Politics

Emmanuel Macron, the incumbent President of France, has been re-elected for a second term, beating far-right candidate Marine Le Pen with a projected 58.2% of the vote. Le Pen, the leader of the Rassemblement National party, got an estimated 41.8% of the vote, according to the Ipsos-Sopra Steria polling institute. Macron, a 44-year old, pro-E.U.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Friday to abolish Disney’s self-governing district in Orlando, punishing the company for its opposition to the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law. The bill would dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which covers nearly 40 square miles of Orange and Osceola counties and encompasses the Disney theme parks

Prince Harry has said a series of articles published in British tabloid the Mail on Sunday have caused “serious damage to his reputation and substantial hurt, embarrassment and distress which is continuing,” according to new court documents seen by Variety. Harry, who is also known as the Duke of Sussex, launched the lawsuit earlier this

The Florida Legislature voted Thursday to terminate Disney’s self-governing district in Orlando, in a move intended to retaliate for the company’s opposition to the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The House of Representatives approved the bill on a vote of 70-38, a day after the measure passed through the state Senate. The bill is expected

Russian and Belarusian players will not be allowed to participate in this year’s Wimbledon tennis championship in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is supported by belarus. “Given the profile of the championships in the United Kingdom and around the world, it is our responsibility to play our part in the widespread efforts

Mathew Rosengart arrives on the rooftop restaurant of the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills wearing a wheaten wool coat from Barney’s, steeled against the early February cold snap that has whipped across Los Angeles. The sky is awash in Monet watercolors, the twinkling lights of Beverly Hills are aglitter. “It’s imperfect, and the clichés are often

Days after taking the stage at Coachella, Brazilian pop star Anitta has signed up to ring in LA Pride. Christopher Street West, the non-profit in charge of official LA Pride events, has announced the full lineup for LA Pride in the Park, its official in-person music event. The full lineup follows the previous announcement that

More than 400 French artists and entertainment figures, including Juliette Binoche and Charlotte Gainsbourg, have signed a emotionally charged op-ed published in Le Monde newspaper on April 15 to urge people to vote for incumbent President Emmanuel Macron during the election runoff on April 24. The letter is aimed at those who may not support

London’s Metropolitan Police will fine U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak over lockdown violations in 2020 and 2022. In what has been dubbed “Partygate” by the British media, it emerged towards the end of last year that there were a series of parties in the

It’s not always easy to find time to be informed about arguably the most pressing issue facing the world today: climate change. But podcasts are the perfect way to take a deep dive into environmental topics such as sustainable living, fast fashion, fossil fuels and electric vehicles that are crucial to learn more about during

Five candidates took the stage for an L.A. mayoral debate last week, but as far as Hollywood is concerned, there might as well be only two. Karen Bass, the former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, is the favorite among the industry’s Democratic donor community, led by Jeffrey Katzenberg and J.J. Abrams. Ari Emanuel, the

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. During the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson this week, Ted Cruz singled out multiple books while questioning the judge about her stance on critical race theory. Two such books were Dr.

Hospitality industry veteran David Michael Jerome has been named president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the organization that administers the Hollywood Walk of Fame and holds the trademark for the iconic Hollywood sign. Jerome takes the reins as of April 18. He succeeds previous Chamber president Rana Ghadban, who parted ways with

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively have announced they’ve donated $500,000 donation to Water First Education & Training. Established in 2009 as Tin Roof Global, Water First is a Canada-based charity that focuses on providing Indigenous communities with sustainable access to safe, clean water by training young people to become certified water operators and environmental technicians.

Madeleine Albright, the first female Secretary of State in U.S. history, died Wednesday of cancer, according to CNN. She was 84. Albright served as the 64th Secretary of State from 1997-2001 under President Bill Clinton. She was credited with helping steer U.S. foreign policy after the Cold War, and in 2012 she was awarded the

Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova has long been averse to the idea of national borders. Although the Russian-born punk rocker’s career spans roles as a performance artist, musician and activist, the 32-year-old has become known for her activism against the Putin regime — and is what landed her in a prison outside of Moscow for two

Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw have donated $1 million to support humanitarian relief in Ukraine following Russia’s unprovoked invasion. Through their philanthropy Hearthland Foundation, Spielberg and Capshaw have allocated the money to several organizations in and near Ukraine, including the Polish Red Cross, Polish Humanitarian Action, World Central Kitchen, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Urgent

Simultaneously celebrating St. Patricks Day and addressing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Nancy Pelosi read a new poem written by Bono on Thursday at the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon. “Bono has been a very Irish part of our lives,” the Speaker of the House said before launching into the poem, which contains the line, “Ireland’s

Arnold Schwarzenegger released a nine-minute video Thursday addressed to the people of Russia, urging the government to end the war in Ukraine and denouncing state propaganda. “I know that your government has told you this is a war to denazify Ukraine,” the actor and former California governor said in the video, which was produced by

Mark Ruffalo has a long history working as an ally for indigenous communities, including protesting on site at Standing Rock in 2016. Now, the three-time Oscar nominee is among the 65 celebrities who have signed an open letter demanding the Royal Bank of Canada withdraw from its involvement with Coastal GasLink, a 416-mile pipeline that

British journalist Stuart Ramsay has been shot and wounded while reporting on the conflict in Ukraine. Ramsay, Sky News’ chief correspondent, was driving along a freeway towards Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv alongside camera operator Richie Mockler, producers Dominique Van Heerden and Martin Vowles, and local producer Andrii Lytvynenko on Monday Feb. 28 when their car

Russia has passed a new censorship law in a bid to suppress news of its assault on Ukraine. The Duma, Russia’s parliament, has passed a bill enabling anyone accused of publishing “false information” regarding Russia’s military to be prosecuted and potentially imprisoned. According to Russian news agency TASS, those found guilty of disseminating “false information”

Los Angeles County is expected to lift its indoor mask mandate on Friday, March 4, as local health data backs the latest COVID-19 policy shift, NBC Los Angeles reports. The decision comes as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially placed L.A. County in the “low” category for COVID-19 activity. Businesses can

It was only a few months ago that Ivanna Sakhno had every reason to celebrate, when it was announced the “Pacific Rim: Uprising” actor would be joining highly anticipated Star Wars limited series “Ahsoka” opposite Rosario Dawson. But last week Sakhno’s world came crashing down when, during an evening out with friends in New York’s

Marvel superhero sensations Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana took to the red carpet for Netflix’s sci-fi film “The Adam Project” Monday night, but the focus was on the real-life heroes helping Ukrainian refugees escape the country after Russia’s invasion. “What we’re seeing is this incredible outpouring of goodwill toward Ukrainian people and democracy

Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich, owner of soccer club Chelsea FC, is attempting to broker peace between warring nations Ukraine and Russia, according to a spokesperson. “I can confirm that Roman Abramovich was contacted by the Ukrainian side for support in achieving a peaceful resolution, and that he has been trying to help ever since,” a

President Joe Biden will nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, according to the Associated Press. She will be the first Black woman in U.S. history selected for the court and a landmark moment for representation. In January, Biden promised he’d nominate the first Black woman after Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement.

Ukrainian director Stanislav Kapralov (“Let It Snow”) was in the middle of pre-production for a new film — a Hollywood project with U.S. actors and a U.S. distributor lined up — when Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday. The film was set to be shot in Chernobyl, which was seized by Russian military forces on the

The Florida House of Representatives passed the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill on Thursday, The Hill reports. The legislation would limit discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. The legislation, officially titled the Parental Rights in Education bill, passed in a 69-47 vote. All Democrats, plus seven Republicans, voted against the act. Next,

President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. would impose harsh sanctions against Russia in the wake of the country’s invasion of Ukraine just hours prior. “Today I’m authorizing additional strong sanctions and new limitations on what can be exported to Russia,” Biden said in a speech on Thursday afternoon. “This is going to impose a