Locals bitter over Jeff Bezos's upcoming Venice wedding / Photo: ANDREA PATTARO - AFP
-
Liverpool's Slot says 'no issue to resolve' with Salah after outburst
-
'Stop the slaughter': French farmers block roads over cow disease cull
-
Stormers see off La Rochelle, Sale stun Clermont in Champions Cup
-
Maresca hails Palmer as Chelsea return to winning ways against Everton
-
Hungarian protesters demand Orban quits over abuse cases
-
Belarus frees protest leader Kolesnikova, Nobel winner Bialiatski
-
Salah sets up goal on return to Liverpool action
-
Palmer strikes as Chelsea return to winning ways against Everton
-
Pogacar targets Tour de France Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo in 2026
-
Salah back in action for Liverpool after outburst
-
Atletico recover Liga momentum with battling win over Valencia
-
Meillard leads 'perfect' Swiss sweep in Val d'Isere giant slalom
-
Salah on Liverpool bench for Brighton match
-
Meillard leads Swiss sweep in Val d'Isere giant slalom
-
Indonesia flood death toll passes 1,000 as authorities ramp up aid
-
Cambodia shuts Thailand border crossings over deadly fighting
-
First urban cable car unveiled outside Paris
-
Vonn second behind Aicher in World Cup downhill at St Moritz
-
Aicher pips Vonn to downhill win at St Moritz
-
Thailand says 4 soldiers killed in Cambodia conflict, denies Trump truce claim
-
Fans vandalise India stadium after Messi's abrupt exit
-
Women sommeliers are cracking male-dominated wine world open
-
Exhibition of Franco-Chinese print master Zao Wou-Ki opens in Hong Kong
-
Myanmar junta denies killing civilians in hospital strike
-
Why SpaceX IPO plan is generating so much buzz
-
Thailand continues Cambodia strikes despite Trump truce calls
-
US envoy to meet Zelensky, Europe leaders in Berlin this weekend
-
North Korea acknowledges its troops cleared mines for Russia
-
US unseals warrant for tanker seized off Venezuelan coast
-
Cambodia says Thailand still bombing hours after Trump truce call
-
Machado urges pressure so Maduro understands 'he has to go'
-
Leinster stutter before beating Leicester in Champions Cup
-
World stocks mostly slide, consolidating Fed-fuelled gains
-
Crypto firm Tether bids for Juventus, is quickly rebuffed
-
Union sink second-placed Leipzig to climb in Bundesliga
-
US Treasury lifts sanctions on Brazil Supreme Court justice
-
UK king shares 'good news' that cancer treatment will be reduced in 2026
-
Wembanyama expected to return for Spurs in NBA Cup clash with Thunder
-
Five takeaways from Luigi Mangione evidence hearings
-
UK's king shares 'good news' that cancer treatment will be reduced in 2026
-
Steelers' Watt undergoes surgery to repair collapsed lung
-
Iran detains Nobel-prize winner in 'brutal' arrest
-
NBA Cup goes from 'outside the box' idea to smash hit
-
UK health service battles 'super flu' outbreak
-
Can Venezuela survive US targeting its oil tankers?
-
Democrats release new cache of Epstein photos
-
Colombia's ELN guerrillas place communities in lockdown citing Trump 'intervention' threats
-
'Don't use them': Tanning beds triple skin cancer risk, study finds
-
Nancy aims to restore Celtic faith with Scottish League Cup final win
-
Argentina fly-half Albornoz signs for Toulon until 2030
NYSE - LSE
Locals bitter over Jeff Bezos's upcoming Venice wedding
Residents of Venice, already fed up with crowds of tourists cramming into their canal city, now have one more gripe: Jeff Bezos.
The billionaire Amazon founder is due to marry journalist Lauren Sanchez in a celebration in Venice from June 24 to 26 that is expected to attract countless VIPs.
Not everyone is feeling the love though, with some residents hanging a huge banner with an X over Bezos's name on a belltower overlooking the Venice lagoon before the sign was removed on Thursday.
"He's not welcome, not in Venice, not anywhere!" wrote the "No Space for Bezos" collective on Facebook, which was responsible for the banner.
Bezos is also the owner of space travel company Blue Origin, whose all-female flight in April carrying Sanchez, pop star Katy Perry and four others met with a public backlash for its high cost and environmental impact.
The anti-Bezos group, whose posters and stickers have been seen in recent days across the city, has called a public assembly for Friday evening to drum up opposition.
The UNESCO-listed city, famous for its romantic gondolas and canals, is a favourite spot for lovers.
In September 2014, it was the backdrop for the wedding of Hollywood actor George Clooney and human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin, a glamourous high-profile event that attracted countless tourists, fans and onlookers.
The atmosphere ahead of Bezos's nuptials appeared more hostile.
"Venice is a living city, not a place to rent to the highest bidder," the collective wrote on social media.
Venice's mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, had welcomed the couple's decision, however, saying in March that the wedding would bring in millions of dollars to the city.
City hall in March blasted "fake news" circulating about the wedding, saying that only 200 people were on the guest list and that the event would be "without any disruption whatsoever to the city, its residents and visitors".
Local media say that five hotels have been reserved for the occasion, as well as an impressive fleet of water cabs and a mooring for Bezos's megayacht.
It is unclear where exactly the marriage ceremony will take place.
S.Abdullah--SF-PST
