Author: admin@primenews

The ‘akikiki, a small, gray bird native to Hawaii, may not look remarkable, but its rarity is. Only five are thought to remain in the wild and, according to the state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources, the species could go extinct within months. The biggest threat to the tiny birds is from malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Living in the cool and lush mountains of the island of Kauaʻi, for many years this honeycreeper species was out of the range of non-native mosquitoes, but rising temperatures from climate change have enabled the biting insects to find their way up to these peaks – with…

Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping will soon sit down for talks aimed at easing years of tensions in Beijing. Mr Albanese, who landed in Shanghai on Saturday, is the first Australian leader to visit China since 2016. The visit is seen as a key moment in thawing relations, after a string of trade and security disputes. Trade will top the agenda – Mr Albanese is calling for the removal of Chinese tariffs on Australian goods. Mr Xi is expected to ask for more access to key Australian sectors. “What I’ve said is that we need to…

China has accused Canada of carrying out “malicious and provocative” actions in the South China Sea, after the Canadian Navy said Chinese fighter jets endangered a helicopter in two close intercepts above international waters. The comments come after CNN revealed last week that a Chinese warplane fired flares in front of a Canadian military helicopter on October 29, an operation that Canadian military officers said was reckless and could have resulted in the downing of the aircraft. The incident was the second of two “unsafe” encounters the Canadian chopper had on that day with Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy J-11 fighters,…

A throat-searing blanket of smog has enveloped New Delhi, forcing schools to shut and disrupting the Cricket World Cup as officials rush to contain a pollution crisis that has become an annual occurrence in the Indian capital. “Sadly, every year when November rolls around there a sense of dread as the air turns foul,” said resident Prachi Bhuchar. “We have been in Delhi for over 15 years now, but each year makes it tougher to stay on because it is a living hell.” The city’s air quality declined last week after colder temperatures trapped particles from surrounding crop burning, creating…

Coco Gauff’s bid to become the first teenager since 2004 to win the WTA Finals ended in defeat after she was convincingly beaten by fellow American and doubles partner Jessica Pegula in the semifinals. Fifth seed Pegula took just an hour to complete a 6-2 6-1 win over the 19-year-old US Open champion in Cancún, Mexico. “I managed to get my act together at the end of the year,” Pegula told reporters. “I’ve done a good job of resetting coming here.” “I found a way to make it work,” she added. “I’m feeling confident going into the finals.” Pegula will play either world…

Alphabet’s Google has scrapped a development deal to build $15 billion worth of homes, offices and retail space in California’s Silicon Valley. Google and Australian developer Lendlease “mutually reached” a decision to end their San Francisco Bay Project for four master-planned districts in the cities of San Jose, Sunnyvale and Mountain View, Lendlease announced Friday. “The decision to end these agreements followed a comprehensive review by Google of its real estate investments, and a determination by both organizations that the existing agreements are no longer mutually beneficial given current market conditions,” Lendlease said in a statement. A Google spokesperson told CNN on Saturday…

Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan has called for a ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas, saying that supporting the protection of Palestinian lives does not equal being antisemitic or pro-terrorism. “Let me be very, very clear. Being pro-Palestinian is not being antisemitic, being pro-Palestinian does not mean you’re pro-Hamas or pro-terrorism,” Rania told CNN’s Becky Anderson on Sunday. “What we’ve seen in recent years is the charge of antisemitism being weaponized in order to silence any criticism of Israel,” she said. “I want to absolutely and wholeheartedly condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia…but I also want to remind everyone that Israel…

China has accused Canada of carrying out “malicious and provocative” actions in the South China Sea, after the Canadian Navy said Chinese fighter jets endangered a helicopter in two close intercepts above international waters. The comments come after CNN revealed last week that a Chinese warplane fired flares in front of a Canadian military helicopter on October 29, an operation that Canadian military officers said was reckless and could have resulted in the downing of the aircraft. The incident was the second of two “unsafe” encounters the Canadian chopper had on that day with Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy J-11 fighters,…

When Barbra Streisand was 17 years old and living away from home for the first time, she set herself a goal. “I have to become famous,” she told herself, “just so I can get someone else to make my bed.” “I could never figure out those corners,” laughs the star, reminded of that youthful ambition. “But, you know, it was more exciting to dream about being famous than the reality. I’m a very private person. I don’t enjoy stardom.” It’s a lesson she learned early. When she first came to the UK in 1966, Newsweek magazine had this to say about…

Licences for oil and gas projects in the North Sea are set to be awarded annually, under government plans. There is currently no fixed period between licensing rounds – but this would change under a bill to be announced in Tuesday’s King’s Speech. Ministers said projects would have to meet net zero targets and claimed the policy would guarantee energy security. Greenpeace said oil and gas exploration was “backward-facing” and vowed to fight new licences in court. Labour has said it will honour existing licences granted before the next election, but would not allow any new ones to be granted…