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Bezos Venice Wedding Draws Anti-Tourism Protesters

Bezos Venice Wedding Draws Anti-Tourism Protesters

Bloomberg5 hours ago

As Venice prepares to host Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's $10 million wedding bash this week, local residents with the 'No Space for Bezos' movement are vowing to crash the party and 'take back' their city. The star-studded fête comes just as the summer season kicks into high gear, making it a lightning rod for anger about overtourism.
Like in other European hotspots that saw anti-tourism protests in recent weeks, Venetians say the city hasn't done enough to curb the deluge of seasonal visitors. There are now more beds for tourists than for residents in the city center, and numerous grocery and hardware stores have given way to bars and souvenir shops. Read more from Alberto Brambilla and Alessandra Migliaccio today on CityLab: Bezos Wedding Draws Protests, Soul-Searching Over Tourism in Venice

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Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez kick off wedding celebrations with foam party on $500m yacht amid protests in Venice
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez kick off wedding celebrations with foam party on $500m yacht amid protests in Venice

Yahoo

time43 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez kick off wedding celebrations with foam party on $500m yacht amid protests in Venice

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's Italian wedding festivities appear to be underway, while locals in Venice continue to protest the upcoming nuptials amid the swell of overtourism in the city. The couple was spotted on Bezos' $500 million yacht, Koru, on the island of Cres in Croatia on Sunday, leading up to their lavish wedding in Venice. In paparazzi photos obtained by the Daily Mail, the pair were seen covered in soap during a foam party with their friends on the boat. Sanchez opted for a black bikini and tan brim hat, while her soon-to-be husband wore green swim trunks and a white bucket hat. The Mail also noted that there was a 'Happy Birthday' sign on the boat, suggesting that the party may also have been in celebration of Sánchez's son Evan, who turned 19 on Sunday. Bezo and Sánchez, who got engaged in 2023, will begin their three-day wedding in Venice later this week — an exact date has not been confirmed; however, multiple outlets report it will take place from Thursday to Saturday. Ahead of their arrival, there have been many protests against the couple in the floating city. Last week, demonstrators took to the Rialto bridge — one of Venice's most famous landmarks — where they hung a giant banner reading 'No Space for Bezos,' a nod to the billionaire's space exploration company, Blue Origin. One of the protesters, Marta Sottoriva, told The Independent that allowing the billionaire to have his wedding in Venice creates the idea that 'a city can be sold to the highest bidder with the most money.' On Monday, global environmental organization Greenpeace joined the protests, with members of the organization unfurling a giant banner in St. Mark's Square that read: 'IF YOU CAN RENT VENICE FOR YOUR WEDDING YOU CAN PAY MORE TAX.' Local police quickly folded the sign up and took it away. The wedding is estimated to cost anywhere from $11.5 million to upwards of $21.5 million. About 30 of Venice's 280 water taxis have been reserved for the weekend, city hall officials said in a statement. The city's mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, addressed the wedding back in March, denying claims that he booked a large number of hotel rooms, gondolas, and water taxis for the event. 'We are mutually working and supporting the organizers to ensure that the event will be absolutely respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city,' he said in a statement to People magazine at the time. 'The many speculations and fake news circulating about Jeff Bezos' wedding are completely unfounded,' the municipality added in its own statement, saying its 'utmost priority to make sure the city functions as normal, for all, with no abnormal disruption to anyone.'

White House Faces Risk of Economic Fallout From Iran Strike
White House Faces Risk of Economic Fallout From Iran Strike

Miami Herald

timean hour ago

  • Miami Herald

White House Faces Risk of Economic Fallout From Iran Strike

EDITORS NOTE: EDS: SUBS beginning at 2nd graf to update and revise, PICKUP at "Taken together..."; SUBS graf beginning "Disputing that evidence..." for graf now beginning "The uncertainty prompted..."; CHANGES to "had" sted "have" in graf beginning "Jerome Powell..."; ADDS graf beginning "'I can assure you..." to add comment from press secretary; SUBS final graf to clarify and revise.); (ART ADV: With photo.); (With: IRAN-NUCLEAR-ASSESS, IRAN-AIRSTRIKES-PROTESTS, TRUMP-VOTERS-IRAN, U.S.-ISRAEL-IRAN, MARKETS, IRAN-EVIN-PRISON, CALIF-SHERIFF-IRAN, U.S.-IRAN-CHINA, FED-RATES WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump on Monday began to confront the potential economic blowback from his military strikes on Iran, which threatened to send oil and gas prices soaring at a moment when U.S. consumers are already facing significant financial strains. The mere prospect of rising energy costs appeared to spook even Trump, who took to social media to push for more domestic drilling while demanding that companies "KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN." Otherwise, the president said, they would be "PLAYING RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY." "I'M WATCHING!" he added. By Monday afternoon, global oil markets appeared relatively unfazed by the rising tensions between the two nations, just days after Trump dispatched U.S. bombers on a mission to disable three Iranian nuclear sites. Prices rose over the weekend but fell Monday after Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes against U.S. bases abroad. But it remained unclear if Iran would continue to respond, or if its leaders might escalate the conflict, particularly by trying to block access to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that serves as the critical entrance point to the Persian Gulf. The world ships substantial amounts of oil and liquefied natural gas through the passage, so any interruption to commerce could cause energy prices to surge globally. A spike in energy costs could prove especially difficult for American consumers and businesses this summer, given that it could arrive at about the same time that Trump plans to revive his expansive, steep tariffs on nearly every U.S. trading partner. Many economists expect those levies to push up prices after years of high inflation. In April, the president announced, then suspended, the sky-high duties, seeking to quell a global market meltdown over his disruptive and legally contested campaign to remake global trade. But Trump has not wavered in his plan to implement the tariffs again on July 9, and many economists expect companies -- which pay the duties when they source foreign products -- to pass the added costs down to their customers. Taken together, said James Knightley, the chief international economist at ING, the uncertainties around geopolitics and trade threaten to "squeeze households' spending power" in the coming months. He said that there was already "quite a lot of anxiety" about tariffs, and that the concern now was that there "could be another wave of pain for the consumer in the form of higher energy prices." "That would be a big negative," Knightley said. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. A spike in oil prices would only add to the mounting political headaches facing Trump, who has promised to salve stubbornly high inflation dating back to the coronavirus pandemic. The president has long viewed energy costs as a barometer for the effectiveness of his economic agenda, and he has crowed repeatedly about declining gas prices in recent weeks as a sign that his policies are working. For the moment, prices across the economy have remained relatively stable, according to the latest reading from the consumer price index. But economists widely believe that inflation could pick up as soon as this summer, particularly once the president's tariffs take full effect. The uncertainty prompted the Federal Reserve last week to leave interest rates unchanged for June, in a move that angered Trump, who lashed out at the central bank as he argued that inflation has eased and high borrowing costs are no longer necessary. Jerome Powell, the Fed chair, told reporters Wednesday that the central bank was "watching like everybody else is" to see how the conflict with Iran might affect prices. But he also acknowledged that the U.S. government was less dependent on foreign oil than it was in past Middle East conflicts that had roiled global energy markets. "What's tended to happen is, when there's turmoil in the Middle East, you may see a spike in energy prices, but tends to come down," Powell said. On Monday, analysts at Goldman Sachs said that a disruption to the oil supply could cause a small but notable contraction in global economic growth while increasing inflation, depending on the duration of the conflict and the extent to which Iran opts to interfere with the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is particularly important to China, which imports a significant amount of oil through the passageway, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who urged Beijing over the weekend to take a stand against Iranian retaliation. "It will have some impact on us," he told CBS' "Face the Nation." "It will have a lot more impact on the rest of the world." Trump and his top aides later suggested that they were closely watching energy prices, and they appeared to signal that they could take executive action if necessary to keep them from rising. "I can assure you, the administration is actively and closely monitoring the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, and the Iranian regime would be foolish to make that decision," Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters. On social media, Trump demanded that the Energy Department begin "NOW!!!" to increase domestic oil production. That prompted Energy Secretary Chris Wright to promise that the agency was "on it!" Kevin Hassett, the director of the White House National Economic Council, told CNBC earlier Monday that other oil-producing countries had significant reserves at their disposal, giving them "a lot of room to adjust" if Iran retaliated in a way that affected oil and gas, causing prices to surge. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Copyright 2025

Air India Halts Flights to Europe, U.S. East Coast, and Middle East Amid Regional Conflict
Air India Halts Flights to Europe, U.S. East Coast, and Middle East Amid Regional Conflict

Skift

timean hour ago

  • Skift

Air India Halts Flights to Europe, U.S. East Coast, and Middle East Amid Regional Conflict

The suspension comes after Iran launched an attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar earlier on Monday. Air India said Monday that it is suspending all service to Europe and North America East Coast due to rising tensions in the Middle East and several airspace closures. Flights to the Middle East have also been temporarily halted. 'Amid the developing situation in the Middle East, Air India has ceased all operations to the region as well as to and from the East Coast of North America and Europe with immediate effect, until further notice,' an Air India spokesperson said in a statement. 'Our India-bound flights from North America are diverting back to their respective origins and others are being diverted back to India or re-routed away from the closed airspaces.' The suspension comes after Air India previously said it would reduce long-haul international flying in response to enhanced safety inspections following a fatal plane crash and multiple airspace closures around the world. On the East Coast, the carrier flies to New York JFK, Washington, D.C., and Toronto. In Europe, Air India operates routes to London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Milan, Zurich, and Vienna. And in the Middle East, Air India flies to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar. 'We request the understanding of all passengers who may be affected by this disruption that's beyond an airline's control. Air India is in continuous consultation with its external security advisors and is vigilantly monitoring the evolving situation,' the spokesperson said. 'We will keep our passengers informed of any updates. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our number one priority.' Qatar Closes Airspace Earlier on Monday, Qatar closed its airspace after Iran threatened to retaliate against the U.S. Shortly after the attack, the UAE temporarily closed its airspace. About an hour after Qatar announced the closure, Iran launched an attack on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the region. Israel also launched an attack on Tehran on Monday. Iran's attack was in response to a U.S. attack on three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday. IndiGo, another major Indian airline, said routes to the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Georgia would be impacted by the conflict. As the conflict between Israel and Iran intensified last week, airlines around the world canceled flights to the region. What am I looking at? The performance of airline sector stocks within the ST200. The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets including network carriers, low-cost carriers, and other related companies. The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more airlines sector financial performance. Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200.

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