Thousands celebrate baby hippo Moo Deng's first birthday at Thailand zoo
The Khao Kheow Open Zoo was overrun with Moo Deng's fans on the first of four days of activities marking the hippo's birthday. Children under 12 years old can enter the zoo, which is about a two hour drive from the capital Bangkok, for free throughout the extravaganza.
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Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
A designer dressed Chappell Roan with seaweed. But don't expect to find the approach in stores – yet
NEW YORK (AP) — At her kitchen stove, fashion designer Caroline Zimbalist looks like an alchemist at work as she stirs a pot full of corn starch and a thickener made from seaweed. The peppermint-scented mixture glitters as she carefully pours it into silicone molds of hearts and leaves. When the material hardens, Zimbalist will stitch it into unique, made-to-order dresses that she sells on her website. She hopes her designs, which have been worn by celebrities including Chappell Roan, will put a spotlight on materials that aren't sourced from planet-polluting fossil fuels, such as oil. 'It's almost like a vessel to show the world,' she said. Other small-scale designers are testing out tapioca, gelatin and other kitchen-shelf ingredients. Meanwhile, big names such as Adidas and Hermes have experimented with mushroom leather, while the Lycra brand is incorporating a new largely corn-based material into stretch fabric. Some experts are skeptical that these textiles — commonly referred to as biomaterials — will go mainstream, but designers such as Zimbalist hope their experiments will set an example for larger brands to follow. Over 60% of clothing comes from petroleum-based synthetics like polyester, according to Textile Exchange, a nonprofit that promotes sustainable fashion. Manufacturing those materials creates emissions. Synthetic garments can also shed microplastics during washing. And as fast-fashion brands pump out new clothes for customers who expect new designs every few weeks, many garments end up in landfills. Zimbalist's designs gained attention in 2024 when Roan wore one on 'The Tonight Show.' The dress was decorated with a seaweed derivative called carrageenan. The New York-based designer has since dressed stars such as Atsuko Okatsuka, Anna Lore and Reneé Rapp. She takes commissions for custom clothing pieces, which cost between $150 and $1,200, via her website, which notes her 'unique recipe of biodegradable and natural materials.' As to whether her approach could be reproduced at a larger scale, Zimbalist says her materials could most practically be used to replace plastic hardware such as buttons and zippers. She acknowledges they can be sticky if not dried correctly, stinky if not treated and melty if exposed to extreme heat. 'Even incorporating it in small ways to start would be really strong,' she said. Why biomaterials are hard to find Fossil-fuel derived fabrics are ubiquitous because they're cheap and made from plentiful raw materials, said Dale Rogers, an Arizona State University professor who studies supply chains. Many clothes are also made of materials that come from plants or animals such as cotton, silk, wool and cashmere. But some have environmental impacts. Cotton uses a lot of water. Sheep and goats burp out methane. Some biomaterials have gotten closer to widespread use. Mycelium leather, made from mushrooms, has been used to create luxury shoes, accessories and handbags by brands such as Stella McCartney, Lululemon, Adidas and Hermes. Still, Rogers said he's not convinced there's enough demand for alternative materials to overcome companies' aversion to the higher costs of producing them at a large scale. 'Honestly, in the end, cost drives almost all decisions,' he said. Wrinkles in aiming for sustainability Getting larger companies to use alternative materials depends on whether they will pay more for a fabric that matches their values, said Jon Veldhouse, the CEO of Qore LLC. His company makes a product called Qira that replaces about 70% of the fossil-derived components of elastic synthetic fabrics with a corn-based material. The Lycra Company, which sells its stretchy material to major brands, initially expects to incorporate Qira in around 25 percent of its Spandex business, said Lycra chief brand and innovation officer Steve Stewart. But that option will be more expensive, and they haven't yet announced any takers. It can also be hard to measure the sustainability of farming practices that go into producing raw materials for new fabrics. Cargill is Qore's partner and corn supplier, and it gets its grain from farmers in the vicinity of their processing plant. Veldhouse said many already plant cover crops or reduce tilling to lower environmental impact, but he couldn't provide data on how many use those approaches. Sarah Needham, a senior director at Textile Exchange, said it's great to see a large organization such as Lycra making its production systems more sustainable. But she also stressed the industry needs to reduce its overreliance on virgin materials, perhaps considering agricultural waste as a source of fabric. The role of experimental designers Needham said experimental designers are often the ones coming up with those alternatives to virgin materials and building appetite for new approaches. But small designers might not have the resources to test the biodegradability of their materials, which often do involve processing, even if it's by hand, said Ramani Narayan, an engineering professor at Michigan State University. 'If I take something — like seaweed or whatever it is — and I apply a process to it, then I can no longer call it natural,' he said. Zimbalist, the New York designer, acknowledges that her materials aren't ready to replace conventional fabrics and that her work is more of 'a piece that leads to larger conversations.' Rogers, of Arizona State, thinks the fashion industry is a long way from meaningful change, but that 'it's incredibly valuable' for artists and specialty manufacturers to try new materials. 'What they're doing is likely to have long-term benefit, maybe even after their lifetimes,' he added. ___ Follow Melina Walling on X @MelinaWalling and Bluesky @ Follow Kiki Sideris on X @KikiSideris. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Toronto Sun
3 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
BBC says it is ‘untenable' for Gregg Wallace to host 'MasterChef' after sexual misconduct report
Published Jul 14, 2025 • 2 minute read British television host Gregg Wallace, Feb 16, 2017. Photo by Yui Mok / AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. LONDON (AP) — The BBC said Monday it will no longer work with 'MasterChef' host Gregg Wallace after a report found that dozens of misconduct allegations made against the hit cooking show presenter were upheld. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The report, led by a law firm, said 45 out of the 83 allegations made against Wallace during his time on the show between 2005 and 2018 were substantiated. It said the majority of the claims related to 'inappropriate sexual language and humor,' with one incident of unwelcome physical contact. Wallace, 60, stepped away from hosting the hit BBC reality show, which is made by an independent production company, last year while an investigation was launched into allegations made by multiple women that he made inappropriate sexual comments and behaved inappropriately over 17 years. The BBC has come under pressure over how it handles sexual misconduct allegations and how Wallace had continued to front some of its most popular shows for so long despite the complaints. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The broadcaster issued a statement of apology, adding Wallace's 'return to MasterChef is untenable.' 'The BBC has informed Mr Wallace we have no plans to work with him in future,' it said. 'Although the full extent of these issues were not known at the relevant time, opportunities were missed to address this behavior, both by the production companies running MasterChef and the BBC.' The broadcaster previously said that Wallace was warned by his employers after a complaint in 2018, and an internal investigation at the time found his behavior was 'unacceptable and unprofessional.' The latest investigation found that there was little or no formal training or clear escalation procedures in place for staff _ many of those working on the show were freelancers — leading to underreporting and normalization of inappropriate behaviour. Wallace has strongly denied the claims. In December, he drew an angry backlash after he alleged that complaints about his behavior came from 'a handful of middle-class women of a certain age.' In a statement posted on his Instagram account last week, he said: 'I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience. I was tried by media and hung out to dry well before the facts were established.' 'MasterChef' is one of the BBC's most popular and long-running competition shows, and has been adapted in other countries including 'MasterChef Australia.' Uncategorized Toronto & GTA Editorial Cartoons Golf Columnists
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
BBC says it is ‘untenable' for Gregg Wallace to host MasterChef after sexual misconduct report
LONDON (AP) — The BBC said Monday it will not work with 'MasterChef' host Gregg Wallace in the future after a report found that 45 out of 83 misconduct allegations made against the hit cooking show presenter were substantiated. The report, led by a law firm, said many of the allegations related to 'inappropriate sexual language and humor,' with one incident of unwelcome physical contact. Wallace, 60, stepped away from hosting the BBC reality show last year while an investigation was launched into allegations made by multiple women that he made inappropriate sexual comments and behaved inappropriately over 17 years.
