Author: admin@primenews

Police in Canada have charged four National Hockey League players in connection to an alleged 2018 group sexual assault, their lawyers say. The NHL players are Mike McLeod and Cal Foote with the New Jersey Devils, the Philadelphia Flyers’ Carter Hart, and the Calgary Flames’ Dillon Dubé. Former NHL player Alex Formenton has also been charged for the same incident. Lawyers for all five players say they intend to plead not guilty. The five were members of Canada’s World Junior ice hockey team when the alleged assault took place. Lawyers for Mr McLeod, 25, confirmed that he has been charged…

Brazil’s president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva has sacked the deputy director of the national intelligence agency and four department heads. Investigations continue into claims the agency, Abin, illegally spied on ex-president Jair Bolsonaro’s enemies. The deputy, Alessandro Moretti, is accused of passing information to former Abin boss Alexandre Ramagem, a politician for Mr Bolsonaro’s party. Mr Bolsonaro says he and his family are being persecuted. Lula has rejected that claim, saying his government does not give orders to the federal police. The scandal first broke on Thursday when Brazil’s Supreme Court unsealed documents in which Abin was accused of…

Microsoft sales accelerated in the final months of 2023, lifted by demand for its artificial intelligence tools. The company said revenue in September to December rose 18% year-on-year to more than $60bn. The update came as Microsoft became the world’s most valuable listed company, its market value soaring past Apple this month to more than $3tn (£2.4tn). Chief executive Satya Nadella said Microsoft is applying AI “at scale”. As the company provided a quarterly update to investors, the results confirm Microsoft as one of the leading companies as tech firms race to profit from an anticipated next wave of growth…

PayPal says it will cut another 2,500 jobs, or 9% of its global workforce, a year after making a similar move. Chief executive officer Alex Chriss told staff that the decision was made to “right-size” the company “through both direct reductions and the elimination of open roles”. The staff who are affected will be notified by the end of the week, the digital payments giant said. PayPal faces rising competition from rivals such as Apple, Zelle and Block. Mr Chriss was brought in from software company Intuit last year to help turn around PayPal. Investors hoped he would be able to revive…

A judge in the US state of Delaware has annulled a $55.8bn (£44bn) pay deal awarded to Elon Musk in 2018 by the electric car company Tesla. The lawsuit was filed by a shareholder who argued that it was an overpayment. Judge Kathaleen McCormick ruled that the Tesla board’s approval of the pay package was “deeply flawed.” In a post on X, which is owned by Mr Musk and formerly known as Twitter, he wrote: “Never incorporate your company in the state of Delaware”. The pay deal was the biggest ever in corporate history, helping to make Mr Musk one…

An Iraqi militant group suspected of launching a drone strike in Jordan that killed three US troops says it has suspended operations against the US. Kataib Hezbollah, the Iran-aligned group that took credit for the attack on Sunday, said it was “to prevent embarrassment of the Iraqi government”. President Joe Biden said he has decided on how to respond to the attack, but did not say what the US move would be. The US has hinted at an armed response that might come in several waves. “As we announce the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces…

Universal Music is set to pull its millions of songs from TikTok after a breakdown in talks over payments. The move would mean the social media platform would no longer have access to songs by artists including Taylor Swift, The Weeknd and Drake. Universal accused TikTok of “bullying” and said it wanted to pay a “fraction” of the rate other social media sites do for access to its vast catalogue. TikTok said Universal was presenting a “false narrative and rhetoric”. Music companies earn royalty payments when their songs are played on streaming and social media platforms. Although TikTok – which…

An Australian woman attacked by a bull shark in Sydney Harbour has thanked her “heroic” neighbours for coming to her aid. Lauren O’Neill was bitten during a sunset swim near a wharf on Monday. The 29-year-old’s leg was severely injured but surgeons worked through the night to save it from amputation, according to Sydney’s Daily Telegraph. In a statement on Wednesday, Ms O’Neill lauded the life-saving help offered by onlookers, medical staff and police. She said she had been taking a “short dip” close to the shore in Elizabeth Bay after a hot day – as she often did -…

Pakistan is in unprecedented times. Anger, disappointment, and hope are all intertwined. This Muslim-majority country of 241 million is about to vote in a civilian parliament for the third time in a row. It is a first for a state where no prime minister has ever finished their term and, with a long history of military rule and dictatorship, it should be a moment to celebrate. But the 8 February vote is still taking place in the shadows of alleged military interference. No election in the country’s history has been without its controversies, but this one seems to be racking…

Top UN officials have warned that the withdrawal of funding for its main aid agency in Gaza could lead to the “collapse of the humanitarian system”. They spoke out after the US, UK and other countries halted funding over the alleged role of some UN staff in the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel. The UN sacked several of its staff over the allegations. It said an investigation into its agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is underway. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described UNRWA as “perforated with Hamas”, saying Israel has “discovered that there were 13 UNRWA workers who…