Latest news with #Billionaires
BreakingNews.ie
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Billionaire Jeff Bezos marries Lauren Sanchez in lavish Venice ceremony
The sky itself is no limit for billionaire Jeff Bezos and fiancee Lauren Sanchez, who have travelled into space, and expectations were about as high ahead of their wedding in Venice on Friday. Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lauren Sánchez Bezos (@laurensanchezbezos) One of the world's most enchanting cities as a backdrop? Check. Star-studded guest list and tabloid buzz? Of course. Local flavour? You bet. And then, time to tie the knot. The couple held their wedding ceremony Friday night, and Sanchez posted to Instagram a photo of herself beaming in a white gown as she stood alongside a tuxedo-clad Bezos, the world's fourth-richest man. Advertisement It was the second day of events spread across the Italian lagoon city, which added complexity to what would have been a massive logistical undertaking even on dry land. Dozens of private jets had flocked to Venice's airport, and yachts pulled into the city's famed waterways. Athletes, celebrities, influencers and business leaders converged to revel in extravagance that was as much a testament to the couple's love as to their extraordinary wealth. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lauren Sánchez Bezos (@laurensanchezbezos) The heady hoopla recalled the 2014 wedding in Venice of actor George Clooney to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin, when adoring crowds lined the canals and hundreds of well-wishers gathered outside City Hall. Advertisement Not so for these nuptials, which became a lightning rod for small, colourful protests. But any desire to dampen the prevailing fever pitch hadn't materialised as of Friday. Instead, the glitterati were partying and the paparazzi were jostling for glimpses of the gilded gala. On Friday afternoon, Sanchez emerged from her hotel wearing a silk scarf on her head and blew a kiss to journalists before stepping into her water taxi. It carried her through the canals to San Giorgio island, across the lagoon basin from St Mark's Square, where the couple held their ceremony on Friday night. Bezos followed two hours later. Then, in a string of water taxis, came their illustrious guests — Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, Ivanka Trump, Tom Brady, Bill Gates, Queen Rania of Jordan, Leonardo DiCaprio and more. Advertisement Kim and Khloe Kardashian leave a hotel ahead of the wedding celebrations of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez (Luigi Costantini/AP) Paparazzi trailed on their own boats, trying to capture them all on camera. There are some who say these two shouldn't have been married in this city. They characterise the wedding as a decadent display of wealth in a world with growing inequality, and argue it's a shining example of tourism taking precedence over residents' needs, particularly affordable housing and essential services. Venice is also one of the cities most vulnerable to rising sea levels from climate change. Advertisement Stella Faye, a researcher at a university in Venice, said: 'Venice is not just a pretty picture, a pretty postcard to please the needs and wants of the elite or of mass tourists, but it is an alive city, made of people who want to actually live there.' About a dozen Venetian organisations — including housing advocates, anti-cruise ship campaigners and university groups — are protesting under the banner 'No Space for Bezos,' a play on words referring to his space exploration company Blue Origin and the bride's recent space flight. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump attended the wedding (Antonio Calanni/AP) Greenpeace unfurled a banner in St Mark's Square denouncing Bezos for paying insufficient taxes. Activists floated a bald-headed Bezos-inspired mannequin down Venice's Grand Canal atop an Amazon delivery box, its hands clenching fake cash. Authorities — from Venice's mayor to the nation's tourism minister — have dismissed the outcry, saying it ignores the visibility and economic boost the wedding has brought. 'There will be photos everywhere, social media will go wild over the bride's dress, over the ceremony,' Italy's tourism minister, Daniela Santanche, told the AP. 'All of this translates into a massive free publicity campaign. In fact, because they will spend a lot of money, they will enrich Venice — our shopkeepers, artisans, restaurateurs and hotels. So it's a great opportunity both for spending and for promoting Italy in the world.' As Amazon's chief executive, Bezos usually avoided the limelight, frequently delegating announcements and business updates to his executives. Today, he has a net worth of 234 billion dollars, according to Forbes. Protests included a mannequin, resembling Jeff Bezos, being floated in a canal in Venice (Click News via AP) In 2019, he announced he was divorcing his first wife, MacKenzie Scott, just before the National Enquirer published a story about an affair with Sanchez, a former TV news anchor. Sanchez filed for divorce the day after Bezos's divorce was finalised. He stepped down as chief executive of Amazon in 2021, saying he wished to spend more time on side projects, including Blue Origin; The Washington Post, which he owns; and his philanthropic initiatives. Sitting beside Sanchez during an interview with CNN in 2022, he announced plans to give away the majority of his wealth during his lifetime. Last week, a Venetian environmental research association issued a statement saying Bezos's Earth Fund was supporting its work with an 'important donation'. Corila, which seeks protection of the Venetian lagoon system, said contact began in April, well before any protests.
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Israeli court denies Netanyahu's request to delay corruption trial, despite Trump's push for cancellation
JERUSALEM, June 27 — An Israeli court on Friday rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request to postpone giving testimony in his corruption trial, after US President Donald Trump said the case should be cancelled. Netanyahu's lawyer on Thursday asked the court to excuse the leader from hearings over the next two weeks, saying he needed to concentrate on 'security issues' after Israel's 12-day war with Iran. The Jerusalem district court said in a judgement published online that 'in its current form (his request) does not provide a basis or detailed justification for the cancellation of the hearings'. Trump on Wednesday described the case against Netanyahu as a 'witch hunt', saying the trial 'should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero'. Netanyahu has thanked Trump for his support in Israel's brief war against Iran, which ended with a ceasefire on June 24. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and his supporters have described the long-running trial as politically motivated. In a first case, he and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than US$260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewellery and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favours. In two other cases, Netanyahu is accused of attempting to negotiate more favourable coverage from two Israeli media outlets. During his current term since late 2022, Netanyahu's government has proposed a series of far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say were designed to weaken the courts. Netanyahu has requested multiple postponements in the trial since it began in May 2020, citing the war in Gaza which started in 2023, later fighting in Lebanon and this month the conflict with Iran. — AFP
CNN
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Oprah, Gates, Kardashians…First day of Bezos wedding weekend well underway
CNN's Melissa Bell reports from Venice where billionaire Jeff Bezos and former journalist Lauren Sanchez welcome a growing number of A-list celebrities, all while local activists unfurl their banners in protest.
CNN
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Oprah, Gates, Kardashians…First day of Bezos wedding weekend well underway
CNN's Melissa Bell reports from Venice where billionaire Jeff Bezos and former journalist Lauren Sanchez welcome a growing number of A-list celebrities, all while local activists unfurl their banners in protest.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta Unveils Oakley AI Glasses With Enhanced Features, Longer Battery Life
Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is one of the best Fortune 500 stocks to buy according to billionaires. On June 20, Meta announced its latest 'AI glasses,' which are developed in partnership with Oakley and are designed to appeal to both athletes and general users. These new Oakley Meta HSTN glasses, pronounced 'How-stuhn' and based on Oakley's HSTN style, build upon the technology found in Meta's existing Ray-Ban AI glasses but introduce several enhancements. Oakley Meta HSTN glasses include an IPX4 water resistance rating, which makes them suitable for active use and resistant to splashes or light rain. They also boast longer battery life and offer up to 8 hours of typical use and up to 19 hours on standby. This is more than the Ray-Ban Meta glasses' 4-hour battery life. The charging case provides an additional 48 hours of power. The integrated camera has been upgraded to record in Ultra HD 3K video, higher than the 1080p resolution of the Ray-Ban models. Powerful open-ear speakers are seamlessly integrated into the frames and allow users to listen to music, podcasts, or make calls. The glasses also include Meta AI, which enables hands-free interaction. The Oakley Meta HSTN will be available for pre-order starting July 11. Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) develops products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family through two segments: Family of Apps/FoA and Reality Labs/RL. While we acknowledge the potential of META as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
