When 29-year-old jewelry designer Gabriela Berlingeri logged on Zoom for our interview, it felt like I already knew her. We had never actually met, but I’ve known of Berlingeri since my high school years in Puerto Rico, when the small San Juan-based social scene mingled virtually on Facebook in its early days. Since then, the world has also gotten to know her too: Berlingeri is the founder of Diciembre Veintinueve, a Puerto Rico-based jewelry company, who carries a unique niche fame.

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The Ohio Supreme Court says a portion of the description of a ballot question enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution is misleading

In front of an exuberant crowd, North Carolina’s Democratic governor vetoed legislation Saturday that would have banned nearly all abortions in his state after 12 weeks of pregnancy. Hundreds of abortion-rights activists and voters watched on a plaza in the capital of Raleigh as Gov Roy Cooper affixed his veto stamp to the bill. The veto launches a major test for leaders of the GOP-controlled General Assembly to attempt to override Cooper’s veto after they recently gained veto-proof majorities in both chambers. The bill was the Republican response to last year’s US Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade. "We’re going to have to kick it into an even higher gear when that veto stamp comes down,” Mr Cooper told the crowd. “If just one Republican in either the House or the Senate keeps a campaign promise to protect women’s reproductive health, we can stop this ban.” Andrea Long, a 42-year-old mother of three from Cary, said she was honored be part of an “electric” crowd on what she called a “historic day for freedom” in North Carolina. “I couldn’t stop crying tears joy seeing the governor hold up the veto stamp, but I know it’s an uphill battle to keep this momentum going,” Ms Long said. Mr Cooper, a strong abortion-rights supporter, had until Sunday night to act on the measure that tightens current state law, which bans most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Mr Cooper spent the week on the road talking to North Carolinians about the bill’s lesser-known impacts and urging them to apply pressure upon key Republican lawmakers who hesitated about further restrictions during campaigns for office last year. The legislation passed along party lines in the last week in the House and Senate. Republicans have pitched the measure as a middle-ground change to state abortion laws developed after months of private negotiations between House and Senate GOP members. It adds exceptions to the 12-week ban, extending the limit through 20 weeks for rape and incest and through 24 weeks for “life-limiting” fetal anomalies. But Mr Cooper has said repeatedly the details contained in the 47-page bill show that the measure isn’t a reasonable compromise and would instead greatly erode reproductive rights. He cites new obstacles for women to obtain abortions — such as requiring multiple in-person visits, additional paperwork to prove a patient has given their informed consent to an abortion and increased regulation of clinics providing the procedure. Mr Cooper and allies have said those changes in practice will shut down clinics that cannot afford major upgrades mandated by new licensing standards and make it nearly impossible for women who live in rural areas or work long hours to access abortion services. Compared to recent actions by Republican-controlled legislatures elsewhere, the broad prohibition after 12 weeks can be viewed as less onerous to those in other states where the procedure has been banned almost completely. But abortion-rights activists have argued that it’s more restrictive than meets the eye and will have far-reaching consequences. Since Roe was overturned, many patients traveling from more restrictive states have become dependent on North Carolina as a locale for abortions later in pregnancy. Republicans call the legislation pro-family and pro-child, pointing to at least $160m in spending contained within for maternal health services, foster and adoption care, contraceptive services and paid leave for teachers and state employees after the birth of a child. Mr Cooper has singled out four GOP legislators — three House members and one senator — whom he said made “campaign promises to protect women’s reproductive health.” Anti-abortion groups accused Cooper of trying to bully them. One of those House members is Rep Tricia Cotham of Mecklenburg County, who voted for the bill mere weeks after she switched from the Democratic Party to the GOP. The move gave Republicans a veto-proof supermajority if all of their legislators are present and voting. Ms Cotham has spoken out for abortion rights in the past and even earlier this year co-sponsored a bill to codify abortion protections into state law. Rep Ted Davis of Wilmington — another targeted legislator — was the only Republican absent from last week’s initial House vote. The Senate margin already became veto-proof after GOP gains last November. Mr Davis said last fall that he supported “what the law is in North Carolina right now,” which was a 20-week limit. Davis has declined to comment on the bill, but House Speaker Tim Moore said recently that Davis is a “yes” vote for an override. Read More Faith leaders speak out against ‘toxic’ Christian nationalist conference arriving at Trump’s Miami resort GOP boycott in Oregon threatens abortion, transgender bills and protesters' own political careers Louisiana Republicans refuse rape and incest exceptions to state’s sweeping anti-abortion law Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

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Smoking causes 150 cancer cases every day in the UK alone, according to a new study. While tobacco smoking in the UK and US peaked to about 50 per cent in the 1950s, this had dropped to around 13 per cent in 2020-21 due to control efforts, said the study. However, historically high smoking rates are still a driving factor of the cancer burden in the countries today, it said. Very high-income countries like the UK are projected to see a 50 per cent increase in cancer cases over the next 50 years, said Cancer Research UK, that funded the study, on Wednesday. Researchers called on MPs to support raising the age of sale of tobacco products as a critical step to create the first ever smoke-free generation. “Action on tobacco would have the biggest impact – smoking causes 150 cases of cancer in the UK every single day,” said Ian Walker, executive director of policy and information at Cancer Research UK. “There are cost-effective tools at hand to prevent cases of cancer, which will save lives around the world. “Tobacco control measures are chronically underfunded. And as a recognised leader in global health, the UK government can play a significant role in addressing this,” Mr Walker said. The study also revealed at least 1.3 million people in seven countries die due to cancer caused by smoking tobacco. The deaths across the UK, US, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa represent over half the world’s annual cancer death burden. The study analysed the years of life that were wasted to cancer. It also assessed whether certain risk factors caused deaths more prematurely. Researchers found four preventable risk factors resulted in almost two million deaths combined and over 30 million years of life lost each year. These factors are smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. At least 20.8 million years of life are lost from smoking tobacco alone, found the study. It also warned new cancer cases could surge by five times, from 0.6 million to 3.1 million per year in low-income countries over the next 50 years. “These numbers are staggering, and show that with action on a global scale, millions of lives could be saved from preventable cancers,” Mr Walker said. Researchers also found gender differences in the number of cancer deaths. Men were observed to have higher rates of years of life lost to smoking and drinking alcohol as these rates tend to be higher in men. In China, India and Russia, the rates of years of life lost to tobacco smoking and alcohol were up to nine times higher in men than women, found the study. The research was published in the journal eClinicalMedicine and involved the work of researchers from King’s College London and Queen Mary University of London. Read More Binman shoots first Hollywood film after chat with Mark Wahlberg changed his life UK’s tallest living Christmas tree lit up with 1,800 bulbs Morrisons Christmas ad features iconic 80s track and shares support for festive hosts The best foods to forage in November and how to cook them Millions of women able to get contraceptive pills over the counter next year Woman with cystic fibrosis had weeks to live – now she’s climbing mountains

While last summer was the season of the Hailey Bieber “glazed donut,” Sofia Richie’s embodiment of “quiet luxury” has become this year’s fashion obsession. However, the 24-year-old social media personality has revealed that she doesn’t consider herself to be the “queen” of the trend like so many people say she is. In a recent Who What Wear interview, Richie - now married to music executive Elliot Grainge - opened up about how she feels about the new title associated with her look. “Quiet luxury, the term, it sounds really nice, so I’m not knocking it,” she said. “But [my stylist] Liat Baruch and I started working together properly about three and a half years ago, and when we met, our word was ‘timeless.’” Baruch dressed the “it girl” for her April 2023 wedding in Antibes, France. The event has since been titled “a Chanel festival” and “this year’s royal wedding” by W Magazine and Vogue, respectively. During the ceremony, Richie wore a handful of custom couture designs for her welcome party, ceremony, and reception - all Chanel, of course. While speaking on the Who What Wear podcast with Hillary Kerr, Baruch spoke about the inspiration behind the lavish yet understated looks. “We were trying to elevate but stay young, be feminine, aspirational but also attainable - a little bit of everything while staying ageless and classic,” she remarked. “And we did that. She did that, too. It was a constant dialogue and true collaboration.” “She [Richie] was very clear on what she wanted and how she wanted to look: Not too overtly sexy, not too conservative,” Baruch added. “And she’s very focused on how she wants to dress in terms of style and her lifestyle in general, and we were very aligned with all of that.” The youngest daughter of Lionel Richie donned designs that were inspired by archival pieces, one of which Claudia Schiffer wore during a 1993 Chanel runway show. Other looks from the brand’s collection were showcased to fit the season and event theme. Richie’s desire to curate an effortless elegance in her personal style, especially for her wedding, has resonated with individuals striving for a “clean girl” aesthetic. While the A-lister’s closet may not reflect minimalism, her individual pieces are both simple and extravagant in the clever way that she styles them. Between structured blouses with ribbed flare pants and leopard print overcoats with cat-eye sunglasses, her outfits exemplify the perfect way to appear timeless and still have fun. Now, Richie has announced plans for her eponymous fashion line to capture her character in clothing. She intends to make the fashion brand accessible to fans of the put-together-but-without-trying look. “The aesthetic is very my vibe,” she admitted. “I made sure, trying on every single sample, that it embodies the aesthetic that I’ve been wearing. It’s 100 per cent me. No further details have been released about plans for the brand, other than that Richie will not be the fashion line. Read More Lionel Richie shares anti-ageing secrets after fans praise youthful appearance: ‘Sex will work also’ Sofia Richie opens up about early days of her relationship with Elliot Grainge Sofia Richie shows off ‘chic’ coronation concert outfit ahead of father Lionel Richie’s performance

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