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Photo: AFP Movie and television studio Alcon Entertainment has sued Tesla and Warner Bros Discovery over claims they used images tied to the film 'Blade Runner 2049' to promote Tesla's new autonomous cybercab. Alcon's California federal lawsuit alleged violations of US copyright law and accused Tesla of "false endorsement" for suggesting a relationship between Alcon and the Elon Musk-owned electric vehicle maker. "Any prudent brand considering any Tesla partnership has to take Musk's massively amplified, highly politicised, capricious and arbitrary behavior, which sometimes veers into hate speech, into account," the lawsuit said. Tesla and Warner Bros did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Warner Bros was Alcon's distributor for 'Blade Runner 2049', which won two 2018 Acad...

By Jonathan Stempel, Reuters Sean "Diddy" Combs has been hit with seven new sexual abuse lawsuits, as his lawyers asked the judge overseeing the music mogul's criminal sex trafficking case for a gag order against Combs' accusers and their lawyers. Sean "Diddy" Combs poses during the MTV Video Music Awards, 2023. Photo: Angela Weiss / AFP The civil lawsuits were made public on Sunday and Monday (local time) by four men and three women over alleged misconduct in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas dating to 2000 but mainly in 2022, the accusers' lawyer Tony Buzbee said on Facebook. Some lawsuits said unidentified celebrities also assaulted Combs' accusers. Combs, 54, faces least two dozen civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct, including 13 from Buzbee's firm. Combs has denie...

Theo Spierings. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook The former high-profile and controversial head of dairy co-operative Fonterra, Theo Spierings, has died. A brief statement issued through a consultancy he worked for said Spierings had died over the weekend in the Netherlands after a brief illness. "His legacy, and the impact he had on those he worked with and who knew him, will be remembered fondly." "At this difficult time, Theo's family has requested privacy. They appreciate the outpouring of love and support from around the world during this sad time." Spierings was involved in many high-profile moments for the company. Photo: RNZ Spierings, a 30-year veteran of the dairy industry in Europe and New Zealand, had returned to Holland after his resignation from Fonterra in 2018. He was appoint...

A non-contact version of rugby is hoping to stem the number of people leaving the sport over head injury concerns. Photo: Joseph Johnson England's Rugby Football Union (RFU) has announced plans to introduce a non-contact version of the game in schools with the aim of halting a decline in youth participation. An independent review commissioned by the national governing body "found evidence of decline in a number of schools with strong rugby traditions - driven by concern about injury and a widespread view amongst schools not playing rugby that it is a difficult game to introduce". Head injuries have become a major issue within the sport in recent years, with a group of former players currently involved in legal action against World Rugby and other governing bodies. The individuals allege...