Morning Bird: Ban on nudity on the red carpet in Cannes. Petr Pavel wants a European defense Pillar in NATO
A guaranteed recipe to shock, got stopped at the Cannes festival, celebrities are forbidden to undress. The President spoke at the Europe as a Task conference hosted at Prague Castle about building a European defense pillar within NATO. After 13 years, a dispute between Japan and South Korea about a Buddhist statue was settled. Harvard does not intend to abandon its basic principles even under pressure to withdraw federal money by the Donald Trump administration.
Nude dresses got a ban in Cannes
In the last several years, one styling trend has dominated the red carpet more intensely than any other. Nude dresses, a robe built on the impression that it reveals the nudity of its wearer, quickly proved to be a reliable way for celebrities to stand out, and therefore enjoys full support from many show business personalities.
Celebrity stylists, who are heading south of France hoping to use the potent tools of chiffon or translucent lace, will have to reconsider after a change was recorded in the dress code of the Cannes Film Festival just 24 hours before its ceremonial opening this Tuesday. According to the organizer's website, "nudity is banned on the red carpet, as well as in other areas of the festival". This decision, which will have a direct impact on the increasingly growing trend of "nude" dressing, was taken "for reasons of decency," it is added on the pages, reported CNN.
Petr Pavel imagines a European defense pillar within NATO
The President spoke at the Europe as a Task conference held at Prague Castle about the establishment of a European defense pillar within NATO. He is thus responding to the reluctant role of the USA in the alliance under the administration of Donald Trump. Armed structures within the European Union could block the veto of member states, which he also criticized at the conference.
"We also need a more flexible union budget and decision-making mechanisms that will allow timely responses to changing reality. The right of veto must be used responsibly. It is not possible for it to prevent the enforcement of the union's fundamental interests, such as helping attacked Ukraine,"
The President Pavel announced at the conference according to ČTK.
Koreans returned a stolen Buddhist statue to Japan
On Monday, a Korean Buddhist statue from the 14th century, which had been stolen from a Japanese temple nearly 13 years ago, was returned. This follows a long-running legal dispute between Japan and South Korea over its ownership, which further strained the sensitive relationship between the two Asian neighbours. Dozens of temple members and local residents standing by the roadside welcomed the statue with applause when a truck carrying a wooden container arrived at the Kannonji temple on the Western Japanese island of Tsushima.
It is expected that the statue will be stored in a local museum after a ceremony in the temple later in the day. The gilded bronze statue of the Bodhisattva, revered for mercy and compassion, is depicted in a seated position and measures about 50 cm in height, the agency AP reported.
Harvard will not dodge Trump
Harvard University responded on Monday to recent threats from the Department of Education that it would stop funding its grants and warned that it would not back down from "its basic, legally protected principles because of fear of retaliatory measures.
In a letter from Harvard Rector Alan Garber, it was detailed how the institution has made significant changes to its leadership and management over the past year and a half. According to Garber, these reforms included a comprehensive "strategy against anti-Semitism and other fanaticism". Last week, the Department of Education threatened to freeze grants, a significant escalation of Trump's fight with the most prestigious American school. The administration has already frozen Harvard's federal grants of $2.2 billion and Trump is striving to have the school's tax-exempt status revoked, wrote the AP agency.
