Latest news with #Morley
Hans India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Julia Morley's repeated dress choice at Miss World 2025 sparks conversation on sustainability
Julia Morley, Chairwoman and CEO of the Miss World Organisation, garnered attention during the 72nd Miss World competition held on 31 May 2025 in Hyderabad, India, by wearing the same dress at both the event's introduction and finale. While no official statement has been released regarding this decision, the gesture aligns with Morley's longstanding commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. Under Morley's leadership since 2000, the Miss World pageant has shifted focus towards humanitarian efforts, notably through the "Beauty with a Purpose" initiative, which supports charitable causes worldwide. Her dedication to philanthropy has been recognised with several honours, including the Variety International Humanitarian Award and a CBE in 2022 for services to disadvantaged people in the UK and abroad. The Miss World Organisation has increasingly incorporated messages around environmental awareness and social responsibility into its platform. Recent events have included workshops focused on women's empowerment and sustainability, reflecting the pageant's evolving ethos. While the exact reasoning behind Morley's repeated outfit remains speculative, it undeniably contributes to the ongoing conversation about sustainability in the fashion industry and the role of public figures in promoting environmentally conscious choices.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
CIA accused of ‘noncooperative attitude' with release of JFK files
(NewsNation) — At a House Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets hearing, the CIA was accused of obstructing the investigation into President John F. Kennedy's assassination. At Tuesday's hearing, Don Curtis, who was a doctor present at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas where Kennedy was taken, said he saw three gunshot wounds on the president, while the government said he died from one gunshot wound. Journalist and author Jefferson Morley joined NewsNation's 'Elizabeth Vargas Reports' to discuss the hearing. He said the CIA is still obstructing the evidence to this day by not giving requested files to Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., and not having the files ready for the hearing at an appropriate time. He believes they would likely never produce the files. Democratic senator says he has recordings of favors 'promised' by Trump's IRS pick 'How do they explain the fact that they are withholding the records to this day?' Morley said. 'That alone is a noncooperative attitude towards the president's order.' Morley said it is also consistent with what the witnesses said about being treated rudely by the government in its investigation into Kennedy's assassination and that people were being intimidated about coming forward. He said more of that information should come to light. 'Now the ball is in the court of the Trump administration and the CIA,' Morley said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
India Today
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Why show Miss World contestants Telangana's security operations, asks BRS
Miss World 2025 contestants visited the Telangana Police Integrated Command and Control Centre (TGICCC) and the state Secretariat on Sunday as part of the ongoing 72nd Miss World competition being held in the state. The high-profile publicised tour, however, has drawn criticism from the Opposition party, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).The visit, reportedly aimed at showcasing Telangana's public safety infrastructure, began with a ceremonial escort, a pipe band performance, and a dog show by the police's K9 unit. Contestants were also shown an arms exhibition and given a tour of the high-tech TGICCC facility, which integrates AI, data analytics, and emergency response systems. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss World (@missworld)advertisementJulia Morley, CEO of the Miss World Organisation, praised Telangana's commitment to safety and innovation, calling the centre 'a shining example' of how technology and policing can work together to ensure public the contestants visited the Telangana Secretariat, where they were welcomed with local snacks and a drone show narrating the city's legacy and the leadership of Chief Minister A Revanth the BRS questioned the relevance of the leader Krishank in a post on social media platform X, questioned the rationale behind giving Miss World contestants access to such a critical security facility. 'Why should Miss Turkey and other Miss World beauty contestants be shown and explained advanced Security Systems in the topmost office 'Police Command Control' of Telangana?' he posted on X. advertisement The visit also comes just days after a video showing local Telangana women assisting Miss World contestants in washing their feet at the historic Ramappa Temple sparked a political parties, including the BRS and BJP, slammed the Congress-led state government for allegedly insulting Indian women and reviving colonial-era attitudes. The footage, reportedly filmed in Mulugu district, showed local women, believed to be volunteers, rinsing and drying the feet of the contestants as part of a purification ritual before temple entry. IN THIS STORY#Telangana
Indian Express
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
This word means: Miss World
Contestants from over 100 countries have gathered in Telangana to participate in the Miss World pageant, with the finale set to be held on May 31. Social media images of the contestants engaging in a foot-washing ritual at the Ramappa temple in Mulugu also led to a controversy this week. Last year, Mumbai hosted the event, where the Czech Republic's Krystyna Pyszkova was crowned the winner. It was the second time an Indian city was the host, following Bengaluru in 1996. The Miss World pageant is one of the oldest such competitions in the world. It was first held in Britain in 1951. According to US public broadcaster PBS, it coincided with the era 'of postwar reconstruction', and was held at the British government-staged Festival of Britain. The larger event also featured the latest industrial products, technological discoveries and the arts. However, the need to boost audience attendance led to the festival reaching out to Eric Morley, a publicity director at a London-based company. He persuaded planners to add an international beauty contest. Morley said contestants should be judged while wearing what was then a new beachwear sensation, the bikini. However, threats from the likes of Ireland and Spain to withdraw from the competition 'because of their opposition to women being judged in bikinis' led to the adoption of a one-piece bathing suit instead. The show's success led to it becoming an annual feature, its popularity aided by the rise of television. The competition has come to include talent showcases, sports challenges, and charitable initiatives, all to highlight the qualities that make the contestants 'exceptional ambassadors of change. Morley's widow, Julia Morley, co-chairs the competition at present. Miss World is distinct from the other three popular global pageants – the Miss Universe, Miss International and Miss Earth. Miss Universe Organisation, for instance, was once owned by US President Donald Trump in the late 1990s. With the liberalisation of the Indian economy in 1991, international brands saw a sizable new market waiting to be tapped into. In 1994, the Miss World and Miss Universe titles were won by two Indian women – Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen, respectively – helping increase pageants' popularity in this region. Other Indian winners include actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas (2000), doctor Reita Faria (1966) and most recently, Manushi Chillar (2017). In a paper, Indiana University academic Radhika Parameswaran wrote that the 1996 event saw considerable business heft with sponsors ranging from manufacturers of soaps to credit card companies. But the idea of India hosting it was accompanied by significant backlash. The event was organised by actor Amitabh Bachchan's Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd. (ABCL), and the company is reported to have suffered financial losses after the pageant. The New York Times reported that 'the numerous protests included self-immolation. Strange bedfellows found themselves entwined in their mutual outrage – feminists who found such contests degrading to women and Hindu nationalists who saw the show as an invasion of Western degeneracy. The swimsuit competition had to be moved to the nearby and more hospitable Seychelles Islands.' One man set himself on fire and died in the protests.
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
It is time to call care workers like me skilled – and pay us properly for all that we do
At work, I am part psychologist, nurse, bereavement counsellor, occupational therapist, mental health advocate, group therapist and palliative care expert. What am I? The answer, of course, is a care worker. And yet this week, the message from the government was that I – and thousands like me – are 'low-skilled'. Tell that to the people we look after and the families who love them. When Labour announced plans on Monday to scrap a visa scheme for overseas social care recruitment in a drive to bring down 'low-skilled' migration, it was just the latest in a long line of negative messages about the sector I work in. The irony, though, is that we need to value caring now more than ever because the industry is in crisis, and what's keeping it afloat is the goodwill of workers – mostly women. Around 80 per cent of carers are female – their work is critically undervalued financially, but also socially. Wages are low, we're constantly being told we have no skills, and it's leaving many of us feeling unappreciated and invisible. But after working in social care for more than three decades, I know from experience how complex the work we do is and why we have to recognise its worth more than ever. I started working as a carer when I was 26 after training as a nurse and developing an interest in community care. Today, I work as a manager at a medium-sized family-run home called the Alexander Care Home in Morley, Leeds, and I'm lucky to be part of a team that feels like a family. But there's no doubt that caring is tougher now than when I started out because a lot of the people who would once have had specialist nursing care are now being looked after in the community. It means cases are increasingly complicated and carers need everything from physical to mental skills to manage them. You need resilience, patience and tenacity for a start, as well as practical and technical knowledge, physical fitness, and most essentially empathy and the emotional intelligence to be able to connect with people. And ironically, it is this emotional skill needed that is, I believe, a key part of why caring is so chronically undervalued. It's no coincidence that traditionally male, practical jobs like plumbing or electrics are seen as highly skilled and often well paid, while the 'softer' skills needed to be a carer are just seen as an extension of what women do for our families every day and are not financially rewarded. But these are skills that you can't measure on paper. Caring professionally for people who aren't relatives requires a whole different skill set on top of that. You have to be able to quickly adapt because no two days are the same, project manage and balance short-term decisions with a long-term view. The patient who is too weak to move into a chair today may develop pressure sores tomorrow. Our work is a constant stream of tiny but critical assessments of everything from physical state to mood. While some people come into it with few academic qualifications, everyone has to undergo intense training in everything from health and safety to wound management once they start. I've often seen, however, that even when carers develop huge competence at work, they lack the confidence to see what they are worth, and they don't see those skills as transferable. I work with so many incredible women, with a lot of skills, who have no idea of just how good they are. Every area of social care has different challenges. Those working with people affected by neurodevelopmental issues, for instance, might have to develop a lot of skills to deal with complex identity and independence issues. In elderly care, we are working with those who've usually experienced significant loss – whether it's a partner or a home – and we have to work through their grief, convince them that their new life, or that of a partner, is not an end, it's just the start of something new. Yet despite this important work, many colleagues don't like to admit publicly that they're a care worker because it's not seen as an achievement, and they're often judged. The only time we got an uplift in public perception was during Covid, but I still feel that what carers went through then has not been recognised in the same way that the contribution of those working in the NHS was. Then, I was asking young women to come into work, often being paid just above minimum wage, to be on the frontline of the pandemic with no protection because all the PPE was diverted elsewhere. I was overwhelmed by the number of them who chose to work even when they were facing true trauma. People walked through the door every day knowing they could take Covid home to their family, and it was the time when all the many levels of our collective expertise and knowledge were really proven. And yet we are still considered low-skilled workers. What other job asks so much for so little in return? There needs to be a shift in our value system about what is socially and financially rewarded. Work as anything from a train driver to a lawyer, and you'll be valued in different ways. Not so for carers, despite the incredibly important work we do. Most of us know we could earn the same working in a supermarket or fast-food chain, but we want to make a difference, make others feel comfortable and safe. We respect elderly people who have contributed and now need looking after. It's about a value system that we believe in, our capacity to care for our most vulnerable people. It is valuable work that should be equally valued. The pandemic showed what happens when that system breaks down. What we do is a form of intelligence; it's all about human skills that not everyone has. It's time that, at the very least, the government started to respect those skills. Because, as carers, we don't just look after individuals, we look after whole families and society too. As told to Megan Lloyd-Davies
