Author: admin@primenews

At least five people, including a four-month-old baby, have been killed after dozens of tornadoes ripped through the central US causing serious damage. Tens of thousands of residents were left without power following separate storms that began on Friday. Four of the deaths happened in Oklahoma, where a state of emergency has been declared in a dozen counties. A fifth person died from their injuries in Iowa after a separate storm system hit the Midwest, local media reported. The National Weather Service (NWS) said a preliminary investigation had confirmed some of Saturday’s tornadoes had gusts of above 136 miles (218km)…

A project making astronomy more accessible to visually impaired children could win an award. The Tactile Universe team at the University of Portsmouth has been shortlisted for a Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) See Differently Award. It comes after blind astronomer, Dr Nicolas Bonne, led the team to use 3D printers to make models of galaxies. He said the models allow students to feel how galaxies develop. It’s a method Dr Bonne has previously shown the BBC, as he uses 3D models in his own work. The 41-year-old, originally from Australia, was born with a visual impairment because of…

Voters in parts of Gloucestershire have been offered free e-scooter rides to get to polling stations for the local elections Voi, which has rental e-scooters and e-bikes in parts of the country including in Gloucester and Cheltenham, is allowing people two free 15-minute rides on Thursday 2 May. The firm said it wants to encourage voters, including younger people, to participate in local democracy. Both Gloucester and Cheltenham have local elections this year, as well as Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner. Polling stations are open from 07:00 BST to 22:00. The free rides, accessible by a code, are also available in other areas, including Cambridge…

Elon Musk is visiting Beijing with media reports saying he aims to discuss enabling autonomous driving mode on Tesla cars in China. Mr Musk wants to enable Full Self Driving (FSD) in China and transfer data collected in the country abroad to train its algorithms. FSD is available in countries including the US but not in China. The news came after a US report tied Tesla’s autonomous driving modes to at least 13 crashes, involving one death. During a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Mr Musk was quoted by state media as saying Tesla was willing deep cooperation with…

Nicole Kidman has said “it is a privilege to make films” after being honoured with an American Film Institute Life Achievement Award. Kidman, 56, is the first Australian actor to be given the highest honour bestowed by the organisation. The Moulin Rouge actress was presented with the prestigious award by Meryl Streep in Hollywood. Other stars in attendance included her husband, singer Keith Urban, and Big Little Lies co-star Reese Witherspoon. Accepting the award in a floor-length shimmering gold Balenciaga gown, Kidman thanked all the directors she has worked with. “It is a privilege to make films. And glorious to…

A Conservative MP says he was deported during a trip to Djibouti due to the east African country’s close ties to China. Tim Loughton, the MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, said he was detained for more than seven hours before being “escorted” to a flight out of Djibouti earlier this month. Mr Loughton, who had sanctions imposed on him in 2021 by Beijing, said the experience was “very lonely and frightening”. China’s foreign office has said the accusations are baseless. Mr Loughton was in Djibouti for a 24-hour visit, which included a meeting with the British ambassador. He said when he…

Rallies have taken place across Australia in response to a wave of recent violence against women. Demonstrators want gender-based violence to be declared a national emergency and stricter laws put in place to stop it. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the issue was a national crisis. In Australia, a woman has been killed on average every four days so far this year. Organiser Martina Ferrara said: “We want alternative reporting options for victim survivors to let them own their stories and own their healing and reporting journey. “And we want the government to acknowledge this is an emergency action and…

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said he will stay on as Spain’s leader, following five days of speculation over his future. Last week, Mr Sánchez announced he was cancelling all official engagements after a court opened an initial inquiry into his wife over corruption claims. He called the allegations a harassment campaign orchestrated by right-wing media. Mr Sánchez has been in power since 2018. His decision last week to take time out from his duties to reflect on whether it was worth carrying on as prime minister came as a surprise even to people from his own Socialist Party…

Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes have joined the cast of the 28 Days Later sequel. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are set to direct and write the film again, which will be called 28 Years Later. The original 2002 film, which starred Cillian Murphy, saw the UK taken over by zombies. The film has already had one sequel – 28 Weeks Later, but this was not written and directed by Boyle or Garland. The pair did serve as executive producers on the 2007 film, but this new film is set to launch a new trilogy in the vein…

A third of 11-year-olds and more than half of 13-year-olds in England have drunk alcohol – putting it top out of 44 countries examined in a report by global health experts. Girls were found to be more likely than boys to be drinking and getting drunk aged 15 in England, Wales and Scotland. The World Health Organization (WHO) report said alcohol, which can damage children’s brains, has been normalised. It called on countries to introduce more measures to protect children. The report looked at data from about 4,500 school-age children from each country in Europe, central Asia and Canada in…