Latest news with #Birkin
Time of India
an hour ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Widow of slain Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar smuggled out of Gaza with loads of cash, remarried in Turkey
Samar Muhammad Abu Zamar , the widow of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar—believed to be the mastermind of the October 7 terror attacks—was reportedly smuggled out of Gaza with her children and a significant amount of money, according to Israeli media outlet Ynet . The report claims that Abu Zamar used fake passports to flee Gaza during the early days of the Israel-Hamas war and relocated to Turkey , where she has since remarried. Her escape was allegedly orchestrated by senior Hamas operative Fathi Hammad, known for facilitating the movement of militants and their families. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Science MBA Technology Leadership Project Management Finance Public Policy Digital Marketing Data Analytics Degree Healthcare Data Science Artificial Intelligence MCA healthcare Management others Cybersecurity Design Thinking Product Management Others Operations Management CXO PGDM Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Interpretation Programming Proficiency Problem-Solving Skills Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT MSc in Data Science Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Strategic Data-Analysis, including Data Mining & Preparation Predictive Modeling & Advanced Clustering Techniques Machine Learning Concepts & Regression Analysis Cutting-edge applications of AI, like NLP & Generative AI Duration: 8 Months IIM Kozhikode Professional Certificate in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Starts on Jun 26, 2024 Get Details Abu Zamar is said to have exited Gaza via the Rafah border crossing. One source cited by Ynet described the escape as involving 'high-level coordination, logistical support, and large sums of money that regular Gazans don't have access to.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Do you have a mouse? Desert Order Undo Her remarriage, also reportedly arranged by Hammad, remains shrouded in secrecy, with no details released about her new husband. Last year, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released footage showing Sinwar and his family fleeing into a tunnel beneath their home in Khan Younis, just hours before Hamas launched its deadly assault on Israel. An IDF spokesperson also posted an image on social media showing a woman believed to be Abu Zamar holding what appeared to be a Hermès Birkin bag, estimated to cost around $32,000, asking: 'Did Sinwar's wife enter the tunnel with him on October 6 carrying a Birkin bag?!' Live Events — Israel (@Israel) 'While Gaza residents struggle to afford basic necessities, we continue to see evidence of Sinwar and his wife's obsession with wealth,' the IDF stated, although the authenticity of the luxury bag remains unconfirmed. Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in Rafah in late October. He had married Abu Zamar in 2011; she was reportedly 18 years his junior. The couple had three children. Meanwhile, Israel said on Thursday it had recalled its negotiators from Gaza ceasefire talks with Hamas, as international pressure mounted for a breakthrough to end nearly two years of devastating war. Mediators have been shuttling between Israeli and Hamas delegations in Qatar for more than two weeks, but the indirect talks have so far failed to yield an elusive truce. International concern is growing over the plight of the more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where the fighting has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis and warnings that "mass starvation" was spreading.
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Slain Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar's widow smuggled out of Gaza — and is already remarried: report
The widow of slain Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the Oct. 7 terror attacks, was reportedly smuggled out Gaza with their kids using fake passports — and has already remarried. Samar Muhammad Abu Zamar managed to slip out of the Palestinian enclave with huge chunks of cash in the early days of the war, Ynet reported Wednesday, citing multiple sources. The Birkin bag-loving widow fled with the couple's two young sons to Turkey, where she remained in hiding as Israeli forces hunted down her husband, the sources added. Advertisement 5 Widow of Yahya Sinwar was reportedly smuggled out of Gaza and is remarried. IDF 5 Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's wdow reportedly spotted with $32,000 Birkin bag as she fled Gaza hideout. IDF Then, just months after her husband was wiped out by Israeli forces in a routine ground operation in southern Gaza last October, Abu Zamar quickly remarried. 'She's no longer here — she crossed through the Rafah border using a fake passport,' one source told the outlet, adding that the operation involved 'high-level coordination, logistical support and large sums of money that regular Gazans don't have.' Advertisement Her new marriage and resettlement was orchestrated by Fathi Hammad — a Hamas operative who is renowned for helping terrorists and their families disappear. 5 The front page of the New York Post on October 18, 2024. csuarez Details on her new husband weren't immediately known. It comes after footage emerged late last year of the terror kingpin's wife fleeing into a Gaza tunnel while clutching what Israeli officials claimed was a $32,000 Birkin bag just hours before the Oct. 7 massacre unfolded. Advertisement 5 Footage of Sinwar fleeing with his family the night before the October 7 terror attack. IDF 'Did Sinwar's wife enter the tunnel with him on October 6 carrying a Birkin bag estimated to cost around $32,000?!' an IDF spokesperson wrote on X, alongside a screenshot of the woman holding what appeared to be a super-luxe Hermes bag. 5 Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7 terror attacks, was killed by Israeli forces. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Advertisement 'While Gaza residents have no money for food, we see many examples of Yahya Sinwar and his wife's special love for money.' It wasn't clear if that bag was a knock off.
Daily Maverick
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Birkin v Wirkin: the backlash against the global elite and their luxury bags
The Birkin bag made by luxury retailer Hermès is a must-have for the global elite. Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast to hear two sociologist discuss what it symbolises. The Birkin bag made by French luxury retailer Hermès has become a status symbol for some of the global elite. Notoriously difficult to obtain, a select few obsess over how to get their hands on one. But when US retailer Walmart recently launched a much cheaper bag that looked very similar to the Birkin, nicknamed a 'Wirkin' by others, it sparked discussions about wealth disparity and the ethics of conspicuous consumption. In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we speak to two sociologists about the Birkin and what it symbolises. For the rich housewives of Delhi, the Birkin bag is a must-have, says Parul Bhandari. A sociologist at the University of Cambridge in the UK, she's spent time interviewing wealthy Indian women about their lives and preoccupations. She told us: A bag that is carried by rich women of New York, of London, of Paris, is something that you desire as well, so it's a ticket of entry into the global elite. Birkins are also used by some of these rich women as a way to show off their husbands' affection, Bhandari says: ' Not only from the point of view of money, because obviously this bag is extremely expensive, but also because it is difficult to procure.' The harder your husband tries to help you get the bag, the more getting one is a testimony of conjugal love. Manufactured scarcity Named after the British actress Jane Birkin, Hermès's signature bag can cost tens of thousands of dollars, or more on the resale market for those made in rare colours or out of rare leathers. But you can't just walk into any Hermès store to buy one, as Aarushi Bhandari, a sociologist at Davidson College in the US, who studies the internet – and is no relation to Parul – explains. You need to have a record of spending tens of thousands of dollars even before you're offered to buy one. But spending that money doesn't automatically mean you get a bag. You have to develop a relationship with a sales associate at a particular Hermès store, and the sales associate really gets to decide, if there's availability, whether or not you get offered a bag. Bhandari became intrigued by online communities where people discuss the best strategies for obtaining a Hermès. So when US retailer Walmart launched a bag in late 2024 that looked very similar to a Birkin, and the internet went wild, Bhandari was fascinated. She began to see posts on TikTok discussing the bag. First, it was fashion accounts talking it up, but then a backlash began, with some users criticising those who would spend thousands on a real Birkin and praising the 'Wirkin' as a way to make an iconic design accessible to regular people. Bhandari sees this as an example of an accelerating form of anti-elitism taking hold within parts of online culture. @chronicallychaotic_ Why aren't people ashamed and embarrassed to flaunt wealth? ♬ original sound – Chronically Chaotic In February, the chief executive of Hermès, Axel Dumas, admitted that he was 'irritated' by the Walmart bag and that the company took counterfeiting 'very seriously'. The Walmart bag quickly sold out, and no more were put on sale. It has since entered into a partnership with a secondhand luxury resale platform called Rebag, meaning customers can buy real Birkins secondhand through Walmart's online marketplace. The Conversation approached Hermès for comment on the Walmart bag, and to confirm how the company decides who is eligible to buy a Birkin. Hermès did not respond. DM This story first appeared in The Conversation. Gemma Ware is the Host of The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation. Listen to the full episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast to hear our conversation with Parul Bhandari and Aarushi Bhandari, plus an introduction from Nick Lehr, arts and culture editor at The Conversation in the US. This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Katie Flood. Mixing and sound design by Eloise Stevens and theme music by Neeta Sarl.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Birkin: The Bag, the Woman, the Myth
The world is in the throes of Birkin mania. This month the original Birkin bag, made by Hermès for the British actress Jane Birkin in 1984, sold for $10.1 million at Sotheby's in Paris. The way Ms. Birkin wore it, festooned with nail clippers and stickers for political causes, has led to its own slang: to 'Birkinify' one's bag. The omnipresent Labubu plush toys that fans like to hang on their bags are said to have been inspired by the way Ms. Birkin affixed eclectic trinkets to her Birkins. Riffs on the Hermés classic, the Boatkin, have become sought-after novelty items that fetch their own hefty prices. On social media, explainers proliferate on how to emulate Ms. Birkin's late 1960s, carefree, bourgeois-bohemian style, with sheer crocheted dresses and ballet flats. All of this is happening two years after her death on July 16, 2023, following a cancer diagnosis and more than a decade of treatment. She was a cult figure, particularly outside France, where she lived most of her life. Ms. Birkin, who was born in London, became a revered actress who appeared in more than 70 films and a musician whose most famous song, 'Je t'aime … moi non plus,' with Serge Gainsbourg, was a worldwide hit. It was banned by the Vatican for its lasciviousness, and Ms. Birkin responded that the pope was their best publicist. In 2023, the black-walled house on the Left Bank where the couple lived opened as a museum, and tickets to tour the residence sell out months in advance. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Star
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
What would Jane Birkin have thought of the craze over her namesake bag?
The world is in the throes of Birkin mania. This month the original Birkin bag, made by Hermes for British actress Jane Birkin in 1984, sold for US$10.1mil (approximately RM42.9mil) at Sotheby's in Paris. The way Jane wore it, festooned with nail clippers and stickers for political causes, has led to its own slang: to 'Birkinify' one's bag. The omnipresent Labubu plush toys that fans like to hang on their bags are said to have been inspired by the way Jane affixed eclectic trinkets to her Birkins. Riffs on the Hermes classic, such as the Boatkin, have become sought-after novelty items that fetch their own hefty prices. On social media, explainers proliferate on how to emulate Jane's late 1960s carefree, bourgeois-bohemian style, with sheer crocheted dresses and ballet flats. Read more: Still obsessed with Labubu? Sorry, fashion did the bag charm trend first All of this is happening two years after her death on July 16, 2023, after a cancer diagnosis and more than a decade of treatment. She was a cult figure, particularly outside France, where she lived most of her life. Jane, who was born in London, became a revered actress who appeared in more than 70 films and a musician whose most famous song, Je T'aime… Moi Non Plus (I Love You… Me Neither), with Serge Gainsbourg, was a worldwide hit. It was banned by the Vatican for its lasciviousness, and Jane responded that the pope was their best publicist. In 2023 , the black-walled house on the Left Bank where the couple lived opened as a museum, and tickets to tour the residence sell out months in advance. In Jane B By Agnes V , a 1988 documentary directed by Agnes Varda that was made as Jane was turning 40, she dumps out the contents of her original black Birkin bag – the first 'What's In My Bag' video perhaps? Out of the beaten-up black vessel tumble multiple notebooks, a Swiss Army knife, newspaper clippings, Maybelline Great Lash mascara, pencils, cash, cigarettes, a Fyodor Dostoyevsky novel and Scotch tape. She fixes her gaze on the camera with a wry look and says: 'Find out anything after seeing what's in the bag? Even when you show it all, you reveal very little.' Jane knew that the bag had more name recognition than she did. During her life, people would ask if she was the same Birkin as the bag. She'd say, 'Yes, and the bag is going to sing now!' In person, the original Birkin looks as if it might have been found in a shipwreck, with its fraying handles and mottled leather patina and marks from where she had affixed Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF stickers. The nail clippers she had dangled from the bag were still there. It was designed with Jean-Louis Dumas, then the Hermes CEO. In a kind of rom-com-style meet-cute, the two sat next to each other on a flight from London to Paris and came up with the idea for a holdall that would be more suitable than the baskets Jane had carried as bags since she was a teenager. 'She didn't treat it as an art piece,' said Adam Lena, a couture dealer from Warsaw, Poland, who went to the public viewing at Sotheby's. 'It's just a normal bag for every day. That's the amazing thing about it. She didn't treat it as an heirloom.' Everyone else has a very different relationship to the bag. It's nearly impossible to walk into an Hermes store and just buy one. Someone who wants a Birkin has to establish a relationship as a customer of the house, often buying scarves or wallets or sweaters or smaller bags before they are 'offered' one, in Hermes parlance. The bag cost US$2,000 (RM8,500) when it was released in the mid-1980s. Today the least expensive Birkin at US retail would sell for more than US$10,000 (RM42,500), depending on the size, colour and material – tariffs and state taxes notwithstanding. Faye Landes, a longtime retail analyst, said the value of the Birkin prototype was closely entwined with Jane's status as an icon – a category of person as rare and coveted as the handbag she carried. 'Very few people have either the talent or the resources' to become one, she said. At 4:16 p.m. July 10, bidding on the bag began. Some 270 participants from 38 countries had registered for that day's auction after the bag had been displayed in Asia, Europe and the United States. After an invitation-only cocktail party for clients, during which Sotheby's served Champagne and chocolates shaped like tiny Birkin bags, the bidding began. As in a scene from a film, there were gasps as the figure rose from US$1.7mil (RM7.2mil), rapidly increasing in a nine-way bidding war that played out over 10 tense minutes. The bidding ended at US$10.1mil (RM42.9mil), including a buyer's premium, the bag going to Valuence, a Japanese fashion conglomerate. Strangers cheered and hugged one another. The Birkin broke all kinds of records. It became the most valuable handbag ever sold at auction. It outsold the hat of Emperor Napoleon I and Princess Diana's sheep sweater. The truth is that owning a Birkin has become shorthand for making it. Many Real Housewives and Kardashian-Jenners own them. RickDick, the name of an artificial intelligence meme artist on Instagram, posted a parody video of Kim Kardashian breaking the glass of the Sotheby's display and stealing the bag. Kim reposted it. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, another perpetual object of style obsession, owned a large black one. So what could be more indicative of success than owning the original Birkin? Read more: Like the famous bag named after her, Jane Birkin is a style icon But, what would Jane think of all this? As someone who eschewed plastic surgery on her own face, she would probably find the so-called "Birkin Body" – a US$75,000 (RM318,450) body lift from the neck to the knees offered by Dr Ryan Neinstein – darkly funny. She was a lifelong progressive activist who would have loved that her name was appropriated in the Bushwick Birkin – the nickname for the Telfar Shopping Bag popular with creative types, particularly among people of colour and within the queer community. She might even have taken a shine to the divisive Labubus. She'd had a beloved stuffed toy named Munkey since childhood until she buried it with Gainsbourg, her former lover who died in 1991. Her burial plot is just a few yards away in Montparnasse Cemetery in an overgrown English secret garden where fans leave tokens for her: miniature bulldog figurines, headshots, notes, bouquets of sunflowers. Jane lived a life full of surprises and contradictions as she confronted motherhood, sexuality, fame, consent, abuse, respect. But the Hermes bag that is synonymous with her to this day? Its creation myth didn't warrant even a sentence in Jane's diary. Her life cannot be summed up in one outfit, one relationship, one song, one role or even one bag. – ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
