Author: admin@primenews

More than a dozen black models are boycotting Melbourne Fashion Week (MFW), hoping to draw attention to the mistreatment they say they experience in Australia’s fashion industry. The models said they had witnessed staff use racial slurs in front of them, had hairdressers make derogatory comments about their hair, and were underpaid in comparison to white models. A City of Melbourne spokesperson said their event prided itself on being one of the industry’s most inclusive fashion destinations for people “from diverse ethnic backgrounds, the LGBTIQ+ community and those with disabilities”. “We were not aware of any concerns relating to diversity…

Republicans have picked Congressman Mike Johnson as their latest nominee for the Speaker of the House of Representatives. He is the fourth nominee put forward after three others failed to win enough support from colleagues, and the second nominee of the day. Mr Johnson was selected after three rounds of voting late on Tuesday. The House has been without a Speaker and has been unable to pass bills since Kevin McCarthy was ousted on 3 October. The selection of Louisiana’s Mr Johnson, 51, was announced by House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik. Republicans only hold a narrow majority over Democrats…

Global banking giants are investing in companies which produce traditional Chinese medicines containing leopard and pangolin parts, a report has found. Both species are classed as threatened. The Environmental Investigation Authority (EIA) identified 62 banks and financial institutions which are investing in three pharmaceutical groups making nine products which they say contain leopard or pangolin. The BBC has contacted the companies in question for comment. The companies include UK financial services giants such as HSBC, Prudential, and Legal & General, as well as global investment firms including Goldman Sachs, UBS, Deutsche Bank and BlackRock. Leopards and pangolins are threatened, which means they…

Hurricane Otis has become an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm as it roars towards the Pacific coast of southern Mexico, US meteorologists warn. The storm’s winds have now increased to near 145mph (233km/h), the National Hurricane Center (NHC) says. Otis will strengthen to a “potentially catastrophic” Category 5 storm when it crashes ashore by early Wednesday. The NHC warns of “destructive waves” and heavy flooding in coastal areas, including the popular Acapulco resort. In its latest bulletin at 00:00 GMT on Wednesday, the NHC said Otis was about 85 miles south-east of Acapulco. A hurricane warning is now in effect…

Richard Roundtree, a US actor best known for his starring role in the Shaft film franchise, has died aged 81. He died at home in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon with his family by his side, his manager Patrick McMinn told The Hollywood Reporter. His death comes after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. “Richard’s work and career served as a turning point for African American leading men in film,” McMinn said in a statement. “The impact he had on the industry cannot be overstated,” he added. Born on 9 July, 1942 in New Rochelle, New York, Roundtree began his…

Tech giant Nvidia says the US has told it to stop shipping some of its advanced artificial intelligence chips to China immediately. The restrictions were supposed to be introduced 30 days from 17 October. That was when President Joe Biden’s administration announced measures to block countries, including China, Iran and Russia, from buying high-end AI chips designed by Nvidia and others. Nvidia did not say why the timeline had been moved forward. In a statement to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nvidia said the US government said these curbs were “effective immediately”, but added that “given the strength…

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have descended on the south of the Gaza Strip as a potential Israeli ground operation looms. But where they will go from there is anyone’s guess. The coastal enclave is blockaded by land, air and sea by Israel, which has declared war on its Hamas rulers for a brazen attack on October 7 that killed 1,400 people. Israel has also shut off the supply of water, electricity, food and fuel, leaving the impoverished territory’s 2 million residents helpless. A border crossing with Egypt in the south has been touted as the last hope for Gazans to escape as Israel’s bombs…

A Russian court has ordered US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva to be held in detention until December 5 for failing to register as a foreign agent, according to her employer. Kurmasheva is employed by the Tatar-Bashkir service Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and is based in Prague, Czech Republic. According to her employer, Kurmasheva was detained on June 2 in the city of Kazan in Russia while waiting for a return flight to the Czech Republic. She had arrived in Russia on May 20 due to an urgent family matter, RFE/RL, a US-funded news organization, said. RFE/RL said Kazan airport employees initially…

Chevron announced Monday that it has agreed to buy rival Hess in yet another oil industry consolidation deal. Cash-rich oil giants are taking advantage of high prices and surging profits to snap up assets and boost returns for shareholders even as pressure builds for them to invest more in renewable energy. The deal, worth $53 billion plus debt, would give Chevron even greater access to US shale production in Texas’ Permian Basin, a part of the industry where Chevron (CVX) has been a leader for years. Hess (HES) also has large oil assets in Guyana, which Chevron said would help…

José Mourinho was sent off during Roma’s dramatic 1-0 Serie A victory over Monza with the Roma manager seen making a ‘crying’ gesture towards the opposition’s bench. However, after the game Mourinho said he “didn’t know why” he was shown a red card. “I only made a gesture to the bench, not a single word,” Mourinho said, per Reuters. The veteran head coach is known for his theatrics, and sometimes controversial ones, on the sidelines and as his side scored a late winner, Sunday was no different. As the game was nearing its conclusion and heading towards a 0-0 draw, Roma forward Stephan El Shaarawy…