Author: admin@primenews

After key regional elections on Sunday in Germany conservatives and right-wing populists are celebrating. But the results are a blow for all three parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ left-wing-led national coalition. The ramifications will be felt across Germany. A quarter of voters were able to go to the polls in regional elections in two of Germany’s largest and wealthiest states, Bavaria and Hesse. In both regions, conservative and right-wing populist parties used the election campaign to bash Olaf Scholz’ national government over migration and energy policy. It paid off. In Hesse, according to initial predictions, the conservative incumbent CDU scored…

Oil prices have jumped on concerns that the situation in Israel and Gaza could disrupt output from the Middle East. Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed by $2.25 a barrel to $86.83, while US prices also rose. Israel and Palestinian territories are not oil producers but the Middle Eastern region accounts for almost a third of global supply. Hamas’s assault on Israel was the biggest escalation between the two sides for decades. Western nations condemned the attacks. A spokesperson for Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, told the BBC that the group had direct backing for the move from Iran -…

Jo is the holder of a newly minted degree in English literature from one of the top universities in Laos. But the 22-year-old, who graduated only weeks ago, says he already feels “hopeless”. Confronted with a barren job market, the Vientiane resident holds no hope of finding work at home, and instead aims to become a cleaner or a fruit picker in Australia. His aspirations are low, but they reflect a hushed disenchantment spreading among his peers; the result of a severe and sustained economic downturn that has ravaged Laos for the past two years. “Every person in this generation…

Last week, Sarah Sunny made history after she became India’s first deaf lawyer to argue in the country’s Supreme Court. The 27-year-old first appeared before Chief Justice DY Chandrachud in September after the court made an exception and allowed a sign language interpreter to assist her with the arguments. On 6 October, the court also appointed its own interpreter for Ms Sunny, the first in the court’s history, so that “she could understand what was going on” during the proceedings. “In fact, we are thinking that for the constitution bench hearings we will have an interpreter so that everyone can…

Oil prices jumped by 4% on Monday on concerns that the situation in Israel and Gaza could disrupt output from the Middle East. West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the benchmark for US oil, rose to more than $86 (£70) a barrel. The price of Brent crude also surged in early Asian trading. The Israel and Palestinian territories are not oil producers. But the Middle Eastern region accounts for almost a third of global supply. A wave of attacks launched by the Hamas militant group on Saturday was the biggest escalation between the two sides for decades. Western nations condemned the attacks…

Metro Bank has struck a deal with investors that it says will secure its future after newspaper reports suggested it needed to raise cash to shore up its balance sheet. In a statement, the UK lender said it had raised £325m in new funding, as well as refinancing £600m of debt. Its boss said the deal marked “a new chapter” for the troubled lender. Shares in the bank plunged last week on Thursday before recovering ground on Friday. The bank has insisted throughout that its finances remain strong and it continues to meet all regulatory requirements. Metro Bank was founded…

The US says it is moving an aircraft carrier, ships and jets to the eastern Mediterranean and will also give Israel additional equipment and ammunition. It follows the Hamas attack on southern Israel, which President Biden called an “unprecedented and appalling assault”. The US was also working to verify reports its citizens were among those killed and taken captive, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Israel says more than 700 people have been killed and 100 kidnapped. In Gaza, more than 400 people have been killed following retaliatory Israeli air strikes, according to Palestinian officials. US defence secretary Lloyd Austin…

In the middle of the South Pacific, around 2,688km (1,670 miles) from the nearest dry land, is a frigid patch of anonymous ocean – a deadly place of giant, ever-shifting swells, dramatic skies and storm-force winds. “The Southern Ocean is many shades of grey and can have huge waves… it’s exciting and a little scary,” says Dee Caffari, a record-breaking British sailor and one of few people on the planet to visit this remote place. In this distant spot, the furthest from any solid ground on Earth, there is little chance of rescue if you get into trouble. The only…

Emergency teams in Afghanistan are racing to rescue people from the rubble left by a powerful earthquake that struck the west of the country. More than 1,000 people are feared dead after the 6.3-magnitude quake hit villages in Herat Province on Saturday. With communications down and many roads blocked, rescue workers are struggling to reach remote areas. Hundreds have also been injured. The UN and other organisations have begun to rush in emergency supplies. The earthquake struck about 40km (25 miles) north-west of the city of Herat at around 11:00 local time (06:30 GMT) on Saturday. The worst-affected communities consist…

Sunday should have been the start of the working week and the return to school in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, with the end of the Jewish high holidays. Instead, the streets were virtually empty. Just a day ago, some of the hundreds of Palestinian gunmen who from Gaza were at large here and shocking events have continued to unfold nearby. Social media video shows Israeli forces pursuing militants who had stolen a car. They were killed in a dramatic shootout on the roadside. The only small crowds we encounter are by the Barzilai Medical Center. Weary medics stand…