Los Angeles (AFP) – Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein goes on trial in Los Angeles on Monday, where he faces charges in the city whose main industry he dominated for decades.

The 70-year-old “Pulp Fiction” producer is already serving 23 years in jail in New York after being convicted there of a series of sex crimes.

He now faces 11 more charges including sexual battery by restraint, forcible rape and forcible oral copulation against women in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles hotels between 2004 and 2013, in a trial expected to last two months.

If convicted, Weinstein — who has pleaded not guilty to all counts — could be sentenced to 140 additional years behind bars.

Jury selection was set to begin Monday in a downtown Los Angeles court.

Widespread sexual abuse and harassment allegations against Weinstein exploded in October 2017, and his conviction in New York in 2020 was a landmark in the #MeToo movement.

In June, he lost a bid to have that sex crimes conviction overturned. He has also been separately charged by British prosecutors with the 1996 indecent assault of a woman in London.

In total, nearly 90 women, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Salma Hayek, have accused Weinstein of harassment or assault. 

He says that all his sexual encounters were consensual, and his lawyer told reporters that the Los Angeles accusations “stem from many years ago” and cannot “be substantiated or corroborated by any forensic evidence” or “credible witnesses.”

The New York Film Festival this week will premiere “She Said,” a film about the 2017 newspaper investigation into Weinstein that sparked the demise of his movie empire.

Before the allegations against him emerged, the producer and his brother Bob were Hollywood’s ultimate power players.

They co-founded Miramax Films, a distribution company named after their mother Miriam and father Max, in 1979. It was sold to Disney in 1993.

Their hits included 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love,” for which Weinstein shared a best picture Oscar. Over the years, Weinstein’s films received more than 300 Oscar nominations and 81 statuettes.

Kim Kardashian’s new podcast has shot to number one on Spotify.

The reality star and trainee lawyer’s ‘Kim Kardashian’s The System: The Case of Kevin Keith’ launched on October 3 with two episodes, and it’s proved so popular, it’s overtaken the likes of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s ‘Archetypes’ and ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’.

The first season of the true crime podcast explores a triple homicide, and Kim’s aim with the podcast is to show the “other side” of cases so often go unheard.

In a recent interview, the SKIMS founder said: “I think storytelling is key. Sharing people’s stories that are not just on a rap sheet will help people get comfortable and understand where someone has come from.

“Usually, you don’t hear the other side. Usually, you hear triple homicide, and you get scared, especially if they’re convicted. No one’s going to look into [that person’s case] enough to understand, well, there was no physical evidence linking him [to the crime].”

On the outcome she hopes to get for Kevin, who was sentenced to death, she said: “The ultimate end goal would be for the governor to commute Kevin’s sentence.

“But then I feel like an investigation has to happen, too, to figure out who really did this and get that person behind bars. And I have speculation [about who that person is].”

The 41-year-old star has been celebrated for her criminal justice reform work in recent years and is determined to help as many people as possible.

Asked how she started her campaigning, said previously: “I just saw something on social media that I didn’t feel like was fair, and I didn’t understand it. A woman that didn’t do anything violent, never had a ticket in her life, she answered the phone as a mule for a drug case and got the same sentence as Charles Manson.

“When I saw that, I was like, ‘I don’t get it. How did this happen? Did she need a better attorney?’ I really didn’t know, so I educated myself about it.

“I thought, ‘Okay, I can handle [pardoning] low-level drug offenses, that I can resonate with.’

“But if someone was killed—I didn’t know I could get behind it until I was brought to a women’s prison. Their stories were all very similar. They all committed a crime for their boyfriend, or for their husband.

“I mean, I probably did some dumb s*** at some point and I was maybe just a few decisions off of being in a similar situation, any of us could be.

“Once I saw how broken the system is, I couldn’t stop. I have to help as many people as I can. These people are thrown away and put in prison and no one cares. It’s so heartbreaking.”

Amazon is adding thousands more electric vehicles to its European operations.

The e-retail giant is investing more than £880 million to increase the amount of electric cars, vans and cargo bikes used in delivery routes across Europe in the next five years.

In the UK, Amazon are looking to spend £300 million in order to have an expected 700 electric HGVs in the next three years. Currently, they have five in operation. They also intend to have 10,000 electric vans in the same period, representing a tripling of their present amount.

In addition, the Jeff Bezos-founded company is looking to install charging points at their warehouses and delivery hubs that will allow vehicles to be charged in roughly two hours. They are also seeking to increase European cities with “micro mobility hubs” -which permit deliveries to carried out through cargo bike and walking – from 20 to 40.

Their CEO, Andy Jassy said: “Deploying thousands of electric vans, long-haul trucks, and bikes will help us shift further away from traditional fossil fuels.”

He added that getting Amazon to zero carbon emissions needs “substantial and sustained investment” and called the transport network “one of the most challenging areas” to reduce carbon.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the UK government’s transport secretary supported the move.

She said: “Significant investments like Amazon’s today will be vital to reducing emissions and meeting our net zero goals, while supporting growth at the same time.”

Amazon debuted their e-cargo bikes scheme in London and introduced a team of staff who deliver packages on foot.

Jamie Lee Curtis has accused Kanye West of “inciting violence”.

The ‘Stronger’ rapper has sparked outrage with an anti-Semitic post on Twitter and though it has since been removed and he has been blocked from the platform, a string of stars have spoken up to condemn the Yeezy designer.

Kanye tweeted over the weekend: “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.

“The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.(sic)”

In response, the ‘Halloween Kills’ star posted: “The holiest day in Judaism was last week. Words matter. A threat to Jewish people ended once in a genocide. Your words hurt and incite violence. You are a father. Please stop.”

Musician Jack Antonoff hit back with a simple insult.

He posted: “kanye a little b****.”

Former ‘The View’ co-host Meghan McCain branded Kanye “trash” and insisted anti-Semitism is “an existential threat to American life”.

She posted on Instagram: “A reminder – antisemitic hate crimes are at their highest levels in America in decades. Antisemitic language, rhetoric and statements have become common place in American media, politics and pop culture.

“It is now normal to hear casual antisemitic comments from sitting members of congress, media hosts, pop culture figures etc. – it is a cancer and it is everywhere. It is an existential threat to American life and our Jewish friends and family both in our country and outside of it. I have zero tolerance for this s***. Zero.

“This is poison and yet another example why this man and his behavior are trash. Conservatives always claim to hate celebrity but jump and get excited like a teenage girl at a Harry Styles concert any time any of them show our side attention.

” It is pathetic, we are supposed to be anti celebrity and for the average working men and women – but I guess that went out the window years ago.

“This man is no icon, he has no wisdom I care to hear. Do not look the other way from this statement – it is the public hatred of Judaism and Jews and full f****** stop there is NO place for this anywhere.”

Michael Rapaport branded the rapper a “creep” and expressed his regret at defending Kanye when his ex-wife Kim Kardashian was dating Pete Davidson.

He said in a video: “Kanye is designing the Yeezy Jewish Space Lasers. I’m up going Death Con 6 Million…I defended you, you dusty prick. You look dusty.

“I was there. I defended you when Pistol Pete Davidson was sugard****** your wife. “But this is unacceptable, you creep.”

Comic Sarah Silverman urged more people to speak out against the ‘Bound 2’ hitmaker.

She tweeted: “Kanye threatened the Jews yesterday on twitter and it’s not even trending. Why do mostly only Jews speak up against Jewish hate? The silence is so loud.”

Maria Shriver also called for more people to condemn Kanye.

She posted: “We all need to get onto it. Those kind of threats and that kind of language need to be condemned by all sides and all faiths. We should never get over something like this. #KanyeWest (sic)”

The current manner of food production is threatening future global food supplies, in particular due to high meat consumption, a new study has found.

The food industry as a whole is now responsible for two-thirds of global freshwater consumption, three-quarters of nutrient pollution in water bodies and a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, according to the study “The Coming Sustainable Food Revolution” by consultancy PwC Strategy.

In view of the continuing increase in the world’s population, a change in food production is urgently needed, the experts write, as the current system is not resilient.

The Ukraine war alone was enough to trigger a dramatic increase in global food prices, the authors say, referring to the fact that Russia’s invasion of the country has prevented much-needed food exports.

A key issue regarding global food production is the rising consumption of meat worldwide over the past decades, according to the study. Some 80% of agricultural land around the globe are now directly or indirectly used for meat production, while only covering 11% of the world’s calorie consumption.

Changing eating habits is therefore a key measure to secure future global food supplies, the experts say. Even replacing beef with chicken could halve the carbon dioxide emissions from meat production and reduce water consumption by around 30%, according to the study.

The effect is even greater when switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet.

At the same time, harvest techniques and supply chances have to become more efficient, to prevent foods from spoiling on their way to the consumer. Currently, about a third of all food has to be thrown away due to delays and inefficiencies in harvesting, logistics or trade.

According to the experts, the increased use of digital technology could bring significant improvements – for example, by optimising irrigation and fertilisation and accurately tracking goods during delivery.

All of those changes combined could contribute significantly to securing the growing demand for food in a sustainable way without significant price increases, the study says.

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Kanye West’s Twitter and Instagram accounts were restricted over the weekend, with the social media platforms saying they removed the rapper’s posts after online users condemned them as anti-Semitic.

He was first locked out of his Instagram by Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc on Friday after which he took to Twitter, where he tweeted on Saturday for the first time in two years.

West’s first post on Twitter since 2020 was a blurry photo of the rapper and Meta Platforms founder Mark Zuckerberg singing karaoke. The tweet said: “Look at this Mark How you gone kick me off instagram.”

West then tweeted: “You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.” That post, in which he said he wasn’t anti-Semitic, has been removed by Twitter due to a violation of its policies. His account was also locked, a Twitter spokesperson confirmed on Sunday.

The step by Twitter Inc to lock the rapper’s account was noteworthy because billionaire Elon Musk, who has said he would buy Twitter and calls himself a free speech absolutist, had welcomed West’s return to the platform and replied to a post by the rapper tweeting: “Welcome back to Twitter, my friend!”

West has also previously made erratic online posts. Earlier this year, he was suspended from Instagram for 24 hours after he directed racial slurs at comedian Trevor Noah.

Before he took to Twitter early on Saturday, West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, had his Instagram account suspended after a since-removed post in which he invoked anti-Semitic tropes, accusing a musician of being controlled by “the Jewish people.”

The company said on Saturday temporary restrictions on posting, commenting and messaging were imposed on West’s Instagram account.

The suspension comes days after German sporting goods maker Adidas said it has put under review its business partnership with West.

CNBC, which first reported the news, said West had been publicly critical of Adidas and its CEO and told the broadcaster that the German group was copying his ideas. Adidas has been partnering with West since 2013, CNBC said.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Diane Craft)

By Parisa Hafezi

DUBAI (Reuters) -Protests ignited by the death of a young woman in police custody continued across Iran on Sunday in defiance of a crackdown by the authorities, as a human rights group said at least 185 people, including children, had been killed in demonstrations.

Anti-government protests that began on Sept. 17 at the funeral of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in her Kurdish town of Saqez, have turned into the biggest challenge to Iran’s clerical leaders in years, with protesters calling for the downfall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“At least 185 people, including at least 19 children, have been killed in the nationwide protests across Iran. The highest number of killings occurred in Sistan and Baluchistan province with half the recorded number,” the Norway-based Iran Human Rights said on Saturday.

Authorities have described the protests as a plot by Iran’s foes, including the United States. They have accused armed dissidents amongst others of violence that has reportedly left at least 20 members of the security forces dead.

Videos shared on social media showed protests in dozens of cities across Iran early on Sunday with hundreds of high school girls and university students participating despite the use of tear gas, clubs, and in many cases live ammunition by the security forces, rights groups said.

The Iranian authorities have denied that live bullets have been used.

‘DON’T HIT MY WIFE, SHE IS PREGNANT’

A video posted on Twitter by the widely-followed activist 1500tasvir showed security forces armed with clubs attacking students at a high school in Tehran.

In another video, a man shouted “don’t hit my wife, she is pregnant,” while trying to protect her from riot police in the city of Rafsanjan on Saturday.

A video shared by Twitter account Mamlekate, which has more than 150,000 followers, showed security forces chasing dozens of school girls in the city of Bandar Abbas. Social media posts said shops were closed in several cities after activists called for a mass strike.

Reuters could not verify the videos and posts. Details of casualties have trickled out slowly, partly because of internet restrictions imposed by the authorities.

Meanwhile, the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted deputy interior minister warning of harsh sentences for those it referred to as rioters.

Amini was arrested in Tehran on Sept. 13 for wearing “inappropriate attire”. She died three days later at a Tehran hospital.

A state coroner’s report on Saturday said Amini had died from pre-existing medical conditions. Her father has held the police responsible for her death with the family lawyer saying “respectable doctors” believe she was beaten while in custody.

While the United States and Canada have already placed sanctions on Iranian authorities, the European Union was considering imposing asset freezes and travel bans on Iranian officials.

“Those who beat up (Iranian) women and girls on the street, who abduct, arbitrarily imprison and condemn to death people who want nothing other than to live free – they stand on the wrong side of history,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told Bild am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday.

(Additional reporting by Birgit Mitwollen in BerlinWriting by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Barbara Lewis)

Los Angeles (AFP) – Since Hollywood sex abuse revelations ignited the #MeToo movement five years ago, demand for on-set “intimacy coordinators” has soared — but resistance, power imbalances and a fear of saying “no” to sex scenes are deeply rooted in showbusiness, experts say.

A fledgling industry of professionals who choreograph intimate scenes, provide equipment to safeguard actors’ privates and discuss consent with filmmakers has grown rapidly since a 2017 investigation into Harvey Weinstein forced a wider reckoning.

“It has been an amazing difference, in that when it was first introduced, there was a lot of resistance from the industry — from directors, some actors, producers,” said Claire Warden, a New York-based intimacy coordinator.

Warden estimates around 60-80 experts are now working on sets, and she is working with Intimacy Directors and Coordinators (IDC) to quickly train more.

“After years of yelling into the void and pushing as hard as we could in the industry to educate,” the industry has started listening, she said. 

Before 2017, intimacy directors existed primarily in theater, and were conspicuously absent in film and television, where actors were often isolated and reliant on wardrobe departments to improvise basic “modesty garments” to cover their genitalia in nude scenes.

One of the first major shifts came from HBO, which in the aftermath of the Weinstein allegations brought an intimacy expert onto the set of “The Deuce” — an explicit show about the porn industry in 1970s New York.

Since then, the network has expanded its policy to require intimacy coordinators on all its shows.

And at specialized equipment companies, strapless thongs, padded pouches and silicone “barriers,” as well as body tapes in various skin tones are all on offer.

In a recent Variety interview, 25-year-old “Euphoria” star Sydney Sweeney said she has “never felt uncomfortable” thanks to the constant presence of intimacy coordinators.

“It’s a very safe environment. I’m very fortunate that I am coming up during a time where there is so much thought in this process,” she said.

“Even if you have agreed to something, they ask you on the spot on the day, ‘Did you change your mind? Because you can.’ It’s really nice.”

‘Predators’

Like Warden, others in the industry argue the progress around consent is long-overdue, while recent events have shown that not all welcome the new roles.

In the same Variety interview, “Yellowjackets” actor Christina Ricci, 42, revealed that she once informed a movie set she was uncomfortable with an intimate scene, and “they threatened to sue me if I didn’t do it.”

“It’s not that actors suddenly started speaking up in 2017… We’ve been speaking for ages, just no one was listening,” said Warden.

“The industry was actively trying to silence those voices.”

Actors are often taught to ignore or forgo their right to consent, and that “no” is a “dangerous” word, she said.

“We are conditioned… that you will be called a diva. That you won’t get jobs, that no-one will work with you.” 

Intimacy coordinators also told AFP they are still overcoming fears that their presence could stifle creativity, or expose cast and crew to the perils of “cancel culture.”

“Because of the historical backdrop of Harvey Weinstein, a lot of people were afraid that they were being perceived as predators,” said Jessica Steinrock, who has amassed half-a-million followers discussing intimacy coordinator work on TikTok.

Rather than acting as an arm of human resources, intimacy coordinators exist to reduce risk and improve performances in the same way a stunt coordinator does, she said.

“I think the exponential growth in the last few years has been painful for many but really rewarding overall,” Steinrock said.

‘Toxic’

Still, there are high-profile hold-outs.

Earlier this year, actor Frank Langella was fired from Netflix’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” for alleged unacceptable conduct on set including sexual harassment of an actress.

In a column for Deadline, he blasted an intimacy coordinator’s instructions about where he could touch the actress on her leg during an intimate scene as “absurd” and “ludicrous.” 

“It undermines instinct and spontaneity,” he wrote.

But for Warden, reading that op-ed, “it is clear that his resistance does not come from lack of understanding.”

“That comes from a lack of willingness to consider other people’s consent. That comes from a toxic sense of entitlement.”

And, Steinrock said, intimacy coordinators alone cannot solve the type of harassment illustrated by Weinstein, whose abuses did not generally occur on film sets.

“The way we treat scenes of intimacy is going to have ripple effects in every other way, about how we talk consensually, how we prepare for things, how actors see their own bodily autonomy,” she said.

“But I think it’s important that we don’t treat intimacy coordinators as a panacea for all of the power and harassment and abuse of power that’s happened in the entertainment industry over the last century.”

By Sharon Bernstein

(Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden’s pardon for thousands of Americans convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law has profound impact, experts and individuals say, even if it affects fewer people than similar state and local initiatives. Biden has called on governors to issue similar pardons regarding state marijuana offenses.

WHO IS AFFECTED?

Biden’s pardons announced Oct. 6 affect about 6,500 people convicted of cannabis possession at the federal level. None remain in prison. Without a felony on their record, they won’t be tripped up when applying for a job or trying to rent an apartment. Research by the American Civil Liberties Union has shown Black Americans are nearly four times as likely as whites to be arrested for marijuana possession.

WHO ISN’T

Biden’s pardon does not affect some 3,000 people convicted of higher level marijuana crimes who remain in federal prisons, and as many as 30,000 who are still in prison in several states, according to the advocacy group the Last Prisoner Project. Those numbers do not reflect people with convictions for marijuana possession at the state level, although approximately 2 million marijuana convictions have been expunged or pardoned by states where the drug is now legal.

SPEAKING OF THE STATES

Biden has called on governors to give similar pardons in their states, where most possession cases are prosecuted.

Kevin Sabet, an opponent of marijuana legalization who runs the group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said in an interview that he thinks Biden’s pardons could serve as a model for governors in conservative as well as a few liberal states who oppose decriminalizing pot but agree that users should not go to prison.

Marijuana is now fully legal in 19 U.S. states and allowed for medical use in 37. Most states that have legalized marijuana have also moved to expunge the records of nonviolent offenders or issue pardons.

But thousands of people continue to be arrested for marijuana offenses annually. Data is hard to come by, but NORML estimates that about 350,000 people were arrested for marijuana-related offenses in 2020, of which roughly 91% were for possession offenses only. According to the ACLU, of the 8.2 million marijuana arrests in the U.S. between 2001 and 2010, 88% were for just possessing marijuana.

(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Donna Bryson and Leslie Adler)

Sarah Ferguson says it is a “big honour” to have taken on Queen Elizabeth’s corgis.

The late monarch – who passed away at the age of 96 on September 8 after a record-breaking reign of 70 years – bred 10 generations of the dog breed and the Duchess of York has branded the two dogs she left behind, Sandy and Muick, as “national treasures” after she and her ex-husband Prince Andrew were entrusted with their care.

She told The Daily Telegraph: “It’s a big honour. Sandy and Muick are national treasures and they have been taught well.”

The ‘Most Intriguing Lady’ author now has a total of seven dogs living under her roof, but explained that her five terriers “balance out” with the corgis.

She added: “They all balance out, the carpet moves as I move but I’ve got used to it now.”

Former trainer Dr. Roger Mugford previously explained that the surviving pair will be aware of the Queen’s death as they go into the full-time care of her second son and his ex-wife because they are “very perceptive” of changes within their environment.

He said: “Dogs are very perceptive of changes in their owners. I’m sure they knew that Her Majesty was in decline and they will have missed her. doubt there will be serious changes in the grief, because they were so used to being cared for by other members of the household and, of course, by Prince Andrew, who was present at the death and is taking over their care now.”

William Shatner felt a sense of “grief” when he went up into space.

The 91-year-old actor – who is known for his starring role as Captain Kirk in the ‘Star Trek’ franchise – became the oldest person ever to reach space when he blasted off on Jeff Bezos’s New Shepard NS-18 rocket in October 2021 but has revealed that the experience wasn’t as “beautiful” as he thought it was going to be.

He said: “I had thought that going into space would be the ultimate catharsis of that connection I had been looking for between all living things—that being up there would be the next beautiful step to understanding the harmony of the universe.I discovered that the beauty isn’t out there, it’s down here, with all of us. Leaving that behind made my connection to our tiny planet even more profound. It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered. The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness. Every day, we are confronted with the knowledge of further destruction of Earth at our hands: the extinction of animal species, of flora and fauna…things that took five billion years to evolve, and suddenly we will never see them again because of the interference of mankind. It filled me with dread. .”

The ‘Boston Legal’ star went on to compare the feeling of being in space to being “at a funeral” and explained that he was experiencing a common feeling known as the ‘Overview Effect.’

Writing in his new autobiography ‘Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder’, he added: “My trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral. It is called the ‘Overview Effect’ and is not uncommon among astronauts, including Yuri Gagarin, Michael Collins, Sally Ride, and many others. Essentially, when someone travels to space and views Earth from orbit, a sense of the planet’s fragility takes hold in an ineffable, instinctive manner. Author Frank White first coined the term in 1987: ‘There are no borders or boundaries on our planet except those that we create in our minds or through human behaviors. All the ideas and concepts that divide us when we are on the surface begin to fade from orbit and the moon. The result is a shift in worldview, and in identity.”

Lance Bass says fatherhood goes by “too quickly.”

The 43-year-old pop star welcomed twins Alexander and Violet with husband Michael Turchin via a surrogate in October 2021 but “cannot believe” that he has been a dad for a whole year already as he reflected on his children’s milestones.

He said: “It does go by way too quickly. I cannot believe it’s been a year. It’s just nuts. Right now, my daughter finally took her first step, so that’s been something that’s so nice.My son said his first word a month ago, but he hasn’t said it again. So all those little milestones are just so precious.

Meanwhile, the former NSYNC star is “very passionate” about environmental causes and claimed that people are now “paying attention” to the issue because it is something that “cannot be ignored”.

He told PEOPLE: “In the last few years, people are actually paying attention because you can’t ignore that climate change is happening. Now that everyone knows it’s real, people are listening, and we’re able to really get the messages out of what we can do to try to combat it. Environmental justice is going to be the big thing for the younger generation, and I feel so happy to know that they are in it for the right reasons. They grew up learning about climate change, something that I didn’t even know about 15 years ago.

“But this young generation, this is what they live and that’s just their future and their kids’ future and their grandchildren’s future. So they know it’s so important to take care of it right now, or we’re not going to have a great planet for our kids to live in.”

Margot Robbie is “so happy” Lady Gaga is set to play Harley Quinn in ‘Joker: Folie a Deux’.

The 32-year-old actress – who played the character in ‘Suicide Squad’ (2016), ‘Birds of Prey’ (2020) and ‘The Suicide Squad’ (2020) – loves the idea of the iconic role being passed around “great actors”, with each getting the chance to share their own take on the comic book creation.

She told MTV: “It makes me so happy because I said from the very beginning, all I want is for Harley Quinn to be one of those characters, the way Macbeth or Batman always gets passed from great actor to great actor.

“And I feel like in not so many cases are they female characters.

“Queen Elizabeth I, but like beyond that — which I got to have a crack at as well, which I was honored to do. I was like, ‘Wow, Cate Blanchett did Queen Elizabeth I. Now I get to.’ “

And Margot is looking forward to see the “incredible” way Gaga will bring the character to life, though her exact role in the ‘Joker’ sequel opposite Joaquin Phoenix hasn’t been confirmed.

She added: “It’s such an honour to have built a foundation strong enough that Harley can now be one of those characters who other actors get to have a go at playing. And I think she’ll do something incredible with it.”

Margot has previously admitted she had no plans to reprise her role as the psychiatrist-turned-vigilante in another film because she needed a “break” from playing the “exhausting” character.

She said last year: “I was like, ‘Oof, I need a break from Harley, because she’s exhausting.’ I don’t know when we’re next going to see her.”

A message on the Twitter account of former Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas says his account was hacked after a post appeared saying he was gay.

The original post was deleted and a new tweet from the ex-Real Madrid stopper’s account read: “Account hacked. Luckily everything is in order. Apologies to all my followers. And of course, more apologies to the LGBT community.”

The account of former Spain team-mate Carles Puyol had replied to the original tweet with: “It’s the moment to tell our story, Iker.”

Casillas was married to sports journalist Sara Carbonero until 2021 and has two sons with her. Puyol has been together with model Vanesa Lorenzo for years and the two have two daughters together.

Spanish media at first guessed that Casillas was joking with the tweet following speculation in the press about his love life.

Adelaide United midfielder Josh Cavallo announced last year that he was gay, one of very few to have revealed the news in men’s professional football.

Posting before the tweet saying Casillas had been hacked, he wrote: “@Iker Casillas and @Carles5puyol joking and making fun out of
coming out in football is disappointing.

“It’s a difficult journey that any LGBTQ+ ppl have to go through. To see my role models and legends of the game make fun out of coming out and my community is beyond disrespectful.”

Washington (AFP) – Thousands marched in cities across the United States on Saturday to protest the Supreme Court’s overturning of the federal right to abortion and to urge voters to turn out in a Democratic “blue wave” in next month’s key midterm elections.

In Washington, a crowd of mostly women chanted “We won’t go back” as they marched.

They carried posters calling for a “feminist tsunami” and urging people to “vote to save women’s rights.”

“I don’t want to have to go back to a different time,” Emily Bobal, an 18-year-old student, told AFP.  

“It’s kind of ridiculous that we still have to do this in 2022,” she said, adding that she is concerned that the conservative-dominated high court might next target same-sex marriage.

“The majority of us are ready to get out and fight for democracy and fight for people’s bodily autonomy, women and men,” said Kimberly Allen, 70. 

With Democrats battling to maintain their narrow control of Congress, the midterm elections could have a decisive impact on the future of such rights, she said.

Several marchers wore armbands or scarves of green, a color symbolizing abortion rights.

Others wore blue — the color of the Democratic Party — and carried huge flags and banners calling for a symbolic “blue wave” of voters to go to the polls on November 8.

A few counter-protesters made their presence known, some of them urging the crowd to “find Jesus Christ,” while others shouted that “abortion is murder.” They were met with boos.

Similar rallies took place in cities including New York and Denver, Colorado.

“The #WomensWave is coming for EVERY anti-abortion politician, no matter where they live,” Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of the nonprofit Women’s March organization, said on Twitter.  

She urged people to elect “more women” as well as male candidates who support abortion rights. 

Polls show Democrats only have a slim possibility of maintaining control of the House of Representatives, but their chances are better in the evenly-divided Senate, where Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is the tie-breaking vote.

While Republicans have been campaigning largely on soaring prices, immigration concerns and urban crime, Democrats led by President Joe Biden want to shift the debate to abortion rights and the defense of American democracy.

The Supreme Court in June ended the decades-long federal protection of abortion rights, leaving it to individual states to set their own rules.

Since then, several Republican-led states have banned or severely curtailed access to the procedure, provoking a series of legal challenges.

In the latest development, an appeals court in the southwestern state of Arizona on Friday blocked — at least for now — a near-total ban on abortions.

An explosion that sparked a fire on a bridge to Crimea caused massive damage to the structure’s train tracks and roadway, prompting a shake-up of security by Russia and jubilation among Ukrainian officials.

The blast sent smoke and flames into the air as one of the key supply routes for Moscow’s floundering military campaign in Ukraine was torn asunder.

It was also a major symbolic blow as the bridge connecting mainland Russia to the occupied Crimean peninsula was opened by President Vladimir Putin himself to much pomp and fanfare in 2018.

The exact cause of the early Saturday blast remains unknown. Russia so far has said a truck exploded, without attributing responsibility. Many Ukrainian officials have gloated over the incident, but have yet to directly claim it as their attack.

In his nightly remarks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky only hinted at the drama that had unfolded. He noted it had been a sunny day across Ukraine, but “in Crimea, unfortunately, cloudy, although warm there too.”

He said the advance of Ukrainian troops continues in the south and east of the country, but did not give any details about new conquests.

At least three people were killed on the bridge, Russia’s national investigation committee said citing preliminary findings, adding that the bodies were recovered from the water.

Images show a destroyed lane and car parts floating in the water underneath and several burned-out wagons of a freighter train said to have transported diesel fuel.

The fire was eventually extinguished and traffic was partially reinstated linking Ukraine’s annexed Crimean peninsula with Russia.

However, the 19-kilometre-long structure, built by the Kremlin and a critical supply route, remains closed to lorries for now.

Russia’s national investigation committee said that a truck had exploded on the road part of the bridge, causing seven fuel tanks of a train headed to the peninsula to catch fire. As a result, parts of the roadway collapsed.

Alongside the truck driver, the other two people who died were driving in a car next to the vehicle when it exploded.

Preliminary findings suggest the truck was headed from the Russian mainland to the coastal town of Kerch.

Putin responded by reorganizing the prized bridge’s security, with the FSB secret service told to tighten controls over the bridge.

“The FSB will be given powers to organize and coordinate protective measures for the transport route across the Kerch Strait, for the Russian Federation’s power bridge to the Crimean peninsula and the gas pipeline from the Krasnodar Territory Crimea,” a decree said.

Up to now, security was overseen by the Defence Ministry, the Rosgvardiya National Guard and the Ministry of Transport.

In Russia, leading foreign policy expert Leonid Sluzki called the blast a “terrorist attack.” He said “consequences will be inevitable” if it was planned by Ukraine.

Sluzki said many statements made by Ukrainian lawmakers suggested Kiev had organized the attack, after Ukrainian media reported that the SBU secret service had carried out the operation.

Kiev has vowed to retake Crimea, as well as the other four regions illegally annexed by Russia during the course of the war which began in February. Crimea was annexed in 2014.

The incident brought a jubilant reaction from Ukrainians on social media.

“Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled,” Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor in the office of President Volodymyr Zelensky, tweeted.

Meanwhile, the power supply to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, was cut off again, the operator said.

The external electricity supply is needed in order to cool the fuel rods of the plant that has been occupied by Russian forces since March but staffed by its Ukrainian employees.

The Ukrainian nuclear operator Enerhoatom said the last remaining main power line had been damaged “due to renewed shelling by Russian troops.” Once the plant lost power, diesel generators kicked in automatically.

The diesel supplies available are sufficient to run the plant for 10 days in an emergency, the operator said, noting the lines will have to be repaired.

The sprawling complex in south-eastern Ukraine has been the site of fierce fighting for months. Its last operating reactor was shut down in September but the risk of disaster remains as the atomic material still needs the external power for cooling operations to avoid a meltdown.

Zaporizhya is one of the four areas recently annexed by Moscow although Russian forces do not completely control them.

In Kherson, another annexed region, the Russian occupying authorities were preparing to evacuate tens of thousands of civilians, under pressure from swiftly advancing Ukrainian troops.

Russia’s southern Krasnodar and Stavropol regions are ready to receive Ukrainian children and adults, Kherson’s Russian-installed leader Vladimir Saldo said on Telegram.

Another occupation official in Kherson, Kirill Stremousov, acknowledged on Russian state television that his administration was preparing for “a difficult time.”

Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine on February 24. Some seven months after the war began, the Ukrainian army’s counteroffensive is retaking terrain in the eastern regions of Kharkiv and Donetsk. The Ukrainians also recently reported the successful recapture of several villages in Kherson.

As progress falters, Moscow appeared to bow to critics in Saturday by appointing 55-year-old army general Sergei Surovikin to lead Russia’s faltering “special military operation” in Ukraine, according to Defence Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu appointed Surovikin after critics demanded a redeployment of troops in Ukraine given the defeats faced by Russian forces of late.

Billy Eichner believes homophobia was a factor in the flop of his gay romcom ‘Bros’.

Although Billy deleted tweets in which he referenced homophobia as a reason for ‘Bros’ low box-office takings on its opening weekend, he insisted that it was one of the factors for the surprise flop.

Speaking at the New Yorker Festival, Billy said: “Homophobia is a bigger problem than as it pertains to this silly rom-com we made, you know what I mean? But do I think it’s a factor? Yes. I think in certain parts of the country, it probably was a factor.”

However, he admitted that there were other issues too, including the wide theatrical release and the marketing of the movie.

He said: “There’s a lot of factors to it. To open this movie, in this many theatres, a rom-com in 2022 — there are rom-coms with mega-stars, which struggle at the box office, and a lot of the biggest comedy stars are taking their movies to streaming. And for good reason. That seems to be where people want to watch these movies. I still love seeing these movies in the theatre. I grew up going to see all these romantic comedies at the movies with my parents.

“It was a bold swing to open this movie in this many movie theatres without big movie stars.”

He added about the marketing: “I think what we were doing is trying to find every which way to try to motivate people because the odds were so stacked against us for so many reasons.

“It’s just funny, you know, life is absurd. It’s just a rom-com. We wanted to make a Nora Ephron movie about horny gay guys, and it’s inspired a lot of thinkpieces and op-eds. I didn’t know people were so interested in me.

“I love the movie, and I just hope more and more people keep discovering it.”