London:

Climate activists on Thursday gained access to a UK airport where Taylor Swift’s luxury plane is stationed and sprayed private jets with orange paint, a day after Stonehenge was attacked.

The two activists made it on to the airfield at Stansted airport northeast of London, climate protest group Just Stop Oil said in a statement.

Essex Police said they had arrested two women aged 22 and 28 on suspicion of criminal damage and interference with national infrastructure.

The pair, named by Just Stop Oil as Jennifer Kowalski, 28, and Cole Macdonald, 22, used fire extinguishers filled with orange paint to spray two private jets, the group’s statement said.

It said they were demanding that Britain’s next government after the July 4 general election legally commit to phasing out fossil fuels by 2030.

In a post on X, Just Stop Oil added: “Jennifer and Cole cut the fence into the private airfield at Stansted where @taylorswift13’s jet is parked, demanding an emergency treaty to end fossil fuels by 2030.”

JUST STOP OIL PAINT PRIVATE JETS HOURS AFTER TAYLOR SWIFT’S LANDS

Jennifer and Cole cut the fence into the private airfield at Stansted where @taylorswift13‘s jet is parked, demanding an emergency treaty to end fossil fuels by 2030.

Donate — https://t.co/UwALfVtRmRpic.twitter.com/aORdvUuQmU

— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) June 20, 2024

The accompanying video showed one of the activists cutting a hole in the fence before spraying the paint over the jets.

Taylor Swift has attracted criticism over her use of private jets.

In 2022, she headlined a list published by British sustainability marketing firm Yard of the “worst private jet CO2 emission offenders” among celebrities.

Her jet flew 170 times in 2022, with total flight emissions for the year reaching 8,293.54 tonnes, or 1,184.8 times more than the average person, Yard said.

The protest at Stansted airport came a day after activists sprayed an orange substance on Stonehenge, the prehistoric UNESCO World Heritage Site in southwest England.

Just Stop Oil said two activists had “decorated Stonehenge in orange powder paint” in a stunt that was roundly condemned by political leaders and heritage bodies.

Police arrested two people on suspicion of damaging the ancient monument.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Joining the ranks of the world’s wealthiest individuals is Taylor Swift, who has entered her billionaire “era.” Elon Musk, propelled by the surge in Tesla stock and SpaceX’s valuation, has reclaimed his position as the world’s richest person in the annual ranking of billionaires, as per Barrons. 

With a fortune of $231 billion, Musk surpassed Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos ($185 billion) and LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault ($175 billion), who held the second and third positions respectively in the 13th Hurun Global Rich Report, an annual survey conducted by China-based media and research firm Hurun. This marks Musk’s third time in four years at the top of the list.

Swift made her appearance on the list with an estimated wealth of $1.2 billion, driven by her Eras Tour and earnings from re-recording her albums.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., held the fourth position with a wealth of US$158 billion. However, according to the report, Zuckerberg experienced the most significant wealth growth among all individuals on the list, as Meta shares more than doubled.

Ryan Breslow, a 30-year-old entrepreneur based in Miami and chairman of fintech platform Bolt, entered the billionaire list this year with a wealth of US$1.3 billion, making him the youngest self-made billionaire on the list. Despite the average age of billionaires being 66, there are 93 billionaires aged 40 or younger.

The list now includes 3,279 billionaires, up from 3,112 the previous year. Hurun reported a 5% increase in the number of billionaires and a 9% increase in their total wealth. These billionaires represent 2,435 companies and hail from 73 different countries.

The wealth calculations are accurate up to January 15 of the current year.

According to the report, it’s the first instance where over half of the newly accumulated wealth on the list was attributed to the surge in AI technology.

“AI has been the major driver for wealth growth,” Rupert Hoogewerf, Hurun’s chairman and chief researcher, said in a statement. “Whilst [Nvidia president] Jensen Huang has grabbed many of the headlines as Nvidia broke through the US$2 trillion mark and catapulted him into the Hurun Top 30 as a result, the billionaires behind Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle and Meta have seen significant surges in their wealth as investors bet on the value generated by AI.”

Despite a reduction of 155 billionaires, China retains its leading position with 814 individuals, as reported. The United States saw an increase of 109 billionaires, bringing its total to 800. India registered an addition of 84 billionaires, nearly doubling the count compared to the United Kingdom, according to the report.

American singer Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has sparked a diplomatic row as she is performing six sold-out shows in Singapore, which have disappointed the country’s neighbours, as per a report in the Independent. The exclusivity clause negotiated by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, which forbids Ms Swift from performing anywhere else in Southeast Asia, has led to a backlash among the city-state’s neighbours over the arrangement, which is estimated to be worth about 14 million pounds.

The ‘Lover’ singer is performing six shows in Singapore from March 2 to 9. Thailand and the Philippines have criticised the same and have branded the deal “unfriendly”. They have expressed that they are being deprived of the increase in tourism linked to her concerts.

Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that he was informed of the agreement that Ms Swift will not do any other shows in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Citing a concert promoter, he said that Singapore offered Ms Swift up to US$3 million per concert if she did not play anywhere else in Southeast Asia, according to Sky News.

“The Singapore government is astute. If she came to Thailand, it would have been cheaper to organise it here, and I believe she would be able to attract more sponsors and tourists to Thailand. Even though we would have to subsidise at least 500m baht, it would be worth it,” he said.

The Thai PM said in a keynote speech at the iBusiness Forum 2024 in Bangkok, “If I had known this, I would have brought the shows to Thailand. Concerts can generate added value for the economy.”

Filipino lawmaker Joey Salceda said that the deal  “isn’t what good neighbours do”. “Our countries are good friends. That’s why actions like that hurt.” Although he mentioned that it boosted Singapore’s economy, it was done “at the expense of neighbouring countries, which could not attract their own foreign concertgoers, and whose fans had to go to Singapore.” He further said that the Philippines should not “just let things like these pass.”

Meanwhile, the Singapore PM confirmed that Ms Swift was provided with “certain incentives” from a government fund created to revive Singapore’s tourism sector following the Covid-19 outbreak. “It has turned out to be a very successful arrangement. I don’t see that as being unfriendly. Sometimes one country makes a deal, sometimes another country does. I don’t explicitly say ‘you will come here only on condition that you’ll not go to other places,” he added.

Additionally, he suggested that when Ms Swift performed shows in Sydney and Melbourne before her performance in Singapore, Australia may have come to similar “mutually acceptable, sensible arrangements.” “If that’s what’s needed to be done to get an outcome which is mutually beneficial and which, from Singapore’s point of view, serves not just to grow the economy but also to bring in visitors and goodwill from all over the region, I don’t see why not,” Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong said.

He stated, “If we had not made such an arrangement, would she have come to someplace else in southeast Asia or more places in southeast Asia? Maybe, maybe not. These are things that she will decide.”

Sydney:

Australian police said they were investigating a 71-year-old man for the alleged assault of a photographer in Sydney in the early hours of Tuesday. The accuser identified the man as Taylor Swift’s father. 

“Police have been told a 71-year-old man allegedly assaulted a 51-year-old man at Neutral Bay Wharf about 2:30 am (1530 GMT Monday), before leaving the location,” police spokeswoman Alicia McCumstie told AFP. 

“The younger man reported the incident and inquiries are now under way by officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command.” 

The alleged victim, Ben McDonald, told AFP the man was Swift’s dad, Scott Swift. 

McDonald said he had been photographing the US pop icon on a “super yacht” in Sydney Harbour after the last of her four gigs in the city. 

McDonald alleges Swift’s security put an umbrella in his face to prevent him from taking photographs of Taylor Swift, who was walking down the jetty to a waiting vehicle. 

After Swift departed, McDonald claimed a man confronted him and “he punched me in the chops”. 

“I didn’t know who he was, but I looked at photos and saw him holding hands with Taylor, and it was her dad.” 

“It was a shock. That’s never happened to me in 26 years,” he said. 

Australian police do not usually publicly identify people accused or alleging crimes. 

Taylor Swift is currently in the midst of her worldwide blockbuster Eras Tour. 

She heads to Singapore this week for the next leg of what is expected to be the highest-grossing musical tour of all time at over $1 billion, according to Pollstar. 
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Taylor Swift’s bodyguard who protected her during the summer leg of her Eras Tour has returned to his homeland Israel to fight for his country against Hamas operatives. According to The Independent, the bodyguard, whose identity hasn’t been revealed, decided to fly back home and join the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) reserves after he saw the deadly attacks on Israeli citizens by Hamas. He left the United States after the first strike took place on October 7. 

The news first broke as Israeli journalist Eran Swisa spotted the security guard fighting in the IDF. Variety magazine later confirmed that the guard has indeed travelled to Israel in order to join the IDF reserves. Mr Swisa told the outlet that the man was born in a Kibbutz in Israel before he moved to America for work. 

“I got a pretty great life back in the US,” Ms Swift’s former security guard told Mr Swisa in a statement he shared with Variety. “I got an amazing dream job that I love, great friends that I call family and a very comfortable home. I didn’t HAVE to come here… But I could not stand on the sidelines while families are being slaughtered and burned alive in their homes!!! Just for being Jewish or for being Israelis,” the bodyguard added. 

Also Read | US Man Used Phone, Apple Watch To Locate Daughter Who Was Killed By Hamas

He also condemned Hamas operatives in his statement and urged others to stand with Israel. “While one side is protecting babies, kids and the elderly, the other side is using those as human shields!!! It’ll be an insult to animals worldwide to call them ‘animals’ but those are not human beings,” he said of Hamas.

“They killed and slaughtered families in their beds alongside family’s [sic] pets!!!! And then they burned the houses down!!!! Try to imagine that happening in your own neighborhood, to your next door neighbours or to a family you know,” the security guard added. 

Israel was caught off-guard by Hamas last weekend as the group attacked its civilians. In response, Israel also launched airstrikes on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and even stopped food and electricity supply to the region. 

On Tuesday, the Israeli military said that around 500,000 Israelis have been evacuated and displaced in the 10 days since Hamas unleashed the bloodiest attack in the country’s history. Israel’s airstrikes, on the other hand, have claimed at least 2,750 lives in Gaza.