Latest news with #Sánchez
Sky News AU
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
'Sex and the City' star Sarah Jessica Parker gets tongue-tied in awkward response to Lauren Sánchez Vogue cover question
Actress Sarah Jessica Parker tripped over her words while trying to avoid answering a question about Lauren Sánchez gracing the cover of Vogue in tandem with her highly publicized wedding to Jeff Bezos. During a game titled 'Hello, Lover, or Leave It?' on Sunday's episode of 'Watch What Happens Live,' host Andy Cohen asked his guest — and longtime pal — how she felt about Sánchez's cover story with the prestigious fashion magazine. Parker, 60, raised her eyebrows and let out a high-pitched 'um' before shrugging her shoulders and lifting her hands up in the air. 'I … I … I … I mean …' the 'Sex and the City' star stuttered with an uncomfortable grin on her face. Eventually, Parker — who has been on the cover of Vogue multiple times over the years, most recently in 2021 — said, 'Why shouldn't she? I was fortunate enough. Why shouldn't she as well have that opportunity?' As for Sánchez, she got her time to shine last month. Mere moments after the former news anchor, 55, said 'I do' to the billionaire Amazon founder in Venice, Italy, in front of a gaggle of famous faces, published an article titled, 'Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos Are Married! See Inside Her Final Wedding Dress Fitting.' For both her cover shoot and the star-studded nuptials, which cost around $50 million, Sánchez wore a lace long-sleeved Dolce & Gabbana gown. The dress featured a corseted waist, turtleneck and buttons from the neck to the floor, culminating in a mermaid-style skirt. The mother of three wore her dark brown hair pulled back into a loose bun, leaving some pieces out in front underneath her lace-trimmed veil. She accessorized with Dolce & Gabbana Alta Gioielleria Miracolo earrings featuring four diamonds cut from a single stone and inlaid in white gold as her 'something borrowed.' Sánchez — known for showing off her fit physique in revealing outfits — drew her inspiration from the high-necked lace wedding dress Sophia Loren's character wore to marry Cary Grant's character in the 1958 rom-com 'Houseboat.' 'It went from 'I want a simple, sexy modern dress' to 'I want something that evokes a moment and where I am right now,'' she told Vogue, acknowledging that the look is 'a departure from what people expect.' But according to Sánchez, she is 'a different person than [she] was five years ago.' As Page Six previously reported, Anna Wintour — who recently stepped down as Vogue's editor-in-chief — helped Sánchez come to a final decision on her gown. Originally published as 'Sex and the City' star Sarah Jessica Parker gets tongue-tied in awkward response to Lauren Sánchez Vogue cover question
Euractiv
a day ago
- Business
- Euractiv
Winemakers slam EU's push to include drink in €72bn US trade counterpunch
Europe's wine sector has condemned the European Commission's plan to include the grape-based beverage on its €72 billion retaliation list against US exports, warning that 'there is no political, strategic or economic interest' in listing it as part of the escalating transatlantic trade dispute. Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, who runs CEEV, a Brussels-based lobby group, told Euractiv that US and EU wine groups have 'made it clear' that wine should be 'kept out of trade disputes', and urged the European Commission to clinch a trade deal with Washington before 1 August, when a 30% US blanket levy on EU exports is set to enter into force. Other American-made spirits, including bourbon, are also on the Commission's list, obtained by Euractiv. 'The inclusion of US wines in the list of products for retaliation will not be efficient in reaching the EU's [goals],' Sánchez said. 'There is no political, strategic or economic interest in including them!' The US is the largest export market for EU wines, accounting for 27% of export value and 21% of volume. But with Trump's 10% baseline tariff in place – and a hike to 30% looming on 1 August – EU winemakers, squeezed by slumping global demand, fear poking Washington could trigger an even harsher response. The €72 billion package, which was presented to EU trade ministers in Brussels on Monday, is considerably lower than the €95 billion list originally foreseen in May, after Brussels sharply reduced the expected impact on US industrial goods. The value of affected machinery imports has been lowered from €12 billion to €9.4 billion; chemicals and plastics from €12.9 billion to €7.7 billion; automotive products and parts from €12.3 billion to €8 billion; and electrical equipment from €7.2 billion to €6.1 billion. The €6.4 billion in affected agrifood products remains the same, while the value of affected aircraft imports increased slightly, from €10.5 billion to €10.8 billion. Sánchez's remarks were echoed by the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD), another Brussels-based lobby group. 'Trade wars have no winners – they create uncertainty, disrupt global supply chains, and ultimately harm industries and consumers on both sides,' an ASD spokesperson said, adding that it is 'essential' for the US and the EU to reach a negotiation agreement. In addition to the €72 billion list, which must still be approved by member countries, the EU has already drawn up a retaliatory package targeting €21 billion worth of US goods, including motorbikes, diamonds, and soybeans. These measures were originally set to take effect on Tuesday but their imposition was delayed until the start of next month following Trump's threatened tariff hike on Saturday. The Commission, which oversees the bloc's trade policy, initially proposed tariffs on a wider range of goods valued at €26 billion. Bourbon and wine, however, were removed from the list after Trump threatened tariffs of 200% on all EU alcoholic products if levies were applied to US whiskey. It is currently unclear under what precise conditions either package will enter into force. EU diplomats, however, overwhelmingly expect the €21 billion list, at least, to be imposed next month if Trump follows through on his 30% tariff threat. The Commission declined to comment. (jp)
Euractiv
3 days ago
- Business
- Euractiv
Spain weighs Catalonia's fiscal autonomy amid separatist pressure
A joint commission between the Spanish government and Catalonia's regional government is set to present a new 'unique' financing scheme on Monday, granting Barcelona full control over collecting, managing, and spending its taxes. The proposal, pushed by the pro-independence left-wing ERC party, would reform Spain's Organic Law on regional financing and remove Catalonia from the current centralised funding system that redistributes tax revenues collected by the central government to the autonomous regions. Catalonia's fiscal autonomy was a key condition for ERC's support of Socialist leader Salvador Illa (PSC), who became regional president in 2024. However, negotiations have stalled amid corruption scandals involving Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's PSOE, delaying the June 30 deadline. Facing criticism that Sánchez is trading political concessions for parliamentary support, Finance Minister María Jesús Montero rejected the claim that Catalonia is receiving preferential treatment on Friday. Nevertheless ERC president Oriol Junqueras insisted at the party's headquarters on Saturday that Catalonia 'cannot be subordinated to the State's Tax Agency' and warned that Sánchez's stance on financing 'will condition ERC's position on many issues.' Catalan separatists, including ERC, want Barcelona to gain a special tax status similar to that of the Basque Country and Navarre, which enjoy special fiscal arrangements based on historical rights. The opposition, and several socialist lawmakers, see Catalonia's potential fiscal autonomy as a political trade-off for Sánchez's corruption-plagued government to hold to power until the 2027 elections. In February, Madrid agreed to write off €17 billion of Catalan debt - part of a broader €83 billion package to ease regional debt burdens. Main opposition Popular Party labelled as a 'political payoff' to Sánchez's pro-independence partners in government. ( Inés Fernández/
Days of Palestine
5 days ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Spain Calls for Immediate Suspension of EU-Israel Partnership
DaysofPal- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday called for the immediate suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, citing the Israeli role in committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Speaking before the Spanish Parliament, Sánchez sharply criticized the Israeli government, saying its actions 'will be remembered as one of the darkest chapters of the 21st century.' Sánchez recalled that Spain and Ireland had formally requested in February 2024 that the European Union evaluate the Israeli compliance with the terms of the Association Agreement. He referred to the June 23 report by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, which concluded that there is more than sufficient evidence that Israel has violated Article 2 of the agreement, an article that stipulates respect for human rights as a fundamental basis for the partnership. 'Despite this report, the EU has yet to take any action,' Sánchez noted. 'No one who tramples on the founding principles of the European Union and uses starvation as a weapon to eliminate a legitimate state — Palestine — can be considered a partner of the EU.' He added: 'We cannot be complicit in the greatest genocide of this century through indifference, hesitation, or political calculations.' The EU-Israel Association Agreement, signed in Brussels on November 20, 1995, and entered into force on June 1, 2000, outlines the terms of political and economic relations between the EU and the Israeli occupation. Article 2 specifically conditions the agreement on respect for human rights and democratic principles. Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation — with backing from the United States — has waged a campaign of genocide in Gaza, marked by mass killings, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, in defiance of international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt the offensive. To date, the war has left over 195,000 Palestinians killed or wounded, most of them women and children, with more than 10,000 reported missing. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and widespread famine has claimed countless lives, including those of children. Shortlink for this post:
Local Spain
6 days ago
- Politics
- Local Spain
Will far-right Vox play a role in Spain's next government?
Spain's far-right Vox party has grabbed headlines in recent days following controversial proposals to 're-emigrate' up to 8 million foreigners living in Spain, including second-generation migrants born in Spain with nationality. The party has since rowed back on the idea, which was first floated by one spokeswoman, Rocío de Meer, with leader Santiago Abascal standing by the idea of deportations but refusing to put a firm figure on it. Extremist rhetoric is nothing new for the far-right party, but the comments have taken on a particular weight due to the current political context and the possibility of Vox playing a role in the next government. Vox has already governed at a regional level in coalitions with the centre-right Partido Popular (PP) across the country. Spain's Socialist (PSOE) Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been embroiled in corruption scandals in recent months, with several family members and former party officials investigated for corruption and influence peddling. All deny any wrongdoing, but the drip-feed of scandals has led the Spanish right to call for Sánchez's resignation. Even some more moderate voices on the left have called for a general election. That's why Vox's proposed re-emigration plan has had such coverage: the prospect of the Sánchez government falling and the reality of the far-right entering government for the first time in the history of Spanish democracy. Polling suggests this is likely and that the PP will need Vox's votes to gain the absolute majority necessary to govern. The new parliamentary spokesperson for the PP, Ester Muñoz, however, has insisted that the 'PP wants a single-party government with parliamentary agreements' but with no formal coalition so that 'there will be no Vox ministers.' PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo has distanced his party from Vox's mass deportation policy and also stated recently that he intends to govern alone. However, the likely next Prime Minister did not rule out making arrangements or deals with other parties — all parties besides Basque separatists Bildu — but has ruled out formal coalition arrangements. Few on the Spanish left believe this. Following a fiery day in the Spanish Congress, Sánchez's parliamentary partners backed him by making the calculation that propping up his government is better than the risk of letting the far-right into power. But what do the polls say? It's important to understand the difference between blocs and coalitions in Spanish politics. The PP won the most votes in the general election of July 2023, but the broader right-wing bloc with Vox did not achieve a majority, so it was the PSOE that found enough partners willing to vote for it in the investiture vote, which then allowed it to form a government coalition with far-left Sumar. A giant electoral poster in 2023 depicting Spain's PM Pedro Sánchez and PSOE members with the word "Forward", and Feijóo and Abascal next to the word "Backwards". Photo: Thomas Coex/AFP Spain's Congress of Deputies has 350 seats and the votes cast by the electorate determine how many each political party wins. To achieve an absolute majority, a party must win half of the seats plus one. This means that if a party wants to govern, whether either alone or in a coalition, it needs to win more than half of the seats, so 176 seats. According to the latest 40dB poll, the PP and Vox between them would win 48 percent of the vote compared to 37 percent for the PSOE, Sumar and other parties in the left-wing block. Politico polling puts the right-wing block at 49 percent, so voting intention suggests the Spanish right would be very close to governing if an election were to be held today. In 2023 the right-wing block won by one point (45 percent to 44 percent) but that was not enough for a majority of seats as the left had more parliamentary partners. It would now win by around 11 percent if the polls are accurate. Feijóo's decision to try and distance the PP from Vox is an effort to reassure wavering centrist voters and ensure a governable majority, experts say. In the latest CIS poll, 8.5 percent of people who intend to vote for the PSOE say that their second choice is the PP. 'I understand that it is part of the PP's strategy, which is to win as many votes as possible in the Congress of Deputies so as not to be strictly dependent on Vox in the investiture. I think it is a way of clarifying things and establishing what their intentions are,' El Mundo journalist Lucía Méndez writes. 'It is a brave stance, because without knowing what will happen after the elections, it's a risk that the PP is taking since if it does not have a sufficient majority and Abascal demands to enter the government, it will have to go back on its word,' she adds. That the PP has refused to commit to an outright cordon sanitaire on allowing Vox into government, as other centre-right parties have around Europe, suggests that it would be a last resort but not something ruled out entirely. Sánchez managed to cling onto power in 2023 by raising the spectre of the far-right and calling for a common front against it. If Vox continues making proposals like mass deportations, the party may actually play into this narrative. Whatever happens, it seems certain that leader Santiago Abascal will have a big say in any future government, whether formally or informally.
