Comedian regrets ‘inappropriate’ jokes he made with Brand during work pair did together in the 2000sThe Great British Bake Off presenter Noel Fielding has said he was “horrified and deeply disturbed to learn of Russell Brand’s crimes” and has had no contact with his fellow comedian “for many years”.In the early 2000s, Fielding often worked with Brand, who was <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/nov/09/russell-brand-sentenced-rape-sexual-assault">sentenced to more than 10 years in prison</a> on Monday for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/nov/14/noel-fielding-horrified-deeply-disturbed-russell-brand-crimes">Continue reading...</a>

Comedian regrets ‘inappropriate’ jokes he made with Brand during work pair did together in the 2000s

Noel Fielding ‘horrified and deeply disturbed’ by Russell Brand’s crimes

Huge protest planned in Prague to oppose government’s plan to scrap licence fee, which critics say could give ministers more leverage over newsroomsDaniel Stach was an erstwhile junior international slalom kayaker when he first walked into the headquarters of Czech Television in 2010. He had answered a Facebook ad inviting viewers to a behind-the-scenes tour of his favourite programme, a current affairs show called Hyde Park CT24. He did not expect to be offered a job shortly afterwards.Stach, now 38, presents a science offshoot of that show doing long-form interviews. But he has also emerged as one of the most recognised public faces of the campaign to save the mandatory licence fees that fund the nation’s public broadcasters. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/nov/14/protests-grow-czechia-changes-public-media-funding">Continue reading...</a>

Huge protest planned in Prague to oppose government’s plan to scrap licence fee, which critics say could give ministers more leverage over newsrooms

Public media freedom has been eroded across central Europe. Now Czechs are rallying to protect theirs

With authors losing lucrative deals and writers removed from prize shortlists, accusations of AI use are sending shock waves through the publishing industry. Is it too late to turn the tide on machine writing?The romance novelist Coral Hart got her break writing books for Mills &amp; Boon, the publisher of bodice-ripper paperbacks. In 2012, she decided to dip her toe in self-publishing. She felt drawn to dark romance, a subgenre featuring twisted, toxic love stories that was taking off online but that publishers didn’t want to touch. Three years later, things were going well enough that she decided to self-publish full-time.Kindle Unlimited, where Hart sells her books, rewards prolific writers: the algorithm favours those who can produce a new book at least once a month. Hart says she knows of authors who hire more than a dozen ghostwriters to keep pace. By herself, Hart can write 10,000 words a day, but AI could help her produce many more. Since 2025 she has written 370 novels under 21 pen names using AI, earning herself “high six figures”. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/nov/14/its-like-the-wild-west-how-ai-has-rocked-the-literary-world">Continue reading...</a>

With authors losing lucrative deals and writers removed from prize shortlists, accusations of AI use are sending shock waves through the publishing indus...

‘It’s like the wild west’: how AI has rocked the literary world

Filipino entry, pop and rap song Sobra-Sobra, takes 19-year-old to victory at grand final in BangkokCarmelle Collado has won the first Eurovision song contest Asia, taking the Philippines’ entry, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://youtu.be/ccfIW1zsNdM?si=_hxvLB6itaDQmCun">Sobra-Sobra</a>, to victory in Bangkok on Saturday night, at the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/nov/07/eurovision-asia-bangkok-song-contest">first regional edition</a> of the contest to be staged outside Europe.Eleven countries competed at the One Bangkok Forum in central Bangkok, and the show ran for two and a half hours including advertising. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/nov/14/philippines-carmelle-wins-first-eurovision-contest-in-asia">Continue reading...</a>

Filipino entry, pop and rap song Sobra-Sobra, takes 19-year-old to victory at grand final in Bangkok

Philippines’ Carmelle wins first Eurovision contest in Asia

Met police say allegations are separate from those made by multiple women in Guardian and ITV investigationThe Metropolitan police have launched a criminal investigation into David Walliams over alleged serious sexual offences.Walliams, 55, was accused in reports by ITV and the Guardian this week of using his power and celebrity status to prey on young women and teenagers for sex. He has denied any wrongdoing, being a sexual predator or breaking the law. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/nov/13/david-walliams-allegations-met-police-investigation">Continue reading...</a>

Met police say allegations are separate from those made by multiple women in Guardian and ITV investigation

Police launch investigation into David Walliams over alleged serious sexual offences

Intrepid writer and journalist who reported on the Troubles and Watergate, and whose string of bestsellers began with The Surgeon of CrowthorneThe author and journalist Simon Winchester, who has died after a heart attack aged 82, thought himself lucky to have enjoyed “a pretty interesting, world-wandering life”. Those wanderings yielded a harvest of 30 books across a vast spectrum of subjects: from the land beneath to the wind above; from earthquakes to dictionaries, oceans to engines.The globe-trotting polymath, an American citizen from 2011, loved to take an everyday “invisible thing” in culture or nature – such as the winds of his final book, The Breath of the Gods (2025) – and show how it shapes private and public histories. We first knew about the Chornobyl disaster, which hastened the end of the USSR and a new geopolitical order, because an aberrant wind allowed Swedish scientists to measure the radioactive fallout freakishly blowing from Ukraine. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/nov/13/simon-winchester-obituary">Continue reading...</a>

Intrepid writer and journalist who reported on the Troubles and Watergate, and whose string of bestsellers began with The Surgeon of Crowthorne

Simon Winchester obituary

Ministers consider banning under-16s from online marketplaces amid reported misuse of messaging functions and users’ photosIn June, Hannah* listed her seven-year-old daughter’s pink swimming costume for sale on Vinted, hoping other parents surfing the reselling site would snap up the £1 offer. Her inbox pinged.“So a little girl wore this yh [yeah]?” wrote a user with a male handle. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/nov/13/reselling-apps-dark-side-under-16s-social-media-ban-child-protection">Continue reading...</a>

Ministers consider banning under-16s from online marketplaces amid reported misuse of messaging functions and users’ photos

The dark side of reselling apps: ‘If you include your pants, I’ll pay more’

His upcoming appearance on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! is already causing a huge stir. As he heads to Australia, the paralympian talks leeches, evil taxis – and snakes round his nether regions‘If you spend enough time in the TV industry, at some point you’re going to end up in the jungle, eating animal genitalia, with Ant and Dec&nbsp;watching you!”Paralympic medallist and TV presenter Ade Adepitan is in the building, and he’s&nbsp;ready to cause a stir. The 53-year-old is set to become the first wheelchair user on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!. His participation has already ignited a social media maelstrom, drawing ableist ire – from accusations of “cheating” due to the jungle being adapted for him to outright crowing that a disabled person should not be on a primetime show as it is ostensibly “box-ticking”. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/nov/13/ade-adepitan-interview-braving-the-jungle-in-im-a-celebrity-get-me-out-of-here">Continue reading...</a>

His upcoming appearance on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! is already causing a huge stir. As he heads to Australia, the paralympian talks leeches, ...

‘You can’t train to be chucked in a box full of rats!’ Ade Adepitan on fear, facing down sharks and being I’m a Celeb’s first wheelchair user

Reports that the star – the most high-profile of the final five contenders – has been offered favourable contract terms hint that Amazon MGM may want him as its first 007Robert Pattinson has emerged as the favourite in the race to succeed Daniel Craig as James Bond, according to a credible film-industry source.Writing in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://puck.news/hollywood/2026/11/the-case-for-robert-pattinson-as-james-bond">Puck</a>, Matthew Belloni suggests that the favourable contract terms he says have been offered to Pattinson suggest that the actor, currently in cinemas with reality-crime thriller <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/07/primetime-review-robert-pattinson-venice-film-festival-lance-oppenheim">Primetime</a>, is studio Amazon MGM’s preferred choice for the role. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/nov/13/robert-pattinson-reportedly-leads-james-bond-contenders">Continue reading...</a>

Reports that the star – the most high-profile of the final five contenders – has been offered favourable contract terms hint that Amazon MGM may want him...

Robert Pattinson reportedly leads James Bond contenders

After years of celebrity interviews, I have learned not to be fooled by the allure of fame. We never really know them – we know what they want us to knowAs I sat in Southwark crown court, listening to the final day of Russell Brand’s trial, there was one subject that came up repeatedly, invoked as often by his defence as the prosecution. I don’t mean sex or coercion, but fame. It ran through every victim impact statement and loomed so large in the courtroom that it felt as if it was almost on trial itself.I’m an entertainment journalist who has been covering celebrities for more than 20 years – as long as Brand has been one – and I have written about him at various stages of his career. But I went to Southwark crown court as a member of the public who wanted to see justice done. For the women he had hurt, for the ones who couldn’t get as far as the courtroom, and for all of us who came of age at a time when rape culture was so fast and furious that young women mistook it for a joke that we were in on. In the age of lads’ mags, sex felt cheapened, yet somehow we were the ones who ended up paying for this. So it was doubly strange to sit in court and feel somehow complicit in it - in how this media culture had encouraged Russell Brand. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/14/stars-russell-brand-darkness-celebrity-interviews-fame">Continue reading...</a>

After years of celebrity interviews, I have learned not to be fooled by the allure of fame. We never really know them – we know what they want us to know

I saw how brightly stars like Russell Brand could shine, but there is darkness in the shadows | Sophie Heawood

From Cairo to Moscow to Washington, governments are turning up the pressure on media workersLina Attalah is an influential Egyptian journalist. Yet until last month, even she was unaware of a major and concerning piece of news: her own conviction. In 2024, a court issued her a one-year sentence for “spreading false news” and running a website without a licence – which she had repeatedly sought to obtain – after trying her in absentia, even though she was in the country. Ms Attalah learned of the case only after she was separately tried <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/28/egypt-lina-attalah-mada-masr-press-freedom-clampdown">in October</a>, resulting in a large fine and an order for the closure of the Mada Masr website. She faces retrial later this month.Meanwhile, the entire newsroom of the fact-checking website Matsadash <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/11/1168778">remain in detention</a> weeks after authorities snatched the six journalists on charges including joining and financing a terrorist&nbsp;group and spreading false news. Their lawyers&nbsp;say that they have been tortured and forced to&nbsp;record fabricated confessions. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/13/the-guardian-view-on-press-freedom-authoritarians-target-journalism-because-it-matters">Continue reading...</a>

From Cairo to Moscow to Washington, governments are turning up the pressure on media workers

The Guardian view on press freedom: authoritarians target journalism because it matters | Editorial

Readers respond to an article by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett in which she questions why it took so long to unmask Russell Brand and David WalliamsRhiannon Lucy Cosslett is correct when she talks about the toxic 1990s in the media industry (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/11/russell-brand-david-walliams-noughties-culture-girls-women">Why did it take so long to unmask Brand and Walliams? Because noughties culture told girls like me abuse was normal, 11 November</a>). This abhorrent sexualised behaviour from celebrities and channel executives has been going&nbsp;on for much longer.When I worked in the media as a makeup artist in the 1980s we were warned never to be alone if working with a certain Mr Savile or Mr Harris. Men like those two were the majority, not a minority. They were directly enabled by those managers and directors who sanctioned their behaviour through inaction. If you complained, you were seen as&nbsp;trouble and hounded out. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/nov/13/toxic-media-industry-must-face-a-reckoning">Continue reading...</a>

Readers respond to an article by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett in which she questions why it took so long to unmask Russell Brand and David Walliams

Toxic media industry must face a reckoning | Letters

It is important to understand just how effectively perpetrators of abuse have used lawyers as their shields. A challenge to that can’t come soon enoughThere will be empty shelves in many bedrooms this weekend, where the David Walliams books once stood. For parents of a certain era, there was no escaping that particular publishing-industrial complex, and I certainly did my share of wearily reading Gangsta Granny or Mr Stink on repeat. At his peak, Walliams was the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/shortcuts/2017/jul/25/filth-fame-how-david-walliams-became-king-of-kids-books">bestselling children’s author</a> in Britain for 100 weeks straight, to say nothing of the spin-off theatre productions, Christmas specials, countless World Book Day costumes, and that family-friendly stint as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent during which we now learn he was reportedly <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/ng-interactive/2026/nov/10/david-walliams-accused-sex-grooming-allegations-young-women">inviting teenagers to his dressing room</a>.“What I try and do most of all in my books is encourage reluctant readers,” he told breakfast TV’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.instagram.com/reels/C7R2T9yNx3l/">Lorraine Kelly in 2024,</a> the year before publisher <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/dec/19/david-walliams-dropped-by-publisher-over-alleged-inappropriate-behaviour">HarperCollins finally dropped him</a> after allegations over his behaviour towards junior female staff. But it’s parents who would have been reluctant to bring his books anywhere near bedtime had we known earlier about the young girls claiming that Walliams exploited his fame to prey on them, and then threatened legal action if they tried to speak out. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/13/men-dirty-secrets-law-abuse-david-walliams">Continue reading...</a>

It is important to understand just how effectively perpetrators of abuse have used lawyers as their shields. A challenge to that can’t come soon enough

Don’t just blame the culture for keeping powerful men’s dirty secrets. Blame the law too | Gaby Hinsliff

End of News Feed

The petition had attracted more than 115,000 signatures as of Saturday afternoon.

Elon Musk, other tech execs sign petition calling on Nvidia to reinstate Jensen Huang

Even Elon Musk said the monthly fee is "too high."

Tesla opens Cybercab pre-orders ‘for personal use,’ with geo restrictions and a $299 monthly fee

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Got an iPhone Duo? These 9 settings make it easier to use

FAA administrator Bryan Bedford also said there's "zero evidence of anything AI-related."

Transportation secretary blames ‘routine’ equipment upgrade for grounding flights nationwide

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The AI graveyard: a running list of projects and startups that didn’t make it

Some governments moved to confirm chip supply commitments, while others are monitoring the impact on local projects or addressing ongoing investigations.

Asian governments react to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s exit

The latest model is lighter and thinner than its predecessor and features an edge-to-edge display. But if you already own the first-generation Colorsoft, there’s little reason to upgrade. 

The latest model is lighter and thinner than its predecessor and features an edge-to-edge display. But if you already own the first-generation Colorsoft,...

Amazon’s new Kindle Colorsoft is a premium e-reader with a premium price

Nvidia poured tens of billions into AI startups under Huang. Without him at the helm, founders and VCs are bracing for smaller checks and lower valuations.

Jensen Huang’s departure blasts big hole in AI startup funding, VCs and founders say

A spokesperson for the FAA told TechCrunch that it issued the ground stop "following communication issues impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers," which manage the airspace across the United States.

A spokesperson for the FAA told TechCrunch that it issued the ground stop "following communication issues impacting multiple Air Route Traffic Control Ce...

US government grounds all flights across the United States ‘due to extraordinary circumstances’

Drogue is harvesting heat from the ocean to power data centers on floating vessels. The first prototype should be bobbing around the ocean, crunching bits, in less than two years.

Drogue is harvesting heat from the ocean to power data centers on floating vessels. The first prototype should be bobbing around the ocean, crunching bit...

This young startup wants to power floating data centers with the ocean’s heat, and investors are already on board

LangChain now claims 7,000 customers of its model and platform agnostic agent management tool LangSmith. 

AI agent startup LangChain hits $3B valuation

New research shows the most advanced AI models from China were trained on banned Nvidia chips.

Export-banned Nvidia chips are behind China’s most powerful AI models — uh-oh, Jensen!

ChatGPT Wallet lets AI agents shop and check out on users' behalf, starting with a limited rollout to U.S. Pro subscribers.

ChatGPT’s new Wallet lets AI agents shop and check out for you

Jensen Huang has resigned from Nvidia following an affair, which could have ramifications for national security as the U.S. and China race to develop the most advanced AI infrastructure.

Jensen Huang has resigned from Nvidia following an affair, which could have ramifications for national security as the U.S. and China race to develop the...

The unfolding Jensen Huang scandal: a timeline

The ridesharing giant said drivers' license information stored by AI cloud company Fireworks AI was stolen during a security incident.

Uber confirms hackers stole thousands of drivers’ license information in data breach

ElevenAI is a new meeting notetaker and dictation app aimed at teams and enterprises.

ElevenLabs’ new app combines meeting note-taking and dictation for teams

Microsoft's daylong outage began with Outlook and Teams and ended up taking much of the company's cloud services offline. Microsoft says it's gradually restoring service.

Microsoft's daylong outage began with Outlook and Teams and ended up taking much of the company's cloud services offline. Microsoft says it's gradually r...

Microsoft’s latest email outage turned into a full-blown global cloud crisis

Given Nvidia’s stronghold on AI and its importance in Israel, many in the country's startup ecosystem are worried about the impact of his departure.

Israel’s VCs see opportunity for challengers in Nvidia’s turmoil

Huang described Kress as a "deer in the headlights" during a meeting in summer.

Jensen Huang didn’t show confidence in his successor, report says

This Congressional investigation into Nvidia's China sales and its dealings with Trump is the second one, so far, since news of the alleged spy affair broke. 

This Congressional investigation into Nvidia's China sales and its dealings with Trump is the second one, so far, since news of the alleged spy affair br...

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