Author: admin@primenews

Senegal appears to be having an identity crisis – its citizens are proud of the fact that it is considered one of West Africa’s most stable democracies, and many are outraged that this reputation is now on the line. “We feel betrayed by Macky Sall,” say a group of imams meeting in a mosque in the capital, Dakar, about the political crisis that hit the country a week ago when MPs backed President Sall’s decision to delay this month’s presidential election until December. “The president must review this. It’s unacceptable,” explains Ismael Ndiaye, the general secretary of Senegal’s League of…

Wall Street is still getting over the trauma of last year’s regional banking crisis. Somehow, the same issue plaguing last year’s failed banks is back in focus at the latest bank in crisis: massive loads of uninsured deposits. Shares of New York Community Bancorp have dropped about 57% over the past two weeks as losses on commercial real estate loans rattle the industry. Investors are concerned that a plunge in value of empty office space loans issued by NYCB could send depositors with more than the federally protected $250,000 in accounts running for the hills: a classic bank run. That…

A year after making its advertising debut at the Super Bowl, Chinese-backed online shopping platform Temu is redoubling efforts in its most important market with a second ad on America’s biggest stage and $15 million in coupons and other giveaways. The Boston-based firm — owned by PDD (PDD), the group behind Chinese online shopping giant Pinduoduo — paid for three ads during the game and two after the game. A spokesperson declined to comment on the overall advertising spend. Commercials for the 2024 Super Bowl sold for higher rates than for last year’s game, with a range of $6.5 million to $7 million per 30-second…

San Francisco can’t help but charm visitors and locals alike with its rolling hills, candy-coloured Victorian homes and diverse neighbourhoods. Its Chinatown is the US’ oldest, dating to 1848. Today, its iconic jade green tiled Dragon Gate signals both a classic San Francisco photo op and the gateway to some of the best food in the city. We spoke to MacKenzie Chung Fegan – the lead food critic for the San Francisco Chronicle – to get her insider take on where to eat – and drink – in San Francisco’s Chinatown. “One of the things I like about Chinatown is that it is, of…

Pakistanis still do not know which party will form their next government or who their next prime minister will be four days after the hotly-contested general elections. Despite former PM Imran Khan’s detention and the many hurdles thrown at his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), independent candidates backed by the party stunned observers by winning 93 National Assembly seats, the most by any party. However it is far short of the 169-seat simple majority required to form a government. The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) of another former PM, Nawaz Sharif, came in second with 75 seats. He was seen to have…

The keenly-awaited part two to Beyoncé’s Renaissance project has been announced during a Super Bowl advertisement. “Okay, they ready. Drop the new music,” the singer instructed at the end of the ad for US communications giant Verizon. Immediately following the advert, Beyoncé released two new songs titled Texas Hold ‘Em and 16 Carriages. The album, out on 29 March, is expected to lean into the country genre. In the advert, Beyoncé attempts to overload Verizon’s capacity and ‘break the internet’ in increasingly absurd ways, such as playing the saxophone, creating a “Beyonc-AI robot”, dressing as Bar-bey (Barbie), running for president…

Four boys aged between 12 and 14 have been arrested on suspicion of rape, according to police in Rochdale. Officers were called to reports of a rape in the Newbold area at around 18:00 GMT on Saturday, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said. The quartet – aged 12, 13, 14, and 14 – were arrested and remain in custody. A crime scene on Kingsway is still in place and the “young female” victim is being supported, the force added. Forensic officers have been at the scene throughout the day. A police dog team joined the efforts, searching through undergrowth in the…

Schools are spending tens of thousands of pounds more a year to meet rising costs of contracts with private firms. These Private Finance Initiative (PFI) schools are locked into 25- to 30-year contracts in which charges go up by the highest measure of inflation. One school said “rigid” and “specific” demands set out in its PFI contract now cost almost 20% of its budget. PFI investors say the contracts are long-term value for money for taxpayers. More than 900 schools in England were built through PFI contracts, with the first opening in 1999. The initiative was scrapped in 2018. These…

A key parliamentary committee says the government’s plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda is “fundamentally incompatible” with the UK’s human rights safeguards. The Joint Committee on Human Rights said the legislation jeopardised the UK’s international reputation. The bill will be debated in detail by the House of Lords this week and face substantial opposition. Even if it passes, it is not clear whether flights will ever take off. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s controversial legislation was approved by MPs last month despite substantial opposition. His own party split over the plan and the then immigration minister quit, declaring it would not…

Donald Trump’s suggestion the US would not protect Nato allies failing to spend enough on defence “undermines all of our security”, the Western military alliance’s chief has said. Jens Stoltenberg also suggested it put US and European troops at greater risk. The Republican said he had told allies he would “encourage” Russia to attack any Nato member that failed to meet the alliance’s target of 2% of their GDP. Members of Nato commit to defend any nation in the bloc that gets attacked. President Joe Biden called Mr Trump’s comments “appalling and dangerous”, suggesting his predecessor intended to give Russian…