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Nov 7, 2026 - World

Russell Brand's convictions this week for rape and sexual assault have renewed scrutiny on the BBC and other media employers that may have looked the other way

Nov 6, 2026 - World

For people across South Asia, especially in northern India, Diwali celebrations coincide with the return of hazardous winter air, raising concerns about how to celebrate safely

Nov 6, 2026 - World

Asian and European markets follow US tech rout with many analysts predicting more waves of selling to comeEuropean and Asian stock markets fell sharply on Friday after the Democrats’ decisive victory in the midterms triggered a rout in US tech stocks a day earlier.A sell-off on Wall Street on Thursday was followed by sharp falls in Asian stock markets on Friday. The investor sentiment then reached London, where the market was, at one stage, poised for its worst day since March. Continue reading...

Nov 6, 2026 - World

One of Haiti’s most powerful gangs says it has reached out to a state agency responsible for dismantling armed gangs in a push for “peace, stability and national reconciliation.”

Nov 6, 2026 - World

Russell Brand, the comedian and Hollywood star turned right-wing podcaster, faces an investigation into the alleged rape of a 16-year-old schoolgirl after his rape conviction, and police warn more women may come forward.Brand, 51, is under investigation over the alleged rapes of two more women, The Independent reported, after a London jury on Thursday convicted him of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.One of the women says she was 16 when Brand sent a car to collect her from school for sexual encounters, according to the report.Police have questioned Brand as a suspect over both allegations and sent files to prosecutors, who decide whether to bring charges, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.Brand has acknowledged having sex with a 16-year-old when he was 30, but he has insisted since 2023 that his relationships were consensual. A woman with a similar account first spoke out in 2023 in Channel 4’s Dispatches documentary “Russell Brand: In Plain Sight.” She said she was 16 and Brand was 30 when their three-month relationship began in 2006, and that he became controlling and abusive, Deadline reported.She also told The Times of London that Brand raped her, NBC News reported.“Russell engaged in the behaviours of a groomer, looking back, but I didn’t even know what that was then, or what that looked like,” she told the paper.In a video posted the day before the documentary aired, Brand denied the allegations and said his relationships at the time had always been consensual.In April, Brand addressed the 16-year-old allegation when conservative commentator Megyn Kelly pressed him on her show, Rolling Stone reported. He thanked Kelly for letting him address her anger, which he called “entirely legitimate,” Variety reported.“I did sleep with a 16-year-old when I was 30. When I was 30, I was a very different person,” Brand said.He said the age of consent in Britain is 16 and that consensual sex with “a strong power differential,” like the one fame gave him, “involves exploitation.”Kelly is now disputing the jury’s verdict.“Utterly charming guy, sweet, interesting, funny, and I had a very difficult time believing that he was capable of rape, as I do right now,” Kelly said on her show after the verdict, The Daily Beast reported. She called the conviction a “travesty” and said the woman Brand was convicted of raping “pursued him aggressively.”The new files follow two earlier rounds of charges: Brand was first charged in April 2025 over allegations from four women. Charges involving two more women were added that December, the Met said at the time.“When you achieve a conviction in something and it receives a level of publicity as well, it gives people the courage to come forward,” Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who led the three-year investigation, told The Independent. “So in the Russell Brand case, I think it’s a possibility there are more victims out there,” he added.Prosecutors previously reviewed two other allegations against Brand but found they did not meet the evidence standard needed to bring charges, The Independent reported.The Met asked anyone who wants to speak to detectives or make a report to contact its investigation team.Brand, who denied all the charges, was cleared of two other rape counts and one count of attempted indecent assault, NPR reported. He will be sentenced Monday, and the judge has warned the sentence will likely be “significant.”