Scandal sweeps ex-prince
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s former Prince Andrew departed under cover of darkness on Monday from his Windsor mansion home of two decades and was settling into life on a remote country estate on Wednesday, BBC reported.
The departure of King Charles III’s younger brother came amid a renewed furor over his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The 65-year-old, who has strenuously denied any wrongdoing, is said now to be living at Wood Farm, the former residence of his late father Prince Philip, on the king’s private estate in Sandringham, a remote corner of rural eastern England, some 240 kilometers north of Windsor.
300 Post journalists laid off
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Washington Post, owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced major job cuts Wednesday, saying that “painful” restructuring was needed at the storied newspaper.
The Post did not disclose the number of job cuts, but The New York Times reports approximately 300 of its 800 journalists were laid off.
Most of the paper’s journalists overseas were let go, includings its entire Middle East roster and its Kyiv-based Ukraine correspondent.
The labor union representing many Post journalists called for supporters of the paper, acquired by Bezos in 2013, to rally outside its Washington headquarters at noon on Thursday.
Artist erases Italian PM
ROME, Italy (AFP) — An artist who restored a fresco in a church in central Rome with a likeness of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has wiped out his own artwork after it sparked outrage.
The story began on Saturday when La Repubblica daily revealed that the face of a freshly-restored winged figure in the San Lorenzo in Lucina church closely resembled Meloni.
The artist behind the restoration, Bruno Valentinetti, told La Repubblica that he had rubbed out her face on Tuesday night following a request by the Vatican administration.
An Agence France-Presse reporter confirmed the likeness had been removed.
The restorer also told the paper that he had indeed painted the figure to resemble Meloni after initially denying it.
Barry Manilow no-show
LOS ANGELES, California (AFP) — American singer-songwriter Barry Manilow on Wednesday announced the cancellation of his upcoming run of shows in Las Vegas, but assured fans he was recovering well from surgery to remove lung cancer.
The 82-year-old crooner, known for 1970s hits “Copacabana” and “Mandy,” revealed a lung cancer diagnosis in December and planned to have an operation to treat it.
“With my doctor’s guidance and recommendation, however, we have decided to postpone my residency dates at Westgate Las Vegas from February 12-21 so I can stay focused on healing and getting ready for the tour that’s kicking off at the end of February,” he said in a post on Instagram Wednesday.