Author: admin@primenews

Germany is bracing for widespread disruption to rail services after train drivers embarked on a record six-day strike Wednesday, which will further strain crucial supply chains and deal a new blow to the sputtering economy. It’s the second time this month that members of Germany’s GDL Union have walked off the job in an ongoing wage dispute with Deutsche Bahn. The state-owned rail operator said the action would cause “massive disruptions” to long-distance, regional and city commuter services until Monday. Freight transport will also face “considerable restrictions.” The longest industrial action in Deutsche Bahn’s 30-year history will pile more pressure on Germany’s…

The Los Angeles Times announced on Tuesday that it will be laying off around 20% of its newsroom due to financial struggles. The newspaper said it will let go of at least 115 people – the largest layoff in its 142 year history. The news follows other mass layoffs in the US media industry, including at outlets like Sports Illustrated and independent music publisher Pitchfork. A reporter described it as a “dark day” for the LA Times. In a report published on Tuesday, the newspaper’s owner said the layoffs were due to significant and unsustainable financial losses of $30m (£23.6m) to…

India’s Rohan Bopanna will become the oldest tennis world number one aged 43 after he and Matthew Ebden reached the Australian Open doubles semi-finals. Bopanna and Australian Ebden beat Argentine pair Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-4 7-6 (7-5). It is the first time Bopanna has reached the top of the world rankings. “People all over the world, you know, being 40 and above, I think it’s just going to inspire them in a different way,” he said. Bopanna and Ebden will face Tomas Machac and Zhang Zhizhen in the last four in Melbourne. Bopanna became the oldest ATP Masters…

Theresa May was “horrified” to discover the serious health risks for those with both an eating disorder and type 1 diabetes. This can lead some to restrict their insulin intake for fear of putting on weight, which can be fatal. Lady May, diagnosed with type 1 in 2013, told Radio 4’s Today programme better NHS support was needed. She chaired a parliamentary inquiry into the life-threatening consequences of disordered eating with type 1. Body image The inquiry heard from Lesley and Neal Davison, whose daughter Megan killed herself aged 27. Megan had an eating disorder and was not taking the insulin…

“There have been racial barriers, and it has been challenging to be accepted as Japanese.” That’s what a tearful Carolina Shiino said in impeccable Japanese after she was crowned Miss Japan on Monday. The 26-year-old model, who was born in Ukraine, moved to Japan at the age of five and was raised in Nagoya. She is the first naturalised Japanese citizen to win the pageant, but her victory has re-ignited a debate on what it means to be Japanese. While some recognised her victory as a “sign of the times”, others have said she does not look like what a…

Four new emperor penguin colonies have been identified in Antarctica from satellite imagery. It brings the number of known nesting sites around the White Continent to 66. With the discoveries, scientists believe they now know the whereabouts of all the world’s remaining breeding pairs. It’s vital information for conservationists monitoring a species that’s under increasing pressure as a result of climate change. Emperors court, mate, lay and hatch eggs, and then bring up their young on the sea-ice connected to the coast – so-called fast ice. But this type of ice has diminished in parts of Antarctica and become more…

Novak Djokovic continued his pursuit of a record-breaking 25th grand slam title with victory against Taylor Fritz in the Australian Open quarterfinals. He came through 7-6(7-3) 4-6 6-2 6-3 in a tough contest, but one in which the top seed always seemed to have the upper hand as the match wore on. Remarkably, Djokovic is now on a 33-match winning streak in Melbourne and remains on course to win an 11th Australian Open crown. According to Opta, he has equaled Monica Seles’ tournament record for the most consecutive singles wins. “I suffered a lot the first couple of sets, also due to his high-quality…

eBay is cutting 1,000 roles, about 9% of its full-time employees, the company’s CEO announced online Tuesday. The company also plans to scale back its contracts with its “alternate workforce” in the coming months. CEO Jamie Iannone cited the “challenging macroeconomic environment” as an external pressure but added that there are factors the company can control. “While we are making progress against our strategy, our overall headcount and expenses have outpaced the growth of our business. To address this, we’re implementing organizational changes that align and consolidate certain teams to improve the end-to-end experience, and better meet the needs of our customers…

House Education Committee Chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx blasted Harvard University on Tuesday evening for failing to turn over all the documents lawmakers demanded in their antisemitism investigation into the Ivy League school. Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina, described Harvard’s initial production of documents as “woefully inadequate” and warned of consequences if the university does not comply with the committee’s requests. Harvard faced a 5 pm ET deadline on Tuesday to respond to a demand from lawmakers for a mountain of documents relating to antisemitism on campus. “Rather than answering the Committee’s request in a substantive manner, Harvard has chosen to provide letters…

It read like a scene out of “Barbie” itself. When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations Tuesday morning for the 96th annual Oscars, both Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were dealt a shocking snub in the best director and best actress categories, respectively. Meanwhile, as if to pour salt on the wound, Ryan Gosling secured a thumbs up in the best supporting actor category for his role as Ken, the patriarchy-obsessed and vapid sidekick in the year’s biggest blockbuster. The move by the Academy, which is no stranger to controversy and has faced a torrent of criticism in recent years over issues related to diversity, left…