The mysterious media moguls behind London’s pink slime propaganda machine April 21, 2026 Private jets, council estates and links to the Kremlin: Steve Dinneen goes looking for the owners of a pink slime propaganda machine Standing outside a squat, residential tower block on the outskirts of Harlow on a grey winter afternoon, it seems hard to believe this is the headquarters of a media organisation with links to [...]
Ofcom launches probe into Telegram over child safety failures April 21, 2026 The UK’s communications regulator has launched a probe into Telegram after evidence emerged that child sexual abuse material was being shared on the platform. Ofcom announced on Tuesday that it has also opened investigations into teen chat sites Teen Chat and Chat Avenue, assessing whether the platforms are meeting their legal duties to protect children [...]
The cult of cute: The strange drama of corporate mascots April 21, 2026 While they remind us of our childhoods, mascots are as much a part of corporate culture as ever. Simon Coates asks why Last winter the language learning app Duolingo announced the death of its cartoon mascot, Duo the Owl. Duo had died, they said, after being hit by a car while he was waiting for [...]
Billionaire Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings quits after earnings miss April 17, 2026 The billionaire co-founder and chair of Netflix has quit after the streaming giant’s weak financial outlook spooked the market. Reed Hastings, who co-founded Netflix 29 years ago, told investors he will not stand for re-election in June and will focus on philanthropy once he leaves the firm. The shock departure comes after the streaming giant [...]
AI job cuts top 50,000 in 2026 as Snap, Oracle, Meta slash roles April 16, 2026 More than 50,000 tech jobs have been cut in 2026 as tech behemoths such as Snap, Oracle and Meta link layoffs to AI and a shift in spending towards AI infrastructure. Recent figures from Challenger, Gray & Christmas show over 52,000 roles were eliminated in the sector in the first quarter alone, with AI cited [...]
Nick Candy eyes payday after £275m home sale to Labour donor April 16, 2026 Reform UK fundraiser Nick Candy is looking to cash in on his assets after it was revealed that he sold his £275m home to a former Labour donor in what was put down as the largest house purchase in history. Quadrature Capital’s Suneil Setiya bought the hidden Chelsea mansion from Candy, according to the Financial [...]
BBC to cut 2,000 jobs ahead of Matt Brittin takeover April 15, 2026 The BBC is set to cut up to 2,000 jobs in its largest round of redundancies in 15 years, as the broadcaster accelerates cost-cutting plans ahead of a leadership change next month. Staff were briefed on the proposals at a company-wide meeting on Wednesday, with the cuts expected to affect roughly 10 per cent of [...]
Neville rivals Lineker media empire after The Overlap buys out YouTuber Goldbridge April 14, 2026 Gary Neville is continuing to follow fellow former footballer Gary Lineker’s media empire-building after his network, The Overlap, acquired Manchester United YouTuber Mark Goldbridge’s fan channels. The deal, reported to be worth seven figures, sees ex-United and England defender turned pundit Neville join forces with Goldbridge, a 47-year-old former police officer who has become the [...]
Crispin Odey drops £79m libel case against Financial Times April 10, 2026 Former hedge fund tycoon Crispin Odey dropped his libel claim against the Financial Times, ending a high-stakes legal battle over the publication’s reporting of sexual misconduct allegations. The Financial Times published several articles about the City financier in 2023 regarding allegations over his sexual conduct, following allegations from 20 women spanning five decades. Odey has [...]
ITV and BBC staples part of sport radio station backed by Zac Goldsmith April 9, 2026 ITV and BBC staples Mark Pougatch and Sonja McLaughlan are part of the sports radio station backed by a multi-million pound investment by Tory peer Zac Goldsmith. Goldsmith and his brother, Ben, are major investors in Track Radio, which will launch next month. ITV Sport regular Pougatch and BBC Six Nations specialist McLaughlan have been [...]