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California regulators have sued Tesla Inc., alleging the electric car maker has been discriminating against Black employees who have been likened to monkeys and slaves at the San Francisco Bay Area factory where most of its trendy vehicles are made.

The explosive lawsuit seems likely to widen a rift between Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the world's wealthiest person, and the state where he launched the company. Tesla is now worth more than $900 billion, less than 20 years after Musk set out to transform the auto industry.

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Musk moved Tesla's headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Austin, Texas, last year after publicly feuding with California officials over whether Tesla's factory should remain shut down during the spring of 2020 while the COVID-19 pandemic was still in its early stages.

The 39-page lawsuit, filed late Wednesday in Alameda County Superior Court by California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing, frames Tesla's move to Texas as an attempt to evade accountability for turning "a blind eye to years of complaints from Black workers who protest commonplace use of racial slurs on the assembly line".

In response to the complaints, the lawsuit alleges Musk has told workers to be "thick-skinned" about racial harassment, contributing to the culture that's slow to clean up racist graffiti and other hateful symbols scrawled around the factory.

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Besides the N-word, other racist language used in the factory include descriptions that likened Black workers to a "porch monkey" and "hood rats" and suggestions that they "go back to Africa," according to the lawsuit. The complaint also alleges the factory was racially segregated, resulting in the area where Black workers laboured to be derided as the "slave ship," or "the plantation".

Before news of the lawsuit broke, Tesla preemptively posted a statement on its website lashing out at what it called an "unfair and counterproductive" lawsuit.

The company asserted that the agency has been asked on nearly 50 occasions during the past five years to look into allegations of discrimination and harassment, and closed each investigation without finding any evidence of misconduct.

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"It therefore strains credibility for the agency to now allege, after a three-year investigation, that systematic racial discrimination and harassment somehow existed at Tesla," the company wrote, while trying to frame the lawsuit as a publicity stunt.

The allegations against Tesla resulted from a 32-month investigation into its discriminatory practices, according to the lawsuit. The complaint seeks back pay for Black employees who were unfairly bypassed for promotion and raises, reinstatements of workers who lost their jobs for discriminatory reasons, and punitive damages.

Musk, who frequently takes to his Twitter account with 73 million followers to comment about issues affecting Tesla, hadn't posted anything about the discrimination lawsuit as of late Thursday

This isn't the first time that Tesla's treatment of the roughly 15,000 employees at its Fremont, California, factory has come under scrutiny. The factory, located about 65km southeast of San Francisco, remains Tesla's biggest manufacturer of electric cars, even as the company has opened additional plants, including a new one in Texas.

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Last October, a federal jury awarded $137 million in damages to a former Black elevator operator who had alleged he faced daily racist slurs and other forms of harassment while working at the Fremont plant in 2015 and 2016 before quitting. Tesla is appealing that verdict and has denied any knowledge of racist conduct that the former elevator operator, Owen Diaz, said took place at the plant.

And then more than a half dozen current and former Tesla employees filed another lawsuit alleging the company didn't take adequate steps to protect them against sexual harassment. Tesla is seeking to shift those complaints into arbitration.

David Lowe, one of the lawyers representing the women accusing Tesla of sexual harassment, called the latest lawsuit a glaring example of "an incredibly toxic culture and environment that many of these employees are working in" — one that seems counter to its reputation as a company on the cutting edge of technology.

Tesla is "so advanced on one level," Lowe said, "and yet when it comes to how its workers are treated and the racial harassment and sexual harassment, it's almost like a company from a different era. They're so far behind the curve in how they treat their workers."

About 10 per cent of Tesla's U.S. employees are Black and 21 per cent are women, according to the company's latest employment breakdown.

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Bushfires triggered by a lightning strike and severe weather are causing devastation across the south of Western Australia, destroying several homes.

Yesterday, lightning hit the community of Hopetoun, approximately six hours' drive south-west of Perth.

Two homes have been lost and three buildings destroyed in the coastal town.

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The Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said the initial lightning strike caused a trail of destruction in the state's south.

"The lightning was responsible for widespread ignitions and by the early evening, emergency services were responding to a significant number of bushfires across the region," a statement said.

"High temperatures and strong winds caused the bushfires to spread quickly across the landscape, threatening communities and forcing people to evacuate."

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Two hours west in Jerramungup, another home and a water pumping station have been wiped out, cutting off the town's water supply.

DFES said Water Corporation is currently working to restore water to the town.

Commissioner Darren Klemm said extreme and unpredictable weather conditions exacerbated the fires, which quickly impacted Hopetoun, Newdegate, Jerramungup and Bremer Bay.

https://twitter.com/dfes_wa/status/1492361440795136001

"The conditions in the Great Southern last night were incredibly severe – the winds were so strong that they actually tore rooves off homes near the fire ground," he said.

"A sudden wind change also changed the direction of the bushfires and firefighters had to move extremely quickly to prevent the fires from reaching more homes.

"The focus is on helping these communities get back on their feet."

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DFES has issued a 'watch and act' warning for residents in Crystal Park and Hopetoun's west.

"There is a possible threat to lives and homes as a fire is approaching in the area and conditions are changing," the statement read.

Residents in these areas have been advised to evacuate their homes, provided roads are clear or make safety preparations.

"If you are not prepared or you plan to leave, leave now if the way is clear," DFES said.

"If you are well prepared and plan to actively defend your home, make final preparations now."

DFES has advised there will be a community meeting held at the Bremer Bay Community Resource Centre at 2pm local time.

In the eastern part of Hopetoun, residents are still warned to be wary of excessive smoke.

DFES warned that while there was no immediate threat in areas not directly impacted by the fire, conditions could soon change.

"There is a lot of smoke in the area," DFES said.

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The United States is set to evacuate its embassy in Kyiv as Western intelligence officials warn that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is increasingly imminent.

U.S. officials say the State Department plans to announce early Saturday (American time, late Saturday night Australian time) that all American staff at the Kyiv embassy will be required to leave the country ahead of a feared Russian invasion. The State Department would not comment.

The department had earlier ordered families of U.S. embassy staffers in Kyiv to leave. But it had left it to the discretion of nonessential personnel if they wanted to depart. The new move comes as Washington has ratcheted up its warnings about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.

READ MORE: US authorities say Russia could invade Ukraine within the week

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly, said a limited number of U.S. diplomats may be relocated to Ukraine’s far west, near the border with Poland, a NATO ally, so the U.S. could retain a diplomatic presence in the country.

The Pentagon announced Friday it is sending another 3000 combat troops to Poland to join 1700 who already are assembling there in a demonstration of American commitment to NATO allies worried at the prospect of Russia invading Ukraine.

The additional soldiers will depart their post at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, over the next couple of days and should be in Poland by early next week, according to a defence official, who provided the information under ground rules set by the Pentagon. They are the remaining elements of an infantry brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division.

READ MORE: Get out now, Scott Morrison tells Australians in Ukraine

Their mission will be to train and provide deterrence but not to engage in combat in Ukraine.

That announcement came shortly after Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, issued a public warning for all American citizens in Ukraine to leave the country as soon as possible. Sullivan said Russian President Vladimir Putin could give the order to launch an invasion of Ukraine any day now.

In addition to the U.S. troops deploying to Poland, about 1000 U.S. soldiers based in Germany are shifting to Romania in a similar mission of reassurance to a NATO ally. Also, 300 soldiers of an 18th Airborne Corps headquarters unit have arrived in Germany, commanded by Lt. Gen. Michael E. Kurilla.

The American troops are to train with host-nation forces but not enter Ukraine for any purpose.

The U.S. already has about 80,000 troops throughout Europe at permanent stations and on rotational deployments.

Three people have been arrested after a crowd of up to 10,000 anti-vaccine protesters gathered outside Parliament House in Canberra today.

One man has been charged with multiple offences after driving his truck through a roadblock. Two other men were taken into custody for breaching the peace.

The protesters, who are largely marching against vaccine mandates but also include members of a wide range of different protest groups, had earlier forced the cancellation of a popular book fair in Canberra raising money for mental health.

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Thousands of demonstrators have been camping at the Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC) without authorisation.

Last night, protesters tore down fences being used to set aside parking for the event.

"Overnight, a significant influx of people to EPIC saw fences moved and campers established in non-camping areas," an ACT Police spokesperson told 9News.com.au.

"This unauthorised camping has taken up all service and parking areas allocated to the Lifeline Book Fair."

Today Lifeline Canberra announced their fundraising event would be cancelled.

"Lifeline Canberra has made the tough decision to close the doors to the bookfair today," the group said in a statement.

"The situation at EPIC has deteriorated overnight and safety is our number one priority."

https://twitter.com/Lifeline_ACT/status/1492220361534222336

The campers have been ordered to move on from Exhibition Park on Sunday to prepare the venue for the Royal Canberra Show.

"People who remain in EPIC after this time may be considered trespassing," ACT Police said in a statement yesterday.

"ACT Policing urges those staying at EPIC to respect the management of the venue and arrange to leave the facility peacefully by Sunday."

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Police warned locals to avoid roads near EPIC as well as Northbourne Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue because of traffic caused by protesters.  

Lifeline is a non-profit organisation providing telephone crisis support for people with mental health issues.

The book fair is one of the biggest fundraising events for the Canberra branch of the national organisation.

The vast majority of protesters are not actually from Canberra — the ACT is the most vaccinated jurisdiction in Australia, with more than 99 per cent of the population aged over 16 having had a second dose.

Australians should get out of Ukraine now, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said.

His warning comes as the UK and US said Russia may invade Ukraine within the week.

"It has been a clear message for some time now that Australians in Ukraine should be seeking to get out of the country," he said.

READ MORE: Russia could invade Ukraine during Olympics: Blinken

"This is a very dangerous situation and for your own safety, you should seek to make your way out of Ukraine."

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said she had "deep concerns" about the situation.

"We continue to urge Russia to remain engaged in reciprocal diplomatic dialogue," she said.

"We support Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

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Previously the US had stated they believed Russia would wait until after the Winter Olympics before invading Ukraine, so as not to upstage their Chinese allies.

But US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Russia could invade within the week.

Russia is currently shifting forces to surround its neighbour, moving troops into Belarus for war games, and taking amphibious assault ships into the Black Sea.

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