Teachers are leaving jobs in growing numbers, state reports show

Why wear an Hermes Birkin bag on your arm, when you can don a lookalike around your waist? Christina Aguilera wowed fans with a daring style choice, but this time she made viewers do a double take when she shared a photo of herself wearing bottoms designed to look like the most sought-after luxury accessory. In her 31 July Instagram post, Aguilera posed in front of a grey tile wall, assuming her most Barbie self in a dazzling pink Namilia micro purse skirt. The brand’s 2024 spring collection piece mirrors the form of a Birkin bag, handles and everything. A half-moon strap is stitched between three crystal flaps which are detailed with silver buckles identical to the Hermes model. In the photo, Aguilera is seen gripping the front handle with her long nails. The 42-year-old music icon teamed up with her stylist Chris Horan to pair the Avant Garde piece with a classic black T-shirt, see-through kitten heels, a messy 90s bun, and wraparound moto sunglasses. “Precious goods,” she wrote, signing the caption with a pink bow emoji. Mesmerised viewers rushed to Aguilera’s comment section to compliment her subversive look. “She’s in her bag,” one fan joked, while another said: “Barbie legend.” “Xtina is such a legend! She looks effortlessly perfect here,” someone else added. Founded in 2015 by Nan Li and Emilia Pfohl, Namilia is a Berlin-based forward-thinking brand using ready-to-wear designs to symbolise cultural beliefs. Their spring 2024 collection debuted during Berlin Fashion Week, titled: “In Loving Memory of My Sugar Daddy.” This season’s line is a rebellious ode to “the self-made millionaire that is the gold digger,” according to the brand’s website. “She navigates through gender inequality head-on.” The “Genie in a Bottle” singer’s eye-catching purse skirt was just one of many designs that utilised the structure of the renowned Birkin bag on the runway. In addition to the pink micro skirt was a full-length glossy version adorned with a drop train, an enormous tote that says, “Tragic,” and a corset, all marked with the Hermes handbag design. Read More Paris Hilton struggles to remove $450 Crocs boots: ‘It’s a full-team effort’ Victoria Beckham shows off new $450 Crocs boots after claiming she would ‘rather die’ than wear brand Pink hits back at claims she ‘shaded’ Christina Aguilera during interview: ‘Some personalities’

The family of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman whose cells have been used for scientific research for decades, reached a settlement Tuesday with the biotech company Thermo Fisher Scientific, the family's attorneys said.

The website formerly known as Twitter has replaced its bird logo with an X, but there's a way for iPhone users to get the old icon back on their home screen.

Eva Mendes is ready to soak up her competition at the 2024 Oscars. The actress showed herself in a dress entirely made out of sponges on Monday in a recent Instagram post. The gown was covered in green, orange and blue sponges that are actually her Skura Style kitchen sponges. She became a co-owner and brand ambassador of the company back in May 2022. The sponges are one of the brand’s newer products and are meant to indicate when a user should throw it out in favour of a new sponge. The key is to wait until the black logo completely disappears. Mendes finished off the look with gold accents including a single bangle, dangle earrings and a thick chain necklace. Her hair was done in a half-up style with a gold clip securing it in addition to neon green sunglasses. To fully round out the summer vibes of the outfit, Mendes wore a bright pink lip and blush. “Oscar lewk? Met Gala,” her Instagram caption read as she teased where she might be wearing the adventurous outfit. “Is this what they mean when they say ‘clean fashion’?” she jokingly continued. Mendes said she would be updating her post based on other jokes about the sponge dress written in the comments section by her fans. “It’s very Haute Skuture,” one of the jokes read. However, most fans were too busy applauding the actress for making any outfit look good regardless of the choice of medium. “Btw you are stunning, even covered by sponges,” one fan wrote, while another said: ““BETTER SEE THIS LOOK AT THE OSCARS.: Other fans were curious where they could actually buy one of these dresses, only to be disappointed to learn it’s not for sale. “Not me one second away to compliment you on this dress and ask where it’s from just to realise it’s your product…” one comment began. “...You ship to Sweden, right?” “I think we need that print of dress in our life now,” another comment read. Mendes replied that it might become one of the newest fashion crazes. “It started out as a joke but I’m kinda vibing it now!” The Place Beyond the Pines star replied to a comment. She’s not the only one to fawn over the sponges as her longtime partner, Ryan Gosling, praised them while doing press for the Barbie movie, which is currently playing in theaters. Mendes pinned the video to her Instagram with Gosling saying, “It’s an amazing sponge!” The pair is known for supporting each other across social media as Mendes also used a sponge ad as an opportunity to promote Gosling’s movie. “Ken gives @skurastyle products a ‘Ken out of Ken,” the caption of another Instagram post reads. “Link in my bio for my kitchen kenessentials. Okay, too many Ken puns for one post. Kenenough is Kenenough. D**n! I did it aken!” The pair have been together since 2011 and have two children together, daughters named Amada Lee, seven, and Esmeralda Amada, eight. Read More Ryan Gosling’s daughters hilariously prove ‘nobody plays with Ken’ Ryan Gosling’s subtle tribute to Eva Mendes at the Barbie premiere Ryan Gosling’s daughters hilariously prove ‘nobody plays with Ken’ YouTube star MrBeast sues his food-delivery service over ‘poor quality’ items Harry Styles fans in ‘disbelief’ after spotting pop star’s new tattoo

According to string theory, there are at least 10 dimensions of space, most of which are impossible for humans to perceive.

A TikTok creator’s video sparked debate over whether or not chicken should be washed before it’s cooked. Zoe Barrie (@zoebarrie) posted a video, which has now reached over 3.4m views, on 17 July to reveal her step-by-step process for cooking “spatchcocked roast chicken.” Though the footage was one minute and 23 seconds long, skeptical followers were only concerned with the first 30 seconds: the prep work. Barrie was seen unpackaging a full raw chicken, taking out the guts, and cutting it open. She moved the meat to a wired tray and sprinkled it with salt crystals. Barrie proceeded to place the bird in her fridge before blotting it with a paper towel and searing it in a pan. Immediately, critics flooded the woman’s comment section to question her methods. “Wait, no wash?” one TikTok user asked, while another added: “Um, did you wash it first, though?” “Don’t you rinse before cooking?” one person questioned. Among the suspicious users, kind followers came to Barrie’s defense when they didn’t believe that washing chicken wasn’t necessary. “Washing chicken is as stupid as washing your bread,” one individual wrote. “These washing meat comments are sending me. Y’all are so silly,” another woman remarked. Despite the overwhelming number of individuals who argued raw poultry needs to be rinsed, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) advises against it. The FSIS warned that washing chicken leads to the spread and cross-contamination of bacteria and “poultry juices” onto other food and surfaces. Water also won’t “destroy” bacteria like Salmonella or Campylobacter, and “only cooking will destroy any bacteria that might be present on fresh chicken.” @zoebarrie spatchcocked roast chicken ftw 😤 (crispy chicken ib cooking school and samin nosrat & lemon chimichurri ib me) #roastchicken #salt ♬ Wes Anderson-esque Cute Acoustic - Kenji Ueda Cross-contamination increases the risk of food poisoning, according to the FSIS. “This can occur if raw poultry or its juices come in contact with cooked food or foods that will be eaten raw, such as salad,” the report read. Per the 2019 Food Safety Consumer Research Project analysis, individuals who washed their chicken in the sink were more likely to contaminate their produce due to the bacteria left on the surface. The Minnesota Department of Health noted that, even if you wash chicken in a “slow stream of water,” risky germs are still able to splash on to fresh food or other dishes. Although most reports advise against soaking or rinsing poultry, some people still prefer to do so. In this case, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put together a list of recommendations for how to safely clean the raw food. First, chefs shoud “run the water gently over the chicken to reduce splashing”. Then, immediately clean the sink and area around the sink with hot soapy water and sanitise it thoroughly. After handling raw poultry, people should also wash their hands for 20 seconds. Barrie went on to let the chicken brown in a pan and bake in the oven. Finally, she garnished the meat with a chimichurri-like spread. The Independent has reached out to Barrie for a comment. Read More Child wiping their hands on wedding dress sparks debate in viral TikTok People are surprisingly divided over burrata as debate oozes online Woman claims restaurant ‘hack’ for toddlers solves family dinners out

First it was almond cookies—now it’s Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup and Fully Cooked Falafel.

Ashley James says there’s “a total lack of understanding” about feeding babies – and that mothers who pump shouldn’t have to hide away. “With pumping, people should feel confident, just like with breastfeeding, to do that anywhere,” says the DJ and influencer. “If anyone were to have a problem with that, they need to address some deep-rooted issues of why feeding a child would be a problem.” James, who has a two-year-old son, Alfie, and a four-month-old daughter, Ada, with partner Tommy Andrews, argues there’s a huge lack of knowledge about how all-consuming feeding a child with breast milk is – from the hours spent feeding or pumping (an estimated eight to 12 times a day, up to 45 minutes each time for newborns) and “also the fact that you can’t just leave your child”. The 36-year-old says: “People don’t really know about engorgement, mastitis, blocked ducts, supply issues, and all the reasons that people choose to pump.” For example, going back to work. “[People think] ‘Oh just give them a bottle or pump in the morning, and then they’ll be fine’. There’s a total lack of awareness.” The former Made In Chelsea star, who hit the headlines after breastfeeding Alfie live on the Jeremy Vine Show in 2021, is currently using a pump alongside breastfeeding Ada for her to have the option of a bottle, too. “I ended up having to breastfeed [on TV] and there was this really weird backlash – people saying it was attention seeking. [Which is] funny to me. Let’s say that was my plan, I’m a total narcissist and I’d decided this was going to be my chance to get publicity… how would I have managed to convince my three-month-old baby to feed at that exact moment? “Who would I want attention from? Is it because our ‘boobs are for men’ and therefore I’m hoping that men might look at my boobs, because I’ve never wanted that, but I especially don’t want that when I’m feeding my child. I think we have this totally warped idea of what a mum should be. “We are always told, they’re the most important years of a children’s life, those early years, and it’s so formative, but yet I feel like we expect mums to almost keep their children hidden away, but then we expect them to thrive.” On Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch last month, James used an Elvie Stride breast pump live on air – unbeknownst to viewers and crew. The discreet hospital-grade, hands-free, electric device can be worn under clothing to pump milk without anyone noticing. “I was worried about having blocked ducts and didn’t want to go back to that horrible situation of having mastitis again,” she says. James had the condition when breastfeeding her son two years earlier. “I just wanted to get on with my job, but I needed to deal with the engorgement issue. “It was almost behind the scenes. I was having this huge [issue] with my health – but us mums tend to just get on with the job. “In terms of pumping, I don’t know why we feel like as a society that any form of feeding should be done in private, especially if it’s not bottle feeding. Hats off to all the people who exclusively pump because it’s so constant. She believes it should be celebrated as much as breastfeeding because “it’s really hard to manage, people don’t know the logistical nightmare of it all. “You just don’t see anyone pumping, but you know that people are doing it. So why is it that people are stuck at home? “Obviously lots of people who are trying to feed have to go back to work, for various reasons – maternity pay or maternity leave not being long enough,” she adds. In fact, James started working again, on photoshoots and TV, just five days after the birth of Ada. “I’m self-employed, I don’t get maternity leave – you do what you have to do,” she says. These days she shrugs off negative comments online, but James has experienced real-world shaming for public feeding too. “I was in a children’s attraction in London, breastfeeding Alf, and a member of staff came up to me and asked me to move into the loos. I was like, this is a child-friendly attraction space! “[I said] ‘No, would you eat in a public loo?’. I don’t even want to go to the loo in a public loo, never mind feed my child there!” Ashley James is an ambassador for Elvie. Find out more information about the Elvie Stride at elvie.com. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Host Maya Jama’s glamorous Love Island outfits cost over £10,000 Do you need to watch what you eat when you’re breastfeeding? Sten dos: What you need to know about the quirky wedding trend

Atmospheric scientists say extreme rainfall is more frequent now, and many parts of the world have seen flooding this summer

Host Maya Jama has wrapped up the summer series of Love Island 2023 in suitable style. She revealed that Jess Harding and Sammy Root were the winning couple of the competition, wearing a glittering Noughties-inspired two-piece of a bralette and mini skirt. The Vittoria Two-Set from Annie’s Ibiza retails at £1,350, and Jama wore it with simple silver heels and her newly highlighted hair in beachy waves. Radio DJ and TV presenter Jama, 28, has become a fashion It girl over the past few years, and appeared on the August cover of British Vogue. Her style for Love Island has been bold, with lots of bright colours, form-fitting ensembles and on-trend cut-outs. Six of the main outfits she wore for the summer series of the show clock in at £10,765 if bought at full price – and that’s not considering shoes, accessories, or even the ensembles Jama wore for the weekly Love Island: Aftersun show. When singer Rita Ora did a surprise performance on the show, Jama tapped into the growing fashion trend for crochet. The knitted yellow dress was a custom outfit from Manchester-based designer Ella Mia, who later sold similar versions of the Maya Limited Ladder Dress in Yellow Gradient on her website for £225, which has now sold out. For another outfit, Jama donned a white two-piece from Singaporean designer Grace Ling, which had previously been worn by Jennifer Lopez to perform on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The white Pillar Drape Skirt retails at £1,021, while the matching Vertebrae Bralette costs £309. Lopez wore the ensemble with a white cropped jacket over the top, while Jama kept things simple and summer-ready without it. The presenter also chose white to make her entrance into the villa when the show kicked off in early June. She chose a daring crochet dress from Miami-based brand Cult Gaia, a go-to for models including Hailey Bieber and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. The Accalia Crochet Gown costs £2,400, and Jama paired it with gold strappy sandals and her hair in loose waves. Jama’s Love Island wardrobe was all about risque cut-outs – as seen in this electric blue knotted dress from French fashion house Balmain. The Balmain Alys Knit Dress retails at £3,895 on the Flannels website, but is currently on sale for £2,749. Jama rarely chose black for the show, but when she did, she wore a knock-out dress by up-and-coming London-based designer Nensi Dojaka. The Strapless Cutout Stretch-Jersey Maxi Dress had a plunging neckline, a cut-out at the bodice, and Jama wore it with poker-straight hair and simple strappy black sandals. Originally retailing at £1,565 on Net-A-Porter, the dress is currently on sale for £1,017.25. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Do you need to watch what you eat when you’re breastfeeding? Sten dos: What you need to know about the quirky wedding trend Why have the birds disappeared from my garden?

Most new mothers try to breastfeed their baby at first, unable to ignore the oft-repeated mantra ‘breast is best’. However, despite the vast benefits of breastfeeding that are being highlighted during World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7), including protecting the baby from infection and disease, and health benefits for the mother, a huge proportion of mothers quickly give up. Figures from the last UK-wide Infant Feeding Survey (albeit from 2010) found that while more than three-quarters of women start breastfeeding when their baby’s born, this drops to 55% doing any breastfeeding at six weeks, while at six months, just 34% do any breastfeeding, and only 1% breastfeed exclusively. There are many reasons for this, but Public Health England research found more than half of mothers were concerned they might need a special diet to breastfeed, and a similar proportion were worried that breastfeeding meant they couldn’t tell if their baby was getting too much or too little milk. But should new mums really be concerned about eating or not eating specific foods if they’re breastfeeding, and can their diet affect how much milk their baby’s getting? The simple answer is no, as long as they’re eating a healthy balanced diet, says the baby charity Tommy’s. Because while the NHS warns pregnant mothers to avoid specific foods like soft blue cheeses, undercooked meat, liver, pâté and game meats, there are no foods breastfeeding mums must not eat, says Tommy’s. “There are a lot of myths out there around breastfeeding which can leave new parents unsure of what to do and where to turn,” says Tommy’s midwife Sophie King. “If you choose to breastfeed or combination feed, there’s no special foods you need to have, but a varied diet can help our bodies make the best quality milk for our babies. This typically includes lots of vegetables, fruits, grains and proteins. It’s also important that you stay well-hydrated with plenty of water. “ In addition, she says it’s recommended that mothers who are exclusively breastfeeding take a daily vitamin D supplement. An occasional alcoholic drink is unlikely to cause any harm if you’re breastfeeding, says King, but she warns: “Try not to have more than one or two units of alcohol once or twice a week. There’s some evidence that regularly drinking more than two units of alcohol a day while breastfeeding may affect your baby’s development.” In addition, caffeine can reach babies through breast milk, and King explains: “Caffeine is a stimulant, so if you have a lot, it may make your baby restless and keep them awake.” Caffeine occurs naturally in lots of foods and drink, including coffee, tea and chocolate, and it’s also added to some soft drinks and energy drinks, as well as some cold and flu remedies. “There’s not enough information to say how much caffeine is too much, and babies respond to caffeine differently,” says King. “But it’s a good idea to reduce how much caffeine you drink, especially when your baby is less than six months old.” But does what a mother eats affect her milk supply? Again, the answer is no, explains Justine Fieth of the breastfeeding support charity La Leche League GB (LLLGB). “There are no particular foods you need to eat to increase breastmilk – milk production is determined by the amount of milk removed from the breast,” she says. Breastmilk is made in the mother’s breasts, directly from her blood, rather than from the food she eats. Fieth says LLLGB recognises the importance of a varied and healthy diet, and stresses that it’s important for mothers to speak to a qualified breastfeeding supporter if they feel they have low milk supply. “Unless there’s a physical or physiological reason for low milk production, a mother who breastfeeds on cue will be able to produce enough milk for her baby, regardless of what she eats,” she explains. “In certain circumstances, medications can be used to increase supply, but diet plays a minor part – though obviously, eating a varied, healthy diet is always a good thing.” For breastfeeding support, contact the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 0300 100 0212. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Sten dos: What you need to know about the quirky wedding trend Why have the birds disappeared from my garden? Psoriasis Awareness Month: Everything you need to know