A group of town halls have urged the government to tax major out-of-town supermarkets to help fund upgrades to local shopping areas.
Twenty councils want a so-called "Tesco tax" to raise up to £400 million a year.
An extra tax on big supermarkets would hit the poorest families hardest, the Government has said.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has rejected calls from 20 local authorities for a new levy on supermarkets to help revitalise local shopping areas.
"Imposing new, additional taxes on supermarkets will push up the price of food and the cost of living, hitting low-income families the hardest," a DCLG spokesman said.
He said there were "much better ways to support small shops".
Pippa Middleton took civil court action against a "person or persons unknown" after pictures were allegedly taken from her iCloud account.
An 'unarmed' black man, who was reported to be mentally ill, has been shot dead by police in California after his sister called for help.
"Rubble fell in on intensive care patients" in the early hours of Wednesday, medics said.