Bezos' Venice wedding party moved to isolated area on security concerns
A general view shows The Venetian Arsenal ahead of the expected wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Italy, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
A general view shows The Venetian Arsenal ahead of the expected wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Italy, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
A man uses a smartphone to record the super yacht Kismet ahead of the expected wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Italy, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
People use a towel to shelter from the sun while queuing to enter St Mark's Basilica ahead of the expected wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Italy, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
A fake cash note with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' face on it lies on the street in St. Mark's Square ahead of his expected wedding with Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Italy, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Gondoliers ride their gondolas through the Venice Canal ahead of the expected wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, in Venice, Italy, June 22, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
MILAN - A celebrity wedding party for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and journalist Lauren Sanchez in Venice this week has been moved to an isolated, less accessible part of the lagoon city on security concerns and to prevent the risk of protests, sources said.
The billionaire tech-tycoon and his fiancee had earmarked a location in Cannaregio to celebrate after their marriage, a popular and central nightlife area, but fears of demonstrations led to a change of plan, the sources added.
For weeks some local residents and pressure groups have been complaining that the event will turn the scenic city of gondolas and palazzi into a private amusement park for the rich, and threatened peaceful blockades.
After the wedding ceremony, whose location and exact date remain secret, although it is expected to be between Thursday and Saturday, some 200-250 VIP guests from show business, politics and finance will now head to a hall of the Arsenale, a vast 14th-century complex in the eastern Castello district.
Surrounded by water and impossible to reach by land when connecting bridges are raised, the hall is considered a safer venue than Cannaregio's Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a medieval former religious school.
Originally a giant shipyard serving the Venetian Republic's maritime empire, the Arsenale has been restored and converted into an exhibition space for the Venice Biennale art fair.
Bezos, 61, executive chair of e-commerce giant Amazon and no. 4 on Forbes' billionaires list, got engaged to Sanchez, 55, in 2023, four years after the collapse of his 25-year marriage to Mackenzie Scott.
The couple's decision to marry in Venice follows other celebrity weddings in the floating city, such as that of U.S. actor George Clooney and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in 2014.
"The news that Bezos has run away from the Misericordia is a great victory for us," said Tommaso Cacciari, a leader of the "No Space for Bezos" campaign that is leading the anti-wedding front.
The group has announced more protests for Saturday on Venice's canals, bridges and narrow streets, pledging to make the event a "nightmare" for Bezos and his guests.
Luca Zaia, president of the Veneto region that comprises the city, criticised the protests, saying the 90 private jets carrying guests to nearby airports would bring revenue of up to 48 million euros ($55.69 million) to local businesses.
U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have been holidaying in Tuscany, visited the factory of luxury sports car maker Ferrari on their way to the Venice wedding, a source familiar with their movements said. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
34 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Spain does not expect repercussions from not meeting NATO's 5% spending target
FILE PHOTO: Spain's Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo poses after talking to media at the G20 finance leaders meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 25, 2024. REUTERS/Tita Barros/File Photo MADRID - Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said on Wednesday his country does not expect any repercussions from its refusal to meet the defence spending target of 5% of gross domestic product to be set by NATO member countries in a Summit held in The Hague. "Spain will be a responsible ally," Cuerpo said in an interview on Bloomberg TV, as he stressed the country would meet all its military capabilities commitments towards NATO. "No repercussions should derive from making good on our commitments and from being a reliable NATO ally, covering for the capabilities that we did commit to and that are necessary to defend NATO from the different threats that have been identified by experts," Cuerpo said. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday his country would not spend more than 2.1% of its gross domestic product in defence as its military capabilities commitments towards NATO don't require more. The summit is expected to endorse a higher defence spending goal of 5% of GDP - a response to a demand by US President Donald Trump and to Europeans' fears that Russia poses an increasingly direct threat to their security following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte has disputed the Spanish view but accepted a diplomatic fudge with Sanchez as part of his intense efforts to give Trump a diplomatic victory and make the summit go smoothly. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
China seizes moment to globalise renminbi as dollar doubts mount
Chinese policymakers see erratic US decision-making as the most favourable backdrop to promote the renminbi. PHOTO: REUTERS – China is launching a sweeping campaign to promote the renminbi's global role, seizing what officials see as a rare strategic opening. With the dollar facing multiple challenges, Beijing is accelerating its longstanding campaign to reduce global reliance on the world's reserve currency. What sets the latest push apart is timing: Chinese policymakers see erratic US decision-making and geopolitical tensions as the most favourable backdrop in years to promote the renminbi. The latest measures aim to not just facilitate trade, but also open China's financial markets and embed the renminbi more deeply in investment flows. They include easing capital controls, expanding cross-border payment systems, and launching new financial products to attract foreign investors. Beijing's hope is that a more internationalised renminbi may reshape trade and global finance and challenge the dollar's dominance in reserve portfolios. 'The measures to further integrate China with the global financial system feel like steps in the right direction, as China wants to make sure that the yuan is in the conversation of important global currencies,' said chief Greater China economist at ING Bank Lynn Song. Role in monetary system In a speech last week, Chinese central bank governor Pan Gongsheng envisioned a new global currency order with a reduced role for the dollar. He outlined a vision in which China's financial markets are more open and the renminbi plays a central role in the world's capital flows. To push that vision, the People's Bank of China plans to establish an international operation centre for the digital renminbi in Shanghai. It is also exploring the launch of the country's first domestic currency futures, which could compete with similar hedging tools in offshore markets like Singapore and Chicago. In Hong Kong, a fast payment system was launched over the past weekend. It allows residents to wire payments in renminbi or the Hong Kong dollar to the mainland for trade and services, further integrating the two markets. The city's exchange is also expected to add renminbi-denominated counters to the southbound stock link. Cryptocurrency linkages are on the table as well. Hong Kong's Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui said recently he will not rule out the possibility of linking stablecoins with the renminbi, though he noted risks, exchange rates, monetary policy and other factors would have to be considered. His comments came after the US Senate passed legislation on a dollar-pegged stablecoin and Hong Kong's approval of its own stablecoin regulatory framework in May. China is also taking steps to further facilitate capital flows by opening more domestic trading products to foreign investors later in 2025. The authorities plan to raise quotas for local residents to invest their renminbi in overseas securities, which would increase the currency's international circulation. 'China could be seizing the opportunity to promote RMB internationalisation,' Ms Zhi Xiaojia, an economist at Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank said, adding that further steps, such as deepening the offshore renminbi liquidity pool, could sustain the momentum. China's own payment system, the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), is also gaining traction. It expanded recently to cover more foreign banks including UOB, Bangkok Bank and First Abu Dhabi Bank. For the first time, CIPS' overseas participants cover offshore renminbi centres in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Singapore. These are set to increase renminbi settlements in China's cross-border transactions, where the currency has already overtaken the dollar in recent years. While the Chinese currency still accounts for just 2.2 per cent of global reserves, its share in China's cross-border transactions has already overtaken the dollar. In the nation's goods trade, renminbi settlement stood at 26 per cent in May and could rise to 40 per cent by year-end, according to Mr Xing Zhaopeng, senior strategist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group. Still, China faces challenges. An economic slowdown, deflationary pressures and lower bond yields have complicated efforts to push the renminbi forward. 'On the fundamental level, wider international use of yuan rests on a robust economy and further progress in capital account convertibility,' Morgan Stanley economists led by Robin Xing wrote in a note last week. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Life Listens: New music from Sabrina Carpenter, Turnstile, Katseye and more
Sabrina Carpenter, seen here at the Met Gala in May, gets cheeky in new single Manchild. PHOTO: REUTERS Life Listens: New music from Sabrina Carpenter, Turnstile, Katseye and more SINGAPORE – In this monthly column, The Straits Times curates the most buzz-worthy music you need to know about that was released in the past month. Stream This Song: Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild Sabrina Carpenter's Manchild is the lead single from her upcoming seventh album, Man's Best Friend. PHOTO: ISLAND RECORDS Trust Sabrina Carpenter to come up with a break-up song that is as sassy as it is fun. A cheeky takedown of an emotionally immature ex, Manchild is the first single off the American singer's upcoming seventh album, Man's Best Friend, set to be released on Aug 29. 'Said he needed space, now he's posting thirst traps, and quoting Freud like he knows where his hurt's at,' she croons on the song's bridge, taking aim at a former lover. Co-written by Carpenter and her two frequent collaborators – songwriter Amy Allen and pop savant Jack Antonoff – the immensely catchy tune deftly melds synth-pop and disco beats with country music-style fiddles and banjos. Like the ultra-catchy singles off her critically and commercially successful previous album Short n' Sweet (2024), Manchild is shaping up to be a global hit. It made its debut at the top of the United States and British singles charts, and at No. 7 on the local Recording Industry Association Singapore (Rias) charts. With its playful and upbeat vibes, this is one tune that is definitely in the running for this year's Song of the Summer. Ace Album: Turnstile – Never Enough Never Enough is the fourth album by American hardcore band Turnstile. PHOTO: ROADRUNNER American band Turnstile's new album Never Enough is a watershed moment for hardcore music, an aggressive offshoot of punk music that first emerged in the late 1970s. While purists might decry the distillation of the genre, the Baltimore quintet's Technicolor amalgamation of blistering intensity with pop and electronic music elements has widened hardcore's mass appeal. The songs on Never Enough are more experimental and accessible than those on their previous album Glow On (2021), a breakthrough release. I Care, for example, is a straight-up indie-pop track with 1980s-style rhythms and jangly guitars, while the cinematic title track is bookended by ambient synthesizers. American hardcore band Turnstile expand their sound by incorporating ambient synthesizers and jazz elements. PHOTO: ATIBA JEFFERSON Dreaming melds heavy riffs with Latin-inspired syncopated grooves and a horn section that includes saxophones by Leland Whitty of Canadian post-bop/nu jazz outfit BadBadNotGood. Another track with jazz flourishes is Sunshower, which features flutes by British jazz/avant-garde musician Shabaka Hutchings. Chock-full of hummable melodies by Turnstile frontman Brendan Yates, the album has become the former underground band's most commercially successful to date, and is their first to crack the Top 10 of Billboard's album charts. Never Enough is also the first album to feature guitarist Meg Mills, who replaced founding member Brady Ebert, who left in 2022. Must-see MV: Katseye – Gabriela Global girl group Katseye, whose line-up includes half-Singaporean member Megan, have enlisted a bit of Hollywood star power in the riotous new music video for the single Gabriela. The video stars American actress Jessica Alba, who plays the chief executive of a fictional company called Gabriela Enterprises. It starts off at a boardroom meeting where Alba announces that she is looking for a successor among the members of Katseye. American actress Jessica Alba (in red) stars in the new music video by US-based girl group Katseye. PHOTO: UNIVERSAL MUSIC The video then cuts into several frenzied scenes as each of the sextet – which also comprise Daniela, Lara, Manon, Sophia and Yoonchae – fight with one another to clinch the top job. Styled like an over-the-top, overdramatic telenovela, the campy video features daytime soap opera-like drama and retro-television aesthetics. Gabriela, by US-based girl group Katseye, is the second single from their upcoming EP, Beautiful Chaos. PHOTO: HYBE A wedding scene devolves into chaos and the members slug it out on the set of a trashy talk show. Watch out for the twist at the end when Alba reveals who replaces her as CEO. The Latin pop/K-pop hybrid tune is the second single from the group's upcoming EP, Beautiful Chaos, set to be released on June 27. Chart Champ: Enhypen – Desire : Unleash Desire : Unleash is the sixth EP by South Korean boy band Enhypen. PHOTO: BELIFT LAB K-pop boy band Enhypen scored their third No. 1 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart with their sixth EP, Desire : Unleash. The South Korean outfit also hit pole position with their last two EPs – Romance : Untold in 2024 and Manifesto : Day 1 (EP) in 2022. The Top Album Sales chart tracks top-selling albums of the week based on traditional album and EP sales. Desire : Unleash features songs that explore the darker and more complicated aspects of love. Sonically, the songs are multifaceted. Opening track Flashover, with its modulated synths and crashing drops, flirts with future bass; Outside is a punchy hip-hop track; while Helium is driven by pop-rock rhythms. Enhypen scored their third No. 1 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart with Desire : Unleash. PHOTO: BELIFT LAB Bad Desire (With Or Without You), an R&B/synth-pop hybrid, and funk number Loose come in two versions, one sung in English and the other in Korean. Singapore Scene: Music Lab podcast – Evan Low Award-winning Singaporean musician Evan Low is the latest guest on The Straits Times' Music Lab podcast. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE The latest episode of The Straits Times' Music Lab podcast features an interview with award-winning Singaporean musician and composer Evan Low. A recipient of the National Arts Council's Young Artist Award in 2024, Low has worked on more than 200 songs, including National Day Parade (NDP) themes We Are Singapore (2018), The Road Ahead (2021) and Not Alone (2024). In recent years, he has also supported Mandopop superstar A-mei as one of her live musicians on her world tour, a jaunt that has seen him perform in major venues such as Beijing's National Stadium. Low, who also makes music under the stage name Evanturetime, discusses how he handles the pressure of taking on high-profile projects. He also talks about how his emotional connection to music at a young age led him to a career path as a full-time musician. This podcast is the first Music Lab episode to be recorded live in front of an audience. Held at Raffles Place hangout Rasa on June 3, the event was part of the ST Podcast Live! Sessions celebrating 180 years of The Straits Times in 2025. Listen to the Music Lab podcast at Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
