Net freedoms
The government was pressed to ban X over charges that Elon Musk’s AI app Grok is being used to ‘undress’ women and children. Kemi Badenoch said the Tories would copy Australia in banning under-16s from social media. What are the most extreme countries for regulating the internet and social media – using a combined score including political sites, pornography and virtual private networks (VPNs), from the most laissez-faire at 1 to the most restrictive at 12?
Category 1: Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Estonia, Switzerland
Category 2: Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, Finland, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, Iceland, Moldova, Mongolia, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Sweden
Category 11: Iraq, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Turkmenistan
Category 12: China, Iran, North Korea
Pothole pariahs
Which are the best, and worst, authorities in England for maintaining roads?
Best (green rating): Darlington, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hillingdon, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, Rotherham, Sandwell, West Berkshire, Wigan, Wiltshire, Worcestershire
Worst (red rating): Bedford, Bolton, Cumberland, Derbyshire, Greenwich, Kensington and Chelsea, Leicestershire, North Lincolnshire, Slough, Suffolk, Waltham Forest, West Northamptonshire, Westmorland and Furness
Source: Department for Transport
Got milk?
How many babies are breastfed at six to eight weeks old? Across England, 57.3% of babies were being breastfed at this age in 2025. But the rate varies enormously:
Highest
Haringey 83.3%
Islington 82.2%
Kingston upon Thames 80.6%
Lowest
Hartlepool 30.8%
County Durham 33%
Redcar and Cleveland 35%
Source: Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
Last orders
How many pubs are there in the UK?
2000 60,800
2010 55,400
2024 45,000
There was a net loss of 366 pubs in 2025.
The year with the heaviest loss was 2017, with a net 1,950 closures.
Source: British Beer and Pub Association
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