Author: admin@primenews

The Qinghai-Tibet railway stretched before us right across the Himalayan table-top plateau for almost 2,000km, from Xining in central China to Lhasa in Tibet. Despite its epic reach, beyond the window there was little of human provenance, just the yellowed grass of Earth’s rooftop savannah, rippling until it met a horizon shaped like crocodile teeth on the planet’s highest hills. Should the train have broken down, few passengers would have lasted long in the windswept upland. There were no perceivable wells to drink from nor trees to shade beneath. If anything did hove into view, it was invariably a skeleton:…

A brand new substance, which could reduce lithium use in batteries, has been discovered using artificial intelligence (AI) and supercomputing. The findings were made by Microsoft and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), which is part of the US Department of Energy. Scientists say the material could potentially reduce lithium use by up to 70%. Since its discovery the new material has been used to power a lightbulb. Microsoft researchers used AI and supercomputers to narrow down 32 million potential inorganic materials to 18 promising candidates in less than a week – a screening process that could have taken more…

Stephen Fry has called for an end to the use of real fur in the bearskin caps worn by the King’s Guard on duties such as guarding Buckingham Palace. The actor has backed an animal welfare campaign calling for fake fur to be used rather than real bear fur. “Tradition is never an excuse for cruelty,” says Mr Fry, who is narrating a video which shows undercover film of how black bears are killed. The Ministry of Defence says the bear fur is from “legal and licensed hunts”. Tall black bearskin hats are a familiar sight at ceremonial military events,…

The parents of a British man who died after a helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon are to receive a £79m payout. Jonathan Udall, 31, was one of five Britons, including his new wife, who died after the aircraft crashed and burst into flames in February 2018. He suffered burns to 90% of his body and died after 12 days in hospital. A lawsuit brought by his parents said he could have survived had the helicopter been fitted with systems to help prevent the fire. Mr Udall and wife Ellie Milward, 29, were visiting the US with friends Becky Dobson,…

As retired Taiwanese admiral Mr. Wu looks back on his old days, he couldn’t be prouder of his decades-long service sailing around the world on a guided-missile frigate. He once led hundreds of Taiwanese naval officers on missions thousands of miles away from home and felt a sense of honor to be representing his home nation – the Republic of China, the official name of Taiwan’s government. “I believe I am a member of the Chinese civilization,” the navy veteran said, asking CNN not to use his full name for fears of being targeted for his views. The issue of identity…

Sinéad O’Connor died of natural causes, a coroner has said. The Irish musician was found unresponsive at her south London home in July and pronounced dead at the age of 56. “This is to confirm that Ms O’Connor died of natural causes,” a statement from Southwark Coroner’s Court on Tuesday said. “The coroner has therefore ceased their involvement in her death,” the statement added. The day after her death was announced, police said it was not being treated as suspicious. The singer had recently moved back to London, tweeting earlier that month that she had been away for 23 years. O’Connor,…

The million dollar question in journalism, if little known outside the industry, is “cut through” – how can a story be made to not only reach an audience, but keep them hooked. It is a challenge that investigative journalist Nick Wallis, one of the key voices to first expose the post office scandal at the turn of the millennium, will know all too well. His work helped give a voice to over 700 workers prosecuted after faulty post office software, known as Horizon, made it appear that money was missing. The fight for justice in the decades since has seen…

Kia unveiled a series of highly customizable electric van concepts at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show Tuesday, becoming just the latest automaker to enter that hotly competitive market. Electric vans have become big business as Americans have gotten used to getting more things delivered and automakers and their corporate-fleet customers are looking for ways to reduce emissions. Rivian already makes electric delivery vans for Amazon, its biggest investor, and recently announced it is selling the vans to other businesses as well. Ford sells the E-Transit, and General Motors has a subsidiary company, Brightdrop, selling its own electric delivery vans. Stellantis, the parent…

VinFast, a Vietnamese electric vehicles maker that only recently entered the United States market, revealed plans Tuesday to go after America’s popular pickup market. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Vinfast unveiled the VF Wild, a mid-sized electric pickup. Although the VF Wild is officially a concept vehicle, VinFast executives indicated they intend to put a truck like it into production. “This is not just a new product in our offering — it showcases our aspiration to venture into the fast-paced and thriving electric pickup truck market,” Tran Mai Hoa, VinFast’s deputy chief executive for sales and marketing…

Honda unveiled two concept vehicles at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that offer an early look at an upcoming line of electric vehicles. The first of these new EVs, called the Honda 0 Series, will go into production in 2026, Honda announced. The new models will also have a new Honda “H” logo as part of the company’s shift to electric vehicles. Honda announced last year that it was investing $40 billion to create new electric vehicles with plans to introduce 30 new EVs globally by 2030. Earlier, Honda announced plans to sell only zero-emission vehicles in major markets by 2040.…