International
Adidas cuts ties with Kanye West over anti-Semitic remarks
| By AFP | Sebastien Ash with Huw Griffith in Los Angeles |
German sportswear giant Adidas said Tuesday it was ending its partnership with Kanye West after a series of anti-Semitic outbursts by the controversial rapper.
Recent comments by West — now known formally as Ye — were “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous”, Adidas said in a statement.
“After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately”.
Adidas said it would “end production” of the highly successful “Yeezy” line designed together with West and “stop all payments to Ye and his companies”.
The abrupt end to the collaboration between the sports outfitter and rapper would slash Adidas’s net income in 2022 by “up to 250 million euros ($246 million)”, the company estimated.
Adidas’s decision to dump the artist was “overdue”, said Josef Schuster of the Central Council of Jews in Germany.
“For weeks, West has caused worldwide furore with his anti-Semitic remarks,” Schuster said, adding that the rapper’s comments had become “intolerable”.
T-shirt statement
Adidas began a review of its relationship with West earlier this month after he appeared at a Paris fashion show wearing a shirt emblazoned with “White Lives Matter”, a slogan created as a backlash to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Days later he was locked out of Twitter and Instagram for threatening to “Go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE”, using a reference to US military readiness.
Comments made by West “violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness”, Adidas said Tuesday.
The artist was associated with rival sportswear company Nike for years but broke away in 2013, lending his name to Adidas as they launched their first Yeezy shoe together in 2015 — a partnership that went on to make him a billionaire.
Along with Beyonce, Stella McCartney and Pharrell Williams, West’s has been one of the top names used by Adidas to boost sales, especially online.
Adidas’s announcement was followed later Tuesday by US company Gap, which said it was taking “immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap product from our stores” in addition to shutting down YeezyGap.com.
West and Gap had announced in September that they planned to end their partnership, although Gap said at the time it planned to release several co-branded products already in development.
Paris-based fashion house Balenciaga also ended ties with the rapper last week, saying it “no longer (has) any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist”.
One of Hollywood’s biggest talent agencies, CAA, said on Monday it was dropping West, while film and TV producer MRC said it was shelving an already-finished documentary about the artist.
Inflammatory remarks
Adidas’s decision would stop West from “using the company’s immense platform to amplify his hateful ideology about Jews”, the World Jewish Congress said in a statement.
The German group’s “delayed move” in response to the anti-Semitic comments had come after “massive public outcry”, the WJC said.
Rights campaigners and entertainment world figures had heaped pressure on Adidas to stop working with the rapper.
“Those who continue to do business with West are giving his misguided hate an audience”, wrote Hollywood super-agent Ari Emanuel in the Financial Times.
“There should be no tolerance anywhere for West’s anti-Semitism.”
West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian also appeared to join the pile-on, without mentioning the father of her children by name.
“Hate speech is never OK or excusable,” she wrote Monday on Twitter and Instagram.
“I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end.”
Adidas fell on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange following its announcement, finishing 3.2 percent lower.
International
Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal
Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.
The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.
The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).
“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.
Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”
International
Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders
President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.
Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.
A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”
According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.
International
Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join
Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.
Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.
“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.
“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.
Guatemalan police officer killed in mob riots over baby kidnapping
Venezuela investigates 18 baseball players seeking asylum in Spain
Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 43 dead
-
Central America3 days agoU.S. Homeland Security Secretary urges Mexico to strengthen Guatemala border
-
Central America3 days agoPanama grants Martinelli 72-hour extension to travel to Nicaragua
-
International2 days agoParaguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal
-
Central America5 days agoPanama police clarifies that Interpol alert for Martinelli is still pending
-
International3 days agoTrump urges Putin to reach peace deal
-
International5 days agoDeportation flight lands in Venezuela; government denies criminal gang links
-
Sports2 days agoFilipe Luis debuts as coach in Copa Libertadores with Flamengo
-
International2 days agoElon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders
-
Central America2 days agoGuatemalan police officer killed in mob riots over baby kidnapping
-
Sports2 days agoVenezuela investigates 18 baseball players seeking asylum in Spain
-
International2 days agoMilei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join
-
International2 days agoÓscar Arias: Trump’s trade policies are a step backward
-
International2 days agoICE agent’s arrest of suspect sparks controversy in Boston