39 h. ago Rise of the 'fake' gardening influencer: As social media stars jump on the horticultural bandwagon, experts reveal all the signs they're not truly green

More and more celebrities and influencers alike in the UK and America are jumping on the gardening craze - swapping red carpets or glitzy fashion reels for wellies and picture-perfect backyards.

Culture

58 h. ago Cleanse, moisturize and protect: how to start a skincare routine

With all the noisy marketing, how do we know what skin actually needs? It’s less than you may thinkTell us: how has your sex life changed after 60?To hear many social media influencers tell it, a proper skincare routine requires dozens of expensive lotions and potions applied in complex, multistep sequences multiple times a day, and an understanding of advanced chemistry that would put Marie Curie to shame.As customers stock up on all the creams, toners, masks and acids the epidermis supposedly requires, companies are cashing in. According to a 2024 report from the business consulting firm McKinsey & Company, global beauty-market sales reached $446bn in 2023. By 2028, sales are expected to reach $590bn.How to start meditatingHow to start weightliftingHow to start budgetingHow to start running Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Spain ditches influencers after disastrous bid to get social media 'celebrities' to promote destinations saw quiet spots swarmed by thousands, prompting protests by locals

The move comes a year after jeering Mallorcan protestors descended on an Instagram-famous beach and blocked visitors from entering in a bid to combat mass tourism.

Events

3 d. ago Man United have green light to sign £35m bargain or free agent to fulfil Paul Scholes' transfer wish

United are in the market for a new forward this summer and two players are said to be available who would be ideal signings

Economics

4 d. ago Balearics hit back at ‘selfie tourism’ as sites become overwhelmed

Tourist authority backtracks on use of influencers after one tiny cove is swamped by 4,000 visitors a dayThe authorities in Spain’s Balearic Islands have said they will stop using social media influencers to promote popular destinations, saying “selfie tourism” is damaging some of its most beautiful locations.In an attempt to quell the effects of overtourism, the Balearics had hoped that influencers, many of whom have hundreds of thousands of followers, might relieve the strain on some better-known sites by directing visitors elsewhere. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Matheus Cunha to Manchester United deal close as Ruben Amorim 'green lights perfect signing'

Red Devils pushing to finalise first summer transfer with agreement said to be near

Economics

6 d. ago The livestreamed killing of an influencer could be femicide – a misunderstood crisis | Arwa Mahdawi

Much remains uncertain about Valeria Márquez’s death. But it shines a light on a universal issueValeria Márquez was killed in one of the most horrifically public ways possible. On Tuesday evening, the 23-year-old Mexican social media influencer, who had built up a large following with videos about beauty and makeup, was recording a TikTok livestream in the beauty salon where she worked in Jalisco, a state in west-central Mexico. A man entered the establishment and, with her video still running, shot her dead.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Nasal tanning sprays linked to skin cancer, trading standards officers warn

Demand for ‘dangerous and unregulated’ tan-enhancing sprays being driven by influencers, watchdog saysNasal tanning sprays linked to cancer and respiratory problems and other unsafe cosmetic products pose one of the biggest threats to consumers, trading standards officers have warned.Demand for these “dangerous and unregulated” tan-enhancing sprays, which is being driven by influencers on social media, could mirror the rapid rise of youth vaping, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) said. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago Obsessed stalker threatened to kidnap social media influencer who he followed to Bali

Rob Keating threatened to travel to Bali, where the woman lives

Events

8 d. ago Brit stalker came to influencer's home with rope and horror '50 Shades of Grey' plan

A court found sinister Rob Keating targeted Alexandra Saper with a plot to abduct and 'go 50 Shades of Grey' on the American social media influencer after he became obsessed

Events

9 d. ago Horror as social media influencer Valeria Márquez shot dead during TikTok livestream

Valeria Márquez's death is being investigated as a femicide – the killing of a woman or girl for reasons of gender – as the community in Zapopan, Mexico, mourns her passing

Events

9 d. ago Man United handed chance to sign 'perfect' Manuel Ugarte partner as shock transfer emerges

Manchester United transfer news and opinion including the latest on a shock move for Callum Hudson-Odoi and Douglas Luiz

Events

1 week ago Andrew Tate dubbed 'Bonnie Blue of fighting world' after public stunt with 60 men

Controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate has been flamed after repots claim the man went head-to-head with '60 men in a single night' – many have compared him to the adult star Bonnie Blue

Politics

2 w. ago Bikini clad influencers mocked online for posing for selfies while their $4.5M Lamborghini yacht sank off Miami

The jaw-dropping reaction of its influencer passengers while their multi-million ride sank has left social media stunned.

Politics

2 w. ago Maga media mob: meet the new rightwing faces in the White House briefing room

A banjo player and a Black Maga influencer, among others, now attend Trump administration press briefingsA disgraced ultra-conservative banjo player ousted from his Grammy-winning band; a far-right conspiracy theorist with alleged ties to Russia; a TikTok creator known as “Maga Malfoy” for his resemblance to the Harry Potter character; and an extremist social media “influencer” once banned from Twitter for posting a video depicting sexual abuse of a child.These are just some of the “new media” personalities courted by the White House to take part in a series of alternative briefings championed by Donald Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Financial markets have become a bulwark against populist excesses | Phillip Inman

Custodians of global wealth have reacted with anger at attempts by people like Trump and Truss to revolutionise the economyYou say you want a revolution, sang the Beatles back in 1968. And that seems to be the interpretation of electoral results across the industrialised world.From the seismic shifts in recent US and German elections to the rise of Reform and the Green party in the UK, electorates are signalling that they reject the status quo. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Donald Trump speech to Parliament during state visit 'likely to get green light' as revolt by MPs 'stalls' despite thousands signing petition

Keir Starmer invited the US President for a State Visit as part of his charm offensive during a trip to the White House in February.

Politics

3 w. ago Meghan Markle 'clearly going against Queen's wishes' in yet another agreement breach

Meghan Markle agreed to not use her HRH title for commercial purposes when she quit her royal role with Prince Harry but it has now emerged she also used her royal monogram when sending notes to social media influencers, which palace insiders say is a "clear contravention of the agreement" with the late Queen

Politics

3 w. ago Plans for new battery energy storage system near East Kilbride substation given green light

The decision notice concluded that "there would be no significant long-term impacts on the environmental quality of the green belt".

Science

3 w. ago Chaos is Trump’s calling card. But reality is biting back | Lloyd Green

In his first 100 days, the president has taken a sledgehammer to institutions and the constitution. We can only guess what’s nextIn nearly 100 days on the job, Donald Trump has outlasted Liz Truss and a fabled head of lettuce. That’s a fact, not an achievement. Like the hapless British prime minister, the 47th president blazes a trail of wreckage. Chaos is his calling card. If, when and how the carnage ends is anyone’s guess.The US simultaneously wages economic war on its allies and China. Tariffs soar. It’s as if Trump forgot the words “Smoot-Hawley” and “Great Depression”. The president risks higher inflation and a recession for an idealized yesteryear that never quite was. Back on Earth, markets signal potential capital flight and stagflation.Lloyd Green is an attorney in New York and served in the US Department of Justice from 1990 to 1992 Continue reading...

Politics