Author: admin@primenews

It is “needless” for Google to cut hundreds of jobs when the tech giant earns billions, a union has claimed. Jobs are going on teams working on health tracker Fitbit, the voice-controlled Google Assistant and hardware such as augmented reality. The exact number of job losses is unclear, although Google confirmed to the Verge it had closed “a few hundred” roles across several of its teams. Google said it was “responsibly investing” in its biggest priorities. But in a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Alphabet Workers Union said the job cuts were not necessary, and it would fight them. “Our members and…

FKA twigs has responded after a Calvin Klein advert was banned for presenting her as a “stereotypical sexual object”. A UK regulator found the poster – featuring the singer just wearing a denim shirt – was likely to cause serious offence by objectifying women. Writing on Instagram, she suggested the ban – which came after a campaign starring actor Jeremy Allen White went viral – showed “double standards”. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said its ruling was clear. In the advert, FKA was wearing a denim shirt drawn halfway around her body, showing the side of her buttocks and half of…

Original scripts from two UK-set episodes of Friends that were rescued from a bin are being sold at auction. The Season Four finale drafts were recovered in 1998 by a staff member at Fountain Studios, Wembley, where the two episodes were filmed. Amanda Butler, of Hanson Ross auctioneers in Royston, Hertfordshire, said they should have been destroyed “so the ending wouldn’t be leaked”. The scripts are expected to sell for between £600 and £800. They were used for the two-part season finale entitled The One With Ross’s Wedding. Members of the main cast, including Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston and David…

The UN’s International Court of Justice is hearing a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The submission also calls on the court to order Israel to stop military operations there. The ICJ will deliver only an opinion on the genocide allegation as the case is not a criminal trial, although it is being closely watched. Israel has vehemently rejected the accusation as “baseless”. There were angry scenes outside the ICJ’s Peace Palace on Thursday as Dutch police struggled to keep groups of Palestinian and Israeli supporters apart. Hundreds of people waving Palestinian…

Airline regulators will not be rushed into clearing grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 planes after a mid-air blowout, the US government has said. The aircraft, which were suspended in the US following an incident on an Alaska Airlines flight “need to be 100% safe”, said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. It is unclear when the planes will be allowed to fly again. Boeing’s boss, Dave Calhoun, described the incident as a “quality escape”. It means the incident was caused by some failure in quality control in the plane, which had been in service for just eight weeks before the blowout. Mr…

Australian police have charged two men over an alleged plot to kill four members of the rap group OneFour. The men, named in media reports as Brandon Maseuli and Yousef Rima, are part of an international criminal syndicate that originated in Lebanon. Police said the group takes on contracts to carry out violent crimes such as murders and kidnappings. Arrested in Sydney on Thursday, Maseuli, 26, and Rima, 20, have been handed multiple charges. They include conspiracy to murder, kidnapping, directing a criminal group, and various drug and robbery-related offences. Authorities have also applied for an arrest warrant for a…

Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson says he has “best case a year” to live after being diagnosed with cancer. The 75-year-old Swede was the first foreign coach to manage England and led the side to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup and 2004 Euros. “I’m going to resist for as long as I can,” Eriksson told Swedish Radio P1. “I have an illness that’s serious. Best case a year, I have worst case a lot less. It’s impossible to say exactly, so it’s better to not think about it.” Eriksson, who had a 42-year career in management,…

In cafés and restaurants lining the narrow streets of Male, the capital of Maldives, the hot topic of discussion is how a spat with India got out of control – and what would be Delhi’s reaction to it. Following the “derogatory” comments made by three Maldivian junior ministers against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the tourism paradise is in danger of facing a boycott by Indian tourists – who are one of the largest contributors to the country’s income. Indians were the largest group of tourists by nationality that visited the Maldives last year. Tourism accounts for almost one third…

Number 10 has backed calls for Alan Bates to be knighted for his fight for justice in the Horizon scandal. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokeswoman said on Wednesday it would be “common sense” to honour him after a mass quashing of convictions was announced. Mr Bates is said have refused an OBE while ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells still held a CBE. She received that in 2019, in spite of the scandal. MPs and campaigners have called for Mr Bates’ honour to be re-submitted now Ms Vennells has agreed to relinquish her’s in the face of a public outcry. There have also been…

Rape complainants should be told pre-recording evidence could harm their chances of securing a conviction at trial, researchers say. “Special measures” allow them to be interviewed and cross-examined before the trial and away from the defendant. But a University College London study, the first of its kind, found 20% fewer rape convictions in such cases. Special measures, under Section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, were introduced in 2016. In 2021, they were expanded to cover adult rape complainants, in a flagship government policy aimed at increasing the number of cases coming to trial. The study…