Author: admin@primenews

Columbia University student organizers were given a midnight deadline Tuesday to resolve talks with the university over dismantling the pro-Palestinian encampment that has cast its campus into days of turmoil and unease, the school’s president said. Though the outcome of the negotiations is still unclear, Columbia President Minouche Shafik said the university would consider “alternative options” if no agreement was reached by midnight. As the protests stretch into their eighth day, Shafik has faced numerous calls from donors and lawmakers who believe police should be called in to clear the encampment and restore order on campus – even as students and faculty…

Women-only business networking and co-working clubs like Chief in London and The Co-Working Space in Nottingham have recently closed their doors. The concept gained a lot of traction around the height of the MeToo movement. Some women find the idea a step backwards, but for others these clubs are a way to level the playing field. The idea of men-only “gentlemen’s clubs” is well established, with centuries-old places like White’s and The Garrick Club in London. But women-only ones have been on the rise too over the past decade, often with a twist – they focus on the idea of…

Rishi Sunak has promised billions more for defence to counter threats from “an axis of authoritarian states”. The prime minister said UK military spending would rise to 2.5% of national income by 2030, in a move that hardens a previous spending pledge. He stressed the UK was “not on the brink of war” but claimed the extra money would put the country’s defence industry “on a war footing”. Labour is also committed to a 2.5% target, when economic conditions allow. Making the defence announcement during a visit to Poland, Mr Sunak said the UK was facing the most dangerous international…

Tesla has seen its profits more than halve this year, and says it will bring forward the launch of new models as it cuts thousands of jobs to try to reverse its fortunes. The electric vehicle (EV) maker said on Tuesday it had made $1.13bn (£910m) over the first three months of the year, compared with $2.51bn a year earlier. Tesla, owned and run by the billionaire Elon Musk, said it would also axe more than 6,000 jobs at its sites in Texas and California. The company has suffered from falling demand and competition from cheaper Chinese imports which has…

Lee Hee Tae had high hopes for his sex festival, which he proudly billed as South Korea’s “first and largest”. He envisaged 5,000 fans flocking to see their favourite Japanese porn actors and actresses, who were being flown in for last weekend’s event. There was to be a bondage fashion show, a sex toy exhibition, and some adult games, that involved bursting balloons between people’s bodies. But with just 24 hours to go, the festival was cancelled. South Korea is known for its conservative approach to sex and adult entertainment. Public nudity and strip shows are banned, and it is…

A Russian deputy defence minister has been detained on suspicion of taking bribes, according to the country’s top investigative body. The Investigative Committee said on Tuesday that Timur Ivanov was being held and an investigation carried out. Appointed to the defence ministry in 2016, Mr Ivanov, 47, was responsible for Russia’s military infrastructure projects. Activists have long criticised the levels of alleged corruption in Russia. In 2022, the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF), the group founded by late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, accused Mr Ivanov of participating in “corruption schemes during construction in the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia”. In particular,…

The US Senate has approved a $95bn (£76bn) foreign aid package that includes military support for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the legislation into law on Wednesday. The Senate on Tuesday evening backed the measure passed by the US House of Representatives on Saturday. It includes $61bn in military aid for Ukraine, which the Pentagon says can start being delivered to the war-torn nation “within days”. It passed in a bipartisan vote of 79-18. Mr Biden hailed its passage in a statement late on Tuesday, calling it “critical legislation [that] will make our nation and world…

The US Senate has approved a controversial landmark bill that could see TikTok banned in America. It gives TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, nine months to sell its stake or the app will be blocked in the United States. The bill will now be handed over to US President Joe Biden who, has said he will sign it into law as soon as it reaches his desk. ByteDance has told the BBC that it did not have an immediate response to the move. Previously the firm said it would oppose any attempt to force it to sell TikTok. If the US…

Britain’s Prince and Princess of Wales have released a new photo of Prince Louis to mark his sixth birthday on Tuesday, the first image to be released by the family since a photo-editing scandal erupted last month. In the photo, Louis – who is fourth in line to the British throne – can be seen grinning at the camera lying on a blanket. The image posted to the couple’s official social media accounts on Tuesday was credited to Catherine, Princess of Wales. A royal source said the Waleses were grateful for the birthday messages they have received for Louis and the photo was…

Filmmaker and artist Sam Taylor-Johnson has said that she and her husband Aaron “couldn’t really fathom the fascination” with the age gap between them. Speaking to the BBC’s “This Cultural Life” podcast, Taylor-Johnson, 57, said that outside interest in her relationship had died down since the pair first got together after meeting on the set of “Nowhere Boy,” which she directed. The movie, in which Aaron Taylor-Johnson portrays John Lennon during his early years, was released in the United Kingdom in 2009. He was 19 and Sam Taylor-Johnson was 42 at the time. “I guess that interest was more when we got…