Author: admin@primenews

Japan’s “Moon Sniper” is the lunar mission that keeps coming back to life. After being dormant for most of February, the spacecraft miraculously woke up over the weekend and transmitted new images to Earth, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. This feat was unexpected given that the lunar lander wasn’t designed to survive the moon’s harsh temperatures. Known as SLIM, or the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, the robotic vehicle’s touchdown on January 19 made Japan the third country this century — and the fifth ever — to land on the moon. During descent, however, the spacecraft experienced an anomaly and landed on…

In the 19th Century, Europeans realised what the Inca had known long before. Bird droppings, or guano, made a fantastic fertiliser. And so sprung up a gigantic industry dedicated to the harvesting of guano from Latin American bird colonies, where there were huge piles off the stuff. It was so rich in ammonia, the key ingredient, that a mere whiff could induce coughing and sneezing. Not exactly a pleasant cargo to ferry across the world. As demand for fertiliser rose in the early 1900s, someone began to think, “Perhaps there’s another way?” That someone was Fritz Haber, a German chemist who, along…

A tiny, transparent fish makes a sound as loud as a jackhammer, scientists in Berlin have discovered. They were prompted to investigate after hearing mysterious clicking noises coming from the fish tanks in their lab. They found that the fish, Danionella cerebrum, drums out a powerful rhythm on an organ called a swim bladder. In the waters close to the fish, it taps out 140 decibels, which is as loud as a gunshot. Researchers believe the 12mm long species is the loudest fish for its size yet found. They believe the drumming may be a form of social communication. In…

A US airman has died after setting himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington DC on Sunday, shouting “free Palestine”. Aaron Bushnell, 25, was taken to hospital after Secret Service officers extinguished the flames. Before setting himself alight in what he called an “extreme act of protest”, he said he would “no longer be complicit in genocide”. No embassy staff members were injured in the incident, a spokeswoman said. A Pentagon spokesman called the incident, which happened at 13:00 local time (18:00 GMT), a “tragic event”. In a video aired live on streaming site Twitch, Mr…

South Korea’s government has launched an investigation into the death of a woman in her 80s after her ambulance was denied entry to several hospitals due to the ongoing doctors strike. The patient died in the ambulance after suffering cardiac arrest. About 70% of junior doctors have been on strike for the past week protesting plans to train up more physicians. That’s put emergency rooms under pressure, with the government alleging doctors have risked public health. Paramedics in the city of Daejon on Friday had called around seven hospitals to take the woman, but were turned away due to a…

A decision to uninvite police from Sydney’s iconic Mardi Gras parade this year has divided Australians. Organisers said the call was made to give the LGBTQ+ community “space to grieve”, after a New South Wales Police officer was charged with murdering a gay couple last week. Once a flashpoint of police violence against gay activists, the march has long been seen as a unifying event. NSW Police said it was “disappointed” by the outcome. The force’s involvement in the parade has been called into question after senior constable Beaumont Lamarre-Condon allegedly killed Jesse Baird – who he had previously dated…

Australian police are investigating an allegation by a paparazzo that he was assaulted by Taylor Swift’s father. Ben McDonald, 51, accused Scott Swift, 71, of striking his face on a wharf in Sydney early on Tuesday. The alleged incident happened soon after Mr Swift and his pop megastar daughter had disembarked a boat and were confronted by photographers. Mr McDonald did not need medical treatment, police said. Mr Swift has not made public comment. A video published by Australian media shows the singer, who is concealed beneath an umbrella, walking with her father and security guards along Neutral Bay Wharf…

England threatened to pull off a famous victory only for India to seal the series with a five-wicket win on the fourth day of the fourth Test in Ranchi. Shoaib Bashir took two wickets in two balls just after lunch to leave India five down and 72 runs short of their target of 192. But Shubman Gill made a chanceless unbeaten 52, sharing an unbroken stand of 72 with Dhruv Jurel, who ended 39 not out. India had earlier been cruising, only to lose three wickets for 16 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal skewed Joe Root to James Anderson to be out…

Mauritius has denied a Norwegian cruise ship permission to dock at the capital Port Louis over fears of a potential cholera outbreak on board. At least 15 people on the Norwegian Dawn have been in isolation over suspected illness. Mauritian authorities said the decision to block the ship was “taken in order to avoid any health risks”. Samples were taken for testing yesterday, with results expected to be known tomorrow. The passengers developed mild symptoms of a stomach illness during a trip to South Africa, a representative of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings said. A Dutch passenger on board told BN DeStem they…

Luckin Coffee, the Chinese chain that has been rebuilding its business since a fraud scandal four years ago, has reported a commanding sales lead over rival Starbucks in the important China market. In 2023, Luckin generated total net revenue of 24.9 billion yuan ($3.5 billion), up 87% from a year earlier, according to its financial results released on Friday. It didn’t break down its revenue by geography, but the vast majority of its sales come from China. Internationally, it has only 30 outlets in Singapore, the first of which debuted last March. Starbucks (SBUX), in comparison, reported total revenue of $3.05 billion in China for fiscal…