People

Outside the city hall, the swelling crowd of commoners viewing the ceremony on huge-screen televisions cheered when Philippe, 39, clad in his medal-bedecked, blue-grey, airforce uniform said 8220;Ja,8221;; louder still when Mathilde said 8220;Oui,8221; and louder still when they exchanged modest kisses.

McCartney says he drank heavily after breakup
LONDON: Sir Paul McCartney has revealed that he drank heavily after the break-up of The Beatles in 1970.Mccartney also yesterday described the band8217;s acrimonious split as 8220;one of the worst points8221; in his life. 8220;We had been mates. We8217;d done all these great things and then suddenly here we were bitching at each other. I was very depressed. I didn8217;t want to get up.

When I did get up I went straight to the whiskey,8221; McCartney said in a interview with Michael Parkinson on BBC television. But his wife Linda, who died from cancer last year, helped him to stop drinking and beat his depression. 8220;She said, Excuse me, I don8217;t think you want to do all that, do you8217;. So she kept me straight eventually.8221;

French give up chasing Rupert Everett for tax bill
RAMATUELLE France: Authorities in the French town of Ramatuelle, southeast France, have finally given up chasing British actor Rupert Everett for 1,000 francs in unpaid taxes. Despite his high profile and film star looks, the local tax collectors were unable to track down the celebrated defaulter, who for several years owned a house in theregion. Actor and novelist Everett revived his Hollywood career as Julia Roberts8217; confidante in the 1997 hit My Best Friend8217;s Wedding.

Thai king celebrates 72nd birthday
BANGKOK: Thailand today celebrated the 72nd birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world8217;s longest serving monarch. Surrounded by members of his family, the king addressed a gathering of politicians, military leaders, judges and diplomats, calling on Thais to preserve community links in a rapidly changing world.

quot;All together, today makes me think of one virtue 8211; friendship 8211; which unites the country,quot; he said from the balcony of a palace in central Bangkok.

quot;If you all have this virtue we can be confident that we will preserve our nation,quot; said the King, who was garbed in a long golden coat. Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, the king8217;s heir, praised his father as the quot;centre of the nation who always works to bring happinessquot;. The royal audience was the culmination of a year of special events .

8212; Agencies