All posts tagged: ties

Gates Foundation reviewing Jeffrey Epstein ties, will slash staff: WSJ

Gates Foundation reviewing Jeffrey Epstein ties, will slash staff: WSJ

Published by Sam Flores

Bill Gates speaks during the Gates Foundation’s first global Goalkeepers event in the Nordics, which is being held in Stockholm, Sweden, Jan. 22, 2026. TT News Agency | Stefan Jerrevang | Via Reuters The Gates Foundation has launched an external review of the philanthropy’s past ties with notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. To cut costs, the Gates Foundation will eliminate up to 500 jobs, or about 20% of its staff, by 2030, the Journal reported, citing an email to staff that the newspaper reviewed announcing both the job cuts and Epstein ties review. “This is a challenging time for our organization in many ways, but it also highlights the critical importance of taking the tough actions now,” Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman reportedly said in the memo. The Journal said the foundation, which has a 2026 budget of about $9 billion, plans to cap operating expenses at $1.25 billion. The Gates Foundation was founded by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his ex-wife, Melinda Gates. Gates is scheduled to be …

Victoria Beckham ties up with Gap as retailer hopes luxe push will drive comeback | Retail industry

Victoria Beckham ties up with Gap as retailer hopes luxe push will drive comeback | Retail industry

Published by Sam Flores

From the 80s through to the early noughties it was the go-to high street store for casual hoodies and jeans, before falling out of favour. Now almost 30 years after its heyday, Gap is hoping to turn things around. Key to its comeback strategy? A pivot to more premium fashion. On Friday the retailer will unveil a collection with the luxury fashion designer Victoria Beckham. The collaboration is the next step in the luxification of Gap being led by Richard Dickson, who joined Gap Inc as its president and chief executive from Mattel, the US toymaker, in 2023. The 38-piece collection includes a range of Gap classics including denim, shirting and outerwear reimagined through Beckham’s more design-led lens. Priced from £25 to £250, high demand is expected for pieces that are rooted in Beckham’s own wardrobe and regularly seen on her Paris fashion week catwalk – including a tailored denim jacket and a white T-shirt. In her mainline collection, a similar jean jacket costs £590 while T-shirts start from £95. The collection also features capri …

Carney Says Canada’s US Ties Have Become a Weakness

Carney Says Canada’s US Ties Have Become a Weakness

Published by Sam Flores

CALGARY, April 19 (Reuters) – Canada’s close ties ⁠to ⁠the United States were once ⁠a strength but have become a weakness, Prime Minister Mark Carney ​said on Sunday, in a video message to his country in which he also praised the ‌heroism of military leaders who ‌fought against U.S. invasion more than two centuries ago. Holding up a small toy soldier ⁠depiction of General ⁠Isaac Brock, the British military leader who died defending what is ​now Canada from a U.S. invasion in the War of 1812, Carney said Canada can’t control the disruption coming from its U.S. neighbors, and can’t bet its future on the hope that it ​will suddenly stop. “The situation today feels unique, but we’ve faced down threats like this ⁠before,” ⁠Carney said, referencing Brock and ⁠several other ​Canadian historical figures, including Chief Tecumseh who united Indigenous Nations across the Great Lakes ​to resist U.S. expansion ⁠in 1812. Carney, who secured a parliamentary majority for his Liberal government last week, has said his electoral win will help him deal more effectively in the trade …

Why Does Keir Starmer Think It’s Time For Closer EU Ties?

Why Does Keir Starmer Think It’s Time For Closer EU Ties?

Published by Sam Flores

Keir Starmer reopened a dangerous can of worms this week. No, not the Peter Mandelson saga, but the UK’s ties with the EU. While the government says it does not want to undo Brexit – as Labour’s political opponents claim – the prime minister made it clear he “strongly believes the UK’s best interests are in a stronger, closer relationship with Europe” on Monday. His remarks came after chancellor Rachel Reeves revealed she would be open to working with the EU if it boosts economic growth or helps the UK’s “security and resilience”. These comments raised eyebrows among critics, especially as MPs will soon vote on the government’s UK-EU reset bill after it’s unveiled in the King’s Speech on May 13. Acting on the prime minister’s orders, the monarch will set out the government’s plans for the coming parliamentary session. Labour has long pledged to “reset” Britain’s relationship with the EU after Boris Johnson’s trade deal made it harder to import and export to and from the UK’s nearest neighbours. Donald Trump’s war in Iran …

Walker Art Center Sever Ties with Restaurant over QR Code Controversy

Walker Art Center Sever Ties with Restaurant over QR Code Controversy

Published by José Betancourt

Cardamom, a beloved restaurant at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, is no more following a controversial decision by the eatery to lay off its front-of-house workers and institute a QR code ordering system. The museum said on Thursday that such a move “does not align with our core values.” “We are committed to creating a welcoming environment for all of our guests at the Walker,” director Mary Ceruti said in a statement. “While we do not oversee the restaurant in our museum, our vision has always been to have a full-service dining option within the Walker to complement the museum experience.” Related Articles She said that the museum leadership was “caught by surprise” by the layoffs, and that the Walker and Cardamom had “decided to part ways.” Operated by chef Daniel del Prado, Cardamom has been open at the Walker since 2021. For its part, the restaurant said the decision to lay off 16 hosts and servers was motivated by shifts impacting its industry. “The restaurant was never profitable,” a Cardamom spokesperson told a …

LIV Golf CEO Denies “Speculation” That Saudi Arabia On Cusp Of Severing Ties

LIV Golf CEO Denies “Speculation” That Saudi Arabia On Cusp Of Severing Ties

Published by Jenni Sidey

Update (1130ET): Amid reports that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund might be on the verge of pulling its funding for the league, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil told staff in an email overnight that its season will go on “as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.” The email, which was obtained by ESPN, didn’t directly address reports that PIF might stop investing in the breakaway circuit after spending more than $5 billion since its inception in 2022, or whether the league will continue competitions beyond this season. “I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle,” O’Neil wrote in the email. “While the media landscape is often filled with speculation, our reality is defined by the work we do on the grass. We are heading into the heart of our 2026 schedule with the full energy of an organization that is bigger, louder, and more influential than ever before.” LIV Golf is scheduled to play its sixth tournament of the season starting Thursday at Club de Golf Chapultepec …

Bayern knock out Real Madrid in one of great European ties

Bayern knock out Real Madrid in one of great European ties

Published by Sam Flores

Hello and welcome to our coverage of this Champions League quarter-final second-leg game between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid at the Allianz Arena. When Harry Kane doubled Bayern’s lead within 20 seconds of the second half in last week’s first leg in Spain, Real looked on the verge of collapse. Luiz Diaz had already handed Vincent Kompany’s side the advantage with a composed 41st-minute finish, before Kane swept in Bayern’s second.  The Santiago Bernabeu became a cauldron of despair and anxiety. Still, Real, inspired by Jude Bellingham’s introduction from the bench, rallied as Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior both came close to scoring. Trent Alexander-Arnold eventually set up Mbappe with a brilliant cross, and the French forward tapped in from close range to halve the deficit, leaving the tie delicately balanced.  Unsurprisingly, Bayern are cruising to the Bundesliga title. They smashed St Pauli 5-0 at the weekend, extending their unbeaten league run to ten matches, while also breaking the record for the most Bundesliga goals scored in a single season. Jamal Musiala’s early header was …

Indonesia, France agree to boost defence industry ties

Indonesia, France agree to boost defence industry ties

Published by Sam Flores

Jakarta, while defending a non-aligned diplomatic posture, last year joined the BRICS bloc of emerging economies that includes Russia and US-rival China.  Prabowo has also signed a trade deal with US President Donald Trump and joined his so-called “Board of Peace”, although has insisted his country would not pay the US$1 billion joining fee for permanent membership. Indonesia is a major arms buyer from France, with then-Defence Minister Prabowo inking a US$8.1 billion deal in 2022 to purchase 42 French-made Rafale jets.  Prabowo, a former military general who was elected president in 2024, has sought to modernise Indonesia’s ageing military assets. On Monday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth hosted Indonesian counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and announced a “Major Defence Cooperation Partnership”. A joint statement underlined the countries’ “shared commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific”. Indonesia is strategically located on the Malacca Strait – the world’s busiest chokepoint for oil and petroleum liquids, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). The vast majority of China-bound oil travels through Malacca Strait. Jakarta on Tuesday …

Trump’s Hormuz blockade tests U.S. ties with China and India

Trump’s Hormuz blockade tests U.S. ties with China and India

Published by Sam Flores

The U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is adding strain to Washington’s relations with China and India, as Beijing hardens its rhetoric and New Delhi faces rising energy risks. Getty The U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is not only squeezing Iran but also ratcheting up pressure on two of its most consequential relationships in Asia — India and China. With roughly 98% of Iranian oil exports bound for China, and a summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping weeks away, Washington’s maximum pressure campaign on Iran risks destabilizing the fragile detente that the administration has carefully cultivated with Beijing. India, with its complicated ties with the U.S., is increasingly finding U.S. policy at odds with its economic interests — most acutely in the energy shock now rippling through its economy. Trump is scheduled to visit China in mid-May, and the administration signaled repeatedly in recent weeks that it wants the bilateral relationship stable enough to keep the high-stakes meeting on track. “The Iran conflict, particularly the blockade, may upend …

Indonesia’s Board of Peace dilemma: Prabowo caught between domestic backlash and US ties

Indonesia’s Board of Peace dilemma: Prabowo caught between domestic backlash and US ties

Published by Sam Flores

JAKARTA: When Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto accepted the United States’ invitation to join the Board of Peace (BoP) on Jan 22, he cast it as a strategic step to achieve lasting world peace and elevate Indonesia’s global standing as a middle power. But public scepticism of Indonesia’s BoP participation has grown in the wake of the US-Israeli war on Iran and the death of three Indonesian peacekeepers in Lebanon last month.  The board was originally established to oversee post-conflict reconstruction in Gaza. With politicians, including figures from Prabowo’s own coalition, now urging a reassessment of Indonesia’s membership, observers say the president risks being caught between domestic backlash and preserving ties with the US. “The Board of Peace has become the Board of Problems,” declared Teuku Rezasyah, an international relations lecturer at Indonesia’s President University. LATEST PUBLIC SENTIMENTS Over half of respondents in a survey conducted last month disagree with Indonesia’s decision to join the BoP.  Conducted by three Indonesian research companies, the survey found that 50.9 per cent of more than 1,000 respondents disagreed with Indonesia’s decision …