Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were reportedly chased by paparazzi as they left the Ms Foundation for Women award ceremony in New York City on 5 October, in a pursuit the couple’s spokesperson described as “near catastrophic.” No injuries were reported, and it is unclear whether photographs of the couple that subsequently appeared on DailyMail.com and The Daily Express were taken by the pursuing photographers. A statement by the couple’s spokesperson condemned the images as “encourag[ing] a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved.”
BT is planning to cut up to 42% of its workforce over the next seven years as it seeks to reduce costs and boost profit growth, according to CEO Philip Jansen. Total workers, including employees and contractors, will fall from around 130,000 to between 75,000 and 90,000 by 2030. The telecommunications company has aimed for annual savings of £3bn ($4.1bn) by the end of 2025. The firm has been reducing its workforce for the past five years, though more drastic cuts have been considered since 2019. Jansen’s planned reductions, which will come into effect over several years, reflect in part the shift towards automation and digitalisation in the telecoms industry, as well as the firm’s drive to improve its responsiveness to customers.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are being chased by the paparazzi in New York, with their safety put at risk. The couple have been easy targets for the media for years, having run away from the fame they once courted. The continued hate does not serve any further purpose. Harry has used the British courts to expose the media, but not all his claims are accurate. It is time for the demonisation of Harry and Meghan to end, before it goes too far.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, were pursued for two hours by paparazzi following Monday’s Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards in New York. A spokesperson claimed that the car chase resulted in "multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD (New York Police Department) officers," while the pursuit drew comparisons with the 1997 car collision in Paris which resulted in the death of Harry's mother, Princess Diana.
French architecture firm Studio KO has curated Uzbekistan's national pavilion at this year's Venice Architecture Biennale, exploring the tension between archaism and modernity. The practice is known for finding its inspiration in constructions that it finds at local sites, and for embracing local conditions. The Uzbek pavilion, titled Unbuild Together, is a labyrinth of bricks in the form of structures from ancient pre-Islamic qala fortresses in the Karakalpakstan region of the central Asian nation.
92-year-old British painter Bridget Riley has completed her first ceiling painting, which now adorns the barrel vaults of the foyer at the British School at Rome. The work, entitled Verve, is composed of vibrant stripes of red, blue, lilac, turquoise, yellow and white. Riley agreed to the project, which was carried out by three assistants for three weeks, after deciding her original idea of creating a Discs painting for the refectory would clash with its boxed wooden ceiling. “I believe that art in buildings is not about impact, it’s about interest”, said Riley, who is known for her Op Art pieces but considers the basis of colour to be instability. Founded in 1901, the British School provides research facilities and residencies for Commonwealth artists and researchers.
Volunteer condo board members in Toronto have led a project at a Century-old building on Richmond Street East to install air-to-water heat pumps to eliminate carbon emissions from almost every apartment and condo in the country. The installation, funded by independent incentives, cost a little more than $560,000, and was $160,000 more than a boiler and chiller replacement. The Italian-built system is twice as efficient as a boiler and works as a heat and air conditioning source. The project aims to reduce the building’s emissions by 60% or more and is a test case for decarbonizing other buildings.
Rafael Nadal will announce on Friday if he will play at this year's French Open, with the Spanish tennis star currently recovering from a hip injury and having not played competitively since losing in the second round of the Australian Open in January. Nadal beat Casper Ruud in 2022 to lift his 14th title and take his Grand Slam singles triumphs to a record 22, a tally that was matched by Novak Djokovic in January. The French Open starts on 28 May.
Omid Scobie, a journalist who has written biographies about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, has criticised the UK's Royal Family for failing to contact the couple after they were reportedly chased by paparazzi while travelling by car in New York City. The incident, which took place on Wednesday evening, occurred despite Prince Harry’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, being killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while fleeing the paparazzi. Police in New York did not report any collisions, summonses or injuries as a result of the chase on Wednesday.
Shadow of war hangs over G7 summit as Trudeau arrives in Hiroshima
CBC
23-05-18 08:28
Japan's atomic bombings will have particular relevance in the G7 Summit, held in Hiroshima, following Russia's repeated threats to use nuclear weapons during the Ukraine conflict as well as China's rise in importance in the nuclear field. Japan's Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida chose the city as the meeting venue to draw attention to the world's potential confrontation with nuclear arms. The Summit could result in the renegotiation of the nuclear arms control agreements that have recently become increasingly unstable.
A paparazzi driver involved in a high-speed car chase with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they were followed by photographers in New York on Tuesday has said it was a “catastrophic experience”. While a representative of the royal couple claimed they were subjected to a “relentless pursuit” involving half a dozen blacked-out vehicles, the paparazzi driver said they were driving slower than Harry and Meghan’s driver and “hoping to keep sight of them”. The Duke of Sussex’s former bodyguard said that as public figures, Harry and Meghan must accept a heightened level of attention at public events.
Luxury fashion retailer Burberry has called on the government to scrap controversial post-Brexit tourist tax after seeing a surge in British tourists shopping in Paris and Milan. CEO Jonathan Akeroyd said that growth in London sales has been far weaker in comparison. The UK axed VAT-free shopping for tourists this year, putting visitors off spending. Burberry has been one of the most vocal opponents of the policy, with chairman Gerry Murphy last month calling Britain the “least attractive” shopping destination in Europe thanks to the measure. Burberry’s call adds to growing frustrations from luxury chiefs over the so-called tourist tax.
Tennis player Rafael Nadal has said he will take time out to regenerate physically, meaning he will not play again in 2018 and miss Wimbledon, beginning 3 July. In a press conference he said he had done “everything I could” to recover from a hip injury sustained in January in time for the French Open, but added that his body had made the decision that he cannot compete. Nadal hopes to return to the ATP Tour next year, but said he had not set a deadline for his return. The 32-year-old, who has won 16 Grand Slam titles, suggested 2024 would be his final year on the tour.
Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from this year's French Open, saying his persistent injury is not healing as he had hoped. The 14-time French Open winner had a hip flexor injury at the Australian Open in January and missed five weeks of the circuit in that month. The 36-year-old now says 2024 is his intended retirement date. “I need to put a full stop to my tennis career for the moment,” Nadal said. “I won't play Roland Garros, I won't play for a few months and if I come back, next year will be my last year.” As well as his hip problem, Nadal has also suffered from wrist, back and knee issues during his professional career.
After being pursued by paparazzi in New York, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have stated that they were chased by highly aggressive paparazzi along with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland. Reportedly, the two-hour chase was nearly ‘catastrophic’ and the presence of many photographers made the couple’s transport very challenging. The couple’s increasing concern with the paparazzi comes from the event that Harry believes caused the car wreck that killed his mother, Princess Diana, more than 20 years ago. Harry’s childhood trauma with the paparazzi has stayed with him, and he’s currently waging three different legal battles in British courts against the publishers of three of the largest tabloids in Britain over his claims that the publications hacked his phones and invaded his privacy. Harry focuses on changing the tabloid culture that he believes pollutes the lives of media consumers, which he blames for his own rift with the Royal Family and Meghan’s estrangement from her father.
The rise of loud, action-packed superhero art has drowned out quieter works that can be both moving and profound, according to The Economist. "Quiet" work – often used to describe art with "humdrum" plots or a lack of exotic setting and gore – is less frequently celebrated or recognised than action-packed blockbusters. Such work can still have a profound effect on those who see it, however, as evidenced by exhibitions such as Magdalena Abakanowicz and Yayoi Kusama's installations, which bring silent but life-like art to the masses.
Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour could have a bigger impact on fashion trends this summer than even the catwalk, according to a report in The Telegraph. After the first show of the tour, Google data showed that searches for “metallic cowboy boots” had skyrocketed by 488%, while “silver bodysuit” was up 426%, a huge increase on the previous day. These figures reflect the impact of Beyoncé’s choice of fashion in popular culture. The star is wearing at least nine specially-designed outfits, with contributions from a large number of high-profile designers. The tour will run throughout Europe until 31 July.
Parisian restaurants seem to do the simple things better than their UK counterparts, according to an opinion piece in The Telegraph. Bistros, wine bars and small plates bars are all set up for people watching, the writer said, while the food is always reliable and often served with a touch of simple flair. Restaurant goers are advised to get "good full-fat French crème fraîche" for a garlicky, black pepper-topped sirloin steak with fresh persillade, and grab a bottle of red on the way home.
Food writer Anna Jones has shared her recipe for an adaptation of a favourite Parisian summertime steak, with a black pepper crème fraîche and persillade twist. Serves two, the recipe calls for a handful of steak ingredients, including a well-seasoned thick sirloin and a plentiful coating of black pepper. The steak is coated in flavourings such as garlic, herbs and salt, and cooked for a rare finish, then sliced and served with the garlicky crème fraîche and a sprinkle of persillade garnish.
Actor Johnny Depp has won his defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard, claiming that an article she wrote in The Washington Post about domestic violence was defamatory. The verdict follows a six-week trial in Fairfax, Virginia, and Heard is reportedly expected to appeal against the decision. The article about which Depp had complained was published in December 2018 and described Heard’s experience of domestic abuse without naming Depp. However, Depp has launched a number of legal actions in relation to allegations of domestic abuse, involving Heard, including suing The Sun newspaper for libel following an article which referred to him as a “wife beater”. In November 2020, Depp lost that case after a judge ruled that the allegations against him were “substantially true”.
