Designer Nicky Zimmermann has unveiled a 1950s-inspired romantic resort collection called Matchmaker Flip with frothy petticoats, jazzy prints and firm bodices. Zimmermann said she looked at old images of dance halls and was inspired by silhouettes, exaggerated hip shapes, boxy denim separates, full-circle skirts, rolled-sleeve shirts and corset waists, alongside finer details, such as 3D sculptural flowers and paper daisy adornments. Zimmermann’s collection is part of a wave of 1950s nostalgia that has peaked with Lily Rose-Depp’s sleazy bralettes and Pete Davidson’s velour tracksuit at the New York premiere of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
The European Club Association (ECA) is "orchestrating a silent coup" in football governance, empowering the continent’s largest clubs to exert greater control over the sport, according to Javier Tebas, president of Spain's La Liga. Writing in The Guardian, Tebas criticised a perceived lack of democracy within the ECA, with only 140 clubs of its 330 members holding full voting rights, and accused the association of promoting the interests of Europe's biggest clubs while ignoring hypothetical smaller formations. ECA CEO Charlie Marshall described the article as "nonsense".
A youth-led organisation called Banking on a Better Future is calling on student unions to sever ties with banks that refuse to divest from fossil fuels. Several student unions, including the University of Toronto Student Union, have taken steps to end their bank sponsorships. Banking on a Better Future is working with activists at colleges and universities throughout Canada to put pressure on the country’s big banks. RBC in particular has become a target for climate activists over the past year. A report by the Rainforest Action Network ranked RBC the world’s largest backer of fossil fuel projects.
As wildfires continue to ravage Canada and other parts of the world, climate experts suggest that making visible and social choices can encourage societal changes towards battling climate change. Actions further highlighted by the experts include putting pressure on politicians to regard climate change as a non-partisan priority, avoid investing in stocks tied to the oil and gas industry, choose more sustainable investment options, and consider banking with credit unions that do not invest in fossil fuel projects. Evelyn Austin, the executive director of Banking on a Better Future, is of the opinion that people could pressure banks to stop financing fossil fuel projects, by withdrawing their funds until financial institutions dissociate from such investments. Other individual actions that can be taken include switching to heat pumps, LED light bulbs, electric cars and reducing flights.
Hong Kong is facing a shortage of skilled workers, and the government is scrambling to come up with solutions such as skills training subsidies to keep up with demands. The city has been hit by emigration, a declining birth rate and an ageing population. The problem is expected to increase and hiring migrant workers could be one answer to the acute recruitment challenges.
Montenegro holds snap parliamentary vote that could determine its EU path
The Toronto Star
23-06-10 07:01
Montenegro has gone to the polls in an early parliamentary election that could determine whether the small Balkans NATO member will overcome political divisions that have hampered its route to EU membership. Financial expert Milojko Spajic’s centrist Europe Now movement is the likely front-runner, but the pro-Western coalition is not expected to win enough seats in parliament to form a government. As of last year, Montenegro’s EU path was jeopardised, and the country has struggled with political deadlock since the new ruling alliance plunged into disarray.
Canada has set an ambitious target of 500,000 immigrants annually, and figures suggest that by 2041, nearly a third of the population will be foreign-born. Housing is one of the biggest concerns, and governments at all levels must take measures to create homes quickly and efficiently. The healthcare sector is another pressure point, with a national crisis accelerating the recognition of overseas qualifications for doctors and nurses. A clear, long-term plan is needed, to show how new arrivals can integrate and benefit Canada.
Greta Thunberg, the teenager who began a solo school strike over climate change in Sweden five years ago, has taken part in what she says is her last such protest. The movement, known as Fridays for Future or the School Strike for Climate, grew to involve millions of children worldwide and led to other activist campaigns. Speaking about the protests in 2019, Thunberg said they had helped to “change the conversation” around climate change and that they enabled participants to feel that they were part of a worldwide movement with the ability to make an impact.
Street Fighter 2 has been a cultural phenomenon since its release back in 1991, and the series’ recent sixth instalment is testament to its longevity and immediate impact. Often seen as the beginning of contemporary professional gaming, Street Fighter broke down cultural boundaries, featuring characters from all over the world, including Chun-Li, the Hong Kong detective and Soviet-era wrestler Zangief, representing a Soviet era on the decline. In recent years, the series has seen highs and lows, with some versions quickly receiving recognition as the “best fighting game ever made”, whilst others suffering lacklustre features at launch. However, the fundamental principles of the game, including the unique characters and various fighting styles, has kept fans engaged for decades. The most recent version, released earlier this month - Street Fighter 6 - is already winning critical and commercial reviews, with a focus on individuality and an ultimate aim of providing what Director Takayuki Nakayama calls a “fun of versus fighting”.
The Unabomber, whose real name was Ted Kaczynski, has been found dead in his prison cell aged 81. He had killed three people and injured 23 others in a mail-bombing spree that lasted from 1978 to 1995. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1996 after almost 20 years on the run. When Kaczynski's manifesto was published in the Washington Post and New York Times, the FBI finally tracked him down. In 1996 he was found in his cabin in Montana, where he had been living without electricity, heating or plumbing, after his manifesto had been published.
Iga Swiatek has won her third French Open ladies' singles tennis title, having also won the tournament last year and in 2018. The Polish player defeated Karolina Muchova 6-2 5-7 6-4 in a hard-fought final. It was also Swiatek's fourth Grand Slam victory overall. Meanwhile, Alfie Hewett of the UK won the men's wheelchair doubles title along with Gordon Reid.
Ted Kaczynski, aka the "Unabomber", has died aged 81 according to the US Bureau of Prisons. Kaczynski was known for his 17-year bombing campaign between 1978 and 1995, which resulted in the deaths of three people and injuries to 23 more. Despite their experience, it took the FBI years before they could identify Kaczynski as the Unabomber, leading them to declare it the longest and costliest manhunt in US history. His victims ranged from universities to the airlines. Kaczynski was sentenced in 1998 to four life sentences plus 30 years and imprisoned in the federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. For many in the US, the Unabomber's bombs changed the way Americans mailed packages and boarded aircraft. The late president George H.W. Bush called Kaczynski a "madman".
The recent Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on AI demonstrated a growing agreement about regulatory challenges facing artificial intelligence. Areas of agreement included the importance of establishing a new regulatory body, examining the liability rules associated with AI and affording high levels of regulation and auditing to models exhibiting “unpredictable and potentially transformative capabilities”. The development of technical approaches to regulation is also crucial for promoting transparency, privacy and fairness, whilst additional research is required to ensure trustworthiness and safety, areas that should receive equivalent levels of funding and investment as core AI development.
Theodore "Ted" Kaczynski, known as the "Unabomber", has died at the age of 81 in a North Carolina prison. Kaczynski carried out a 17-year bombing campaign across the US from 1978 to 1995, targeting computer store owners, academics, scientists, and even trying to blow up a commercial airliner. He was caught after his brother read his manifesto and recognised his writing style, before informing the authorities. Kaczynski pleaded guilty to all charges in 1998 and was sentenced to four life terms plus 30 years in prison.
Greta Thunberg, the climate activist, has graduated from high school in Sweden and will cease formal schooling after five years of spending Friday protesting outside the Swedish parliament to demand action against climate change. Her protests led to the formation of the Fridays For Future group which became a global movement across 7,500 cities. Thunberg is planning to continue her protests on Fridays but will no longer class them as school striking. As a student, she gave three speeches at the UN and wrote three books, also criticising economic leaders in Davos for their “climate chaos”.
The Future Women Jobs Academy program will receive AUD3.2m ($2.3m) to expand across Queensland. Women in Queensland, up to 200,000 of whom are not participating in the paid labour market due to barriers, will have the opportunity to receive training, mentorship and advice through the program — which already exists across Australia — to help them re-enter the workforce. Research reveals that up to one million Australian women are facing barriers to entering the workforce.
Ontario Place and the Ontario Science Centre were built to celebrate Canada’s centennial and mirrored the country’s transformation of that time. Architects Eb Zeidler and Raymond Moriyama designed the buildings, but years of neglect have seen them fall out of favour. As the government pursues plans for a $350m private sector spa, some are asking why they don’t seek advice in repairing the existing structures.
The mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez, a Republican politician, announced on Fox News Sunday that he is intending to make a “big speech” at the Ronald Reagan Library and urged viewers to “stay tuned”. While Suarez has not yet confirmed his intentions to run for president, he has been critical of former president Trump’s administration but refused to directly answer whether he would vote for him in 2024. Suarez targeted President Biden and his policies in a recent interview.
Suarez was responding to Fox News host Shannon Bream’s question on whether he will join the “ever-growing list” of potential candidates for the presidency. The former Mayor of NYC, Andrew Cuomo resigned last week, looking to make room for a younger, newer generation of political figures. Suarez is one of a new breed of Republican candidates attempting to combat the negative perception propagated by Trumpism. Reports have linked Trump’s return to the political platform to Miami and a campaign launch fuelled by recent crowd numbers.
The Republican Party, in the face of deepening rifts between its moderate and extreme wings, has shifted towards backing populists such as Donald Trump. In contrast, Suarez is seeking to challenge this positioning and steer the party back to its core beliefs. He expressed his frustration with Governor Ron De Santis’s opposition to vaccine passports, stating that this has led to “a very complicated and unfortunate situation in Florida”. It remains to be seen whether the Mayor will announce his candidacy, but a recent Quinnipiac poll indicated that he could have a greater appeal to younger voters and suburban women than DeSantis.
Theodore John Kaczynski, also known as the "Unabomber," has died in his prison cell at the age of 81. Kaczynski was a mathematician who terrorized the United States for nearly 20 years with a series of bombings that killed three people and injured 23. He was sentenced to eight terms of life imprisonment in 1998 after he admitted to carrying out the bombings. Kaczynski was transferred to a medical centre in North Carolina in 2021 due to declining health and died in his cell.
Former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was released from police custody without charge on Sunday as part of an investigation into the financing of her Scottish National Party. The probe has focused on claims the party may have misused £600,000 ($755,000) raised during campaigns in favour of Scottish independence from the UK. Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell, who is also a former SNP chief executive, along with former treasurer Colin Beattie, have also been questioned and subsequently released. Sturgeon resigned in February as Scotland's longest-serving first minister, a position she had held for eight years.
