DANA POINT A stretch of Capistrano Beach that has been under a posted shark advisory for several weeks was closed just before noon, Monday, May 29, after OC Lifeguards received photos of a shark estimated at longer then 8-feet sighted in the area.
“To be safe, we’ve implemented a closure,” said OC Lifeguard Chief Jason Young, who was out on patrol advising his tower guards Monday. “We’ve been on an advisory in this area for three weeks. Lots of boats are out here looking for sharks. We have a hot spot here.”
The beach was shut down from south of Doheny State Beach through Poche Beach on the north end of San Clemente. The closure was expected to last most of the day.
The closure in this stretch of Dana Point follows one in San Clemente on Sunday after at least three sharks were spotted from the pier. San Clemente City Lifeguards shut down a two-mile stretch for four hours. That was changed to a posted advisory Sunday afternoon, meaning swimmers and surfers could enter the water at their own risk.
In addition to the shark presence off Capistrano Beach, Young said he is concerned about the high number of boats and watercraft just yards off shore with boaters looking for sharks.
“If we get a big swell, the biggest danger is that we will have a boat accident,” he said. “Boaters that are not that familiar with surf conditions could put themselves into danger when waves are breaking. If we get a swell, we’ll have waves breaking further on offshore reefs.”
Young is also worried about boaters chumming the water with fish or other animal products to lure the sharks.
“We’ve alerted Harbor Patrol, ” he said. “We consider that to be dangerous to public safety. We want to leave sharks alone and let them do their thing. We don’t want to be feeding wildlife.”
Young said these activities make it even more dangerous for surfers and swimmers because the unnatural feeding is keeping the sharks around.
“If it’s time for them to move on, we don’t want them to stay around because they’re being chummed,” he said.
Young said the cooler waters and news accounts of sharks in the area likely reduced crowds off Dana Point for the Memorial Day Weekend.
ST. LOUIS – Chase Utley, Cody Bellinger and Logan Forsythe hit home runs as the Dodgers extended their winning streak to five games with a 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday afternoon.
Utley led off the third inning with his third home run in the past five games. He added a single later in the game. After a miserable start to his season – he was batting .098 just three weeks ago – Utley is 19 for 52 (.365) with 13 RBI in his past 18 games.
Bellinger’s home run came with two outs in the fourth and was his 11th of the season. Since making his big-league debut on April 25, Bellinger is tied with Angels outfielder Mike Trout for the most home runs in the majors. The 21-year-old Bellinger is one of only five players in the past 100 years to hit as many as 11 home runs in his first 32 big-league games – joining Jose Abreu, Dave Hostetler, Kevin Maas and Mike Jacobs.
Forsythe’s homer was his first as a Dodger but their seventh in the past two games, 11th during the winning streak and 34th in May.
Cardinals starter Mike Leake held the Dodgers to one run on four hits over eight innings in his start at Dodger Stadium last week. But they got to him for four runs this time around. In addition to the two solo home runs, Corey Seager had a two-out RBI single and Yasiel Puig a sacrifice fly to produce runs against Leake.
That was enough to back Rich Hill who was looking to get back on track after walking a career-high seven in his start against the Cardinals last week.
Hill retired the first 10 Cardinals in order before allowing a run without allowing a hit in the fourth inning. A walk, an error on a pickoff attempt, a hit batter, a double steal and a sacrifice fly did the trick for the Cardinals’ only run off Hill.
The Dodgers left-hander also ran into trouble in the fifth inning but avoided damage. Those two innings, however, ran Hill’s pitch count up to a season-high 86 and he was done after five innings.
The Dodgers’ bullpen took over from there. Pedro Baez, Sergio Romo, Chris Hatcher and Brandon Morrow each pitched a shutout inning in relief to seal the victory.
Dodgers relievers have not been charged with a run during the five-game winning streak and have allowed only six hits over their 19-2/3 scoreless innings in that time.
PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a blunt greeting to Vladimir Putin on Monday, criticizing the use of chemical weapons by Syria’s Russian-backed government and blasting Russia’s state-run news media as “organs of influence and propaganda.”
Macron had invited the Russian leader to France to reset a relationship that has turned increasingly sour. Putin did more than any other foreign leader to undermine Macron’s legitimacy in this country’s recent presidential election, meeting with his far-right opponent during the campaign.
His meeting with Putin came just days after Macron made his mark on the world stage, welcoming President Donald Trump with an aggressive handshake that the French leader later said was intended to show that he wouldn’t “make small concessions.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin visit an exhibition about Russian emperor Peter the Great at the Grand Trianon after a working meeting at the Versailles Palace near Paris, France, Monday, May 29. (Etienne Laurent/Pool Photo via AP)
Macron, 39, who won the May 17 election in a landslide, said he and Putin had “extremely frank” talks on Monday. But Macron also emphasized that Russia and France could work together on issues like terrorism.
Leading up to the election, Putin had expressly backed Macron’s opponent, Marine Le Pen, leader of the staunchly anti-immigrant National Front. On the eve of the vote, Macron’s campaign suffered a massive cyberattack that it compared to the hacking of candidate Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign last year. U.S. intelligence agencies have blamed that operation on the Russian government.
Cybersecurity analysts quickly detected Russian fingerprints behind the hacking of the Macron campaign’s emails and internal communications earlier this month.
The Kremlin has denied involvement, and Putin on Monday reiterated that Russia never meddled in the French election. He did, however, defend his decision to receive the pro-Russian Le Pen in Moscow in late March, one month before the first vote in the two-round French election.
Putin told reporters that Macron had not broached the subject of the cyberattack in their talks on Monday.
“We are quite capable of trying to move forward together in terms of the so-called Russian interference in the elections,” Putin told a news conference, in response to a question. “The issue has not been raised. The French president did not show any interest, and I even less.”
But Macron did show more than a little interest in the topic, especially when asked by a Russian journalist why it had been so difficult for certain reporters to get access to his campaign headquarters during the election.
“I have always had an exemplary relationship with foreign journalists, but they have to be journalists. Russia Today and Sputnik were organs of influence and propaganda that spread counterfeit truths about me,” he replied, referring to the Russian TV network and news agency.
Both media outlets are controlled by the Russian government.
“It is not for me to comment on Madame Le Pen’s visit” to Moscow, Macron said, in response to another question about the vote. “Elections are the decisions of sovereign people.”
The presidents’ meeting at the 17th-century Chateau de Versailles, one of Europe’s most opulent royal palaces, came at a time when relations between Paris and Moscow have reached one of their lowest points in decades, mostly because of the war in Syria.
France has been highly critical of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom the Kremlin has backed for years. Last fall, Putin abruptly canceled a visit to France after Macron’s predecessor, François Hollande, decried Russian bombings in the Syrian city of Aleppo as a “war crime.”
Macron said Monday that the use of chemical weapons in Syria constituted a “red line” for France and “would result in reprisals and an immediate response, at least where France is concerned.” Syria has been accused of using chemical weapons, including chlorine gas and much-deadlier nerve agents, during the conflict.
Trump last month ordered a missile attack on a Syrian air base in response to a chemical attack in Idlib province that killed nearly 100 people. Russia protested that the U.S. retaliation violated international law and said it would ruin bilateral relations.
President Barack Obama had also pledged strong action against Syria if it crossed a “red line” by using chemical weapons. But a year later, in 2013, Obama was widely criticized for holding off on military action against Syria when he failed to get congressional approval for a strike in the wake of a chemical-weapons attack. The U.S. government subsequently worked with Russia on a deal that was supposed to rid Syria of such weapons.
France and Russia are also divided over the Putin administration’s support for pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine and Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, which led to the imposition of sanctions by Europe and the United States.
Macron said France and Russia would pursue further dialogue in the “Normandy” format, including France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine.
Standing next to his Russian counterpart, France’s new president also pledged to defend “all people, all minorities.” He explicitly mentioned workers employed at Western-backed nonprofit groups in Russia – who are often tagged “foreign agents” by the Russian government – and the reported abuse of gay people by authorities in Chechnya.
“I will be constantly vigilant on these issues,” Macron said.
MILAN — Elisabetta Franchi has launched her first activewear collection. Named “Moves,” the capsule includes leggings, jumpsuits and loose-fit styles, such as sweatpants, T-shirts and sweatshirts.
Creative director Elisabetta Franchi infused her activewear range with precious details and materials, such as eco-leather, tulle and mesh.
The color palette spans from delicate hues, such as pale rose, ivory and grey mélange, to more flamboyant shades, including coral pink. Gold is used for piping and a star pattern.
A look from Elisabetta Franchi’s activewear capsule.
Courtesy.
The brand also developed three footwear styles — a slip-on, a pair of boxing boots and a deconstructed running shoe — as well as three bags. These include a gym bag, a backpack and a shopper, all crafted from technical fabrics.
Priced from 87 euros, or $97 at current exchange rate, to 450 euros, or $502, the capsule collection will be available in stores, as well as on the brand’s online shop, starting from next week.
Founded in 1998, Elisabetta Franchi’s international popularity has increased in the last few seasons as a range of celebrities, including Kim and Khloé Kardashian, have been seen sporting the label’s dresses. The company’s main markets are Russia, China and the Middle East, along with Italy. The brand is sold in
Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.
MILAN — White is not generally a color associated with a funeral. However, in paying tribute to Laura Biagiotti, whose fashion was often identified with white knitwear, many attending the designer’s funeral on Saturday morning in Rome chose that hue. To emphasize Biagiotti’s role in contributing to the success of Italian fashion around the world, Santo Versace draped the country’s flag around his shoulders.
As reported, Biagiotti died last Friday, aged 73, in Rome, after suffering a cardiac arrest. She is survived by her daughter Lavinia, vice president of the family-owned group. For years, mother and daughter took a bow together at the end of each fashion show in Milan.
“I have never seen so many flowers, they were everywhere, even covering the floor of the Basilica,” said Beppe Modenese, honorary chairman of the Italian Camera della Moda. “She was part of my life, we worked together, traveled together, shared so many things, this was a shock for me. She was a pleasant, educated and intelligent woman, joyful, really special. All they say about her — that she was the queen of cashmere, that she helped Italian fashion — it’s all true.”
Together with Mario Boselli, also honorary chairman of the fashion association; Anna
Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.
MILAN — Lapo Elkann dipped his toe back into social media last week for the first time since revealing last January his decision to take a step back from digital life.
But instead of posting about his life on his personal Instagram page, he took over the account of Garage Italia Customs, the automotive restyling company he founded in 2015.
Kicking off the weekly “Disruptive Mondays” series on May 22, Elkann posted the pictures of two customized 500 cars with the image of a globe in between, representing the Western and Eastern blocs during the Cold War.
“Hi, starting from this Monday we’d like to try something new. We’ll be posting our most interesting creative experiments both old and new, stuff that is too weird to exist but too interesting to ignore. We hope you like it, hate it, discuss it and overall find it interesting…,” Elkann captioned the pictures. ”# Disruptive Monday 1 — Is the Cold War back? # Have you seen the @TIME cover? Looks like the Cold War is back! This is our idea: the 500s hold a glass globe, if they get any closer or any further it brakes. The trick is to maintain balance.”
Lapo Elkann’s post on Garage Italia Customs Instagram account.
Courtesy
Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.
LIVE FAST: Lola and Grace, Swarovski Group’s fledgling younger brand, has failed to blossom. An external representative for the firm confirmed Monday that the Austrian crystal giant plans to close the fashion jewelry brand. A Swarovski spokesperson could not be reached for comment.
Launched in 2012, the Lola and Grace brand targeted an audience in the 16- to 35-year-old age range and offered affordable product mixing Swarovski crystals and pearls with other materials. The brand was run by an independent team and counted around 35 points of sale internationally, according to its web site, including a handful of stand-alone units.
At the other end of the scale, Swarovski at an event held during the just-wrapped Cannes Film Festival in Cannes presented the official launch of Atelier Swarovski’s sustainable, red carpet-inspired fine jewelry collection, billed as “conscious luxury” or “responsible jewelry.”
The firm had already premiered a selection of the creations, which combine Swarovski-created diamonds and crystals, on the Oscars 2017 red carpet in February. A Swarovski-created emerald set was added for Cannes. Commercial iterations of the line, which is handcrafted in Paris, are due to go on sale in 2018.
As reported, also on display were the latest creations from the brand’s classic Atelier Swarovski line to mark
Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.
Celebrities are known for living large, and their homes are no exception. Although becoming a Hollywood star might be a stretch, living like one may be closer to home in these celebrity residences. From actress Katharine Hepburn’s former East Coast home to fashion designer Tom Ford’s jaw-dropping New Mexico ranch, the following real estate properties […]
