Jeff Bezos-Lauren Sanchez wedding: I am ashamed, we will have to ....; says Venice Mayor as protesters target Amazon founder's wedding
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez first met in 2016 at an Amazon Studios party for Manchester by the Sea
The upcoming wedding of
Jeff Bezos
and
Lauren Sanchez
in Venice has polarized the city, with some residents protesting the event while others, including city officials, embrace it.
Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro
expressed strong support for the couple, stating, 'I want Jeff Bezos to be welcomed with open arms in Venice. Protesting against those who bring visibility and wealth to our territory is, in my opinion, a disgrace.' Brugnaro, speaking to reporters on Friday, added, 'We will have to apologize to Bezos. I am ashamed of those who behave like this. I hope that Bezos comes anyway. Not all Venetians think like these protesters," he told protestors.
At the Biennale of Architecture, a staple Venice event, sentiments aligned more with city officials. Görge Meyer, a visitor from Berlin, told CNN, 'It seems ridiculous that a city that lives off tourism like Venice wouldn't want an event like this, which will employ hundreds of people from waiters to water taxi drivers. All the guests and journalists will be staying at hotels, eating at restaurants and spending money.'
Gillian Longworth McGuire, an American travel writer living in Venice, noted the city's historical allure for high-profile weddings, saying, 'Venice just doesn't have a clear idea of what it is supposed to be sometimes. Is it a magical place carved out of a lagoon, built by merchants and fishermen, or a bachelorette party and mega wedding venue? The ethos of this city was always that it was the crossroads of culture and the world.'
Some locals bitter over Venice wedding
However, not all residents are welcoming. The 'No Space for Bezos' collective hung a banner with an X over Bezos's name on a belltower overlooking the Venice lagoon, which was removed Thursday. The group declared on Facebook, 'He's not welcome, not in Venice, not anywhere!' highlighting local resentment toward the event.
AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Who is Jake Paul's fiancée? The 7-time world champion and Olympic silver medalist he's planning to marry
Jake Paul proposed to Jutta Leerdam in March 2025.(Image via Stephanie Augello/Variety via Getty) Jake Paul , one of the most famous influencers and an American professional boxer, has been pretty open about his dating life. Jake Paul has been in a serious and steady relationship with Jutta Leerdam for around two years now, and the couple are now busy planning their wedding after they got engaged early this year. Here is everything one needs to know about Jake Paul's fiancée, Jutta Leerdam. Everything about Jake Paul's fiancée, Jutta Leerdam, and their relationship While Jake Paul is a famous influencer and a boxer, his fiancée, Jutta Leerdam, is a renowned Dutch speed skater and an Olympic silver medalist. Jake Paul's fiancée, Jutta Leerdam, was born in the Netherlands on 30th December, 1998, and has shown exceptional talent since her childhood. Before she took up speed skating, she had taken up playing field hockey for close to a decade. However, field hockey did not interest Jutta Leerdam much, and she quickly shifted to speed skating. Jutta Leerdam has even spoken about this to Infrostada Sports and said, "I enjoyed it, but I have never been a team player…The individual aspect of skating appeals to me." Jutta Leerdam also participated in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China, where she represented the Netherlands and ended up winning the silver medal. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Affordable Online Counseling – Anytime, Anywhere Affordable Online Counseling | Search Ads Learn More Undo Jake Paul and Jutta Leerdam have been together for more than two years and have been pretty open about their relationship. A few days before Jake Paul proposed to her, he even made a post about how proud he is of her achievements. The photo had them cuddling as the caption read as, 'So proud of my baby 1st, 2nd, and 3rd this weekend at the world championships. She's a 7 time world champion now😤. The hardest worker and the most gorgeous. You inspire me babe. Isn't ironic how the person who is the most important athlete to a sport is the one that they try to tear down the most. Can't relate because we don't fly at y'all's altitude🤴🏼👸🏼I hope love runs the universe one day💞' The two got engaged on 25th March 2025, when Jake Paul went down on one knee to pop the big question. Neither Jake Paul nor Jutta Leerdam have revealed their wedding dates yet.
Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Bunker-Buster Bomb Draws Focus as Trump Weighs Iran Options
US President Donald Trump has a wide range of military assets in the Middle East and across the globe to bring to bear in a potential fight against Iran as he weighs one of the most momentous foreign policy decisions of his administration. That arsenal includes powerfully destructive bombs, long-range stealth bombers, an aircraft carrier strike group, Navy destroyers and US troops — offering Trump multiple options if he decides to intervene more directly in support of Israel. Some resources like the B-2 bomber are in the US while other assets are either in the region or on the way. It's unclear whether Trump will deepen US involvement beyond helping Israel defend against Iranian air attacks as he has done in recent days. On Tuesday afternoon, the president gathered his national security staff for a White House Situation Room meeting. The administration, though, has been surging military resources to US Central Command, which oversees the Pentagon's operations in the region. And forces already in the area include naval and air power that could play a crucial role in any US action against Iran. The Islamic Republic has already suffered its worst assault in decades, with Israel's strikes on the country's nuclear and military infrastructure damaging key facilities and killing senior personnel. One weapon, though, is seen as particularly effective if the situation were to escalate and draw the direct involvement of the US. The Massive Ordnance Penetrator or 'MOP' — better known as the bunker-buster bomb — weighs 30,000 pounds and is the world's largest precision-guided weapon. The GPS-directed bomb, assembled by Boeing Co., has been touted repeatedly as the only weapon capable of delivering a knockout blow to Tehran's atomic ambitions, which would require a successful strike on the heavily protected enrichment site at Fordow. Hidden beneath a mountain and believed to be buried around 60 to 90 meters deep, many experts believe that damaging Fordow can be achieved only by the MOP — a weapon the US alone possesses. Each bunker buster can be independently targeted and released, 'making it possible to deliver a MOP right on top of another MOP,' said Rebecca Grant, a Lexington Institute analyst. Grant said drone surveillance in the area could also help the military 'refine the strike' at the last minute and noted that Iranian nuclear facilities such as Fordow have been studied by the US for years. The decision on whether to use that weapon is poised to be one of the most critical Trump makes. The bomb could alter Iran's decision-making over its nuclear program and because its deployment would involve American planes and pilots it would place the US at the center of an offensive military action. 'If Israel can achieve that result through its operations, that is the best case,' said Daniel Shapiro, a former US ambassador to Israel and onetime deputy assistant defense secretary. 'But if it requires US participation to target the Fordow facility, that has to be on the table for President Trump to consider.' Deploying the MOP would involve another crucial military asset, the B-2 stealth bomber, which can carry two of them. The B-2 would fly thousands of miles from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to deliver the bombs deep within Iran. The US demonstrated the power of its B-2 fleet in October, when bombers flew from Whiteman to hammer Iran-backed Houthi weapons facilities buried underground. Earlier this year, as many as six B-2s were spotted on a runway on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in a deployment that was interpreted by many as a message to both Iran and the Houthis. The Air Force said those aircraft returned to their base in May. US Central Command, which oversees the longstanding US military presence in the Middle East, would play a key role in any operations on Iran, with responsibility for a force spread across multiple countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and drawing on troops from different military services and special operations forces. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has 'directed the deployment of additional capabilities' to the command. The administration is also sending as many as 20 KC-135 and newer KC-46 aerial refueling tankers to undisclosed locations, according to a defense official, helping extend the range of US air power. Those resources would offer Trump additional flexibility in determining his course of action. US personnel in the region, including Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy servicemembers, number 40,000-45,000, according to the most recent Central Command figures. The Navy is also poised to be a critical component, with resources that can both aid any action on Iran and have already been employed to help protect Israel from retaliatory strikes. The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group has been in the region of the Arabian Sea for seven months. The ship carries about 3,000 sailors, according to the Navy, with another 2,000 in its air wing. The air wing boasts an extensive array of military hardware, including F-35 and F-18 fighter jets, EA-18 aircraft that can disrupt enemy radar and communication systems, E-2Ds with advanced radar to help identity threats more quickly, as well as Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and Sea Hawk helicopters. In addition to the centerpiece carrier, the group also includes a guided-missile cruiser, the USS Princeton, and guided-missile destroyers. Another strike group headed by the USS Nimitz is scheduled to relieve the Vinson and is currently in the Indo-Pacific, offering additional forces. The Navy has three Aegis missile defense destroyers in the Eastern Mediterranean — the USS Arleigh Burke, USS The Sullivans and the USS Thomas Hudner, with two more vessels arriving shortly, according to a defense official. Two additional destroyers are in the Red Sea. A US official said the Arleigh Burke and The Sullivans fired numerous SM-3 anti-ballistic missile interceptors over the weekend to help defend Israel. An Army unit in the region also fired THAAD interceptors at Iranian ballistic missiles, according to another official. With assistance from Natalia Drozdiak. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Economic Times
3 hours ago
- Economic Times
Israel-Iran war: Massive USAF tanker armada spotted heading east over Atlantic — what move is U.S planning next?
More than two dozen US Air Force tankers are flying east, the tankers took off from bases across the United States. This movement coincides with rising tensions between Israel and Iran. The US might be preparing to support Israel's air strikes. Another possibility includes preparing for direct US military involvement. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads US Offering refueling support to Israel Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Preparing for direct US military involvement Preparing for Iran's threat of Closing Strait of Hormuz FAQs A sudden wave of US Air Force activity raised alarm bells among military observers and on social media as more than two dozen refuelling tankers took off from bases throughout the United States and started flying east over the Atlantic, as per TWZ least 28 KC-135R and KC-46A tankers were seen on public flight-tracking programmes in a nearly simultaneous movement, posing urgent questions during the heightening war between Israel and Iran, according to the are the possible reasons for this level of relocation of refuelling assets from the US, according to TWZ report:One possibility is that the United States is moving to assist Israel's air force with aerial refuelling capability, something Israel needs amid its airstrikes in Iran , according to the report. With only some seven old 707-based refuelers in Israel's fleet, the country has long had trouble with the logistics of extended long-range attacks, particularly deep into Iran, as per fuelling aid would enable Israeli combat jets to strike farther away, stay longer over critical zones, and potentially drop heavy bunker-penetrating bombs on hardened targets such as missile storage and nuclear installations, according to reason could be that this is a setup for more direct US involvement in the war, TWZ reported. If American assets or personnel are targeted, or if Washington opts to enter the war, these tankers would be crucial to maintain air operations, according to the Iran tried to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint in international oil shipping, American forces would probably counter with military action, as per TWZ. That mission would be much more than sinking boats, it would require neutralising enemy air defences, spying on the area, and pursuing mobile missile sites along Iran's coast, reported needs fighter jets, drones, and bombers to be in the air for hours on end, which means tankers would be running nonstop, so US might be pre-positioning them now. This might be an indicator that the Pentagon is preparing for this very scenario, as per the US has deployed over two dozen aerial refuelling tankers, likely in response to escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, but the exact mission is not known, according to the possible. Israel's limited refuelling capacity restricts its ability to strike deep into Iran. US tankers could allow Israeli jets to fly farther and stay over targets longer.
