Author: admin@primenews

When the world’s most powerful leaders descend on New Delhi this weekend to address the multiple crises facing the world, notably absent will be China’s Xi Jinping, who has never missed a G20 summit since taking power in 2012. As is often the case with Beijing’s opaque decision-making, no explanation was given for Xi’s apparent decision to skip a major global gathering on which China has placed a high priority in the past. Premier Li Qiang, the country’s second-ranking leader, is expected to attend in Xi’s place. Beijing’s reticence has invited a wide array of speculations and interpretations, from Xi’s potential health…

Record-breaking rainfall paralyzed much of Hong Kong on Friday, with flash flooding submerging metro stations and trapping drivers on roads, as authorities suspended schools and urged the public to seek safe shelter. Photos and videos showed residents wading through murky brown floodwaters as heavy rain continued to fall. In some low-lying areas, streets were transformed into surging torrents, with authorities forced to rescue motorists stuck in their vehicles. The deluge began late Thursday night, with the Hong Kong Observatory recording more than 158 millimeters (6.2 inches) in rain between 11 p.m. and midnight, the highest hourly rainfall since records began…

The boss of Japan’s biggest pop talent agency has resigned after finally admitting the sexual abuse committed by its late founder, Johnny Kitagawa. Julie Fujishima resigned from Johnny and Associates on Thursday during a public apology to her uncle’s victims. Her departure comes a week after investigators found Kitagawa abused hundreds of boys and young men over six decades, as head of the boyband agency. A BBC documentary this year about the abuse led more victims to come forward. Johnny Kitagawa died in 2019, having always denied wrongdoing. He never faced charges. On Thursday, his niece and outgoing chief executive Ms…

Shares in Apple have fallen for a second day in a row after reports that Chinese government workers have been banned from using iPhones. The firm’s stock market valuation has fallen by more than 6%, or almost $200bn (£160bn), in the last two days. China is the technology giant’s third-largest market, accounting for 18% of its total revenue last year. It is also where most of Apple’s products are manufactured by its biggest supplier Foxconn. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Beijing had ordered central government agency officials to not bring iPhones into the office or use them…

Anyone who has traveled by air in the past 10 years will know how stressful airports can be. You didn’t leave home as early as you should have. In the mad rush to get to your gate, the security screening seems to slow everything down. And to add insult to injury, you’re met with the finicky request: “Laptops out of bags, please”. But what does your laptop have to do with security? The day that changed air travel forever Airport security changed dramatically after the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11, 2001. Before 9/11, you could pass through…

Birmingham — the biggest British city after London — is in dire financial straits. The city’s council is one of a growing number of local government authorities in the United Kingdom making, or considering, painful spending cuts as a result of insufficient funds. Birmingham’s effective bankruptcy is uniquely tied to hefty compensation claims it has had to pay former female employees who were historically paid less than men for similar work. But it is not alone in facing a serious funding shortfall, which is partly a symptom of deep cuts to central government spending over the past decade that have left Britain’s public services, including schools and hospitals, in…

US stocks typically see their worst performance of the year in September, but there are signs the market could avoid a steep downturn this time around. This month has been the worst for stocks on average since 1928, according to Yardeni Research. That’s partly because, much like August, there is a lull in economic data that could catalyze a stock rally. While investors tend to go on vacation in August, leading to lower trading volumes and thus more volatility, Labor Day typically signals the end of summer. Mark Hackett, chief of research at US investment firm Nationwide, says that there…

The head of Japan’s top pop agency Johnny & Associates stepped down Thursday after admitting that her uncle, the company’s late founder, had sexually abused minors for years, following months of international scrutiny and an independent investigation. Julie K Fujishima, the niece of Johnny Kitagawa, announced her resignation in a news conference Thursday, saying the company would compensate the victims of her uncle’s abuse, according to public broadcaster NHK. It was the first time the agency has addressed the media about the scandal, according to NHK. The issue was spotlighted in a BBC documentary earlier this year, and received fresh attention in April…

The UK is to rejoin the EU’s flagship scientific research scheme, Horizon, the government has announced. UK-based scientists and institutions will be able to apply for money from the £81bn (€95bn) fund from today. Associate membership had been agreed as part of the Brexit trade deal when the UK formally left the EU in 2020. However, the UK has been excluded from the scheme for the past three years because of a disagreement over the Northern Ireland Protocol. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “With a wealth of expertise and experience to bring to the global stage, we have delivered a…

Mary Achieng’s family is in the malaria ward at Nightingale Hospital in western Kenya almost every month. On this visit in late August, she’s being treated along with her two sons, aged 4 and 12. All three are recovering from a disease that has long devastated their region. “Malaria has hit my family hard. In a month, I use about $35 on drugs and the following month, one of them falls sick again,” she said. “Right now we’re in hospital, they are not in school and I haven’t been able to open my business,” she told CNN. Achieng lives in…