relationship and have fought three wars since 1947, when India was partitioned after independence and Pakistan was created. But despite the frosty relations, their cricketing history is replete with stories of love, respect and camaraderie between the two teams. Cricket’s Asia Cup,…

Schools in Israel, the UK and the US are advising parents to delete their children’s social media apps over concerns that Hamas militants will broadcast or disseminate disturbing videos of hostages who have been seized in recent days. A Tel Aviv school’s parent’s association said it expects videos of hostages “begging for their lives” to surface on social media. In a message to parents, shared with CNN by a mother of children at a high school in Tel Aviv, the association asked parents to remove apps such as TikTok from their children’s phones. “We cannot allow our kids to watch…

Gaza’s humanitarian crisis deepened Thursday as Israeli jets continued to pound the densely populated enclave in response to Hamas’ brutal terror attacks, while Israel’s government formed an emergency war cabinet and ordered hospitals to prepare for an expected escalation of violence. The decades old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians entered uncharted territory this week after Israel suffered its worst attack by Palestinian militants since its founding 75 years ago. Israel has stepped up its offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7 onslaught, when armed militants poured over the heavily-fortified border into Israel. The gunmen killed more than 1,200 people, wounding thousands…

Phantom limb pain is a common problem for people who undergo amputation, and so is the ability to function even with a regular prosthetic, but a medical advance that sounds like it comes straight out of “Star Wars” is giving at least one woman significant relief from that pain. She now has a functioning bionic prosthetic hand that can feel some sensations and help her do about 80% of what she used to do with both hands. While Luke Skywalker’s human-like bionic hand is still years away, scientists say they are a step closer with this newest prosthetic technique, and doctors hope others will soon…

A ticket sold in California scored the second-largest jackpot in Powerball and US lottery history in Wednesday night’s drawing, according to Powerball. The winning numbers are 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and the Powerball 10. A player matching all six numbers Wednesday to nab the jackpot may choose between an annuitized prize worth an estimated $1.73 billion or a lump sum payment estimated at $756.6 million, both before taxes, Powerball said earlier on its website. Powerball ticket sales since July have allowed the California Lottery to raise nearly $110 million for public education, the state lottery said in a news…