❌

Normal view

‘Diva time’: Rihanna arrives in Paris, while the industry watches the clock

30 September 2026 at 18:37

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition

© WWD (WWD via Getty Images)

When singer Rihanna arrived Wednesday night at the Matières Fécales fashion show—the most provocative, extravagant, and “cool” brand of Paris Fashion Week—photographers from media outlets around the world swarmed around her to capture her from every angle and in every possible format. Her “look,” created by the brand for the occasion, instantly became global news. In other words, the very reason she—and no one else—had been invited as the star guest was more than fulfilled. And yet, on that very same day, Georgian journalist Beka Gvishiani, better known as Style not com, dared to publicly state what no one had pointed out before: that the diva had kept more than five hundred people waiting for her for an hour.

© WWD (WWD via Getty Images)

All the journalists at this publication confirm that this habit is deeply ingrained in the artist. In fact, fashion editor Leticia García points out that it’s common knowledge in any city hosting fashion events featuring the singer that delays for everyone in the industry are guaranteed. In other words, Rihanna’s presence is excellent news for brands, which gain visibility, but very bad news for those working in the industry who see their work systematically slowed down. García experienced firsthand a delay of an hour and a half a year ago at an Off-White fashion show, right after having waited an hour for her at the Dior show. In the Style not com post, quite a few reporters allude to other epic delays: author Eva Chen recalls, for example, that Azzedine Alaïa show in New York in 2024, when she kept everyone on tenterhooks for 40 minutes. Patricia Rodríguez was present on that occasion and recalls the brand’s public relations staff saying, “We know she’s always late; what we don’t know is by how much.” Beatriz García, who has been covering the early-morning hours of the MET Gala for years, knows full well that the artist is always the last to appear. She is, quite literally, the most eagerly awaited.

© WWD (WWD via Getty Images)

It’s obvious that in this case, the delay is a “marketing” strategy like any other: making people wait is yet another way to create a sense of luxury and exclusivity. The expression “fashionably late” exists for a reason: in the fashion world, it’s very common for high-profile figures to make people wait in order to project a sense of status. To illustrate this, consider a remark made in 1995 by model Kate Moss — who is also notoriously tardy — when she was asked if she was generally as late as her colleague Naomi Campbell. With a horrified expression, she exclaimed, “No one is as late as Naomi!” There is, moreover, a completely different notion of time for divas in the entertainment world — a phenomenon that has been studied both by psychologists and psychiatrists, who argue that creative people easily become absorbed in their train of thought, so that minutes pass differently for them than for other people; as well as by film experts, who discuss how stars expand to occupy space and time in an unconventional way. This is what German film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder coined as “diva time.”

© WWD (WWD via Getty Images)

However, Rihanna shatters all boundaries. Last year, at an event in India for her own makeup brand, the hugely popular Fenty, she kept everyone waiting for seven hours. The event began for guests and influencers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, but she didn’t appear on the red carpet until 3:00 a.m. on Saturday. The delay led to some surreal moments, such as when influencers Parul Gulati and Smriti Khanna posted AI-generated images of themselves with the singer after being unable to take a photo with her in person. Columnist George Whirl comments on Style not com that Rihanna’s attitude is “gauche” — that is, tacky and rude, in French. But an anonymous user points out that this behavior isn’t limited to her brand commitments or her professional life: at her concerts, it’s also common for her to show up at least two hours late to present herself to her audience. Publicist Deshiv Puri, however, proposes a simple solution to the problem: “When we invited Cardi B to a Rahul Misra fashion show and she was late, the show started without her.” The problem is that we may be dealing with one of those rare cases where the show is, in fact, the guest herself.

Spanish-Argentine expedition to verify whether a geoglyph located in the Andes via Google Earth is genuine

30 September 2026 at 16:41
Traces of the geoglyph on the Tigre range in the Andes.

The Dictionary of the Spanish Language explains that a geoglyph is a “large figure on slopes or in wide plains, carved directly into the ground or made with stones, especially by prehistoric peoples.” Of all those located worldwide, the most famous are the Nazca lines (Peru), which have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are visible only from surrounding mountains or from the air, which gives them an aura of mystery. Now, a group of researchers from Argentina and Spain will study a structure that could be a geoglyph discovered last year at about 3,000 meters above sea level in the Tigre mountain range (Argentina) and which was found by mountaineer Carlos Gobbi while consulting Google Earth. A joint expedition will attempt to examine it in situ in December.

Seguir leyendo

Google Earth image of the potential geoglyph that was located.Stone structures located in the Tigre mountain range.

Federal government files assault charges against Wilber Garcés, the migrant shot by an ICE agent in Austin

30 September 2026 at 09:57

A Venezuelan man wounded by an immigration agent during an operation in Austin on September 20 was charged Tuesday by the federal government with assault, resisting authority and impeding the work of federal officers, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Seguir leyendo

© CORTESÍA

Wilber Garcés, in an undated photo.

Life and death by email: ‘How do you believe in God, professor?’

29 September 2026 at 20:21

There are issues — some crucial, others trivial — with a proven capacity to divide humankind. Among the trivial, let’s include soccer, politics, cuisine, and countless other subjects. And, among the crucial ones — setting aside the growing global inequalities and the misery faced by the poorest people — we must include perspectives on death.

Seguir leyendo

© Ximena y Sergio (EL PAÍS)

Enrique Bonete, professor of moral philosophy and author of 'Dear Professor, Darkness Invades Me,' photographed in his office at the University of Salamanca.

Gaza before and after: New Google Maps imagery shows destruction of the Strip

For the first time in over a year, Google Maps has updated its satellite imagery of the Gaza Strip, allowing anyone with the app to see how a territory devastated by the Israeli military has changed. By updating imagery in 2024, 2025 and now 2026, Google has taken a step that other apps such as Apple Maps have not.

Seguir leyendo

A fake story about the Virgin of Aparecida, patron saint of Brazil, marks the end of the presidential campaign

29 September 2026 at 13:12

A fake story, with the Virgin of Aparecida, patron saint of Brazil, as an unwitting protagonist, has sparked a major controversy and poisoned the final stretch of the electoral campaign in Brazil. The contention, which harms Bolsonarismo, grew until it drew the direct intervention of the two leading candidates — President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro — the Bishops’ Conference, and the Supreme Court. Since Thursday night there have been statements, official notes, mutual accusations, and conflicting judicial rulings. The falsehood, which continues to circulate on social media, could affect an election that promises to be extremely close.

Seguir leyendo

© Miguel Schincariol (Getty Images)

Tribute to Our Lady of Aparecida at the Basilica of the National Shrine, in Aparecida, São Paulo, on Thursday, October 12, 2023.

More Republicans warn nominating Ken Paxton was a ‘mistake’ and expect Texas Senate seat to be lost

29 September 2026 at 11:43

Polls are unfavorable for Texas attorney general and Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton. With 38 days until the midterm elections, some Republican politicians have all but conceded the Lone Star seat and remain haunted by the belief that the safer bet would have been to give the nomination to veteran congressman John Cornyn. Paxton isn’t gaining traction, not even after President Donald Trump himself urged voters at the unprecedented Republican convention in September in Dallas — his “Trumpapalooza” — to imagine that on November 3 they would be choosing him instead of the controversial Southern politician.

Seguir leyendo

© JIM LO SCALZO (EFE)

Ken Paxton at the Republican Convention in Dallas, September 9.

Deliberately losing a Michelin star to try to win it back in 52 days: Apple TV’s culinary miracles

28 September 2026 at 14:51

Jesse Burgess, host, filmmaker and co-founder of the award-winning food and travel channel Topjaw, says his role in the documentary series Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars is a dream job. In reality, it’s an even more polished extension of his earlier social media work: he travels the world to introduce viewers to the intense realm of haute cuisine. He visits (and samples) the planet’s most acclaimed restaurants as they face the Michelin Guide’s annual season.

Seguir leyendo

© APPLE TV+

Host Jesse Burgess with a uni bruschetta at Calusso in Fort Lauderdale in the second season of 'On the Edge: In Search of Michelin Stars'.

Maricarmen, elderly woman evicted from home in Spain, becomes a global symbol for housing activists

28 September 2026 at 11:32
Nadz Vogel, an activist with the London Renters’ Union, at the Puerta del Sol encampment on September 27, 2026.

They came to Madrid to counterprogram one of Europe’s largest real estate fairs, The District. What they found was an 87-year-old woman who was about to be evicted from their home — and was, before their eyes. Around 200 housing activists from more than 20 countries across Europe decided to join the demonstrations against the eviction, and later joined a spontaneous encampment in front of the Madrid regional government headquarters at the historic Puerta del Sol plaza.

Seguir leyendo

Members from different countries of the European Action Coalition for the Right to Housing and the City hold an assembly at Puerta del Sol.Teresa Mamede, of the Lisbon Renters’ Union, at the Puerta del Sol encampment on September 27, 2026.Ronja Senkpiel, urban geographer and German researcher specializing in urban development, at the Puerta del Sol encampment on September 26, 2026.

The Sahrawi pharmaceutical lab battling against sand and shortages: ‘We are a rose in the desert’ 

27 September 2026 at 05:00
Mohamed Lamin Abdi, director of the Mohamed Embarek Fakal·la Pharmaceutical Production Laboratory, poses in one of the facility’s rooms, on April 29, 2026.

The Mohamed Embarek Fakal·la Pharmaceutical Production Laboratory is sometimes called “a desert rose,” because no one expected something like this to grow here. Mulai Mesaud Jarrachi, the lab’s logistics manager and deputy director, explains it to EL PAÍS. And, when he says “here,” he gestures broadly toward the Algerian hamada: a stony, hostile desert with scorching temperatures, where the wind constantly whips up sand that seeps under doors (and even gets between your teeth).

Seguir leyendo

The portrait of Mohamed Embarek Fakal·la, a historical figure in the Sahrawi healthcare sector, hangs in the hallway that leads to the laboratory.In this image, lab technician Brahim Saleh Labeid handles IV bags intended for treatments in the Urology Department, on April 29, 2026. Exterior of Bachir Saleh National Hospital in Rabuni, in the administrative center of the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tinduf, Algeria.Brahim Saleh Labeid and Mohamed Lamin Abdi talk at the laboratory door on April 29.

© Monica Torres

Mulai Mesaud Jarrachi prepares eye drops in the sterile room at the laboratory in Tindouf, Algeria.

© Monica Torres

Two lab technicians at the facilities.

© Monica Torres

The Mohamed Embarek Fakal.la medicine production laboratory.

Naomi Lautier: The pure talent of a 14-year-old creator living between autism and the art world

27 September 2026 at 05:00

Naomi Lautier is 14 years old. Born in 2011 in Paris, she paints as if the world were speaking to her in its own language. There isn’t a single learned gesture in her work, nor any desire to fit into recognizable traditions. Her art springs from elsewhere: it has a direct, almost physical connection with what she sees, what she feels and what she needs to express.

Seguir leyendo

© Naomi Lautier y Eugine Hrotchuk

© Naomi Lautier y Eugine Hrotchuk

naomi

© Naomi Lautier y Eugine Hrotchuk

naomi

© Naomi Lautier y Eugine Hrotchuk

naomi

© Naomi Lautier y Eugine Hrotchuk

naomi

© Naomi Lautier y Eugine Hrotchuk

'Collage' with several of Naomi Lautier's photographs.

Is there a 10% chance that AI will kill us all?

27 September 2026 at 05:00

In 2024 I sketched a map to situate what experts and commentators expected from artificial intelligence. It had two axes: how much will it advance? and will it be beneficial or dangerous? People fell into every quadrant, even the inconsistent one —“it’s nothing special and it’s extremely dangerous.” I was clearly on the “wow” side of the power axis and moderately optimistic. Two years later, the consensus has shifted in one direction: more power and more fear.

Seguir leyendo

© Owen Humphreys (AP)

Bandada de estorninos en Gretna, Escocia.

Lena Dunham’s body is back again… and her memoir, ‘Famesick,’ reads differently now

24 September 2026 at 20:19

Lena Dunham — the child prodigy who wrote the HBO series Girls (the millennial version of Sex and the City) and later became the fallen star of her generation — published her second memoir this past April. And it reads quite differently now, after she recently announced that she has become a mother via surrogacy.

Seguir leyendo

© Gilbert Carrasquillo (GC Images / GETTY IMAGES) (EL PAÍS)

Lena Dunham, pictured in Philadelphia, on April 12. 

The miracle of ‘Romeo + Juliet’: How Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes and Baz Luhrmann reinvented Shakespeare

24 September 2026 at 14:40

Thirty years ago, Leonardo DiCaprio, at just 21, won the hearts of half the world starring opposite Claire Danes in Romeo + Juliet, a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic directed and adapted by Baz Luhrmann.

Seguir leyendo

© 20th Century Fox (Getty Images)

Claire Danes And Leonardo DiCaprio In 'Romeo + Juliet' (1996).

‘El Niño’ already at record levels and threatens to claim 450,000 lives due to extreme heat alone

23 September 2026 at 15:22

The El Niño phenomenon has not yet reached its peak intensity, which the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) expects to occur at the end of this year, and seawater temperatures in the tropical Pacific area considered the epicenter of the event are already at record levels. The anomaly in that zone exceeded three degrees Celsius in mid‑September and has risen to a level similar to the peak of the El Niño event 11 years ago, in November 2015.

Seguir leyendo

© DPA vía Europa Press (DPA vía Europa Press)

A highway shrouded in smoke from fires in early September on the Indonesian island of Bintan.

‘An incomplete happiness’: An activist wins his freedom after nearly two years of medical neglect at an ICE facility

21 September 2026 at 09:42
Julián Palacios at the ICE center in Tacoma on August 11, 2026.

Colombian Julián Palacios Obregón spent 650 days in immigration detention in the United States. He was sick for most of that time. A month after being transferred to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington state, he began vomiting and suffering diarrhea with fecal incontinence that forced him to wear diapers. Although he was prescribed antibiotics that temporarily improved symptoms caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, the underlying problem repeatedly returned: he remained exposed to cloudy water and to food he often described as raw or foul-smelling.

Seguir leyendo

Held in hotels or detained for a year after being deported to Africa: ‘This is called human trafficking’

19 September 2026 at 05:00

Among so many faces, Roberto Mosquera remembered one in particular the day he arrived in Eswatini, a small country tucked away in southern Africa. He kept seeing that face over the following 14 months, which passed slowly and unbearably in the compressed world between the white and gray walls of the maximum-security cell at Matsapha prison. The man is serious, tall, dark-skinned and wears round glasses. His name is Jabulani Kunene and he is the prison official in charge. For more than a year, Mosquera has asked him the same question every time he passes by: “How long are you going to keep me locked up here?” Kunene has always given him the same answer: “I don’t know, Roberto, I don’t know.”

Seguir leyendo

Arín García Yepes in Liberia.

© Eduardo Ramón Trejo

Global warming slowly brought about the catastrophic collapse of the Nepalese glacier

17 September 2026 at 18:33

The catastrophic avalanche of rock and ice on Langtang Lirung mountain, on Nepal’s northern border — which caused 1,300 deaths and as a result of which, 22 days later, more than 5,000 people remain missing — was the result of a combination of factors that simmered until they triggered an unprecedented disaster in the Himalayas. A report published on September 17 by World Weather Attribution (WWA), the group of scientists that specializes in calculating the influence of climate change on extreme weather events, sheds light on the catastrophe. Among the factors, the authors note “unusually warm conditions before the failure, supporting enhanced snow and ice melt and more precipitation falling as rain rather than snow” around the site where the collapse occurred.

Seguir leyendo

© Ritesh Shukla (Getty Images)

Nepalese military and police work in Kathmandu in the aftermath of the August 26 avalanche.

Mourinho pierde el pulso con el vestuario del Real Madrid

16 September 2026 at 12:43
El Real Madrid sigue encallado en la misma situación que provocó la marcha de Carlo Ancelotti, el despido de Xabi Alonso y el paso fugaz de Álvaro Arbeloa. Un equipo pagado de sí mismo con sus estrellas empoderadas por el presidente, hasta el punto de despreciar las órdenes de sus entrenadores, y un vestuario en el que los egos dominan a un grupo sin líderes. Para hacer frente a este panorama, Florentino Pérez, el hombre que permite todos los caprichos a sus futbolistas, recuperó a José Mourinho. Un técnico que en otra época dominaba los vestuarios con personalidad, carácter y mano dura, pero que llega al Bernabéu en otro contexto. Ni el Real Madrid es el de 2010 ni el portugués es aquel entrenador enérgico de hace tres lustros.

BinterMás evoluciona para mejorar la experiencia de los pasajeros

16 September 2026 at 12:41
BinterMás, el programa de fidelización de la compañía aérea Binter, evoluciona para ofrecer a sus clientes una experiencia de fidelización más completa, flexible y adaptada a sus necesidades. El programa incorpora importantes novedades que permiten acumular y utilizar los puntos de nuevas formas, avanzar dentro de sus niveles y acceder progresivamente a más beneficios.

❌