The Know Daily - Wednesday 19 November 2025

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Germany’s Circus Roncalli has turned techno-magic into its new ringmaster 🎪 Instead of live animals, the show features holographic elephants, horses and fish projected in 3D around the arena – creating all the wonder of a traditional circus, but cruelty-free.

🛂 The asylum system reforms

Yesterday, 90% said you would like us to dive deeper into Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s plans to shake-up the UK’s asylum system.

What is asylum and how does it work now?
Asylum is protection for people who can’t return to their home country because of war, persecution or serious harm. In the UK, anyone who asks for asylum has their case examined by the Home Office, and most people can’t work while they wait. They’re usually housed by the government and given a small weekly allowance. If their claim is refused, they can appeal. A total of 111,084 people claimed asylum in the UK between June 2024 and June 2025.

The key changes.
The package includes several significant shifts: 

• Refugee status would become temporary under a new “core protection” regime, with 30-month permits that must be renewed and could be withdrawn if a person’s home country is judged safe.

• A denied application would only get one appeal.

• Restricting the use of human rights claims to grant asylum.

• The government would end the automatic duty to provide housing and weekly financial support, especially for people who have assets.

• New “safe and legal” routes to the UK would be created, with an annual cap on numbers.

• Visa penalties could be imposed on countries that refuse to take back their nationals.

What are the real-world effects?
Supporters argue the reforms could discourage dangerous journeys and reduce the social and economic pressures created by their arrival. Others have warned that temporary status may leave people uncertain about their future for many years, and removing guaranteed support could make day-to-day life more difficult for those waiting for a decision. The shift to a single appeal is meant to speed up decisions, but some legal groups warn that prioritising speed could make it harder for people to properly challenge poor or rushed decisions.

Why now?
The government has pointed to the cost of housing asylum seekers in hotels – a total of £2.1 billion was spent in the last financial year – and long backlogs as signs that the current system is no longer sustainable. Ministers say the new framework is designed to make decisions faster and more consistent while reducing the overall cost.

What’s the reaction been?
Charities, lawyers and some MPs have raised concerns about the impact on vulnerable people, arguing that temporary status and reduced support could leave families in unstable situations. Meanwhile, backers of the plan see it as a necessary reset that brings the UK closer to the systems used in countries like Denmark.

So how will things look going forward?
The reforms will require new legislation, and the government has not yet given a date for when they will come into force. As the plans move through Parliament, key elements are likely to be debated and could be amended. Legal challenges are also possible once the bill is introduced, especially from groups arguing the reforms may be incompatible with existing human rights or asylum obligations.

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🎟️ New rules are set to make it illegal to resell tickets for live events above their original cost, in a big win for fans.

• The bigger story: The rules aim to tackle ticket touting across concerts, sport, theatre and comedy, allowing fans to resell tickets only at face value plus fees, with platforms legally obliged to enforce the cap or face fines. The changes could save fans £112 million a year and make around 900k more tickets available, though critics warn they may push sales to unregulated sites.

🚀 NASA just launched a satellite into orbit to supercharge ocean and atmosphere tracking, giving us better storm forecasts and extra protection for coastal communities.

☁️ Major outages took place across the Internet (including our newsletter!) yesterday after network and security provider Cloudflare experienced issues for hours.

👋 A tourist tax could be introduced in London where visitors would be charged a levy for hotel and Airbnb stays, expected to raise £250 million to reinvest in the city.

🪪 Throughout COP30, activists have been wearing badges that read “Bam!” – here’s what it means.

🛌 Magnesium has been all over our socials lately. Here's a breakdown on what it can (and can’t) do when it comes to helping us sleep.

👩‍🎨 An art gallery has just launched a free under‑30s scheme offering half-price tickets, big discounts on hundreds of shows and cheap cocktails 👀 Sign up here.

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Trivia answer: A) Tom Cruise picked up the honour at the Governors Awards.

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