Reeves urged to ‘grasp the nettle’ with wholesale reset of council tax 20. November 2025 (20:17) Experts say chancellor should go further than rumoured plan to update value of homes in top three bands Rachel Reeves has been urged to “grasp the nettle” and kick off a wholesale revaluation of the nation’s homes for council tax in next week’s budget as she prepares to introduce a levy on the most expensive properties.Council tax is charged based on valuations carried out in 1991. The Treasury is understood to have drawn up plans to update the value of homes currently in the top three council tax bands – F to H. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Councils in north of England and Midlands to get more funding in shake-up 20. November 2025 (19:53) The changes could see funding boosts for Reform-led councils in the north with high levels of deprivation Deprived towns and cities in the Midlands and the north of England are the big winners in a shake-up of local authority funding that will redirect cash from affluent rural areas to urban councils hit hardest by austerity.Ministers said the changes put in place a fairer system that recognised the extra needs and weaker council tax-raising powers of councils in so-called “left behind” areas. It guarantees them real-terms funding increases for the next three years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Donald Trump and JD Vance snubbed for Dick Cheney’s funeral 20. November 2025 (19:23) Joe Biden and George W Bush attend Republican’s service, while Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are notable absenteesDonald Trump and JD Vance have been snubbed, by not being invited to former vice-president Dick Cheney’s funeral, taking place on Thursday, according to a White House official familiar with the matter.Cheney, the former US vice-president to George W Bush and a Republican defense hawk who became a fierce critic of the current US president, died earlier this month at the age of 84. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ottawa officials to cull ‘mindblowing’ influx of thousands of goldfish in pond 20. November 2025 (18:07) Scourge of goldfish has become growing problem as fish are released by pet owners into increasingly warm watersCity officials in Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, plan to cull thousands of feral goldfish from a stormwater pond, a decision that reflects the pervasive spread of the species throughout the region.Earlier in the year, city staff removed 5,000 fish from the city’s Celebration Park. But as many as 1,000 more are believed to still be living in the water. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Too little, too late’: damning report condemns UK’s Covid response 20. November 2025 (17:39) Report on handling of pandemic contains stinging criticism of ‘toxic and chaotic’ culture inside Boris Johnson’s No 10‘Chaotic and indecisive’: key findings of report on UK’s Covid response under ToriesDominic Cummings ‘poisoned the atmosphere’ of Boris Johnson’s No 10, Covid inquiry findsThe UK’s response to Covid was “too little, too late”, a damning official report on the handling of the pandemic has concluded, saying the introduction of a lockdown even a week earlier than happened could have saved more than 20,000 lives.The document also has stinging criticism of a “toxic and chaotic” culture inside Boris Johnson’s Downing Street – which it said the then prime minister actively embraced – in which the loudest voices held sway and women were sidelined. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Golden crime scene’: Elizabeth Warren calls for inquiry into Trump’s ballroom funding 20. November 2025 (17:29) Top Democrat on Senate banking committee says private funding for Trump’s ballroom poses serious corruption concernsUS politics live – latest updatesSenator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has said that the next independent Department of Justice “should investigate” the private donations that have funded the construction of the new White House ballroom.Warren – who is the top Democrat on the Senate banking committee – told the Guardian in a statement that the ballroom could be “a golden crime scene” and urged the next administration to “follow the money” to uncover “whether any crimes were committed” in its financing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Biafran separatist leader sentenced to life on terrorism charges by Nigerian court 20. November 2025 (17:24) Judge says Nnamdi Kanu used his Indigenous People of Biafra group to incite attacks on security officials and civiliansThe Biafran separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu has been sentenced to life in prison on terrorism-related charges by a court in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.Judge James Omotosho said prosecutors had shown that Kanu, who also holds British citizenship, had used his Indigenous People of Biafra group (Ipob) to incite attacks on security officials and civilians in south-east Nigeria and during anti-police protests in Lagos. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Dominic Cummings ‘poisoned the atmosphere’ of Boris Johnson’s No 10, Covid inquiry finds 20. November 2025 (17:21) Report from inquiry’s second module also says Johnson as PM ‘at times actively encouraged’ chaotic culture‘Too little, too late’: damning report condemns UK’s Covid response‘Chaotic and indecisive’: key findings of report on UK’s Covid response under ToriesDominic Cummings “poisoned the atmosphere” of Boris Johnson’s Downing Street during the Covid crisis, the official inquiry into the pandemic has found, saying he helped create a toxic and macho culture with the full connivance of the then prime minister.Johnson’s chief aide “strayed far from the proper role of a special adviser”, the report found, making “key decisions in 10 Downing Street which were for the prime minister to make”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ukraine: US-Russian peace proposal is ‘absurd’ and unacceptable 20. November 2025 (17:19) Officials say proposal is aimed at stirring up division and disorientating Kyiv’s allies• Europe live – latest updatesA new US-Russian peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine has been dismissed as “absurd” and unacceptable by officials in Kyiv amid talks between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a high-ranking US army delegation.They said the proposal reportedly drafted by Kirill Dmitriev, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff was a “provocation”, the aim of which was to stir up division and “disorientate” Ukraine’s allies, they added. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK is worst-performing market for JD Sports as youth unemployment hits sales 20. November 2025 (16:59) Lack of spare cash among under-25s feeds slide in sales with annual profits to be at lower end of expectationsUnemployment among young people in the UK is hitting sales growth and profits at JD Sports, the owner of the trainer and sportwear chain has said, amid warnings about the high number of under-25s not in work, education or training.The UK was the worst-performing market for JD Group, which also owns Blacks, Go Outdoors and a number of US and European sports chains. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
