#50: BRAZIL BANS COMEDIAN FROM MAKING OFFENSIVE JOKES

Muslim soccer player fined for refusing to wear rainbow jersey + Pfizer wants 2.2 billion euro "cancellation fee" for unused doses + apprenticeship for "meat-free" chefs + MORE!

BRAZIL COURT BANS CONTROVERSIAL COMEDIAN FROM MAKING JOKES

Brazilian comedian and actor Léo Lins has been censored by a court order that prohibits him from making jokes about minorities on his YouTube channel. The court also imposed restrictions on his movements and activities, requiring him to report to the authorities once a month.

The court order also prevents Lins from leaving the São Paulo region for over 10 days without judicial authorization. He is also barred from downloading videos, texts or photos from the internet.

Lins, who is known for his controversial and provocative humor, had uploaded a controversial comedy special on his YouTube channel. The video had more than 3.3 million views before it was deleted by the court order.

The court order was issued by a judge who accepted a request from the Prosecution Service to remove the content. 

According to the ruling, Lins’ jokes could incite hatred and discrimination against vulnerable groups.

Lins denounced the court order as a violation of his freedom of expression and artistic creativity. He said that the show did not violate any YouTube norms and that it was even monetized.

He also warned that the decision would set a dangerous precedent for art.

The case has sparked a debate in Brazil about the limits of humor and the role of the judiciary in regulating artistic expression. Several comedians and celebrities have expressed their support for Lins and criticized the court order as an act of censorship.

Lins has said that he will appeal the court order and that he will continue to make jokes regardless of the consequences.

MUSLIM ATHLETE FINED FOR REFUSING TO WEAR PRIDE JERSEY

FC Nantes has fined Egyptian player Mostafa Mohamed after he refused to play a game against Toulouse while wearing a rainbow pride jersey.

Mohamed cited his personal religious beliefs as a Muslim as being the refusal to don the jersey and has denied accusations that he’s homophobic.

"First of all, Nantes would like to repeat its commitment in the fight against homophobia," said FC Nantes.

"Mostafa Mohamed, a striker for FC Nantes, refused to play in the match against Toulouse for personal reasons. To this end, the Nantes directors decided to punish him financially."

Mohamed is not the only soccer player to refuse to play in a game featuring pride jerseys. Tolouse forward Zakaria Aboukhlal recently refused to play a match because it went against his beliefs.

“I respect everyone’s choices and preferences but I don’t want to wear something that goes against my beliefs,” said Aboukhlal on social media.

“I am not homophobic or racist, I have friends who are gay and from different backgrounds. I just want to stay true to myself and my values.”

PFIZER REQUIRES EU TO PAY €2.2 BILLION TO DISPOSE OF UNUSED VACCINES

The EU is stuck with a huge surplus of Covid-19 vaccine doses from Pfizer, and it has to pay a cancellation fee of €2.2 billion euros to get rid of them.

A contract with Pfizer and BioNTech was first signed by the EU in December 2020 for 1.1 billion doses of their mRNA vaccine, at the height of the pandemic and amid fears of vaccine shortages.

However, as vaccination rates have fallen off a cliff in recent months due to the pandemic subsiding and vaccine hesitancy rising, the EU finds itself with a glut of doses that it cannot use or donate before they expire.

The Commission is trying to renegotiate the terms of the contract with Pfizer, but the exact details haven't been made public.

According to Polish Health Minister Adam Niedzielski, who has been leading the charge to reopen the contract, the company is continuing to put profits ahead of citizens’ interests.

"Instead of showing solidarity, the company still wants to make money from funds allocated by EU Member States solely for the protection of public health," Niedzielski wrote.

Pfizer has defended its contract as fair and transparent, but has said that it is willing to talk with the Commission.

GERMANY WANTS TO FUND APPRENTICESHIP FOR “MEAT-FREE” CHEFS

Germany's Grünen Gastro-Verbands, a green gastronomy association, has proposed to create a new apprenticeship for "vegan or vegetarian cooks".

The association argues that there is a need for more skilled chefs who can prepare plant-based dishes for different occasions and customers.

The apprenticeship would last three years and would cover topics such as vegan nutrition, food hygiene, menu planning and cooking techniques.

The proposal has received support from some politicians and animal welfare groups, who see it as a way to promote sustainable and ethical food choices.

However, it has also faced criticism from some traditional chefs and meat industry representatives, who claim that it would undermine the culinary heritage and diversity of German cuisine.

They argue that vegan and vegetarian cooking is not a separate profession, but rather a specialization that can be learned within the existing apprenticeship for cook.

JAWS ACTOR RICHARD DREYFUSS SAID OSCAR’S DIVERSITY RULES “MAKE ME VOMIT”

Richard Dreyfuss, the Oscar-winning actor known for his roles in Jaws and The Goodbye Girl, has expressed his strong opposition to the new diversity rules for the Academy Awards, saying they "make me vomit".

The new rules, announced in 2020, require films to meet at least two of four standards of representation and inclusion in order to qualify for the best picture category starting from 2024.

The standards cover areas such as on-screen representation, creative leadership, industry access and audience development.

"They make me vomit," said Dreyfuss.

"No one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give into the latest, most current idea of ​​what morality is."

Dreyfuss told PBS' Firing Line that he considered the rules an infringement on artistic freedom and a form of patronizing morality. He said that no one should tell him as an artist what he can or cannot do, and that he did not think any group in the country had to be catered to like that.

"Am I being told that I will never have a chance to play a Black man?" asked Dreyfuss.

“Is someone else being told that if they're not Jewish, they shouldn't play the Merchant of Venice?”should not be legislated.