Tom Brady shares son Benjamin, 13, and daughter Vivian, 10, with his ex-wife Gisele Bundchen

Turkey said Monday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will "soon" visit Russia for talks with Vladimir Putin on reviving a Black Sea grain deal that could be used as a...

An elementary school teacher has divided opinion on social media after she was filmed giving a young pupil “birthday spankings”. The clip, which has been shared across TikTok, shows the woman beaming as she brandishes a large, wooden ruler and the boy braces for impact. The child is smiling, too, as he clutches the table, and she swings her makeshift paddle. Thankfully, the teacher stops before making contact, as she repeats a swing for each year of his life. Pranks and peculiar traditions are a quirk of the festivities across the world, with almost every culture having their own special rites and rituals. Bumps, “punches” and other torments have long been a celebrated part of the festivities, as have “spankings”. The North American tradition sees the birthday boy or girl receive the number of hits that corresponds to their age, plus “one to grow on”. @noahglenncarter People are upset with this teacher for giving a student birthday spankings #foryou #teacher #birthday Numerous TikTok commentators pointed out that they’d received the same treatment at the hands of their teachers while in school, though not everyone remembered the custom fondly. Search “birthday spankings” on the platform and you’ll see a number of videos dedicated to people’s realisation that the whole thing is a bit… creepy. @queenkoppes #stitch with @smithfulteaching The 90s were a different time. #teachersoftiktok @mackenzig__ i thought this was a fever dream or smth for the longest time until someone told me they saw it too Still, plenty of TikTokers have also laughed the whole thing off or pointed to similarly bizarre conventions that they’d fallen prey to. “This is a family tradition for me,” one wrote. “We all got and gave each other birthday spankings. It’s just a fun thing.” “My Spanish teacher pulls ears for birthday,” added another, explaining that it was “her culture’s tradition”. However, influencer Noah Glenn Carter pointed out that some traditions simply don’t age well, and plenty of people would file a complaint with the school if this happened to their kid. “So far it doesn't seem like any action has been taken against the teacher, which I think is fine because she probably didn't mean anything by this,” he said in a commentary on the clip. But, he added: “If I was a teacher, the last thing you would see me doing is giving out birthday spankings to students. “Because even if I was just doing it to be funny, people could see it in a very different light.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

The 20-year-old gymnast and social media star Olivia Dunne shares a peek into her enjoyable photoshoot adventure with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit

Burger King has confounded fast-food fans after unveiling its newest menu item, a burger-less cheeseburger that consists of a bun and 20 slices of American cheese. Earlier this week, Burger King Thailand shared a first look at the cheeseburger, which the fast-food chain has named the “real cheeseburger,” on social media. “Not for fun, this is for real!” a 9 July post on the official Burger King Thailand Facebook reads. The post also included a photo of the cheeseburger, which is piled high with melted cheese slices and nothing else. According to Burger King Thailand, the limited-edition menu item launched on Sunday and is available for a reduced price of 109 Thai baht ($3.14), compared to the usual price of 380 baht ($10.95) for a cheeseburger. In the comments of the Facebook post, the fast-food chain also informed customers that they can “order more cheese” to add to the burger for just 20 Thai baht if they are “not satisfied”. On social media, the cheese-focused burger has sparked both confusion and disgust among viewers, with many questioning why the fast-food chain would release the menu item. “I am, quite literally, gagging,” one person tweeted, while another said: “My stomach hurt just looking at this picture.” According to someone else, the cheeseburger is the “most degenerate food item [they’ve] ever seen”. “Taking Thailand off my bucket list,” another person joked in response to the latest Burger King menu item. As for why the burger exists in the first place, food blogger Richard Barrow, who tried the new cheeseburger himself, according to his Twitter, claimed the “trend” in Thailand is to “put cheese on literally everything”. “A trend in Thailand is to put cheese on literally everything. Now Burger King has joined in with the real cheeseburger. Though I think they forgot the meat,” Barrow tweeted alongside pictures of his own order of the cheese-packed burger. In the post, Barrow then revealed that he “struggled eating even half” of the burger, despite loving cheese. “I love cheese but I struggled eating even half of this ‘burger’. Maybe I should grill the other half? What do you think?” he wrote. Although the cheese on the cheeseburger appears to be melted slightly in Burger King Thailand’s advertisement for the menu item, Barrow’s photos show 20 slices of non-melted cheese stacked neatly inside a sesame bun. As for whether the cheeseburger comes with anything apart from cheese, such as condiments, Barrow confirmed in response to one curious viewer that it’s “just cheese”. While the majority of reactions to the Burger King cheeseburger were negative, there were some who admitted they were intrigued by the fast food item. “I NEED,” one person tweeted, while another said: “I would 100 per cent eat this.” In a statement to The Independent, a spokesperson for Burger King confirmed the cheeseburger, which will only be available until 13 July, “will not be featured in any Burger King location outside of Thailand”. Read More McDonald’s unveils major change to its most iconic burger What diet drinks don’t have aspartame in them? McDonald’s increases price of five menu items Burger King launches ‘real cheeseburger’ stuffed with 20 slices of cheese Google Doodle celebrates pani puri, the much-loved Indian street snack Nigella says extravagant dinner parties are a thing of the past. I wish she was wrong

Europe's main stock markets rose on Thursday, with the region's key event an expected interest rate hike from...

An early sign of dementia in people is poor sleep, which can in turn hasten cognitive decline. The same applies to aging dogs, according to new research. The study is the first to use sleep lab techniques such as an electroencephalogram (EEG) on dogs.

A jury verdict that found power company PacifiCorp liable for devastating wildfires in Oregon in 2020 is highlighting the legal and financial risks utilities face if they fail to take proper precautions for climate change

HAWAIIAN GARDENS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 19, 2023--

Southampton manager Russell Martin has given an update on Romeo Lavia after the midfielder was the subject of a bid from Liverpool.

In seeking a fourth term, Justin Trudeau has overhauled his team ahead of Canada's next election.

Colorado pitcher Ryan Feltner has a skull fracture and concussion after getting hit by a line drive off the bat of Philadelphia’s Nick Castellanos