SHANGHAI, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 19, 2023--

French energy giant TotalEnergies defended its strategy Friday after police teargassed climate activists outside its annual assembly and the French government urged the firm to speed...

Mauricio Pochettino says Nicolas Jackson must be given time to settle at Chelsea and compares his situation to Vinicius Junior's when he first started out at Real Madrid.

'The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On' couples will have eight weeks to decide whether to marry or move on

By Lananh Nguyen and Saeed Azhar NEW YORK Goldman Sachs bosses are considering fatter bonuses to retain star

Lance Bass also said that he already purchased Britney Spears’ memoir and was planning to 'read it on the plane'

Madison Beer released her new music video, 'Sweet Relief' from the album 'Silence Between Songs'

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

Australian inflation is being driven by climate change, geopolitical shocks and government policies — factors typically beyond the

FRANKFURT The European Central Bank on Wednesday told banks to step up how they manage struggling borrowers and

The Driving Crooner is popping up all over the shop, but who is he? A good Samaritan who picks up people who are way over-the-limit on a night out and drops them home is the easy answer, but the reality? He's the biggest meme from the new season of 'I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson'. Each season of the Netflix comedy has enjoyed a breakout skit with perhaps the defining one coming from the first season; The infamous 'hot dog man' - who is omnipresent in the replies of anything a politician ever tweets. A perfect response tweet to the ever-evolving disaster that is the 21st century. However, the Driving Crooner from the new season - season three - could be about to blow that away, and honestly; for no good reason apart from it being excruciatingly funny in the stupidest way. It's not a response to anything. It's just nuts. This explainer is not going to do it justice. Here are the memes, stay for the explanation. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter As explained, the skit starts with a man offering his number to colleagues so they avoid drink-driving (an accident had occurred to a colleague). One colleague takes the man up on this and calls him. Smartly dressed, he arrives taxi-like, picks the colleague up and drives off, starting some small talk. So far, so normal - but with only minutes in the sketch remaining, so many angles appear. Firstly, the man announces himself as The Driving Crooner - and nods to the decals on his driver-side window (a fedora and a cigar). Then he starts to scream and alter speeds as the traffic flows around him at speeds that do not line up the decals with his head (the others are trying to make him look fake). Then a bunch of "frats" arrive in an SUV and tell him they are going to kill him. Then he almost breaks out into tears wondering how he is ever going to make money from The Driving Crooner idea (it's too good, you see). Finally, he berates a dog-walker for "trying to steal his decals" (he is 50yds away, minimum). It's the perfect Tim Robinson skit of an earnest idea presented to the world by a man who thinks the world revolves around him, only to find out there is genuine lurking threat, a bit of sadness, and a whole lot of chaos. Go stream I Think You Should Leave right now. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The Minnesota Twins have added designated hitter Byron Buxton as an injury substitute to their AL Division Series roster prior to Game 4 against Houston