Crisis pregnancy centers in Illinois that are popping up near abortion facilities to offer information about alternatives face penalties if they disseminate misleading or untruthful information

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON In shallow waters about 242 million years ago, a strange marine reptile built unlike

The Roald Dahl Museum in England, founded by the widow of the children's author, has acknowledged his racism was "undeniable and indelible."

North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature will attempt to quickly override the governor’s veto of legislation banning nearly all abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy

A crocodile has made herself pregnant in what is believed by scientists to be a world first. The crocodile at the Costa Rica zoo created a foetus that was 99.9 per cent genetically identical to itself, often known as a "virgin birth." This process typically does not occur with crocodiles but with other species such as birds, lizards, snakes, fish and sharks. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Scientists believe this kind of solo reproduction could be traced back to the dinosaurs, as they suggest the species may have also been capable of this rare method. The latest study was published on Wednesday (June 7) in the Royal Society journal, Biology Letters. Back in January 2018, an egg was laid by an 18-year-old female American crocodile in Parque Reptilania, the BBC reported. The fully formed foetus did not hatch however and was stillborn. Researchers from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, say this is the "first documentation" of this kind of reproduction in this species. Dr Warren Booth who has studied virgin births (parthenogenesis) for 11 years theorised that this reproduction method has not been seen in crocodiles because weren't looking out for this happening. ''There was a big increase in reports of parthenogenesis when people started keeping pet snakes. But your average reptile keeper doesn't keep a crocodile," he noted to the BBC. "This new evidence offers tantalizing insights into the possible reproductive capabilities of extinct archosaurian relatives of crocodilians, notably the Pterosauria and Dinosauria," experts said in the study. 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.

During my junior year of high school, I began struggling with invasive, destructive thoughts. I was clinically depressed, and as a teenager, I had no idea how to manage these troubling apprehensions and emotions. My psychiatrist at the time prescribed me Lexapro and Adderall, the former to help with my anxiety and depression and the latter for my newly diagnosed ADHD. At the time, being so young, it was difficult for me to grasp the idea of medication. I wondered why I needed it to function and why other people didn’t. Nonetheless, I spent the next six years taking these psychiatric medications, and this treatment helped me to start living fully again.

Max Verstappen will not start Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix from pole position with the world champion set to serve a five-place grid penalty. Verstappen, 110 points clear at the top of the standings, is due to take on his fifth gearbox, one more than he is permitted. It means the 25-year-old will begin the grand prix on Sunday no higher than sixth in something of a boost to his forlorn rivals. However, the Dutchman started the race from 14th last year owing to engine penalties and still took the win in his dominant Red Bull machine. Verstappen has won the last seven races, nine of the 11 rounds staged so far this season, and is on course to wrap up a hat-trick of titles. At last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen’s Red Bull team set a new F1 record of 12 consecutive wins. Qualifying for Sunday’s race is due to take place at 5pm local time (4pm BST) on Friday. A sprint race will be staged at Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday, but Verstappen’s penalty will apply only to the main event. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Of all the places you’d expect to see a woman walking barefoot, the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival is probably not one of them. And yet, this has become a somewhat regular occurrence at the annual shindig, where A-list actors, models and directors gather in their finest gladrags. Sure, the festival is ostensibly about celebrating the best of cinema. But it has also become one of the most significant events in the fashion calendar, with stars taking the opportunity to make both sartorial and political statements. However, out of all the trends that have prevailed, from cutout gowns to sheer sequins, the one that continually seems to trump them all is none other than women’s feet. And it’s already made headlines again this year, thanks to the likes of Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence and Isabelle Huppert, all of whom have made their own subtle nods to the political powers of their own feet. Traditionally, the Cannes dress code is rather strict: in 2015, a group of women in their fifties were reportedly turned away from a screening because they were wearing “rhinestone flats” instead of high heels. The story immediately prompted a backlash and accusations of sexism, with the festival’s director, Thierry Frémaux, denying that heels are mandatory: “The rumour saying the festival insists on high heels for women on the red carpet is unfounded,” he wrote in response to critics on Twitter. Nonetheless, female actors were quick to respond, with Emily Blunt saying at the time: “Everyone should wear flats, to be honest. We shouldn’t wear high heels.” The following year, Julia Roberts and Sasha Lane attended Cannes events barefoot. “The carpet was for our film and I was dressed in a very elegant gown and there’s a ton of stairs, and I’m walking around all day… so I will go barefoot,” Lane said in a later interview. “Why is anyone against that? I’m still here and well-dressed.” Lane’s comments were also echoed by Kristen Stewart, who once said of strict female dress codes: “I feel like you can’t ask people that anymore. If you’re not asking guys to wear heels and a dress, you cannot ask me either.” The Twilight star famously took off her sky-high Christian Louboutin heels on the red carpet at Cannes in 2018, proceeding to walk the rest of the carpet barefoot. Official rule or not, there’s no mistaking that even now, in 2023, the pressures placed on women at black tie events such as Cannes are different to those placed on men. Sartorial convention has long defined occasionwear as anything that leaves your feet uncomfortable. Whether it’s a pump, sandal, or stiletto, the shoe needs to add some sort of height to your look in order to be considered formal and appropriate. It might seem like a small imposition, but if there’s anything this year’s red carpet has taught us, it’s that it can serve as a microcosm of much wider inequalities. Take Cate Blanchett, who last weekend at a Cannes party presented an award to the French-Iranian star Zahra Amir Ebrahimi. “I am going to take my heels off, in honour of the women of Iran,” she told the crowd, before holding up Ebrahimi’s pointed trophy to joke: “This is to stab everyone who stands in the way of women’s rights. Up the vajayjay!” The sentiment has also been referenced by Portman, Lawrence and Huppert at this year’s festival. On Saturday, while talking about her new film May December, Portman spoke about the idea of “performing femininity”, telling attendees that it’s something she’s “very curious about”. “The different ways that we as women are expected to behave – at this festival, even – compared to men,” she said. “How we’re supposed to look, how we’re supposed to carry ourselves.” Meanwhile, Lawrence arrived on the red carpet for the Bread and Roses premiere in a scarlet Dior gown paired with flip-flops. And as for Huppert, a perennial style maven at Cannes and beyond, she made a subtle nod to the shoe-less protests in a pair of Balenciaga heels that had been specially designed to resemble a bare foot. All this serves as a reminder that despite societal progressions, women’s bodies are still firmly policed in the public eye. If it’s not via their footwear, it’s via their actual outfits. Think supermodel Irina Shayk, whose outfits at Cannes events this year include a leather two-piece by Mowalola that exposed her entire torso, and a sheer black dress worn over a matching set of Gucci underwear. Elsewhere, we’ve seen Julia Fox don a completely see-through bodice with a white flowing skirt, while Naomi Campbell walked the red carpet in a scarlet gown with cutouts across her chest. Showing skin is nothing new among the fashion set, particularly given the resurgence of Y2K trends on the runways that continues to maintain its stronghold on the industry. (There has been talk of “naked dresses” for several seasons now, with influencers and stars all partaking in the art of wearing sheer gowns to formal affairs.) But bringing it to Cannes feels particularly poignant and in keeping with the barefoot brouhaha when you consider just how easily offended people are by such ensembles. The body-shaming prompted by Florence Pugh’s see-through Valentino frock last summer is just one example that springs to mind. Flashing a foot is, of course, somewhat different to flashing a nipple, but fundamentally the underlying message is the same. It’s about subverting the social conventions that oppress us. It’s about showing the world that women are fed up of being told what is and is not an acceptable way of presenting their bodies. And it’s about asking why we should still conform to dress codes informed by sexism when, as Blanchett pointed out, women’s rights continue to be subjugated around the world. With all this in mind, we’re not asking for much. The least people can allow us is to take off our heels or flash a little flesh without it having to be headline news. Read More Subversive? Dangerous? Boring?: How the red carpet became a barometer for modern masculinity Hostage to fashion: Margot Robbie’s Chanel problem speaks to a wider red carpet crisis Can casual sex ever really be casual? All the best-dressed stars at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival Jennifer Lawrence stuns at Cannes Film Festival in red Dior gown - and flip-flops Amber Heard supporters react to Johnny Depp’s Cannes welcome

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UPDATE: Aug. 8, 2023, 5:00 a.m. EDT This guide has been updated to reflect Mashable's

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Mercedes chief James Allison says Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification is an “embarrassment” and “significant blow” for the team as the 2023 F1 season draws to a close. Hamilton finished the US Grand Prix in second, behind race winner Max Verstappen, but was disqualified by the FIA following a technical inspection of the plank underneath his Mercedes car was found to have exceeded the limits in the regulations. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who finished sixth, was disqualified for the same reason. Mercedes’ technical director Allison, who earlier in the season came back into the fold on-site in the Mercedes garage after an effective job swap with Mike Elliott, did not mince his words when speaking in the team’s post-race debrief video. “Of course the disqualification is a significant blow,” he said. “It’s a miserable feeling. It hurts and, everybody here feels it. "Everybody is upset, embarrassed to a degree as well because we absolutely don’t like being on the wrong side of the rules, and just lamenting the lost points." Hamilton was set to close to within 19 points of Sergio Perez in the battle for the second in the world championship but, instead, the deficit is now 39 points ahead of the Mexican’s home race in Mexico City this weekend. However, Allison was also keen to stress the uplift provided by Mercedes’ upgrade in Austin, which brought an improvement in pace for Hamilton and his team-mate George Russell. "Give it a day or two and that will start to wane and be replaced by the much happier feeling, which is we moved our car forward this weekend and that it’s hard to do that,” he added. "But we did it and we did it by a decent amount. And with four races left in the championship, four races where I am pretty sure we will stay on the right side of the skid block rules. "The initial feeling of hurt, and disappointment and frustration of ourselves will pass to be replaced by the sunny optimism of knowing that the car looked bright on this upgrade package and we’ve got four more races to show what we can do with it." Hamilton is a two-time winner at the Mexican Grand Prix but was booed after finishing runner-up to Verstappen last year. Read More Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc post amusing joint Instagram after DSQ Red Bull chief condemns Mexican fans who booed Max Verstappen Logan Sargeant earns first F1 point in bizarre circumstances Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes react to shock disqualification from United States GP Chaos as Lewis Hamilton disqualified four hours after finishing second in US GP Lando Norris reflects on 2023 win prospects after another near-miss in Austin