(This Oct. 13 story has been corrected to clarify the circumstances under which companies in the EU can ban religious signs, including headscarves.)

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU companies can ban the visible wearing of religious signs, including headscarves, if the rules apply to all workers, the European Union’s top court said on Thursday, the latest ruling on an issue that has divided Europe for years.

However, it said that if one religion is effectively discriminated against by the ban then companies may need to demonstrate to a court that there is a legitimate need for it.

The ruling centred on a case concerning a Muslim woman who was told when she applied to do a six-week work traineeship at a Belgian company that she would not be allowed to wear a headscarf.

The firm said it has a neutrality rule, meaning no head covering is allowed on its premises, be it a cap, hat or scarf.

The woman took her grievance to a Belgian court, which subsequently sought advice from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Luxembourg.

“The internal rule of an undertaking prohibiting the visible wearing of religious, philosophical or spiritual signs does not constitute direct discrimination if it is applied to all workers in a general and undifferentiated way,” the CJEU judgment said.

However, the court said an employer’s neutrality rule could be deemed indirectly discriminatory if it results in someone of a particular religion or belief being put at a disadvantage.

It said that in this particular dispute, it would be up to a works tribunal in Brussels to determine if that was case.

The court said a difference in treatment of employees would not constitute indirect discrimination if it were objectively justified by a legitimate aim on the part of the company, which the employer would have to demonstrate.

The CJEU last year said that EU companies could ban employees from wearing a headscarf under certain conditions, if they needed to do so to project an image of neutrality to customers.

In Germany, headscarf bans for women at work have been contentious for years, mostly with regard to aspiring teachers at state schools and trainee judges.

France, home to Europe’s largest Muslim minority, prohibited the wearing of Islamic headscarves in state schools in 2004.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by John Chalmers and David Clarke)

By Jeff Mason

WILMINGTON, Del. (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will take on a potential 2024 presidential rival, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis, in a November campaign event for the Democratic candidate for governor, Charlie Crist.

The White House said on Sunday that Biden will travel to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Nov. 1 to attend a reception for Crist, a former governor and member of Congress who is trailing in polls behind the popular Republican incumbent.

Biden and DeSantis have publicly played nice with each other in recent weeks in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. During a joint appearance on a trip to survey storm damage in Florida, Biden said the two leaders had worked “hand-in-glove.”

But the differences between them are stark. And both men could potentially be rivals in 2024 if Biden runs for re-election, which he has indicated he intends to do, and if DeSantis runs for the Republican nomination and succeeds in beating back former President Donald Trump, who is mulling a comeback bid.

DeSantis is popular in the Republican Party and has clashed with Biden on multiple policy issues including COVID-19 vaccines, immigration, and abortion rights.

The president’s embrace of Crist and his attempt to boost him in the late stages of the campaign could be a sign that Democrats have not given up on hopes of toppling DeSantis in his home state. It could also reflect an effort to let Biden make a more muscular argument against a man who is a likely presidential hopeful.

Biden just completed a western travel swing in which he sought to boost Democrat Tina Kotek, who is running in a tight race for governor in Oregon. Control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate is at stake in the November midterm elections, but state elections and governors’ races are also being closely watched for their potential policy impacts on abortion and voting rights.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Elon Musk has a “theory” that Grimes “isn’t real”.

The 51-year-old billionaire has dated the ‘Genesis’ singer on and off since 2018 and has two children, son X Æ A-12, two, and 10-month-old daughter Exa with the pop star – whose real name is Claire Boucher – but he said to have told people that he believes he has created a “simulation” to serve as his “perfect companion”.

Vanity Fair journalist Devin Gordon claims Grimes shared the theory with him herself.

He explained: “She told me repeatedly that Musk has this theory of her that she’s not real.

“That she’s a simulation who was created by him and exists in his cerebral cortex as sort of the perfect companion to him.”

Even more bizarrely, Grimes agrees with the notion.

Devin added on new documentary series ‘The Elon Musk Show’: “Which sounds a little crazy and maybe even a little creepy, except, she agrees with it. She said she does feel like this simulation which was perfectly created for him.”

According to the reporter, the on/off couple initially bonded over a “scary” thought experiment and share very similar tastes.

He said: “They both made a similar nerdy joke about a scary AI theory of the future called Roko’s Basilisk, which I don’t really even get. And her interests are all the same as his and her music is very technologically oriented.”

Grimes and Elon announced last September they had “semi-separated” but the singer later admitted there was “no real word” to describe their relationship.

She previously said: “I would probably refer to him as my boyfriend, but we’re very fluid. We live in separate houses. We’re best friends.

“We see each other all the time…. We just have our own thing going on, and I don’t expect other people to understand it.”

Darren Hayes says his father was the first person to insult him for being gay.

The 50-year-old pop star – who has been married to Richard Cullen since 2013 and was previously married to Colby Taylor – explained that his childhood was “traumatising” because his father was a “violent alcoholic” who would beat his mum and “insult him” about his homosexuality.

He exclusively told BANG Showbiz: “My experience was so traumatising. I had a father who was a violent alcoholic and he used to beat my mum and I was a really sensitive little kid. He was the first person to call me a gay slur and he called me the F word.The former Savage Garden star went on to explain that his maternal grandmother had taken her own life and yet his own mother – who grew up “dirt poor” and lived in a tent – continues to be a “source of love” and is the reason he was able to pursue a career in show business.

He said: “And my mother’s mother – my grandma – committed suicide at the age of 49. And yet my mother is a source of love. She is so positive and so loving and everything I know about forgiveness and kindness comes from her.

“But she grew up in a tent. Her dad was the kindest man. They were dirt poor, he worked repairing railways so they were called The Railway Children, living in temporary tents on the side of rail tracks with dirt floors. They had nothing yet they felt rich. And she’s always instilled that feeling in me and that’s always been my outlook in life.

“That’s how I was able to come from the family I’ve come from and just watch a Madonna video and think ‘Oh I’m just gonna do that!’ I wouldn’t wish that on someone but it is like the creation of a diamond.

“A diamond is created through extreme pressure and what it can create is one of the most beautiful and one of the strongest, toughest elements on earth. Some of my favourite people, like Madonna, came from a tragic moment of heartache and if you’re able to maintain a loving heart despite what happens to you – and we’ve all had stuff happen to us. “

Darren’s new album ‘Homosexual’ is out now.

Cher has listed her Malibu mansion for $85 million.

The 76-year-old singer could make more than $82 million profit on the plush pad if her home sells for its asking price after she forked out just $2.95 million on the property in 1989.

Potential purchasers who like to relax and ensure they are safe in their own abode might be pleased to note the ‘I Got You Babe’ singer’s seven-bedroom mansion comes complete with a meditation room, as well as a panic room.

Cher’s house also appears to be the perfect place for those partial to a hairpiece, because it features a climate-controlled room for the music legend’s iconic wigs.

Fitness fanatics may also want to have a walk, or a light jog, around the ‘Believe’ hitmaker’s house, because it boasts a tennis court, infinity pool, plus and indoor-outdoor gym.

It’s not the first time Cher has attempted to offload the property, which took five years to build.

In 2009, she set a $45 million asking price on her home – which also has picturesque views of the Pacific Ocean – but the ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ singer may not have any regrets about not selling now, because she could be set to make nearly double that this time around.

What’s more, the house has a gatehouse, which tends to be used as a guesthouse, and a theatre, where the star may well have watched her turn in the likes of ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’ or 1990 movie ‘Mermaids’.

In March, Cher offered her home to Ukrainian refugees following Russia’s invasion of the country.

She tweeted: “I Would Like to Sponsor Ukrainian Families in My Home.

“They Would Be Safe Cared For.

“MANY PEOPLE IN MY POSITION NEED TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE.

“IF I WAS ALONE OR WITH MY CHILDREN, WE WERE TRAUMATIZED, I WOULD HOPE SOMEONE LIKE ME TO TAKE CARE OF US. (sic)”

San Francisco (AFP) – Google on Wednesday said it has allowed Donald Trump’s Truth Social app in its Play Store for Android devices — after receiving assurances the app would meet the platform’s standards for moderating harmful content.

The app — which Trump launched after being barred from Twitter over the 2021 Capitol riot — had been kept out of Google’s store over its lack of moderation tools, including for violent threats.

Google said Truth Social has since been updated to comply with its policies barring objectionable posts, and has built in effective systems for reporting and removing unwanted content as well as blocking abusers.

“Apps may be distributed on Google Play provided they comply with our developer guidelines, including the requirement to effectively moderate user-generated content and remove objectionable posts such as those that incite violence,” a Google spokesperson said in response to an AFP inquiry.

Developers can make Android apps available elsewhere on the internet, but the Play Store is a main source of content for users. 

A Truth Social app for Android devices is available on the social network’s website and other venues that may not have Google’s content moderation rules, according to the Alphabet-owned tech titan.

“It’s been a pleasure to work with Google, and we’re glad they helped us to finally bring Truth Social to all Americans, regardless of what device they use,” Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) chief executive said in a released statement.

TMTG early this month announced today that a Truth Social app was freshly available for people in the United States who use Samsung smartphones, which are powered by customized Android software and have their own app shop.

Samsung’s share of the US smartphone market is about 30 percent, according to industry analysis firm Counterpoint.

A version of Truth Social tailored for Apple mobile devices is available at the App Store, which also enforces rules about content moderation.

Trump take on Twitter

Google said in August that it had notified Truth Social that its app violated Play policies and required “effective systems for moderating user-generated content” in order to be offered on the platform.

The online giant said at the time that Trump’s app broke rules barring content that incites physical threats and violence, but was working on addressing those issues.

Truth Social was conceived as Trump’s answer to Twitter — from which he was ejected in January 2021, days after a mob of his supporters refusing to accept his election defeat to Joe Biden stormed the US Capitol.

Billionaire Elon Musk, who has made a $44-billion deal to buy Twitter, has said he would likely allow the former US leader back on the platform. After trying to walk away, Musk now says the troubled deal is back on and could close by the end of this month.

Meanwhile, a merger between TMTG and a blank check company named Digital World Acquisition Corp — intended to bring in fresh funding for the Trump platform — has yet to take place. Digital World shares were up more than seven percent to just over $17 in after-market trades in the wake of the Play Store news.

QAnon

Excluded from major social networks, Trump has regained only a fraction of his followers on Truth Social.

Trump has 4.18 followers at Truth Social, compared to the 88.8 million he had on Twitter and the 35.4 million he had on Facebook before being booted for encouraging real-world violence such as the deadly attack on the US Capitol.

Truth Social has become an online haven for QAnon fans to share conspiracy theories such as prominent members of the Democratic Party being involved with satanists or pedophiles. Misinformation watchdog NewsGuard has reported finding scores of Truth Social accounts sharing QAnon content, with Trump among those resharing posts.

Harry Styles leads the list of nominees for the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs).

The 28-year-old pop star – who shot to stardom as part of One Direction – has received seven nominations in total, including Best Song, Best Video, Best Artist, Best Live, Best Pop, Best UK and Ireland Act, and Biggest Fans.

Taylor Swift has received six nominations in total, including one for Best Longform Video, which is a brand new category at the EMAs.

Taylor, 32, will also compete with Harry for the Best Video, Best Artist, Best Pop, and Biggest Fans gongs.

Elsewhere, Nicki Minaj and Rosalia have both been nominated for five awards each, including for the coveted Best Artist accolade.

Rap star Kendrick Lamar has been nominated in the Best Video, Best Live, Best Hip Hop, and Video For Good categories, while Ed Sheeran is competing for the Best Live, Best Pop and Video For Good gongs.

BLACKPINK, the South Korean girl group, also feature prominently on the list of nominees.

The chart-topping group will compete for the Best K-Pop gong along with the likes of BTS, ITZY, LISA, SEVENTEEN and TWICE.

BLACKPINK have also been nominated in the Biggest Fans, Best Metaverse Performance, and Best Video categories.

The upcoming ceremony – which is being staged at the PSD Bank Dome in Dusseldorf, Germany, on November 13 – will feature a number of first-time nominees, including the likes of Stephen Sanchez, Dove Cameron, Doechii, Baby Keem, Mae Muller, Shenseea, Summer Walker, and Wet Leg.

The event – which is being hosted in Germany for the sixth time – will broadcast on MTV in more than 170 countries around the world, and fans can now vote for their favourite artists via www.mtvema.com.

Complete list of nominees:

Best Song:

Bad Bunny – ‘Me Porto Bonito’

Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’

Jack Harlow – ‘First Class’

Lizzo – ‘About Damn Time’

Nicki Minaj – ‘Super Freaky Girl’

ROSALIA – ‘DESPECHA’

Best Video:

BLACKPINK – ‘Pink Venom’

Doja Cat – ‘Woman’

Harry Styles – ‘As It Was’

Kendrick Lamar – ‘The Heart Part 5’

Nicki Minaj – ‘Super Freaky Girl’

Taylor Swift – ‘All Too Well’

Best Artist:

Adele

Beyonce

Harry Styles

Nicki Minaj

ROSALIA

Taylor Swift

Best Collaboration:

Bad Bunny, Chencho Corleone – ‘Me Porto Bonito’

David Guetta and Bebe Rexha – ‘I’m Good (Blue)’

DJ Khaled ft. Drake and Lil Baby – ‘STAYING ALIVE’

Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa – ‘Sweetest Pie’

Post Malone ft. Doja Cat – ‘I Like You (A Happier Song)’

Shakira ft. Rauw Alejandro – ‘Te Felicito’

Tiesto and Ava Max – ‘The Motto’

Best Live:

Coldplay

Ed Sheeran

Harry Styles

Kendrick Lamar

Lady Gaga

The Weeknd

Best Pop:

Billie Eilish

Doja Cat

Ed Sheeran

Harry Styles

Lizzo

Taylor Swift

Best New:

Baby Keem

Dove Cameron

GAYLE

SEVENTEEN

Stephen Sanchez

Tems

Best K-pop:

BLACKPINK

BTS

ITZY

LISA

SEVENTEEN

TWICE

Best Latin:

Anitta

Bad Bunny

Becky G

J Balvin

ROSALIA

Shakira

Best Electronic:

Calvin Harris

David Guetta

DJ Snake

Marshmello

Swedish House Mafia

Tiesto

Best Hip Hop:

Drake

Future

Jack Harlow

Kendrick Lamar

Lil Baby

Megan Thee Stallion

Nicki Minaj

Best Rock:

Foo Fighters

Liam Gallagher

Maneskin

Muse

Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Killers

Best Alternative:

Gorillaz

Imagine Dragons

Panic! At The Disco

Tame Impala

Twenty One Pilots

YUNGBLUD

Best RnB:

Chloe

Giveon

H.E.R.

Khalid

Summer Walker

SZA

Best Longform Video:

Foo Fighters – ‘Studio 666’

ROSALIA – ‘MOTOMAMI’

Stormzy – ‘Mel Made Me Do It’

Taylor Hawkins Tribute concert, London’s Wembley Stadium

Taylor Swift – ‘All Too Well’

Video For Good:

Ed Sheeran – ‘2step (feat. Lil Baby)’

Kendrick Lamar – ‘The Heart Part 5’

Latto – ‘P****’

Lizzo – ‘About Damn Time’

Sam Smith – ‘Unholy (feat. Kim Petras)’

Stromae – ‘Fils de joie’

Biggest Fans:

BLACKPINK

BTS

Harry Styles

Lady Gaga

Nicki Minaj

Taylor Swift

Best Push:

Nessa Barrett

SEVENTEEN

Mae Muller

GAYLE

Shenseea

Omar Apollo

Wet Leg

Muni Long

Doechii

Saucy Santana

Stephen Sanchez

JVKE

Best Metaverse Performance:

BLACKPINK – ‘The Virtual’ | PUBG

BTS | Minecraft

Charli XCX | Roblox

Justin Bieber – ‘An Interactive Virtual Experience’ | Wave

Twenty One Pilots Concert Experience | Roblox

Gary Lineker is hoping two gay Premier League players will choose to come out during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The striker-turned-pundit has revealed he knows who players who have been ‘”very close” to going public with their sexuality and he says it would send a powerful message if they took a stand against laws in Qatar where homosexuality is illegal and can be punished with jail time.

Gary told The Mirror: “It would be great if one or two of them came out during the World Cup. It would be amazing. I know for a fact that some have been very close and contemplated it. There’s a couple I know, but obviously it’s not for me to say who they are.”

The ‘Match of The Day’ host was asked why the players hadn’t yet chosen to come out publicly, and he replied: “Fear. Fear of the unknown, I imagine. Perhaps they are worried about what their teammates might think, although they probably already know.

“I mean, it seems insane that it should even be a thing.”

He went on to cite possible abuse from crowds as a reason why they might be fearful about going public, but added: “You’re always going to get a few idiots. But it’s easy for me to say because I’m not in that position.”

Jake Daniels who plays for Championship side Blackpool is the most high profile player in the UK to come out so far after going public with his sexuality in May and Gary said he hopes the positive response might encourage others to follow his lead.

He also insisted any top flight player who came out could go on to become a “huge” star.

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 kicks off on November 20.

Ariana DeBose has slammed the “haterade” around her Oscar win.

The 31-year-old actress made history when she became the first queer woman of colour to take home the Best Supporting Actress accolade for her work on ‘West Side Story’ earlier this year and she’s slammed insinuations she received the honour for something other than her talent.

She said: “There have been insinuations that I was given an Oscar because I’m queer and because I am an Afro-Latina. And that’s haterade. That’s just haterade. And I know that.”

Ariana insisted she wouldn’t have got the award if her work hadn’t been “exceptional” and she has done enough to “earn” her “seat at the table”.

She continued in an interview with America’s ELLE magazine for their Women in Hollywood issue: “We wouldn’t have had conversations around my identity, or any of the labels associated with my name, if my work had not first been exceptional. And I’ve always said, I don’t believe I should be handed anything. I want to earn my seat at the table.

“I don’t believe in everybody getting gold stars just because you tried. I want the gold star because I busted my balls to be where I am, and I’ve done the work, and I trained, and I took the private lessons, and I humbled myself.

“I fell on my face multiple times in the 10 years it took me to get to where I am. Hell, I took a voice lesson yesterday. Yesterday.”

Ariana, who was only the second Latina to win an Oscar for acting, admitted she is still “processing” the significance of her win.

She said: “I’m still processing what it all means. I watched the Oscars for many, many years as a kid, and I never thought I would be standing where Halle Berry or Whoopi Goldberg stood.”

The ‘Prom’ actress claimed she missed out on auditions earlier in her career because people would “buy” her in Latina roles.

She said: “When I was starting out, there wasn’t a true celebration of the diaspora…

“In Hollywood, it was always, for a very good reason, Eva Longoria, JLo, or Sofia Vergara. There was no space for me to be considered Latina.

“And in fact, I was told by some casting directors that no one would buy it, so I couldn’t audition.

“But that was the beginning. Now we can open up so many doors and show people what we really look like and how diverse we really are, and all the other things that we have to offer. And that there’s not just one way of being anything.”

Cassandra Peterson is “not shocked” that Madonna has seemingly come out as gay.

The 71-year-old actress – who is also known as Elvira – is in a relationship with Teresa ‘T’ Wierson and was unsurprised when the ‘Material Girl’ hitmaker seemingly came out as gay during a TikTok challenge because she has always appeared to be “sexually fluid” and claimed that she had once flirted with her girlfriend.

She said: “I wasn’t shocked. She has always painted herself as sexually fluid. Madonna actually hit on my girlfriend in the past!”

The ‘Elvira: Mistress of the Dark’ star only revealed the identity of her girlfriend in 2021 after keeping her name a secret for almost two decades and added that life has been “fantastic” since she came out to the world in her memoirs.

She told TMZ: “It might’ve taken Madonna a while to come but people should come out whenever is comfortable for them. It’s a huge relief whenever it does happen. Life has been fantastic since [I came out] and I want others to live in their truth when the time is right.”

Her comments come just days after Madonna was seen throwing some underwear at a bin along with the caption: “If I miss, I’m Gay!”

The ‘Vogue’ songstress failed to hit the target, and the camera then cut back to her as she shrugged and walked away.

In the past, Madonna famously kissed both Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 MTV VMAs, and she recreated the smooch again with the ‘Toxic’ singer at her wedding to Sam Asghari earlier this year.

Last month, rapper Tokischa spoke about kissing Madonna when they were working together on remix single ‘Hung Up on Tokischa’.

She said: “As soon as we met, like, because it’s Madonna, you know, it’s somebody that’s been expressing herself her entire life, not caring. That’s actually what I do, too. It was instant — we connected right away. We were doing this together and rehearsing for the show and talking all the time, so we got really close… We were in the mic recording and all of a sudden we was kissing already, and it’s like, it’s so natural for both of us. We just kiss, just like talking… It’s not something that is, like, ‘Oh, we are so sexual’…’ It’s more like a vibe.”