Back to homepage / Americas Friends’ actor Matthew Perry dead at 54 Matthew Perry, one of the stars of smash hit TV sitcom “Friends,” has been found dead at his home, US media reported Saturday. He was 54 Issued on: 29/10/2023 – 02:15 1 min Cast member Matthew Perry attends the premiere of the film “17 Again” in Los Angeles April 14, 2009. Cast member Matthew Perry attends the premiere of the film “17 Again” in Los Angeles April 14, 2009. © Phil McCarten, Reuters By: NEWS WIRES Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times that Perry was found unconscious in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home by first responders. They were unable to revive him. The LA Times and TMZ, which first reported the news, both said there were no signs of foul play, citing anonymous sources. Perry was best known for his portrayal of the wise-cracking Chandler Bing on NBC’s wildly popular “Friends,” which ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. Perry had battled for years with addiction to painkillers and alcohol, and attended rehabilitation clinics on multiple occasions. During a recent televised “Friends” reunion, Perry surprised his co-stars by admitting to having suffered severe anxiety “every night” during filming. TMZ reported that no drugs were found at the scene on Saturday. As well as “Friends,” Perry appeared in movies such as “Fools Rush In” and “The Whole Nine Yards.” “Friends” followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating dating, careers and friendship. Perry and his co-stars — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer — negotiated $1 million each per episode by the end of their colossally popular and zeitgeist-setting 236-episode, 10-year run. Daily newsletter Receive essential international news every morning Subscribe In a sign of the show’s enduring appeal, the gang reportedly pocketed $2.5 million each for a reunion episode in 2021. During that episode, Perry’s slurred speech prompted concern among fans. Perry also surprised his co-stars by admitting to having suffered severe anxiety “every night” during filming. Perry’s representatives did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment. (AFP)

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Talks on Ukraine’s peace plan open in Malta
A third round of Ukrainian-backed peace talks opened in Malta Saturday with representatives from more than 60 countries but without Moscow, which condemned it as a “blatantly anti-Russian event”.

Issued on: 28/10/2023 – 22:27
Modified: 28/10/2023 – 23:01

2 min
Malta’s foreign minister Ian Borg meets a delegate during the weekend meeting organised by Ukraine to discuss its peace formula for ending the war with Russia, being held behind closed doors in an unnamed hotel in St Julian’s, Malta on October 28, 2023.
Malta’s foreign minister Ian Borg meets a delegate during the weekend meeting organised by Ukraine to discuss its peace formula for ending the war with Russia, being held behind closed doors in an unnamed hotel in St Julian’s, Malta on October 28, 2023. © Reuters
By:
NEWS WIRES
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the first of two days of closed-door talks among national security and policy advisors, which he hopes will drum up support for his 10-point plan to end the war.

In a statement on social media afterwards, he said 66 countries had taken part in the talks, proof that his plan “has gradually become global”.

It follows similar meetings in Jeddah and Copenhagen this summer, with the Ukrainians hoping to eventually hold a summit at the level of heads of state.

“The meeting confirmed the broad interest and increasing support for the key elements of Ukraine’s Peace Formula,” an EU official said Saturday.

Against the backdrop of the Hamas-Israel war, it also showed “that restoration of just peace is important beyond Ukraine — it is about a global plea for respect of international law”.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova however has dismissed the Malta talks as a “blatantly anti-Russian event”.

They had “nothing to do with the search for a peaceful resolution”, she said on Thursday.

“Obviously such gatherings have absolutely no perspective, they are simply counterproductive.”

China absent
Participants in Malta included the United States, the EU and Britain, staunch supporters of Kyiv following Russia’s February 2022 invasion.

Turkey, which has offered itself as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, was also represented, according to a list seen by AFP before the talks opened.

So too were South Africa, Brazil and India — all members of the influential BRICS bloc, which also includes Russia.

South Africa and India have not condemned Russia’s invasion, while Brazil has refused to join Western nations in sending arms to Ukraine or imposing sanctions on Moscow.

China, which insists it is neutral and refuses to criticise the invasion, did not attend, despite being present in Jeddah in August, according to the EU official.

Organisers were hoping for a joint statement from the Malta summit, after both previous meetings ended without a final declaration.

‘Lively’ discussions
Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said on Telegram that the discussions on Saturday were “lively” and focused on five key areas, notably the issue of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Zelensky’s peace plan calls for Russia to withdraw all its troops from Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders, including from the territory of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

Russia, which claimed last year to have annexed the four Ukrainian regions of Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, has rejected any settlement that would involve giving up land.

The Malta talks are also looking at nuclear security, notably the need to ensure the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and how to protect Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as winter approaches.

The issue of food security was also on the agenda, as Russia blocks grain exports from Ukraine, as well as humanitarian issues, including the release of prisoners and the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia.

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In his evening address Saturday, Zelensky insisted Kyiv’s peace plan was gaining traction around the world.

“The world majority is gradually uniting around a common and just vision, which is reflected in the Peace Formula,” he said.

“World unity is what is really needed for the aggressors to lose.”

Both Russia and Ukraine are preparing for a gruelling winter ahead, with Ukraine warning of renewed strikes on its energy infrastructure and Russia pushing back against Kyiv’s counteroffensive.

(AFP)