Author: admin@primenews

When Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made an official visit to the crime-ridden Neapolitan suburb of Caivano last week, she promised a “radical reclamation” of a territory she admitted “the state had failed.” Meloni, the country’s first female prime minister, was there to draw attention to an alleged systematic gang rape of pre-teen cousins by a group of delinquents. The alleged repeated rapes of the two girls – aged 10 and 12 at the time and now in protective custody out of fear their families can’t protect them – capped a summer of headlines about sexual violence and gender-related killings…

“Dear summer, I know you’re gonna miss me/For we been together like Nike Airs and crisp tees.” So says Jay-Z in his 2005 song “Dear Summer” and it’s one I always think of around this time of year. All good things, like seasons, eventually must come to an end. Fortunately, bad things come to an end too. Given that I fell on my recent vacation and ended up with 13 stitches, I can’t say I was unhappy to have my trip come to an end. What I am happy about is that my wonderful colleagues Dan Heching and Alli Rosenbloom…

Thirty years ago, on a Friday night in September, a sleepy and modestly budgeted show about a pair of FBI agents investigating the paranormal debuted on a very young Fox network. It wasn’t exactly a formula for ratings success. But “The X-Files” was destined for a higher path. Starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson at the beginning of their careers, the show eventually moved to a Sunday night primetime slot, invading pockets of pop culture as its viewership and budget grew. The series became the subject of a “Simpsons” crossover, while The Barenaked Ladies’ song “One Week” shouted out the ever-ominous villain Cigarette Smoking…

The United States’ top general has warned Ukraine has just six weeks left before changing weather hampers its counteroffensive, even as Kyiv is signaling it could fight on into the winter. “There is still a reasonable amount of time, about 30 to 45 days’ worth of fighting weather left,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told the BBC on Sunday. After that, mud and rain would likely have an impact on battlefield maneuverability, he said. In keeping with the “glass half full” messaging coming from Biden administration officials of late, Milley said the counteroffensive had achieved “very steady progress”…

More than 2,000 people have died after a powerful earthquake struck the North African country of Morocco on Friday night. Thousands have been injured. The quake is the strongest to hit the nation’s center in more than a century, and its epicenter was not far from popular tourist and economic hub Marrakech. At least 2,122 people have been killed in the disaster and 2,421 have been injured, state-run broadcaster 2M said Sunday. Here’s what we know so far. When and where did the quake hit? The earthquake struck at around 11.11 p.m. local time (6.11 p.m ET). Its epicenter was located in the…

The massively popular children’s gaming platform Roblox has announced plans to launch on Sony’s PlayStation consoles. Roblox has more than 60 million players a day, according to the firm, but it has come under criticism over concerns about poor moderation of its content. Other announcements include a new way to make characters, a communication tool called Roblox Connect, and a full release on Meta’s VR platform Quest. It will be available on PlayStation 4 and PS5 in October 2023. Previously, it was only available to play on computers and mobile devices, and on Microsoft’s Xbox One console. It is a big…

German car giant BMW is expected to announce plans to invest hundreds of millions of pounds to prepare its Mini factory near Oxford to build a new generation of electric cars. Production of two new electric Mini models is due to begin at the plant in Cowley in 2026. The move is expected to safeguard the future of the facility, as well as that of another factory in Swindon. More than 4,000 people currently work across the two sites. BMW is expected to say it will spend £600m on updating the Cowley plant, developing the production lines, extending its body…

Novak Djokovic won a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title by outlasting Daniil Medvedev in a punishing US Open final in New York. The 36-year-old Serb won 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 but the straight-set scoreline does not tell how deep he had to dig. A comfortable opening set was followed by a brutal second which lasted one hour and 44 minutes. After the pair exchanged breaks early in the third, Djokovic took control to level Margaret Court’s 50-year record. “It obviously means the world to me,” said Djokovic on winning his 24th major. “I’m really living my childhood dream to…

The G20 joint declaration in Delhi is being described as a significant diplomatic win for India. The agreement of a joint statement looked almost impossible a few days ago, given how sharply divided the group was over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In the end, we had a declaration that garnered unanimous support from all G20 member nations, without a single dissenting note. Ukraine itself, which was not represented at the summit, was unhappy – though key players, including the US, the UK, Russia and China, praised the outcome. A close reading of the declaration and some geopolitical developments weeks before…

President Joe Biden has denied that the US is attempting to stem China’s international influence, after signing a new historic deal with Vietnam. More than 50 years since the last American soldier left Vietnam, Mr Biden travelled to Hanoi to sign the agreement that will bring the former foes closer than ever before. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam is a major relationship upgrade for the US. It is the culmination of a relentless push by Washington over the last two years to strengthen ties with Vietnam, which it sees as key to counter China’s influence in Asia. It is…