If dating in New York City wasn’t hard enough, one woman has shared how an unassuming Tinder date stole her beloved Maison Margiela Tabi shoes, which retail for almost $1,000, to give to his girlfriend. It all began on TikTok this week, when user Lex (@nextlevellexuss) posted a public service announcement for New York City singles to “beware” a man named Joshua - who she claimed stole her prize Tabi Mary Janes from the French fashion label. “Ladies of NYC, be-f***ing-ware. This man is out here on Tinder and Hinge and he will steal from you,” she began her viral TikTok video, which has since been viewed more than 862k times. “This is a story about how that f***er stole my Mary Jane Tabis that my father bought for me as a birthday gift,” Lex said. She then shared a screenshot of her Tinder match, a man named Joshua, who she claimed was the culprit behind her missing shoes. The New York City-based fashion designer explained how she was walking around Manhattan’s Soho neighbourhood when she “locked eyes” with a “really cute guy” on the street. She later received a message on Tinder from the same man, who messaged her: “Hey, did I see you downtown?” “I didn’t know we matched on Tinder before, but I guess we did. We start chatting and we ended up going out for drinks,” Lex said. At first, she said that Joshua seemed like “a nice guy” and they decided to go on a second date. “Fast forward, we hang out again, he comes over and we sleep together.” During their rendezvous, they sparked up a conversation about fashion and Joshua revealed that he really wants to own a pair of “Tabi” boots from Maison Margiela - the high fashion brand’s infamous split-toe shoe, which comes in many different styles, including ballet flats, loafers, Mary Janes, and boots. The next morning, he asked to show Lex a Spotify playlist on her phone. “I open my phone and everything for him, I give him the app to Spotify, he looks it up,” she said in the video. He gave the phone back to Lex and said that he couldn’t find the playlist, before promptly leaving. “Hours pass, I’m on my computer, I look over to my shoe rack over here,” Lex continued, pointing to the black pair of Tabi boots sitting at the top of her shelf. “I have Tabi boots up there. We were talking about the Tabi boots and he was referencing those. He barely glanced at the Mary Janes, OK? I look over there, and they’re gone.” Lex searched high and low for her Tabi shoes but couldn’t find them anywhere, so she decided to text Joshua and ask if he knew where she placed her Mary Janes. “I’m not going to be accusatory, I’m just gonna see if he knows where I put them,” she explained. But when she opened the dating app to message him, she discovered that Joshua had “unmatched” her on Tinder. “I’m like, ‘Oh no. This b**** stole my f***ing shoes,’” she proclaimed. @nextlevellexuss Girls and gays of TikTok please get to work ? #nycdating #tinderhorrorstories #hingedating #margielatabis #nyc#greenscreen ♬ bad idea right? - Olivia Rodrigo The two previously chatted over the phone, so she decided to search her call log for Joshua’s number. As it turned out, he had erased his number from Lex’s phone when he asked to show her a Spotify playlist. “I go to the call log and he literally deleted the history of the call, so I can’t find his number,” she said. It seemed like all hope was lost, so Lex asked her local TikTok followers to send her any information they have about Joshua, adding: “I want my f***ing shoes back!” It didn’t take long for the fashion designer’s video to go viral on the platform, and as a result, fellow New York City TikTok users told Lex where she could find the alleged shoe stealer on Instagram. “You guys boosted this s*** so well and got it to the right audiences, I love you guys,” she said in a follow-up video. “Someone reached out to me, knew who he was, gave me his Instagram… I’m just trying to be as tactful as possible when it comes to this, so hopefully we get the shoes back, guys.” @nextlevellexuss Replying to @KingAshleyBee he also isnt my size he probably will try to sell them! ♬ original sound - Lex However, the “Tabi Swiper” saga continued when Lex revealed that not only did Joshua allegedly steal her shoes, but he gave them to his girlfriend. “Update, I got my Tabis back,” she shared in a third video, before revealing to her followers exactly how she retrieved her favourite shoes. Lex explained that she received a call from the Tinder date, who started to “gaslight” her over the phone and claimed that “he didn’t steal” her Tabi Mary Janes. But when he started offering her money for the shoes, anywhere from $500 to $1,000, Lex said she knew he was “lying” because an “innocent person wouldn’t give $1,000” if they didn’t steal the shoes. “The plot thickens,” she continued. “I found out he has a girlfriend and that he gave my Tabis to his girlfriend.” After Lex sent Joshua a screenshot of his girlfriend wearing her Tabi shoes, he finally texted her at three in the morning, saying: “Ight [sic] you got me, I’ll get them back to you give me a time and place and I’m just asking to remove the TikTok is all.” “All I ask is you remove the video once you get your stuff back,” he wrote in a separate text. “I thought I could get away with it but you caught me.” They eventually arranged a meeting and Lex included footage of the Tabi drop-off in her video, which showed Joshua pulling up on a bicycle with the Maison Margiela shoes in a cross-body bag. “He was literally smiling the whole f***ing time,” she revealed. While her shoes were now safe and sound, Lex still wondered how her Tinder date was able to swipe the Tabi shoes in the first place. She theorised in a separate video that he tucked the Mary Janes in his pants waistband, since he was wearing baggy cargo trousers. @nextlevellexuss Replying to @statue.net i only gave him like a half hug when he left lol. So i didnt feel it on him if he did it this way. ♬ original sound - Lex In just a matter of days, the case of the missing Tabis has received over a million views on TikTok. Unsurprisingly, the shocking saga led many fashion lovers to sound off on the incident in the comments section - as the culprit was quickly dubbed the “Tabi Swiper” on the app. “Fashion guys are sinister,” one top comment read. “That’s diabolical,” another person wrote. “Whew this was a journey! Glad you got your Tabis back,” said someone else. Meanwhile, others were more interested in what the swiper’s supposed girlfriend thought of the stolen Tabi shoes that he had given her. “I need the girlfriend to come forward with her side of the story. This is so crazy,” one person commented. “I want to hear from the girlfriend,” said another. A third wrote: “Wait, we need the update on the girlfriend… Does she know?!” @nextlevellexuss Also strongly considering filing a restraining order so I can feel safe from him just in case. lol #nycdating #tabigirl #tabigate #margielatabis #tinderpartner ♬ original sound - Lex After her Maison Margiela shoes were returned, Lex took the opportunity to thank both strangers and her followers for the “overwhelming amount of support” she’s received as a result of the so-called Tabi Swiper. In her video, she also revealed that Joshua and his girlfriend were no longer dating. “They are no longer together from my knowledge, she didn’t know - he’s a menace, y’all,” Lex said. “He cheated on her, so I would appreciate it if you guys try to give her a little bit of respect and space in this. This is not her fault.” The fashion designer also took the moment to address the “slut-shaming” she’s received since the Tabi Swiper saga. “To punish my behaviour and say, ‘Oh, what do you expect when you just open your legs?’ and things like that, instead of being like, ‘That’s crazy that there are not decent human beings out there who just won’t steal from you,’” Lex said. “To focus on that, and not what he did, shows how there are layers of misogyny to this whole entire situation.” She concluded her final video about the Tabi Swiper with: “I’m just simply a girl who wanted her shoes back.” Read More TikTok Tattoogate: How a tattoo artist sparked backlash for ‘absurd’ pricing and design changes Who is Ruby Franke? 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A high-stakes lawsuit over the future of a widely used abortion drug is likely heading to the US Supreme Court, set to determine the fate of abortion rights access across the country for a second time within two years. Three Republican-appointed judges on a federal appeals court have determined that the federal government did not follow proper procedures when it amended regulations for a commonly used medication abortion drug in 2016. But the restrictions will not immediately take effect. The panel partially upheld a ruling from a Donald Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas, whose sweeping decision earlier this year threatened to strip access to the drug altogether. Nothing in the ruling from a three-judge panel on 16 August will go into effect until the nation’s highest court weighs in. Wednesday’s ruling argues that the US Food and Drug Administration unlawfully expanded access to mifepristone, which was first approved by the federal government more than 20 years ago. Mifepristone was first approved by the FDA in 2000 and is approved for use up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. A vast majority of abortions occur within the first nine weeks of pregnancy. From 2019 through 2020, nearly 93 per cent of all abortions were performed before the 13th week, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The drug – part of a two-drug protocol for medication abortions, the most common form of abortion care in the US – is the subject of a lawsuit from a group of anti-abortion activists represented by right-wing Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, which joined efforts to overturn Roe v Wade at the Supreme Court last year. In April, US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk – a former right-wing activist lawyer who was appointed to the federal judiciary by Mr Trump – issued a ruling to suspend the FDA’s approval, which was immediately challenged by abortion rights advocates, providers, major medical groups, drug manufacturers and President Joe Biden’s administration. An initial ruling at the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit blocked part of that decision but struck down policies for mail-in prescriptions and rules that expanded the drug’s approval for pregnancies up to 10 weeks. On 21 April, the Supreme Court blocked the lower courts’ rulings from taking effect while the case plays out, retaining the status quo while the legal case plays out. Following the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority decision to revoke a constitutional right to abortion care in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, at least 15 states – mostly across the US South – have effectively banned most abortions and imposed criminal penalties against providers. Abortion rights advocates and providers have warned that eliminating or restricting access to mifepristone could drastically impact an already-fragile landscape for abortion care. A ruling that undermines the FDA’s drug approval process could also open the door for other activist-driven legal battles over other drugs wrapped up in political debates, potentially inviting other destabilising lawsuits to Covid-19 vaccines, contraception, HIV medication, gender-affirming care, and other life-saving drugs. Read More What is mifepristone? The widely used pill in the abortion rights battle at the Supreme Court Abortion rights advocates win major victory in Ohio as voters reject GOP plan to thwart ballot measure Texas women detailed agonising pregnancies after being denied abortions. The state blames doctors Some abortion drug restrictions upheld by in a case bound for Supreme Court Akram criticizes Pakistan Cricket Board for leaving Imran Khan out of Independence Day video Netanyahu voices support for Israel's military after his allies and son lambaste security officials

A terrified mother has warned against cooking eggs in a microwave after the viral TikTok ‘hack’ exploded and left her skin pealing from her face. Shafia Bashir, 37, said she’d been in “absolute agony” after making a poached egg using a much-publicised recipe available on the internet. She’d first poured some boiling water in a mug before adding the egg and then put it in the microwave for a couple of minutes until it had cooked. But when she put a cold spoon on the egg, it erupted “like a fountain” and scolded the right side of her face - leaving her in the “most excruciating” pain of her life. Shafia went to A&E where her burns were treated, but she said they were still stinging 12 hours after the incident. And though her wounds have now healed, the mum-of-one has still cautioned others to think twice about attempting the popular dish. She said: “I just don’t want anyone else going through that, because it is trending on TikTok…It was the most excruciating pain in my life. “It was a terrifying time for me. I was in absolute agony. “As soon as I put the cold spoon in, it exploded like a fountain and it scolded me. “I put my face under the tap and then had to get my mate to look after my daughter so I could go to A&E. “My face has healed now, luckily with no scars. I used Vaseline, Sudocrem, whatever I could get my hands on.” Shafia, from Bolton, Grtr Manchester, said she had been making the dish for three years when she’d decided to cook it on May 12 while feeling “starving” She had followed a recipe that her ex-mum-in-law had taught her, but on this occasion, she was left stunned when the cooking trick ended in disaster. She said: “I did it exactly the same as I usually do it. I had already made the toast, I was starving! “My ex-mother-in-law told me about it. She told me how to make a poached egg in the microwave. I had been doing it for three years. “I boiled the kettle, half-filled the mug with water, put salt inside, the egg inside, and microwaved it for a minute. It wasn’t cooked, so I put it in for another minute.” “After it happened, I put my face under the tap for 20 mins. But the burning lasted for 12 hours. It just didn’t stop.” The British Medical Journal previously said that microwave ovens should display clear warnings about exploding eggs. Cooking shelled eggs in a microwave is dangerous because the casing holds in heat. Once you have removed the egg from the microwave, it will carry on cooking itself and any disruption can cause an explosion. But similar dangers can apply when cooking sunny side up or poached eggs in the microwave. These cooking hacks proved popular on social media sites such as TikTok, as people look for ways to save time with everyday tasks. But it’s not the first time the trick has gone wrong, with Chantelle Conway, from Farnworth, claiming a similar thing happened to her in 2021. Shafia said she had been left traumatised after the incident and vowed never to eat an egg again. But she has also seen the funny side of her experiences and made light of them to her 15,000 followers on TikTok. Shafia said: “For my last videos on TikTok, I did Beauty and the Beast and Tony Montana from Scarface, with the burn. “My followers thought it was a filter!” Read More Woman sparks debate by documenting busy last day at work after being fired: ‘Just leave’ Selena Gomez ‘yells’ at security guard at Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour Mother hit with deluge of abuse for taking toddler’s packed lunch to a restaurant Schoolboy almost dies from swallowing magnets for TikTok challenge Woman shares honest review of New York City apartment TikTok mom slammed after making 5-year-old son run in 104 degree heat

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Fernando Alonso believes Lewis Hamilton can still win an eighth world championship – but has warned that Max Verstappen is ready to break the British driver’s records. Hamilton will head into Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix on a 30-race losing streak following Mercedes’ failure to provide him with a winning machine. He is already 75 points behind Max Verstappen in the standings, with the Dutchman on course to secure his third world title in as many years. Hamilton, 38, said he was “counting down the days” until the arrival of Mercedes’ upgrade, but following its debut at last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, he admitted here in Spain that the new design has not provided him with the step forward he was hoping for. He also revealed it will be a “long process” to dethrone Verstappen’s dominant Red Bull team. However, in an interview with the PA news agency, Alonso, who at 41 is the only driver older than Hamilton on the grid, said: “Lewis will be in contention for the eighth title. “I don’t know if that will be next year, or in the future, but he will have another chance of winning the championship, that is for sure. “Mercedes are a very strong team, and Lewis is a very strong driver. He doesn’t forget how to drive from one season to the next. “The Mercedes car is not an easy one to drive and it is not a fast car, but you see every weekend that Lewis is always there – fourth, fifth, fourth, and he was second in Australia. He is driving on top of the car.” Hamilton’s rival Verstappen took his maiden Formula One win on his Red Bull debut in Spain seven years ago. On Sunday, a fifth victory of the year would put him on 40 victories for his career, leaving him just one shy of Ayrton Senna’s tally, and with only Hamilton (103 wins), Michael Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53) and Alain Prost (51) ahead of him. On Thursday, Verstappen, 25, said Red Bull has the speed to win the remaining 16 races and complete an unprecedented clean sweep and Alonso believes the Dutch driver could eclipse Hamilton’s win record and the seven championships he shares with Schumacher. “Until the regulations change in 2026, Red Bull will contend for the championships so there will be many chances for Max to win races,” said Alonso. “He is young, the calendar is longer than ever before, with 24 opportunities to win every year, so he can break the records along the way. “But there are also no guarantees. When I won two championships [in 2005 and 2006], I thought I would win a few more and have a lot of wins, so Max cannot relax because things can change quickly.” For Alonso, his home race this weekend marks the 10th anniversary of his 32nd and last win in the sport. However, the Spaniard is enjoying a career resurgence following his transfer from Alpine to Aston Martin, finishing on the podium at five of the first six races and earning a new fan base along the way. And he still hopes he could yet be a contender for this season’s crown. “Things can change rapidly so I will not give up on the title until it is mathematically impossible,” said Alonso, speaking at ‘IL PITSTOP’ – an immersive Aston Martin garage experience from Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% “We have a low chance and we have to be realistic about that. Max is showing great performances and no weak points. “But we need to challenge him closer to see if he makes any mistakes because at the moment life is too easy for Max. “We have a new generation of younger fans who didn’t see me stepping on the podium before. They probably thought you lose performance and ability with age and I was just a driver from the past. “But eventually they see the car – as we repeat many times but sometimes you need to prove it once again – is the most important thing in Formula One, and they suddenly see you are a good driver. “My popularity is on a high, and for Aston Martin and the sport in general, too, so we have to ride this wave.” :: IL PITSTOP is designed to reimagine the perfect pitstop, where fans can soak up the atmosphere and excitement of a race while also taking the chance to pause and enjoy a Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%. The custom-designed build features the AMR23 replica car, a bespoke viewing gallery, team radio, and an elevated and unique sampling experience of Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Fernando Alonso: Aston Martin ‘will not give up’ in push for F1 triumph Concerns Monaco GP could be ‘left behind’ as Max Verstappen wins ‘boring race’ Fernando Alonso ready to pounce if Max Verstappen makes a slow start in Monaco