Author says there were'real concerns' about David Walliams within publishing industry To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Figure caption, Watch: Author says she was'warned' about David Walliams' behaviour Author Chloe Combi has said she had heard rumours that there were real concerns about David Walliams's behaviour within the publishing industry more than a decade ago. Combi told BBC News she had heard there were allegations about his behaviour around young female staff and says she was told in 2015 to warn schools that he was not an appropriate booking. An investigation by the Guardian and ITV News alleged that Walliams has been accused by several women of sexual misconduct, inappropriate behaviour and abusing his position, which he denies. HarperCollins, which published Walliams's best-selling children's books, dropped Walliams last year after an investigation into his behaviour.

TV presenter Jonathan Ross has said he is horrified by allegations of sexual misconduct against David Walliams and the rape conviction of Russell Brand. In a statement, Ross said he was once on friendly terms with both men, but that at the time he was genuinely unaware of their conduct. ITV News and the Guardian on Tuesday published reports alleging that Walliams has been accused of sexual misconduct by several women. Walliams denies all the allegations against him. Brand was sentenced to 10 years in jail for rape on Monday.

Image caption, The papers feature actor and comedian David Walliams as he faces allegations of sexual misconduct after losing a legal bid to stop the claims against him being made public. The Guardian, whose joint three-year investigation along with ITV News unearthed the allegations, leads with David Walliams accused of using his celebrity status to prey on young women for sex. Walliams strongly denies the allegations. In a letter addressed to the media and published by the Guardian, he said he was not a sexual predator and had not broken the law. He said he realised that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with and said he regretted not always taking people's feelings properly into account.

Judge allows Trump's $10bn defamation case against BBC to proceed A federal judge in Florida has allowed US President Donald Trump's defamation case against the BBC to go ahead after the broadcaster sought to dismiss it. But Judge Jeffrey Kuntz dismissed a second claim in the $10bn (£7.5bn) lawsuit under the state's unfair trade practices law. The US president is suing the BBC over an episode of Panorama that edited together two different sections of a speech he gave before the riot at the US Capitol in 2021. Trump called the judge's ruling a huge victory in a Truth Social post on Tuesday. A BBC spokesperson said: We are surprised by this decision but respect the Court's authority and note the case will now proceed to the next stage.

New photos are'essential evidence' of possible SAS war crimes, inquiry told An inquiry into UK special forces operations in Afghanistan has released photos described as essential evidence, showing soldiers could have executed unarmed people laying asleep. For the first time, the inquiry has made public photos taken of the deceased, across two SAS operations, that show multiple individuals lying in bed with shots to the head. The inquiry's lead barrister, Oliver Glasgow KC, said the photos may be evidence of possible war crimes and worthy of expert interrogation. The public inquiry is examining allegations that the SAS murdered unarmed civilians and detainees on night raids between 2010 and 2013 and planted weapons to cover up the killings. The graphic photographs show multiple unarmed people lying in bed. One person was tucked under a floral blanket, others with their heads on pillows, blood pooling around their heads.

Image caption, The US removed all its bombers from the UK's RAF Fairford base last month after a major incident in September that police described as suspicious The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced charges against three Iran-backed operatives that it alleges were involved in a string of plots in the US and Europe. The DOJ said Iranian agents most recently orchestrated a terrorist plot at an air force base in the United Kingdom, saying they were involved in the major incident in September near RAF Fairford in the UK, where US armed forces were stationed. One man, a dual Iranian-Iraqi national, is accused of communicating with contacts in the UK from a prison in New York where he is awaiting trial on previous charges. The other two are accused of doing the same from Iran. Iran has strongly denied any involvement in the RAF Fairford incident, which came to light when suspicious vans were reported near the base.

Prince George's artwork featured in Country Life magazine The 13-year-old drew the bird, which is perched on a branch, while at home in the spring. The artwork is included as part of a wider 300-page special edition of the magazine, in which the Princess of Wales has also given an interview. As well as providing an insight into his family life, Prince William uses the magazine as an opportunity to shed light on the working conditions for servicewomen and feature his fanatical support for Aston Villa. Prince George, who is said to enjoy drawing, appears to be following in the footsteps of his family. His grandfather, the King, is a keen artist.

Plans by the Prince of Wales to sell off up to 20% of the Duchy of Cornwall could see more tenant farmers across England asked to buy their farms or move out. Up to 40 farm holdings across Devon, Cornwall, Herefordshire and the Midlands could be affected by the sale, according to the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA). Locals say talks over the future of nine farms on the Bradninch estate in Devon have already caused distress for some tenants who fear they cannot afford to buy. A spokeswoman said the Duchy could not confirm the total number of tenants affected by the ten-year sale plan, external but told the BBC the estate was supporting them through the process with care and respect. Image caption, The Duchy's rural director Matthew Morris said he was listening to feedback from farmers The Duchy, which covers around 51,800 hectares (128,000 acres) in 19 counties, plans to use the £500m raised from the property and land sale over the next decade to invest in local communities, affordable housing and environmental projects.

Too many university students can use AI to complete assessments without staff finding out, the higher education regulator in England has said. The Office for Students (OfS) said a significant proportion of assessments are unsupervised and many can be completed to a high standard with AI, sometimes in minutes. It said this posed a significant risk to their credibility, and closed-book and practical exams were the most effective forms of assessments. Universities UK said many institutions had made substantial changes to make assessments AI-proof. Universities that do not meet OfS quality standards could soon be banned from charging increased tuition fees or have caps imposed on their student numbers, under proposals that are now being consulted on.

One drug comes out top in a large analysis, external of how effective antidepressants are at keeping patients free of symptoms of depression. Escitalopram performed best at preventing patients from relapsing in a study involving nearly 10,000 people prescribed different medications for up to a year. Two other pills - agomelatine and duloxetine - came next, while prozac (also known as fluoxetine) ranked just below them. Experts stress the findings don't mean that everyone with severe depression should switch to escitalopram, or that other antidepressants aren't any good, because all the drugs can work and each has its pros and cons. Depression is common, affecting around one in six people in the UK. With the right treatment and support, people can make a good recovery although for some their depression can return.