LONDON (Reuters) – Buckingham Palace received a personal appeal from the Dean of Westminster to allow singer Elton John perform at the funeral of Princess Diana, newly released government documents show.

Wesley Carr, who himself helped conduct part of the funeral service for Diana at Westminster Abbey after her death in a Paris car crash in August 1997, urged a senior figure in the royal household to include a performance by John, a friend of the princess.

“This is a crucial point in the service and we would urge boldness. It is where the unexpected happens and something of the modern world that the princess represented,” Carr wrote in the note released by the National Archives.

“I respectfully suggest that anything classical or choral (even a popular classic such as something by [composer Andrew]Lloyd Webber) is inappropriate. Better would be the enclosed song by Elton John (known to millions and his music was enjoyed by the princess), which would be powerful.”

Documents show John’s 1970 ballad “Your Song” was initially considered, but Carr noted that the singer’s 1973 ode to Marilyn Monroe “Candle In the Wind” was already “being widely played and sung throughout the nation”. Its performance would be “imaginative and generous to the millions who are feeling personally bereaved”.

He added that if the words were “too sentimental” they did not need to be printed in the order of service.

There is no detail of any response from the Palace, but John went on to perform the song, with revised lyrics dedicated to “England’s Rose”. It was one of the most poignant moments of the funeral, watched by as many as 2.5 billion people.

The re-released version, lamenting a woman’s death at a young age in the pitiless glare of fame, went on to become the second-biggest selling physical single of all time.

In 2019, John said he was so worried about getting the words wrong when performing at the funeral that he had a teleprompter installed by the piano.

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Peter Graff)

Several Berlin nightclubs announced their plans to offer vaccinations and booster jabs from Monday, the Club Commission, an umbrella organization for Berlin nightlife venues, announced on Thursday.

It is hoped that between January 3 and 9, the clubs will collectively jab some 4,500 people. Appointments can be booked online.

“Especially now with Omicron coming up, it counts: Every vaccination administered in time relieves intensive care units and saves lives,” explained Sascha Disselkamp, promoter of the club Sage Beach.

“If our clubs can make a contribution to flattening the next wave a little, we’ll be right there,” he added.

There is currently a ban on dancing in Berlin clubs. Under these circumstances, almost all venues in the famous party city have opted to closed until further notice.

Ben Platt’s boyfriend Noah Galvin made his rubbish year better.

The ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ star praised Noah, 27 for making his year “mostly wonderful” despite the stresses and strains of the year, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ben, 28, wrote on Instagram: “2021 often deeply sucked and yet he somehow made it mostly wonderful.”

In the picture, the actor is embracing his ‘The Good Doctor’ star boyfriend as they wear similar tortoise shell sunglasses and red polo shirts.

In addition, the Tony Award winner shared other footage from his romantic getaway with his actor partner, such as frolicking on a jet ski.

The pair went public with their relationship in May of this year when Noah discussed it during an appearance on the podcast ‘Little Known Facts With Ilana Levine’ after keeping it secret since they got together in January 2020 after years of friendship.

And Ben told Kelly Clarkson: “We’ve been together a year-and-a-half now. We were friends for five years and right before the pandemic, we finally decided to really give it a shot. We kind of skated around it for a long time.”

According to Ben, the emergence of the coronavirus caused their romance to speed up from “zero to 60” and they began “living together with my parents in our childhood home and seeing each other all the time”.

The ‘Pitch Perfect’ star said: “It ended up being a beautiful time.”

He also gushed about his relationship with his boyfriend to OUT magazine, saying that he had a “a partner that I really love, Noah Galvin, my boyfriend”.

New York (AFP) – Victims of the British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and her former partner, the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein, welcomed a jury’s decision Wednesday finding Maxwell guilty of child sex trafficking.

“I am so relieved and grateful that the jury recognized the pattern of predatory behavior that Maxwell engaged in,” said Annie Farmer, one of four victims to testify in the high-profile trial, in a statement on Twitter.

“I hope that this verdict brings solace to all who need it and demonstrates that no one is above the law,” said Farmer, who was the only woman not to testify under a pseudonym.

“Even those with great power and privilege will be held accountable when they sexually abuse and exploit the young.”

The 60-year-old Maxwell, daughter of the late British media baron Robert Maxwell, was found guilty in a Manhattan federal court of a series of sex crimes, the most serious being the sex trafficking of a minor, which carries a maximum 40 year sentence. 

Four women testified that between 1994 and 2004, Maxwell recruited and groomed them for sex with Epstein. Two of the women were 14 years old at the time.

Theresa Helm, another Epstein accuser who did not participate in the trial, described Maxwell as a “master manipulator.”

“Ghislaine Maxwell will never again have the opportunity to take anything from anyone. She will reside on the other side of freedom. Us — survivors — we go free,” Helm said in a BBC interview.

Epstein committed suicide in prison two years ago while awaiting his own trial for sex crimes.

The judge has not yet set a date for Maxwell’s sentencing, but the cumulative penalty for her crimes would likely amount to a life sentence.

Her attorney, Bobbi Sternheim, has already stated that they will appeal.

Virginia Giuffre, who alleges Epstein lent her out for sex with his wealthy and powerful associates, including Britain’s Prince Andrew  welcomed the verdict in a statement on Twitter.

Praising Maxwell’s conviction, Giuffre said she “will remember this day always.”

“My heart goes out to the many other girls and young women who suffered,” she added. “I hope that today is not the end but rather another step in justice being served.”

The prince has repeatedly denied the allegations by Giuffre, who is sueing him in the United States, saying he does not remember meeting her and “absolutely and categorically did not have sex with her.”

New York (AFP) – US health authorities on Thursday urged Americans to avoid cruise travel even if they are vaccinated, citing the surge in Covid-19 cases spurred by the Omicron variant.

“Avoid cruise travel, regardless of vaccination status,” said a posting on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website that upgraded the travel notice on cruising to Level 4, the highest on its Covid risk scale.

“Even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading Covid-19 variants,” the notice said.

Between December 15 and 29, there were 5,013 Covid cases in US waters reported to the CDC, 31 times the level in the prior two weeks, according to an email from a CDC spokesperson.

The agency recommends mitigation steps that include getting vaccinated and boosted, wearing a mask in indoor settings and taking a test before gathering.

“The virus that causes Covid-19 spreads easily between people in close quarters on board ships, and the chance of getting Covid-19 on cruise ships is very high, even if you are fully vaccinated and have received a Covid-19 vaccine booster dose,” the CDC said.

The surge in fresh cases linked to the highly-transmissible Omicron variant has raised fresh challenges for the cruise industry, which resumed service in the United States this summer after being essentially dormant for more than a year.

On Thursday, Royal Caribbean modified or cancelled 16 destinations out of 331 due to the uptick in Covid cases. Shares of Royal Caribbean dipped 0.2 percent in afternoon trading.

Shares of Carnival fell 0.6 percent in early afternoon trading, while Norwegian Cruise Line dropped 1.5 percent. 

By Alexandra Ulmer

(Reuters) – Former Republican President Donald Trump’s recent comments touting COVID-19 vaccines as safe and a major achievement of his presidency have roiled extreme anti-vaxers, which include many of his ardent supporters.

After months of a relatively low profile on vaccines and no photos of him getting inoculated, Trump on Dec. 19 told former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly during an event in Dallas that he’d received the booster – eliciting some boos from the audience.

In an interview with right-wing pundit Candace Owens released two days later, Trump pushed back when Owens suggested the shots were not safe.

“Oh no, the vaccine works,” Trump interrupted Owens, who said she was not vaccinated. “The ones that get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don’t take the vaccine.”

While in both cases Trump stressed that he is against Democratic President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates, his comments have stoked rare criticism from anti-vaccine activists and some supporters.

The controversy highlights the balancing act Trump might face in a potential 2024 presidential run: He will have to energize his base, for many of whom opposition to vaccines has become a rallying cry, without repelling moderate suburbanites.

Conspiracy theorist and radio host Alex Jones said on his talk show that by touting the vaccine, Trump was either “completely ignorant” or “one of the most evil men who has ever lived.” He said it was time “to move on” from Trump and also threatened to “dish all the dirt” on the former president.

Radio host Wayne Allyn Root, a staunch Trump supporter, said the former president was “right on everything” except the vaccines, and needed an “intervention.” In a statement to Reuters, Root stressed he would always be a Trump supporter and that by “intervention” he simply meant a chance to convince Trump to “alter” his message.

A Trump representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There was no immediate reply to requests for comments from representatives for Jones or Owens.

On right-wing social media groups, some Trump voters argue that he is acting strategically to keep hostile media at bay. Others, however, are professing dismay.

“I no longer can support him,” Daniel McLean, 42, who works in the cannabis industry in Oregon, said in an interview.

McLean said he had steadily grown disappointed with what he views as Trump’s embrace of the political establishment. The pro-vaccine comments were a tipping point, added McLean, who said he was not inoculated and repeated debunked theories about thousands of people dying from the shots.

Republicans and Republican-leaning independents now account for 60% of unvaccinated adult Americans, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis.

That makes Trump’s comments all the more surprising, said Republican Martin Hyde, who is running as a challenger to Florida Congressman Vern Buchanan in the 2022 elections. “I don’t think that’s a message which will resonate with the base,” Hyde told Reuters.

GRUMBLING AND GRIPING?

Trump continues to have a near-iron grip on Republican voters.

Candidates in the 2022 midterm elections are vying for his endorsements; he is the clear favorite for the 2024 presidential race; and he is preparing to launch a social media site that has reportedly entered into agreements to raise about $1 billion.

“I’m with Trump all the way,” wrote a user under the name Crockett on a Telegram app chat about Trump’s vaccine comments. “Trump knows things we don’t.”

There is no polling yet to ascertain whether Trump’s vaccine comments have hurt his standing with the base.

Nicholas Valentino, a professor specializing in political psychology at the University of Michigan, said it is unlikely to create a serious rift.

“The more extreme faction in this group doesn’t have anywhere else to go politically,” said Valentino. McLean in Oregon, for instance, said he still prefers Trump over Biden.

Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a key Trump ally, on Monday appeared to try to smooth over the issue, urging supporters to focus on COVID-19 originating in China. “We should be holding those who made the virus accountable, not fighting one another,” she said on Twitter.

Still, Ron Filipkowski, a former federal prosecutor and Trump critic who monitors the extreme right, said Trump going out of his way to tout the vaccines has sent “shockwaves” through his base.

“A year ago, you would never hear any dissent whatsoever among them,” said Filipkowski. “Now you’re at least hearing the grumbling and the griping. And that’s definitely new.”

(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Dan Grebler)

By Hyunjoo Jin

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Tesla Inc is recalling more than 475,000 of its Model 3 and Model S electric cars to address rearview camera and trunk issues that increase the risk of crashing, the U.S. road safety regulator said on Thursday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been discussing another camera issue with the automaker, while probing the company’s driver assistant system.

The model years affected in the recall range from 2014 to 2021, and the total number of recalled vehicles is almost equivalent to the half a million vehicles Tesla delivered last year.

The U.S. electric vehicle manufacturer is recalling 356,309 2017-2020 Model 3 vehicles to address rearview camera issues and 119,009 Model S vehicles due to front hood problems, the federal regulator said.

Tesla could not be reached for comment.

For Model 3 sedans, “the rearview camera cable harness may be damaged by the opening and closing of the trunk lid, preventing the rearview camera image from displaying,” the NHTSA said.

Tesla identified 2,301 warranty claims and 601 field reports regarding the issue for U.S. vehicles.

For Model S vehicles, latch problems may lead a front trunk to open “without warning and obstruct the driver’s visibility, increasing the risk of a crash,” Tesla said.

Tesla said it was not aware of any crashes, injuries or deaths related to the issues cited in the recall of Model 3 and Model S cars, the NHTSA said.

Tesla shares fell as much as 3% in the morning but rebounded and were last trading slightly higher around $1,088.76. The world’s most valuable automaker is expected to report record quarterly vehicles deliveries as early as Saturday.

CAMERA ISSUE

This month, the NHTSA said it was talking with Tesla about sideview camera issues in some vehicles. [L1N2SU2EA]

CNBC had reported that Tesla was replacing defective repeater cameras in the front fenders of some U.S.-made vehicles without recalling the parts.

The NHTSA has been investigating 580,000 Tesla vehicles over the automaker’s decision to allow games to be played on car screens while they are in motion.

Tesla has subsequently agreed to remove such gaming features while its cars are moving, according to the NHTSA.

Under pressure from NHTSA, Tesla in February agreed to recall 135,000 vehicles with touch-screen displays that could fail and raise the risk of a crash.

In August, the NHTSA opened a formal safety probe into Tesla Inc’s driver assistance system Autopilot after a series of crashes involving Tesla models and emergency vehicles.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in San Francisco and Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by David Clarke, Anil D’Silva, Alistair Bell and David Gregorio)

Betty White has joked that Ryan Reynolds can’t get over her.

The 99-year-old actress starred alongside Ryan, 45, and Sandra Bullock, 57, in 2009 movie ‘The Proposal’ and quipped that Ryan – who is married to Blake Lively – has a huge crush on her but she has her eye on another actor.

She told PEOPLE: “I’ve heard Ryan can’t get over his thing for me but Robert Redford is The One.”

Ryan said he has been a fan of Betty “for as long as I can remember” and joked she is “a typical Capricorn. Sleeps all day. Out all night boozing and snacking on men.”

He also praised her work in sitcom ‘Golden Girls’, saying: “I heard that scripts for Golden Girls were only 35 pages, which makes sense because so many of the laughs come from Betty simply looking at her castmates.”

Sandra added: “Timing isn’t easy in comedy, because you have to navigate other people’s timing. Betty pivots like I have never seen, making it look seamless. The rest of us just remain silent and pray we’re not cut out of the scene.”

Betty – who will turn 100 on January 17 – said she feels lucky to be in such good health at her advanced age.

She explained: “I’m so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age. It’s amazing.”

Betty was “born a cockeyed optimist” and she thinks that’s the key to her positive outlook.

She said: “I got it from my mom, and that never changed. I always find the positive.”

Betty also thinks that her diet is one of the keys to her good health.

She quipped: “I try to avoid anything green. I think it’s working.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Biden administration plans to announce on Wednesday a $137 million contract for Millipore Sigma, a unit of Germany’s Merck KGaA, to boost production capacity of a highly constrained component of rapid coronavirus tests, a senior administration official told Reuters.

The money will allow the company over three years to build a new facility to produce nitrocellulose membranes, the paper that displays test results, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. That, in turn, will allow for 85 million more tests to be produced per month, the official said.

It was not immediately clear when the facility would ramp up to full production.

“It’s probably the most constrained piece of technology in expanding capacity, in making more of these over-the-counter or point-of-care tests,” the official said. “This amount they’re going to produce is roughly equivalent to another billion over-the-counter tests being able to be made,” he added.

Millipore Sigma is a supplier to major U.S. COVID-19 antigen test manufacturers, he said, without providing further details.

The contract, which will be announced by the Department of Defense for the Department of Health and Human Services, is part of a bid by the Biden administration to ramp up production of scarce rapid COVID-19 tests, which has taken on more urgency as nations grapple with the highly infectious Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The average number of daily COVID-19 cases in the United States has hit a record high of 258,312 over the past seven days, according to a Reuters tally.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden announced a plan to distribute 500 million at-home coronavirus test kits to help address the crisis, building on prior pledges to invest $3 billion in test kits.

But U.S. testing is behind the curve because of a lack of skilled workers, a shortage of at-home tests and under-investment in recent months, and health experts in the U.S. said Biden’s latest plan was “too little, too late.”

The government is invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) to award the contract and has many more similar contracts in the works, the official said.

The Biden administration has used the DPA – a 1950s Korean war-era law which gives federal agencies the power to prioritize procurement orders related to national defense – to speed production of swabs and pipettes for COVID-19 test production previously.

(Reporting by Alexandra Alper; Additional Reporting by Carl O’Donnell; Editing by Chris Reese)

Billie Lourd has described her grief over Carrie Fisher’s death as a “multi course meal with many complicated ingredients”.

The 19-year-old actress – whose late mother died aged 60 on December 27, 2016 – paid tribute to the ‘Star Wars’ icon on the anniversary of her passing and revealed everyone deals with things as their own pace.

Alongside an adorable throwback photo of her, Carrie and a koala bear, she wrote: “People always ask me what stage of grief I’m in. And my answer is never simple.

“I’m in a different stage of grief in each moment of every day. My grief is a multi course meal with many complicated ingredients.

“An amuse bouche of bargaining followed by an anger appetizer with a side of depression, acceptance for the entree and of course a little denial for dessert.

“And that’s how grief should be – all things all at once – actually there is no “should” in grief – grief just is whatever it is for you and that is how it “should be”.”

Billie celebrated Christmas in Australia with her fiance Austen Rydell and their 15-month-old son Kingston, and she referenced her arrangement in the tribute to Carrie.

She added: “What better thing to post for my Momby’s Australian death anniversary (4 words I never thought I’d be putting next to each other?!?) than this picture of her and I with a koala!? sending my love to anyone out there who needs it (sic)”

She also marked five years since her mum’s death as she teamed up with Kaitlyn Dever and Mady Dever on a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s track ‘Landslide’.

She wrote: “We loved to sing. We loved Fleetwood Mac. We loved this song. It echoed in our living room throughout my childhood, playing slightly too loudly as she scribbled her marvelous manic musings on yellow legal pads (google them if you don’t know them – they’re the iPads of the past and are still pretty damn hip if you ask me).

“I didn’t know who to be or what to do after my mom died. I was afraid of changing because I had built my life around her. Then she was gone.

“And I had to rebuild my life without her. And it wasn’t (and still isn’t) easy. But time has made me bolder. I never stop missing her but I have gotten stronger with each passing year.”

Madonna has accused Tory Lanez of ripping off her 1985 hit ‘Into The Groove’.

The Queen of Pop is not happy with the 29-year-old rapper’s “illegal” interpolation of her track, seemingly referring to the latter’s recent song ‘Pluto’s Last Comet’ from his LP ‘Alone at Prom’.

The 63-year-old music legend commented on Lanez’s recent Instagram post: “Read your messages [f]or illegal usage of my song get into the groove!”, suggesting she has contacted him directly on the social media app.

At the time of writing, it’s not known if the ‘Like a Virgin’ hitmaker will be making a formal complaint.

Lanez has been in hot water of late.

Last month, the Canadian record producer was told he won’t be offered a plea deal in a felony case for allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion.

The ‘Say It’ rapper was accused by the ‘WAP’ hitmaker of shooting her in the foot after a party at Kylie Jenner’s house in July 2020.

The music star – whose real name is Daystar Peterson – has been charged with felony assault.

At a preliminary hearing on December 14, it was claimed Lanez shouted “dance, b****” before shooting Megan.

Los Angeles detective Ryan Stogner told the courtroom in his testimony that “as she exited the vehicle, she heard Mr Peterson yelling obscenities at her, and he stated, ‘Dance, b****!’ and he then began firing a weapon at her.”

Megan “immediately felt pain to her feet, observed blood, fell to the ground, and then crawled to an adjacent driveway of a residence.” He added: “She described her injuries as bleeding profusely.”

He added: “Megan stated the defendant apologised for doing it and offered her money and begged her to please not say anything and made a reference to the fact he was already on probation.”

Lanez is facing two felony charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, as well as the charge of having “personally inflicted great bodily injury”.

If he is convicted on all charges, he could spend more than 22 years in Jail.

Lanez is due to return to court next month.

The ‘Broke in a Minute’ hitmaker previously pleaded not guilty to the charges last November and his lawyer, Shawn Holley, previously insisted “meaningful discussions” with prosecutors about a plea deal hadn’t affected that.

She said: “As in every case, the lawyers for the parties discuss the possibility of resolving the case. This case is no different. That said, our position as to what did and did not happen in this matter remains unchanged, and Mr. Peterson’s plea of not guilty stands.”

In January, Lanez’s team filed a motion asking for an amendment to a protective order surrounding the case because he wasn’t allowed to speak publicly about the dispute, but a judge ruled that the order must stay in place as it is.

During a hearing at the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles, his lawyer argued the protective order was “unfair” because it doesn’t apply to Megan.

Cynthia Nixon only agreed to star only agreed to star in the ‘Sex and the City’ sequel series if show bosses fixed the “lack of diversity” on the show.

The 55-year-old actress has reprised her role as Miranda Hobbes in ‘And Just Like That…’ but has admitted that she was “reluctant” to return to the character unless things were changed from the original show.

Cynthia told Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper: “It was a very hard decision. I really didn’t think I was going to do it – I was very reluctant. But the more I talked to Sarah Jessica (Parker), (writer-creator) Michael Patrick King, and Kristin (Davis), about the things I couldn’t go back without – a real sea change in terms of the lack of diversity in the original series, they were on board.

“I was floored by how hard everybody listened, and how collaboratively we worked together to, not just redecorate the house, but to build a whole new house – that had us in it but new characters, too.”

Sarah and Kristin have reprised their roles as Carrie Bradshaw and Charlotte York Goldenblatt respectively – although Kim Cattrall’s Samantha Jones does not feature in ‘And Just Like That…’ – and Cynthia has enjoyed exploring the characters as older women and the challenges that go with ageing.

She said: “The characters are 55 so they’re in menopause. And menopause is the punchline of a lot of jokes and certainly has its unpleasant aspects. But it’s a time when women have spent decades looking after other people and can again focus on themselves: who am I? Who do I want to be?”

Cynthia added that she is “very proud” of the original ‘Sex and the City’ series – which aired between 1998 and 2004 – but admits that she wants to known for more than her role as Miranda.

The ‘Ratched’ actress said: “I’m very proud of the original series – despite it being occasionally tone deaf on race and gender – and being Miranda has opened up so many amazing roles for me over the years, but the further I get away from Miranda, the better they get, because people have stopped thinking of me as just that one character.

“But ‘Sex and the City’ gave me an adult career. And I’ll always be grateful for that.”

(Reuters) -The Omicron variant was estimated to be 58.6% of the coronavirus variants circulating in the United States for the week ending Dec. 25, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The fast-spreading variant was first detected in southern Africa and Hong Kong in November, with the first known case in the United States identified on Dec. 1 in a fully vaccinated person who had traveled to South Africa.

The agency also revised down the Omicron proportion for the week ending Dec. 18 to 22% from 73%, saying that there was a wide predictive interval posted in last week’s chart, in part because of the speed at which Omicron was increasing.

The Delta variant accounts for 41.1% of all U.S. COVID-19 cases as of Dec. 25, according to the public health agency’s data on Tuesday https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions.

Former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on Twitter https://twitter.com/ScottGottliebMD/status/1475848395768086529 that if the CDC’s new estimate of Omicron prevalence is precise then it suggests that a good portion of the current hospitalizations may still be driven by Delta infections.

The agency said the data includes modeled projection that may differ from weighted estimates generated at later dates.

(Reporing by Ankur Banerjee; Editing by Aditya Soni and Shailesh Kuber)

Montreal (AFP) – Award-winning Canadian filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallee has died at age 58, his publicist announced Sunday.

“Rest In Peace, Jean-Marc Vallee. The world is far less interesting without you in it,” Hive Communication Collective wrote on Instagram.

The Quebecois producer and director was Oscar-nominated for “Dallas Buyers Club” in 2013, for which actors Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto both took home Academy Awards.

In recent years, he has drawn acclaim for his work on HBO shows “Big Little Lies”, for which he won an Emmy award, and “Sharp Objects”.

US media reported that Vallee died suddenly in his cabin near Quebec City over the weekend.

The cause of death was not immediately known.

HBO said it was “shocked at the news of his sudden death.”

“Jean-Marc Vallee was a brilliant, fiercely dedicated filmmaker,” the company’s statement to The Hollywood Reporter said.

“Jean-Marc stood for creativity, authenticity and trying things differently,” Vallee’s producing partner Nathan Ross said in a statement shared with US media. 

“The maestro will sorely be missed but it comforts knowing his beautiful style and impactful work he shared with the world will live on.”

His other notable works included the Oscar-winning 2009 film “The Young Victoria” starring Emily Blunt and “Wild” in 2014, for which Reese Witherspoon earned an Oscar nomination.

By Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi

ZURICH (Reuters) – People in Switzerland will be able to legally change gender by a visit to the civil registry office from Jan. 1, putting the country at the forefront of Europe’s gender self-identification movement.

Switzerland joins Ireland, Belgium, Portugal and Norway as one of the few countries on the continent that allow a person to legally change gender without hormone therapy, medical diagnosis or further evaluation or bureaucratic steps.

Under the new rules written into Switzerland’s civil code, anyone aged 16 and above who is not under legal guardianship will be able to adjust their gender and legal name by self-declaration at the civil registry office. Younger people and those under adult protection will require guardian consent.

This marks a change from the current set of regionally prescribed standards in Switzerland, which often require a certificate from a medical professional confirming an individual’s transgender identity.

Some cantons – semi-autonomous regions in federal Switzerland – also require a person to undergo hormone treatment or anatomical transition in order to legally change gender, while, for a name change, proof could be required that the new name has already been unofficially in use for several years.

Switzerland, long known as socially conservative in the main, voted in September to legalise civil marriage https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/swiss-vote-allowing-same-sex-marriage-referendum-2021-09-26 and the right to adopt children for same-sex couples, one of the last countries in Western Europe to do so.

With the new gender change rules, Switzerland joins just two dozen countries worldwide aiming to decouple gender choice from medical procedures.

While some other European nations including Denmark, Greece and France have removed the requirement of medical procedures, including sex reassignment surgery, sterilisation or psychiatric evaluation, their rules require further steps or conditions.

Spain in June approved a draft bill https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/spains-government-approves-first-draft-gender-self-identification-bill-2021-06-29 allowing anyone over the age of 14 to change gender legally without a medical diagnosis or hormone therapy. Germany in 2018 became the first European government to introduce a third gender https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-lgbt-rights-idUSKBN1L1221 option but in June 2021 shot down two bills aiming to introduce gender self-identification. A new transgender member of parliament is hoping to address https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/two-transgender-women-win-seats-german-parliament-2021-09-27 that.

(Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi; Editing by Mark Heinrich)