Latest news with #Belmondo
Associated Press
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Milano Cortina 2026 Unveils Olympic and Paralympic Torches for Upcoming Winter Games
International Olympic Committee news On 14 April, the torches of Milano Cortina 2026 were revealed in two simultaneous events at the Triennale di Milano and at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. The torches were presented by four stars of past Olympic and Paralympic Games: Olympic champion and last torchbearer at Torino 2006Stefania Belmondo and Paralympic champion Bebe Vio in Milan, as well as Paralympic champion Martina Caironi and Carolina Kostner, bronze medallist at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, in Osaka. 'I have to say, it's really beautiful. Kudos to the designer because it's really wonderful in its simplicity,' said Belmondo after the torch was revealed in Milan. 'The beautiful thing is that for those that carry the torch, it will be effortless, and it has a really elegant style.' Vio, who won wheelchair fencing gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, was equally impressed. 'It's beautiful, really gorgeous,' she said. 'I like it because it's very simple and not extravagant.' Innovation and sustainability behind the design of the Milano Cortina 2026 torchesGet your tickets today Essential: 'Spectacular, gorgeous, and the embodiment of Italian design' The Milano Cortina 2026 torches, which have been named 'Essential' as a tribute to their minimalist design, were developed by Eni, Premium Partner of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, in collaboration with Versalis, Official Supporter of the Games. The two versions of the torch — one for the Olympic Winter Games and the other for the Paralympic Winter Games — both feature a reflective, iridescent finish but differ in colour. The Olympic torch in blue-green hues, the Paralympic torch in bronze tones. Eni and Versalis entrusted the design development to Studio Carlo Ratti Associati, while Cavagna Group is responsible for the engineering and production of the torches and their components. 'Let's talk about this torch for a moment: it is spectacular, gorgeous, and the embodiment of Italian design,' Giovanni Malagò, President of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, said at the torch unveiling event in Milan. 'I thank Carlo Ratti, Cavagna Group and the design philosophy, which I love. Essentiality becomes a style, which is not minimalism — far from it — but certainly not excessive.' Apply today Where can you see the torches of Milano Cortina 2026? The two torches will be showcased at the Italia Pavilion throughout Expo 2025 in Osaka and will also be on display at the Triennale di Milano from May 2025 until the end of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. After the Games, having written a new chapter in Olympic and Paralympic history, the Essential Olympic torch will join the prestigious collection of torches at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, leaving a tangible legacy of innovation and sustainability for future generations. Worldwide Olympic Partner Coca-Cola has been a proud supporter of the Olympic Torch Relay for more than three decades. Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner Allianz is the Presenting Partner for the Paralympic Torch Relay. Get your tickets for Milano Cortina 2026 today Tickets for the Milano Cortina 2026, Olympic Winter Games, which take place from 6-22 February 2026, as well as the Paralympic Winter Games (6-15 March 2026) are now available to the public. You can start planning your dream experience by checking the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games calendars, then visit the official ticketing platform to purchase your tickets for the Games today. Visa is the official way to pay and in recognition of Visa's longstanding partnership with the Paralympic Games Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from International Olympic Committee
Nahar Net
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Nahar Net
The country that made smoking sexy is breaking up with cigarettes
by Naharnet Newsdesk 02 June 2025, 17:09 Brigitte Bardot lounged barefoot on a Saint-Tropez beach, drawing languorous puffs from her cigarette. Another actor, Jean-Paul Belmondo, swaggered down the Champs-Élysées with smoke curling from his defiant lips, capturing a generation's restless rebellion. In France, cigarettes were never just cigarettes — they were cinematic statements, flirtations and rebellions wrapped in rolling paper. Yet beginning July 1, if Bardot and Belmondo's iconic film scenes were repeated in real life, they would be subject to up to €135 ($153) in fines. After glamorizing tobacco for decades, France is preparing for its most sweeping smoking ban yet. The new restrictions, announced by Health Minister Catherine Vautrin, will outlaw smoking in virtually all outdoor public areas where children may gather, including beaches, parks, gardens, playgrounds, sports venues, school entrances and bus stops. "Tobacco must disappear where there are children," Vautrin told French media. The freedom to smoke "stops where children's right to breathe clean air starts." If Vautrin's law reflects public health priorities, it also signals a deeper cultural shift. Smoking has defined identity, fashion and cinema here for so long that the new measure feels like a quiet French revolution in a country whose relationship with tobacco is famously complex. According to France's League Against Cancer, over 90 percent of French films from 2015 to 2019 featured smoking scenes — more than double the rate in Hollywood productions. Each French movie averaged nearly three minutes of on-screen smoking, effectively the same exposure as six 30-second television ads. Cinema has been particularly influential. Belmondo's rebellious smoker in Jean-Luc Godard 's "Breathless" became shorthand for youthful defiance worldwide. Bardot's cigarette smoke wafted through "And God Created Woman," symbolizing unbridled sensuality. Yet this glamorization has consequences. According to France's public health authorities, around 75,000 people die from tobacco-related illnesses each year. Although smoking rates have dipped recently — fewer than 25% of French adults now smoke daily, a historic low — the habit remains stubbornly embedded, especially among young people and the urban chic. France's relationship with tobacco has long been fraught with contradiction. Air France did not ban smoking on all its flights until 2000, years after major U.S. carriers began phasing it out in the late 1980s and early '90s. The delay reflected a country slower to sever its cultural romance with cigarettes, even at 35,000 feet. Strolling through the stylish streets of Le Marais, the trendiest neighborhood in Paris, reactions to the smoking ban ranged from pragmatic acceptance to nostalgic defiance. "It's about time. I don't want my kids growing up thinking smoke is romantic," said Clémence Laurent, a 34-year-old fashion buyer, sipping espresso at a crowded café terrace. "Sure, Bardot made cigarettes seem glamorous. But Bardot didn't worry about today's warnings on lung cancer." At a nearby boutique, vintage dealer Luc Baudry, 53, saw the ban as an attack on something essentially French. "Smoking has always been part of our culture. Take away cigarettes and what do we have left? Kale smoothies?" he scoffed. Across from him, 72-year-old Jeanne Lévy chuckled throatily, her voice deeply etched — she said — by decades of Gauloises. "I smoked my first cigarette watching Jeanne Moreau," she confessed, eyes twinkling behind vintage sunglasses. "It was her voice — smoky, sexy, lived-in. Who didn't want that voice?" Indeed, Jeanne Moreau's gravelly, nicotine-scraped voice transformed tobacco into poetry itself, immortalized in classics such as François Truffaut's "Jules et Jim." Smoking acquired an existential glamour that made quitting unimaginable for generations of French smokers. France's new law mirrors broader European trends. Countries like Britain and Sweden have already tightened smoking regulations in public spaces. Sweden banned smoking on outdoor restaurant terraces, at bus stops and near schoolyards in 2019. Spain, meanwhile, is extending its smoking ban to café and restaurant terraces—spaces that remain exempt in France, at least for now. In the Paris park Place des Vosges, literature student Thomas Bouchard clutched an electronic cigarette that is still exempt from the new ban and shrugged. "Maybe vaping's our compromise," he said, exhaling gently. "A little less sexy, perhaps. But fewer wrinkles too."
Yomiuri Shimbun
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
The Country That Made Smoking Sexy Is Breaking up with Cigarettes
The Associated Press A woman holds a cigarette during a break in Paris, Wednesday, May 28 2025. PARIS (AP) — Brigitte Bardot lounged barefoot on a Saint-Tropez beach, drawing languorous puffs from her cigarette. Another actor, Jean-Paul Belmondo, swaggered down the Champs-Élysées with smoke curling from his defiant lips, capturing a generation's restless rebellion. In France, cigarettes were never just cigarettes — they were cinematic statements, flirtations and rebellions wrapped in rolling paper. Yet beginning July 1, if Bardot and Belmondo's iconic film scenes were repeated in real life, they would be subject to up to €135 ($153) in fines. After glamorizing tobacco for decades, France is preparing for its most sweeping smoking ban yet. The new restrictions, announced by Health Minister Catherine Vautrin, will outlaw smoking in virtually all outdoor public areas where children may gather, including beaches, parks, gardens, playgrounds, sports venues, school entrances and bus stops. 'Tobacco must disappear where there are children,' Vautrin told French media. The freedom to smoke 'stops where children's right to breathe clean air starts.' If Vautrin's law reflects public health priorities, it also signals a deeper cultural shift. Smoking has defined identity, fashion and cinema here for so long that the new measure feels like a quiet French revolution in a country whose relationship with tobacco is famously complex. According to France's League Against Cancer, over 90 percent of French films from 2015 to 2019 featured smoking scenes — more than double the rate in Hollywood productions. Each French movie averaged nearly three minutes of on-screen smoking, effectively the same exposure as six 30-second television ads. Cinema has been particularly influential. Belmondo's rebellious smoker in Jean-Luc Godard 's 'Breathless' became shorthand for youthful defiance worldwide. Bardot's cigarette smoke wafted through 'And God Created Woman,' symbolizing unbridled sensuality. Yet this glamorization has consequences. According to France's public health authorities, around 75,000 people die from tobacco-related illnesses each year. Although smoking rates have dipped recently — fewer than 25% of French adults now smoke daily, a historic low — the habit remains stubbornly embedded, especially among young people and the urban chic. France's relationship with tobacco has long been fraught with contradiction. Air France did not ban smoking on all its flights until 2000, years after major U.S. carriers began phasing it out in the late 1980s and early '90s. The delay reflected a country slower to sever its cultural romance with cigarettes, even at 35,000 feet. Strolling through the stylish streets of Le Marais, the trendiest neighborhood in Paris, reactions to the smoking ban ranged from pragmatic acceptance to nostalgic defiance. 'It's about time. I don't want my kids growing up thinking smoke is romantic,' said Clémence Laurent, a 34-year-old fashion buyer, sipping espresso at a crowded café terrace. 'Sure, Bardot made cigarettes seem glamorous. But Bardot didn't worry about today's warnings on lung cancer.' At a nearby boutique, vintage dealer Luc Baudry, 53, saw the ban as an attack on something essentially French. 'Smoking has always been part of our culture. Take away cigarettes and what do we have left? Kale smoothies?' he scoffed. Across from him, 72-year-old Jeanne Lévy chuckled throatily, her voice deeply etched — she said — by decades of Gauloises. 'I smoked my first cigarette watching Jeanne Moreau,' she confessed, eyes twinkling behind vintage sunglasses. 'It was her voice — smoky, sexy, lived-in. Who didn't want that voice?' Indeed, Jeanne Moreau's gravelly, nicotine-scraped voice transformed tobacco into poetry itself, immortalized in classics such as François Truffaut's 'Jules et Jim.' Smoking acquired an existential glamour that made quitting unimaginable for generations of French smokers. France's new law mirrors broader European trends. Countries like Britain and Sweden have already tightened smoking regulations in public spaces. Sweden banned smoking on outdoor restaurant terraces, at bus stops and near schoolyards in 2019. Spain, meanwhile, is extending its smoking ban to café and restaurant terraces—spaces that remain exempt in France, at least for now. In the Paris park Place des Vosges, literature student Thomas Bouchard clutched an electronic cigarette that is still exempt from the new ban and shrugged. 'Maybe vaping's our compromise,' he said, exhaling gently. 'A little less sexy, perhaps. But fewer wrinkles too.'
Arab Times
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
The country that glamorized smoking is now quitting cigarettes
PARIS, May 31, (AP): Brigitte Bardot lounged barefoot on a Saint-Tropez beach, drawing languorous puffs from her cigarette. Another actor, Jean-Paul Belmondo, swaggered down the Champs-Élysées with smoke curling from his defiant lips, capturing a generation's restless rebellion. In France, cigarettes were never just cigarettes - they were cinematic statements, flirtations, and rebellions wrapped in rolling paper. Yet beginning July 1, if Bardot and Belmondo's iconic film scenes were repeated in real life, they would be subject to up to €135 ($153) in fines. After glamorizing tobacco for decades, France is preparing for its most sweeping smoking ban yet. The new restrictions, announced by Health Minister Catherine Vautrin, will outlaw smoking in virtually all outdoor public areas where children may gather, including beaches, parks, gardens, playgrounds, sports venues, school entrances and bus stops. "Tobacco must disappear where there are children,' Vautrin told French media. The freedom to smoke "stops where children's right to breathe clean air starts." If Vautrin's law reflects public health priorities, it also signals a deeper cultural shift. Smoking has defined identity, fashion, and cinema here for so long that the new measure feels like a quiet French revolution in a country whose relationship with tobacco is famously complex. According to France's League Against Cancer, over 90 percent of French films from 2015 to 2019 featured smoking scenes - more than double the rate in Hollywood productions. Each French movie averaged nearly three minutes of on-screen smoking, effectively the same exposure as six 30-second television ads. Cinema has been particularly influential. Belmondo's rebellious smoker in Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless' became shorthand for youthful defiance worldwide. Bardot's cigarette smoke wafted through "And God Created Woman,' symbolizing unbridled sensuality. Yet this glamorization has consequences. According to France's public health authorities, around 75,000 people die from tobacco-related illnesses each year. Although smoking rates have dipped recently - fewer than 25% of French adults now smoke daily, a historic low - the habit remains stubbornly embedded, especially among young people and the urban chic. France's relationship with tobacco has long been fraught with contradiction. Air France did not ban smoking on all its flights until 2000, years after major U.S. carriers began phasing it out in the late 1980s and early '90s. The delay reflected a country slower to sever its cultural romance with cigarettes, even at 35,000 feet. Strolling through the stylish streets of Le Marais, the trendiest neighborhood in Paris, reactions to the smoking ban ranged from pragmatic acceptance to nostalgic defiance. "It's about time. I don't want my kids growing up thinking smoke is romantic,' said Clémence Laurent, a 34-year-old fashion buyer, sipping espresso at a crowded café terrace. "Sure, Bardot made cigarettes seem glamorous. But Bardot didn't worry about today's warnings on lung cancer.' At a nearby boutique, vintage dealer Luc Baudry, 53, saw the ban as an attack on something essentially French. "Smoking has always been part of our culture. Take away cigarettes and what do we have left? Kale smoothies?' he scoffed. Across from him, 72-year-old Jeanne Lévy chuckled throatily, her voice deeply etched - she said - by decades of Gauloises. "I smoked my first cigarette watching Jeanne Moreau,' she confessed, eyes twinkling behind vintage sunglasses. "It was her voice - smoky, sexy, lived-in. Who didn't want that voice?' Indeed, Jeanne Moreau's gravelly, nicotine-scraped voice transformed tobacco into poetry itself, immortalized in classics such as François Truffaut's "Jules et Jim.' Smoking acquired an existential glamour that made quitting unimaginable for generations of French smokers. France's new law mirrors broader European trends. Britain, Spain, and Sweden have all implemented significant smoking bans in public spaces. Sweden outlawed smoking in outdoor restaurant terraces, bus stops, and schoolyards back in 2019. Spain extended its bans to café terraces, spaces still exempt in France - at least for now. In the Paris park Place des Vosges, literature student Thomas Bouchard clutched an electronic cigarette that is still exempt from the new ban and shrugged. "Maybe vaping's our compromise,' he said, exhaling gently. "A little less sexy, perhaps. But fewer wrinkles too.'
Time of India
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Country that made smoking sexy is breaking up with cigarettes
AP file photo PARIS: Brigitte Bardot lounged barefoot on a Saint-Tropez beach, drawing languorous puffs from her cigarette. Another actor, Jean-Paul Belmondo, swaggered down the Champs-Elysees with smoke curling from his defiant lips, capturing a generation's restless rebellion. In France, cigarettes were never just cigarettes - they were cinematic statements, flirtations and rebellions wrapped in rolling paper. Yet beginning July 1, if Bardot and Belmondo's iconic film scenes were repeated in real life, they would be subject to up to 135 euros (USD 153) in fines. After glamorising tobacco for decades, France is preparing for its most sweeping smoking ban yet. The new restrictions, announced by Health Minister Catherine Vautrin, will outlaw smoking in virtually all outdoor public areas where children may gather, including beaches, parks, gardens, playgrounds, sports venues, school entrances and bus stops. "Tobacco must disappear where there are children," Vautrin told French media. The freedom to smoke "stops where children's right to breathe clean air starts". If Vautrin's law reflects public health priorities, it also signals a deeper cultural shift. Smoking has defined identity, fashion and cinema here for so long that the new measure feels like a quiet French revolution in a country whose relationship with tobacco is famously complex. According to France's League Against Cancer, over 90 per cent of French films from 2015 to 2019 featured smoking scenes - more than double the rate in Hollywood productions. Each French movie averaged nearly three minutes of on-screen smoking, effectively the same exposure as six 30-second television ads. Cinema has been particularly influential. Belmondo's rebellious smoker in Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless" became shorthand for youthful defiance worldwide. Bardot's cigarette smoke wafted through "And God Created Woman", symbolising unbridled sensuality. Yet this glamorisation has consequences. According to France's public health authorities, around 75,000 people die from tobacco-related illnesses each year. Although smoking rates have dipped recently - fewer than 25 per cent of French adults now smoke daily, a historic low - the habit remains stubbornly embedded, especially among young people and the urban chic. France's relationship with tobacco has long been fraught with contradiction. Air France did not ban smoking on all its flights until 2000, years after major US carriers began phasing it out in the late 1980s and early '90s. The delay reflected a country slower to sever its cultural romance with cigarettes, even at 35,000 feet. Strolling through the stylish streets of Le Marais, the trendiest neighbourhood in Paris, reactions to the smoking ban ranged from pragmatic acceptance to nostalgic defiance. "It's about time. I don't want my kids growing up thinking smoke is romantic," said Clemence Laurent, a 34-year-old fashion buyer, sipping espresso at a crowded cafe terrace. "Sure, Bardot made cigarettes seem glamorous. But Bardot didn't worry about today's warnings on lung cancer." At a nearby boutique, vintage dealer Luc Baudry, 53, saw the ban as an attack on something essentially French. "Smoking has always been part of our culture. Take away cigarettes and what do we have left? Kale smoothies?" he scoffed. Across from him, 72-year-old Jeanne Levy chuckled throatily, her voice deeply etched - she said - by decades of Gauloises. "I smoked my first cigarette watching Jeanne Moreau," she confessed, eyes twinkling behind vintage sunglasses. "It was her voice-smoky, sexy, lived-in. Who didn't want that voice?" Indeed, Jeanne Moreau's gravelly, nicotine-scraped voice transformed tobacco into poetry itself, immortalised in classics such as Francois Truffaut's "Jules et Jim". Smoking acquired an existential glamour that made quitting unimaginable for generations of French smokers. France's new law mirrors broader European trends. Britain, Spain, and Sweden have all implemented significant smoking bans in public spaces. Sweden outlawed smoking in outdoor restaurant terraces, bus stops and schoolyards back in 2019. Spain extended its bans to cafe terraces, spaces still exempt in France, at least for now. In the Paris park Place des Vosges, literature student Thomas Bouchard clutched an electronic cigarette that is still exempt from the new ban and shrugged. "Maybe vaping's our compromise," he said, exhaling gently. "A little less sexy, perhaps. But fewer wrinkles too."
