The Know Daily - Thursday 27 November 2025

_{Read in 4m 15s ∙ Listening to ABBA ∙}

Two long-lost works by composer Johann Sebastian Bach were played this week for the first time in more than 300 years. Researchers recently confirmed them as genuine Bach compositions, and they were brought to life at St Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany – the very place Bach once worked!

💷 The UK Autumn Budget

Yesterday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her second Budget, setting out how the government plans to raise and spend money over the next few years.

Firstly, what is a Budget?
It’s the government’s yearly money plan. It explains how much the state expects to collect in taxes, where it wants to spend that money and what changes it will make to things like wages, benefits and household bills. Some announcements take effect straight away, while others are phased in over several years.

So what was in this one?
Freezes, increases and new charges will change how much tax we all pay. Some costs may fall, others will go up – but overall the tax burden is heading to its highest point since 1948. Here’s a snapshot of the changes ahead and what they could mean for your day-to-day costs:

• Taxes: The income tax and National Insurance thresholds will stay frozen until 2031. That means as pay rises and inflation tick up, more people could quietly slip into higher tax bands over time – this is known as fiscal drag.

• Households: The two-child benefit cap will be scrapped from April meaning households on universal or child tax credit will receive payments for third and subsequent children. Minimum wages have also gone up with over-21s set to earn £12.71 per hour. There’s also a potential win on energy bills: by removing green levies, the government says it should shave a little off what people pay each year.

• Pensions: The state pension is going up by 4.8% from April – a rise that’s bigger than current inflation, meaning pensioners should feel a little better off.

• Property and transport: Properties in England worth more than £2m will now face a council tax surcharge (often called “mansion tax”). Rail fares are to be frozen next year and a new mileage tax for electric cars is planned.

• Health: NHS prescription charges remain frozen, while taxes on tobacco, alcohol and online betting are set to go up slightly.

What does it mean in reality?
It’s a mixed bag. Higher wages and scrapping the two-child cap will help some families, but The Guardian reports that pulling people into paying higher income tax and National Insurance rates because of the threshold freeze is a “manifesto breach in all but name”. Rachel Reeves has said that the aim of the Budget is to tackle the current cost of living.

What happens next?
The Budget sets out the government’s plan, but Parliament still has to approve the measures. Some proposals may be debated or amended, and the real impact will depend on how quickly these changes are rolled out and how households and businesses respond.

For a full debrief on the Budget, check out this explainer. We’ve also found this handy calculator that lets you work out exactly how the changes will affect you.

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🎵 Warner Music Group has signed a landmark licensing deal with AI-song generator Suno after suing the firm for copyright infringement.

• The bigger story: The agreement lets Suno users create AI-generated songs using the voices, music and likenesses of Warner artists who opt in – offering a new revenue stream for creators while giving fans a different way to explore music. The agreement also signals a shift in the music industry’s approach to AI, potentially setting an example for how labels, artists and tech firms can work together as generative AI grows.

🌌 The first direct evidence of dark matter, the elusive substance that’s said to make up 27% of the cosmos, may have been found.

🤳 Malaysia is set to prohibit social media accounts for individuals under 16 from 2026, aligning with countries like Australia who are introducing stricter digital age limits.

🤸‍♀️ A British gymnast has set a new world record after completing 17 standing backwards somersaults in 30 seconds on the roof of the O2 arena in London – it makes us want to get practicing on the trampoline again!

✈️ The largest airline from this country is offering free domestic flights for British and European travellers this winter.

📺 Netflix’s most popular series, Stranger Things, drops the first four episodes of its final season today. 

🥰 “Micro-joy” is a practice that can bring happiness to everyday life – here’s how it works.

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Trivia answer: A) The turkeys from North Carolina spent the night at a luxury hotel before the traditional pardoning.

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