ARMONK, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 30, 2023--

A source claimed that Kim Cattrall only consented to take part in Season 2 of the show under specific terms

The iPhone 15 officially made its debut last week and now we know more about

A legal battle appears set to erupt over the sale of a British author’s LGBT+- themed webcomic and graphic novel in Hungary, after Viktor Orban’s government attempted to ban a bookshop from selling it without closed packaging. The country’s second largest bookshop chain Lira has announced that it plans to take legal action after a Budapest government office fined it 12 million forints (£27,500), claiming it broke the law by selling Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper among other books for young adults without wrapping them in plastic foil. The sale of the Kent-born author’s book has fallen foul of a law passed by Mr Orban’s strongly Christian-conservative government banning the “display and promotion of homosexuality” to under-18s, a move viewed as resonating with rural voters ahead of his fourth-term election win in 2022. While the passage of the law in 2021 came despite strong criticism from human rights groups and the EU, the large fine now handed to Lira emerged on the same day that 38 countries, including Germany and the US, urged Budapest to protect the rights of LGBT+ people and scrap its discriminatory laws. Krisztian Nyary, a well-known author who works as creative director at Lira, told Reuters the fine was disproportionate, and criticised the law as vaguely worded as he indicated that the bookshop would respond legally. “As this is a resolution about a fine it cannot be appealed, it can only be attacked – in what way, our lawyers will assess,” he said. “We will use all legal means at our disposal.” Mr Nyary said that some publishers had already voluntarily wrapped their books in plastic coverings in an attempt to comply, but warned that it was not clear whether it was sufficient to place books affected by the law on a shelf for literature aimed for adults. He also said it was uncertain whether LGBT+-themed books meant for adults would also have to be wrapped up or if those could be sold without packaging, adding: “This is all not clear.” The law, which the government claims is aimed at protecting children, has caused anxiety in the LGBT+ community. It currently bans the display of LGBT+ content to minors in schools, literature, films, TV and adverts, while prohibiting the public display of products depicting gender reassignment. More than a dozen EU member states have backed legal action against the law – branded a “disgrace” by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen – in the European Court of Justice. In a statement reported by state news agency MTI this week, the Budapest metropolitan government office said an “investigation found that the books in question depicted homosexuality, but they were nevertheless placed in the category of children’s books and youth literature, and were not distributed in closed packaging”. While it is not the first time a Hungarian government office has fined a bookshop for violating the law, the fresh fine came ahead of a Pride march in Budapest on Saturday. Heartstopper has sold millions of copies and has been read more than 50 million times online, prompting streaming giant Netflix to release an adaptation of the ongoing series last April. Ms Oseman, a 28-year-old born in the Kent town of Chatham, who first secured a publishing deal aged 17, was handed two prizes at last year’s Children's and Family Emmy Awards and was nominated for a Bafta over the Netflix adaptation of Heartstopper, which also won Waterstones Book of the Year in 2022. Additional reporting by Reuters Read More Hungary's Orban bemoans liberal 'virus' at CPAC conference ‘Less drag queens, more Chuck Norris!’: Hungary’s Orban wows Republicans The Independent Pride List 2023: The LGBT+ people making change happen Netflix announces Heartstopper season 2 release date

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Jurors in Pittsburgh have begun considering whether the gunman in a white supremacist 2018 shooting at a local synagogue complex should get the death penalty. In June, Robert Bowers, who killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue, was convicted on 63 federal counts. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, experts called by his attorneys have been arguing in court in recent days that he was so mentally damaged by the time of the shooting he shouldn’t face the death penalty, which is forbidden against people with certain intellectual handicaps. They pointed out how Bowers had been in multiple psychiatric hospitals by the time he was 13 years old, diagnosed with depression and other ailments. As a teenager, he also attempted to kill his mother by spraying an aerosol toward her and trying to light it on fire. By 16, he was voluntarily committed again to a mental facility and had made “repeated suicide attempts,” according to the defence. Richard Rogers, a forensic psychologist who met with Bowers four times while he was in prison, told jurors the gunman showed signs of delusional thinking tied to his white supremacist ideas. “He did not just believe [his conduct] to be correct,” Mr Rogers said, “he believed it absolutely had to be done.” A majority of families whose loved ones died in the shooting have voiced their support for the death penalty in the case. “We are not a ruthless, uncompassionate people; we, as a persecuted people, understand when there is a time for compassion and when there is a time to stand up and say enough is enough — such violent hatred will not be tolerated on this earth,” they wrote in a 2022 letter in the Pittsburg Jewish Chronicle. “Our beloved 11 were taken from us in a brutal, cold-blooded act of hatred and violence. We, the undersigned, will feel further violated by letting the defendant have the easy way out. His crimes deserve the death penalty.” Others tied to the tragedy, the deadliest antisemitic shooting in US history, argued the death penalty violates Jewish tradition. “Jewish practice as I understand it does not — outside of self-defense — allow humans to take the lives of other humans. Not even the life of a murderer whose guilt is beyond doubt,” Beth Kissileff, whose husband, a rabbi, was in the Tree of Life facility during the shooting, wrote in The New York Times. “The death penalty does nothing to promote healing; it only continues more killing,” she added. The Independent and the nonprofit Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) have launched a joint campaign calling for an end to the death penalty in the US. The RBIJ has attracted more than 150 well-known signatories to their Business Leaders Declaration Against the Death Penalty - with The Independent as the latest on the list. We join high-profile executives like Ariana Huffington, Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, and Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson as part of this initiative and are making a pledge to highlight the injustices of the death penalty in our coverage. Read More A copycat Zodiac Killer terrorised New York years after the California original. This is how he got caught Pittsburgh synagogue killer has extensive history of mental illness, defense expert testifies Doctors give mixed testimony on whether tests show brain damage in the Pittsburgh synagogue killer

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Chris Eubank Jr and Liam Smith are set to square off again this weekend, eight months after the latter secured a TKO win over his fellow Briton. Smith, 35, upset the betting odds by beating Eubank Jr, 33, in the fourth round in Manchester, and the pair return to the scene of that clash on Saturday, as they meet at the AO Arena once more. • Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers After a bitter build to the boxers’ middleweight bout in January, in which Smith dropped Eubank Jr twice, fans are expecting more fireworks this week. Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is the fight? The fight is set to take place on Saturday 2 September at the AO Arena in Manchester. The main card is expected to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET), with ring walks for the main event due at around 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? In the UK, the event will air live on Sky Sports Box Office, at a cost of £19.95. Viewers do not need a Sky subscription to purchase the pay-per-view. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help: Get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Odds Eubank Jr – 11/8 Smith – 4/6 Draw – 16/1 Via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr (middleweight) Mark Heffron (C) vs Jack Cullen (British super-middleweight title) Adam Azim vs Aram Faniian (super-lightweight) Mikaela Mayer vs Silvia Bortot (women’s super-lightweight) Frankie Stringer vs Christian Lopez Flores (lightweight) Frazer Clarke vs David Allen (heavyweight) Florian Marku vs Dylan Moran (welterweight) Lauren Price vs TBA (women’s welterweight) Read More Liam Smith: ‘Chris Eubank Jr is a nightmare – not for me, for other people’ Oleksandr Usyk remains heavyweight champion but where does he go from here? Major controversy as Oleksandr Usyk beats Daniel Dubois after ‘low blow’ body shot

Unbeaten Arsenal plays at Chelsea in the Premier League and defending champion Manchester City hosts Brighton on Saturday