Author: admin@primenews

In an interview in January 2020, Umar Khalid introduced himself as an “unemployed 32-year-old Indian”, with a doctorate on indigenous people from a prestigious university. “Ideologically, you could say, I’m a radical democrat. I believe in democracy, and I believe in democracy that is not limited until your voting,” Mr Khalid told VICE Asia. “It must come into practice in everyday life in a way you can voice your issues and concerns with democratic functioning.” Mr Khalid had already gained prominence in 2016 as one of five Indian students charged with sedition for organising a protest at his alma mater, Delhi’s…

Rescuers in China are racing to find dozens of people who are still left missing after a landslide struck a city in Yunnan province. The landslide in Zhaotong occurred at 05:51 local time (21:51 GMT) on Monday, trapping 47 people and killing 11. President Xi Jinping has ordered an “all-out” rescue in the area which is experiencing sub-zero temperatures. Preliminary investigations show the landslide resulted from a collapse in a steep cliff, state media reported. The collapsed mass measured approximately 100m (328ft) in width, 60m in height, with an average thickness of around 6m, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing city…

Kenneth Eugene Smith is set to become the first person in the US to be executed by nitrogen gas. As he spends his final days on death row, he says he is haunted by thoughts of the untested procedure. Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of methods of execution, which could upset some readers. The first time Kenneth Eugene Smith was about to die, Alabama’s executioners had several hours to kill him. They bound the condemned man to a gurney in the so-called “death chamber” of Holman Correctional Facility and tried to inject him with a lethal blend of chemicals.…

The US and UK have conducted a fresh series of joint air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. The Pentagon said Monday’s strikes hit eight targets, including an underground storage site and Houthi missile and surveillance capability. The Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting ships they say are linked to Israel and the West that travel through the important Red Sea trade route. The US and UK said they were trying to protect the “free flow of commerce”. A joint statement issued by the Pentagon confirmed “an additional round of proportionate and necessary strikes” against the Houthis. The statement added: “Our…

North Korea experts – by nature, a cautious group who seek to avoid sowing panic – have been left reeling by two of their own. Last week, the two eminent analysts dropped a bomb – so to speak – in stating their belief that the pariah state’s leader is preparing for war. Kim Jong Un has scrapped the bedrock goal of reconciling and re-uniting with South Korea, they said. Instead, he’s presenting the North and South as two independent states at war with each other. “We believe, that like his grandfather in 1950, Kim Jong Un has made a strategic…

The story of vanilla, as with most truly international crops, criss-crosses a world atlas. But vanilla did not originate in Madagascar, despite the country’s current global dominance of its trade. Instead, it started in the jungles of Mexico and Central America, where a long, windy vine evolved to develop that distinctive, penetrating aroma that we all know so well. What is perhaps most compelling about vanilla is the fact that its multi-billion dollar industry exists because of a 12-year-old enslaved boy who lived 180 years ago on a remote Indian Ocean Island. But the orchid, whose pod-shaped fruits contain the sweet vanilla essence, would…

Teenager Mirra Andreeva saved a match point as she staged a remarkable third-set comeback to reach the Australian Open fourth round. The Russian, 16, somehow beat France’s Diane Parry 1-6 6-1 7-6 (10-5) despite being 5-1 down in the deciding set and facing a match point on her serve. Andreeva reeled off five games in a row and served for the match, but Parry broke back to force a tie-break. However, Andreeva dominated the breaker to secure her place in the next round. Andreeva, who is making her first Australian Open appearance, also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last…

Chances are you don’t regularly pump weights. Nor do you likely have a resistance band regimen or do squats and lunges while watching TV. But you may need to reconsider. Strength training, whether performed with weights, bands, machines or your own body weight, is important for your long-term health. Also known as resistance training, it increases muscular strength, endurance and bone density. These exercises also decreases the risk of falls and fractures as you age, thus promoting independent living, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s why the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends adults do muscle-strengthening activities two or…

Dame Sheila Hancock has said she has the ultimate privilege to speak her mind without fear of being “cancelled”, having reached the age of 90. “If I say something outrageous and I’m cancelled, I’m shortly going to be cancelled by death anyway,” she tells the BBC’s Amol Rajan. “It gives me a sort of ‘oh dear I don’t care, because I’m going'”. Dame Sheila, who earned her title in 2021 for services to drama and charity, is one of Britain’s most respected actors, singers and writers. In her career spanning more than seven decades, she has appeared in Entertaining Mr…

The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has given strong hints that he wants to cut taxes in the spring Budget. Mr Hunt said that countries with lower taxes have more “dynamic, faster growing economies”. In the Autumn Statement, the chancellor reduced national insurance for workers by 2% and announced tax relief for businesses. If inflation falls, followed by lower interest rates, Mr Hunt may consider he has scope for further tax cuts. Mr Hunt was speaking during his visit to the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, where he is hoping to lure more investment to Britain. He said the “direction of…