Author: admin@primenews

The US government has given Moderna $176m (£139m) to develop a messenger-ribonucleic-acid-based (mRNA) pandemic influenza vaccine that would work against bird flu. It says it wants to be “better prepared” for public-health crises, having learned lessons from Covid. Bird flu is not a big threat to people, despite outbreaks in poultry and cattle. But experts want a working vaccine that could be quickly rolled out, in case the virus mutates and becomes a problem. Vaccines using mRNA technology – which the Moderna’s Covid jab is also based on – can be produced more quickly. And the US government says adding…

A remote controlled car modelled on Michael Schumacher’s 2002 world championship Ferrari and signed by the F1 legend could fetch between £150,000 and £200,000 at auction. The piece, which is set to go under the hammer at Silverstone, is a 1:3 scale replica, weighs 32kg (71lb) and took three years and more than 1,000 hours to build. The winning bidder could race the car “in excess of 80km/h (50mph)”, Graham Budd Auctions said, but they would need “a full training session” before using it. Adam Gascoigne, the auction house’s chief executive, said the item was “as close to a genuine Formula 1…

Life comes at you fast. Last month, AI chip giant Nvidia briefly became the world’s richest company, overtaking Microsoft, which had in turn risen above Apple. When this news was mentioned on stage at a tech industry event I attended in Copenhagen, there was spontaneous applause from the audience. As I write, Nvidia is now back in second place, after a fall in its share price took its combined value down to $3tn (£2.4tn) compared with $3.4tn for Microsoft. Two things have propelled these two US tech titans to such a dizzying pinnacle: AI and foresight. Microsoft started investing in…

Twelve former Biden administration officials who resigned over policy on Israel and the Gaza war say the government’s actions have endangered US national security. The policies have further destabilised the region and “put a target on America’s back”, they say in a joint statement. One of the 12 resigned only on Tuesday from the US Department of the Interior. The US Department of State has previously denied such claims, pointing to its criticism of civilian casualties in Gaza and its efforts to boost humanitarian aid. The joint statement by the former officials says: “America’s diplomatic cover for, and continuous flow…

A desperate search is under way in northern Australia for a child feared to have been taken by a crocodile. The 12-year-old was last seen around dusk on Tuesday, swimming near the remote town of Palumpa – about a 7-hour drive south west of Darwin in the Northern Territory (NT). Police say a specialist search and rescue team has been deployed after “initial reports stated the child had been attacked by a crocodile”. The NT is home to an estimated 100,000 saltwater crocodiles, more than anywhere else in the world, but attacks are uncommon. Members of the community in Palumpa…

A purge of frozen sperm has been ordered in the Australian state of Queensland, after an audit by its health watchdog found almost half of fertility samples were at risk of misidentification. Such mix-ups can rob parents and donor children of key genetic information and medical records, and advocates say creates a danger of accidental incest. Queensland is home to one of the country’s largest IVF industries, however it is self-regulated and has come under scrutiny as some of its biggest providers face claims of malpractice. The clean out compounds a national shortage of donated sperm which has been driven…

Companies have become fonder of part-timers these days. Demand for full-time workers on jobs site Indeed has been flat from January 2022 to May of this year, according to a recent analysis of millions of job postings, but advertisements for part-time gigs were up about 10% over the same period. Postings for those kinds of jobs took off in 2022 and have remained near those elevated levels ever since. (Full-time is still the most common type of work on Indeed by far, according to the report.) Hiring activity has shown a similar trend: The level of part-time employment was up 8.9% in May…

“Inside Out 2” has become the fastest-ever animated film to surpass $1 billion globally, shooting past the box office milestone this weekend, just 19 days after its release. “We’re absolutely thrilled to have reached this phenomenal milestone in record time, and it once again proves that global audiences will come out for a great movie,” Tony Chambers, Disney’s executive vice president of theatrical distribution, said Sunday in a news release. “The film’s remarkable success is a testament not only to the incredible creativity of the Pixar team but an example of moviegoing at its very best.” The resounding success of…

Will Smith brought flames and faith to the stage at the BET Awards on Sunday. Smith returned to his music roots with the debut of his new song, “You Can Make It.” Featuring Fridayy and the Sunday Service Choir, Smith rapped about perseverance in the gospel-infused song. “The darker the hell you gotta endure / The brighter the heaven you get to enjoy / The harder the fall, the higher you soar,” Smith rapped, surrounded by pyrotechnic fire on the stage. “God opens a window when the devil closes the door / Believe me, they tried to bleed Will Smith / In the…

Pufferfish is regarded as a luxury in Japan and a meal featuring the potentially poisonous delicacy can easily cost up to 20,000 yen ($125) at high-end restaurants. But now, adventurous foodies in Japan can get a taste of “fugu” for a fraction of the price, from a cup noodle. Japanese instant noodle giant Nissin Foods released the new pufferfish flavor on Monday, expanding its massive lineup. The noodles sell for a recommended price of 298 yen ($1.90 The “essence” of pufferfish is condensed into a small packet of oil to be added to the soup base, Nissin said in a statement on…