Rantzen announced lung cancer diagnosis in 2023 and became a vocal assisted-dying campaigner • <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/sep/30/from-childline-to-changing-tv-for-ever-esther-rantzen-revolutionary-life">From Childline to changing TV for ever: Esther Rantzen’s revolutionary life</a> • <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/gallery/2026/sep/30/esther-rantzen-from-thats-life-to-childline-in-pictures">Esther Rantzen: from That’s Life! to Childline – in pictures</a>Esther Rantzen, the Bafta-winning TV presenter and founder of Childline, has died aged 86.In a statement, her family paid tribute to “the most wonderful mother” and “cherished grandmother”, whose “legacy of compassion and understanding will live on in her charities Childline and the Silverline, and through those of us who were lucky enough to love and be loved by her”. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/sep/30/esther-rantzen-dies">Continue reading...</a>

Rantzen announced lung cancer diagnosis in 2023 and became a vocal assisted-dying campaigner• From Childline to changing TV for ever: Esther Rantzen’s re...

Esther Rantzen, TV presenter and Childline founder, dies aged 86

Exclusive: Culture secretary says UK will crack down further and be ‘pioneer of tech as a force for good’Lisa Nandy has warned technology firms that the government’s online safety crackdown is not finished, saying that banning under-16s from social media platforms is only a “staging post”.Earlier this year the government announced that <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/12/uk-to-ban-under-16s-from-high-risk-social-media-apps">teenagers under the age of 16 would be banned</a> from accessing “high-risk” social media apps, while safer platforms would be subjected to restrictions.This article was amended on 30 September 2026. An earlier version said the UK’s upcoming social media ban would include “restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds on websites that allow infinite scrolling and algorithmic content”; in fact, these restrictions are planned but do not yet have a determined date. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/30/lisa-nandy-social-media-ban-online-safety-culture-secretary">Continue reading...</a>

Exclusive: Culture secretary says UK will crack down further and be ‘pioneer of tech as a force for good’

Nandy says children’s social media ban only ‘staging post’ in online safety drive

The Traitors and big film shoots help boost economy but some highlight lack of opportunities for local talentScotland’s striking Ardross Castle, the oldest star of The Celebrity Traitors, which kicks off on Thursday night, is just one of the stops on the Scottish tourist board’s “screen tourism” trail. From Outlander and The Odyssey filming in the Highlands and islands, to Glasgow city centre standing in for New York and Gotham City in the latest instalments of Indiana Jones and Batman respectively, film and TV is increasingly big business in Scotland.The country’s screen sector, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.screen.scot/news/2025/october/new-research-shows-scotlands-screen-sector-on-course-to-contribute-one-billion-to-scottish-economy">growing year on year</a>, is projected to be worth £1bn to the economy by 2030. But while some have celebrated the upsides of a booming production sector, others highlight a lack of opportunities for Scottish talent and the challenges of excessive tourism in areas featured on screen. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/sep/30/crews-filming-in-scotland-told-to-hire-local-as-industry-booms">Continue reading...</a>

The Traitors and big film shoots help boost economy but some highlight lack of opportunities for local talent

Scottish screen sector boom brings questions over jobs and overtourism

Kimya Holmes’s police report over a news segment on a real-estate transaction invokes law that no longer existsA <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/new-orleans">New Orleans</a> state court judge filed a police complaint against a local CBS affiliate after it aired a segment scrutinizing a real-estate transaction in which she was involved, with the jurist invoking a section of law that no longer carries criminal penalties, according to the journalist who reported the story.The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/investigations/new-orleans-judge-filed-criminal-complaint-against-wwl-under-repealed-law-provisions/289-9ecb62fe-43af-4f5e-b788-101b8639e8e1">situation</a> centering on New Orleans criminal court judge Kimya Holmes and investigative reporter <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/profile/david-hammer">David Hammer</a> was only the latest in a series of high-profile matters pitting Louisiana journalists against members of the state’s court system. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/30/new-orleans-judge-criminal-case-cbs-affiliate">Continue reading...</a>

Kimya Holmes’s police report over a news segment on a real-estate transaction invokes law that no longer exists

New Orleans judge files police complaint against CBS affiliate over reporting

Kenjiro Tsuda wins case against TikTok account in landmark Japanese verdict to protect publicity rightsA court in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/japan">Japan</a> has ruled that the human voice has legal protection after a landmark case involving a well-known actor and a TikTok account that he claimed had cloned his “lustrous” baritone voice in its AI-generated videos.Tokyo district court said on Wednesday that voices should enjoy the same protection as publicity rights, at the end of a closely watched legal action brought against TikTok by Kenjiro Tsuda – best known for voicing the character Kento Nanami in the anime Jujutsu Kaisen. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/30/ai-tool-copied-actor-kenjiro-tsuda-tokyo-court">Continue reading...</a>

Kenjiro Tsuda wins case against TikTok account in landmark Japanese verdict to protect publicity rights

AI tool that copied actor’s ‘lustrous’ voice violated his rights, Tokyo court rules

Co-founder of independent website Tapajós de Fato said decision was made to protect journalists and their familiesFour years ago, during Brazil’s last presidential election, the tyres were slashed on the pickup truck used for reporting by Tapajós de Fato, an independent journalism website in the Brazilian Amazon.Days later, a cat’s severed head was left next to the car park, alongside a note bearing the name of one of the site’s founders, Marcos Wesley Pedroso, and a warning that he would be next. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/30/brazil-newspaper-threats-tapajos-de-fato">Continue reading...</a>

Co-founder of independent website Tapajós de Fato said decision was made to protect journalists and their families

‘We’re afraid of dying’: Brazilian news site will not cover upcoming elections after threats

In a new documentary, film-maker Erin Lee Carr lifts the lid on the 2000s TV series that shocked AmericaIt was in 2003, while listening to country radio, that Kelly first heard the casting call: “Have you dreamed about plastic surgery but never thought you could afford it?” She immediately turned up the volume. The pitch sounded too good to be true: free cosmetic procedures, a nutritionist, self-esteem work – one “life-changing opportunity” that “could transform everything”. Kristy, Cindy, Tawnya and Beth heard the call, too: the chance to overhaul oneself from the outside in, fulfilling the implicit but omnipresent promise that if you just lost a little weight and just tweaked your face a bit, your whole life would open up. You, too, could be an ugly duckling transfigured into a swan.The catch? It would all be filmed for television, of course, for a short-lived show that some have called one of the most sadistic of all time: The Swan. The Fox reality program, which ran for two seasons in 2004, brought the spectacle of intensive plastic surgery – the endurance of extreme pain and humiliation in pursuit of a narrow beauty ideal – to US living rooms with shocking bluntness: bandages and bruises, surgical cannulas pounding into flesh, curt assessments of lumps and bumps and “masculine” teeth that must be corrected in pursuit of a better you. Even among similarly thin-obsessed programs from the infamously ruthless wild west of early reality television – <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/feb/15/americas-next-top-model-antm-netflix-series">America’s Next Top Model</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/aug/15/fit-for-tv-the-reality-of-the-biggest-loser-review-netflix">The Biggest Loser</a>, to name a few – The Swan stands out as especially cruel, at once hopelessly bought into punitive beauty standards on-screen and shamelessly manipulative off it. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/30/the-swan-behind-the-mirror-hulu">Continue reading...</a>

In a new documentary, film-maker Erin Lee Carr lifts the lid on the 2000s TV series that shocked America

The Swan contestants on the ‘sadistic’ pageant reality show: ‘Ultimately, we were just a job’

White House has labeled ads ‘public service announcements’ and has responded defiantly to criticismFederal regulators have been urged to stop the broadcast of White House advertisements promoting Donald Trump that critics say amount to government propaganda and violate laws against using public money to promote partisan causes.Public Citizen, an advocacy group, called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to intervene and block further airing of three ads it <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.citizen.org/article/complaint-against-broadcasters-airing-president-donald-trumps-campaign-commercials-paid-for-by-taxpayer-dollars/">said</a> were “designed to boost the image and character of Donald Trump” as part of the Republicans’ campaign for November’s midterm elections. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/30/trump-campaign-ads-violate-federal-law">Continue reading...</a>

White House has labeled ads ‘public service announcements’ and has responded defiantly to criticism

Trump campaign ads paid with public money violate federal law, critics say

Green energy entrepreneur plans rescue package for the group behind the Camden New Journal, Islington Tribune and Westminster ExtraThe green energy entrepreneur and Labour donor Dale Vince is planning to launch a London-wide news operation, as part of a “rescue” of one of the capital’s most highly regarded local newspapers.Vince, who has vowed to take on what he sees as rightwing bias in the UK media, said he would invest “whatever it takes” to support the loss-making group behind the Camden New Journal (CNJ), Islington Tribune and Westminster Extra. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/sep/29/dale-vince-london-newspapers-rightwing-press-bias">Continue reading...</a>

Green energy entrepreneur plans rescue package for the group behind the Camden New Journal, Islington Tribune and Westminster Extra

Dale Vince plans London-wide news operation to take on ‘rightwing bias’ in the media

PM’s oratory at least as good as Blair’s, says Andrew Marr, while Mail asks who pays for Honest Andy’s ‘New Jerusalem’<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/sep/30/andy-burnham-eu-brexit-rejoin-customs-union-fuel-duty-budget-latest-news-updates">UK politics live – latest updates</a></li></ul>When assessing British political speeches, even many critics of the New Labour years measure success against Tony Blair, a leader whose podium appearances are regarded as the peak of oratory.On that measure, Andrew Marr, the former BBC political editor and now the New Statesman’s chief political commentator, reached for the ultimate accolade. “Rather to my surprise, I have to report Andy Burnham is at least as good a platform speaker” as Blair, he said. “Perhaps better.” <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/sep/30/what-papers-say-andy-burnham-speech-labour-conference">Continue reading...</a>

PM’s oratory at least as good as Blair’s, says Andrew Marr, while Mail asks who pays for Honest Andy’s ‘New Jerusalem’

‘Oozing everyman charm’: what the papers say about Andy Burnham’s speech

This Northern Ireland-set police drama has never felt like this before … Race riots, organised crime and institutional politics bring it bang up to dateBlue Lights has always been a very modern cop drama. Its tales of everyday callouts, fractious office relationships and complex long-term efforts to smash organised crime have all played out against the backdrop of post-Troubles Belfast, where lingering sectarian resentments make enforcing the law even harder than it is in the rest of austerity-era UK. But it’s never been explicitly topical: it’s never felt as if it is reading today’s national news headlines with the same appalled gaze as the rest of us. Until now.Our fourth visit to Blackthorn station pitches us and the police into a race riot. A centre offering support and resources to refugees is hosting a fete, which is a positive contribution to the area for those open to it: station sergeant and amateur baker Stevie (Martin McCann) marvels at the texture of Syrian pastry at an event that has been allocated minimal police presence. Minutes later, the whole squad has rushed to the scene to hold a line against an angry mob who want immigrants out of Northern Ireland. Bricks fly. Lives are in danger. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/sep/29/blue-lights-review-bbc">Continue reading...</a>

This Northern Ireland-set police drama has never felt like this before … Race riots, organised crime and institutional politics bring it bang up to date

Blue Lights review – TV’s most thrilling cop show turns up the heat

Swedish-American actor exhumed for bizarre, humourless 99 seconds that give us another reason to resent AIPoor Greta Garbo.Perhaps, in life, she thought her final indignity would be the Peter Cook and Dudley Moore TV sketch from 1970, showing Pete as the legendary recluse standing on the back of a flatbed truck as it rumbles through the crowded city streets, shouting at everyone through a megaphone: “I vant to be alone!” <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/30/skf-advert-review-lets-hope-this-dull-ai-greta-garbo-is-not-the-future">Continue reading...</a>

Swedish-American actor exhumed for bizarre, humourless 99 seconds that give us another reason to resent AI

SKF advert review – let’s hope this dull AI Greta Garbo is not the future

Thank goodness for this antidote to today’s frantic shows that aim to grab our kids’ attentions the same way our phones grab oursAs a mum to a two-year-old in 2026 there is no shortage of things to make me feel bad about my capabilities as a parent. His snacks aren’t always organic or made from scratch. Some of his toys are plastic and noisy, not wooden and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2006/sep/29/schools.uk">Montessori</a>-inspired. And – most heinous of all – he is sometimes allowed screen time.Like any good, middle-class millennial mother, I try to approach it “consciously”. There are specific TV conditions in our house – he can watch post-nap to ward off an afternoon meltdown, we always watch together, and we have a strict time-limit of 20 minutes. But more important than how he is watching is what he is watching. OG Thomas the Tank Engine (complete with Ringo Starr’s iconic voiceover), Pingu, Sesame Street, early Wallace and Gromit. I have joined a growing number of parents who almost exclusively choose 90s TV for their children, the very same shows we watched as kids.Natalie Morris is the author of Mixed/Other: Explorations of Multiraciality in Modern Britain <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/28/play-school-tv-toddler-children-phones">Continue reading...</a>

Thank goodness for this antidote to today’s frantic shows that aim to grab our kids’ attentions the same way our phones grab ours

Play School is back – and with it the promise of TV I’m actually happy for my toddler to watch | Natalie Morris

End of News Feed

Flow Engineering, which is bringing AI agents to hardware design, also landed Roelof Botha as an angel investor and board member.

Valor, Atreides, and Sequoia back AI startup Flow Engineering at $750M valuation

VC Chris Degnan and former board advisor to Factory AI has taken a job as chief revenue officer for Cognition.

Factory CEO just accused his VC board advisor of spying for Cognition

Spotify founder Daniel Ek’s Neko Health raised $700 million to build a business around scanning your body, but it’s not the only company centering its roadmap around a new kind of preventative healthcare. Midjourney is building its own body scanner, while Function Health has also raised significant capital to build out its preventative-health platform. Why are investors betting so big on this category?  On this episode of TechCrunch&#8217;s&#160;Equity&#160;podcast, [&#8230;]

Spotify founder Daniel Ek’s Neko Health raised $700 million to build a business around scanning your body, but it’s not the only company centering its ro...

Is Neko Health’s body scan worth it? Spotify billionaire’s startup has come to America

The Department of Defense notified millions of current and former U.S. military personnel that their personal information had been stolen in a months-long breach.

The Department of Defense notified millions of current and former U.S. military personnel that their personal information had been stolen in a months-lon...

Hackers stole millions of US military personnel records during months-long data breach

DoorDash unveiled the six-propeller aircraft that will be used in its new drone delivery business at its annual Dash Forward 2026 event.

DoorDash’s drone strategy started on the ground

The new BMW 3 Series shows just how quickly EVs have caught up to fossil fuel vehicles on pricing.

BMW built the same car for gas and electric. The EV is $4,400 cheaper.

OpenAI's "Decisions API" is a Jev clone that confirms the importance of fast, cheap intelligence. 

OpenAI’s Jev clone could help the frontier lab stop its swarming agents

The $300 million employee tender was co-led by Wellington and T. Rowe Price.

AI voice startup ElevenLabs doubles valuation to $22B

Reddit is ending support for RSS feeds, as the company continues tightening access to its trove of user-generated content.

Reddit is killing RSS feeds and ending public API access because of AI bots

There’s a reason frontier labs have gotten gun-shy about consumer AI — and it’s not because the tech isn’t good enough.

The ugly economics of consumer AI

Meta says its Muse AI agent cannot access a user’s Messages without explicit permission, disputing a journalist’s account that the agent read his private messages while the required Mac setting was turned off.

Meta says its Muse AI agent cannot access a user’s Messages without explicit permission, disputing a journalist’s account that the agent read his private...

Meta disputes claim that Muse read a user’s private messages without permission

By launching an AI agent for food ordering, DoorDash is looking to gain an edge over rivals Uber Eats and Grubhub. 

DoorDash launches an AI agent you can text to order food

"One of the biggest reasons we are winning against robotics companies is because we are not a robotics company."

Destro AI’s secret sauce is getting robots and humans on the same page

Instinct is rolling out human-curated product and travel recommendations, but some users aren’t happy about getting suggestions they never asked for.

Instinct’s new product recommendations are giving some users the ick

The order -- Harbinger's biggest ever -- comes as the startup is reportedly considering an IPO.

FedEx orders 2,000 electric trucks from Harbinger in $300M deal

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump and top AI leaders announced a signed pledge called a “Joint Commitment on Frontier Responsibilities” — a voluntary promise to implement more controls and safety measures as the rapid development of artificial intelligence continues. But there seems to be a catch.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump and top AI leaders announced a signed pledge called a “Joint Commitment on Frontier Responsibilities” — a voluntary pr...

Pledge signed by President Trump and top AI leaders misspells the United States

Fitbit Air costs around $146 in India, roughly $47 more than its U.S. pricing.

Google launches Fitbit Air in India, though its high price might deter the masses

This conversational AI assistant is intended to provide personalized feedback to creators, rather than generic advice.

Instagram rolls out an AI video assistant for creators

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, Cerebras Systems CEO and co-founder Andrew Feldman will explore the growing demand for compute, energy, and infrastructure, how Cerebras is approaching those constraints differently, and what comes next if today’s AI hardware reaches its limits.

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, Cerebras Systems CEO and co-founder Andrew Feldman will explore the growing demand for compute, energy, and infrastructure, h...

Cerebras Systems’ Andrew Feldman on whether AI can keep scaling at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

Instead of building its durable execution engine on top of an external database, the company developed its own storage, replication, and redundancy layers. This architecture allows Restate to be exceptionally fast and lightweight.

Instead of building its durable execution engine on top of an external database, the company developed its own storage, replication, and redundancy layer...

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