3 h. ago What to expect in budget 2025: tax, VAT, pensions, savings and more

Here’s what Rachel Reeves is tipped to announce after months of speculationCould you do better than Reeves as chancellor? Play our interactive budget gameEvery chancellor likes to float ideas before a budget to test how they might land with the public.However, the sheer volume of policy ideas floated – and in some cases quickly jettisoned – through the media in the run-up to Wednesday’s Westminster set-piece has set Rachel Reeves’s second budget apart. Continue reading...

Economics

25 h. ago Heartwarming moment little boy finds out his 'magical' mission has been a big hit

It was a heartbreaking moment which has gone viral on TikTok as Noah Playforth is told his 'magical mission' has raised more than £10,000 for 'poorly children'

Events

38 h. ago Several schools on lockdown after person seen walking with firearms in Beaumont Hills

Several schools were plunged into lockdown and the public was warned to stay away as a major police operation in response to a firearms scare unfolded in Sydney’s north west

Events

3 d. ago Driver, 60, 'critical' in hospital after car hits parked vehicle then flips over

Police have issued a public appeal

Events

3 d. ago Trump’s DoJ sues California over college tuition benefits for undocumented students

Justice department challenges policy allowing in-state tuition for undocumented students at public universitiesThe justice department sued California on Thursday for allowing undocumented college students to pay in-state tuition for public universities, alleging the policy harms US citizens.The lawsuit, filed in the US district court for the eastern district of California, marks the third time this week that the Trump administration has sued California. In addition to challenging the state’s in-state tuition policy, the lawsuit argues that California unlawfully extends eligibility for scholarships and subsidized loans to undocumented students. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Boy goes missing from Scots primary school and is found alone in park

The pupil left Pittencrieff Primary School on Maitland Street in Dunfermline at around 12.30 on Wednesday, November 19.

Events

4 d. ago Cops launch urgent search for missing girl, 15, and boy, 14, who were last seen together

COPS have launched an urgent appeal after two teenagers vanished last weekend. Avon & Somerset Police say both individuals went missing in unexplained circumstances. The force posted the alert on X, urging the public to help track Hattie, 15, and Steven, 14, and it is believed they were last seen together. The last sighting was...

Events

5 d. ago Police ‘tried to pit grieving parents of Stephen Lawrence against each other’

Baroness Lawrence told the public inquiry into undercover policing that officers tried to manipulate her relationship with her ex-husband Neville.

Society

5 d. ago Homes evacuated as police rush to Londonderry and issue 'warning' with public told stay away

A number of people have been evacuated from their homes in Londonderry due to an ongoing security alert. The security alert comes after two viable pipe bombs were made safe last week in the same area

Events

6 d. ago Lack of planning has hit Labour’s efforts to fix public services, says thinktank

Keir Starmer accused of failing to adequately strategise while in opposition, leading to uncoordinated policymaking Keir Starmer is failing to make major improvements to public services partly because he did not plan properly while in opposition, according to a report from the Institute for Government (IfG).The prime minister went into government without a clear idea about how to achieve his targets, the IfG found, resulting in haphazard attempts to reform various sectors, from the health service to the courts. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Winter Wonderland machete horror as police hunt masked youths on e

Police have released CCTV images and asked for the public's help in locating four young people who allegedly confronted another group in Nottingham's city centre on Sunday

Events

7 d. ago How a top New Zealand police officer's downfall provoked public fury and scrutiny of police powers

New Zealand's police agency faces a trust crisis and greater scrutiny of its powers after a sexual misconduct scandal involving former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming

Events

8 d. ago Hunt for missing boy, 14, last seen five days ago as police urge 'call 999'

Warwickshire Police has launched a public appeal as the force tries to track down missing Kai, 14, who vanished from his home in Warwick five days ago

Events

9 d. ago The US has drafted a coin featuring Trump. Here’s a better way to immortalize him | Robert Reich

It is our solemn duty to ensure he is remembered for all he has done and may still do to destroy US democracyThe US treasury has drafted a design for a $1 coin featuring Donald Trump on both sides, for the purpose of “honoring America’s 250th Birthday and @POTUS”, according to treasury officials.Meanwhile, Trump reportedly wants the Washington Commanders to name their planned $3.7bn stadium after him. A senior White House source told ESPN: “It’s what the president wants, and it will probably happen.”Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Guardian US columnist and his newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com. His new book, Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America, is out now Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Scotland’s housing crisis is one of complacency and an absence of imagination

Until we rebuild public imagination and civic confidence, no amount of policy will fix our housing problem, writes Frazer Macdonald Hay

Events

1 week ago Police issue urgent appeal as fears grow for missing boy, 16, last seen at railway station

Jamie Kennedy was reported missing at around 1am on Friday

Events

1 week ago Heartbroken mum pays tribute to 'beautiful boy' after body found in search for missing busker

Lewis Cuthbert, 25, disappeared after he was last seen on Lesmahagow Road in Strathaven, South Lanarkshire.

Events

1 week ago Leicestershire boy, 15, missing for a week as cops plead for help

Jayden Baker, 15, from Leicestershire, was last seen in Northampton at about 6.30pm on Sunday, November 8, and police are now urging anyone who has information over his whereabouts to get in touch

Events

1 week ago Republicans are regimented. Democrats are undisciplined. Just look at the shutdown | Robert Reich

Democrats finally had bargaining power and they caved. It’s nothing new – but it’s proof voters must make our demands clearChuck Schumer couldn’t hold his senators together at a time when their unity and toughness were essential. And at a time when they were winning: most of the public was blaming Republicans for the shutdown, and pressure was growing to reopen the government (flight delays were mounting).Does this mean Schumer should go? Yes.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Guardian US columnist and his newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com. His new book, Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America, is out now Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Raise property taxes on rich by £3.9 billion to slash council tax for majority, ministers told

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) say reforming property tax reform could slash council tax bills by 3% for four in five households, raising cash to fund vital public services

Economics