Gisèle Pelicot has been praised for her bravery in demanding that the ongoing mass rape trial of her former husband and 50 other men be held in public. The 72-year-old's decision to waive her anonymity has shone a spotlight on society's response to sexual violence and triggered nationwide demonstrations that underscore how her courage is "inspiring people in France and beyond", said Le Monde, "even as they've been horrified by the scale and brutality of the abuse she suffered over the course of a decade".

Who has been charged?
Dominique Pelicot, 71, has confessed to raping his then wife and inviting dozens of other men to sexually assault her while she was unconscious after he drugged her with heavy sedatives and sleeping pills in secret. He and the other defendants are on trial in the southern city of Avignon, on charges of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault.

The investigation began in 2020, after he was caught taking photos up women's skirts at a French supermarket. Detectives searched his computer and found a folder titled "Abuses", which included thousands of photos and videos of him and other men raping his unconscious wife.

Why did she choose a public hearing?
Pelicot insisted on the proceedings being held in public to show that victims of abuse shouldn't be ashamed and because accepting anonymity would have been "what her attackers would have wanted", said her legal team.

What's the latest?
Defendants are giving their testimony in groups and the trial is expected to continue until late December. More than a dozen of the men have pleaded not guilty, and many have said they were tricked into having sex, "lured by her husband for a playful three-way encounter" and told she was "pretending to sleep because she was shy", said The New York Times.

"The case has widened perceptions of who might commit sexual crimes," with a nurse, journalist, prison warden, local councillor, soldier, lorry drivers and farm workers among the defendants. All face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Formula 1 drivers are calling on the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) to treat them like "adults" after Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were punished for swearing.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the motor-racing governing body, has led the crackdown on explicit language, which has been publicly criticised by the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.

'Vow of silence'
Three-time world champion Verstappen (pictured above) was ordered to perform "work of public interest" as well as pay a €40,000 (£33,000) fine after calling his car "fucked" during a press conference in Singapore. He retaliated by "offering only basic responses in his next press conference", said talkSport. But the Red Bull driver held an impromptu Q&A session with F1 journalists outside in the paddock, which was not televised, "so that only the FIA, who had broadcast his one-word responses, would feel the effects of his vow of silence". Verstappen said the row had left him considering his future in the sport.

Monaco's Leclerc received a €10,000 (£8,200) fine for swearing in Mexico's post-race press conference, although half of the fine was suspended for 12 months provided there are no repeat offences.

'Dirty language'
There is a difference between "swearing to insult others" and the "more casual" use of bad language to describe a situation or inanimate object, the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) said in an open letter. The trade union of F1 drivers also urged the FIA president to "consider his own tone and language when talking to our member drivers, or indeed about them, whether in a public forum or otherwise".

Sulayem "made waves" last month, said Reuters, following an interview in which he criticised "dirty language" and insisted that drivers should not sound like "rappers". In response, Lewis Hamilton accused the FIA boss of using "stereotypical" language with a "racial element".

The GPDA said its members "do not need to be given instructions via the media" about "trivial" matters. Driver fines were "not appropriate" for F1, it added, asking for greater clarification on how the funds from driver fines were spent.

The Eventim Apollo in west London has hosted some of the planet's biggest music stars, from Kylie Minogue to Lana Del Rey. And, come March, a "new name will take to its stage", said Hannah Evans in The Times. "But if adoring fans throw anything at him it's more likely to be aprons than knickers – the headliner is the chef and TV personality James Martin."

He isn't the only talented cook to turn his hand to live events. Last year Mary Berry took to the stage at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in the West End for an interview with "reality TV darling" Rylan Clark.

Jamie Oliver will be jetting off to Australia for an evening at the Sydney Coliseum Theatre, where he "won't just talk about recipes", said Time Out. He's promising to "take a deep dive into his extensive career, from his early days on TV and his life as a restaurateur to his passion to transform school lunches and his life as a dad". The audience will also be able to ask him their "burning foodie questions".

Other cooking stars taking centre stage include Yotam Ottolenghi, who is midway through a world tour, and Rick Stein is kicking off a UK theatre tour in March.

Although there isn't any cooking at the events, and they usually finish relatively early in the evening, shows like these mark the start of the "rock star chef era", where beloved chefs and food writers "pull in the same size crowds as world-famous musicians", said Evans in The Times.

"So the next time you see a line outside your local concert hall, don't assume it's the latest indie band playing. It's just as likely to be a chef."

Why we won't get better trade deals out of Trump or the EU
Sean O'Grady for Indy Voices
Rachel Reeves is "displaying considerable pluck" in "squaring up" to Donald Trump's "nascent Maga administration", writes Sean O'Grady, and the UK "can have a free trade deal with America – provided it is very much on their terms". But "they are worsening", so we "may end up with the worst of both worlds": a "rotten, one-sided" deal with the US and a "flawed deal" with the EU.

Evangelicals have questions to answer over the John Smyth scandal
Isabel Hardman for The Spectator
A damning report has pointed to "missed opportunities" by the Church of England to bring "serial abuser" John Smyth to justice, writes Isabel Hardman. "Protecting reputation, diminishing the concerns and complaints of less powerful people" and "concentrating power in the hands of just a few at the top" are traits that "run through dysfunctional institutions", but the Church's "evangelical wing" has "long assumed itself" to be a "beacon" shining as an example to others. "Instead, it was just as bad."

To understand Badenoch, start in 1990s Nigeria
Tomiwa Owolade for The Times
The "turbulence" of Nigeria when Kemi Badenoch lived there as a teenager "would shape her career", writes Tomiwa Owolade. The factors that led to the country's suspension from the Commonwealth, including "fallout from the civil war, corrupt military rule" and "contempt for human rights", explains "much" of her "ideology". Badenoch "doesn't want Britain to be like Nigeria". Her "emphasis on principles over policies" comes from someone for whom "political instability" was "the norm" in her childhood.