A group of foreign diplomats were forced to flee Jenin by Israeli soldiers who were filmed firing at them while they were on a visit there. The group allegedly deviated from a “approved route” and used only as a “warning,” according to the military.
Kim Kardashian may have shot to fame as a reality TV star during The Kardashians, but these days she’s a sharp businesswoman with an eye for what women want.
The SKIMS founder has just launched a new version of the viral nipple bra with fake piercings, which will be available to buy from Thursday, May 22.
It’s the first nipple bra with piercings to go on sale – and the video on Instagram of a model named Carolina walking into a bar wearing a SKIMS bodysuit with the pierced nipple bra under has got everyone talking.
And she’s not the only one to turn her creative hand to other things, which leads us to some other very famous stars who turned out to be unlikely inventors…
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American actress and film producer Jamie Lee Curtis, 66, is best known for playing Laurie in the Halloween films franchise, but she is also a children’s book author and has patented a diaper with a wipe-holding pocket. Called Dipe and Wipe, it’s a disposable diaper with a moisture-proof pocket containing wipers, which she invented in 1988. Jamie came up with the idea after her own experiences of caring for children, but although it’s a great concept, the invention itself is not commercially available and was not designed for mass production.
Steve McQueen, the actor known for his Hollywood roles including The Great Escape and The Sand Pebbles, designed bucket seats and even patented one in 1970. The bucket seat, which was used in the Ford Mustang for the movie Bullitt, was designed to keep the American actor and his doubles safe during filming, particularly the car chase scene. While he improved the look of the seat, it was not a groundbreaking invention, as bucket seats had existed previously.
Not only was Hedy Lamarr a Hollywood sex symbol in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, starring in films like Samson and Delilah (1949) and My Favorite Spy (1951) – she was also a pioneering inventor. Known for her beauty and intelligence, it was her invention of frequency-hopping technology that later formed the basis for modern WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth. The Austrian-American actress studied engineering and top-secret weapons systems. In 1942, she and a partner won a patent for a frequency-switching radio system to control torpedoes, which now forms the basis of wifi and Bluetooth technology.
Beyond her iconic modelling career, where she appeared on Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers in 1979, 1980, and 1981, Christie is known for her other talents. She had a starring role in National Lampoon’s Vacation and has appeared in music videos for her then-husband, Billy Joel. But she’s definitely not just a pretty face. The supermodel received a patent for an educational toy she designed in 1991 that helps kids learn their ABCs. She also launched a number of business ventures, including a wine called Bellissima Prosecco.
In 1984, Prince became the first singer to simultaneously have a number-one film, album and single in the US, with the film Purple Rain, its soundtrack, and his first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping single ‘When Doves Cry’. Considered to be one of the best musicians of all time, in 1992, he also got the thumbs-up for a design patent for a portable keyboard instrument – a custom keytar called ‘Purpleaxxe’. This allowed musicians to play while moving around the stage. Keytars existed before Prince’s Purpleaxxe, and while his design was unique and used in live shows, it didn’t become a dominant instrument across the music industry.
Singer, songwriter and dancer Paula Abdul shot to fame in the 1980s and 90s with hits like ‘Straight Up’ and ‘Opposites Attract’, later becoming known as a judge on the reality TV show American Idol. But did you know the American choreographer also designed a dynamic microphone stand, which was awarded a patent in 2009? The unique creation allows performers to stand on it and sway while singing without becoming tangled in the microphone cable, but was designed to help her own performances, rather than for mass consumption.
Did you know that Michael Jackson invented a type of gravity-defying shoe that allowed him to lean forward and look like he was defying gravity? The King of Pop devised a post that popped up from the stage and locked into his shoe, allowing him to perform his trademark move of leaning forward at an alarming angle. It’s what he used to execute his signature dance move in ‘Smooth Criminal’ which reached number 8 on the official charts in 1988, returning to the Top 40 in 2009 after his death.
Actor Harry Connick Jr may be recognisable as Leo Markus in Will & Grace and starring roles in P.S. I Love You, but his talents don’t end there. The gifted singer and pianist has also devised a machine capable of displaying music digitally for orchestras after becoming frustrated with his sheet music blowing away during performances. This invention, which he patented, allowed for real-time adjustments to scores and eliminated the need for constant paper revisions and has proven a significant advancement for orchestras.
Julie Newmar, most famous for her portrayal of Catwoman, also patented inventions in the 1970s. These included ‘Nudemar’ pantyhose with a shaping band designed to give a woman’s rear ‘cheeky derriere relief’ and she also patented a ‘nearly invisible’ brassiere. She obviously had a head for business, as she also became involved in property sales in Los Angeles.
Winston Churchill rallied Britain and the Allied forces to victory against Nazi Germany in the years leading up to 1945, but in his spare time he invented the onesie! He designed a one-piece green velvet jumpsuit to wear in the Downing Street bunker during air raids, which he called his ‘siren suit’. It’s reported that he loved it because it was easy to slip on when the air raid siren sounded, so much that he ordered 12 of them.
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The ICC is having a difficult time operating now that the US has sanctioned the prosecutor.
Chris Brown has broken his silence since being released from prison earlier today and given bail. Just days after being accused of grievous bodily harm, the American singer was released on bail. On February 19, 2023, Brown, 36, is accused of allegedly using a bottle to harm music producer Abe Diaw at London’s Tape nightclub.
The singer took to Instagram moments after leaving HMP Forrest Bank in Salford to declare, “From the cage to the stage!!! “Breezybowl” Brown appears to be making a bold statement about the fact that his bail conditions allow him to fulfill his tour commitments and perform across Europe prior to his court date of the following month.
After his bail was set at the prison earlier today, Brown was pictured being taken away from the facility this afternoon while seated in a sleek silver Mercedes Benz Vito. The vehicle with the recently released singer and his entourage zoomed past as snappers waited for a glimpse.
The Run It! Before his release from custody, Hitmaker’s team was seen preparing to meet him, with one member likely to change into the musician’s post-release outfit with a JD Sports bag and white trainers.
After making his way to Manchester Airport to prepare for his upcoming Breezy Bowl XX 20th anniversary tour, Brown was detained on May 15 at the Lowry Hotel in Salford. He was due to play across the UK in cities like Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, London, and Cardiff before the arrest was made.
However, Chris’s tour across Europe was put in jeopardy before taking the stage in the UK after being remanded in custody, initially until his next court appearance on June 13. However, Southwark Magistrates Court granted the R&, B star a bail on May 21.
Judge Tony Baumgartner confirmed that Brown’s scheduled tour dates could still go ahead despite not showing up in court. The musician was given bail during the hearing.
A defendant may be forfeited if they violate bail conditions by paying a £5 million security fee to the court.
Chris was detained a day after his arrest, and it was decided that the matter needed to be handled more seriously by the Crown and not handled by magistrates. He only spoke to confirm his name, Christopher Maurice Brown, his birthdate, and address, which he listed as The Lowry Hotel, on Dearmans Place, Salford, at the hearing by wearing plain black pants and a plain black T-shirt.
In contrast to section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, Adele Kelly, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London North, said in a statement earlier this month: “We have authorized the Metropolitan Police to charge Chris Brown, 36, with one count of grievous bodily harm.
On February 19, 2023, the alleged incident took place in London. On May 16 at Manchester Magistrates’ Court, he will make his first court appearance. The Crown Prosecution Service reminds everyone involved that this defendant has the right to a fair trial and that criminal proceedings are ongoing against him.
“No reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online that could adversely affect these proceedings is extremely important.” Following the alleged attack, Brown left the United Kingdom and hadn’t returned for two years.
His lawyer, Grace Forbes, argued that he should be released on bail because he was a well-known public figure. The musician proclaimed his 20th anniversary on his CB tour earlier this year. I’m so happy to be able to show this to the world and my amazing fans. I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE ALL OF YELLOW’S BEAUTIFUL FACES. IMA TAKE YALL THESE ERAS, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY GIVE YALL MY HEART AND SOUL.
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The most recent in a long line of allegations that the health insurance giant has paid allegedly to slash hospital transfers is that UnitedHealth has allegedly paid nursing homes in secret.
The Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday that the alleged action was one of a number of cost-saving strategies that, according to the publication, occasionally put residents’ health at risk, citing an investigation.
The insurance company sent its own medical teams to nursing homes to push the cost-cutting measures, according to the story, which cites thousands of documents and firsthand accounts of more than 20 former employees of the healthcare company and nursing homes. In consequence, patients who desperately needed medical attention did not, including a patient who is currently living with permanent brain damage as a result of a delayed transfer.
The allegations add to the list of negative things that have happened to UnitedHealth in recent months, including reports of criminal and civil investigations into its practices, including those involving Medicare fraud, and Andrew Witty’s abrupt departure last week.
The US Department of Justice investigated these allegations, interviewed witnesses, and obtained thousands of documents to show the significant factual errors in the allegations, according to UnitedHealth in a response to the story.
The DOJ “declined to pursue the matter,” according to the company.
All year, shares have fallen, falling by more than 39 percent, while the Dow dropped by 0.6 percent. The stock is down more than 3 % as of noon ET (16:00 GMT).
According to Sahak Manuelian, managing director, global equity trading at Wedbush Securities, “The news only seems to be getting worse for UnitedHealth.”
The stock was downgraded from “hold” to “reduce” and the price target was set at a record low of $ 270.
Due to uncertainty caused by tariff-driven uncertainty and a backlash against changes in its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy, Target has cut its annual forecasts.
The US big box retailer, which reported its first-quarter results on Wednesday, relys on China to produce 30% of its store-branded goods. While it is on track to reduce its dependency by another 5% by the year’s end, the result of tariff-driven uncertainty is a decline.
The Minneapolis, Minnesota-based retailer anticipates a low single-digit decline in annual sales in its forecast. According to the LSEG, Wall Street analysts anticipated a marginal 0.27 percent increase in annual sales. Prior to now, Target had predicted net sales growth of about 1%.
This is in response to Bank of America’s recent forecast that consumers have decreased their spending since the most recent Conference Board report showed a decline in consumer confidence, which was at a 13-year low in April. The US economy also experienced its first quarter contraction for the first time in three years.
Comparable sales for the first quarter of Target decreased by 3.8 percent, compared to analysts’ predictions of a 1.08 percent decline. In contrast to its prior forecast of $ 8.80 to $ 9.80, it anticipates annual adjusted earnings of $ 7.90 to $ 9.90. The estimated $8.40 was anticipated by analysts.
“Target’s first quarter expenditures were very low. Target’s results were even less encouraging, according to DA Davidson analyst Michael Baker, who spoke to Reuters. Compared to Walmart’s 9% increase and Home Depot’s 2.3 percent decline, Target’s stock has performed poorly, falling by nearly 28 percent this year.
On the heels of its disappointing earnings report, Target’s stock is exploding. It was down 2.91 percent from the opening of the market, but it has increased by more than 1% in the previous five days, as of 11 a.m. in New York (15:00 GMT).
Additionally, according to Target, changes to its DEI policies in January had an impact on its first-quarter performance.
Many of Target’s DEI policies were terminated, causing controversy because some of its critics claimed that its commitment to inclusion had benefited consumers who were younger, more diverse. Due to the fact that it coincided with US President Donald Trump’s executive order to end DEI regulations in federal agencies and schools, the decision attracted more attention.
The backlash led to economic boycotts, notably from Reverend Jamal-Harrison Bryant, a Georgia pastor who organised a 40-day “fast” of Target stores. He has since called for those efforts to continue in recognition of the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder by police in Minneapolis, Target’s headquarters.
CEO Brian Cornell said the reversal of some DEI policies played a role in first-quarter performance but he couldn’t quantify the impact.
“Target’s]results] do nothing to restore confidence in the company. On the contrary, they are emblematic of a business that has made too many mistakes and has lost its way on several fronts”, GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders told Reuters, pointing to issues including poor inventory management and a lack of exciting merchandise.
Target’s forecast contrasts with its bigger rival Walmart, which maintained its annual forecasts last week but said it would need to pass on higher prices due to tariffs. That has drawn the ire of Trump, who said Walmart should “eat the tariffs” on imported goods instead of passing on the costs.
Unlike Walmart, which generates the bulk of its revenues by selling groceries like bananas, milk, toilet paper and shampoo, a majority of what Target sells falls in the nonessential category – largely apparel, home furnishings and beauty products, which it sources from China.
TJX, the parent company of retailer TJ Maxx, also reported its earnings on Wednesday, and while tariffs loom, the company is set to maintain its forecasts. The Massachusetts-based big box retailer expects comparable sales to grow 2 percent to 3 percent during the current quarter.
Unlike Target and Walmart, TJ Maxx, relies on expansive sourcing from middlemen in the US, which limits the impact of any new tariffs on China.
On a media call, Target executives declined to provide details on potential price increases due to tariffs. Most tariff-related increases could be offset, they said, but acknowledged that raising prices could be a “last resort”.
Cornell said pricing decisions will largely depend on ongoing efforts to source more products from the US and reduce reliance on China.
“That is going to play a very important role”, he said.
Rick Gomez, the company’s chief commercial officer, said Target is working on negotiating with suppliers, expanding sourcing to other Asian countries beyond China, re-evaluating its product assortment, and adjusting the timing and quantity of orders.