Afternoon briefing Wednesday 11th November

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0:37This is your Times Radio news briefing for the afternoon of Wednesday the 11th of November. Jonathan Ross has said he is horrified by allegations about David Walliams and was genuinely unaware of them, despite being seen in photos of Walliams and a teenager who claims she was a victim of sexual misconduct. Walliams denies allegations that he broke the law and preyed on teenagers between 15 and 18, but says his relationships were thoughtless. Ross also made a public joke in 2004 about Walliams going home with 15-year-old girls. Sarah Dittum, author of the book Toxic, Women, Fame and the Noughties, told Times Radio the era was influenced by the rise of digital TV channels and the internet.

1:18People were exposed to much more extreme material than had been available in the media, you know, under the sort of old legislated by Ofcom, BDFC regime. So things were changing really fast. There was a feeling that what was exciting and what was fresh was stuff that broke taboos. And in that environment, it is really easy for very bad, very troubling behaviour to somehow be repackaged as a joke. Walliams is detained under the Mental Health Act at a NHS hospital, having tried to take his own life twice. The Kremlin said it has no connection to the US soldier arrested in the UK for suspected Russian espionage Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told reporters We have absolutely nothing to do with this and it has absolutely nothing to do with us A 41-year-old soldier was arrested yesterday, described as having access to sensitive information Tax inspectors have been told they will be allowed to take photos of people's houses in order to help work out whether the property should be eligible for higher council tax In 2028, homes worth more than£2 million, about 150 ,000 properties, will qualify for what critics have called the mansion tax.

2:32Property editor for The Times, Carol Lewis, explains that current value estimates are out of date. They will look at all the documents that they can. They'll look at Ordnance Survey, Land Registry, they'll look at Google Street View, they'll look at planning applications, see if you've done an extension, put a swimming pool in, whatever. But they'll also want to come and visit. Now, it's perfectly legal to take a photograph standing in the street if it's a public highway. I can come along and take a picture of your house from the street. I don't have to ask your permission as long as I'm on public land.

3:03At the COP31 climate conference, the UN Secretary General has said the case for fossil fuels is collapsing and that too many countries are hostage to price shocks that they cannot control. Antonio Guterres has told the crowd in Turkey they must become extinct but have powerful people behind them. Fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs, but that won't happen on its own. The dinosaurs do not have a lobby, but fossil fuels do. For more stories like this, listen throughout the day to Times Radio.

3:49headline hammer. With Google Workspace with Gemini, Google's AI is built right into the premium versions of tools we already use, like Gmail, Docs, and Sheets. No new tools or extra logins, just personalized AI for the way we work. That means less time on the work around the work and more time finding the stories worth talking about. Get AI tools for work. Upgrade to Google Workspace with Gemini at goo.gle slash workspace with Gemini. That's goo.gle slash workspace with Gemini. With almost half a million customers and over a trillion dollars of secure payments, Bill isn't new to intelligent finance.

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