Author: admin@primenews

The Covid pandemic may have impacted brain health in people in the UK aged 50 and over, according to a new study. More than 3,000 volunteers completed yearly questionnaires and online cognitive tests to measure changes in memory, and other faculties, as the pandemic unfolded. The results revealed a decline, irrespective of Covid infection. Stress, loneliness and alcohol consumption may explain some of the findings, experts say. Coping with Covid fears, worries and uncertainties and disruption to routines may have had a “real, lasting impact” on brain health, they say. The rate of the drop in cognitive function was accelerated…

Weyes Blood is – to quote US author Kurt Vonnegut – unstuck in time. The ethereal Los Angeles-born singer-songwriter is heavily influenced by the counterculture movements of the 1960s and 70s, of which her parents were a part. But at the same time, the 35-year-old – real name Natalie Mering – believes the obsession with “the good old days” has become “really toxic” for people her own age trying to make it in the “exponentially” changing modern world. “I do think it’s a little harder to have the life that our parents had, and to potentially give that life to…

An offshore firm helped create companies used by members of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, including one hiding the late mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s yacht, the BBC can reveal. Seychelles-based Alpha Consulting also helped to form more than 900 UK partnerships which used a secrecy loophole to conceal their true owners. One partnership was involved in running a sanctions-busting oil tanker, while others committed crimes. Alpha said it always followed the law. The investigation by the BBC, Finance Uncovered and the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation has analysed internal Alpha documents and thousands of company records to identify some of the people who…

“I should have worn make-up,” Donald Trump Jr quipped on Wednesday as a group of photographers rushed into court to take his picture. As an executive at the Trump Organization, he was testifying in a multimillion-dollar civil trial that could see his family lose a sizable part of its business empire. His comment set the tone for what was an hour-long charm offensive that saw Mr Trump Jr lightheartedly engaging with the judge while letting his lawyers do the brawling for him. The eldest son of the former president appeared confident and relaxed on the witness stand. He smiled during…

Beijing has clarified that Israel remains marked on official maps issued by Chinese authorities after questions emerged over why the country’s name was not visible on online maps provided by two major Chinese companies. The country name “Israel” does not currently appear on maps on popular mobile applications from leading search platform Baidu or the Alibaba-backed Amap, even though its territory and the names of neighboring countries are clearly shown in a view of the region. Countries of similar or smaller size to Israel such as Cyprus, Lebanon and Kuwait are visible in the same view, for example. The maps also…

Monitoring the risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) is too important to be left to big tech firms, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said. He told the BBC that governments needed to take action and AI firms could not be left to “mark their own homework”. He was speaking ahead of the AI Safety Summit, where a global declaration on managing AI risks has been announced. King Charles told delegates the issue required “urgency, unity and collective strength”. It comes amid growing concerns about highly advanced forms of AI with as-yet unknown capabilities. So far countries are only starting to…

Prosecutors have accused former crypto boss Sam Bankman-Fried of deceit as his US fraud trial draws to a close, claiming he repeatedly lied to customers, the public and the jury. Mr Bankman-Fried is facing charges of fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors say he precipitated the collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, by stealing billions of dollars from customers. He denies the charges and has claimed he was acting in “good faith”. Mr Bankman-Fried’s defence lawyer said that prosecutors had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the entrepreneur had acted with criminal intent. But prosecutor Nick Roos said that arguments…

Almost a month since the war broke out, Folla Saqer and her two children are still trapped in Gaza. Her husband, Ramiz Younis, waits with bated breath for news that they have finally gotten out. The children – Zain, two, and Zaina, nine months – are American citizens. Along with Ms Saqer, a permanent legal resident, they are among roughly 1,000 people who want to cross into neighbouring Egypt and begin their return to the US. On Wednesday, more than 400 foreign passport holders and injured Gazans were allowed through the Rafah crossing for the first time since the war…

After a week of build-up, The Beatles will release what’s been billed as their “final song” on Thursday. Called Now And Then, it’s been 45 years in the making – with the first bars written by John Lennon in 1978 and the song finally completed last year. All four Beatles feature on the track, which will be the last credited to Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr. And in a full-circle moment, it’s being issued as a double A-side single with their 1962 debut Love Me Do. He release marks what could be the closing chapter for arguably the greatest band…

Disney has announced that it will buy the remaining stake in streaming service Hulu, in a widely expected move. The company said on Wednesday it would acquire the 33% stake it does not own from TV giant Comcast. This would give Disney full ownership of the streaming service and the ability to incorporate it into its own Disney+ platform. Disney has been locked in battle with other streamers as profits have fallen. Completing its takeover of Hulu is expected to cost some $8.6bn (£7bn), Disney said in a statement. But it added that the move would “further Disney’s streaming objectives” as…