Author: Prima News

Switzerland votes next month on a proposal to slash funding for its state broadcaster SRG, a step supporters say will save Swiss households money, but opponents say reflects pressure globally on public media corporations from the political right. National broadcasters across Europe, squeezed by declining audiences, fierce competition and falling revenue streams, have been accused of political bias by right-wing groups. Backers of the organisations see them as an independent voice that can hold the powerful to account and which populists wish to stifle. The proposal, backed by several groups including the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), is to cut…

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Israel on Wednesday for a two-day visit that both countries have cast as a chance to deepen relations, as regional concerns mount over the risk of military conflict between the United States and Iran. Modi, a Hindu nationalist, became the first prime minister in India’s history to visit Israel in 2017, during which he and right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a barefoot stroll on a beach in the northern port city of Haifa. Both still in power nearly nine years later, the two leaders, who describe one another as friends, are expected to…

After Nepal’s historic youth-led uprising last September killed 77 people and forced then-Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign, a 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician posted a typically terse message to millions of followers on social media. “Dear Gen Z, the resignation of your killer has come,” Balendra Shah – popularly known only as Balen – wrote. “Now your generation will have to lead the country. Be prepared.” Five months on, the musician who cut his political teeth when he became the mayor of the capital Kathmandu in 2022, is dominating the race to become Nepal’s next prime minister after a general election…

New Zealand on Wednesday announced sanctions and travel bans on several Iranian ministers and officials over the alleged killings of people during recent nationwide protests. Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the travel ban targeted 40 individuals, including Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, Minister of Intelligence Esmail Khatib, and Prosecutor-General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad. He added that it will also include members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “Iranians have the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and access to information. Those rights have been ruthlessly violated,” Peters said in a statement. The foreign minister stated that his country has joined Australia,…

South Korean and US forces will conduct their annual spring joint military exercises next month, as the allies step up preparations for the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul, local media reported on Wednesday. The 11-day exercise, known as Freedom Shield, will run from March 9 to 19 and include a series of field maneuvers under the “Warrior Shield” program, Yonhap News reported, citing the South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and United States Forces Korea joint statement. Military officials said the drills are designed to improve combined readiness through joint, multi-domain operations on land, sea,…

US President Donald Trump sought to rally supporters Tuesday evening, using his first State of the Union address to tout his economic and immigration policies ahead of November’s midterm elections. The US president maintained that he has ushered the US into what he described as a new “golden age” and is “winning so much,” seeking to build support for his economic and immigration agendas, including tariffs that have divided support among his fellow Republicans. “Tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before, and…

China on Wednesday called on the United States to abide by its moratorium on nuclear testing and rejected US allegations that Beijing conducted nuclear tests in 2020. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged Washington to “abide by its commitments to moratorium on nuclear testing, uphold global consensus on the ban on nuclear testing and stop finding an excuse for the resumption of nuclear testing,” during a regular press briefing. Mao was responding to questions about US claims that China carried out nuclear tests on June 22, 2020. “The US accusation is shadow chasing, such remarks are groundless,” Mao said. She…

Iran on Wednesday criticized the US and Israel for spreading “disinformation” about its nuclear program and ballistic missiles, describing them as “the repetition of big lies.” “‘Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth,’ is a law of propaganda coined by Nazi Joseph Goebbels. This is now systematically used by the U.S. administration and the war profiteers encircling it, particularly the genocidal Israeli regime, to serve their sinister disinformation & misinformation campaign against the Nation of Iran,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on the US social media company X. “Whatever they’re alleging in regards to Iran’s nuclear…

As of the end of November 2025, there were over 140,000 Burundian refugees in neighbouring Tanzania, who have fled over years of civil unrest in Burundi.While thousands continue to be “voluntarily repatriated”, an official with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says thousands may still need international protection in Tanzania.Up to 17,000 say they are unable to return over fears for their safety or danger of political persecution. They include members of the political opposition and former military personnel.“There are increasing concerns from refugees on forced returns and coercive measures,” said UNHCR’s Bahia Egeh, who is based in Tanzania. “We also continue…

Tech giants’ efforts to ramp up AI adoption in India may be about to hit a turning point, as companies end free promotions with hopes to convert the world’s fourth-largest economy into a windfall of paid subscribers. India became the world’s largest market for generative AI app downloads in 2025, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, widening its lead over the U.S. as installs jumped 207% year-over-year. Companies including OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity rolled out extended free premium offers to accelerate user growth in the price sensitive market. Leading AI firms have also backed India in its push to…