Author: admin@primenews

Canada has elected Liberal MP Greg Fergus to be the new Speaker of the House of Commons after the previous one resigned amid a Nazi in parliament row. Mr Fergus – the first black man to hold the position – was chosen by the 338-member House after a secret ballot on Tuesday. He called it “a great honour” to be chosen for the role. The former Speaker resigned after inviting a Ukrainian man who fought for a Nazi unit to the parliament. Anthony Rota said he did not know of the veteran’s Nazi ties. Seven candidates had been in the…

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has, for the first time, published rules of engagement for civilian hackers involved in conflicts. The war watchdog warns unprecedented numbers of people are joining patriotic cyber-gangs since the Ukraine invasion. The eight rules include bans on attacks on hospitals, hacking tools that spread uncontrollably and threats that engender terror among civilians. But some cyber-gangs have told BBC News they plan to ignore them. ‘Spreading globally’ The ICRC, responsible for overseeing and monitoring the rules of war, is sending the new rules to hacking groups particularly involved in the Ukraine war. It…

Rishi Sunak will announce the scrapping of the HS2 high-speed rail line from the West Midlands to Manchester on Wednesday, the BBC understands. In his Conservative Party Conference speech, the PM is expected to set out a range of alternative projects in the north of England and Wales. He is likely to argue these projects will be better value for money and can be delivered more quickly. It comes after weeks of speculation about the future of the line. Rumours it could be scrapped have already prompted anger among local leaders and businesses. Labour Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said ditching…

At least 21 people including two children have died after a bus crashed off a flyover near the Italian city of Venice and caught fire, officials say. The bus broke through a barrier and plunged near railway tracks in the district of Mestre, which is connected to Venice by a bridge. Among the dead are five Ukrainians, one German and the Italian driver, city prefect Michele Di Bari said. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said a “huge tragedy” had taken place. “An apocalyptic scene, there are no words,” he said on social media. The bus is thought to have been rented…

Back in January, Kevin McCarthy struck a deal to become House Speaker that gave any one member of Congress the power to force a vote on whether to remove him. On Tuesday, one Republican – Matt Gaetz – did exactly that. And, with the help of Democrats, he succeeded in kicking him out. Now most Republicans are shaking their heads, wondering where they go next. All but a handful of them voted to keep Mr McCarthy in his job, but all it took was a few rebels to throw the chamber into chaos. For months, Mr McCarthy had worked to…

Former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried is staring down decades in prison, as his trial over what has been called one of the biggest financial frauds in US history gets under way. Opening arguments in the case are expected later in New York, after jury selection on Tuesday. The 31-year-old, who once ran one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, is accused of stealing billions from customers and investors. He has denied the claims. The son of Stanford law professors, Mr Bankman-Fried rose to fame after founding FTX, a platform where customers could trade digital currencies, in 2019. He became a…

The US has announced sanctions on 25 China-based firms and individuals allegedly involved in the production of chemicals used to make fentanyl. Fentanyl, a potent opioid used as a painkiller or sedative, plays a major role in the ongoing US drug crisis. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the drug’s supply chain “often starts with chemical companies in China”. China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters news agency. In April, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said there was “no such thing as illegal trafficking of fentanyl” between China and Mexico. This…

Hours after they were threatened by fire, several Australian towns are preparing for floods. Bushfires have been burning in Victoria’s Gippsland region and New South Wales’ South Coast this week – both areas were hit hard by Australia’s Black Summer bushfires four years ago. Rain is now offering some reprieve, but it has also triggered flood warnings. The country has reeled from disaster to disaster in recent years, as it feels the effects of climate change. “This is one of the reasons why my government… [is] determined to act on climate change,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said when speaking about…

Kevin McCarthy has been toppled in a right-wing revolt – the first time ever that a US House of Representatives Speaker has lost a no-confidence vote. The final tally was 216-210 to remove the California congressman as leader of the Republican majority in the lower chamber of Congress. Ultra-conservatives mutinied after he struck a deal on Saturday with Senate Democrats to fund government agencies.  There is no obvious successor to oversee the House Republican majority. Florida Republican Matt Gaetz, a Trump ally, filed a rarely used procedural tool known as a motion to vacate on Monday night to oust Mr…

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella warned on Monday of a “nightmare” scenario for the internet if Google’s dominance in online search is allowed to continue, a situation, he said, that starts with searches on desktop and mobile but extends to the emerging battleground of artificial intelligence. Nadella testified on Monday as part of the US government’s sweeping antitrust trial against Google, now into its 14th day. He is the most senior tech executive yet to testify during the trial that focuses on the power of Google as the default search engine on mobile devices and browsers around the globe. Taking the stand in a charcoal…