Author: admin@primenews

An author whose book triggered a row over allegations of racism within the Royal Family has said the naming of two people in one edition was not a deliberate publicity stunt. Omid Scobie told BBC Newsnight he did not know how a Dutch translation of Endgame came to include the names. Two royals are reported to have asked about the skin colour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s unborn baby. Scobie said he swore “on my life” the naming was not an orchestrated stunt. He said a “full investigation” was under way to discover how the names were included,…

The culture and media secretary has intervened to scrutinise a sale of the Daily Telegraph to a company backed by the Abu Dhabi ruling family. The title was taken over by Lloyds Bank as it sought to recover £1.1bn owed by the owners, the Barclay family. An Abu Dhabi-backed firm this month agreed to pay the sum and take control. It was understood that after the debt was paid to Lloyds, the publication would be passed on swiftly to the new owners. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, best known in the UK for his ownership of Manchester City football…

The last time Tesla boss Elon Musk took the stage to promote the electric car company’s planned “cybertruck”, its window ended up being smashed. It was a shattering debut for the vehicle, meant to stake Tesla’s claim to the lucrative US truck market. Four years later, as the company starts delivering the futuristic product to buyers, that problem has been fixed. But questions linger over whether the truck’s unusual design will help or hurt its chances of success. Mr Musk has said the truck – which is angular and made of rocket-like, bullet-proof steel materials – might be the company’s…

A US judge has blocked Montana’s ban on TikTok, saying it violated the free speech rights of users. In May, Montana became the first US state to pass the ban which was scheduled to take effect on 1 January. The short-video sharing app, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, sued Montana a week later. US District Judge Donald Molloy agreed with TikTok, saying that it “violates the Constitution in more ways than one” and “oversteps state power”. The law would have made it illegal for app stores to offer TikTok, and firms would have faced penalties of up to $10,000 (£7,097). TikTok told the…

Japan has asked the US military to ground its Osprey hybrid planes, as search and rescue operations continue following Wednesday’s deadly crash. The pause should last until the aircraft can be confirmed as safe, Japan’s NHK broadcaster cited the defence ministry as saying. One crew member has been confirmed dead from the crash off Yakushima island. The search for six others continues. First introduced in 2007, Ospreys have a history marked by fatal crashes. Japan has temporarily grounded its own Ospreys, which function as a helicopter and a turboprop aircraft, The aircraft that went down on Wednesday was thought to…

Meta says it recently removed a network of thousands of fake and misleading accounts based in China. The users posed as Americans and sought to spread polarising content about US politics and US-China relations. Among the topics the network posted about were abortion, culture war issues and aid to Ukraine. Meta did not link the profiles to Beijing officials, but it has seen an increase in such networks based in China ahead of the 2024 US elections. China is now the third-biggest geographical source of such networks, the company said, behind Russia and Iran. The recent takedowns were outlined in…

In a surprise that has lit up COP28, delegates have agreed to launch a long-awaited fund to pay for damage from climate-driven storms and drought. Such deals are normally sealed last minute after days of negotiations. COP28 president Sultan al-Jaber shook up the meeting by bringing the decision to the floor on day one. The EU, UK, US and others immediately announced contributions totalling around $400m for poor countries reeling from the impacts of climate change. It’s hoped the deal will provide the momentum for an ambitious wider agreement on action during the summit. The stakes for that couldn’t be…

The death of contentious former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has drawn nostalgia and compliments in China at a time when relations between the two countries have nosedived. “You are forever a friend of Chinese people, rest in peace,” a top-liked comment on the country’s social media platform Weibo reads. Hours after news of the death broke, the related hashtag became the most searched trend in China, with millions of views. “This is the end of an era,” a top-liked comment says. “He witnessed decades of ups and downs. What would he think about current China-US relations?” another user…

Beneath dramatic snow-capped mountains in Indian-administered Kashmir lies the town of Pampore. As well as a spectacular location, Pampore is India’s centre for saffron – a spice so valuable that it is sometimes called red gold. Derived from the crocus plant, saffron fetches around $1,500 (£1,200) per kilo. In October and November fields around the town turn purple as the crocus plants bloom. Autumn also sees the intricate work of harvesting, when the deep-red threads, called stigma, are removed from between the crocus petals and dried to form saffron. Around 90% of India’s saffron production comes from Kashmir, where it…

Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails say that guards carried out abuse and collective punishment in the weeks after the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October. They have described being hit with sticks, having muzzled dogs set on them, and their clothes, food and blankets taken away. One female prisoner has said she was threatened with rape, and that guards twice tear-gassed inmates inside the cells. The BBC spoke to six people in total, all of whom said they were beaten before leaving jail. The Palestinian Prisoners Society says some guards are alleged to have urinated on handcuffed prisoners.…