The United Arab Emirates has contradicted claims by the Nigerian government that it is to lift a year-long visa ban on Nigerian travelers.

Sure, flats are practical as an everyday shoe, and heels are the most obvious option for dressier outfits. But wedge sandals strike the perfect balance between casual and fancy. R29 Fashion Writer Frances Solá-Santiago even declared wedges the "anti-ballet flat" trend of 2023. And since platform shoes are also popular right now, there's no better time to purchase a pair of platform wedge sandals.

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Nina, an avid hunter who is also a squirrel fat enthusiast, dazzled judge Gordon Ramsay with her remarkable 'technical flare' on Season 13 of 'MasterChef' USA

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In a school in eastern France, teacher Sandra Cronimus greets her pupils every morning with...

Welcome to fall, a season of new energy. We’re shopping for upcoming weddings, getting haircuts, going back to school or the office full time. When it comes to choosing something as seemingly mundane as a nail polish color for September and October (Libra season!), we’re being mindful about the tones we’re gravitating towards and why — because even more fun than painting your nails is doing it with intention.

In the pope’s homeland of Argentina, Catholics have been renouncing the faith and joining the growing ranks of the religiously unaffiliated

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina voted to override the governor’s veto of a bill that outlaws abortion at 12 weeks of pregnancy, restricting abortion access in a state that has been a haven for abortion care in the year after the US Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v Wade. In neighbouring South Carolina, lawmakers have continued debate before voting on a more-restrictive measure that would ban nearly all abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy, before many people know they are pregnant, adding to a streak of abortion restrictions across the US South. More than a dozen states, mostly in the South, have outlawed most abortions or severely restricted access within the year after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which revoked a constitutional right to abortion care that was affirmed for nearly half a century. Abortion rights restrictions in North Carolina and a six-week ban in South Carolina would dramatically change the map for abortion access in the US, where abortions are banned in most cases from Texas to West Virginia and along the Gulf Coast. “In the more than a dozen states with bans, women have been turned away from emergency rooms, left with no choice but to travel hundreds of miles for the care they need, and faced complications that put their lives and health at risk. Like those laws, the North Carolina ban will harm patients and threaten doctors for providing essential care,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement on 17 May. She called the North Carolina measure a “dangerous bill that is out of touch with the majority of North Carolinians and will make it even more difficult for women to get the reproductive health care they need.” “We’ve already seen the devastating impacts that state abortion bans have had on the health and lives of Americans living under these draconian laws,” she added. Health workers joined protesters at the North Carolina Capitol in Raleigh on 17 May as lawmakers in the Republican-controlled state legislature convened to override a veto from Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, who has spent the last several days campaigning for GOP lawmakers to break from the party and drop the challenge to his veto. In a video posted online, the governor named four Republican lawmakers who he said made campaign promises to protect access to abortion. “They say this is a reasonable 12-week ban. It’s not,” he said in the video. “The fine print requirements and restrictions will shut down clinics and make abortion completely unavailable to many women at any time, causing desperation and death.” Much of the coverage surrounding the North Carolina legislation has centred around a now-Republican lawmaker who previously campaigned against abortion restrictions when she was a Democrat, up until April. State Rep Tricia Cotham joined the Republican Party last month after campaigning for her seat as a Democratic candidate and earning the endorsement of EMILY’s List, an influential abortion rights organisation. Her party switch delivered Republicans a veto-proof majority in the House. Ms Cotham has spent years campaigning against abortion restrictions, with powerful testimony about abortion rights and her own medically necessary abortion experience, saying in one widely shared 2015 speech that “my womb and my uterus is not up for your political grab.” In a statement following the vote, the governor said that “North Carolinians now understand that Republicans are unified in their assault on women’s reproductive freedom, and we are energized to fight back on this and other critical issues facing our state.” Lawmakers in the House and Senate voted on party lines to reverse the governor’s veto. The bill includes exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest or if there is a “life-limiting anomaly” in the fetus. It also will require in-person physician visits at least 72 hours before a procedural abortion, and doctors must also make real-time views of fetuses available and allow patients to listen to embryonic cardiac activity. North Carolina lawmakers approved the anti-abortion law while lawmakers in Nebraska debated a measure that coupled a 10-week abortion ban with a bill targeting gender-affirming care for trans youth, a proposal that inspired a nearly three-month-long filibuster in an effort to block it. Republican lawmakers ultimately broke through the filibuster on Tuesday night and voted in favour of the combined bill, which will head to a final round of votes before it heads to the desk of Republican Governor Jim Pillen, who intends to sign it into law. Meanwhile, in Louisiana, lawmakers recently refused to add rape and incest exceptions to its anti-abortion law, one of the most restrictive in the country. State lawmakers also overwhelmingly rejected attempts to clarify medical exceptions in the law, including a measure that would specifically allow providers to remove an ectopic or molar pregnancy, which cannot result in a successful birth. Read More Nebraska Republicans approve combined gender-affirming care ban and anti-abortion bill after epic filibuster Anti-abortion laws harm patients facing dangerous and life-threatening complications, report finds

By Deborah Mary Sophia Restaurant chains including McDonald's and Chipotle Mexican Grill are expected to report strong profits

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If you’re a dedicated skincare junkie, you might be thinking about how you can get that glow beyond your night-time skincare routine. Facials can be an appealing way of targeting any concerns you might have and giving your skin a bit of professional care. But they’re undoubtedly expensive, and generally more of an investment than buying a pot of moisturiser. Naturally, you want to spend your money as wisely as possible – and if you do have the extra funds for a facial, you don’t want to waste it. So, what’s the best type of facial to get for your age group? In your 20s “Facials and skincare choices in your 20s should be preventative; aiming to optimise your skin’s health and supercharging collagen and elastin levels,” says Dr Thuha Jabbar, aesthetic doctor and founder of Almas Dental. “Hydrafacials are a great, non-invasive skin boosting treatment that deep cleanse the skin, brighten and reduce fine lines. Chemical peels and other non-invasive facial treatments are also great to improve skin tone and keep breakouts at bay.” Dr Sophie Shotter is also a fan of Hydrafacials (which start from £125 depending on clinic and location – available in over 1,300 UK and Ireland providers). They provide a deep clean, followed by extracting any impurities then moisturising the skin. Shotter says they can “help to give the skin a deep clean, minimising the risk of breakouts. LED [light therapy facials] is also an excellent choice. Many facialists will combine techniques for best results.” Dr Radmila Lukian, dermatologist at the Lucia Clinic, recommends microdermabrasion for people in their 20s – a process where fine crystals and a vacuum are used to remove dead skin cells. She says it’s “a great treatment for brightening dull skin and reducing pigmentation. Perfect for young adults.” In your 30s When you hit your 30s, this is the time when Shotter recommends “starting to think about upping the ante” with your skincare. She recommends facials which incorporate microneedling – a process where small needles pierce the top layer of your skin. “We often start to notice the early signs of ageing, as collagen loss kicks in through our 30s, and these treatments can help to stimulate collagen production leading to significant improvements in skin texture,” Shotter says. Lukian recommends a facial that incorporates dermaplaning – where a scalpel removes hair and dead layers of skin – which she says can help “combat free radical damage, stimulate collagen and improve skin texture”. In your 40s When you reach your 40s, Lukian suggests LED light therapy and laser skin resurfacing treatments, as they “become more relevant to target wrinkles, stimulate collagen and improve skin elasticity”. She adds: “Laser skin resurfacing uses targeted laser energy to promote collagen production – revealing healthier, younger-looking skin.” Kim Kardashian, 42, is a fan of laser facials, and often posts about her treatments on Instagram. Jabbar adds: “Your 40s is a great time to try laser treatments, to reduce the visibility of wrinkles and boost the overall health and appearance of your skin. From laser skin resurfacing treatments to IPL [intense pulsed light] facials that reduce hyperpigmentation and sun spots, lasers are a versatile and non-invasive option which can restore a youthful glow to your skin.” In your 50s and beyond “In your 50s and beyond, keeping focused on collagen stimulation with similar approaches to our 40s certainly helps a lot,” says Shotter. “But in our 50s, we often start to notice many more visible signs of ageing, including pigmentation and skin wrinkling (elastosis). Using deeper chemical peels or resurfacing laser techniques, which may carry a little downtime, but are worthwhile for the results.” For this age range, she says skin hydration “is also often a higher concern than in younger years”, so hydrating facials are an excellent choice too. While Hydrafacials are great in your 20s, they’re equally beneficial in your 50s and beyond – singer and actor Jennifer Lopez, 54, recently collaborated with the brand for her own ‘JLo Beauty Booster’ that can come as part of the treatment.