Author: admin@primenews

Apple’s latest iPhone will almost certainly feature a USB-C charge point when it is unveiled on 12 September. The firm’s phones currently use its proprietary Lightning adaptor, unlike rivals, including Samsung. A European Union law requires phone manufacturers to adopt a common charging connection by December 2024 to save consumers money and cut waste. Most new Apple products such as the latest iPads already use USB-C, but the firm had argued against the EU rule. When it was introduced in September 2021, an Apple representative told BBC News: “Strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than…

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s reported plans to visit Russia this month have caused concern among the US and its allies. He and President Vladimir Putin intend to discuss the possibility of North Korea providing Moscow with weapons to support its war in Ukraine, US officials say. On the surface, an arms deal between North Korea and Russia makes perfect transactional sense. Moscow desperately needs weapons, specifically ammunition and artillery shells, for the war in Ukraine, and Pyongyang has plenty of both. On the other side, sanction-starved North Korea desperately needs money and food. More than three years of border…

Brazil forward Antony was dropped from the national team on Monday following allegations of abuse by a former girlfriend, according to the Brazilian football confederation (CBF). The Manchester United player is being investigated by the Sao Paulo Police and the Greater Manchester Police for domestic violence against his former partner Gabriela Cavallin, Brazilian news outlet UOL reported. “Due to the facts that became public this Monday involving Manchester United striker Antony, and which need to be investigated, and in order to safeguard the alleged victim, the player, the Brazilian National Team and the CBF, the organization informs that the athlete is withdrawn from…

At the G20 summit in London in 2009, Britain’s then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown heralded a “new world order” in which rich and developing nations would come together to tame the inequities and excesses of globalization. At the height of a global financial crisis, Brown declared a “new progressive era of international co-operation.” Fourteen years later, the G20 summit in India later this week will reflect how hopes of a global order based on a Western rules-based system have splintered, the world’s division into democratic and autocratic camps, and the way in which internal populism and protectionism in many states have…

Hong Kong’s top court has ordered the city’s government to set up a new framework to legally recognize the rights of same-sex couples in a partial victory for LGBTQ activists that stopped short of their demands for full marriage equality. Five judges from Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal handed down their decision on Tuesday, following years of legal battles challenging the government’s refusal to let gay people get married or form a civil union partnership. Hong Kong does not allow or grant same-sex marriage or unions, even though homosexuality has been decriminalized in the city since 1991. Activists had been…

Former Doctor Who star Matt Smith is to return to the stage for the first time since 2020 with a new role in London’s West End. He will star in the first English-language production of German director Thomas Ostermeier’s version of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. The show will run at the Duke of York’s Theatre for two months from 6 February. Smith called it a “unique project” and said it was “an honour” to be working with Ostermeier. The new production will see Smith play doctor Thomas Stockmann, a medical officer who finds the public baths are…

The Port of Dover wants to build out into the sea to avoid delays when the EU’s planned biometric border controls system starts. The Port’s boss, Doug Bannister, said reclaiming some land would create more space to process passengers. He has previously warned the new system could cause long queues. The new controls, known as the Entry Exit Scheme, were first slated for introduction in 2022, but are now expected to start in autumn 2024. After their introduction people entering the EU will have to register their fingerprints and a photograph alongside their passport. Over the past few years the…

Qantas boss Alan Joyce will depart the airline two months earlier than scheduled amid mounting controversies. Mr Joyce was set to leave in November, after 15 years as chief executive, but will now exit the role immediately. He said recent attention on “events of the past” made it clear this is “the best thing” he could do. The airline is the subject of growing public anger after reaping record profits despite a series of scandals. Chief financial officer Vanessa Hudson will become Qantas’ first female boss when she succeeds Mr Joyce on Wednesday. In the past two years Qantas has…

Record sightings of Asian hornets are raising fears of catastrophic consequences for the UK’s bee populations for years to come. The invasive hornets are wreaking havoc in mainland Europe and threaten to get a foothold in the UK, with nests found in East Sussex, Kent, Devon and Dorset. The insects feed on native bees and wasps, damaging biodiversity. The warning comes as leading scientists release a global report into the threats caused by invasive species. They say the alien invaders play a role in 60% of animal and plant extinctions. And the economic costs have risen to more than £300bn…

A part of China’s Great Wall has been severely damaged by construction workers in central Shanxi province, who used an excavator to dig through it. Police say two people are suspected of trying to create a shortcut for their construction work. The two have been detained and the case is under further investigation. The 38-year-old man and 55-year-old woman were working near the affected area, the 32nd Great Wall. They dug a “big gap” by widening an existing cavity of the Great Wall so that their excavator could pass through it. Police say they wanted to reduce the distance they…