Broadcaster apologises after admitting claims against Benjamin Cohen and Anthony James were defamatoryThe BBC has apologised and paid “substantial” compensation to the couple behind the PinkNews website, after conceding that stories accusing them of sexual misconduct were false and defamatory.In a sweeping admission, the BBC accepted at the high court that a 2024 iPlayer documentary about the PinkNews founder Benjamin Cohen and his husband, Anthony James, called PinkNews: Behind Closed Doors, had made “a series of very serious, false, and defamatory allegations”. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/08/bbc-pays-compensation-pinknews-couple-false-sexual-misconduct-allegations-benjamin-cohen">Continue reading...</a>

Broadcaster apologises after admitting claims against Benjamin Cohen and Anthony James were defamatory

BBC pays compensation to PinkNews couple over false sexual misconduct allegations

Thinking Allowed, The Artificial Human and Free Thinking among other programmes hit by £500m cutsBBC Radio 4’s consumer rights show <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qps9">You and Yours</a> is to be axed after more than 50 years, becoming one of the latest victims of the corporation’s £500m cuts plan.The programme, once described by the former Radio 4 controller Mark Damazer as “one of the most important” on the station, is one of a handful to be cut as the BBC searches for shows that can be more easily adapted as podcasts. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/08/bbc-axes-radio-4-shows-you-and-yours-podcasts">Continue reading...</a>

Thinking Allowed, The Artificial Human and Free Thinking among other programmes hit by £500m cuts

BBC axes long-running Radio 4 show You and Yours in push towards podcasts

Béjar’s daughter was 14 when she told him Instagram was failing to keep her safe. So when he became part of Meta’s ‘wellbeing team’, he knew he had to speak out – and his testimony cost it billionsThe Social Reckoning hits cinemas this Friday, but the real world has already been working on a sequel – or rather, a threequel. Directed by Aaron Sorkin, the movie is a follow-up to The Social Network, detailing the further misadventures of Mark Zuckerberg and his social media empire, and in particular <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/24/frances-haugen-i-never-wanted-to-be-a-whistleblower-but-lives-were-in-danger">Frances Haugen</a>, the employee who in 2021 leaked internal documents that appeared to show Facebook was aware of the harms its products had inflicted.It’s no spoiler to reveal the film climaxes with Haugen’s testimony to the US Senate, on 5 October 2021. That very same day, Arturo Béjar, a consultant on the wellbeing team of Instagram (which is also owned by Facebook), hit send on a long-gestating <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theripcurrent.com/p/memo-to-zuckerberg-what-if-policy">email to Zuckerberg</a> and other senior Facebook executives on a similar theme. “I wanted to bring to your attention what I believe is a critical gap in how we as a company approach harm, and how the people we serve experience it,” Béjar began, before laying out some shocking statistics from his team’s survey. For example: 24.4% of 13-15-year-olds on Instagram said they had received unwanted advances, and 21.8% said they had been the target of bullying on the platform in the past seven days. Furthermore, 51% of Instagram users said they had had a bad or harmful experience in the past seven days. Only 1% of them reported it, and of those, 2% had the content taken down – so just 0.02%. This was a far greater degree of harm than the company’s existing measurements suggested. Zuckerberg never replied. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/08/arturo-bejar-interview-whistleblower-facebook-meta-mark-zuckerberg">Continue reading...</a>

Béjar’s daughter was 14 when she told him Instagram was failing to keep her safe. So when he became part of Meta’s ‘wellbeing team’, he knew he had to sp...

Why Arturo Béjar left Meta – and blew the whistle: ‘I don’t recall Mark ever being empathetic’

Matt Brittin fields questions on whether ‘bloated’ senior ranks are being spared and lays out iPlayer overhaulMatt Brittin, the BBC’s director general, has faced a barrage of accusations that frontline staff are being laid off instead of those from the “very bloated” senior ranks.In an all-staff call, Brittin conceded the BBC was “going to be smaller” but said it could still have a bigger impact. He said it needed to be “a bit more Elvis – a little less conversation, a little more action”. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/07/bbc-boss-matt-brittin-criticism-job-cuts-junior-staff">Continue reading...</a>

Matt Brittin fields questions on whether ‘bloated’ senior ranks are being spared and lays out iPlayer overhaul

BBC boss faces barrage of staff criticism over job cuts in junior ranks

Users reject site’s explanations after detailed instructions for writing response to post on popular forum were publishedMumsnet has denied using AI to produce content after detailed instructions to help an AI model write one of its popular “am I being unreasonable” (AIBU) posts appeared on a Mumsnet message board.Users of the long-established forum, which is known for its frank discussions of family tensions, were vexed when the AI prompt appeared in response to a user seeking advice about a family dilemma involving a neurodivergent uncle and a sick child. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/07/mumsnet-denies-using-ai-for-content-message-board-prompt">Continue reading...</a>

Users reject site’s explanations after detailed instructions for writing response to post on popular forum were published

Mumsnet denies using AI for content after prompt appears on message board

Ellison admits ‘good relationship’ with administration in remarks to reporters about newly merged media companyDavid Ellison, the chief executive of the newly formed media conglomerate Skydance, denied that he had “politicized” the company despite the close connection he has forged with Donald Trump’s White House over the 20 months of his administration.“We have a good relationship with this administration,” Ellison acknowledged to reporters at a Tuesday press briefing focused on the now-consummated merger of Paramount Skydance and CNN parent company Warner Bros Discovery. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/06/skydance-david-ellison-trump">Continue reading...</a>

Ellison admits ‘good relationship’ with administration in remarks to reporters about newly merged media company

David Ellison denies he has ‘politicized’ Skydance despite close Trump links

Mostafa Sepahvand, Farhad Javadi Manesh and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori did not dispute they surveilled targetsThree alleged Iranian spies carried out surveillance and reconnaissance to target journalists in the UK as part of a plan to commit “serious violence”, a court heard on Tuesday.Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, are charged with offences under the National Security Act. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/06/alleged-iranian-spies-planned-serious-violence-against-uk-journalists-court-hears">Continue reading...</a>

Mostafa Sepahvand, Farhad Javadi Manesh and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori did not dispute they surveilled targets

Alleged Iranian spies planned ‘serious violence’ against UK journalists, court hears

Exclusive: 10-year sponsorship extension at a 50% premium on last agreement crowns bonanza year for live venueO2 has struck a record deal thought to be in the region of £200m to retain the naming rights to the London venue the O2 in the largest renewal of its kind in UK history.The 10-year agreement will extend O2’s relationship until at least 2038. It cements the sponsorship as the second longest-running UK stadium naming rights deal after Arsenal’s partnership for the football club’s London ground, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/oct/07/o2-signs-record-deal-london-venue-the-o2-naming-rights">Continue reading...</a>

Exclusive: 10-year sponsorship extension at a 50% premium on last agreement crowns bonanza year for live venue

O2 signs record deal to keep London venue’s naming rights

Jaafar Ashtiyeh was covering violence against olive farmers when settlers set upon him with the butts of their rifles Armed Israeli settlers beat a photographer in the presence of Israeli soldiers, hospitalising him, as he covered worsening settler violence against olive farmers in the occupied West Bank.Jaafar Ashtiyeh, a 58-year-old veteran photographer for Agence France-Presse in Palestine, was assaulted by a group of settlers, who beat him with the butts of their rifles, despite him being marked as press. He was assaulted in view of about a dozen armed Israeli soldiers. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/06/israeli-settlers-beat-press-photographer-as-soldiers-watch-in-west-bank">Continue reading...</a>

Jaafar Ashtiyeh was covering violence against olive farmers when settlers set upon him with the butts of their rifles

Israeli settlers beat press photographer as soldiers watch in West Bank

After a windier road than expected, Paramount and Warner are now one, under the banner of Skydance, and the film industry is set for a shake-upHollywood’s big five have officially become the big four. Following a twist-filled saga that saw the century-old studio Warner Bros nearly acquired by the streaming giant Netflix, only to be outbid by Paramount owners Skydance, the company led by billionaire scion David Ellison. After facing legal opposition that ultimately crumbled, Warner Bros and Paramount are <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/oct/06/paramount-warner-bros-skydance-merger">officially under the same corporate roof</a>. They are divisions of Skydance, which joins Sony, Disney and Universal as the remaining major-studio players in Hollywood.The merger goes beyond film production. Eventually, the streaming services HBO Max and Paramount+ will merge into a single entity, though a timeline has not been disclosed. The television channels HBO, Showtime, CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, TNT, TBS and CNN are among many now owned by a single corporation. The presence of CNN on that list has brought particular scrutiny, given the post-Skydance meddling with the once-respected CBS News, resulting in a rocky stewardship from Bari Weiss, who has overseen a dip in both ratings and prestige for the flagship program 60 Minutes. Weiss isn’t expected to add CNN to her purview; <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/05/mark-thompson-cnn-chief-paramount-sale">current chair Mark Thompson will remain in place for now</a>, and Skydance has insisted that CNN will remain editorially independent. But given Ellison’s chumminess with Donald Trump, who has long ranted incoherently about CNN’s supposed biases, the presence of an oversight board with Ellison appointees has been cold comfort. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/oct/07/paramount-warner-bros-skydance-merger-explainer">Continue reading...</a>

After a windier road than expected, Paramount and Warner are now one, under the banner of Skydance, and the film industry is set for a shake-up

Goodbye Warner, hello Skydance: how will the major merger really impact Hollywood?

The triple release of The Social Reckoning, Musk and Artificial is less a clear political stance, more like movie studio opportunismHollywood is sending a clear message: it’s a friend of tech. Netflix is no longer a lone disruptor: historic studio MGM is now the property of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos; David Ellison’s takeover of Paramount and subsequent Warner Bros merger was supported by his tech giant father; and Apple TV has acted as a patron for multiple film-maker passion projects. Everyone, including trendy auteur-factory A24, is tying themselves financially to AI.The enormous pull of the tech industry – including its many trillions of dollars, oversized influence on politics and heavily pushed algorithms and AI products – means Hollywood is not alone in courting its wealth, but it has intensified the historic tension between art and commerce in the entertainment business. Technology that augments the human experience may be a compelling narrative subject, but this year brings a trio of films about the gurus responsible for the industry’s false promises. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/oct/07/the-social-reckoning-musk-and-artificial-zuckerberg-musk-and-altman-movies-tech">Continue reading...</a>

The triple release of The Social Reckoning, Musk and Artificial is less a clear political stance, more like movie studio opportunism

Will the Zuckerberg, Musk and Altman movies make a dent on tech giant evangelism?

Jeremy Strong’s slow-talking Facebook founder turns into a cameo, background to a thriller about a whistleblower that somehow never mentions TrumpHere is a film for all those people who solemnly deplore social media in conversation but haven’t quite got round to deleting their accounts. Sixteen years have gone by since <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/14/the-social-network-review">The Social Network</a>, written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher; this was the addictive, obsessive-compulsive movie about the birth of Facebook in Harvard’s macho-competitive cauldron of student sexism and nerdy self-pity, starring Jesse Eisenberg as the fast-talking, arrogant, not-necessarily-evil genius Mark Zuckerberg. Now Sorkin is back with a sequel of sorts, directing his own script – and now Zuckerberg is basically evil, but also weirdly slow talking, as if all the zinging, smart-alecky Sorkinesque dialogue energy of the first film has been siphoned away in early middle age and dispersed among the insurgents in the new cast.Sorkin’s jittery, funny, syncopated style is unmistakable, as distinctive in its way as David Mamet, although he has one joke about “spatula” being a Yiddish word that he <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/six-jewish-words-no-journalist-can-live-without/amp/">has borrowed from Philip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint</a>. It is the story of how in 2021, Zuckerberg’s Facebook empire was challenged by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/24/frances-haugen-i-never-wanted-to-be-a-whistleblower-but-lives-were-in-danger">courageous whistleblower-employee Frances Haugen</a> and Wall Street Journal investigative reporter Jeff Horwitz, who were on a mission to tell the world how Zuckerberg, scared by falling revenue, changed the algorithm so that engagement was supercharged by rage bait and hate speech, malice and envy. Facebook, moreover, didn’t factcheck political ads, thus driving a huge, nationwide surge in extremist groups and teen bullying and becoming a major player in the Capitol riots. (Having said that, this film does not say aloud the word “Trump” and rather cravenly declines to specify Maga activity.) <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/oct/07/the-social-reckoning-review-aaron-sorkin-jeremy-strong-mikey-madison">Continue reading...</a>

Jeremy Strong’s slow-talking Facebook founder turns into a cameo, background to a thriller about a whistleblower that somehow never mentions Trump

The Social Reckoning review – Aaron Sorkin’s jittery sequel with all-new evil puppet Zuckerberg

From Carrie’s bullies to Cathy Ames, sympathetic backstories have made villains boring. It’s time to bring back truly awful villains – in all their deliciously sinful gloryThe new Netflix adaptation of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/oct/01/east-of-eden-review-florence-pugh-john-steinbeck">East of Eden</a> largely sticks to the plot of the John Steinbeck novel. There are tweaks – the introduction of a wedding photograph, for example, which becomes a significant item – but otherwise, it is faithful to the book. That is, in terms of the plot. There has already been some discussion about what it has done to Cathy Ames, played with considerable ferocity by Florence Pugh. Cathy, who later changes her name to Kate, kills her parents by burning down the family house. She shoots her husband, Adam, and leaves her baby sons wailing and alone. She slowly poisons the brothel madam Faye, a woman who acts as a mentor to her and treats her as a daughter, while simultaneously tricking her into leaving her everything in her will. In the book, Steinbeck lets Kate reflect on killing Faye. She finds that she has “no feeling” about it at all.She is a brilliant, brutal character, but on television, she becomes something else: complicated. Her cruelty remains intact, but Pugh and showrunner Zoe Kazan have fleshed her out and given reasons for her fury. They invent a scene that implies Cathy was abused as a child by two men in the woods, and when she takes her final bow, the series returns to this moment in flashback, suggesting that her campaign of destruction has been shaped by a life of trauma and pain. In Steinbeck’s hands, Cathy is cold and unfeeling. In the 2020s, Cathy is more sympathetic and less of a brute. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/oct/07/cruel-torment-depraved-violence-evil-turns-where-did-tvs-real-baddies-go">Continue reading...</a>

From Carrie’s bullies to Cathy Ames, sympathetic backstories have made villains boring. It’s time to bring back truly awful villains – in all their delic...

Cruel torment, depraved violence, evil turns: where did TV’s real baddies go?

End of News Feed

With over a thousand emails, slides, texts, and documents from the United States v. Elizabeth Holmes trial, Extend engineer Bo Lau created a website that simulates what it might have been like to rifle through the Theranos founder's desk.

With over a thousand emails, slides, texts, and documents from the United States v. Elizabeth Holmes trial, Extend engineer Bo Lau created a website that...

Pretend you’re sitting at Elizabeth Holmes’ desk on this weirdly detailed website

Three fired OpenAI safety researchers dispute allegations of mishandling sensitive information, warning in an open letter that their dismissals are creating a chilling effect on the company’s AI safety culture.

Three fired OpenAI safety researchers dispute allegations of mishandling sensitive information, warning in an open letter that their dismissals are creat...

Fired OpenAI safety researchers dispute misconduct claims, warn of chilling effect

A fictionalized Sam Bankman-Fried is coming to your TV screen on November 19.

Watch the trailer for ‘The Altruists,’ Netflix’s show about the FTX scandal

Ben Affleck is going viral for his deep knowledge of AI, from neural networks and transformers to open weights. The actor, who sold his AI filmmaking startup to Netflix earlier this year, is proving he's more than just a Hollywood star.

Ben Affleck is going viral for his deep knowledge of AI, from neural networks and transformers to open weights. The actor, who sold his AI filmmaking sta...

Ben Affleck is an AI nerd, and the internet is impressed

The company behind the popular LMArena leaderboard has raised $200 million led by Lightspeed and Khosla, and is now measuring AI models on alignment issues such as lying.

The company behind the popular LMArena leaderboard has raised $200 million led by Lightspeed and Khosla, and is now measuring AI models on alignment issu...

Popular AI leaderboard Arena nearly doubles valuation to $3.1B valuation in 10 months

It had previously been reported that the AI lab's annualized revenue was some $70 billion, but a new report claims it's a whole lot less than that. 

OpenAI’s revenue is reportedly $20 billion less than previously projected

Google is turning Gemini into an AI agent that can plan, execute tasks, and work across business apps and systems. The agent can delegate work to subagents, use multiple AI models, and even gets its own workplace identity, complete with an email address.

Google is turning Gemini into an AI agent that can plan, execute tasks, and work across business apps and systems. The agent can delegate work to subagen...

Google brings agentic AI to Gemini, starting with businesses

Anthropic's updated usage policy explicitly prohibits users from repeatedly abusing Claude in extreme cases, though ordinary frustration and criticism are still allowed. The new rules also address election interference, deceptive campaigns, weapons software, and surveillance.

Anthropic's updated usage policy explicitly prohibits users from repeatedly abusing Claude in extreme cases, though ordinary frustration and criticism ar...

Anthropic changes usage policy to ban model abuse and election interference

OpenAI's flood of proofs deviated from the guidelines set by a group of mathematical researchers consulted by the frontier lab. 

OpenAI’s math solutions aren’t meeting the field’s standards yet

Richard Bronson, a former Stratton Oakmont partner who served time in federal prison for securities violations, has launched Commissary Club, a startup that uses AI to help people leaving prison find jobs, housing, community, and even dates.

Richard Bronson, a former Stratton Oakmont partner who served time in federal prison for securities violations, has launched Commissary Club, a startup t...

A startup founder who served time in prison is looking to court an untapped market: ex-cons

Natura’s $99 Interface smart ring lets you summon AI agents with the press of a finger to complete tasks, capture thoughts, and control devices — while doubling as a health tracker.

Natura’s $99 Interface smart ring lets you summon AI agents with the press of a finger to complete tasks, capture thoughts, and control devices — while d...

Natura’s $99 smart ring puts AI agents on your finger

Goodfire just launched what it says is a cheaper way to keep AI agents in check: Instead of paying a second AI to read everything an agent does, its monitors peek inside the model while it works and only call in backup when something looks fishy.

Goodfire just launched what it says is a cheaper way to keep AI agents in check: Instead of paying a second AI to read everything an agent does, its moni...

Goodfire says its new ‘inside-out’ monitors catch rogue AI agents at a fraction of the cost

The other firms being suspended from the program include Capgemini, Cognizant, HCL, Infosys, Tata, and Wipro.

US bars Microsoft, Adobe, and major IT firms from green card program for skilled foreign workers

“Is Ambani the real boss of India?” Elon Musk asked as he questioned why Starlink has yet to launch its satellite internet service in the country.

Elon Musk questions Ambani’s influence as Starlink India launch stalls

New York’s lawsuit against the company is one of more than two dozen cases brought by states accusing the social media giant of designing its platform to encourage addictive use among children.

New York’s lawsuit against the company is one of more than two dozen cases brought by states accusing the social media giant of designing its platform to...

New York alleges TikTok gave teens, children a placebo safety feature instead of a real one

The hackers alerted the fashion giant's customers through a push notification that said they had "fully compromised" the company's cloud storage.

Asos confirms breach of customer data after hackers send rogue app notification

Ambrosia Energy CEO Ben Longmier and Bloom Energy SVP Bill Thayer join the Smart Systems Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt. Register now to save up to $100. Grab a second of the same pass to save 50%.

Ambrosia Energy CEO Ben Longmier and Bloom Energy SVP Bill Thayer join the Smart Systems Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt. Register now to save up to $100. Gr...

Hear from Ambrosia Energy and Bloom Energy execs on where the AI infrastructure boom is creating opportunity at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

The company launched technology.spotify.com, a new site that will make its internal tech available to outsiders.

Spotify is getting more serious about selling enterprise software

This is the first time the Alphabet-owned company has turned to debt financing. 

Waymo locks in $5B loan from Blackstone, PIMCO to fuel robotaxi expansion

Zach Yadegari, the teen co-founder of popular Cal AI calorie tracking app, has launched a new personal AI agent startup that competes with Instinct, Muse, and Bee.

Zach Yadegari, the teen co-founder of popular Cal AI calorie tracking app, has launched a new personal AI agent startup that competes with Instinct, Muse...

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