LONDON: Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper on Wednesday apologized to US First Lady Melania Trump and agreed to pay her damages over an article that included allegations that she worked as an escort in the 1990s.
“The defendant is here today publicly to set the record straight, and to apologize to the claimant for any distress and embarrassment that the articles may have caused her,” Catrin Evans, the lawyer for Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and MailOnline, told the High Court in London.
Although the total amount of damages was not disclosed, the Press Association news agency said it was believed to be under $3 million (2.8 million euros).
John Kelly, Melania Trump’s lawyer, said the article in the Daily Mail — Britain’s second biggest-selling newspaper — in print and online in August last year “included false and defamatory claims.”
The allegations “questioned the nature of her work as a professional model, and republished allegations that she provided services beyond simply modelling,” Kelly said.
The article stated that there was no support for the allegations and provided denials from her spokesperson and from Paolo Zampolli, who ran the modelling agency where she worked.
But the allegations “strike at the heart of the claimant’s personal integrity and dignity,” Kelly added.
Trump’s lawyers launched a lawsuit against the Daily Mail in September in New York, asking for $150 million in damages.
The paper had already published a retraction in September, saying it “did not intend to state or suggest that these allegations are true.”
In documents filed in February, the US first lady said that because of the Daily Mail’s allegations she and her brand had missed out on “multiple millions of dollars” in licensing, marketing and endorsement opportunities that would otherwise have been available to someone spending time as “one of the most photographed women in the world.”
She said the publication had prevented her from reaping the “once-in-a-lifetime” windfall to be had as a business lady married to new US President Donald Trump.
Daily Mail pays Melania Trump damages over escort claim
Daily Mail pays Melania Trump damages over escort claim
Lewis Capaldi, Zara Larsson to perform at Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix after-race concert
DUBAI: Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi and Swedish pop star Zara Larsson are set to headline the after-race concerts at the 2026 Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Both artists will take to the stage on the opening night of the race weekend, Dec. 3.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final race of the F1 season, will run from Dec. 3 to 6 at Yas Marina Circuit.
Capaldi will make his return to Etihad Park in Abu Dhabi. Known for his emotive ballads, he is expected to perform hits including “Someone You Loved” and “Before You Go.”
Larsson arrives in the capital following a breakthrough year, with her fifth album “Midnight Sun” earning critical acclaim and securing her first Grammy nomination. She is set to perform chart favorites such as “Lush Life” and “Never Forget You.”
