Cannes 2021 red carpet fashion: highlights from the two-week festival

With so few red carpets to walk this past year, stars, celebs and the world's sharpest-elbowed influencers piled on to the "tapis rouge" at the Cannes Film Festival.

Not even the absence of Lea Seydoux – sidelined by a case of Covid-19 – could dim the glamour.

The closing ceremony was no exception.

Take a look through the photo gallery above to see more from the stars' final festival foray.

Here are some of the most unforgettable looks of the fortnight:

Fine pair of lungs

Bella Hadid took the breath away with her Schiaparelli "lungs" dress, the bust replaced by two sculpted gold bronchial branches.

True to his reputation as couture's most daring designer, Daniel Roseberry said he wanted to celebrate the lungs as Europe breathes again after Covid.

Some worried the Palestinian-Dutch model would catch her death in it, though.

To their less enlightened eyes, Hadid's lungs looked as if they had been turned inside out and dipped in gold.

She also went all out in a Jean Paul Gaultier black scarf bodice.

Take a look through the photo gallery below to see more Arab celebrities and looks from Arab designers that made it to the Cannes red carpet this year:

Spike really has it

While some might question whether Spike Lee, who heads the Cannes jury, had done the right thing by putting festival postcards up for sale on his site for $100, no one could doubt his style even as he sported Nikes emblazoned with his own face.

At 63, he still has it, attracting every camera on the Croisette with a fuchsia Louis Vuitton zoot suit and matching sunglasses.

Hat tip too at his berets for every occasion – from Black Panther to Bastille Day French tricolour to Jean-Paul Sartre chin-stroker.

Tilda's just a darling

While Bella and Spike did sass, Tilda Swinton does class like no other. She was ubiquitous at Cannes, appearing in five films and bringing her white duke androgynous cool to some wonderful "clothes that my friends made for me", as she put it.

Jonathan Anderson of Loewe created a white apostolic robe for her Memoria press conference, adorned with feathers in the colours of Colombia, where the movie was shot.

Ten minutes, 400 metres and a costume change later, Swinton was accepting the Palm Dog Award for bBest Canine Performance at Cannes on behalf of her spaniels.

As the red collar was fastened around her neck, knees of every gender and none wobbled.

Her dogs feature alongside her and her daughter Honor in the two acclaimed The Souvenir films by British director Joanna Hogg.

Honor even raided her mum's wardrobe for vintage pieces for the film.

Take a look through the photo gallery below to see more from 'The French Dispatch' premiere:

Tears from Stone

Sharon Stone cried a river at Cannes. And we can't say we blame her. The famously brainy star of Basic Instinct was given one of France's highest cultural honours at the festival.

She famously attended the premiere of The Story of My Wife in a bucolic Dolce & Gabbana creation. The off-shoulder gown, which trailed reams of sky blue tulle, was adorned with exaggerated applique blooms, giving her the appearance of a Disney princess who stepped off-screen.

"This is what dreams are made of," Stone, 63, captioned a shot of herself on the red carpet, which she posted to Instagram.

Take a look through the photo gallery below for more of Stone and others on day nine of the festival:

Grey power

Notting Hill actress Andie MacDowell may no longer be big box office material but she proved that older stars still shine by showing off her lockdown grey hair.

The American stole much of the opening night attention with her glorious mane.

As the trending #SilverSisters hashtag proved, she looked amazing.

Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

Our coronavirus coverage

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Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

PROFILE

Name: Enhance Fitness

Year started: 2018

Based: UAE

Employees: 200

Amount raised: $3m

Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors

The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright

Landfill in numbers

• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane

• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming

• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi

• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year

• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away

• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition

Results

Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent

Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent

Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent

What drives subscription retailing?

Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.

The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.

The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.

The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.

UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.

That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.

Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.

Key developments

Singapore summit: Trump and Kim launch charm offensive as meetings begin
Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un shake hands ahead of one-on-one discussion
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Kim: “I believe this is a good prelude for peace."
Trump: “We will solve it, we will be successful.”

All times UTC 4

What is graphene?

Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.

It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.

But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

UAE currency

'Ashkal'

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Polarised public

31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all

Source: YouGov

While you're here

Mina Aldroubi: Al Kadhimi must move fast or risk public resentment

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Aya Iskandarani: Debate on sovereignty is held in Iraq and Lebanon

Dunki

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Kamala Harris: who is Joe Biden's running mate?

Five expert hiking tips

Always check the weather forecast before setting off

Make sure you have plenty of water

Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon

Wear appropriate clothing and footwear

Take your litter home with you

Killing of Qassem Suleimani

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Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble

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Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5