Newspaper headlines: Living wage boost and council tax rise fears

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By BBC News
Staff
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The Daily Telegraph says local authorities are expected to be allowed to increase council tax by up to 5%, to help fund social care. It suggests the move could result in the average household's bill exceeding £2,000 for the first time.

The Daily Express interprets a comment by Rishi Sunak, who said the problems of pensioners are "always at the forefront" of his mind, to be a signal that he will protect the pensions triple lock.

Under the measure, the state pension is guaranteed to go up in line with whatever is highest: consumer price inflation, average earnings, or 2.5%. The paper supports the move, with the headline: "Rishi gets it".

The Daily Mail agrees, saying in its lead that "there could be nothing crueller than leaving elderly households at the mercy of inflation".

But the Daily Mirror is less reassured by Mr Sunak's words. On its front page the actor Ricky Tomlinson has a stark message for the government: "axe the triple lock and people will die".

The paper's editorial describes the Royle Family and Brookside star as the "true voice of reason", arguing that his origins as a building site worker with "no money" make him a "powerful voice for our poor and elderly".

The Guardian leads on a warning to Mr Sunak from two Conservative-run councils, Kent and Hampshire, that they could be forced to declare bankruptcy within months, because of soaring inflation.

It says the leaders of the two authorities have written a joint letter to the prime minister, saying the government needs either to improve funding, or remove the legal obligation on town halls to provide services such as libraries.

Most of the papers feature pictures of the US President, Joe Biden, meeting his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Bali. The Times focuses on their promise that there won't be a new cold war, with the headline: "Xi and Biden give peace a chance".

The Sun opts simply for: "Nice to Xi you". But the Financial Times states that the talks were overshadowed by what it calls "Taiwan tensions".

The website Politico reports on what it calls a "heated debate" between MEPs in Brussels and the Qatari Labour Minister, with days to go before the start of the World Cup in the Gulf state. It says Ali bin Samikh Al Marri told the European Parliament's subcommittee on human rights that there had been a "smear campaign" against his country. Several committee members said they were backing a boycott of the tournament.

Finally, the i reports on how scientists in New Zealand are trying to cut the amount of methane that cows release when they belch.

It explains that the greenhouse gas is at least 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide when it gets into the atmosphere. Ideas being assessed include a seaweed-based animal feed, a special harness which oxidizes the gas as it is expelled, and even a vaccine to reduce what the paper calls "cow burp potency".