The BBC is in turmoil. A leaked dossier exposing a misedited speech of United States President Donald Trump and other editorial concerns has triggered resignations at the top – and a $1bn lawsuit threat from the US leader. Why the leak surfaced now, and who steps in next, are still open questions. Most importantly, will the BBC be able to recover from this moment?
Contributors: Ben de Pear – Former editor, Channel 4 News Jane Martinson – Professor, University of London Karishma Patel – Former newsreader, BBC Tom Mills – Author, The BBC: Myth of a Public Service
On our radar
This week, Ahmed al-Sharaa became the first Syrian president ever to set foot in the White House. A landmark diplomatic trip filled with photo ops and political theatre, marking his transition from a US-designated terrorist to an ally. Meenakshi Ravi reports.
AI slop tsunami: Is the internet now a junkyard?
Elettra Scrivo explores how social media platforms are rapidly changing with the surge of AI content. Low-quality, mass-produced, artificially generated content, otherwise known as AI slop, is designed to trigger the algorithms and generate revenue for Big Tech companies.
Concerns have been raised about a ‘humanitarian organisation’ that flew people from Gaza to South Africa. Inquiries into Al-Majd Europe revealed a website based in Iceland, crypto payments and AI images showing ‘executives.’ The company didn’t respond when asked to comment.
Anton Du Beke, Strictly Come Dancing’s professional-turned-judge, revealed a hidden message he’s spotted in a move by competitors chasing the Glitterball trophy
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Strictly judge Anton Du Beke said he can tell when a pair has had a ‘difficult week’(Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke says he knows when a dancing duo have had a “very difficult” week, before they’ve set foot on the dance floor. Having started in the competition as a professional dancer, the 59-year-knows all too well about how the programme operates and how the couples are feeling.
Since becoming a permanent judge in 2021, he says he has spotted certain tell-tale signs that expose how rehearsals have gone for a pair that week.
Praising the show as a family favourite, he told Yours Magazine: “I think that’s the most beautiful thing. It sums Strictly up. It keeps striving and moves with the times in a slightly old-fashioned way. So, long may it continue. The Waltz is always lovely to judge.”
He continued: “You can see how good or bad a couple’s week has been, it makes me laugh. As I sit there, I know exactly what’s been going on. I can see by the routine what sort of week they’ve had.”
And it’s not only on the dance floor where Anton says he can spot the signs. “If they start at the top of the stairs and walk down, they’ve had a very difficult one! They are wasting as much time as they can until they get on the dance floor,” he added.
Throughout his 17 years as a professional dancer on the programme, Anton partnered with numerous famous faces, including Ruth Langsford, Emma Barton and Ann Widdecombe.
The latter remains as one of his most unforgettable partnerships, due to the comedic value and charm it provided.
While the former Conservative MP didn’t claim victory, she stunned viewers with her efforts and eagerness to tackle something entirely beyond her comfort zone.
Looking back on their time together, he revealed to the publication: “When Ann came along, it was a wonderful moment. I was always gentle with my partners, I could not imagine being in a room with someone you don’t get on with, as you’re there for eight hours.
“Dancing with Ann gave me another string to my bow. I could do humour in the choreography, it was brilliant for me.”
Anton frequently makes light of his pairings on the programme, having never claimed the coveted Glitterball trophy.
Previously speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, he quipped: “I say this in the nicest way, but none of them are 25.”
He continued, according to the Daily Mail: “Because they can’t dance, even when they are good, it is awful.”
Meanwhile in the present series, eight couples continue their their battle for the coveted Glitterball trophy.
This weekend, the performers will dance their new routines at the legendary Blackpool Tower Ballroom, in the hope of securing their place for another week.
Last Saturday, Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey became the latest celebrity to depart, after the judging panel opted to rescue La Voix in the dance-off.
TOWIE star Myles Barnett has popped the question to girlfriend Isobel Scarlet Emery during a romantic break to Mexico and posted the happy news on social media
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Myles Barnett pops the question during romantic break to Mexico with girlfriend Isobel(Image: issyemery/Instagram)
The Only Way Is Essex star Myles Barnett has finally found his happy ever after following his public split from Love Island star, Kady McDermott.
Myles, who became a household name after appearing on the reality TV show between 2017 and 2019, started dating Isobel in 2022, just 11 months after his relationship with Kady broke down.
And while on a romantic holiday in Tulum, Mexico, fans saw an image of Myles on a bended knee asking Isobel to be his wife. The moment was at the top of a jungle canopy at a restaurant famed for its views.
In another picture, the couple appeared to be in the throws of happiness as they kissed. A third picture gave fans a close up of the stunning diamond engagement ring.
The post was captioned saying: “Easiest Yes! Love you forever and always (heart emojis).” And it certainly didn’t take long before friends of the pair and fans rushed to the comment section of the post to congratulate them.
Former TOWIE star Clelia was one of the first to lead the tributes, posting: “Ahhh congratulations guys!!! (heart emoji).”
Myles is no stranger to dating reality TV stars as he first started dating Kady back in 2018 soon after his split with fellow co-star Courtney Green.
And at the time, Courtney’s difficulty in accepting Myles’ new relationship was captured on screen. But his romance with Kady was far from smooth as the pair regularly split, before finally ending things in 2021.
Amid their tumultuous relationship, the former couple bought a renovation project together but Kady recently announced to The Sun that she had been financially able to buy Myles out of his share of the property.
In a chat with The Sun back in February 2022, she revealed: “I just bought my ex out of the house, I’m really happy about that.”
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She continued: “I’m finishing renovating that, hopefully to do another project at the end of the year. I’ve got the relaunch on my fitness app at the end of this month so we are doing loads of stuff with that. I’m hoping to travel more this year with Covid settling down.”
Kady is believed to be in a relationship with millionaire boyfriend Harry Simmons after appearing on Love Island for the second time, two years ago.
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The Vatican has handed back 62 Indigenous artefacts to Canada’s Catholic bishops, framing the move as “a concrete sign of dialogue, respect and fraternity” after years of pressure from Indigenous communities seeking the return of cultural heritage removed under colonial rule.
The items were formally transferred on Saturday during a meeting at Vatican City between Pope Leo and representatives of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, including its president, Bishop Pierre Goudreault.
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The bishops said they would pass the artefacts “as soon as possible” to Canada’s National Indigenous Organisations, which will then oversee their return to their communities of origin.
The objects were sent to Rome nearly a century ago for a vast 1925 Vatican exhibition curated by Pope Pius XI, who sought to display the reach of Catholic missions and the cultures they encountered. Many pieces later became part of the Missionary Ethnological Museum before being absorbed into the Vatican Museums in the 1970s.
The Vatican maintains the items were “gifts” to Pius XI.
But Indigenous groups and historians have long disputed that claim, arguing that such offerings could not be deemed voluntary in an era when Catholic missionaries held immense influence over Indigenous lives.
‘Cultural genocide’
In those years, Catholic religious orders were helping to enforce the Canadian government’s forced assimilation policy of eliminating Indigenous traditions, which Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission has called a “cultural genocide”.
Part of that policy included confiscating items used in Indigenous spiritual and traditional rituals, such as the 1885 potlatch ban that prohibited the integral First Nations ceremony. Those confiscated items ended up in museums in Canada, the United States and Europe, as well as private collections.
Momentum for the objects’ return grew after the late Pope Francis met Indigenous delegations in 2022 and delivered a historic apology for the church’s role in residential schools.
During that visit, Indigenous leaders viewed several items in the Vatican’s collection, including wampum belts, an Inuit kayak, masks and weapons, and requested their return. Francis later said he supported returning such objects “where it’s necessary to make a gesture”.
The Vatican’s handover marks a century since the 1925 exhibition that first brought the items to Rome.
Venue: Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh Date: Sunday, 16 November Kick-off: 15:10 GMT
There was a time when the word that summed up Argentina’s rugby team was passion. Now, Los Pumas’ bite is every bit as scary as its roar.
On the back of a record win against Wales, Felipe Contepomi’s side are in Edinburgh next to face a bruised Scotland after their painful near-miss against the All Blacks.
The more casual rugby fans among the 67,000 who will pack Murrayfield on Sunday might be expecting their team to bounce back convincingly against visitors who have not won at the home of Scottish rugby since 2009.
The Pumas have lost on all four trips since, including conceding a record 52 points on their last visit in 2022.
Pumas’ player pool grows deeper
A quick scan of the 23-man squad tells you Argentina are a serious team. Eighteen of them play in the top division in England or France.
Inside centre Santiago Chocobares has been a vital cog in the Toulouse winning machine, scoring in last season’s Top 14 final, and has a serious argument to be considered the best in the world in his position.
Santiago Carreras, the leading points scorer in this year’s Rugby Championship, is one of the best in the world off the tee, never mind the electric ability in open field he has shown with Gloucester, and now Bath, in the past five years.
Carreras is not even in the starting team for Murrayfield.
Among the forwards, the Pumas’ most-capped player ever, the bruising and gnarled Pablo Matera, is also on the bench, while captain Julian Montoya, a Premiership winner with Leicester Tigers, leads from hooker for his 116th cap.
Argentina have always had world class players. Head coach Contepomi was in the team that stunned the sport by finishing third at the 2007 World Cup.
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First-choice half-backs Gonzalo Garcia and Tomas Albornoz, among several others, will not play a part in this month’s tour and yet they were not missed in Cardiff.
Fly-half Geronimo Prisciantelli made just his second start and scored two tries, put in a try-saving tap tackle, and walked away with the man-of-the-match award.
Saracens centre Lucio Cinti is injured, while Justo Piccardo – a standout in the win over the British and Irish Lions in June – drops to the bench, but Argentina can welcome back Matias Moroni and his 92 caps to play 13 against Scotland.
A focus on the player pathway, joining the Rugby Championship in 2012, and the introduction of Los Jaguares into Super Rugby all helped build depth in Argentina.
And, since the Super Rugby franchise folded amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the national players have scattered the globe to build more experience, while a new continent-wide competition at home has helped younger players kick on.
Argentina finished third at the most recent Junior World Championships, have won a World Sevens Series and Olympic medal, and now seriously compete in the Rugby Championship.
Los Pumas have beaten New Zealand four times since 2020, including on home soil for the first time this year, and last year managed wins over the All Blacks, South Africa and Australia in the same campaign.
Can Argentina handle new expectation?
More consistent success raises expectations of Argentina, something they have not always handled well.
In the summer they lost a home series 2-0 to England, despite Steve Borthwick’s side missing 14 players who were touring with the British and Irish Lions.
In the Rugby Championship, they started with a defeat and a win at home against New Zealand and went to Australia with a big chance to cement their status as title contenders.
Despite leading by 14 points at half-time, they ended up losing 28-24 after conceding a last-gasp try.
They avenged that loss the next week and ran the Springboks close in their final game after a 67-30 defeat in Durban, but finished bottom of the table.
Argentina went to Cardiff as favourites last week and put up 52 points, but Scotland are unlikely to be as charitable as Wales and the Pumas do not usually tour well in the northern hemisphere either.
The last time they won more than one game in November Tests was 2014.
However, with Wales dispatched and Scotland and England to come, this team has the chance for a historic clean sweep.
The odds might be against them, but three wins on British soil is not farfetched for this Argentina side.
Argentina team to face Scotland: Cruz Mallia, Isgro, Moroni, Chocobares, M Carreras, Prisciantelli, Benitez Cruz; Vivas, Montoya (capt), Delgado, Petti, Rubiolo, S Grondona, Martin Gonzalez, Oviedo.
