Scramble: Why are we mad at Sydney Sweeney? & Round-the-world walker prepares for home stretch

American Eagle sparks backlash for touting Sydney Sweeney's 'great jeans'

American Eagle’s “great jeans” advertising campaign with actor Sydney Sweeney is at the center of the latest political firestorm online, drawing accusations of racial undertones in its messaging.

Sweeney, who rose to fame for her starring roles in HBO’s “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus,” is the star of the clothing retailer’s latest denim-focused fall campaign, with the tagline, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”

It’s a play on words for Sweeney’s “great genes.” Indeed, in one clip, which accrued more than 1.1 million views on American Eagle’s Instagram page, Sweeney stands before a poster of herself titled, “Sydney Sweeney has great genes,” before the word “genes” is crossed out and replaced with “jeans.”

Round-the-world walker prepares for home stretch

A man hoping to become the first person to complete an unbroken round-the-world walk is preparing for the last leg of his journey.

Karl Bushby set off from Chile in 1998. Since then he has walked across American and Asian continents, swam 186 miles (300km) across the Caspian Sea and fought off ice lumps and polar bears through the Bering Strait, all without using any form of transport.

The former paratrooper has less than 2,000 miles (3219km) left to walk before he arrives at his home city of Hull.

Mr Bushby, who is currently in Mexico waiting for a visa to complete his challenge, has said returning home will be a "very strange place to be" after being away for some 27 years.

Following his 31-day swim across the Caspian Sea last year, Mr Bushby said he continued his journey to Azerbaijan and then through to Turkey.

The traveller, originally from Sutton Park, said he "had to step aside" from his mission, named the Goliath Expedition, while he waited for a visa.

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