Ministers propose converting female prison estate into cells for men

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...

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...

Review led by Donna Ockenden launches after campaign by families and media investigation into deathsSusan Cacciacarro was almost 37 weeks pregnant with her daughter Chiara when she woke up one morning in 2021, unable to feel her baby kicking.“My belly just didn’t feel right,” she said. “I didn’t feel any movements.” Continue reading...

Row centres on stake held by Patarkatsishvili family in bottled water firm it jointly owns with Russian oligarchA British theatre impresario and her billionaire family are embroiled in a bitter dispute with Ukrainian authorities seeking to seize a water company they jointly own with a Russian oligarch.The row centres on a 34% stake held in the producer of Ukraine’s biggest bottled water brands by the Patarkatsishvili family, including Liana Patarkatsishvili, who recently worked on an immersive show with Toby Jones and Meera Syal. Continue reading...

Firms are more likely to use technology as ‘the intern in the office’ than as a replacement for skilled staffProfessional designers should not feel “threatened” by the rapid growth of generative AI, according to business leaders, despite fears over job losses in the sector.With design and film production companies and manufacturers all adopting AI at an accelerating pace, industry bodies said the technology would be used to enhance the work of designers rather than replace them. Continue reading...

Exclusive: UN special rapporteur on occupied territories says ban on goods from settlements ‘important’ but must go further if it is to amount to more than a ‘press release’The UK’s planned ban on trade with unlawful Israeli settlements is a welcome, if overdue, first step and must be judged according to its practical impact, a UN expert has told the Guardian.The UK foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, has vowed to act more decisively against Israeli settlements, as well as continued restrictions of aid into Gaza, prompting the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, to claim on Saturday that Downing Street was motivated by “Jew hatred”. Continue reading...

Ashlyn Nassif, daughter of Toplace boss who fled Australia in 2022, has pleaded guilty to providing false or misleading information to obtain loan from WestpacFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe daughter of a fugitive property developer succumbed to pressure from her father when she falsified documents for a $150m construction loan, a Sydney court has heard.Ashlyn Nassif, the daughter of Jean Nassif, pleaded guilty in June to providing false or misleading information to obtain the loan from Westpac, which was used to construct three apartment towers in Sydney’s north-west in 2021. Continue reading...

Sydney-headquartered group suspends work on some of its 45 construction sites impacting 60% of workforceMore than 200 workers at Sydney-headquartered Bathla Group have been stood down as administrators of the embattled property developer seek emergency funds to stave off a company-wide collapse.The insolvency advisory Teneo said on Monday that new short-term funding arrangements would only allow Bathla to continue construction on some of its 45 construction sites, though it did not identify which projects were being prioritised. Continue reading...

Lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt welcomes further ‘strong’ cooperation with Musk as French minister says ‘We cannot forget our history’The candidate who led the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party to a historic state election victory in Germany has thanked Elon Musk for his support, as one French minister warned that this was a “serious moment” for Europe.The AfD more than doubled its support in the Saxony-Anhalt region and appears to be on the brink of becoming the first far-right party to gain power in Germany at state level since the second world war. Continue reading...

Oscar-winning actor says she and other outspoken critics of Israel have found it ‘impossible’ to get hired by major studiosThe Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon has said she is still losing work because of her outspoken support for Palestinians, despite what she ⁠described as a broader shift ⁠in public opinion against ​US support for Israel.Speaking at the Venice film festival, where she is promoting her latest movie The Echo Chamber, Sarandon said some parts of the film industry continued to ⁠shun her over her activism. Continue reading...