Entertainment

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron said he wants to fast-track legislation to ban social media for children under 15, aiming for the measure to take effect in September at the start of the next school year.

In a video released late Saturday by broadcaster BFM-TV, Macron said he had asked his government to use an accelerated procedure so the bill can move quickly through parliament and be passed by the Senate in time.

“The brains of our children and our teenagers are not for sale,” Macron said.

“The emotions of our children and our teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated. Neither by American platforms, nor by Chinese algorithms.”

The announcement came days after the British government said it would consider banning young teenagers from social media as it tightens laws to protect children from harmful content and excessive screen time.

France’s health watchdog says one in two teenagers spends between two and five hours a day on a smartphone.

In a December report, it said about 90% of children aged 12 to 17 use smartphones daily to access the internet, with 58% using them for social networks.

The report cited harmful effects linked to social media use, including reduced self-esteem and greater exposure to content associated with risky behaviors such as self-harm, drug use and suicide.

Several families in France have filed lawsuits against TikTok over teen suicides they allege are linked to harmful content.

Macron’s office said the video was addressed to lawmaker Laure Miller, who is sponsoring the bill scheduled for public debate Monday.

“We are banning social media for under-15s, and we are going to ban mobile phones in our high schools,” Macron said. “This is a clear rule — for teenagers, for families and for teachers.”

Other countries are watching closely. In Australia, social media companies have revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children since the country banned use of the platforms by those under 16, officials said.

LOS ANGELES — Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar took home major Grammy awards during a night that saw artists lash out back at Donald Trump’s ongoing crackdown on immigrants.

The 68th Grammy Awards announced their winners at a ceremony held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, US, on Sunday.

Bunny, the shape-shifting Puerto Rican musician, has become the first artist in the 68-year history of the awards to win album of the year with a record sung entirely in Spanish.

He took home three awards, for album of the year, best música urbana album and global music performance, and used his time on stage to call out anti-immigration sentiment.

“Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say ICE out,” he said. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we’re humans and we are Americans … The only thing more powerful than hate is love so please we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them, we love our people, we love our families and that’s the way to do it, we love.”

The 31-year-old, who will headline next week’s Super Bowl half time show, dedicated his award to immigrants, capping a ceremony where many artists railed against the US administration’s immigration policy.

Bunny was rewarded for his sixth album, Debí Tirar Mas Fotos, a personal and powerful exploration of Latin musical history that beat Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar and Sabrina Carpenter to the ceremony’s main prize.

One of the night’s top honors, Song of the Year, was won by Billie Eilish for Wildflower, while Record of the Year went to Luther, a collaboration between Kendrick Lamar and SZA.

In the rap categories, Kendrick Lamar emerged as the night’s most prominent name, winning the Best Rap Album for GNX, Best Rap Song for TV Off, and Best Melodic Rap Performance for Luther.

British star Olivia Dean was named best new artist.

“I’m up here as the grand-daughter of an immigrant,” said the singer, whose grandmother Carmen was part of the Windrush generation.

“I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. We’re nothing without each other.”

Stars including Kehlani, Gloria Estefan and Billie Eilish also spoke in support of immigrants, while several stars wore badges reading “Ice out” on the red carpet.

Bunny, whose real name is Benito Ocasio, seemed to be stunned when Harry Styles read out his name for the album of the year prize. He took a few moments to collect himself before walking to the stage.

There were tears in his eyes as he dedicated the award “to all the people that had to leave their home, land, their country, to follow their dreams”.

Billie Eilish, winning song of the year for Wildflower, also addressed the turmoil gripping America.

“It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now,” she said.

“And I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting. Our voices really do matter, and the people matter.”

Wildflower, a sleeper hit from Eilish’s 2024 album Hit Me Hard And Soft, became her third track to win song of the year this decade.

She previously won in 2020 for her breakthrough single, Bad Guy, and in 2021 for the ballad, Everything I Wanted.

Best Pop Solo Performance went to Lola Young for Messy, while Best Music Video was awarded to Doechii for Anxiety.

In alternative music, The Cure won Best Alternative Music Album with Songs of a Lost World, while in the rock category, Best Rock Album went to Turnstile for Never Enough.

In film and television music, Ludwig Goransson received the Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media award for the film Sinners. The song Golden, featured in the film K-Pop Demon Hunters, won Best Song Written for Visual Media, marking a first in this category.

The night saw emotional star-led in memoriam segments including Post Malone paying tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and Lauryn Hill paying tribute to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack while also reuniting with Wyclef Jean on stage.

Nominated artists who went home empty-handed included Carpenter, Bieber and Hayley Williams.

Last year saw Beyoncé win her first ever album of the year award with Lamar, Carpenter and Charli xcx also winning major awards. — Agencies

ROME — Italian fashion legend Valentino Garavani, whose elegant evening gowns were favored for decades by some of the world’s most glamorous women, has died at 93, according to his foundation.

He “peacefully passed away today at his residence in Rome, surrounded by the love of his family,” the Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation said in a statement posted to Instagram.

The foundation said Valentino will be lying in state at Rome’s Piazza Mignanelli between 21 and 22 January.

Valentino’s funeral service will be held the following day at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs, the foundation said.

Born in Lombardy in May 1932, Valentino was known for his collections that displayed luxury, wealth and opulence.

One of the giants of 20th Century fashion, Valentino’s creations were worn by celebrities and well-known figures including Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, Sharon Stone, Julia Roberts, Audrey Hepburn and and Gwyneth Paltrow.

He co-founded the Valentino fashion house in 1960 and ranked alongside Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld at the top of the profession.

Born in the northern town of Voghera, Italy, in 1932, Valentino — who was popularly known by his first name — learned his trade in the haute couture ateliers of Paris before founding his own line in Rome in 1959. Early on, he became known for his red dresses, in a rich scarlet shade that became his signature color to the extent that it was known within the industry as “Valentino red.”

In 1960, he met his long-time business partner Giancarlo Giammetti, then a young architecture student. Together, the pair turned Valentino SpA into an internationally recognized brand.

His popularity continued as the decades progressed. Valentino spent much of the 1970s in New York, surrounded by a wide circle of friends that included the artist Andy Warhol and Vogue editor Diana Vreeland. In the 1990s, he became a favorite of the decade’s supermodels, including Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell.

His creations also featured regularly on the red carpet. At the Oscars alone, noteworthy Valentino ensembles over the years have included the heavily-beaded gown Jane Fonda wore in 1981 when she accepted the Best Actor prize for her father, Henry; the vintage black-and-white gown Julia Roberts wore in 2001; the pastel mint caftan-style gown Jennifer Lopez wore in 2003 and the sunshine yellow gown Cate Blanchett wore in 2005. (Both Roberts and Blanchett won Oscars in those respective years.)

At the 2011 Academy Awards, Anne Hathaway walked the red carpet in an ornate Fall 2002 Valentino couture gown, accompanied by the designer himself.

In more recent years, Zendaya, Carey Mulligan and Gemma Chan have been among fashion plate Oscars attendees wearing the label to much acclaim.

With his precision tailored suits, suntan and perfectly coiffed hair, Valentino was every bit the quintessential Italian gentleman. He was an avid collector of Chinese antiques and indulged his love of flowers and topiary in the landscaped grounds of his 17th century Chateau Wideville, outside of Paris, which he bought in 1995. He also had homes in London, Paris, New York, Spain and Gstaad, Switzerland.

In 1998, Valentino sold his company to the Italian conglomerate HdP for some $300 million, although he continued to work for the company. Valentino retired from the industry in 2008, after more than 45 years, marking the end of one of the longest careers in fashion.

The designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli were appointed as Valentino’s creative directors that year. In 2016, Chiuri was named artistic director at Christian Dior; Piccioli stepped down in 2024 and was appointed creative director at Balenciaga last year. Following Piccioli’s departure, Alessandro Michele has helmed Valentino’s design for nearly two years amid a wider industry reshuffling.

“Valentino Garavani was not only an undisputed protagonist of fashion, but a central figure in Italian cultural history. A man who pushed the boundaries of possibility, traversing the world with rare delicacy, silent rigor, and a boundless love of beauty,” said Alessandro Michele, helmed Valentino’s design for nearly two years, in a statement posted to his Instagram account.

“He leaves us all a profound legacy: the idea that creating means caring, that beauty is radical and patient attention to bodies, to forms, and to the time that passes through and preserves them.”

Tributes poured in following the news of the legendary designer’s death.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called him “the eternal symbol of Italian haute couture” in a statement on social media, thanking him for his contributions.

Gwyneth Paltrow recalled his laugh, his love of company and “a good Hollywood story,” and how he always “pestered” her to “‘at least wear a little mascara,’” in a post to her Instagram account.

The family of Giorgio Armani, who died in September at 91, called Valentino “an undisputed master of grace and elegance, for whom Giorgio Armani always held great admiration.”

The statement continued: “Valentino embodied the excellence of couture, the rigor of craftsmanship, and a unique vision of fashion made of pure lines, iconic colors and absolute beauty. His passing leaves an immense void.”

For many, Valentino’s passing represents the end of a generation of old-world fashion maestros. And it seems he knew this too. When he was asked, in the 2008 documentary about his life, about others’ claims that he was irreplaceable, Valentino replied with a wry smile: “After me, the deluge.”

Alexandra Shulman, the former editor-in-chief of British Vogue, told BBC Radio 4’s PM program that every aspect of Valentino “epitomised glamor and luxury”.

“It is very sad news because he was one of the last of the great designers of the modern day and I think his main contribution will be that he was what people wanted a fashion designer to be,” Shulman said. — Agencies

PARIS — Hollywood actor 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 previously voiced concern about raising his children amid the glitz of Hollywood. He told broadcaster RTL earlier this month that it was essential for him and his wife that their eight-year-old twins could live in a place where they had a chance to live a normal life.

A gazette notice listing all new French naturalizations, released on Saturday, includes Clooney, his wife Amal and their twin children — Alexander and Ella.

Clooney, who also holds US citizenship, and Amal, a British-Lebanese humanitarian lawyer, are already well familiar with their new adopted country. Though they also have homes in England and near his family in Kentucky, their primary residence is a farm in France, the actor told the New York Times in February.

“Growing up in Kentucky, all I wanted to do was get away from a farm, get away from that life,” Clooney told the paper. “Now I find myself back in that life. I drive a tractor and all those things. It’s the best chance of a normal life.”

He made similar comments in an interview with Esquire in October.

“I was worried about raising our kids in LA, in the culture of Hollywood,” Clooney said. “I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life. France – they kind of don’t give a sh*t about fame,” he added.

“I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids,” he said.

The actor and director has long been vocal about his privacy concerns surrounding his family, and in 2021 wrote an open letter urging the media to keep his children’s faces out of the press for their safety.

France has strong privacy protection laws: it’s illegal to photograph someone in a private place, or disclose personal information like their home addresses or phone numbers. It’s also illegal to publish pictures of celebrities in public places unless that appearance is related to their position as public figures.

When paparazzi in France try to photograph celebrities during their personal time, outside of media appearances, “the celebrity’s security or assistant will take a picture or video of the paparazzi,” litigation attorney Chassen Palmer wrote in a 2020 article in the California Western International Law Journal.

“Later, the picture and/or video are sent to the celebrity’s attorney, and the local media outlets are informed that the celebrity will seek civil damages if the photograph or video is published,” which has “largely deterred taking photographs of celebrities out in public,” he wrote. — Agencies