Author: admin@primenews

People who play video games are at risk of damaging their hearing due to potentially unsafe sound levels, a study has found. The new review suggests that gamers play for long periods of time with the volume turned up, beyond safe limits. It says this could contribute to irreversible hearing loss or tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears. The paper, published in BMJ Public Health, reviewed 14 studies which in total involved more than 50,000 people. The researchers urge more public health efforts to raise awareness of the issues for gamers, in the same way that has been done…

Pakistan has launched retaliatory missile strikes into neighbouring Iran, two days after an Iranian attack inflamed relations between the two states. Pakistan said its strikes had hit “terrorist hideouts” in the bordering Sistan-o-Balochistan province. Iranian media reported that three women and four children had been killed. Pakistan’s hit comes after it was outraged by Iran’s strike, which Tehran said was aimed at terrorist groups. Both countries have long accused each other of harbouring militant groups that carry out attacks from regions along their shared border. But official military action between Pakistan and Iran on this issue is uncommon, and they…

Lesley Lokko has become the first African woman to be awarded the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture, for her work to “democratise” the industry. The honour is given by the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) and approved by the monarch each year. Ghanaian-Scottish Lokko was also made an OBE in the recent New Year Honours list by King Charles, who is known to have a keen interest in architecture. Riba commended Lokko’s work focusing on Africa and the so-called Global South. The 60-year-old has championed bringing people of colour and other under-represented backgrounds into architecture over the past two decades. Lokko…

Medicine for Israeli hostages and Palestinians has entered Gaza, Qatar said Wednesday, after the Gulf nation brokered a deal between Israel and Hamas to provide vital medication to the war-torn enclave. The agreement mediated by Qatar Tuesday will see medication delivered to Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for medicine and humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians. “Over the past few hours, medicine & aid entered the Gaza Strip, in implementation of the agreement announced yesterday for the benefit of civilians in the Strip, including hostages,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Dr. Majed Al-Ansari wrote on X. “Qatar, along with its regional and international partners, continues mediation…

Pakistan carried out a series of military strikes on what it said were separatist militant hideouts inside Iran, in the latest incident across their shared border that has sent tensions between the two neighbors soaring. The new strikes mean both Pakistan and Iran have now taken the extraordinary step of attacking militants on each other’s soil this week at a time of expanding conflict in the Middle East and wider region. Islamabad said Thursday its forces launched a “series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes” in Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchistan province as part of an operation called “Marg Bar Sarmachar”…

Japan Airlines has named its first female president, a former cabin attendant who rose through the ranks to senior management, taking a deeply symbolic step in a country struggling to close a vast gender gap at work. Mitsuko Tottori, a senior managing executive officer who joined JAL in 1985, the year it suffered one of the worst crashes in airline history, will become president from April 1, it said in a statement on Wednesday. The appointment comes as Japanese companies face increasing pressure to boost gender diversity and tackle a gender pay gap that is the worst among the Group of Seven nations and almost double the average…

Samsung’s next-generation flagship Galaxy S24 devices aim to take messaging, photos and games to the next level with artificial intelligence. At its annual Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday, the company showed off its Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 smartphones, in what it says will usher in the next era of how people use their smartphones. The push around AI is part of smartphone makers trying to differentiate themselves in a crowded market and drum up excitement where innovation has largely stalled in recent years. The 6.8-inch Galaxy S24 Ultra ($1,299.99), which will come in a titanium…

A Salvadoran woman has been freed from prison more than seven years after she was convicted for having an abortion. The 28-year-old, identified only as Lilian, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2015. She gave birth to a girl in a public hospital in 2015, but the baby suffered health complications and died there three days later. There is a total ban on abortion in El Salvador, which has one of the world’s strictest anti-abortion laws. Prosecutors had accused Lilian of not taking care of the foetus during her pregnancy, and she was charged with negligence and aggravated…

The Princess of Wales is recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery, and King Charles III is set to undergo a medical procedure next week. Catherine will step back from royal duties for months after surgery for an unspecified but non-cancer related abdominal condition. The King’s benign prostate condition will be treated next week. The unexpected health announcements were made within two hours of each other on Wednesday afternoon. Details about the health of senior royals are usually a closely-guarded secret and only announced to the public in limited circumstances, so the decision to release two significant updates in one day was striking.…

Apple has once again been banned from selling two smartwatch models in the US, while a legal battle continues over a patent dispute. The tech giant was earlier allowed to sell its Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches while proceedings were ongoing – but a US appeals court has since reversed that decision. Imports of watches are also affected. On Thursday, Apple said it will release watches without the disputed blood oxygen feature to keep them on shelves. It is the latest turn in a dispute between the firm and medical technology company Masimo. Masimo and spin-off Cercacor have accused…