Author: admin@primenews

The quest to return rock samples from Mars to Earth to see if they contain traces of past life is going to go through a major overhaul. The US space agency says the current mission design could not return the materials before 2040 on the existing funds and the $11bn (£9bn) to make it happen sooner is not sustainable Nasa is going to canvas ideas for a cheaper, faster alternative. It hopes to have a solution on the drawing board later in the year. Returning rock samples from Mars is regarded as the single most important priority in planetary exploration,…

A Frenchman who tried to stop a deadly stabbing rampage at a Sydney mall has been promised an Australian visa. Damien Guerot was labelled a hero after footage of him confronting knifeman Joel Cauchi with a bollard during Saturday’s attack went viral. Joel Cauchi killed six people and injured 12 others before he was shot dead by a police officer. The attack in Bondi, which police say seems to have targeted women, has horrified the nation. Amid the outpouring of grief around the country this week, there has also been a push to secure Mr Geurot – whose visa reportedly…

Australian police have declared Monday’s stabbing at a Sydney church a religiously motivated “terrorist act”. A 16-year-old boy was arrested after a bishop, a priest and churchgoers were attacked during mass at the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church. At least four people suffered “non-life-threatening” injuries, police say. The attacker was also hurt. The incident was captured on a church livestream and quickly triggered unrest in the suburb of Wakeley. Australian police define terror offences as being ideologically motivated. Investigations are still under way, but they say they are satisfied this is a case of religious extremism. Authorities have repeatedly…

Donald Trump’s unprecedented criminal trial has begun with half of a group of potential jurors ruled out within minutes on impartiality grounds. Mr Trump denies falsifying business records to conceal a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Sixty of 96 potential jurors were quick to say in the New York court that they could not be impartial. Those left were then asked multiple questions, including about their news and book reading habits. “I just couldn’t do it,” one prospective juror was heard saying as she left court on Monday. The dismissals were an indication of how challenging it could…

An Australian magpie has been returned to a Queensland couple after an intense debate that gripped the nation. Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen were granted a special licence to care for the magpie, dubbed Molly, who was held by wildlife authorities for six weeks. Molly shot to fame via the couple’s Instagram account, which documented its relationship with their pet dog, Peggy. The licence comes with strict conditions barring the couple from profiting from the bird In their first Instagram post since Molly’s return, Ms Wells and Mr Mortensen said they were “overwhelmed with emotion”. There was, they say, a…

Officials from India may soon be able to meet crew from the country who are on a ship seized by Iranian troops. Seventeen of the 25 crew members on the MSC Aries, a commercial ship with links to Israel, are Indian. Iran’s foreign ministry issued a statement after a phone call between top officials of the two countries. Iranian special forces captured the ship on Saturday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, hours before Tehran launched an attack on Tel Aviv. Iran launched hundreds of aerial drones and missiles at Israel in the unprecedented attack that has escalated tensions between the countries.…

A bishop and several other people have been stabbed during a sermon in Sydney that was being streamed online, local media report. The incident reportedly happened on Monday night in the suburb of Wakeley. Police responded to reports that a number of people had been stabbed but said none of their injuries were life-threatening. They added that a man had been arrested and was assisting them with their inquiries. It was not immediately clear what weapon was used in the attack, which is reported to have happened at the Christ The Good Shepherd Church. In the livestreamed video on the…

A project has been launched to help ensure that self-driving car technology is safely implemented. The Methods for Assurance of Self-Driving Vehicles scheme, known as Massdrive, will aim to develop robust methods of approving and certifying self-driving cars as they become available. It has been launched by scientists and experts led by the University of Surrey. Professor Saber Fallah, co-investigator on the project, said: “We want to create strong connections between car makers, people who set the rules, academics, government groups and local communities.” In November last year, the government announced plans for new legislation to bring automated driving to…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pressed his case on Monday for an open and fair European market for Chinese cars but warned against dumping, overproduction and intellectual property infringements as he spoke to a group of students in Shanghai. Scholz, together with three ministers and several leading German executives, is on a visit to China that is being watched for signs on how Europe will calibrate its response to what it believes is Chinese goods being dumped on its market. “At some point there will also be Chinese cars in Germany and Europe. The only thing that must always be clear is that competition must…

Oil prices eased on Monday but gold rose and global stocks were mixed as rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East spurred demand for safe haven investments after Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel. The price of Brent crude dipped below $90 a barrel, while US WTI crude dropped by 1% to $84.50 by 4.46 a.m. ET. Traders are waiting to see what Israel does next. Oil prices hit their highest levels since October on Friday in anticipation of retaliation by Tehran for a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic complex in Syria. US crude futures have risen 18% this year. Brent…