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