Author: admin@primenews

On 5 June, Lee Min-so* described in her diary the fear that overtook her body as she entered her classroom to teach: “My chest feels too tight. I feel like I’m going to fall somewhere. I don’t even know where I am.” On 3 July the primary school teacher wrote that she had become so overwhelmed by the craziness of work she “wanted to let go”. Two weeks later, the 23-year-old was found dead in her classroom store cupboard by her colleagues. She had taken her own life. Min-so’s cousin, Park Du-yong, struggles not to cry as he straightens out…

Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has been dismissed from his post, the country’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky has announced. Mr Reznikov had led the ministry since before the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. But in his nightly address, President Zelensky said it was time for “new approaches” in the defence ministry. Rustem Umerov, who runs Ukraine’s State Property Fund, has been nominated by Mr Zelensky as Mr Reznikov’s successor. “I believe that the ministry needs new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society as a whole,” the Ukrainian president said in his address…

Adam Driver has criticised big film studios and streamers for their treatment of workers as the US actors’ and writers’ strike continues. The actor was speaking before premiere of Ferrari at the Venice Film Festival. He was able to attend thanks to an agreement that independent films can still be promoted during the strike. Driver said he was “in solidarity” with the unions, and questioned why major companies cannot meet their demands when independent producers have done. It is now 50 days since members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) joined the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) on strike for…

The drone attack on an airbase in the Russian city of Pskov on Tuesday was launched from inside Russia, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief has said. Kyrylo Budanov said two Ilyushin cargo planes were destroyed and two damaged. Russia says four were damaged. Mr Budanov did not say whether the attack was carried out by Ukrainian or Russian operatives. Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russia occur almost daily. It had already admitted the Pskov attack. But Mr Budanov’s comments appear to end speculation that it was caused by a long-range weapon. On Thursday President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a Ukrainian-made weapon had…

A ban on rental electric scooters has come into effect in Paris in response to a rising number of people being injured and killed in the French capital. Almost 90% of those who took part in April’s vote over the issue were in favour of the ban – but fewer than 8% of those eligible turned out to vote. Paris is now one of the first capitals to have outlawed the rented electric vehicles, just five years after being one of the first to adopt them. But is the ban simply an example of democracy in action, or are more…

Thailand’s King has reduced the eight-year prison sentence of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to a year. Mr Thaksin, who returned home last month after 15 years of self-imposed exile, was immediately sent to jail. He was then moved to the luxury wing of a state hospital after complaining of heart problems. Mr Thaksin has always said the outstanding sentences, over charges of corruption and abuse of power, were politically motivated. Deposed by a military coup in 2006, Mr Thaksin, one of Thailand’s most influential and polarising personalities, left the country two years later to avoid a prison sentence. His return…

South African firefighters have gone back inside the Johannesburg building destroyed by fire on Thursday to see if they can find any more bodies. The blaze, in the overcrowded and condemned five-storey building, claimed 74 lives, including 12 children. The fire service says it wants to be sure that no-one has been left behind. The cause of the fire remains unknown but forensic investigators are also at the site picking through the charred remains of the burnt-out building. Relatives who believe that family members may have been among the victims of the fire have been asked to visit the mortuary…

On 5 April 2022 a sense of joy pervaded the Sultan household in Batamaloo in central Srinagar. It was a sunny spring day in Indian-administered Kashmir, and after more than three and a half years of visits to courts and police stations, they had received good news – Asif Sultan, a journalist, husband, father and son, had been granted bail. Relatives gathered waiting for him to return home. When hours turned to days, Asif’s family began to get anxious. On 10 April, another charge was brought against Asif. He wasn’t released and was moved to a jail outside Kashmir, making…

It’s like a celestial pearl necklace. This is an image of a supernova – an exploded star – taken by the new super space telescope James Webb (JWST). SN1987A, as it’s known, is one of the most famous and studied objects in the southern hemisphere sky. When the star went boom in 1987, it was the nearest, brightest supernova to be seen from Earth in almost 400 years. And now the $10bn (£8bn) Webb observatory is showing us details never revealed before. SN1987A is sited a mere 170,000 light-years from us in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy adjacent…

The military junta in Niger has canceled the visa of the French ambassador and instructed police to expel him, after ordering the diplomat last week to leave the country. In the letter shared by local media on Thursday and attributed to the Nigerien Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the junta said, “The diplomatic cards and the visas of the concerned person and the members of his family are canceled. The police services have been instructed therefore to proceed with his expulsion.” The decision taken on August 25 regarding the ambassador’s accreditation is “irrevocable,” the junta added in the letter. French envoy…