Author: admin@primenews

Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope may have discovered tentative evidence of a sign of life on a faraway planet. It may have detected a molecule called dimethyl sulphide (DMS). On Earth, at least, this is only produced by life. The researchers stress that the detection on the planet 120 light years away is “not robust” and more data is needed to confirm its presence. Researchers have also detected methane and CO2 in the planet’s atmosphere. Detection of these gases could mean the planet, named K2-18b, has a water ocean. Prof Nikku Madhusudhan, of the University of Cambridge, who led the…

In a rare testimony before US lawmakers, a Canadian politician has urged for co-operation between the two countries to combat foreign interference by Beijing. Michael Chong was himself allegedly targeted by China for criticising its human rights record. He was invited to speak about his experience before a US Congressional committee tasked with monitoring China. He said Beijing’s actions pose a “serious, national threat” to Canada. “My experience is but one case of Beijing’s interference in Canada,” Mr Chong told the bipartisan committee on Monday. “Many, many other cases go unnoticed and unreported, and the victims suffer in silence.” Earlier…

Apple unveiled its iPhone 15 lineup along with other major updates during its September keynote event on Tuesday. The company announced it will switch to USB-C charging from its proprietary Lightning charging cable with the iPhone 15, marking a milestone for the company by adopting universal charging. The change aims to ultimately streamline the charging process across various devices — and brands. The company also showed off its Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches, with new colors and features including gesture control, and a new iteration of its AirPods Pro wireless earbuds, also with USB-C charging. The iPhone charger update, along…

Google has dismissed arguments that it is the world’s biggest search engine because of illegal practices, saying to switch to another company takes “literally four taps”. A lawyer for the company made the remarks in court in Tuesday in Washington DC, where it is facing trial over whether it is a monopoly. The case is a major test of the power of US regulators over the tech giants. Prosecutors said the case was about “the future of the internet”. The trial is expected to last 10 weeks and will feature testimony from Google boss Sundar Pichai as well as executives…

The former chairman of China Life Insurance, Wang Bin, has become the latest high-profile boss to be imprisoned as Beijing’s crackdown on the financial industry continues. Mr Wang was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, according to a court ruling seen by the BBC. After two years, the sentence will be commuted to life in prison without parole, the ruling says. In April, authorities warned that the crackdown was far from over. A court in Jinan in eastern China’s Shandong province found Mr Wang guilty of taking 325 million yuan ($44.6m; £35.7m) in bribes. Mr Wang, who was the…

Australia’s highest court has rejected a bid by Qantas to overturn a ruling that it illegally outsourced 1,700 jobs during the pandemic. The court unanimously upheld that the carrier had unlawfully laid off staff at 10 airports in November 2020. The ruling found that Qantas breached Australia’s Fair Work Act, which protects employee rights. Qantas apologised for the outsourcing, but maintained it was a necessary financial measure during Covid. The airline fired baggage handlers and cleaners at airports across Australia at a time when the nation had closed its borders and business was plummeting. “As we have said from the…

Apple has confirmed its new iPhone will not feature its proprietary lightning charging port, after the EU forced the change. The tech giant said that the iPhone 15, unveiled at its annual event on Tuesday, would use a USB-C cable as the “universally accepted standard”. A new Apple Watch series was also unveiled with a more advanced chip. But one analyst said a lack of “headline-grabbing” updates from Apple this year would disappoint some. “It isn’t a surprise given the maturity of the iPhone and Watch,” said Ben Wood from CCS Insight. “It reflects just how refined the iPhone and…

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has announced a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. After weeks of hints and veiled suggestions, the California Republican took the plunge in a brief statement to the press that there were “serious and credible allegations into President Biden’s conduct” that “taken together” necessitated further investigation. Impeachment by the House of Representatives is the first step in a formal process to remove a president – or other senior executive or judicial official – from office. It requires a simple majority vote in the chamber to trigger a trial in the US Senate, where…

Bodies recovered from a devastating flood which wiped out parts of the port city of Derna in eastern Libya have been buried in mass graves. At least 2,300 people died when a tsunami-like river of floodwater swept through Derna on Sunday after a dam burst during Storm Daniel. A mechanical digger worked in a cemetery where victims wrapped in body bags and blankets were buried together. With 10,000 people reported missing, the death toll is expected to rise. Mohammed Qamaty, a volunteer in Derna, said rescue workers were still searching for victims. “We call on all the young Libyans, anyone…

A 24-year-old woman has died after a stray bullet aimed at a drug-dealing hotspot hit her in the head in her flat in the French city of Marseille. The bullet was fired at random and pierced a window panel in the woman’s bedroom, prosecutors said. Marseille has been rocked by escalating violence between drug gangs, leaving at least 40 people dead this year. The woman is at least the third innocent member of the public killed in such attacks. She was initially left brain-dead after a burst of Kalashnikov gunfire hit the third-floor flat she lived in with her mother…