Author: admin@primenews

A Chinese citizen journalist who was jailed for covering the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic from its epicentre in Wuhan was scheduled for release on Monday after serving a four-year sentence, according to her supporters. But it was unclear on Tuesday whether Zhan Zhang had been freed and rights groups said authorities were expected to give as little information as possible on her status. The 40-year-old former lawyer is one of several activists who had run into trouble with Chinese authorities for their Covid-19 reporting. Some have been detained while others have gone missing. She was found guilty of…

As businesses downsize in the hybrid-work era, empty offices could become ‘flats for millionaires with little daylight’ – or an opportunity to reinvent the city centre. As more employees work from home in the hybrid-work era, many companies are finding they need smaller offices. Compared to pre-pandemic floorplans designed to house as many workers as possible, more businesses are looking towards more compact but higher-quality spaces for the future. According to figures from global commercial real estate firm JLL, 48% of clients in major markets, including the UK, Germany and France are seeking to decrease their footprints in the next…

Israeli protesters blocked aid trucks destined for Gaza on Monday, throwing food packages onto the road and ripping bags of grain open in the occupied West Bank. The lorries, which were set upon at the Tarqumiya checkpoint west of Hebron, came from Jordan and were headed to the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands of Palestinians face food and aid shortages. The White House has condemned the attack, describing the “looting” of aid convoys as “a total outrage”. The group reportedly behind the protest said they were demonstrating against the continued detention of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Unverified footage shared…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Ukraine as weapons from a new American aid package begin arriving at the front line. His visit comes as the country struggles to hold back a major Russian incursion near its second biggest city of Kharkiv. America’s top diplomat is expected to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials. Mr Blinken will deliver a message of reassurance, US officials say. The secretary of state’s arrival on Tuesday marks three weeks since the US Congress finally agreed a new $61bn (£49bn) aid package for Ukraine. The breakthrough followed more than a year…

A least 14 people have been killed and dozens more injured after a giant billboard collapsed during a sudden storm in the Indian city of Mumbai. The billboard, measuring 70m by 50m according to the police, fell onto houses and a petrol station in the city on Monday. Emergency services say a few people are still trapped under it and a rescue operation is under way. The government of Maharashtra state, where Mumbai is located, has ordered an inquiry into the incident. Footage on local news channels shows the huge billboard swaying in the wind before giving way and crashing…

Every day, with bare hands, Rukmini Baburao Kumbhar, collects around 50kg (eight stone) of fresh cow dung. She is part of a spiritual group that runs a small ashram (a religious retreat) in a village in the north-western Indian state of Maharashtra. Collecting cow dung is not, primarily, an effort to keep the place tidy. Instead, the cow dung is used to make biomethane. “Fuel has become extremely expensive. Biogas was a good option. The only requirement was space and cows. We had both,” explains Ms Kumbhar. Once collected, the cow dung is mixed with water and put in the…

A year after undergoing a world-first treatment for glioblastoma, Australian doctor Richard Scolyer remains cancer-free. The esteemed pathologist’s experimental therapy is based on his own pioneering research on melanoma. Professor Scolyer’s subtype of glioblastoma is so aggressive most patients survive less than a year. But on Tuesday the 57-year-old announced his latest MRI scan had again showed no recurrence of the tumour. “I couldn’t be happier!!!!!” he wrote in an update on social media. Prof Scolyer is an internationally renowned pathologist, and was this year named Australian of the Year alongside his colleague and friend Georgina Long, in recognition of…

A whistleblower who helped expose allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan has been sentenced to five years and eight months in jail. David McBride pleaded guilty to stealing and sharing military secrets on the eve of his trial last year, after legal rulings sunk his defence. An ex-military lawyer, McBride said he felt a moral duty to speak up. A landmark inquiry later found evidence that Australian forces had unlawfully killed 39 Afghans during the war. McBride’s case has sparked uproar in Australia, putting a spotlight on what some say are flimsy whistleblower protections and slow progress towards prosecuting…

Anyone who watched “The Big Bang Theory” with any regularity over its 12 seasons knew what was coming as its prequel “Young Sheldon” comes to a close, but the knock at the door that ended the most recent episode still felt like a gut punch. As the young Sheldon Cooper (Iain Armitage) prepared to head off to college, he and his family learned that his father (Lance Barber) has died of a heart attack, the aftermath of which will be addressed in the two-part series finale on May 16. The moment seemed particularly cruel, inasmuch as the father, George Sr., had just…

Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets. “I want to acknowledge that I have been a steadfast participant in this diet culture,” she said during a live event broadcast on YouTube in partnership with WeightWatchers. “Through my platforms, through the magazine, through the talk show for 25 years and online. I’ve been a major contributor to it. I cannot tell you how many weight loss shows and makeovers I have done and they have been a staple since I’ve been working in television,” she said. Winfrey admitted that…