Author: staff

The French capital experienced the first emergence of the art and design phenomenon that was later termed Art Deco in the 1910s but only truly blossomed at the Paris World’s Fair of 1925. An artistic and philosophical response to the Art Nouveau movement of the late 19th century meant that, after the brutality of war and destruction during World War One, intricacy, whimsy and romanticism gave way pretty quickly to clean lines and geometric design. But there was also a sense of the need to enjoy oneself in style now it was possible again. So, 100 years later to the…

On thin ice: Amid much backbench Labour worry over the issue, Badenoch instead asked Starmer to “admit he was wrong” to remove winter fuel payments from all-but the poorest pensioners. An issue mentioned repeatedly on the doorstep in the local elections, Starmer wouldn’t bite, stating only that the “number one job of this government was to put our finances back in order.” He then shoehorned in his own plug for the India deal’s economic benefits. Waving a red flag: The Conservative leader pressed on, mentioning critics of the winter fuel cuts from the Labour leader’s own party — including Welsh…

Slovakia’s prime minister has blasted a European Union plan to stop imports of Russian natural gas by the end of 2027 to deprive President Vladimir Putin of revenue that helps fuel the war in Ukraine.The European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, will present a detailed plan next month.It will seek to ban new gas contracts with Russia by the end of this year and phase out existing ones still in use in the 27-nation EU by the end of 2027.But Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico called the plan “absolutely unacceptable” for his country and said his government was ready to veto it.He said…

WeightWatchers said on Tuesday it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to eliminate $1.15bn (€1bn) in debt and focus on its transition into a telehealth services provider.Parent WW International Inc. said it has the support of nearly three-quarters of its debt holders. It expects to emerge from bankruptcy within 45 days, if not sooner.WeightWatchers, which was founded more than 60 years ago, has seen its revenue decline in recent quarters.In 2023, the company moved into the prescription drug weight loss business — particularly with the $106 million (€93.3 million) acquisition of Sequence, now WeightWatchers Clinic, a telehealth service that…

The Met Gala, “fashion’s biggest night out,” has once again delivered a night of dazzling fashion and unforgettable moments, as A-listers from the world of film, fashion, music, sports, politics, and social media gathered to celebrate Black style and emerging designers. This year’s theme, “Tailored for You,” celebrated the exhibit “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which is spotlighting Black dandyism and the evolution of Black menswear over the centuries.Co-chaired by Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky, Anna Wintour (with LeBron James absent due to a knee injury), the rainy evening in Manhattan was abundant with jaw-dropping looks and boundary-pushing…

Merz, in his TV interview, referred to that comment as an “absurd observation” and suggested he may choose to raise the issue in a scheduled call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday. Asked whether he would deal with Trump by using charm or straight talk, Merz said he would “openly represent” German and European positions. “Together, we are even bigger than the U.S.,” Merz said, speaking of the European Union. “The number of consumers here is greater than in America and Canada combined. So, we have something to offer here. We can do something. We are united, to a…

The European Commission referred Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union for not complying with EU laws on migrant smuggling on Wednesday, claiming in a statement that Hungary violated its obligations to impose effective sanctions for people smuggling offences.The European Commission recalled that in April 2023 Hungary adopted a government decree that converted prison sentences related to migrant smuggling into “reintegration detention”. As a consequence, more than two thousand foreign nationals left Hungarian prisons early and quit the country.”This Government Decree undermines the objective to effectively tackle migrant smuggling, the deterrent factor of the EU Facilitators legislation…

The US trade deficit soared to a record $140.5 billion (€123.6bn) in March as consumers and businesses alike tried to get ahead of President Donald Trump’s latest and most sweeping tariffs — with federal data showing an enormous stockpiling of pharmaceutical products.The deficit — which measures the gap between the value of goods and services the US sells abroad against what it buys — has roughly doubled over the last year. In March 2024, that gap was just under $68.6bn (€60.3bn), according to the US Department of Commerce. According to federal data released on Tuesday, US exports for goods and…

The Pulitzer Prizes, which honour excellence in journalism, literary achievements and musical composition, have named this year’s winners.Percival Everett’s novel “James,” the American author’s radical reimagining of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the perspective of the enslaved title character, has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.Everett’s Pulitzer has accelerated the 68-year-old author’s remarkable rise after decades of being little known to the general public.  Since 2021, he has won the PEN/Jean Stein Award for “Dr. No,” was a Pulitzer finalist for “Telephone” and on the Booker shortlist for “The Trees.” Before Monday, “James” had already won the National Book…

The Israeli system of distributing aid “does not appear to be compatible with the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence, and would not allow for the unconditional and unhindered distribution of aid to people in need.” Veldkamp went on to demand a review of Israel’s compliance with the association agreement, saying: “I withhold the support of the Netherlands for extending the EU-Israel Action Plan pending a review of Article 2.” The EU-Israel Action Plan, which aims to implement the association agreement, requires unanimous support from all 27 EU countries to renew. The Action Plan came up for renewal in…