Ian Winter KC told Rosamund Urwin, whose investigation led to Brand’s victims coming forward, ‘I hope you are pleased with yourself’Russell Brand’s barrister has reported himself to his professional regulator after being accused of launching a tirade at a journalist shortly after the former comedian had been found guilty of rape.Ian Winter KC confronted the Sunday Times journalist Rosamund Urwin, whose investigation led to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/nov/06/met-police-chief-potential-victims-russell-brand-come-forward">Brand’s victims</a> coming forward, telling her: “I hope you are pleased with yourself.” <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/nov/06/russell-brand-barrister-ian-winter-reports-himself-bar-watchdog-confronting-sunday-times-journalist">Continue reading...</a>

Ian Winter KC told Rosamund Urwin, whose investigation led to Brand’s victims coming forward, ‘I hope you are pleased with yourself’

Russell Brand barrister reports himself to watchdog over confronting Sunday Times journalist

Regulator’s initial ruling says algorithm ‘can be harmful’ and led young and vulnerable viewers ‘down rabbit holes they can’t easily escape’<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2026/nov/06/global-stocks-tumble-ai-panic-markets-democrats-midterms-success-jobs-oil-dollar-latest-news-updates">Business live – latest updates</a></li></ul>TikTok has been charged by the European Commission with failing to protect users’ mental health by exposing them to a relentless stream of content that risks worsening eating disorders and anxiety in a case that strikes at its business model.Issuing a preliminary ruling on Friday, the EU regulator said TikTok’s algorithm “can be harmful” and was leading young and vulnerable users “down rabbit holes they cannot easily escape from”. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/nov/06/eu-charges-tiktok-failure-to-protect-users-mental-health">Continue reading...</a>

Regulator’s initial ruling says algorithm ‘can be harmful’ and led young and vulnerable viewers ‘down rabbit holes they can’t easily escape’

EU charges TikTok with failing to protect users’ mental health

Law bans social media platforms from providing minors features such as autoplay that lead to compulsive useGoogle, Meta and TikTok have sued California to block enforcement of ⁠a new state law intended ⁠to limit the risk ​of addicting children under 16 to social media platforms.The law, known as Assembly Bill 1709, prohibits such platforms from offering underage children “psychologically exploitative features” that could lead to compulsive use, such as providing ⁠personal recommendations and sending videos through autoplay features. It also requires the deletion of children’s accounts with those features. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/nov/05/california-children-social-media-lawsuit-tiktok-google-meta">Continue reading...</a>

Law bans social media platforms from providing minors features such as autoplay that lead to compulsive use

Google, Meta and TikTok sue California to block law protecting children from addiction risk

Website known for politics, arts and culture coverage announces closure just weeks before anniversarySalon, one of the early internet’s pioneering publications, is closing after more than three decades, the outlet announced on Thursday.“It’s difficult to find the right words for the end of something that has meant so much to so many people. Salon was never just a website,” Salon said in a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.salon.com/2026/11/05/goodbye-from-salon/">statement</a>. “It was an idea about what journalism could be, born at a moment when the internet was still a largely unexplored frontier.” <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/nov/05/salon-website-shuts-down">Continue reading...</a>

Website known for politics, arts and culture coverage announces closure just weeks before anniversary

Salon, internet’s oldest general interest publication, shuts down after 31 years

James Norton and Lucy Punch star as a youthful Mr and Mrs Claus in lively ad about shared moments as well as shoppingFor years the “Christmas advert moment” has belonged to one brand. John Lewis’s syrupy commercials featuring piano ballads and tearjerker storylines have given the 160-year-old department store a cultural head start in the dash for festive profits.This year, however, there’s one high-street rival with a sackful of tricks to make up the ground. Marks &amp; Spencer has brought out the big guns – in the form of a topless Santa, played by the small-screen heart-throb <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/jun/29/james-norton-to-play-hamlet-in-the-west-end-in-2027-thomas-ostermeier">James Norton</a>. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/nov/06/marks-and-spencer-john-lewis-christmas-ad-battle-james-norton-lucy-punch-topless-santa">Continue reading...</a>

James Norton and Lucy Punch star as a youthful Mr and Mrs Claus in lively ad about shared moments as well as shopping

M&S takes on John Lewis in Christmas ad battle with topless ‘shredded Santa’

The nicest man in acting is back with new comedy, Bill’s Included. He talks about rejecting Hollywood, refusing to play a villain – and why he just can’t make fun of Steve Coogan‘I’m a nice person, you know,” says Rob Brydon, as I met him in a basement green room of the BBC, where probably nobody with such a mellow ego has ever sat. “I am a people-pleaser. That’s who I am.” It’s an unnecessary clarification – at 61, he’s been nice on TV, as himself and in character, for most of our adult lives.We’re here to talk about his new six-parter, Bill’s Included, but his character in it, the eponymous Bill, is such a distillation of pure Rob Brydon that it’s (accidentally, he says) a celebration of his entire career. As the show opens, Bill has just been left by his wife, who’s run off with the gardener. At no point does he ever fire the guy – “I&nbsp;like him!” – but otherwise, his life is completely upended. The utterly plausible cocktail of his civic mindedness and howling loneliness drives him to take in four lodgers, local university students. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/nov/06/rob-brydon-bills-included-interview-tv">Continue reading...</a>

The nicest man in acting is back with new comedy, Bill’s Included. He talks about rejecting Hollywood, refusing to play a villain – and why he just can’t...

‘I’m never going to be bloody Robert De Niro!’: Rob Brydon, the most chipper man on TV

Sports journalist who became a leading authority on football and the OlympicsIn 1956 a young science graduate fresh out of Cambridge was given a junior job on the sports desk at the Times. Two years later he made his own way on starvation rations to the football World Cup in Sweden. He reported some of the less enticing matches for his paper for six guineas a game.By 2012, when David Miller’s career in regular sports journalism finally drew to a close, he had watched 25 Summer and Winter Olympic Games, 14 Fifa World Cups, 62 FA Cup finals, 450 England football internationals and 53 Wimbledon championships. In at least two of those fields – football and the Olympics – he was acknowledged as one of the world’s leading experts. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/nov/05/david-miller-obituary">Continue reading...</a>

Sports journalist who became a leading authority on football and the Olympics

David Miller obituary

Decision made in wake of two reviews ordered following two allegations of rape and one of sexual misconduct during filmingChannel 4 has axed its money-spinning reality show Married at First Sight UK, after female participants made allegations of rape and sexual misconduct during its production.The broadcaster announced the decision following two reviews ordered after two women alleged they <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/may/18/women-allege-they-were-raped-during-filming-married-at-first-sight-uk">were raped during the filming</a> of MAFS and a third alleged she was subjected to a nonconsensual sex act. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/nov/05/channel-4-axes-married-at-first-sight-uk-over-rape-allegations">Continue reading...</a>

Decision made in wake of two reviews ordered following two allegations of rape and one of sexual misconduct during filming

Channel 4 axes Married at First Sight UK after rape allegations

Actor who provided the voice for the ‘tin dog’ K9 in the BBC’s Doctor Who and also worked on ITV’s Beadle’s AboutJohn Leeson, who has died aged 83, was a genial character actor who provided the voice of the much-loved robotic sidekick K9 in the popular BBC TV series Doctor Who. Originally conceived to appear in just one story, The Invisible Enemy, in 1977, K9 was a mobile, dog-shaped computer who produced ticker-tape information from his mouth and had a laser gun in his nose. With a pinched voice, clipped delivery and a tendency towards pedantry, he served as both encyclopedia and guard dog, and was deemed successful enough a creation to retain as a regular character.K9 was the perfect foil for Tom Baker’s spiky, obtuse Time Lord: Leeson likened the character to King Lear’s fool – a wise and funny factotum licensed to call out his master’s faults and prick his pomposity. Off-screen Baker thought highly of Leeson, and felt that the intelligent, unassuming and witty actor was more interesting that the oft-malfunctioning K9 prop, which caused many delays on the studio floor. Leeson also won the appreciation of his colleagues by attending rehearsals and gamely performing on all fours. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/nov/05/john-leeson-obituary">Continue reading...</a>

Actor who provided the voice for the ‘tin dog’ K9 in the BBC’s Doctor Who and also worked on ITV’s Beadle’s About

John Leeson obituary

The clear-out at the newspaper seems driven less by politics than by a shift towards AI – and journalism will pay the priceNigel Farage has been writing columns for <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2016/06/29/nigel-farage-the-next-leader-of-the-conservative-party-must-have/">the Daily Telegraph since 2016</a>, most of which have promoted the previously Brexit and now Reform UK party he leads, or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/04/19/tory-brexiteers-forget-millions-voted-leave-action-not-cuddly/">accused his rivals of going soft on immigration</a>. For this privilege the paper’s cash-strapped bosses paid him around <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons/interests/publications">£4,000 a month</a>, adding up to nearly half a million pounds over the past decade.News broke this week that Farage’s services are <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/nov/02/nigel-farage-telegraph-column-ends">no longer required</a> by the Telegraph’s new German owners, Axel Springer, though sources close to Farage say that he resigned. The paper is also reported to be negotiating the exit of Allison Pearson, who has been complimentary of far-right activist Tommy Robinson’s “<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/28/allison-pearson-daily-telegraph-job-cull-newsroom-cuts">rough-diamond charisma</a>”, which together have prompted rumours that Springer has called a halt to the paper’s rightwards shift, calling it back to the basics of its Conservative party bible past.Jane Martinson is an academic and Guardian columnist. She is a board member of the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian Media Group, and writes in a personal capacity <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/06/nigel-farage-telegraph-story-newspaper-ai">Continue reading...</a>

The clear-out at the newspaper seems driven less by politics than by a shift towards AI – and journalism will pay the price

Nigel Farage's exit from the Telegraph may be cause for cheer. But there’s a sobering side to this story | Jane Martinson

The conviction of the comedian for rape and sexual assault upholds the vital principle that women can say no, even after they’ve said yesWith all the sanctimony a born-again Christian rapist can muster, Russell Brand paused on his way into court last week to address reporters. Britain was, he told them piously, “<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://news.sky.com/video/russell-brand-speaks-to-media-ahead-of-taking-the-stand-13604786">blessed</a>” to have a legal system capable of accommodating truth and justice. Well, amen to that: the former comedian learned today that he will now serve a substantial jail sentence, after being convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, in what looks like a genuinely landmark victory for the understanding of consent.Back in the days when comedy was the new rock’n’roll, and he would casually cherrypick girls from the crowd at his gigs, Brand could surely have had all the willing sex he wanted. Yet he seemingly got his kicks from the unwilling, who were forced over boundaries they did not want to cross. “You’re dirty and I wanna push you further,” <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/21/woman-told-russell-brand-he-treated-her-like-an-animal-court-hears">he texted one victim</a>, months after raping her anally and callously saving her number in his phone under T for “Tart”. The woman – who was in her early 20s when she first gave him oral sex backstage after a gig, and had gone a few days later to his house for what began as consensual sex but soon became something very different – responded angrily via text that he’d treated her “like an animal”.Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnistInformation and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://rapecrisis.org.uk/">Rape Crisis</a> offers support on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/">Scotland</a>, or 0800 0246 991 in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://rapecrisisni.org.uk/">Northern Ireland</a>. In the US, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.rainn.org/">Rainn</a> offers support on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="tel:(800)%20656-4673">800-656-4673</a>. In Australia, support is available at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.1800respect.org.au/">1800Respect</a> (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html">ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html</a>Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tone/letters"> letters</a> section, please <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="mailto:guardian.letters@theguardian.com?body=Please%20include%20your%20name,%20full%20postal%20address%20and%20phone%20number%20with%20your%20letter%20below.%20Letters%20are%20usually%20published%20with%20the%20author%27s%20name%20and%20city/town/village.%20The%20rest%20of%20the%20information%20is%20for%20verification%20only%20and%20to%20contact%20you%20where%20necessary.">click here</a>. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/05/russell-brand-verdict-landmark-victory-consent">Continue reading...</a>

The conviction of the comedian for rape and sexual assault upholds the vital principle that women can say no, even after they’ve said yes

The Russell Brand verdict is a landmark victory for the understanding of consent | Gaby Hinsliff

Every part of the Australian media found what it wanted in the US elections, although the ABC seemed a bit lonely. Plus: Cathy Wilcox defiant over cartoon<ul><li>Want to get this in your inbox every Friday? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/aug/28/weekly-beast-email-austrailan-media-diary-free-newsletter-subscribe-sign-up?CMP=cvau_sfl">Sign up for the Weekly Beast media newsletter here</a></li></ul>The front pages of Australia’s newspapers were dominated on Thursday by the spectacular midterm results in the United States.“Capitol punishment,” the Age declared. “Donald lame duck,” said the Herald Sun. “Blue wave leaves Trump a lame president,” was the Daily Telegraph line, while the Australian Financial Review said the midterm blue wave “rips Trump mandate to shreds”. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/nov/06/weekly-beast-australian-media-us-midterms-ntwnfb">Continue reading...</a>

Every part of the Australian media found what it wanted in the US elections, although the ABC seemed a bit lonely. Plus: Cathy Wilcox defiant over cartoon

‘Crushing and terrifying’ midterms result leaves media in fear of civilisation and capitalism crumbling | Weekly Beast

According to Florence Pugh, Denis Villeneuve’s stunningly strange and breathtaking universe is the equivalent to George Lucas’ heroic space opera. Let’s hope notA long time ago, far far away, in a galaxy called the 1970s, kids dreamed of joining the rebellion, rescuing a princess and blowing up the Death Star. Peer into the cosmic tea leaves and it would become immediately clear that no amount of evildoing could withstand a neurotic gold butler, a dustbin with ideas above its station and a walking seven-foot tall shagpile carpet with a very low tolerance for disagreement.It is worth remembering this when considering <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/04/movies/dune-part-three-timothee-chalamet-zendaya-robert-pattinson.html">Florence Pugh’s recent declaration, ahead of next month’s Dune: Part Three, that Dune is her generation’s Star Wars</a>. And then wondering how much trouble we might be in if she’s actually right. “I think they brought back movie-going. What an event the second [Dune] was,” Pugh cheerfully told the New York Times. “It was just so lovely to be a part of something that we know is our generational kind of Star Wars.” <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/nov/06/florence-pugh-dune-star-wars">Continue reading...</a>

According to Florence Pugh, Denis Villeneuve’s stunningly strange and breathtaking universe is the equivalent to George Lucas’ heroic space opera. Let’s ...

If Dune is this generation’s Star Wars, we are all in big trouble

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The Pentagon has conditionally approved a $250 million loan to help 6K scale up its microwave-plasma battery material manufacturing process.


Pentagon offers battery startup 6K $250M loan to build U.S. factory

A few months after DOJ investigators were probing the deal, Fox just completed its $22B acquisition of the streaming giant Roku.

Fox completes its $22B acquisition of Roku

AI usage keeps climbing, but spending has stalled. Price cuts and smarter cost controls among the biggest spenders could challenge investor assumptions about AI hypergrowth.

AI usage keeps climbing, but spending has stalled. Price cuts and smarter cost controls among the biggest spenders could challenge investor assumptions a...

Ramp data shows AI spending stalling just as Anthropic nears its IPO

Amazon said that the feature will roll out to millions of users in coming weeks.

After blocking Muse, Amazon now lets users text Alexa to help them shop

Despite its small size, Underdog's new model can generate both speech and music.

Underdog shows off a 32MB speech model in new demo

Physicl is trying to solve the sim-to-real gap with a pipeline originally built to market goods online. 

Physicl raises $10M to make the digital world real enough for robots

Elon Musk said the company will use the factory space to make more Cybercabs.

Tesla will stop making the Cybertruck in 2027

The concerns range from privacy to how data is shared (and with whom) to procurement concerns. 

At least 10 local governments have moved to drop Flock’s surveillance cameras since summer

Clutch, backed by Lightspeed and SignalFire, was last valued at $85 million, according to a source.

Palo Alto Networks in talks to buy AI agent security startup Clutch for $500M

Letterboxd, an online platform for movie lovers, has grown dramatically in recent years.

The New York Times reportedly in talks to buy Letterboxd for $330 million

If it goes into effect next year, this California law would restrict social media access for children under 16.

Meta, Google, and TikTok sue California AG over teen social media law

Airbnb says its upcoming AI agent will help travelers plan trips, compare options, manage bookings, and get assistance throughout their stay.

Airbnb says it’s launching an AI travel agent in the first half of 2027

Serve Robotics announced alonsgside its third-quarter earnings that it will launch a new business line called Physical AI Services to offer customers its connectivity and data tools. 

Serve Robotics announced alonsgside its third-quarter earnings that it will launch a new business line called Physical AI Services to offer customers its...

Serve Robotics launches new business to become the AWS for robots

Meta's AI agent can now take calls as a customizable animated avatar, ahead of the launch of a Tamagotchi-like wearable designed to bring Muse to life.

Meta says US users can now video chat with their Muse AI avatar

Meta warns that growing political opposition to data centers could threaten future AI investments, as communities push back against massive infrastructure projects.

Meta warns that growing political opposition to data centers could threaten future AI investments, as communities push back against massive infrastructur...

Meta warns that election backlash against data centers could make AI expansion harder

OpenAI's newest cybersecurity model comes out as AI labs face scrutiny of their work to protect digital infrastructure.

OpenAI released a new cybersecurity model. Is that enough?

A joint U.S. government statement says the hacks are affecting the food, transportation, and healthcare industries after reports of global mass hacks.

US government warns of ‘ongoing cyber threat’ amid mass hacks of industrial retail and military freezers

Speaking at a Wall Street Journal tech conference on Wednesday, the executive touted how the company had been gaining ground in the enterprise market, where rival Anthropic had already successfully made inroads.

Speaking at a Wall Street Journal tech conference on Wednesday, the executive touted how the company had been gaining ground in the enterprise market, wh...

OpenAI president Greg Brockman says company could be IPO ready in 2027

Stephen Ward, a former Secret Service agent and Home Depot CISO, is preparing a second fund of roughly $250 million for Brightmind Partners.

The ex-Secret Service agent who flipped a hacker is now raising a second $250M cybersecurity fund

With Personal Finance in Claude, users can connect their bank and card accounts through Plaid and ask questions about their finances. 

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