Author: admin@primenews

The global economy is facing tremendous uncertainty from the war between Hamas and Israel in the Middle East, on top of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Those conflicts don’t just threaten the regions where they’re unfolding; they may also fray the weakening interconnectedness that remains among the world’s largest economies. The global economy has become more integrated over the past century. International supply chains have grown and technology has exponentially advanced, boosting the free flow of trade, capital and information globally. That interconnectedness is known as globalization. It ramped up in the latter half of the 20th century following Germany’s reunification after…

Rite Aid filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sunday, a casualty of a miserable environment for drug stores, exacerbated by its runner-up status to bigger chains and expensive legal battles for allegedly filling unlawful opioid prescriptions. The bankruptcy was not a surprise. Its bigger rivals, CVS and Walgreens, are also facing many of the same problems. They, too, are closing stores as Amazon and big-box chains like Walmart, Target and Costco serve as more customer-friendly alternatives to nationwide pharmacy chains. But Rite Aid is in much worse financial shape than its competitors and unable to weather the storm that has…

Oil prices rose above $91 a barrel on Monday as diplomatic efforts to address the crisis in the Middle East intensified. Investors are concerned that the Israel-Hamas war could spark a wider conflict in the oil-rich region and further tighten global supply. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, rose as high as $91.2 a barrel in Asian hours on Monday, up slightly from Friday’s settlement price of $90.89. It was last trading at $90.99 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, briefly rose to $87.98, compared to Friday’s closing price of $87.68. It was last trading at $87.77 a barrel. Both futures surged…

It is exactly 100 years since Walt Disney founded his famous film studio, which has made some of the world’s best-loved movies. What’s less well known is the story of the founder’s links to a tiny English village. A shooting star flies around Sleeping Beauty’s castle to the soaring strings of When You Wish Upon a Star, as multi-coloured fireworks explode and a perfect arc of light is formed in the sky before disappearing. That is the title sequence at the start of every Disney movie since 2006 – meaning that whether it is the live action Little Mermaid or…

TikTok has said it “immediately” took action to counter misinformation after the EU warned the platform following the attack by Hamas on Israel. The EU called on TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew to “urgently step up” efforts, and “spell out” within 24 hours how it was complying with European law on Friday. Social media firms have seen a surge of misinformation about the conflict like doctored images and mislabelled videos. TikTok said it had removed “violative content and accounts”. “We immediately mobilised significant resources and personnel to help maintain the safety of our community and integrity of our platform,” the…

Australia internet safety watchdog has slapped a A$610,500 ($386,000; £317,360) fine on Elon Musk’s X for failing to cooperate with a probe into anti-child abuse practices. It comes after Mr Musk had in as post last November said that “removing child exploitation is priority #1”. The eSafety Commission criticised the firm’s “empty talk” on the issue. Insiders had earlier told the BBC they would not be able to protect users from trolling following mass lay-offs at X. X, also known as Twitter, has seen a continuous revenue decline since Mr Musk bought it for $44bn last year. Under Australian laws that took effect in 2021,…

US actress Suzanne Somers has died at the age of 76 following a decades-long battle with cancer, her publicist has confirmed. “Her family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday,” reads a statement shared with media. “Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly.” As well as an actress, Somers was an author and fitness guru. She began her acting career in the late 1960s and early 1970s with small parts in TV shows including The Love Boat and One Day at a Time before landing the…

The words “democratic Taiwan” appeared more times in the island’s national day celebrations this year than any other – by far. “We have brought the international spotlight to Democratic Taiwan,” declared President Tsai Ing-wen last week, in her last national day address before she steps down as the first democratically elected female president. “The people of Taiwan will remain a democratic and free people for generations to come,” she added. It was both an assertion of the island’s identity and a call for the world to take note and not allow this vibrant and open society to disappear. The head…

One of Iran’s most prominent film directors, Dariush Mehrjui, has been found dead alongside his wife. The 83-year-old and Vahideh Mohammadifar were found with stab injuries in their home near the capital, Tehran, on Saturday evening, Iranian authorities say. Mehrjui was considered one of the founders of Iranian new wave cinema. Four people have been identified in connection to the deaths, according to local media reports. According to chief justice Hossein Fazeli, Mehrjui had invited his daughter to come over to his home in the city of Karaj for dinner on Saturday night. When she arrived, she is said to…

England suffered a major shock at the hands of Afghanistan in Delhi as a sorry 69-run defeat left their World Cup defence in real jeopardy. Their first loss to Afghanistan in any format does not end England’s chances but leaves them with little room for manoeuvre in their final six group stage games. After a lacklustre bowling performance allowed Afghanistan to reach 284 all out, England’s batters succumbed under the lights and were bowled out for 215. Jonny Bairstow fell lbw to left-armer Fazalhaq Farooqi in the second over, Joe Root was bowled by Mujeeb Ur Rahman for 11, and…