Fall in UK inflation looks like turning point that heralds interest rate cut 19. November 2025 (09:41) Rachel Reeves hints there will be budget measures to push down prices and Bank of England is likely to actUK inflation eases to 3.6% before crunch budgetBusiness live – latest updatesAfter three months on a high plateau, inflation is beginning to ease again. The drop from 3.8% to 3.6% in the October consumer prices index sets the UK on a downward path that reduces the pressure on shoppers, businesses and the government.Never mind that City economists had expected a fall last month. It appears to be a turning point back towards normality after a topsy-turvy year that everyone wants to put behind them. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK inflation eases for first time in five months to 3.6% before crunch budget 19. November 2025 (08:37) Drop in October’s annual rate raises hopes of interest rate cut after Rachel Reeves’s tax and spending statementBusiness live – latest updatesUK inflation fell to 3.6% in October, easing pressure on households and providing a boost for Rachel Reeves as the chancellor prepares for her make-or-break budget next week.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said annual inflation as measured by the consumer prices index cooled for the first time in five months, declining from a peak of 3.8% over July, August and September. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Deathly silent’: two out of three corals in world heritage-listed Ningaloo reef have been killed, scientists confirm 19. November 2025 (08:22) One expert says he is ‘starting to visualise the point where all we have left of corals and reefs is memories’Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereAlmost two out of three corals across popular tourism spots at the world heritage-listed Ningaloo reef died after an unprecedented marine heatwave hit the Western Australia region, scientists have said.The areas in Ningaloo’s northern lagoon had undergone a “profound ecological simplification” with coral species that were keystones to the habitat among those killed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Moscow passes laws to boost defences against Ukrainian strikes 19. November 2025 (08:09) Vladimir Putin authorises the guarding of fuel sites by reservists, internet blackouts and tighter sentencing for acts of sabotageRussia has passed sweeping laws to bolster its defences at home against Ukrainian drone strikes and sabotage operations, reflecting the Kremlin’s expectation of a protracted war with Ukraine.Almost four years into Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine – a full-scale invasion he expected to last only weeks – Moscow is being targeted almost daily by Ukrainian drones striking energy facilities, while Ukrainian operatives have assassinated a number of high-profile Russian military figures deep inside the country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labor MP Ed Husic urges own party to ‘pry open the jaws of Treasury’ after CSIRO announces job cuts 19. November 2025 (07:37) Husic, who oversaw CSIRO cuts as the former science minister, said some in government see scientific agency funding as a ‘cost’ not an ‘investment’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEd Husic has challenged his own government to “pry open the jaws of Treasury” to boost funding for Australia’s national scientific agency after it announced up to 350 research jobs would be cut to deal with an imminent budgetary cliff.The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) announced on Wednesday it would cut between 300 and 350 research unit roles as part of efforts to narrow its research scope and address an ageing property portfolio in need of urgent modernisation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tony Burke reviewing anti-hate laws and says South African neo-Nazi will not be allowed back into Australia 19. November 2025 (07:06) Home affairs minister’s comments come as NSW moves to ban white supremacist chants after neo-Nazi protestFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government is reviewing anti-hate laws after a neo-Nazi protest in Sydney, with the New South Wales government also moving to ban white supremacist slogans and chants after police authorised the demonstration outside state parliament.The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said a South African neo-Nazi whose visa was cancelled will not be allowed back into the Australian community, accusing members of the National Socialist Network of seeking to cloak their “bigotry in patriotism”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Dangerous nostalgia’: did Spain’s ‘pact of forgetting’ after Franco leave new generation open to far right? 19. November 2025 (07:00) Events to mark the 50th anniversary of dictator’s death are intended to remind Spaniards, particularly the young, of the dangers of fascismMingorrubio municipal cemetery, which sits where the suburbs of north-west Madrid fade out into the countryside, must have been something of a comedown for a man who was originally laid to rest with a 150-metre-high cross for a headstone and four enormous bronze archangels to watch over him.But six years after his remains were disinterred from the grotesque splendour of the Valley of the Fallen and flown by helicopter to Mingorrubio for reburial, Francisco Franco is at least in good company. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Heat-pump homes put less strain on grid than expected, study shows 19. November 2025 (07:00) Analysis of new-builds in Birmingham suggests all-electric homes not only use less energy but vary in peak usageSome of the first homes in the UK designed to meet new building standards put less pressure on the electricity grid than expected, a study has found.The all-electric properties in Handsworth, Birmingham, have heat pumps, which use electricity to provide heat rather than oil or gas. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Valvoline, bourbon and a touching tribute from Russell Crowe: radio star John Laws farewelled at state funeral 19. November 2025 (06:27) John Howard, billionaire Lindsay Fox and Dawn Fraser among mourners at service for broadcaster known as ‘the Golden Tonsils’Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free weekly media newsletter hereIt was left to Russell Crowe, the Academy Award-winning actor and John Laws’ good mate and neighbour, to bring a touch of irreverence to the traditional state funeral held in the broadcaster’s honour on Wednesday.In the rarefied atmosphere of Sydney’s St Andrews Cathedral, Crowe traversed Laws’ unmistakable talent and loyalty, but also his political views and his role in the 1999 cash-for-comment scandal.Sign up to get Guardian Australia’s weekly media diary as a free newsletter Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Launch of East West Rail services to be delayed in row over guards on trains 19. November 2025 (06:00) Trains between Oxford and Milton Keynes put back to 2026 partly due to dispute, Chiltern Railways saysThe start of passenger services on the new East West Rail line will be delayed until at least 2026 with no start date confirmed, the operator has said, partly due to a row over guards on the trains.Passenger trains were supposed to come into service between Oxford and Milton Keynes this autumn, the first stage on the new railway along the Oxford-Cambridge arc where the government hopes for rapid economic growth. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
