When Kanye "Ye" West brought estranged wife Kim Kardashian out on stage wearing a wedding dress during the third Donda listening party on Thursday, the move was met with widespread confusion.
The reality TV star and entrepreneur, 40, filed for divorce from her musician husband, 44, on February 19. So, is this a sign that the separation is off?
Neither West nor Kardashian have officially commented on the status of their divorce or made any public legal moves since April, when it was agreed in court that they would end their marriage owing to "irreconcilable differences".
The couple agreed to joint custody of their four children – North, 8, Saint, 5, Chicago, 3, Psalm, 2 – and also agreed that neither would require spousal support.
However, Kardashian stepping out in a white Balenciaga haute couture wedding gown at the listening party, held at Chicago’s Soldier Field Stadium, hinted at a different message entirely.
TMZ has reported that while a divorce is not completely off the table, "things behind the scenes are drastically improving for the former couple".
Quoting an unnamed source, the celebrity news site reports that the couple is "working on rebuilding the foundation of their relationship".
In the days leading up to the listening party, West was seen wearing his wedding ring, despite the February separation. It was not possible to see if Kardashian had reinstated her wedding band for the listening party, as the borderline-opaque veil covered her hands.
However, the ring has been notably missing from her hand in recent social media posts.
A vow renewal or performance art?
West is no stranger to immersive performance art; he also built a to-scale replica of his Chicago childhood home for the Donda listening party. So it has been speculated that the stunt was purely performative in a bid to beat rival Drake in a battle for album sales.
"Kanye has been telling other rappers that he and Kim are back together, but everybody knows that isn’t true," an industry insider told Page Six.
"The real story is that Kanye wants to beat Drake in record sales, and he is putting on a big show of performance art to grab all the media attention."
Kim and Kanye have 'come a long way'
It seems that, for the time being, their divorce is still on the table. However, the couple are now on speaking terms, according to friends, and they are working on an "amicable" relationship.
"They have come a long way since Kim filed for divorce," a source told People. "It's taken them months to get to this point. Kim is happy that they get along and that things are amicable."
On June 8, West's 44th birthday, Kardashian posted a birthday tribute to her estranged husband on Instagram, writing: "Love U for Life!"
A second source told Page Six: "Kanye asked Kim to be part of his performance art finale, and she was happy to help him achieve his creative vision and will always support him as an artist.
"Marriages are complicated, especially ones including four young children. Kim and Kanye have a genuine love for one another and deep history together."
Kim and Kanye: a brief relationship history
Kardashian famously married basketball player Kris Humphries in August 2011; a marriage that was filmed for a two-part special of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, but only lasted 72 days before she filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
In April 2012, when she was still legally married to Humphries, Kardashian began dating West, a friend she says she had known "since 2002 or 2003".
Kardashian and Humphries's divorce was finalised on June 3, 2013, a week before the arrival of West and Kardashian's first child, North, on June 15, 2013.
West proposed to Kardashian on October 21, 2013, on her 33rd birthday.
The pair married on May 24, 2014, at Fort di Belvedere in Florence, Italy. For the occasion, she wore a gown by Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy.
They have since had three more children, son Saint born on December 5, 2015, daughter Chicago born on January 15, 2018 and son Psalm born on May 9, 2019.
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Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
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A Prayer Before Dawn
Director: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
Starring: Joe Cole, Somluck Kamsing, Panya Yimmumphai
Three stars
Company%20Profile
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
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What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
RESULT
Chelsea 2
Willian 13'
Ross Barkley 64'
Liverpool 0
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last 16, second leg
Liverpool (0) v Atletico Madrid (1)
Venue: Anfield
Kick-off: Thursday, March 12, midnight
Live: On beIN Sports HD
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
