Chief inspector Martin Jones warns the Probation Service is in “perpetual crisis” and risks being set up to fail as ministers expand electronic tagging and community penalties. He urges a rethink of resources and deployment ahead of a major overhaul of the justice system.

Netflix will buy the studio behind Harry Potter and Game of Thrones for $72bn, its largest deal to date. The takeover secures control of major franchises, boosts production capacity and libraries, and steps up competition with Hollywood rivals, subject to regulatory approval.

An inquiry into the Salisbury nerve agent incident finds it was authorised at the highest level of a hostile state, with its leader deemed morally responsible for a Briton’s death. Officials say the operation was a reckless show of power and warn the state’s agents remain an active threat to the UK.

An investigation finds thousands of NHS laboratory staff exposed to unsafe formaldehyde levels, a cancer-linked chemical, with cases of severe asthma and long-term illness forcing some to leave work. Regulators’ limits were breached. Experts call for urgent safeguards, monitoring and accountability.