Author: admin@primenews

Australian writer Yang Hengjun has been given a suspended death sentence by a Chinese court, five years after he was arrested and accused of spying. The sentence may be commuted to life imprisonment after two years, according to Australian officials. Dr Yang – a scholar and novelist who blogged about Chinese affairs – denies the charges, which have not been made public. The Australian government says it is “appalled” by Beijing’s decision. “[We] will be communicating our response in the strongest terms,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement on Monday. “All Australians want to see Dr Yang reunited…

The US carried out more strikes against Houthi missiles in Yemen on Sunday, US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement. Centcom said US forces struck a land-attack cruise missile and four anti-ship missiles that “were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea”. The latest action comes a day after joint US-UK strikes on Houthi targets. It follows continued attacks by the Iran-backed group on military and commercial ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis’ attacks have forced major shipping companies to avoid the waterway, impacting international trade. Egypt has said its revenue from the Suez Canal plunged…

Bao Fan, a star Chinese tech banker who disappeared a year ago amid Beijing’s anti-corruption crackdown, has formally resigned from the firm he founded, the company said. China Renaissance announced in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Friday that Bao was stepping down as its chairman and CEO, effectively immediately, for “health reasons and to spend more time on his family affairs.” “There is no other matter relating to his resignation that needs to be brought to the attention of the shareholders of the Company,” the Hong Kong-listed firm added. It did not provide further details on Bao’s status or whether…

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak’s 12-year jail sentence for corruption has been halved by the country’s pardons board. Najib was jailed in 2022 over the embezzlement of Malaysia’s state-owned wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The board also reduced the fine imposed on him to 50m ringgit (£8.3m; $10.5m) from the original 210m ringgit. Najib must pay this in full to secure his release in August 2028. If he fails to pay, his sentence will be extended for another year until 2029. He was convicted in 2020 after spending two years appealing his conviction before the courts. The jailing…

This year, straw from Lithuania will envelop a building in the quiet town of Todmorden, West Yorkshire. Barbara Jones and her colleagues at Todmorden Learning Centre and Community Hub have hatched a plan to clad the college, built in the 1950s, in more than 1,600 sq meters of straw-stuffed panels – to better insulate it. “We’re going to make it a showcase,” says Ms Jones, an expert on natural building materials. The panels will be supplied by EcoCocon, a Slovakian firm that has appointed Ms Jones as one of its technical sales consultants. Each timber-framed panel is around 400mm thick…

The case of a Canadian man accused of supplying a poisonous chemical to people who died by suicide will head straight to trial, an Ontario court has decided. Prosecutors have also upgraded the charges against Kenneth Law from second-degree to first-degree murder. Mr Law may have sent more than 1,200 parcels containing lethal substances to around 40 countries, including the UK. He made his latest court appearance on Thursday. Mr Law, a 57-year-old former chef from Toronto, is facing a total of 14 first-degree murder charges, as well as 14 counts of aiding and counselling suicide, for a total of…

Chinese billionaire banker Bao Fan, who has been missing for almost a year, has resigned from his financial firm, China Renaissance Holdings Ltd. He stepped down “for health reasons and to spend more time on his family affairs,” the bank said in a statement. Mr Bao’s unexplained disappearance in February last year shocked China’s business and investing community. Just days later, China Renaissance said he was cooperating with authorities who were conducting an investigation. In its latest filing, the company said its co-founder, Xie Yi Jing, will assume Mr Bao’s duties. Mr Bao “has no disagreement with the Board and there is…

A US mother on trial for failing to stop her son from carrying out a deadly school shooting has sought to put the blame on her husband. Jennifer Crumbley, taking the stand in her own defence, told jurors that the gun she and her husband purchased for their son was not her responsibility. Mrs Crumbley is the first parent to go on trial for a mass shooting carried out by a child. Her husband, James, is facing a separate trial on the same charges. If found guilty, they each face up to 15 years in prison. Their son is serving…

A stage show based on the 1970s sitcom Fawlty Towers is to launch in London’s West End later this year. The play has been adapted by writer and creator John Cleese using material from three episodes of the BBC series – The Hotel Inspectors, The Germans and Communication Problems. Cleese said it was a “thrill” to be bringing Fawlty Towers to the West End for the first time. The show will premiere at London’s Apollo Theatre on 4 May. Cleese said: “We’ve been involved in the casting process for some time, being constantly reminded of what a wealth of acting…

Russia’s war has transformed everything in Kharkiv, including childhood. Missiles are fired on Ukraine’s second city from across the Russian border which is so close by that there are only seconds to stop them. If they’re aimed at Kharkiv there’s every chance they’ll hit – and little chance of reaching shelter. School and kindergarten buildings have been closed for almost two years for safety, and playgrounds stand empty. Now, as the full-scale war heads towards its third year, parts of life in Kharkiv are moving underground. Deep down in the metro, specially built classrooms run parallel to the platform at…