Author: admin@primenews

MPs have backed a plan to ban anyone born after 2009 from buying cigarettes, effectively ensuring it will become law. The measures, championed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, survived despite opposition from several leading Tory figures – including two ex-PMs. Health Secretary Victoria Atkins told MPs “there is no liberty in addiction” as she defended the plans. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill passed by 383 votes to 67. If they become law, the UK’s smoking laws will be among the strictest in the world.bThe UK’s approach is thought to have been inspired by a similar law in New Zealand, which…

United Airlines has blamed Boeing for a $200m (£161m) hit to its earnings in the first three months of this year. The carrier was forced to ground its Boeing 737 MAX 9 fleet for three weeks after a mid-air cabin blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight in January. United said that pushed it to a pre-tax loss of $164m for the first quarter. The airline said it “would have reported a quarterly profit” otherwise. However, the loss was smaller than Wall Street expected and United’s shares rose by more than 5% after the announcement. United has 79 Boeing 737 MAX…

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a group of Israeli settlers storm a Palestinian village and, captured on CCTV, a masked man sets fire to a car parked in a garage, under the watch of at least three Israeli soldiers. The incident was part of a rampage by Israeli settlers that, according to local officials, killed four Palestinians over four days. The violence was triggered by the disappearance of 14-year-old Binyamin Ahimeir, who went missing on Friday after leaving his settler outpost to herd sheep near the Palestinian village of Mughayir, in the Ramallah area. His body was found a day…

The Sydney shopping centre that was the scene of a deadly stabbing attack will reopen to shoppers on Friday. Six people were killed in the attack on Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday. Two people remain in intensive care. Security and police presence will be increased when the mall reopens, said Scentre Group, which operates Westfield malls in Australia and New Zealand. The mall will open on Thursday for a “community reflection day” to allow people to pay their respects. Counselling services will be made available on site. “It is a day of remembrance and to pay our respects to what…

In the Solomon Islands, the night before an election is known as Devil’s Night. Political candidates offer bribes – handing out everything from cash to sacks of rice and Chinese-made solar panels to secure votes last minute. Vote-buying has been a common tactic in the Pacific nation’s elections – hard to stamp out, despite toughened electoral laws. But that is not why some of the world’s biggest powers are paying such close attention to Wednesday’s vote. This remote island nation plays a crucial role in the jostling between China and the US – with its ally Australia – for influence…

The United States and the European Union say they are looking at imposing further sanctions on Iran, after its attack on Israel at the weekend. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she expected to take action “in the coming days”, while EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc was working on it. Israel has urged its allies to sanction Tehran’s missile programme. United Nations sanctions over the programme expired in October. Those sanctions had been linked to a wider deal to limit Iran’s nuclear programme. However a number of countries including the US, EU and UK maintained sanctions…

It wasn’t many days ago that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was under enormous pressure. After seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen were killed by the Israeli army in Gaza on 1 April, US President Joe Biden seemed finally to lose patience with his troublesome ally. On the same day, Israel attacked the Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus, killing a senior general, at least six other officers, and violating legal conventions that prohibit attacks on embassies. Israel claimed, unconvincingly, that Iran had forfeited that protection by turning the consular building it destroyed into a military outpost. Iran promised it…

Canadian singer Grimes apologized to fans on Saturday after her Coachella set earlier that evening was beset by technical issues that caused her to scream into the microphone in frustration. “I want to apologize for the technical issues with the show tonight,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Usually I always handle every aspect of my show myself – to save time this was one of the first times I’ve outsourced essential things like rekordbox bpm’s and letting someone else organize the tracks on the sd card etc,” she added, referencing the DJ software required to play her music, which blends elements of…

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino says he was “so upset” about the dispute over who would take the penalty in their 6-0 win over Everton and has warned his players not to do it again. Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke argued over who would take a spot-kick, before Cole Palmer – Chelsea’s regular taker – scored his fourth goal. “I can’t accept this kind of behaviour,” said Pochettino. “I told them it’s the last time I want to see this kind of behaviour.” He added: “It is impossible to have this type of behaviour after this performance. If we want to be a…

The proposed design of a train station in the Chinese city of Nanjing has attracted the attention of Chinese internet users – for all the wrong reasons. Authorities say the design of the North Nanjing station takes inspiration from plum blossoms, which the city is known for. But online, others are pointing out its resemblance to something rather different – a sanitary pad. “This is a giant sanitary pad. It’s embarrasing to say it looks like a plum blossom,” said one comment on social media site Weibo. The topic has generated millions of views across various Chinese social media platforms.…