Author: admin@primenews

Investors in embattled Chinese property giant Country Garden are breathing a collective sigh of relief Monday, after it reportedly won approval from creditors to extend a major bond payment to avoid default, in a development that analysts say will give the firm some badly needed respite. The deal was significant, as it was the first debt extension the firm has secured since its liquidity crisis became public last month. It not only buys time for the company to avoid default but also offers a temporary reprieve for the real estate industry, which has been gripped by fears that Country Garden’s debt woes would spill…

A sick expedition member has been evacuated from a remote Antarctic outpost in the depths of winter following a rescue operation spanning thousands of kilometers, Australian authorities said Monday. In a statement, the Australian Antarctic Division said the icebreaking ship RSV Nuyina had sailed more than 3,000 kilometers (1,800 miles) from Hobart in Tasmania to the Casey Research Station in the east Antarctic to attend to the unnamed patient. The AAD said the expeditioner needs specialist medical assessment and care in Australia for a “developing medical condition,” but did not disclose further information. “Getting this expeditioner back to Tasmania for the specialist medical care…

With untouched and natural rugged scenery, forested with pristine bays on both sides, the Datça peninsula feels a world away from the touristy towns of this popular corner of the Med. The long and narrow headland, stretching between the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas in southwestern Turkey, is mostly uninhabited and wild, very different from nearby Marmaris and Bodrum. Strict laws about construction have protected Datça from large-scale tourism projects, leaving its eponymous small port town, located around midway on the peninsula, rooted in the past. Datça port is the epicenter of local life. Fish restaurants with simple wooden tables and…

Scientists around the world are fast-tracking lab experiments to try to understand the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant of the virus that causes Covid-19. Results just beginning to emerge are offering some reassurance, experts say. Two groups — one in China and one in Sweden — have publicly reported results, and more are expected as early as Monday from the United States. So far, early results paint BA.2.86 as more of a paper tiger rather than the looming beast it first appeared to be, although that impression could change as more results come in. BA.2.86, also known by the nickname Pirola, captured the world’s attention…

Social media companies have failed to stop “large-scale” Russian disinformation campaigns since the invasion of Ukraine, the EU has said. The EU Commission’s report said the “reach and influence of Kremlin-backed accounts” had grown further in 2023. Russian disinformation has increased on X, formerly Twitter, since Elon Musk bought the company, the report added. The BBC has approached Twitter, Meta, TikTok and YouTube for comment, but has not received a response. The study, published on Wednesday, looks at attempts to deal with Kremlin-backed disinformation and suggests the rise has been “driven in particular by the dismantling of Twitter’s safety standards”.…

The tech giant Google and I almost share the same birthday… give or take a few years. Google turns 25 this month (I’ll have a few more candles on my cake) – and finds itself in a tech landscape that has changed dramatically since founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin started it in 1998. Back then Google was only a search engine, and it lived for its first few months in the garage of Susan Wojcicki – the future boss of YouTube. You do not need me to tell you how well that search engine worked out. It has been…

Mohamed Al Fayed, the former Harrods boss whose son Dodi was killed in a car crash alongside Diana, Princess of Wales, has died aged 94. Born in Egypt, he built a business empire in the Middle East before moving to the UK in the 1970s. However, he never realised his ambition to gain a passport for his adopted country. He spent his later years questioning the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Dodi and Diana. Mr Al Fayed had remained largely out of the public limelight in the past decade, living in his Surrey mansion with his wife Heini. In a…

Jimmy Buffett, the tropical troubadour whose folksy tunes celebrated his laid-back lifestyle, inspired legions of devoted fans and spawned a lucrative business empire, has died, according to his official website and multiple media outlets. He was 76. “Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” a statement released on his social page reads. “He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many,” the statement continued. Buffett had been fighting Merkel cell skin cancer at the time of his death, according…

Little Richard lived a vibrant life. The late rock and roll legend struggled with being a queer Black man in the Jim Crow era South and failed to earn the recognition he believed he deserved as one of the architects of the music genre with hits like “Good Golly Miss Molly.” The new CNN Film “Little Richard: I Am Everything” explores the late singer’s complexities and contributions. Filmmaker Lisa Cortés, who earned praise for her documentary about voter suppression and the work of former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams in “All In: The Fight for Democracy,” is also the director of…

Nothing can stop Diplo from making it to a concert. It was made clear when the DJ and producer showed up to his scheduled concert in Washington DC Saturday night after hitchhiking his way out of the Burning Man festival, where more than 70,000 people remain trapped on Sunday after heavy rains inundated the area. “I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out cuz I have a show in DC tonight and didn’t want to let y’all down,” Diplo wrote in the caption of a video posted to his verified Instagram page on Saturday. The video showed Diplo and…