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Pharrell Williams to Bring Star Power to Web Summit Tech Event

File photo: Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
File photo: Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
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Pharrell Williams to Bring Star Power to Web Summit Tech Event

File photo: Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
File photo: Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)

Singer Pharrell Williams is due to kick off one of Europe's biggest tech events on Monday, the Web Summit in Lisbon, with organizers keen to move on from last year's edition when several big firms pulled out.
The event will bring together some 70,000 attendees with more than 3,000 startups and 1,000 investors, according to the organizers.
Google, Meta and a string of other firms pulled out of last year's event after Web Summit chief executive Paddy Cosgrave wrote social media posts accusing Israel of war crimes in Gaza, AFP said.
He was forced to apologize and step down from his role, though he is now back in charge of the organization, which also holds events in other parts of the world.
"Those cancellations revolved more around big tech," Web Summit's head of startups Ricardo Lima told AFP in an interview on Wednesday, stressing the focus on smaller firms and innovation.
"It's safe to say the impacts were felt in 2023 but in 2024 (big tech firms) were all part of the events and part of the discussion."
Trump effect
Google and Meta have a low-key presence this year in Lisbon.
Microsoft President Brad Smith is the highest-profile big tech executive at the event.
He is due to lay out how the software juggernaut envisages the next phase of its artificial intelligence strategy, after spending billions to infuse the technology into most of its products.
AI is expected to be the central theme of the get together.
The conference said in a statement there would be discussions on "the impact of AI on the planet, art, and social interactions, as well as the government's role in regulating technology and the responsibilities of tech giants".
The re-election of Donald Trump as US president, with tech mogul Elon Musk expected to be given a key role in his administration, is also expected to be top-of-mind.
Some of the sessions will deal directly with the election's impact on the tech industry but Lima said it was still too early to judge the reaction.
"I think everyone is still digesting the news, I am also very curious to understand the impact," he said.
The opening night on Monday broadens the agenda with a speaker list that this year includes Pharrell Williams, who is about to star in the latest Lego movie "Piece by Piece".
The summit wrote on its X account that Williams would be talking about "the intersection of culture and commerce".
"Discover how Pharrell's visionary approach has led to extraordinary success across multiple industries," the post said.

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Entertainment

French Minister Criticizes Clooney’s ‘Double Standard’ Passport

France's junior Minister of the Interior Marie-Pierre Vedrenne reacts as she addresses MPs during a session to discuss France's social security budget (PLFSS) for 2026, at the National Assembly, French Parliament lower house, in Paris on November 5, 2025. (AFP)
France's junior Minister of the Interior Marie-Pierre Vedrenne reacts as she addresses MPs during a session to discuss France's social security budget (PLFSS) for 2026, at the National Assembly, French Parliament lower house, in Paris on November 5, 2025. (AFP)
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French Minister Criticizes Clooney’s ‘Double Standard’ Passport

France's junior Minister of the Interior Marie-Pierre Vedrenne reacts as she addresses MPs during a session to discuss France's social security budget (PLFSS) for 2026, at the National Assembly, French Parliament lower house, in Paris on November 5, 2025. (AFP)
France's junior Minister of the Interior Marie-Pierre Vedrenne reacts as she addresses MPs during a session to discuss France's social security budget (PLFSS) for 2026, at the National Assembly, French Parliament lower house, in Paris on November 5, 2025. (AFP)

A junior member of President Emmanuel Macron's government Wednesday criticized the French passports given to Hollywood superstar George Clooney despite him speaking poor French, saying the move suggested a "double standard".

The news of Clooney, his wife Amal Clooney and their two children becoming French comes ahead of language requirements for citizenship being toughened for everyone else under new immigration rules from January 1.

"Personally, I understand the feeling of some French people of a double standard," Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, a junior interior minister, told the France Info radio station.

"We need to be careful about the message we're sending."

Her boss, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, and the foreign ministry however defended the decision.

The civil code states that "French nationality may be conferred by naturalization, upon the proposal of the minister of foreign affairs, to any French-speaking foreigner who applies for it and who contributes through their distinguished service to France's influence and the prosperity of its international economic relations."

But the 64-year-old Oscar winner has admitted that his French remains poor despite hundreds of lessons.

Under the new immigration rules from Thursday, applicants will need a certificate showing they have a level of French that could get them into a French university. They will also have to pass a civic knowledge test.

Clooney has a property in southern France and said he has hailed French privacy laws that keep his family largely protected from international media intrusion.

"I love the French culture, your language, even if I'm still bad at it after 400 days of courses," the actor told RTL radio -- in English -- in December.

His wife, an international human rights lawyer and dual UK-Lebanese national, speaks fluent French.

- 'Meets the conditions' -

Clooney bought the Domaine du Canadel, a former wine estate, near the Provence town of Brignoles, in 2021. He said it is where his family is "happiest".

Nunez, the interior minister, said he was "very happy" with the actor and his family becoming French, saying the country was lucky to have them.

The French foreign ministry said the passport allocation for the Clooneys "meets the conditions set by law" for naturalization.

The family "followed a rigorous procedure including security investigations, regulatory naturalization interviews at the prefecture, and the payment of tax stamps," the ministry added.

It highlighted the Clooneys had a French home and they "contribute through their distinguished service to France's international influence and cultural prestige" through the actor's role in the film industry.

This "can only contribute to maintaining and promoting France's position in this essential economic sector", it said.

Amal Clooney is "a renowned lawyer" who "regularly collaborates with academic institutions and international organizations based in France," the ministry added.

Some 48,800 people acquired French nationality by decree in 2024, according to interior ministry figures.

Clooney is not alone in wanting a French passport.

Hollywood director Jim Jarmusch announced on Friday that he was also applying, telling French radio that he wanted "a place to where I can escape the United States".

Entertainment

Isiah Whitlock Jr., Actor from ‘The Wire,’ ‘Veep’ and Spike Lee Films, Dies at 71

US actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. attends the Out-of-This-World Premiere of Disney and Pixar's "Lightyear" at the El Capitan Theater on June 8, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (AFP)
US actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. attends the Out-of-This-World Premiere of Disney and Pixar's "Lightyear" at the El Capitan Theater on June 8, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (AFP)
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Isiah Whitlock Jr., Actor from ‘The Wire,’ ‘Veep’ and Spike Lee Films, Dies at 71

US actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. attends the Out-of-This-World Premiere of Disney and Pixar's "Lightyear" at the El Capitan Theater on June 8, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (AFP)
US actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. attends the Out-of-This-World Premiere of Disney and Pixar's "Lightyear" at the El Capitan Theater on June 8, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (AFP)

Isiah Whitlock Jr., an actor who made frequent memorable appearances on the HBO series “The Wire” and “Veep” and in five films with director Spike Lee, died Tuesday. He was 71.

Whitlock's manager Brian Liebman told The Associated Press in an email that the actor died in New York after a short illness.

Whitlock played openly corrupt state Sen. Clay Davis on 25 episodes across the five seasons of “The Wire.”

Davis, a fan-favorite character, was known for his profane catchphrase delivered by Whitlock in moments of triumph and blunt honesty. The actor first used the phrase in his first film with Lee, 2002's “The 25th Hour," when his detective character discovers a cache of drugs hidden in a couch.

“It’s a big, big, big loss,” Lee said in a phone call with the AP on Tuesday night. “I’m going to miss him for the rest of my life.”

Whitlock went on to appear in four other Lee films, including 2004's “She Hate Me,” 2012's “Red Hook Summer,” 2015's “Chi-Raq,” 2018's “BlacKkKlansman” and 2020's “Da 5 Bloods.”

“We vibed over all those years,” Lee said. “We clicked from the jump.”

Lee said he has especially sweet memories of the extended time he spent with Whitlock shooting “Da 5 Bloods” on location in Thailand, and he fondly remembered the last time he saw Whitlock — Lee and his daughter, Satchel, sat with him at a screening of “Kiss of the Spider Woman” earlier this year.

“He was just a beautiful, beautiful soul,” Lee said. “If you were around him, he made everybody feel good in his presence. He would radiate. I would put that over his acting.”

Lee pointed to Whitlock's comic talents both on screen and off.

"He was hilarious," Lee said. “That was just his nature, he made people laugh. Everybody was in on the joke."

Whitlock is the second significant star of “The Wire” to die in recent weeks after the death of actor James Ransone.

A native of South Bend, Indiana, Whitlock went to Southwest Minnesota State University, where he played football and studied theater. Injuries pushed him to study acting, and he moved to San Francisco to work in theater.

He began appearing in small television guest roles on shows including “Cagney and Lacy” in the late 1980s, and he had very small roles in the 1990 films “Goodfellas” and “Gremlins 2: The New Batch.”

After “The Wire,” Whitlock moved on to another HBO show, the political satire “Veep,” where he played Secretary of Defense George Maddox for three seasons. The character ran against Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Selina Meyer in presidential primaries.

“The Wire” creator David Simon also paid tribute to Whitlock in a post on Bluesky.

“As fine an actor as he was," Simon said, “Isiah was an even better spirit and the greatest gentleman.”

Entertainment

George Clooney, His Wife Amal and Their Children Obtain French Citizenship

Actor George Clooney and Amal Clooney host their annual fundraiser "The Albie Awards" in London, Britain, October 3, 2025. (Reuters)
Actor George Clooney and Amal Clooney host their annual fundraiser "The Albie Awards" in London, Britain, October 3, 2025. (Reuters)
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George Clooney, His Wife Amal and Their Children Obtain French Citizenship

Actor George Clooney and Amal Clooney host their annual fundraiser "The Albie Awards" in London, Britain, October 3, 2025. (Reuters)
Actor George Clooney and Amal Clooney host their annual fundraiser "The Albie Awards" in London, Britain, October 3, 2025. (Reuters)

Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, have obtained French citizenship, along with ​their two children, official French government documents show.

Clooney told broadcaster RTL earlier this month that it was essential for him and his wife that their eight-year-old twins Alexander and Ella could live in a place where they had ‌a chance to ‌live a normal ‌life.

“Here, ⁠they ​don’t ‌take photos of kids. There aren’t any paparazzi hidden at the school gates. That’s number one for us,” he told RTL on December 2.

The couple purchased a house on a vineyard, with an estimated value ⁠of around 9 million euros ($10.59 million), in the southern ‌French town of Brignoles ‍in 2021.

The property ‍also includes a swimming pool and ‍a tennis court, according to French media.
"We also have a house in the United States, but our happiest place is on this farm ​where the kids can have fun," he said.

US film director Jim Jarmusch ⁠on Friday told France Inter radio that he would also make an application to obtain French citizenship.

"I would like to have another place to escape from America if necessary," he told France Inter.

"And France, and Paris, and French culture are very deep in me. So I think I would be very honored if I ‌could have a French passport," he said.