
What residuals are — and why Hollywood actors and writers are striking over them
Residuals are an essential issue in the current strikes of Hollywood's actors and screenwriters
1970-01-01 08:00

Wheat prices soar as Russia-Ukraine tensions flare
Global inflation is finally coming down, but heightened geopolitical tensions could mean that food is about to get a lot more expensive.
1970-01-01 08:00

Naples fetes Italy's great tenor Caruso with new museum
A century and a half after his birth, Italian tenor and opera legend Enrico Caruso is finally being celebrated by his hometown of...
1970-01-01 08:00

Colin Cowherd Now Five Percent Less In on Justin Fields
Devastating for Fields.
1970-01-01 08:00

Trump's maneuvering in key states buoys Senate GOP amid feud with conservative group
Donald Trump recently delivered the news to Rep. Matt Rosendale: He wouldn't win the former president's coveted endorsement if he runs in the GOP primary for the US Senate seat in Montana, according to a Trump ally, a decision with major implications in the high-stakes battle for control of the Senate.
1970-01-01 08:00

Wheat Rises 9% as Russia Issues Warning on Ships Headed to Ukraine
Wheat futures soared as much as 9%, the biggest jump since 2012, as Russia threatened ships sailing to
1970-01-01 08:00

How Jane Birkin inspired the most expensive bag in the world
Jane Birkin, style mogul and the namesake behind the most expensive bag in the world, has died at age 76. On Sunday 16 July, the British-born actress and singer was found deceased inside her Paris apartment, with French President Emmanuel Macron confirming her death in a tweet, in which he described her “a French icon”. The icon became the muse for Hermès’ archetypal accessory and defined the classic Parisian-chic look in the 70s. Since Birkin’s unlikely 1981 run-in with the brand’s former chairman and head designer, she’s held the highest of honours in luxury fashion. The chance encounter happened when Birkin found herself on the same Air France flight as Hermès executive Jean-Louis Dumas when a bag that was holding her belongings broke and she angrily blamed Hermès for not making a big enough bag to fit her stuff. She complained out loud, unaware that the brand’s artistic director was sitting directly next to her. Not long after, the French fashion house debuted the “Birkin bag,” only offered in a large size to satisfy her wishes. Birkin recalled the consequential interaction in a 2020 interview with Christiane Amanpour from CNN, where she remembered: “I said: ‘Why don’t you make a bag that’s sort-of four times the [size of the] Kelly that you could just leave open and sort of half the size of my suitcase?’” She continued: “He said: ‘well, draw it for me.’ And I think I drew it on the sick bag, a vomit bag in the aeroplane.” Eventually, Dumas turned Birkin’s wishes into a reality. Before she went to purchase the accessory she inspired, Dumas told her she could have one free of charge if he could name it after her. In a 2012 interview with Vogue, Birkin admitted the Hermès had paid her £30,000 for her annual royalty, but she opted to donate the money to her preferred charities. “I got Hermès to fork out for my charities once I saw the fortune they were making. A certain amount of money every year goes straight to my charity and it will continue to after my death,” she said while speaking to WWD in 2011. Hermès will continue to honour her legace by donating to Birkin’s preferred charities in the wake of her passing. Known to cost upwards of $10,000, the Birkin bag is a status symbol as much as an emblem of the relationship between designer goods and practicality. With a waitlist and limited supply of this delicately crafted leather accessory, an air of exclusivity is achieved amongst the fortuitous owners. Vintage models from previous collections are priced and sold anywhere between $30,000 and $500,000 depending on their year, according to Sothebys. These highly regarded handbags mesh conservative and mod fashion codes, celebrating the intersection between Birkin’s and Hermès’ styles. However, following a 2015 investigation into the brand by PETA, which revealed the treatment of crocodiles for their skin, Birkin requested that her name be removed from the bags that were made out of the animal. “Jane Birkin has expressed her concerns regarding practices for slaughtering crocodiles. Her comments do not in any way influence the friendship and confidence that we have shared for many years. Hermès respects and shares her emotions and was also shocked by the images recently broadcast,” the fashion house said at the time. Hermès respected her decision then, but she ended up dropping her request as she was satisfied with how the brand handled the situation, labelling it as an “isolated irregularity.” In a statement, the brand said: “Jane Birkin has advised us that she is satisfied by the measures taken by Hermès.” She was known for her transcendent performances both on set and stage as a movie star and singer, respectively. However, Birkin’s “French girl” aesthetic will have forever affected the fashion industry’s perception of timeless looks. Birkin was a trendsetter, but not in a cyclical way. She would don silk blouses with sheer tights, monochromatic pieces decorated with statement belts, and pendant necklaces. Birkin, who previously favoured large wicker baskets to hold her belongings instead of handbags, would wear a simple white T-shirt and vintage denim combination, taking the most effortless outfit making it elegant. Following the creation of the Birkin bag, she was also looked to as the perfect example for how the expensive bag was meant to be used, with Birkin photographed with her own overflowing Hermès handbag on a number of occasions. “I love the way she wears her bag... Carefree, nonchalant, unpretentious, so iconic,” one person tweeted, while another said: “A well-loved bag should show a little shamble.” Read More Jane Birkin death: ‘Je t’aime... moi non plus’ singer and actor dies aged 76 The most iconic Hermès Birkin bags inspired by Jane Birkin Jane Birkin: Singer, actor and inspiration behind iconic Birkin bag dies aged 76 The most iconic Hermès Birkin bags inspired by Jane Birkin Kim Kardashian’s Skims is now worth $4bn TikTokers are showing off pink outfits they’re going to wear to watch Barbie movie
1970-01-01 08:00

Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth wish Shannen Doherty hadn't left 'Beverly Hills 90210'
Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth wish Shannen Doherty would have stayed on "Beverly Hills, 90210" longer.
1970-01-01 08:00

Has Ariana Grande deleted her wedding photos? Pop star wipes out social media memories with Dalton Gomez after split
Dalton Gomez, on the other hand, has been dating other people for months
1970-01-01 08:00

Four-Day Week Expert Doesn’t Want Everyone Working Four Days — Yet
Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, program director at 4 Day Week Global, thinks there’s already an abundance of firms toying
1970-01-01 08:00

Vladimir Putin to skip South Africa summit where he faced risk of arrest
Vladimir Putin will not attend a summit in South Africa next month – allowing the hosts to avoid a decision whether or not to arrest the Russian leader thanks to an international warrant over war crime allegations. As a signatory to the International Criminal Court (ICC) which issued the warrant, South Africa would be expected to detain Mr Putin once he sets foot in the country. Although it has refused to honour that obligation in the past, allowing safe passage to Sudan’s then-president Omar al-Bashir in 2015, who was facing allegations of war crimes against his own people. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Mr Putin and Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights Maria Lvova-Belova in March in relation to the forced deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia . The announcement that Mr Putin will stay away from the two-day summit in August comes a day after court documents showed South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa had sought permission from the ICC not to follow through with the arrest, saying it would amount to a “declaration of war”. South Africa’s largest opposition party, Democratic Alliance, had gone to court to try and compel authorities to carry out the arrest if Mr Putin arrived, but Mr Ramaphosa appeared dead set against the move. “South Africa has obvious problems with executing a request to arrest and surrender President Putin,” he said in an affidavit filed in late June but made public on Tuesday. “Russia has made it clear that arresting its sitting president would be a declaration of war. It would be inconsistent with our constitution to risk engaging in war with Russia.” On Wednesday, a statement from South Africa’s presidency said that by “mutual agreement” Russia would be represented by its foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, at the summit of Brics nations – Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa. The Russian state RIA news agency later said, citing the Kremlin, that Mr Putin will take part in the summit via video call. Speaking just before the announcement by South Africa, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitri Peskov, told reporters that everyone understood – without having it explained to them – what an attempt to infringe on Mr Putin’s rights would mean. But he said that Russia did not tell South Africa that an arrest would mean war. The Kremlin has called the warrant issued against Mr Putin outrageous and legally void, because the country is not a member of the organisation. “No, no such formulations were uttered, no one gave anyone to understand that,” Mr Peskov said. “It is clear to everyone in this world what an attempt to infringe on the rights of the head of the Russian State means. So there is no need to explain anything to anyone here.” South Africa has been trying to deal with the issue of the arrest for months. It sees Russia has an ally, but clearly does not want to inflame tensions with Western nations either. South Africa has consistently abstained from voting at the United Nations to condemn Russia’s aggression, calling instead for dialogue to end the war. Claiming neutrality, the country is also part of efforts by a group of at least six African nations who recently embarked on a peace mission to Kyiv and Moscow to meet with both Mr Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. In his court submission, Mr Ramaphosa suggested such efforts might be jeopardised by an attempt to arrest Russia’s president. “An arrest of President Putin would introduce a new complication that would foreclose any peaceful solution,” he said. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
1970-01-01 08:00

Sheryl Crow responds to Jason Aldean's song controversy: 'Even people in small towns are sick of violence'
Sheryl Crow has shared her thoughts on Jason Aldean's controversial song, "Try That in a Small Town."
1970-01-01 08:00