The Why Files

There are renewed calls for the US government to release the full files connected to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender who died in federal custody in 2019. Commentators and politicians are pressing for transparency over what documents exist and who is named, with the debate feeding into wider distrust of official handling of the case.

Speculation about an Anthropic initial public offering is picking up in the US. On CNBC, veteran banker Robert Kindler argued that an Anthropic listing would not drive the broader market, signaling that Wall Street sees the AI company's potential debut as significant but not market-moving. No filing or timeline has been confirmed, and attention remains on how the high-profile AI firm would be valued.

Four environmental organizations filed a petition Thursday asking the Federal Communications Commission to reverse its approval of a startup's plan to beam on-demand sunlight from space to Earth. The groups argue the agency ignored the project's potential impacts on wildlife and astronomy when clearing the plan.

Blake Lively has made a public statement following a court ruling in her ongoing legal dispute with Justin Baldoni, as preparations continue for their upcoming trial. The actress addressed the decision ahead of proceedings that have drawn wide attention since the two Hollywood figures filed dueling claims against each other.

Grand Theft Auto VI is dominating conversation ahead of release. Rockstar's game will require 212 GB of storage, a problem for many PS5 and Xbox Series owners, though workarounds let players avoid deleting other titles. Rockstar has also deployed a giant blimp over real-life Miami as promotion, and it emerged that the French electronic duo Justice composed the game's score.

An AT&T internet outage hit Northwest Arkansas, affecting nearly 400 customers, with users turning to outage-tracking services to report disrupted connections. The incident came alongside other reported service disruptions, including Google Cloud issues in Europe and Scotiabank banking app and online banking problems in Canada, keeping outage-tracking platforms busy with user complaints.

Jake Paul says he will not stop until he has fought Deontay Wilder, Canelo Alvarez, Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia, Francis Ngannou and Chris Eubank Jr, laying out an ambitious wishlist of opponents. Separately, a lawsuit filed by boxer Heather Hardy is raising questions over who approved the Amanda Serrano rematch. The claims keep the YouTuber-turned-boxer at the centre of boxing debate.

Several German outlets are reporting developments around taxes this week. Pensioners may no longer need to file a tax return, with a simple letter said to be enough. The governing parties are debating an income tax reform and planning a new levy on plastics, while the Union defends its net-wage promises amid accusations of breaking its word. Tax authorities are also reminding citizens of four key deadlines.

New US regulatory Form 4 filings show insider transactions across several listed companies, including RPC Inc, Agilysys and FB Financial, with directors and executives such as Amy Rollins Kreisler and William David Wood III reporting trades dated 2 November. Separate disclosures note large share sales at Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals and ANI Pharmaceuticals, while Doubleview Gold announced a $3.2 million private placement and the Chinese yuan traded below 6.65 against the dollar.

Fresh GTA 6 details are circulating after Edge Magazine published new screenshots and gameplay features from Rockstar's upcoming title. Dutch outlet Gamekings reports the game would have required three PS5 discs totaling around 210 GB, underlining the scale of the release. Gamers online are discussing the visuals, the reported file size, and what these reveals suggest ahead of the game's launch.

Sony's PlayStation is in the news on several fronts in Japan. Two unreleased PlayStation devices, possibly an OLED version of the PlayStation Portal handheld, have passed Wi-Fi certification, hinting at new hardware announcements. Meanwhile, PlayStation creator Ken Kutaragi drew attention for comments saying the technology industry has stagnated, and a high-quality 'PlayStation for figmaPLUS' figure is also impressing fans.

Attention on Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto 6 is growing after Forbes reported that information about a rumoured 'GTA 6 Online' mode was found in the game's pre-loaded files and backend systems. Fans are combing through the data for hints about multiplayer features ahead of the game's release, and the discovery is fuelling speculation about what Rockstar has planned for the online component.

Businessman Daniel Vorcaro has filed a complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights against Brazil, according to UOL. Details of the full aim of the filing remain unclear from available information. The move is drawing significant public attention in Brazil as observers debate its implications for the case.

AI company Anthropic, maker of the Claude chatbot, has filed for an initial public offering in the United States, with reports suggesting it could raise up to $100 billion in a float valued as high as $1.5 trillion. Its filing reportedly shows $114 billion in losses, while the company says revenue surged 1,100 percent. Interest is strong in Australia, Germany, Singapore, Russia and France.

The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against Utah seeking to overturn the state's total ban on gambling in order to shield the prediction-market platform Kalshi. The legal move comes as Kalshi aggressively expands in the US, flooding sports media with promo codes offering bonuses of $25 to $55 tied to NFL, NBA and college football matchups. The case highlights a growing federal-state clash over whether event contracts count as gambling.

VLC, the free open-source media player, is being described as increasingly dominant on Windows, with claims that Microsoft is unable to stop its rise despite bundling its own media tools. Commentators point to VLC's long-standing reputation for playing nearly any file format without cost or restrictions. The discussion frames the software as a rare example of a decades-old community project outcompeting a built-in alternative from the operating system maker.

Brazilian energy company Raízen (RAIZ4) is dominating market news after reaching an agreement reducing its tax debt by R$8.5 billion, seen as a key step in its financial restructuring. Reports also say its subsidiary has filed for a B3 listing, and IG4 is reportedly close to a deal to take control of the company. Analysts are weighing the moves alongside earnings season and election-related market developments.

A UN meeting addressing the Western Sahara dispute and the potential return of populations from the Tindouf camps in Algeria to Morocco is drawing attention. The central question being discussed is how Morocco would receive those returning, amid ongoing diplomatic efforts over the territory's status and renewed international focus on the decades-long conflict.