Author: admin@primenews

Thailand has taken a historic step closer to marriage equality after the lower house passed a bill giving legal recognition to same-sex marriage. It still needs approval from the Senate and royal endorsement to become law. But it is widely expected to happen by the end of 2024, making Thailand the only South East Asian country to recognise same-sex unions. It will cement Thailand’s reputation as a relative haven for LGBTQ+ couples in a region where such attitudes are rare. “This is the beginning of equality. It’s not a universal cure to every problem but it’s the first step towards…

Taylor’s Swift’s father will not be charged over accusations he assaulted a paparazzo in Australia. Ben McDonald, 51, told police Scott Swift, 72, struck him in the face on a Sydney wharf on 27 February. He did not need medical help. A spokesperson for Swift at the time said two people had been behaving aggressively towards the megastar. After a month-long investigation, New South Wales police on Tuesday said no further action would be taken. The confrontation happened after Mr Swift and his daughter disembarked from a yacht, in the hours after her final Eras Tour show in Sydney. A…

A Japanese nappy maker has announced that it will stop producing diapers for babies in the country and, instead, focus on the market for adults. Oji Holdings is the latest firm to make such a shift in a rapidly ageing Japan, where birth rates are at a record low. Sales of adult nappies outpaced those for infants in the country for more than a decade. The number of babies born in Japan in 2023 – 758,631 – was down by 5.1% from the previous year. It was also the lowest number of births on record in Japan since the 19th…

Shares in Donald Trump’s media company soared as the firm made its formal debut on the stock market. Shares surged past $70 in early trade, giving the firm a market value of more than $9bn. They ended the day at about $58, still up more than 16%. The long-awaited moment will inject more than $200m into Trump Media & Technology Group and hands the former president a stake worth more than $4bn. Analysts say that is far more than the firm’s performance warrants. Trump Media’s Truth Social, a Twitter-like service, brought in just $3.3m in revenue in the first nine…

By the time the crew of the Dali, a massive 948ft (289m) container ship, realised what was happening, it was already far too late. The vessel – at the very start of a 27-day journey from the port of Baltimore to Sri Lanka – completely lost power after leaving the port and was hurtling towards the city’s iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge. It was the middle of the night and the crew onboard were pitched into further darkness when the ship’s lights suddenly went out. The vessel was dead: there were no electronics and – crucially – no engine power.…

McDonald’s customers can soon pair Krispy Kreme doughnuts with their morning McCafe, in a new food partnership that seeks to expand both brands but that could wind up weakening them instead. Three types of Krispy Kreme donuts — original glazed, chocolate iced with sprinkles and chocolate iced “kreme” filled — will go on sale at McDonald’s restaurants starting later this year, the companies told CNN on Monday. It’s not the first time two competitors have teamed up. For example, Wendy’s brought in Cinnabon to its breakfast lineup earlier this year. But it’s a risky move, and one that can put off McDonald’s franchise owners and…

When Apple launched its first Mac computer in 1984, with its iconic Mac smiley-face “hello” greeting, it wanted to differentiate itself in the fledgling PC market. The Mac was approachable with its friendly, innovative design – Apple’s way of setting the Mac apart in the confusing PC landscape. That consumer-friendly mantra still exists today, with Apple carefully curating an easy-breezy yet controlled user experience across its products, including the billions of iPhones used around the world. But the Biden administration believes Apple took that too far. On Thursday, the Department of Justice sued Apple for illegally monopolizing the smartphone market. In a press conference, the government…

US-based corporations are making more money than ever before, and they’re putting that money right back into shareholders’ pockets. One of the reasons the S&P 500 is up more than 10% so far this year is because investors expect dividends — a redistribution of profits from a company to its shareholders — to get bigger. Dividend payouts to shareholders by companies in the S&P 500 reached a new record in 2023, and that number is projected to grow in 2024, according to data from the CME Group. What’s happening: The 200 largest publicly traded companies in the United States saw their…

Owen Hewitt, is a trainee chartered accountant at accountancy firm haysmacintyre. He’s two years into his training with more exams coming up this year. What’s unusual about him and his peers, is that they will be the first generation of accountants to use artificial intelligence (AI) right from the beginning of their careers. Mr Hewitt is hoping that AI will take over some of the more tedious parts of the job. “These (AI) can remove the burden of the more time-consuming tasks, like analysis of financial data,” says Mr Hewitt. That leaves the humans to focus on more subjective -…

British number one Katie Boulter is out of the Miami Open after a fourth-round defeat by Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. The 27-year-old, ranked 30th in the world, lost 7-5 6-1. World number one Iga Swiatek is also out after a 6-4 6-2 defeat by 14th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia. American world number three Coco Gauff was stunned by French 23rd seed Caroline Garcia, who reached the last eight in Miami for the first time with a 6-3 1-6 6-2 victory. Two-time Grand Slam champion Azarenka, 34, will play Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals. Garcia, who beat four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka…