Irish Government to Reform Rent Cap in Bid to Boost Home Supply
Ireland 's senior government ministers are set to approve new rental control reforms as part of efforts to tackle the country's acute housing shortage by luring more apartment investors to the market.
Government leaders agreed on Monday evening that newly built apartments will be exempt from a 2% annual cap in rents in place in urban areas, known as rent pressure zones, according to a person familiar.
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Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Jeff Bezos' Reportedly Marries Lauren Sanchez Next Week: What We Know About Venice Extravaganza
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former journalist Lauren Sánchez will reportedly get hitched next week in what is expected to be an opulent and controversial ceremony hosted in Venice, Italy, reportedly costing millions of dollars and mostly kept under wraps. Bezos and Sánchez will reportedly tie the knot this month. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic) FilmMagic Many details reported about the wedding are speculative, though Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro confirmed the event will take place in the floating city, telling Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera the wedding 'will have economic repercussions worth millions of euros for our city.' The wedding will be a 'multiday celebration,' according to The Wall Street Journal, noting the cost of the wedding will reach into the millions. Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts : We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here . Bezos and Sánchez are reportedly getting married on a Venetian island, according to the Journal. The geography of the small city is spread out across over 110 small islands, with the historical center taking up approximately two square miles. However, a spokesperson for Brugnaro told CNN in March the wedding will take place on Bezos' $500 million superyacht known as the Koru. The Koru is a 417-foot sailing yacht, the second-largest of its kind in the world, meaning it would need to be anchored away from Venice's Grand Canal due to its size. Conversely, 'No Space for Bezos,' a local group protesting the event, has said the wedding will take place in the historic Church of the Abbey of Misericordia, according to the BBC. Some locals in Venice, which has dealt with overtourism that has strained the city's infrastructure and services for years, will protest the wedding over concerns its scale will worsen some of the issues created by excessive tourist crowds. Activists have organized a 'No Space for Bezos' campaign opposing the wedding, posting banners and stickers throughout the city. Federica Toninelli, a Venetian activist with 'No Space for Bezos,' told Reuters the wedding is also a 'symbol of the exploitation of the city by outsiders.' Protesters have threatened to block access to canals and city streets in an effort to block wedding attendees from reaching party venues in the city, according to Variety. Another protester told The Independent allowing the wedding to proceed creates the idea 'a city can be sold to the highest bidder with the most money.' Brugnaro has spoken out against the protesters and tried to reassure them the city is capable of handling the event, citing its hosting of the Venice Film Festival and G7 Summit. Brugnaro said he was 'ashamed of those who behave like this,' Variety reported. Protest organizers have criticized Brugnaro, insisting demonstrations will be peaceful. How Many People Are Attending The Wedding And Who Is On The Guest List? Venice officials have said the guest list for Bezos and Sánchez's wedding is limited to 200 people. It is not known for certain who will be attending the wedding, but TMZ reported a handful of celebrities received invites including Eva Longoria, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian and Jewel Kilcher, noting Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, in addition to Karlie Kloss and husband Joshua Kushner also made the list. Many people on the purported list, such as Longoria and Perry, are friends with Bezos and/or Sánchez. Guests who attended Sánchez's bachelorette party in Paris in May included Jenner, Kardashian, Perry, Longoria, entrepreneur Elsa Marie Collins, philanthropist Natasha Poonawalla and Fox Sports host Charissa Thompson. When Is The Wedding? The wedding will take place from June 24 to June 26, CNN reported, citing Brugnaro's spokesperson, though some reports have claimed a June 26 to June 29 celebration. How Much Will The Wedding Cost? Multiple reports have said the wedding will predictably cost millions of dollars. The Journal reported a luxury wedding with 200 guests such as Bezos' costs about $4 million, citing Jamie Simon, director of events at luxury planning firm Banana Split, which organized the multiday wedding between Sofia Richie Grainge and Atlantic Records CEO Elliot Grainge in 2023. The Journal reported Lanza & Baucina, a London-based group that planned George and Amal Clooney's 2014 wedding in Venice, has been hired by Bezos and Sánchez. A representative for the group told the Journal its principles and the instructions of Bezos call for the 'minimizing of any disruption to the city, the respect for its residents and institutions and the overwhelming employment of locals in the crafting of the events.' Forbes Valuation We estimate Bezos' net worth at $225 billion as of Friday, making him the fourth-wealthiest person in the world behind Mark Zuckerberg ($236.5 billion), Larry Ellison ($251.9 billion) and Elon Musk ($407.4 billion), Key Background Bezos and Sánchez met almost ten years ago and began making public appearances together around 2019, when the two began dating. They became engaged in 2023 aboard the Koru superyacht, with Bezos offering Sánchez a 30-carat cushion cut pink diamond set in platinum, according to Vanity Fair. The couple's upcoming wedding in Venice is not unprecedented, as the floating city also hosted the wedding of George and Amal Clooney in 2014, when the two tied the knot at the Venice Town Hall. The wedding had a generally positive perception, with locals lauding Clooney for his consideration and respect for Venice. Venice Residents Protest Entry Fee For Tourists Amid Concerns City Will Turn Into A 'Theme Park' (Forbes)
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Olympic leader Bach's $350,000 pay package in 2024 trails far behind soccer's elected leaders
Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] GENEVA (AP) — The International Olympic Committee paid its president Thomas Bach $350,000 in income and expenses in 2024, his final full year in office. The sum included a salary-like payment — or 'indemnity' in Olympic language — of 275,000 euros ($317,000), according to its annual report Friday. That is a relatively small figure compared to soccer bodies that, like the IOC, are based in Switzerland and count annual revenue in billions. Bach on Monday will formally hand over to president-elect Kirsty Coventry , who will start an eight-year initial term as the Olympic body's first female leader, and first from Africa. The IOC has classed the 71-year-old Bach as a volunteer on a full-time executive mission who 'should not have to finance activities related to his function from his personal savings.' Bach's earnings were less than 10% of what soccer gives its top elected officials. FIFA paid its president Gianni Infantino $5.2 million in taxable salary and bonus last year, plus other expenses. He is also among the 109 IOC members and can claim $7,000 each year for office costs and $450 daily allowance when on Olympic business. UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin received almost $4.3 million in taxable income last year, including $300,000 from FIFA as one of its vice presidents. It is unclear if the 41-year-old Coventry will be a salaried president of the IOC instead of officially a volunteer. The two-time Olympic champion in swimming left her job as sports minister of Zimbabwe after winning the seven-candidate IOC election in March. The presidential indemnity likely will be reviewed later this year, the IOC said Friday. Bach's annual payment has been decided by the IOC's ethics commission on the stated principle 'the president should not financially benefit from his position.' The German lawyer held a series of business consultancies and board of director seats before being elected in 2013 to lead the IOC. The IOC paid Bach 225,000 euros ($259,000) in 2020. It rose to 275,000 euros ($317,000) in the year of his re-election, 2021, then was frozen for the rest of his second term of four years until reaching the maximum 12 years in office. International sports bodies have typically published details of leadership pay as part of governance reforms, particularly after corruption scandals in soccer. ___ AP Olympics:
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
European diplomats urge Iran to continue US nuclear talks in first face-to-face since strikes started
Diplomats from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union met with Iran's foreign minister on Friday, urging the country to continue diplomacy with the U.S. one week after stalled nuclear talks escalated into attacks between Iran and Israel. "We are keen to continue ongoing discussions and negotiations with Iran, and we urge Iran to continue their talks with the United States," British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. "We were clear: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon." The meeting, held in Geneva, Switzerland, was the first face-to-face with an Iranian leader since last weekend's flashpoint. "The good result today is that we leave the room with the impression that the Iranian side is fundamentally ready to continue talking about all important issues," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said. He said the two sides had held "very serious talks." The meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi lasted for more than three hours. "Military operations can slow Iran's nuclear program but in no way can they eliminate it," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said. "We know well -- after having seen what happened in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya — how illusory and dangerous it is to want to impose regime change from outside." In a joint statement, France, the U.K., Germany and the E.U. said they shared their "grave concerns" with Araghchi "with regard to the escalation of tensions in the Middle East and reiterated their firm commitment to Israel's security," adding that "all sides should refrain from taking steps which lead to further escalation in the region, and urgently find a negotiated solution to ensure that Iran never obtains or acquires a nuclear weapon." Early last Friday, Israel launched airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites after nuclear talks seemed to stall, causing Iran to retaliate. The two countries continue to trade strikes. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared soon afterward that the strikes were necessary to "roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival." The meeting also comes less than a month after a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency warned the country is swiftly increasing its stockpile of near weapons-grade enriched uranium. On Friday, the European diplomats "reiterated their longstanding concerns about Iran's expansion of its nuclear programme, which has no credible civilian purpose, in violation of almost all JCPoA provisions." They added that they "discussed avenues towards a negotiated solution to Iran's nuclear programme, while emphasising the urgency of the matter. They expressed their willingness to continue discussing all questions relevant to Iran's nuclear programme and broader issues," urging Iran to cooperate with the IAEA. Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump said he may consider a U.S. strike on Iran. "Yes, I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do. I can tell you this that Iran's got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate," Trump told reporters Wednesday on the U.S. potentially striking Iran as it continues trading deadly strikes with Israel. "And I said, why didn't you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction? Why didn't you go? I said to people, why didn't you negotiate with me two weeks ago? You could have done fine. You would have had a country. It's very sad to watch this." Trump on Friday told reporters the U.S. is "willing and able" to talk to Iran, adding that Iran doesn't want to talk to Europe. "They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to help," he said. He added that while he was against the war in Iraq in 2003 because he didn't believe there were weapons on mass destruction, he believes Iran is building a nuclear weapon, saying that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is "wrong" in saying there isn't enough evidence to conclude that. "The material that they've gathered already. It's a tremendous amount of material. And I think within a matter of weeks, or certainly within a matter of months, they are going to be able to have a nuclear weapon," he said. "We can't let that happen." On Friday, the U.K., France, Germany and EU diplomats, said they also "shared their support for discussions to continue" with Iran and "welcomed ongoing US efforts to seek a negotiated solution. They expressed their willingness to meet again in the future."
