Author: admin@primenews

Retrofitting giant, rigid sails to a cargo ship has effectively cut its fuel use and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, shipping firm data shows. The Pyxis Ocean tested the British-designed WindWings for six months. Cargill says the data “underscores the potential” of wind to reduce the shipping industry’s carbon footprint. Experts describe the results as “very encouraging”, but say, at present, only a tiny volume of the international shipping fleet is using the technology. Sails have powered boats for millennia – but the type of sails trialled on the Pyxis Ocean are different to those normally seen on wind-powered vessels. Made…

Starvation is being used as a weapon of war in Gaza, the EU’s foreign policy chief has claimed. Josep Borrell described the lack of aid entering the territory as a “manmade” disaster. A Spanish ship carrying desperately needed food supplies has left Cyprus for Gaza, but the UN says this cannot replace the delivery of aid by land. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has meanwhile vowed to press on with an offensive in southern Gaza. The quickest, most effective way to get aid into the territory is by road, but aid agencies say Israeli restrictions mean a fraction of what…

The inflation rate in the US picked up in February, as prices for petrol and housing pushed higher. The annual rate, which measures the pace of price increases, was 3.2% in February, up from 3.1% in January, the Labor Department said. Airfare, car insurance and clothing were among the items driving the increase over the month. Grocery prices, which have jumped in recent years, fuelling public discontent, were unchanged. The monthly report comes during a critical presidential election year and as the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, is debating the next step in its fight to rein in prices.…

Women who freeze their eggs are being misled by some UK clinics about their chances of having a baby, a fertility charity says. The Fertility Network was reacting to BBC analysis that found 41% of clinics offering the service privately could be breaching advertising guidance. The watchdog which sets guidance says clinics “must not give false or misleading information”. It comes as a record number of people are freezing their eggs. The UK fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), also said it was concerned about the information given to those considering egg freezing. A successful pregnancy is not guaranteed…

Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr is considering American football quarterback Aaron Rodgers or former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura as his vice-presidential running mate. They are among others on a shortlist of potential nominees, Mr Kennedy’s campaign said on Tuesday. Campaign officials would not confirm who else is on the list. Mr Kennedy, 70, launched a bid for president last year. He previously considering challenging Joe Biden for the Democratic Party nomination, and now as an independent faces a battle to get his name on the ballot in most or all 50 US states. Mr Kennedy, a member of…

A long-time ally of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been attacked outside his home in Lithuania. Leonid Volkov was assaulted with a hammer and tear gas while in his car in Vilnius on Tuesday night, Navalny spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said. The alleged assailant is unknown, as is their motive. Lithuanian police have been informed of the incident and are investigating, according to the Reuters news agency. Another member of the Navalny team, Ivan Zhdanov, posted pictures on social media of Mr Volkov with a bloodied lower left leg and what looked like bruising to his temple. Asked…

Lawyers for the Boeing employee-turned-whistleblower found dead by apparent suicide have hailed him as “a brave, honest man of the highest integrity”. Authorities are currently investigating the death of John Barnett, from what appeared to be a self-inflicted wound. Mr Barnett retired after working more than 30 years at Boeing in 2017. He was giving evidence in a lawsuit against the company before his death. Two of his attorneys called on police to fully investigate how he had died. “John was in the midst of a deposition in his whistleblower retaliation case, which finally was nearing the end,” Robert Turkewitz…

A US judge has dismissed a defamation case brought against the Duchess of Sussex by her half-sister. Samantha Markle was suing Meghan over comments she made in a Netflix documentary and a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. In her ruling, Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell found these comments were either opinions, substantially true, or did not plausibly defame Samantha. The case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning she will not be able to refile. Samantha had taken issue with Meghan’s comment, made in her interview with Winfrey, that Samantha had changed her surname back to Markle when her half-sister had started dating…

Giant redwoods – the world’s largest trees – are flourishing in the UK and now even outnumber those found in their native range in California. The giants were first brought to the UK about 160 years ago, and a new study suggests they are growing at a similar rate to their US counterparts. An estimated 500,000 trees are in the UK compared to 80,000 in California. However they aren’t yet as tall. In California they can reach 90m-high, but in the UK the tallest is 54.87m. But that’s because the introduced trees are still very young. Giant redwoods can live for more…

Google has confirmed it is restricting the types of election-related questions users can ask its Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot Gemini. In a blog post, it said the policy had been rolled out in India, which will hold elections from later in April. It comes as the firm aims to avoid more controversy over AI technology. Gemini is essentially Google’s version of the viral chatbot ChatGPT. It can answer questions in text form, and it can also generate pictures. A spokesperson for Google told the BBC that the latest move was part of plans announced last year around its approach to elections.…