Los Angeles (AFP) – American actor William Hurt, known for much-loved films such as “The Big Chill” and “A History of Violence,” has died at age 71, US media reported Sunday.

Multiple outlets cited Hurt’s son, Will, who said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt, beloved father and Oscar winning actor, on March 13, 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday. He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes.”

The actor had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in May 2018, but his son’s statement did not specify whether the disease contributed to Hurt’s passing.

Hurt built his reputation on his willingness to play quirky and unusual characters such as a Russian police officer in “Gorky Park” (1983), a wealthy and aloof husband in Woody Allen’s “Alice” (1990) and a man seeking to build a machine that would benefit blind people in “Until the End of the World” (1991).

His first film role was as an obsessed scientist in Ken Russell’s 1980 film “Altered States.” Appearing opposite Kathleen Turner in Body Heat in 1981 turned him into a sex symbol, and he won the best actor Oscar in 1985 for playing a gay prisoner in “Kiss of the Spider Woman.”

Hurt was also nominated for Oscars as a teacher of deaf students in “Children of a Lesser God” (1986) and as a slow-witted television anchorman in “Broadcast News” (1987).

For his second Academy Award, Hurt played a Philadelphia mobster in David Cronenberg’s “A History of Violence.” He appears in the film for only about 10 minutes, but he made a huge impact with critics, who praised his “creepy” and “funny” character.

In recent years, Hurt made himself known to younger moviegoers through his turn in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thaddeus Ross, a blustering general who was present on the day Bruce Banner became the Hulk.

In addition to “The Incredible Hulk,” Hurt’s character appeared in four Marvel films including “Captain America: Civil War,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame” and “Black Widow.”

Uneasy with stardom

Hurt was born March 20, 1950 in Washington, DC, but as his father was a US diplomat, he traveled widely as a child.

After his parents divorced, his mother married Henry Luce III, the heir to the Time-Life empire, and moved to New York.

Hurt stayed close by, studying theology at Tufts University before enrolling at the renowned Juilliard arts school in New York.

Despite his spreading fame, Hurt did not settle in Hollywood but set up his home in Oregon. In interviews, he had shown he was uneasy with stardom.

“I’m not comfortable with all this. I’m not comfortable with walking the red carpet in a tuxedo and seeing all the women with their boobs pushed up and all the men dressed as penguins,” he told one interviewer.

His private life, however, read like something straight out of Hollywood.

Hurt married aspiring actress Mary Beth Supinger after finishing his studies at Tufts and followed her to London to study drama. They divorced on their return to New York.

In the late 1980s, he was sued by a former live-in love, ballet dancer Sandra Jennings, who is the mother of one of his sons.

He had two other sons from another marriage and a daughter, Jeanne, from a relationship with French actress Sandrine Bonnaire.

Hurt spoke fluent French and was also an avid private pilot.

By Brian Ellsworth and Don Burgess

(Reuters) – A London tribunal on Monday ruled that a 2018 Bermuda law that bans same-sex marriage in the British overseas territory is constitutional, a departure from the broad trend towards legalisation of gay marriage in the West.

Bermuda’s top court in 2018 ruled that the 2018 Domestic Partnership Act, which allows same-sex couples to form partnerships but prohibits them from marrying, violates constitutional freedom of conscience.

London’s Privy Council, the highest court of appeal for British territories, ruled on Monday that the constitution does not in fact require the state to recognise same-sex marriages, in response to an appeal by Bermuda’s government.

“Our supporters often say ‘love wins.’ This time it didn’t,” said Roderick Ferguson, lead co-plaintiff in the legal case against the law, in a statement by LGBTQ advocacy group OUTBermuda. “Our work as a society is not done until everyone’s humanity is recognized both in law and in life.”

OUTBermuda called on the government to clarify how it will treat same-sex marriages that had been lawfully performed since 2017. The Bermuda court’s 2018 ruling had suspended the prohibition.

The government of Bermuda, a wealthy, socially conservative island in the Atlantic of 60,000 people, argues that domestic partnerships provide the same rights as marriage. Thousands of people support the gay marriage ban.

Bermuda’s Attorney General did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Privy Council found that the Domestic Partnership Act does not interfere with freedom of conscience as laid out in section 8 of Bermuda’s constitution.

“The respondents’ belief falls within the scope of section 8, but that belief is not interfered with by the state failing to legally recognise same-sex marriage,” the Privy Council ruled.

(Editing by Nick Macfie)

By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The war in Ukraine has opened a new front in the U.S. Republican Party’s civil war, with party primary candidates vying to run in the November midterm elections attacking each other for past comments praising Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In Senate and House of Representatives races in at least three states, Republican candidates have been put on the defensive over comments describing Putin as intelligent, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a “thug” and Ukraine as not worth defending. They now face criticism at a time when U.S. public opinion strongly supports Ukraine and its president.

Pat McCrory, a leading Republican Senate candidate in North Carolina’s May 17 primary election, lashed out this week at his Trump-backed Republican rival, Representative Ted Budd, in his first TV ad.

“While Ukrainians bled and died … Congressman Budd excused their killer,” McCrory says in the ad, which is interspersed with video clips from a TV interview showing Budd describing Putin as “a very intelligent actor” with “strategic reasons” for the invasion.

The ad also accused Budd, who has described Putin as “evil,” of casting votes “friendly” to Russia.

Budd’s campaign dismissed the McCrory ad in a statement, saying, “Ted Budd presented the sort of level-headed assessment of a foreign crisis you would expect from a U.S. Senator because he knows these are serious times that require strength and substance, not the empty soundbites.”

Before Russian forces moved on Ukraine on Feb. 24, some Republicans felt comfortable echoing former President Donald Trump’s praise for Putin as a strong leader, while denouncing U.S. policy toward Moscow.

Even after the invasion, two Trump allies in the House – Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar – participated in a white nationalist conference at which participants applauded Russia’s move on Ukraine and chanted Putin’s name.

Infighting over Putin and Ukraine has exacerbated existing divisions within the party over Trump’s false claims of widespread election fraud in 2020, and a House investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by the former president’s supporters.

Trump has been widely criticized for describing Putin’s actions toward Ukraine as “genius” and “pretty savvy” in a Feb. 22 interview.

ATTACK AD

Also in North Carolina, Representative Madison Cawthorn came under fire from his Republican rivals over remarks at a town hall in which he criticized Zelenskiy and Ukraine.

“Remember that Zelenskiy is a thug. Remember the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies,” Cawthorn said in a video clip aired by WRAL-TV in Raleigh.

“ITS INCOMPREHENSIBLE THAT A MEMBER OF CONGRESS WOULD CALL UKRAINES PRESIDENT A THUG!” tweeted Michele Woodhouse, who is challenging Cawthorn in the Republican primary.

Cawthorn’s office did not respond to a Reuters query seeking comment.

The Republicans are vying to become candidates at the November midterm elections in which control of the U.S. Congress is at stake.

In Utah, independent Senate candidate Evan McMullin, a former CIA officer, attacked Republican Senator Mike Lee in an ad accusing the two-term incumbent of “making us weak and unsafe” in the midst of the current Ukraine crisis by opposing sanctions against Russia and visiting Moscow.

But the actions cited in the ad occurred years before the Ukraine invasion or were mischaracterized, according to the fact-checking website PolitiFact, which judged the ad “mostly false.”

Lee’s office did not respond to a Reuters query seeking comment. But McMullin’s campaign said it stood behind the ad and insisted that Lee has displayed a pattern of appeasing Putin.

(Reporting by David Morgan, Joseph Ax and Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Ross Colvin and Alistair Bell)

Washington (AFP) – Big and scary-looking Joro spiders have spread from Asia to the southern United States and are now poised to colonize the country’s cooler climes — but they’re nothing to fear and might end up actually helping local ecosystems.

That’s according to scientists who have been studying the arachnid invaders since they first arrived in Georgia around 2013.

In a few short years, the golden webs spun by the bright yellow, dark blue and red spiders have become a common sight throughout the state, and new research suggests they will clamber up the Eastern Seaboard next.

“The reason we got involved in this project was because they literally fell in our lap,” Andy Davis, an ecologist at the University of Georgia, told AFP on Friday.

“They’re kind of everywhere here in North Georgia, they’re all over my backyard.”

Davis set about studying the new resident, comparing it to the golden silk spider, which came to the southeastern United States some 160 years ago from the tropics.

Writing in a paper published in the journal Physiological Entomology, he and his co-author Ben Frick found similarities but also striking differences between the relatives.

The Joro spider’s metabolic rate is about double that of its cousin, its heart beats 77 percent faster, and it can survive brief freezes. They also grow faster.

Together, these traits mean it can better survive colder climates, which is not completely surprising, given that it is native to temperate Japan.

They’re also adept at gliding — spinning webs that act like parachutes and catch air currents — allowing them to fly up to 100 miles (160 kilometers). 

The paper examined records from iNaturalist, which tracks sightings of animals, and found that the spider’s range had already spread far beyond Georgia to encompass the nearby states of South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. 

There was even a report from faraway Oklahoma.

Left to themselves, Joros would probably work their way up the coast over 20 years, but it’ll probably happen faster if they hitchhike on vehicles, said Davis.

Call for clemency

That’s likely how they arrived in the United States in the first place — either a female stowaway laid her eggs when she landed on a ship, or an egg sac was brought over and hatched in spring.

Invasive species are often linked to destruction — such as the spotted lanternfly, a native of Southeast Asia that came to the US state of Pennsylvania in 2014 and is known to decimate fruit trees and ornamental plants.

But the Joros’ exploding numbers aren’t necessarily a cause for concern, argued Davis.

“The golden silk spider is everywhere in the southeast, and it’s not causing any harm. It’s been here so long, it’s integrated itself into the ecosystem, and the Joro could follow the same trajectory,” he said.

In fact, it could provide a hearty meal for native predators, such as mud dauber wasps, which hunt spiders. Other beneficiaries could include local lizards. 

Another advantage: Joros also feed on insects that local spiders do not, such as the adult brown marmorated stink bug.

They’re also not aggressive towards humans, nor are their fangs big enough to pose any kind of threat, stressed Davis, who called for clemency and understanding, not stigmatization.

“I don’t really think the Joros deserve to be squashed or killed like the spotted lanternfly — they’re really not out to get us and it’s not their fault either that they’re here. They were literally along for the ride,” he said.

Tom Hanks apologised to Connor Ratliff for firing him because of “dead eyes”.

The ‘Marvelous Mrs Maisel’ star made amends with the 65-year-old actor – who took “full responsibility” – after they discussed the time Conor was let go from the 2001 mini-series ‘Band of Brothers’ for his apparent “dead eyes”, which the Academy Award winner was directing.

Tom – who appeared on podcast ‘Dead Eyes’ on Thursday (10.03.22), which got its name from the episode – said: “This is a bone-chilling story, just bone-chilling,” before taking “full responsibility” for his conduct on set.

The ‘You’ve Got Mail’ star called it “one of those very, very subtle” decisions made as a director.

Tom said: “This was without a doubt the act of the director, and that was me. There was something in stuck in a craw or one of those very, very subtle sort of decisions that aims the story in the direction you want it to go.”

He continued: “In the inner sanctum of whatever this casting session was on Band of Brothers … I’m sure I said, ‘I don’t know man, that guy’s got dead eyes.’ I could’ve said, ‘He’s got too blond of hair; he’s too tall and I can’t have the aide be taller than Captain Winters.’ I could’ve said, ‘He’s too short and slight … I could’ve said any of these things, and they would have been true and they would’ve been the opinion.’”

Connor got how Tom could have forgotten the comment but told him it was “very big” for him in the immediate aftermath after being let go from the show that starred Tom Hardy, Damien Lewis, Jimmy Fallon Michael Fassbender and David Schwimmer.

He added: “I built this thing up so big and then it was just gone.”

The ‘Splash’ star – who is married to actress Rita Wilson, 65 – spilled he was “aghast” when he found out about the podcast and how it got its name after hearing about it from his son Colin, 44, and daughter Elizabeth, 39, who are both in the movie business, just like their dad. Along with these two, he also has 31-year-old son Chet and 25-year-old Truman.

Grimes has reportedly moved on from Elon Musk with whistleblower Chelsea Manning.

The ‘Oblivion’ singer clarified this week that she and the billionaire businessman “broke up” before it was revealed that they secretly welcomed their second child.

Grimes – who also shares 22-month-old son X Æ A-Xii, with Tesla CEO Elon – announced that the pair welcomed a daughter in December 2021 via surrogate in an interview with Vanity Fair.

The baby’s name is Exa Dark Sideræl, though the pair are said to have nicknamed her Y.

Now, it’s been claimed the mother-of-two is “getting serious” in her new relationship with 34-year-old activist Chelsea, who was imprisoned after she leaked classified documents to WikiLeaks in 2010.

A source told Page Six: “They’re getting serious. They U-Hauled it. They’ve been living together in Austin.”

As well as confirming she and the Space X founder are no longer in a relationship, Grimes clarified that her newborn daughter’s name is likely to change.

The music star, who intended to keep the birth of her daughter a secret, won’t be revealing the new name to the public, as they want to keep their little girl out of the spotlight.

The ‘Genesis’ singer tweeted: “2 clarify a few things; I did this to speak abt my work, not ‘reveal all’ haha. Def held back a lot, contrary 2 headline. And didn’t mean for them 2 find out about my daughter so please respect her privacy as I’d love her to be able to live as private of a life as possible. (sic)”.

When a follower asked about her daughter’s name, she replied: ”This will most definitely change btw haha but it won’t be for public. (sic)”

Grimes added that she will no longer be doing “traditional press”

The experimental artist explained her daughter’s unique name by describing how Exa refers to a supercomputing term, exaFLOPS, while Dark Universe represents “the unknown”.

She said in the article: “People fear it but truly it’s the absence of photons. Dark matter is the beautiful mystery of our universe.”

Grimes described Sideræl as the “more elven” spelling of ‘sidereal’ – which she defined as “the true time of the universe, star time, deep space time, not our relative earth time.”

The name is also a nod to the star’s favourite ‘Lord of the Rings’ character, Galadriel.

Despite splitting up last September, Grimes had insisted she still considered Elon to be her “boyfriend” but described their relationship as “very fluid”.

The pop star – whose real name is Claire Boucher – said: “There’s no real word for it. 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.

“This is the best it’s ever been… We just need to be free.”

Grimes also hinted that she and Elon want to have more children.

She said: “We’ve always wanted at least three or four.”

Laverne Cox felt “like she [was] somebody” when she was in the same nightclub as Leonardo DiCaprio.

The 49-year-old star worked as a waitress when she first moved to New York in a bid to kickstart her acting career but she loved the buzz of knowing she could go out somewhere and be in close proximity to some of the biggest names in showbiz at the time.

She said: “I remember during the early 2000s being in a club called Lot 61…”

“I was a waitress at the time, an aspiring actress…this is 2000…around the year 1999 or 2000…and Leonardo DiCaprio was two feet away from me.

“There were about 12 to 20 women who could be Victoria’s Secret models sort of, you know, surrounding [Leonardo Dicaprio, David Blaine, and Elijah Wood].

“I saw this live. So this was kind of my life, and I remember in the late 90s and early 2000s being in proximity to Leonardo DiCaprio feeling so utterly and completely fabulous because I was two feet away from Leonardo DiCaprio in the same club.

“It made me feel so fabulous and like I was, you know, like I was somebody.”

Laverne’s early experiences came back to her when she was first introduced to Netflix’s ‘Inventing Anna’, the true story of ‘fake heiress’ Anna Delvey, in which she plays Kacy Duke.

Speaking to Tom Power on ‘The Q Interview’ podcast, she said: “When I read about [Inventing Anna] initially, it made me think of my early days in New York City in the 90s.

“Clubs were very integrated in the 90s and early 2000s. You could be in, you know, LimeLight, and Jon-Paul Gautier might be standing right next to you or something.”

Rihanna is reportedly launching her lingerie firm on the stock market.

The 34-year-old pop star – who is thought to be worth $1.7bn after launching Fenty Beauty cosmetics company back in 2017 and Savage x Fenty the following year – is now said to be in talks to offer the public shares in the fashion company through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) which could see the value of the brand jump to over $3bn.

Bloomberg reports: “Savage X Fenty is working with banks including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. A listing could happen as soon as this year, one of the people said.”

The news of the Initial Public Offering (IPO) comes shortly after the ‘Umbrella’ hitmaker – who is expecting her first child with boyfriend and rapper A$AP Rocky – had opened a chain of physical stores for the underwear brand after the store had been online only since its inception as she noted that she wanted her customers to “come in and feel represented.”

She said: “The whole idea of the retail space is that I wanted women and men to come in and feel represented, to walk away from the experience feeling confident and that they belong. I’ve experienced being a customer and shopping in the lingerie space and have felt as if I didn’t fit the mould of the product. But Savage X Fenty is very inclusive, and I want to continue to expand on that so that our consumers can feel our commitment within the retail space.”

Elizabeth McGovern “doesn’t understand” the popularity of ‘Downton Abbey’.

The 60-year-old actress will reprise her role as Cora Crawley, the Countess of Grantham, in ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’, and although she’s confident it will be a hit, Elizabeth is still unsure why it’s so successful.

Speaking to the UK edition of OK! magazine, she said: “People ask me why the show has succeeded over the years and I have no idea.

“I don’t understand it. I am just grateful. But viewers connect to it for different reasons.”

Elizabeth thought making the ‘Downton’ movies would be a bigger and better experience than working on the TV show. But the actress found there to be very little difference.

She said: “The funny thing is that it felt very similar.

“I thought the snacks on the [film] set would be better but no… they weren’t.

“We were in the same house, we were staying in the same little bed and breakfasts around [Highclere Castle].

“The film looked and felt so much bigger, expansive and more ambitious than the TV show, but the actual act of shooting it really feels the same.

“You are still having to hit your marks and say your lines. So that was kind of surprising to me.”

The American actress initially found the way of working on the show very “foreign”.

She said: “I do think there is a real cultural divide between the US and the UK.

“The way the English approach work was very foreign to me.

“I suppose it is as much to do with language as anything else.

“Sometimes I did feel like I was foreign and on another planet among all these very English actors, many of them coming from these traditions going back generations.”

The chief of the Russian space agency Roscosmos suggested the International Space Station (ISS) could crash, as he railed against Western sanctions imposed on Russia in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

In a Telegram message on Saturday, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin questioned where on Earth the ISS would crash if it fell out of orbit.

The ISS partners have been asked to withdraw the “unlawful” punitive measures against Russian companies, Rogozin said.

Roscosmos is responsible for maintaining the ISS and flights to it.

A Soyuz space capsule is scheduled to return to Earth from the human outpost on March 30, carrying US astronaut Mark Vande Hei and cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. German astronaut Matthias Maurer is to remain on board the ISS.

Several companies in Russia that are important for space travel are affected by the tightened sanctions.

The ISS is ageing but so far, there are no plans as to when the ISS will finally be taken out of service.

Recently, Roscosmos announced it was suspending deliveries of rocket engines to the United States in response to US sanctions.

By Andrea Shalal and Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Saturday said it would rush up to $200 million in additional small arms, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons to Ukraine, as Ukrainian officials pleaded for more equipment to defend against heavy shelling by Russian forces.

President Joe Biden on Saturday authorized the additional security assistance, the White House said, paving the way for the “immediate” shipment of fresh military equipment to Ukraine, a senior administration official said.

Biden’s decision brings total U.S. security aid provided to Ukraine to $1.2 billion since January 2021, and to $3.2 billion since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimea region of Ukraine, according to senior administration officials.

In a memorandum to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Biden directed that up to $200 million allocated through the Foreign Assistance Act be designated for Ukraine’s defense.

Blinken said he had authorized a fourth drawdown of U.S. defense stocks, in line with Biden’s directive, “to help Ukraine meet the armored, airborne, and other threats it is facing” as the war entered a third week.

He lauded the “great skill, iron will and profound courage” being shown by the Ukrainian armed forces and citizens, and said the United States would also continue to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need.

“The United States and our allies and partners stand in solidarity with the people and government of Ukraine in the face of the Kremlin’s aggression,” he said in a statement. “The international community is united and determined to hold (Russian President Vladimir) Putin accountable.”

Russia says it is engaged in a “special military operation” that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its neighbour’s military capabilities and “de-Nazify” Ukraine.

The funds “will provide immediate military assistance to Ukraine, including anti-armor, anti-aircraft systems, and small arms in support of Ukraine’s front-line defenders,” one of the U.S. officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Ukraine has been asking for more Javelin anti-tank weapons and Stinger missiles to shoot down aircraft.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, on Saturday underscored Ukraine’s need for additional military supplies in an interview with the non-profit Renew Democracy Initiative.

The United States has drawn from U.S. weapons stocks to supply Ukraine repeatedly, beginning in the fall of 2021 and then again in December and February.

The last batch of U.S. weapons provided in February included anti-armor, small arms, body armor and various munitions, according to the Pentagon, as well as anti-aircraft systems.

On Thursday night the U.S. Congress approved $13.6 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine as part of a $1.5 trillion measure to fund the U.S. government through September.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Steve Holland; Editing by Alistair Bell, Grant McCool and Daniel Wallis)

Los Angeles (AFP) – Entertainment and theme park giant Disney has halted all political donations in Florida after an outcry among LGBTQ staff over its silence on perceived “anti-gay” legislation, its CEO said Friday.

Florida’s state senate this week passed a bill banning lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary schools, the latest effort by Republicans in the United States to reshape education policy along conservative lines.

Opponents and LGBTQ rights activists lobbied against what they call the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which will affect kids in kindergarten through third grade, when they are eight or nine years old.

Disney, which has a huge presence in the southern state in the form of its Walt Disney World resort, had faced weeks of criticism both internally and externally over its lack of public response.

Staff at Disney-owned Pixar Animation Studios said they were “disappointed, hurt, afraid and angry” over their company’s silence on the Florida legislation.

On Friday chief executive Bob Chapek told them he was sorry the company had let them down.

“It is clear that this is not just an issue about a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights,” he wrote in an email, published by Variety.

“You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry.”

Chapek said Disney would be bolstering its support for campaigns aimed at preventing similar legislation in other states as part of an effort to “ensure our advocacy better reflects our values.”

“And today, we are pausing all political donations in the state of Florida pending this review.” 

Chapek said the company had to do more, but insisted he had the backs of sexual minority staff.

“I truly believe we are an infinitely better and stronger company because of our LGBTQ+ community. 

“I missed the mark in this case but am an ally you can count on — and I will be an outspoken champion for the protections, visibility, and opportunity you deserve.”

The Florida legislation, championed by possible presidential nominee Governor Ron DeSantis, is part of nationwide effort by Republicans who feel they are wresting back control from liberal policies they say undermine traditional family values.

Similar moves are afoot in other Republican-led or Republican-leaning states, chiefly in the south.

They include a plan by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to label as “child abuse” medical treatments considered in progressive states to be standard care for transgender teenagers.

The political fight leaves businesses in the often-uncomfortable position of having to take sides on an issue that may pit one group of customers or staff against another.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co is pausing all political donations in Florida after an employee outcry over legislation that would limit LGBTQ discussion in schools, Chief Executive Bob Chapek said in a memo to employees on Friday.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Donald Trump cannot countersue E. Jean Carroll, a writer who says he raped her in the mid-1990s, on the ground her defamation lawsuit against him violated a New York state law intended to protect free speech, a federal judge ruled on Friday.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan said a ruling for the former U.S. president would needlessly cause further delays for Carroll’s lawsuit, which began in November 2019.

He also accused Trump of engaging in “bad faith” to prevent Carroll, 78, from pursuing a case that could have been decided long ago.

“The defendant’s litigation tactics, whatever their intent, have delayed the case to an extent that readily could have been far less,” Kaplan wrote.

Letting Trump countersue “would make a regrettable situation worse,” he added.

A lawyer for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York: editing by Grant McCool)

Facebook is relaxing its rules on calls for violence, creating a partial exception when the proposed target is Russian troops in Ukraine.

As an example of an exception for statements that would normally have violated guidelines, a spokesperson for Facebook’s parent company, Meta, cited the phrase “Death to the Russian invaders” late on Thursday. “We still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians,” the spokesperson wrote on Twitter.

The relaxation only applies to users in some countries, including Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Hungary, The New York Times wrote.

Many Ukrainians have been venting their anger on Facebook amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which started two weeks ago.

Russian parliamentary leader Vyacheslav Volodin said the move would have to be examined by the Russian prosecutor’s office, the TASS news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned that there could be “decisive measures” taken against Meta services if the calls to violence are not blocked.

Facebook is blocked in Russia, while other Meta services, such as WhatsApp and Instagram, are still functioning.

(Reuters) – Apple Inc Chief Executive Office Tim Cook raised concern on Thursday over LGBTQ laws in the United States, mainly those focused on young people that opponents refer to as “don’t say gay” legislation.

Florida lawmakers recently passed a Republican-backed bill prohibiting classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity for many young students.

The legislation has stirred national controversy amid an increasingly partisan debate over what schools should teach children about race and gender.

“As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, I am deeply concerned about laws being enacted across the country, particularly those focused on our vulnerable youth,” Cook said on Twitter.

Walt Disney Co’s Bob Chapek is another chief executive to voice his disappointment about the LGBTQ legislation.

Another case that has stirred corporate concern about LGBTQ rights is that of a Texas judge who recently issued an order blocking the state from investigating the parents of a 16-year-old transgender girl for providing her with gender-affirming medical treatments.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott says the treatments are “child abuse” and the state has appealed against the judge’s order.

Major U.S. tech firms, including Alphabet Inc’s Google, Microsoft Corp, Meta Platforms Inc and Apple are among more than 60 companies that have opposed equating gender-affirming treatment with child abuse by putting their names to an ad that will run in Texas on Friday, according to Axios.

Google, Microsoft, Apple and Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; Editing by Robert Birsel)