Ministers condemn ‘thuggish’ far-right activists after Portsmouth unrest

• Social media platforms have changed how governments, diplomats, and citizens communicate and share information during international relations events. • During a conflict in West Asia that began in February 2026, several accounts circulated old video clips and falsely presented them as current footage.

Secretaries board concerned material posted without proper context as Greens warn ban could result in lack of transparencyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe nation’s top bureaucrats want the Albanese government to ban video footage from parliamentary hearings being edited and shared on social media, in an extraordinary attempt to stop online ridicule and abuse. But the Greens say highly paid public service chiefs shouldn’t be allowed to control footage from open parliamentary hearings, warning the proposed controls would limit a key tool of government transparency.The secretaries board – made up of the heads of government departments and chaired by the Prime Minister and Cabinet boss Steven Kennedy – said they were concerned about material from hearings being presented online without proper context. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Documents reveal water firms have been allowed to advise on how they wish to be held to accountLabour’s new powers for customers to hold water companies to account are a “stitch-up”, campaigners have said, as utilities firms have been advising on how to implement it.The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) is creating what the government referred to as “powerful consumer panels” so the public can question the executives of their local water company and get redress for problems they face from sewage and water companies in England and Wales. Continue reading...

Toscafund, founded by City figure known as ‘the Rottweiler’, signs deal amid fears over creeping privatisation of NHSBusiness live – latest updatesBritain’s biggest private hospital operator has agreed to a £1bn takeover by a hedge fund manager known as “the Rottweiler” for his aggressive business tactics.Spire Healthcare, which owns the Claremont hospital in Sheffield and St Anthony’s hospital in south London, has agreed to a 250p a share offer by an investor group led by Toscafund Asset Management, which values the business at £1.03bn. Continue reading...

Torrential rain causes widespread damage; while north-west South Africa hit by thunderstorms and central-southern US faces oppressive heatTyphoon Saudel brought days of torrential rain to the Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong provinces in south-east China last week. The city of Putian, in Fujian province, recorded 416.5mm of rain in a 24-hour period between Thursday and Friday, with surrounding villages recording more than 500mm in the same period. In Fujian, authorities estimate that almost 600,000 people were evacuated from high-risk, flood-prone areas. A further 128,000 people in 53 counties were also affected across Jiangxi, with emergency evacuations affecting 9,000 people.Flooding, landslips and infrastructure damage were reported widely in the region. More than 2,500 teachers and students were trapped in a school compound in the Zhejiang city of Wenzhou on Wednesday after extreme rainfall caused flash floods in low-lying areas. At least 1,260 people reportedly had to be rescued in Putian after a river embankment collapsed on Thursday, flattening 100 homes. On Saturday, a landslip in a village of Suichuan county, in Jiangxi province, killed three people and nine others remaining missing. Continue reading...

Emma Reynolds says demonstrations ‘cross a line’ Good morning. John Healey is giving his first major speech on economic policy since he became chancellor seven weeks ago. It is meant to be the main government news of the morning and, as Pippa Crerar writes in her preview story, Healey will argue the government’s plans to boost growth across the whole country will enable the British economy to “turn a corner”.Healey’s deputy, Emma Reynolds, the chief secretary to the Treasury, has been giving interviews as part of the build-up. Continue reading...

Group fail to secure majority in Saxony-Anhalt state parliament leaving uncertainty over next steps On Sunday night, Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s lead candidate, thanked Musk on X “for your support and for your clear and highly important perspective on the political developments of our time”, adding: “I would very much welcome the opportunity for strong and constructive cooperation”.Siegmund wrote his comments after Musk said “Well done!” in German to AfD co-founder Alice Weidel, when she posted about the projected win. Continue reading...

Average property cost £298,468 in August, down by 0.4% year on year owing to interest rates and uncertaintyBusiness live – latest updatesUK house prices have fallen for the first time in almost three years, as prospective buyers were squeezed by higher mortgage rates, geopolitical uncertainty and stretched affordability.Prices have dropped by 0.4% compared with a year ago, the first year-on-year decrease since November 2023, according to the lender Lloyds. That came in below expectations of a 0.2% annual rise, according to a poll of economists by Reuters. Continue reading...

Median £42,000 in reserve not enough to cover filming overrun or delay to series, industry body warnsHundreds of small UK TV companies have so little cash in reserve that a filming overrun or a delay to a series could send them bust, an industry body has warned, as programme budget cuts by broadcasters threaten their future.Analysis of the Companies House accounts filings of more than 200 of the estimated 800 independent TV production companies in the UK by the industry body Indielab has found that 40% face running out of cash within the next two years. Continue reading...

Plans would see parts of estate converted but campaigners warn it just ‘moves the crisis from one part to another’Ministers will seriously examine converting parts of the female prison estate into cells that can safely house male prisoners, as the government looks to reduce numbers of women in prison to ease strain on the system.The prisons minister Catherine McKinnell is to look into the practicalities of converting female spaces to male over the coming months, after warnings from governors and experts that it would pose significant challenges. Continue reading...

Rightwing NSW powerbrokers are alleged to have received illegal political donations from fugitive developerFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo Liberal operatives traded photos and messages about whether to buy a Porsche or a Ferrari with payments they received for Toplace projects they got approved via a New South Wales government fast-track development process.The Independent Commission Against Corruption on Monday heard more evidence from lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood, a principal of Beckington Consulting, who is alleged to have shared in $2m in payments from the fugitive developer Jean Nassif, owner of the now collapsed Toplace. Continue reading...