Latest news with #NoSpaceforBezos
Perth Now
37 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Jeff Bezos reroutes wedding venue amid protest backlash
Campaigners in Venice are claiming a small but symbolic win after Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez were reportedly forced to change their main wedding venue amid rising protests and concerns for A-list guests. The lavish celebration was originally set to take place at Scuola Grande della Misericordia, a grand 16th-century Venetian landmark in the heart of the city. But according to activist group No Space for Bezos, those plans were quietly scrapped after protesters threatened to blockade celebrity arrivals by floating inflatable crocodiles through the canals. Instead, the reception has reportedly been relocated to the Arsenale di Venezia, a historic former shipyard with fortified walls, a location that's logistically harder for protesters to access and easier for security to lock down, The Guardian reported. Local media reports have also suggested that the switch was not just about the inflatable reptiles. Rising security concerns, particularly after the US formally entered the Israel-Iran conflict, reportedly prompted further caution, especially with high-profile guests like Ivanka Trump arriving in Venice this week. In anticipation, security has been ramped up across the city, with particular focus on the Jewish quarter. Roughly 200 guests are expected for the multi-day affair, including possible appearances from Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian, and Leonardo DiCaprio. An estimated 95 private jets are expected to land at Venice airport between Tuesday and Wednesday. While the exact details remain under wraps, celebrations are tipped to begin on Thursday. The couple is expected to marry at the basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore on Friday, followed by a Saturday blowout party. But activists are not backing down. Instead of attempting to stop the wedding entirely, organisers say they'll now stage a No Bezos, No War protest march. 'We feel as if we scored a victory,' one unnamed activist told the media. 'The crocodile initiative would have given a bad impression of the city — this is why the venue was changed, even if the authorities might try to claim it was because of the war.' Posters mocking Bezos, with his head pasted onto a rocket, referencing his Blue Origin space venture, have appeared across the city. Greenpeace Italia and British protest group Everyone Hates Elon also joined in, unveiling a massive banner in St Mark's Square on Monday that read: 'If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax'. A large banner against Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' planned wedding. Credit: Greenpeace / AP Greenpeace framed the protest as a message against 'social and climate injustice', arguing Bezos represents an 'economic and social model that is leading us towards collapse'. But not everyone is siding with the demonstrators. Venice's millionaire mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, who confirmed the wedding plans back in March, said he was ashamed of those protesting about people who 'bring riches' to the city. Sensing opportunity in the chaos, the mayor of Soàve, a walled town of 7000 people in the Veneto region, offered his own pitch. He invited the couple to ditch Venice and marry in what he described as 'the most beautiful village in Italy'.
Japan Today
8 hours ago
- Business
- Japan Today
Glamour, gripes as celebs head to Venice for exclusive Bezos wedding
By Lisa Duso and Ella Ide Celebrities in superyachts sail into Venice this week for the three-day wedding party of Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, despite irate locals who say the UNESCO city is no billionaire's playground. The tech magnate and journalist have reportedly invited about 200 guests to their multi-million dollar nuptials in the Italian city, which are expected to kick off Thursday and end Saturday with a ceremony at a secret location. The security details are under tight wraps amid rumors the rite may take place at the historic Church of the Abbey of Misericordia, or at the Arsenale, a vast shipyard complex dating back to when the city was a naval powerhouse. Bezos, 61, and former news anchor and entertainment reporter Sanchez, 55, are said to have booked out the city's finest hotels for a star-studded guest list rumored to include Leonardo DiCaprio, Mick Jagger, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Orlando Bloom and Ivanka Trump. At least 95 private planes have requested permission to land at Venice's Marco Polo airport, the Corriere della Sera said. And Bezos' mega-yacht, Koru, is likely to moor off the iconic San Giorgio Maggiore island, which sits just opposite St Mark's Square and has reportedly been booked in its entirety for the period. The lavish celebration has sparked much soul-searching in Venice, where some fear so many A-list guests and their entourages will make life worse in a city already drowning under the weight of holidaymakers. Around 100,000 tourists overnight in peak periods, while tens of thousands descend just for the day, many hopping off cruise ships for a quick Bellini cocktail, while the city steadily depopulates. Venice happily hosted the star-studded nuptials of Hollywood actor George Clooney 11 years ago but protesters say Bezos -- one of the world's richest men and founder of a company regularly scrutinised for how it treats its workers -- is different. As environmentalists questioned the guests' carbon footprint, Greenpeace slammed billions spent on hedonistic partying while the fragile city is "sinking under the weight of the climate crisis". Sanchez has also been criticized for saying more must be done to tackle climate change while also taking part in a space flight in April on a rocket developed by Bezos's space company Blue Origin. Activists unfurled a giant banner in St Mark's on Monday, with a picture of Bezos laughing and a sign reading: "If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax". Built on islands in a lagoon, the city has imposed a controversial ticket policy for day-trippers but locals say more must be done to protect local businesses and tackle the housing crisis. Tommaso Cacciari, 47, who heads the No Space for Bezos movement, said the protesters object to "the use of Venice as if it were a very private ballroom, rather than a real city with inhabitants, with frailties, with problems". He told AFP such events were "condemning Venice to a definitive death" by driving out remaining residents, but protesters were ready to kill the romance by throwing "our bodies, our boats and inflatable animals" into canals as guests pass. The couple's Sicilian wedding planner Lanza & Baucina said they have been instructed to minimize any disruption to the city. And Simone Venturini, Venice's tourism city councillor, denied it would disrupt daily life, telling AFP it was just "one of many events that the city hosts on a daily basis. It is also relatively small in terms of the number of people involved". The couple, both divorced, have made charity donations to support the city and are employing historic Venetian artisans. Venice's oldest pastry maker Rosa Salva is baking 19th-century "fishermen's biscuits" for party bags also expected to contain something by Laguna B, renowned for its handblown Murano glass. While disgruntled citizens hoping to make a splash ready their swimming costumes, others flattered by Bezos's decision to celebrate here have set up a counter-group called "Yes Venice Can". "It's a fragile city, that's clear, it's not like you can do everything all the time, no matter what -- but events like this don't create any problems at all", said 50-year-old local Michele Serafini. The wedding "brings money to the city of Venice", and that can only be a good thing, he said. © 2025 AFP
Gulf Today
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Venice divided ahead of billionaire Bezos' wedding
Celebrities in superyachts sail into Venice this week for the three-day wedding party of Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, despite irate locals who say the UNESCO city is no billionaire's playground. The tech magnate and journalist have reportedly invited about 200 guests to their multi-million dollar nuptials in the Italian city, which are expected to kick off Thursday and end Saturday with a ceremony at a secret location. The security details are under tight wraps amid rumours the rite may take place at the historic Church of the Abbey of Misericordia, or at the Arsenale, a vast shipyard complex dating back to when the city was a naval powerhouse. Bezos, 61, and former news anchor and entertainment reporter Sanchez, 55, are said to have booked out the city's finest hotels for a star-studded guest list rumoured to include Leonardo DiCaprio, Mick Jagger, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Orlando Bloom and Ivanka Trump. At least 95 private planes have requested permission to land at Venice's Marco Polo airport, the Corriere della Sera said. And Bezos' mega-yacht, Koru, is likely to moor off the iconic San Giorgio Maggiore island, which sits just opposite St Mark's Square and has reportedly been booked in its entirety for the period. The lavish celebration has sparked much soul-searching in Venice, where some fear so many A-list guests and their entourages will make life worse in a city already drowning under the weight of holidaymakers. Around 100,000 tourists overnight in peak periods, while tens of thousands descend just for the day, many hopping off cruise ships for a quick Bellini cocktail, while the city steadily depopulates. Venice happily hosted the star-studded nuptials of Hollywood actor George Clooney 11 years ago but protesters say Bezos — one of the world's richest men and founder of a company regularly scrutinised for how it treats its workers —- is different. As environmentalists questioned the guests' carbon footprint, Greenpeace slammed billions spent on hedonistic partying while the fragile city is "sinking under the weight of the climate crisis". Sanchez has also been criticised for saying more must be done to tackle climate change while also taking part in a space flight in April on a rocket developed by Bezos's space company Blue Origin. Activists unfurled a giant banner in St Mark's on Monday, with a picture of Bezos laughing and a sign reading: "If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax". Built on islands in a lagoon, the city has imposed a controversial ticket policy for day-trippers but locals say more must be done to protect local businesses and tackle the housing crisis. Tommaso Cacciari, 47, who heads the No Space for Bezos movement, said the protesters object to "the use of Venice as if it were a very private ballroom, rather than a real city with inhabitants, with frailties, with problems". He said such events were "condemning Venice to a definitive death" by driving out remaining residents, but protesters were ready to kill the romance by throwing "our bodies, our boats and inflatable animals" into canals as guests pass. The couple's Sicilian wedding planner Lanza & Baucina said they have been instructed to minimise any disruption to the city. And Simone Venturini, Venice's tourism city councillor, denied it would disrupt daily life, telling AFP it was just "one of many events that the city hosts on a daily basis. It is also relatively small in terms of the number of people involved". The couple, both divorced, have made charity donations to support the city and are employing historic Venetian artisans. Venice's oldest pastry maker Rosa Salva is baking 19th-century "fishermen's biscuits" for party bags also expected to contain something by Laguna B, renowned for its handblown Murano glass. While disgruntled citizens hoping to make a splash ready their swimming costumes, others flattered by Bezos's decision to celebrate here have set up a counter-group called "Yes Venice Can". "It's a fragile city, that's clear, it's not like you can do everything all the time, no matter what — but events like this don't create any problems at all", said 50-year-old local Michele Serafini. The wedding "brings money to the city of Venice", and that can only be a good thing, he said. Agence France-Presse
Cosmopolitan
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
The most surprising guests at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez' wedding
Fresh from her brief and much ridiculed trip to space, former reporter Lauren Sánchez is preparing to marry Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, in what will no doubt be an extravagant affair in Venice this week (actual date unconfirmed but the event is spanning a few days). Despite not having happened yet, the wedding has sparked protests in the Italian city from disgruntled residents who are calling on Bezos' company to pay its fair share of tax. Earlier this year, Italian prosecutors launched an investigation into Amazon over an alleged unpaid €1.2bn (just over £1bn) tax evasion case. Amazon declined to comment on "ongoing investigations" and is contesting the claim. Last year, the company paid corporation tax in the UK for the first time in four years. Protest group, No Space for Bezos, told press, "He is basically going to treat the whole city as a private ballroom, as a private event area, as if the citizens are not there." In response, the wedding planning company behind the event, Lanza and Baucina, who also planned George and Amal Clooney's big day, issued a statement to media disputing the accusations, saying, "From the outset, instructions from our client and our own guiding principles were abundantly clear: the minimising of any disruption to the city." The wedding itself is predicted to cost $10m (£7.3m) and unsurprisingly, the guest list is set to be full of notable names, protests or otherwise, with attendee predictions ranging from Orlando Bloom (which has allegedly upset his wife, Katy Perry, who joined Sánchez on the 'self-indulgent' space trip but who apparently can't make the big day) to members of the Kardashian family and possibly even President Donald Trump. Here's what we know about the Bez0s-Sánchez guest list so far. It's predicted that Kim and possibly her mother, Kris Jenner, will attend the wedding in Venice, after the pair were both seen celebrating with Sánchez at her bachelorette party in Paris. Famously, the Kardashians love an Italian wedding too (see: Kourtney and Travis getting hitched in Portofino in 2022) so this would check out. Kardashian, Jenner and fellow sibling/daughter Khloe Kardashian, along with North West and Penelope Disick, were pictured together at a Beyoncé concert earlier this year too, so maybe the kids and Koko will also join in the fun. Another attendee of Sánchez's lavish hen party and friend of 20-plus years, it's fair to say the Desperate Housewives star is likely to make an appearance on the main day. Sánchez and Longoria were spotted at a Cannes event together in May and Longoria once told the Hollywood Reporter (during a joint interview with Sánchez), "[We] constantly have these conversations that inspire each other. Instead of sending each other memes, we send [reports] about the Latin community not being represented in TV and movies and the media." It's reported that Perry can't make the wedding but her partner, Orlando Bloom, is gearing up to attend, despite having reportedly not approved of the Blue Origin space trip led by Sánchez, with Perry on board as 'crew'. Neither have commented on these stories though, so perhaps they'll both turn up. Drama? What drama! Luca Zaia, President of Veneto (an area of Italy that includes Venice), hinted the President of the United States could even attend the wedding, when defending the couple from accusations that their event is disrespecting the local community. "This is a city that handles 150,000 people a day. George Clooney, François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek, Alexandre Arnault, Elton John and many others got married here," he shared. "Of course, Donald Trump [who will be in Europe for the NATO summit] could also come to this wedding." Given Bezos and Sánchez were both front and centre at Trump's inauguration ceremony earlier this year, it's not a totally far-fetched suggestion (but equally Trump is very much in the thick of the worrisome Iran-Israel conflict right now). The Rolling Stones legend is reportedly attending, as per the Associated Press. Bezos and Sánchez were spotted chatting to Jagger and his ballet dancer and author partner, Melanie Hamrick, at the Vanity Fair Oscar party. The famed fashion designer was spotted arriving in Venice today via the Venice Marco Polo airport. Could this be a hint at who the bride will be wearing? Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC's Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women's Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
Local Italy
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Local Italy
Venice divided as A-listers descend for Bezos wedding
The tech magnate and journalist have reportedly invited about 200 guests to their multi-million-dollar nuptials in the Italian city, which are expected to begin on Thursday and end on Saturday with a ceremony at a secret location. The security details are under tight wraps amid media speculation that the wedding may take place at the historic Church of the Abbey of Misericordia, or at the Arsenale – a vast shipyard complex dating back to when Venice was a republic. Bezos, 61, and former news anchor and entertainment reporter Sanchez, 55, are said to have fully booked the city's finest hotels for a star-studded guest list rumoured to include Leonardo DiCaprio, Mick Jagger, Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey, Orlando Bloom and Ivanka Trump. At least 95 private planes have requested permission to land at Venice's Marco Polo airport, Italy's Corriere della Sera said. Bezos's superyacht, Koru, is expected to be moored just off the iconic San Giorgio Maggiore island, which lies just opposite St Mark's Square. Star-studded The lavish celebration has sparked protests in Venice, where some fear A-list guests and their entourages will make life worse for residents in a city already buckling under the weight of mass tourism. Around 100,000 tourists stay overnight in peak periods, while tens of thousands descend just for the day. Venice hosted the star-studded nuptials of Hollywood actor George Clooney 11 years ago, but protesters say Bezos - one of the world's richest men and founder of a company regularly scrutinised for how it treats its workers - is different. As environmentalists questioned the guests' carbon footprint, Greenpeace slammed the billions spent on hedonistic partying while the fragile city is "sinking under the weight of the climate crisis". Sanchez has also been criticised for saying more must be done to tackle climate change while also taking part in a space flight in April on a rocket developed by Bezos's space company Blue Origin. Activists unfurled a giant banner in St Mark's Square on Monday, with a picture of Bezos laughing and a sign reading: "If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax." 'Private ballroom' The lagoon city has imposed a ticket policy for day-trippers, but locals say more must be done to protect local businesses and tackle the housing crisis. Tommaso Cacciari, 47, who heads the No Space for Bezos movement, said the protesters object to "the use of Venice as if it were a very private ballroom, rather than a real city with inhabitants, with frailties, with problems". He told AFP such events were "condemning Venice to a definitive death" by driving out remaining residents, and said protesters were ready to kill the romance by throwing "our bodies, our boats and inflatable animals" into canals as guests pass. The couple's Sicilian wedding planners Lanza & Baucina said they have been instructed to minimise any disruption to the city. And Simone Venturini, Venice's tourism city councillor, denied it would disrupt daily life, telling AFP it was just "one of many events that the city hosts on a daily basis. It is also relatively small in terms of the number of people involved". The couple, both divorced, have made charity donations to support the city and are employing historic Venetian artisans. Venice's oldest pastry maker Rosa Salva is baking 19th-century "fishermen's biscuits" for party bags also expected to contain something by Laguna B, renowned for its handblown Murano glass. While disgruntled citizens hoping to make a splash ready their swimming costumes, others flattered by Bezos's decision to celebrate here have set up a counter-group called 'Yes Venice Can'. "It's a fragile city, that's clear, it's not like you can do everything all the time, no matter what – but events like this don't create any problems at all," said 50-year-old local Michele Serafini. The wedding "brings money to the city of Venice" and that can only be a good thing, he said. By Lisa Duso with Ella Ide in Rome.
