Latest news with #residency
Khaleej Times
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Rod Stewart postpones Las Vegas show citing health issues
Singer Rod Stewart called in sick four hours before his show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. "I'm sorry to inform you that I'm not feeling well and my show tonight at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace is being rescheduled to June 10," the 80-year-old rock legend said in a post to his Instagram Story. "Your tickets will be valid for the new date." The venue, Caesars, also confirmed the postponement of the show scheduled. According to Deadline, billed as The Encore Shows, the series follows 200 performances in the Grammy winner's 13-year residency after he decided he didn't want to stop playing Caesars. The current Encore run lasts through October 4. In 2023, Stewart cancelled an Australian tour date six hours before the show, citing a viral infection that irritated his throat. Last year, the singer also cancelled his concerts due to Covid-19. Ticket holders were informed to "hold on to their tickets as they will be honoured for the rescheduled shows. "Rod's illness followed the singer missing the 200th show of his long-running Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace on when he cited strep throat as the reason for his absence. At the time, he noted on Instagram, "Most people can work with strep throat but obviously not me. I'm absolutely gutted. I've been looking forward to this concert for so long. My deepest regrets for any inconvenience this has caused." Rod is best known for singing memorable tracks such as I Don't Want To Talk About It, Downtown Train and You're In My Heart, among others.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump cuts come for Kansas City arts community: A ‘dangerous departure'
Juan Diego Gaucin, an oil painter, moved around his studio on Wednesday afternoon as he prepared for an exhibition at the Mexican Consulate in Kansas City. A few doors down, Erin Dodson showed off a jar of dye made from a walnut tree she's been using to draw. Gaucin and Dodson both hold two-year residencies at Charlotte Street Foundation, a Kansas City-based organization that supports contemporary artists across the metro. They're one of 30 artists with residences at any given time, a distinction that affords them studio space and a built-in community of fellow artists. President Donald Trump's administration in early May terminated grants to Charlotte Street and a host of other groups across the country awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, or NEA. Charlotte Street lost $25,000 in federal support that helps fund residencies like the ones enjoyed by Gaucin and Dodson and other aid for area artists. The residency has been an 'enormous blessing for me,' Dodson said, adding that she estimates renting similar studio space would cost $600 a month. But the space itself isn't the only value of the residency. 'It's not the square footage, it's all the other stuff that's in here – being with all the other artists and all the programs and galleries,' Dodson said. NEA grant cuts threaten to tear at Kansas City's arts and culture community, where federal support plays a vital role. While no single list of cuts exists, ArtsKC, which aids arts organizations, estimates the region lost potentially $300,000 to $400,000 in reimbursable NEA grants, according to president and CEO Dana Knapp. She cautioned that the actual financial impact may be different because some organizations were able to successfully invoice costs before their grants were pulled. The NEA cuts also come after the National Endowment for the Humanities has made reductions, along with the Institute of Museum and Library Services. 'Those three agencies really are at the heart of ensuring our arts, culture heritage is both preserved and celebrated,' Knapp said. 'And so the removal of those three agencies, either partially or wholly, moving forward, will be utterly devastating.' Charlotte Street and arts organizations across the country began receiving emails on May 2 from NEA informing them that their grants had been cancelled. The emails appeared to contain similar messages, with each saying the endowment was 'updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.' Trump's budget proposal calls for eliminating the NEA, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which has provided funding to the World War I Museum, the Kansas City Public Library and other local cultural institutions. He also supported eliminating the NEA and NEH during his first term. A White House document outlining the proposed agency eliminations calls the plans 'consistent with the President's efforts to decrease the size of the Federal Government to enhance accountability, reduce waste, and reduce unnecessary governmental entities.' NEA, created by Congress in 1965, receives about $180 million in funding each year and distributes about 80% of that amount in grants and awards to organizations and individuals. The agency represents a minuscule percentage of the federal budget, about 0.003%. But the grants play an outsize role in holding up arts communities in Kansas City and across the nation. The funding often serves as a key starting point for artists and arts organizations, allowing them to draw matching funds from private donors. An NEA grant can lend credibility to a project or group. 'One could say that if the NEA is defunded, let's just say next year, theoretically it could have a far greater impact on the ability for arts and culture organizations to fund their programming and their operations well beyond the actual dollar amount afforded by the federal government,' Knapp said. At Charlotte Street, located on Wyoming Street near Southwest Boulevard, the foundation's leaders weighed how to respond to the NEA cut. The organization appealed the decision, but it also decided to speak publicly. It posted a statement from interim executive director Lane Czaplinski calling the decision to rescind the grant a 'dangerous departure from long-standing public cultural policy.' 'It was the kind of action that trades principle for showmanship, and public service for political gain,' Czaplinski wrote. The withdrawn grant helped fund Charlotte Street's residency and studio programs, along with support for up-and-coming arts organizations by paying rent and utilities for those groups. Amanda Middaugh, co-executive director, said NEA's email came with few specifics and felt like a 'brush off' to organizations. While $25,000 may appear like a modest sum for an established organization like Charlotte Street, Middaugh said it's actually 'really huge.' The loss directly affects artists, but beyond the grant's monetary value, Charlotte Street's ability to demonstrate that it enjoys support at the federal level has been important, she said. 'The NEA supports so many organizations across the country that we know that this is just the start,' Middaugh said. 'Directly, we've received this cancellation, but we will all be feeling the effects for a long time.' Charlotte Street's connection to individual artists becomes clear moments after entering its headquarters. A gallery show, Geometrica Pop y Rucas, that explores 'the social parallels of midwestern and generational Latine identity' runs until June 14. A library that doubles as a shared working space houses a variety of books focused on the arts in Kansas City. Studios also accommodate a variety of artists and performers, including musicians and dancers. When The Star visited Wednesday afternoon, Charlotte Street residents Gaucin and Dodson had their doors open, giving a peek into their workspaces (while the residencies offer workspace, the residents don't live at Charlotte Street). Inside Gaucin's studio, at least 10 paintings hung or sat in the room. After immigrating to the United States early in life, Gaucin is drawn to work exploring the hardships of migrants in general and the Latino community in particular, according to a Charlotte Street bio. Gaucin said his work, which will be on display in early June at the Mexican Consulate, will be a 'little bit more pointed.' Current events over the last few months have influenced his work, he said, as Trump aims to carry out mass deportations. If the Charlotte Street residency hadn't been available, Gaucin said he likely wouldn't have secured the consulate show or been able to have his work displayed at the Nelson Museum of Art. He said he would probably still be teaching. 'My goal here was to get some shows, push out a lot of work and kind of help establish myself in the Kansas City area and I feel like I've accomplished those goals,' Gaucin said. In a nearby studio, Dodson worked on a painting – bright yellow on a white canvas – that rested on top of a table. She spoke about the dye she had made from a walnut tree next to Charlotte Street. 'All winter I made drawings just from this,' Dodson said. She's now moved on to mixing it with other colors. The walnut dye offers a way to try to make something related to the location, while using garden and nature-related imagery. Dodson expressed gratitude for the residency. 'I almost think this is the biggest financial opportunity, just because of how much it costs to rent your own studio in the city,' she said. Charlotte Street hopes to attract more individual donors and location foundations to help fill funding gaps – both for it and others, Middaugh said. But she emphasized that funding diversity is important for every nonprofit. 'When we're losing this source of federal funding, it really does impact the whole ecology of our funding,' Middaugh said. Knapp, the ArtsKC president and CEO, said private and local funding cannot simply fill the gap of federal cuts. While the Kansas City arts community enjoys strong private individual and foundation funding, the burden can't wholly fall to private donors, she said. Echoing Middaugh, Knapp stressed the importance of balanced financial support – from private foundations, businesses and corporations, local governments and others. A diverse mix helps ensure funding and intent 'is democratized across our community,' she said. Additionally, other areas like health care, immigration and food access that receive private funding have also been hit or could be hit by federal cuts. That, in turn, forces private funders to potentially make difficult decisions about where to allocate limited dollars. Knapp, who has worked in the arts since the late 1980s, said she's never witnessed anything quite like the current moment. 'This is, frankly, the most kind of systematic degradation of the support of arts, culture and heritage across the U.S. that I've really seen,' Knapp said.
Arabian Business
3 days ago
- General
- Arabian Business
Saudi Arabia arrested over 12,100 last week in residency and labour operations
Saudi Arabia arrested more than 12,100 people in the past week as it looks to stop residency, labour and security breaches. The inspection campaigns carried out between May 22 and May 28 in all regions of the Kingdom, to check compliance with residency, work and border security regulations, saw 12,129 violations recorded, including: 7,127 of residency 3,441 of border security 1,561 of labour laws Saudi residency, labour and security arrests 1,197 individuals were apprehended attempting to cross the border into the Kingdom illegally, of whom 34 per cent were Yemenis, 63 per cent Ethiopians, and 3 per cent of other nationalities. 90 people were arrested for attempting to leave the Kingdom illegally. 18 people involved in transporting, sheltering, and employing violators were arrested. A total of 19,238 expatriates (17,930 and 1,308 women) are currently undergoing procedures for enforcing regulations. 14,065 people were detained for violating laws and instructed to contact their countries' embassies or consulates to obtain proper travel documentation; 1,5336 were told to make booking arrangements for their departure, and 11,094 were repatriated. The Ministry of Interior has warned that any person who facilitates the illegal entry of individuals into the Kingdom, transports them on its territory, provides them with shelter or any other assistance or service may be penalised with up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to SR1m ($267,000), and that the vehicles used for transport or houses used for shelter may be confiscated. The ministry stressed that such acts are major crimes that warrant arrest. It also urges people to report any violations by calling 911 in the Makkah, Riyadh, and Eastern regions, and 999 and 996 in the rest of Saudi Arabia.
Arab News
3 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Kingdom arrests 12,129 illegals in one week
RIYADH: Saudi authorities arrested 12,129 people in one week for breaching residency, work and border security regulations, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday. A total of 7,127 people were arrested for violations of residency laws, while 3,441 were held over illegal border crossing attempts, and a further 1,561 for labor-related issues. The report showed that among the 1,197 people arrested for trying to enter the Kingdom illegally, 63 percent were Ethiopian, 34 percent Yemeni, and 3 percent were of other nationalities. A further 90 people were caught trying to cross into neighboring countries, and 18 were held for involvement in transporting and harboring violators, the SPA reported. The Ministry of Interior said that anyone found to be facilitating illegal entry to the Kingdom, including providing transportation and shelter, could face imprisonment for a maximum of 15 years, a fine of up to SR1 million ($260,000), as well as confiscation of vehicles and property. Suspected violations can be reported on the toll-free number 911 in the Makkah and Riyadh regions, and 999 or 996 in other regions of the Kingdom.
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Greece to toughen migration laws: Minister
Greece plans to eliminate a provision allowing irregular migrants to apply for residency after seven years in the country, the migration minister announced Thursday, saying the rule had been abused. The police last year arrested 74,000 irregular migrants, but could only expel 2,500, Makis Voridis told broadcaster Skai, adding that detainees often claim a false country of origin to avoid deportation, stalling the process for months. 'The longer you were (in the country) illegally, the bigger your prize. 'From now on, whoever is in Greece illegally will never be legalized, will never get a residence permit,' he said, pointing out that some 55-65,000 people enter Greece illegally every year, with half granted asylum. 'There must be (sanctions) for those who persist in staying even though they are not legally here,' he said. The new draft law, approved by the cabinet on Wednesday, carries a prison sentence of up to five years for illegal entry and residence, he said. The draft's parliamentary passage, slated for June, is essentially assured with the government enjoying a majority. Administrative detention prior to deportation will be extended to a maximum two years, up from a maximum 18 months currently, he said. Irregular migrants can choose voluntary repatriation to avoid any sanctions, he said. Voridis said new regulations to encourage legal migration will be presented by July. According to Bank of Greece governor Yiannis Stournaras, the country is short of around 200,000 laborers.
