UK comedian David Walliams accused of grooming and sexual harassment

PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, November 11: Spanish and French papers discuss protests in the two countries. An investigation by The Guardian and ITV accuses comedian David Walliams of "preying on young women for sex". Finally, a Doberman sensed something was wrong with a baby. It may have saved his life.  

Spain's first general strike in 14 years is making headlines. El País reports that trade unions intend to "test their strength in the face of attacks from the right". The unions are counting on the "support" of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government to secure progress on housing, the issue at the heart of their demands. Meanwhile, the country is still in mourning following last month's deadly rail disaster, and in just two days, the official campaign for the snap general election will begin. El Mundo views the call for a general strike as "a deeply worrying democratic anomaly". The paper accuses the Socialist government of "encouraging a mobilisation against the consequences of its political failure, in the hope of gaining an electoral advantage". El Mundo says that this comes at a time when polls show the right and far right gaining momentum.

Protests in France are continuing as well, and trade unions are calling for the mobilisation to continue. Aujourd'hui en France says we are seeing an escalation of violence, adding that school staff, the authorities and parents are concerned about the deteriorating atmosphere in schools. Right-wing paper Le Figaro headlines: "The French stand united behind the police". Le Figaro says a large majority believe that the police are not adequately equipped to deal with rioters and that the government has failed to ensure public safety, notably during the October 17 unrest.

In England, another sexual predator has been exposed: comedian and former "Britain's Got Talent" judge David Walliams. Walliams has been accused of preying on young women for sex. This was revealed by a joint investigation between the Guardian and ITV that showed how the comedian groomed fans as young as 15. The Telegraph writes that Walliams first faced questions about his behaviour after an investigation by the paper revealed that he had been accused of "harassing" junior employees at his publisher, HarperCollins. Last year, reporters uncovered that the author's own publisher had already investigated him and that staff had also been interviewed. The Hollywood Reporter explains that the best-selling children's author had previously sought an injunction to prevent revealing his identity – over fears that he would be "highly likely" to kill himself. Walliams denies all the allegations and says abusing his power is something that he "never did".

Finally, we bring you a heartwarming story from The Washington Post. Kim Reynolds noticed that her Doberman, Saraya, was behaving oddly around her baby Alexander. Saraya was whining and pacing near the 5-month-old infant, licking his face and becoming increasingly distressed. Later that day, the baby started crying uncontrollably. Then, thinking back to her dog's behaviour, Reynolds decided to take Alexander in for emergency care. It turned out that the baby's heart rate was dangerously high and he was diagnosed with a syndrome that can cause dangerous heart palpitations. Such a fast heart rate is very dangerous if undetected. If the dog hadn't alerted Reynolds, she might never have suspected that something was wrong. An expert told the paper that dogs can detect this sort of problem because of two things: their heightened senses and their deep affection for humans.

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