this is bbc news. these are the headlines: the biggest rise in gas and electricity prices in living memory has come into effect — with the cost of an average household bill going up by almost £700 a year it's either feed them or heat my house or i don't eat and they eat. the same as everyone else, really, it's going to bite into the budget a lot. what can you do? trapped. the rise in energy costs comes at the same time as a host of other bill hikes take effect. council tax, water bills and car tax are also going up for some from today. i want to do what we can to ameliorate some of that. but, you know, i am also honest with people, we can't ameliorate all of it, sadly.

how are you coping with the rise in the cost of living? get in touch — i'm on twitter @bbcjoannag or you can tweet us using the hashtag bbcyourquestions. after a delay, a red cross team now says they have the have clearances they need to begin a fresh attempt to bring relief to people in the besieged ukrainian city of mariupol. the government has reversed its decision to scrap plans for a ban on so—called conversion therapy for gay and bi—sexual people in england and wales. in football, england are among the top seeds for the world cup draw that takes place in doha today. wales and scotland are also included in the draw.

millions of people will be feeling the impact of an unprecedented rise in the cost of energy this morning, as bills increase by the largest amount in living memory. ajump in the price cap set by the industry regulator, means 22—million customers across england, scotland and wales will see their gas and electricity bills rise by around £700 a year. higher energy prices are not the only way households and businesses will feel a squeeze on their finances, as the cost of living increases. council tax bills are also on the rise across england, scotland and wales, with the majority of households seeing total hikes of around 3% — an average of £67 a year. to offset energy price rises, the government is offering a £150 rebate for around 20 million households in england, in bands a to d. water bills are also rising by an average of about £7 a year in england and wales. on the 6th of april,

national insurance contributions will go up by1.25%, which the government says will help clear the nhs backlog and contribute towards social care costs. and for 2.5 million workers on the minimum wage, they'll see their income rise by 59 pence an hour, to £9.50. first, let's look at the unprecedented rise in the cost of energy — our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith has the details. there's more chances of us going into debt with the rises of the electricity and water bill, the council tax, everything is having a rise, plus the petrol. mum of three qurat is making small changes in the house to try and keep those energy bills under control. my washing, i normally do it throughout the week but now i'm doing it over the weekend. so it's a big wash. i've stopped using my hairdryer because it takes about 45 minutes to dry my hair. what the kids do is reach up to the heating, "mummy, we're cold, mummy, we're cold,"

so where are they supposed to go? at westminster primary on the other side of town, they already give food parcels to some families. but now they've started collecting blankets, dressing gowns and hot water bottles to give out as well. we are totally expecting that as the energy prices really bite that more of our families will be pushed into a poverty situation and therefore the children will be coming to us having maybe not eaten a warm meal every day, they may be coming from a cold home or not slept properly. and the impact on that then for their education is quite extreme. the uk's biggest supplier is british gas. the boss says they make very little profit from customers, but their oil and gas extraction has made a lot more money. 80% of the additional profits have gone to the government. so i think the profits have gone up byjust over 500 million, and the tax bill has gone up byjust over 400. that is exactly right. i'm looking for no sympathy, that's how the system should work.

and i'm very comfortable. the question is how government uses those additional funds. the government have already announced a couple of things to try and help with those energy price rises. they're taking £150 off most people's council tax bill in england, and from september, there will be £200 available to most households in england, scotland and wales, and that will be through your energy bill, but it's a loan so you have to pay it back. even if you qualify for both of those things, that will still only cover around half of the rise that we are seeing in a typical household's energy bills. it's either feed them or heat my house. or i don't eat and they eat. so, yeah. it's not great, it's over £300 a month now. yeah, yeah, it's ridiculous, isn't it? it's ridiculous, the price of it now. got a text this morning, funnily enough, off british gas, asking me to send my reading in. must be preparing us for the worst. crazy.

and with bills going up again in the autumn, people will keep trying to cut back where they can. people are really struggling. they bring their washing in, they normally leave it for washing and drying, but nowadays, they wash it at home and they leave it for dry, or they get it washed here and they take it home to dry. with qurat�*s energy bills going up by at least £30 a month, she doesn't think the government to help will cover the extra. it's not enough. £200, it won't make up to the months that we will be paying for. it's not going to help. so in this home, the lights are going off to keep the bills down. coletta smith, bbc news, in bradford. 0ur political correspondent ione wells is at westminster. as we heard and they report, the government has help out there but it's not enough to cover the extent at which bills are going up. we cannot at which bills are going up. - cannot underestimate how big a day

this is for the government and the pressure on them ramping up to do more to help people with the cost of living. we have known that this day is coming for quite some time, i think it is still a shock to people this morning, waking up, opening up their direct debit and online banking and seeing some of those bills going out for the first time. this has been expected for many weeks now. we know energy bills are going up today coupled with council tax, car taxes, water bills also going up as well. in a couple of days�* time, national insurance tax is set to go up. a lot of things coming down the road for people increasing the cost of living. we do know that the more positive news todayis know that the more positive news today is that the national minimum wage in the uk is set to go up which the government will help to soften the government will help to soften the blow for some of theirs. they have outlined some support so far which includes £150 council tax rebate for those in bands a to d and england and a £200 energy bill loan

which will have to be paid back in 2023 and £40 instalments. there are concerns that will have to be repaid and already inflated bills as we know energy bills are going to go up in october. this is why when speaking to podcast, the chancellor rishi sunak suggested that the government cannot do everything to mitigate the price rises that people are seeing now. i want to do what we can to ameliorate some of that. but, you know, i am also honest with people, we can't ameliorate all of it, sadly. i know that's difficult for people to hear and the toughest part of thisjob is not being able to do everything that people would like you to do because we are already borrowing quite a large amount of money and i don't think borrowing lots more would be sensible. what more are people wanting the government to do? fix, what more are people wanting the government to do? a, lot what more are people wanting the government to do?— what more are people wanting the government to do? a lot of people think the £200 — government to do? a lot of people think the £200 energy _ government to do? a lot of people think the £200 energy bill - government to do? a lot of people think the £200 energy bill loan - government to do? a lot of people i think the £200 energy bill loan does not cut it. we have heard stories

about the sheer amount people's bills going up by with people having to make difficult decisions about whether the keep the heating and lights on or the feed their children. tangible examples of people struggling with the rising energy bill coming into force today. some people are calling for support to become more generous than the £200 bill loan that has been announced. labourare £200 bill loan that has been announced. labour are calling for a policy they've had for quite some time, a windfall tax on the north sea gas and oil companies who have been making profits at the time of rising prices. that is something the labour leader reiterated today when he was speaking to bbc breakfast. we would lower the bills using windfall tax and _ would lower the bills using windfall tax and vat receipts. that is the whole _ tax and vat receipts. that is the whole point of this game. that would deal with_ whole point of this game. that would deal with the crisis today. when whole point of this game. that would deal with the crisis today.— deal with the crisis today. when you sa toda deal with the crisis today. when you say today as — deal with the crisis today. when you say today as in _ deal with the crisis today. when you say today as in a _ deal with the crisis today. when you say today as in a month? _ deal with the crisis today. when you say today as in a month? what - deal with the crisis today. when you | say today as in a month? what about in three months' time when the bills

are still higher. would you cover it then? , , , , then? yes,, this covers the energy caital then? yes,, this covers the energy capital changing — then? yes,, this covers the energy capital changing today, _ then? yes,, this covers the energy capital changing today, 600 - then? yes,, this covers the energy capital changing today, 600 to - then? yes,, this covers the energy| capital changing today, 600 to 700 pounds _ capital changing today, 600 to 700 pounds is _ capital changing today, 600 to 700 pounds is over a year, so this coversm _ pounds is over a year, so this covers - -_ pounds is over a year, so this covers... . ,., ., ., covers... labour leader reiterating labour calls _ covers... labour leader reiterating labour calls for _ covers... labour leader reiterating labour calls for it _ covers... labour leader reiterating labour calls for it when _ covers... labour leader reiterating labour calls for it when full - covers... labour leader reiterating labour calls for it when full tax - covers... labour leader reiterating labour calls for it when full tax to | labour calls for it when full tax to raise money to help people with their energy bills. this is something the government are not keen on because they do not want to, in their words, dis— incentivise investment in north sea oil and gas at a time when the uk and western allies are trying to move away from relying on russian oil and gas imports. the government had been firmly do not want to do that. it is fair to say they know they are under pressure to do more to help people with the cost of everything these things going up too with the rising inflation in supermarkets too. when the chancellor outlined his spring statement recently and plans for the

year ahead, statement recently and plans for the yearahead, he did not statement recently and plans for the year ahead, he did not completely rule out more intervention could be neededin rule out more intervention could be needed in the future. he said they would have to see what energy prices were like in autumn, keeping a closer eye on fuel prices, keeping the door open to potentially more energy bill support if needed when the price hike goes up in the autumn too. . ~ , ., the price hike goes up in the autumn too. ., ~' , ., , the price hike goes up in the autumn too. . ~ i. , . .,, the price hike goes up in the autumn too. . , . , too. thank you very much. please be art of too. thank you very much. please be part of this — too. thank you very much. please be part of this conversation _ too. thank you very much. please be part of this conversation here - too. thank you very much. please be part of this conversation here on - part of this conversation here on the bbc news channel this morning. you can get on touch with me on twitter to tell us about your experiences. 0ur correspondent ben boulos has been to visit one family affected who have been trying to manage the rise in their household bills switching off lights, turning down the heating and filling the kettle up less. just a few of the things the horton family and others around the country are doing to cut down on their energy use. do you know how much your energy bills are going to go up by this year? so i think we've been told

between £35 and £40, which. and that's a month. and over a year, i'm sure it'll be a lot more. so what kind of things are you having to do then to reduce energy use to bring those bills down? well, we only heard today about the cost of a tumble dryer load is going to be about £6, which is a huge amount. so we've got to really consider how often we'll wash things and how we'll dry them. and then we've also got the worry of using dishwashers because we use them quite often so if we can rely more on good old washing the dishes, we're going to be better off that way, but it's going to be hard. really hard. so you've got a smart meter here. yeah. and presumably, you'll be keeping an eye on how much this clocks up each day. yeah. so as you can see, it's already gone past the budget. in the red. so we're already in the red, so we just need to have a good look, especially when we're boiling the kettle. just to double check. it's me with the kettle. it can be. sometimes i will re—boil. so i have to make sure i stop doing that so that we can actually save the money because it costs a lot to re—boil. you notice every time you boil the kettle, the numberjumps on there.

yeah. while the chancellor is serving up measures to try to ease cost of living pressures, and particularly higher energy bills, there's an appetite among many to see the government do even more. ben boulos, bbc news, the wirral. joining me now is sanjay aggarwal the owner of spice kitchen uk in liverpool. thank you forjoining us. tell us about how the rise in the cost of living has impacted on your business so far. we living has impacted on your business so far. ~ ., , living has impacted on your business so far. ~ . , , . living has impacted on your business sofar. . , ,. . so far. we have seen price increase across the — so far. we have seen price increase across the business _ so far. we have seen price increase across the business generally - so far. we have seen price increase across the business generally all i across the business generally all through last year, we import products from india, costs have gone up, energy prices rising, the big impact is on staff. it has an impact on our bottom line in terms of profit but our key goal is to look after our staff because their costs are going up considerably. minimum wage goes up today as well so we are

pleased to increase the wages of our staff, some of them are on minimum wage but most aren't. 0ur staff, some of them are on minimum wage but most aren't. our key priority is looking after staff. your imports from india have gone up from £1500 to £9,000. can you explain that figure and how that impacts having to potentially pass on cost to customers as well. that rice rise on cost to customers as well. that price rise in _ on cost to customers as well. that price rise in the _ on cost to customers as well. trust price rise in the shipping has been there for a couple of years now, global issues around shipping and cause and i know it is more expensive when you're importing from china. we absorb the cost last year, we did not want to pass it onto our customers, but we did a small price increase injanuary this year and increase in january this year and speaking to other suppliers, we are one of the last companies to do that in supplying products. yes, it has a direct impactand in supplying products. yes, it has a direct impact and then energy prices going up, our heating of the unit, it goes up, fuel costs are astronomical at the moment. it all

has an impact on our bottom line, but, you know as i see, the priority is to look after our staff who are running our business and making sure they can pay their bills. we did good bonuses last year and salary increases this year as well. just to support staff. increases this year as well. just to sopport staff-— support staff. obviously, it is really helpful— support staff. obviously, it is really helpful to _ support staff. obviously, it is really helpful to see - support staff. obviously, it is really helpful to see that - really helpful to see that background picture when now we look at where things are going forward. honestly, you mentioned the rising energy costs. are you concerned what impact it will have?— impact it will have? luckily, we are in a aood impact it will have? luckily, we are in a good position _ impact it will have? luckily, we are in a good position as _ impact it will have? luckily, we are in a good position as a _ impact it will have? luckily, we are in a good position as a business. i impact it will have? luckily, we arel in a good position as a business. we have grown through the pandemic because people have been cooking from home. it is concerning, more concerning for the businesses which are struggling from their profit levels and this is having a real impact and pushes them into the red. 0ur priority is staff, we have also been looking at how to support our customers. cooking at home, we manufacture and supply spaces to

people. we have put easy recipes and quick recipes which don't involve a lot of cooking time, hopefully, they can reduce the amount of energy and electricity and gas consumption and pick simple recipes at home. our priority is staff and now hopefully customers some of which are going to be struggling to afford to cook and spend a long time in the kitchen burning energy. 50 spend a long time in the kitchen burning energy-— spend a long time in the kitchen burning energy. so many factors come in. as ou burning energy. so many factors come in- as you have _ burning energy. so many factors come in. as you have indicated, _ burning energy. so many factors come in. as you have indicated, people - in. as you have indicated, people will be cutting down on eating out, later i will talk to tom kerridge who might give us our perspective on the impact of restaurant owners. when people cook at home, energy bills go up, it has an impact. can you give a sense of how, obviously we have heard about smart metres, it is going to be increasingly important for people to have a real awareness around the cost of what they are using in energy terms at home, isn't it? that is something you have borne in mind when you have looked at recipes. we

you have borne in mind when you have looked at recipes.— looked at recipes. we have secured a cook book deal _ looked at recipes. we have secured a cook book deal which _ looked at recipes. we have secured a cook book deal which is _ looked at recipes. we have secured a cook book deal which is going - looked at recipes. we have secured a cook book deal which is going to - cook book deal which is going to come out next year, we have already been cooking quick and simple recipes and developing the book. we have spoken to a lot of customers and seen the impact it is having. we are always trying to give people more adventurous cooking at home, and how to cook really simple recipes, we are talking to our customers and trying to give them what they need to support them. as you say, at the moment, trying to find recipes where the oven is not on for hours, or cooking using the gas on the stove. anything we can do for customers is really important. spaces play an impact on that. thank ou ve spaces play an impact on that. thank you very much _ spaces play an impact on that. thank you very much to _ spaces play an impact on that. thank you very much to the _ spaces play an impact on that. thank you very much to the owner- spaces play an impact on that. thank you very much to the owner of- spaces play an impact on that. thank you very much to the owner of spice kitchen. charities are warning that millions of people could fall into fuel poverty as a consequence of the price hike. let's head over to bristol and join our correspondent fiona lamdin who is at a fareshare centre.

they are collating all the food here. this is the cooler, we have got all sorts of food that have come from the farmers, the factories, excess food, we have got sweet and parsnips, all this food comes in here and the sorted and they sent it out to schools, to food banks, to people who need it. at the moment, with energy prices going up, people need it more than ever before. i have spoken to three women who are incredibly worried about prices going up, electricity prices, fuel prices and they have been telling me how it is going to affect their lives. there's three decades between these women. georgina, juliet and sandy lead very different lives, but are all massively affected by the ongoing energy price hikes. georgina needs 24—hour care and equipment, which uses a lot of electricity.

my wheelchair charger on the floor down there, which my wheelchair has to be charged every night, otherwise i won't be able to leave the house. already, though, you're extremely careful with what you're using. i only shower once a week and a lot | of disabled people do this and then i obviously we have to wash and do hygiene in other ways. prices will go up in april. what will you do then? i'll have to try and be careful, not driving around too much in my wheelchair to see if i can maybe get away with charging it every other night. but you know, that's a risk you take. and then if you go out and you run out of power, you're stuck and you don't want to live in that fear, you know, of knowing whether you're going to be able to go out with enough battery in your chair. and it's a similar story forjuliet, who's in her early 50s. she has severe lung disease and is on oxygen 24 hours a day. her machine uses a lot of electricity. she hasn't left her home for two years or been downstairs since january.

spring is my favourite time. i love colour and all the colours watching life come. sorry, i'm going to cry. watching life come back in the spring is a wonderful thing after being shut in through the winter. and i can't see that — i'm not part of it. when the sun was shining last week and the sky was blue, i couldn't be part of that, and everyone on facebook — everyone was posting where they were out and about and so if i had a chair to get me down the stairs, i could get myself slowly to the front door. juliet had been saving for a stair lift. now that money is going towards herfuel bills. there's swiss chard, rhubarb. sandy spends most of her days outside on her allotment. being out of her home is just one way she's reducing herfuel bills. we should have retired at 60. i was given about three months' notice that in fact, they'd actually put the retirement age up to 65, so not

a lot i could do. so i was made redundant as well, which was nice, and so i had to use all my savings basically to plug the gap. so there is no fat on the bone any more, it'sjust bone. sandy's oil bill has more than tripled in the last few months. to fill up, tt�*s going to cost over £2,000. i would have to talk very, very nicely to my daughter and see if she could help a little bit. that's the only thing i've got the option of doing. and how does that feel? not good. not good at all. i should be supporting her. it shouldn't be the other way round. with energy bills going up by thousands of pounds a year. sandy, georgina and juliet, like so many others, are struggling to know how they'll manage. fiona lamdin, bbc news. all this food this morning will be

going out to charities, to schools, to women's refuges, to food banks. let's talk to susie who is doing some sorting. you are in charge here. give me a sense of how things have changed in the last two years. the change has grown enormously. in 2019 we were one warehouse for the whole of south west, we sent out enough food for 1 whole of south west, we sent out enough food for1 million meals, last year, we now have three warehouses, and we sent food for 5 million meals. permanent infrastructure we have invested then to continue. aha, infrastructure we have invested then to continue-— infrastructure we have invested then to continue. �* ., ., to continue. a huge demand, and the last coule to continue. a huge demand, and the last coople of— to continue. a huge demand, and the last couple of weeks _ to continue. a huge demand, and the last couple of weeks with _ to continue. a huge demand, and the last couple of weeks with the - to continue. a huge demand, and the last couple of weeks with the price i last couple of weeks with the price of energy going up today, what is the impact here? the of energy going up today, what is the impact here?— of energy going up today, what is the impact here? the groups that we work with, the impact here? the groups that we work with. 400 _ the impact here? the groups that we work with, 400 charities _ the impact here? the groups that we work with, 400 charities on - the impact here? the groups that we work with, 400 charities on the i work with, 400 charities on the site, we have found that people are calling up saying that they have a greater need for food, people have contacted who have never had food needs before and we have all new charities reaching out who may not

have reached out before. phone is ringing off the hook saying that the cost of food, the cost of energy, unemployment, no wages has contributed to difficult decisions about feeding themselves or their children, turning on their energy and heating or buying food. what children, turning on their energy and heating or buying food. what do ou need? and heating or buying food. what do you need? do _ and heating or buying food. what do you need? do you — and heating or buying food. what do you need? do you need _ and heating or buying food. what do you need? do you need more i and heating or buying food. what do you need? do you need more food? | you need? do you need more food? this is a microcosm, one in 30 of the whole of uk, 11,000 charities. 90% are saying we need more support. they need more donations to support the infrastructure, more volunteers to pick and pack the food and send it to charities, more food from the food industry to support the increased need.— increased need. lets talk to hilla , increased need. lets talk to hillary. she _ increased need. lets talk to hillary, she has— increased need. lets talk to hillary, she has been i increased need. lets talk to hillary, she has been a i increased need. lets talk to i hillary, she has been a volunteer for eight years. she comes here every friday. good morning. tell me what you do. i

every friday. good morning. tell me what you do-— what you do. i volunteer in the warehouse. — what you do. i volunteer in the warehouse. i— what you do. i volunteer in the warehouse, i picked _ what you do. i volunteer in the warehouse, i picked orders, ii what you do. i volunteer in the i warehouse, i picked orders, i drive, i warehouse, i picked orders, i drive, i am _ warehouse, i picked orders, i drive, i am going — warehouse, i picked orders, i drive, i am going to — warehouse, i picked orders, i drive, i am going to load this onto a van to deliver— i am going to load this onto a van to deliver to — i am going to load this onto a van to deliver to south bristol and various— to deliver to south bristol and various projects. in to deliver to south bristol and various projects.— to deliver to south bristol and various projects. various pro'ects. in the eight years ou have various projects. in the eight years you have been _ various projects. in the eight years you have been here, _ various projects. in the eight years you have been here, how- various projects. in the eight years you have been here, how have i you have been here, how have things changed? it you have been here, how have things chanced? ., , _, ., you have been here, how have things chanced? , ., changed? it has become more massive because there — changed? it has become more massive because there is _ changed? it has become more massive because there is increased _ changed? it has become more massive because there is increased demand i because there is increased demand for food, _ because there is increased demand for food, we deliver more food to each _ for food, we deliver more food to each of— for food, we deliver more food to each of the — for food, we deliver more food to each of the projects than we used to. each of the projects than we used to we _ each of the projects than we used to. we need more food and and more volunteers— to. we need more food and and more volunteers to — to. we need more food and and more volunteers to do the business. you have to take _ volunteers to do the business. you have to take less _ volunteers to do the business. ym. have to take less and a minute, let's go with you. you not only pack but you also drive everything out. what reaction when you deliver, what do people? what reaction when you deliver, what do --eole? , ., what reaction when you deliver, what do --eole? , . ., , do people? they are really appreciative. _ do people? they are really appreciative. they - do people? they are really appreciative. they are i do people? they are really i appreciative. they are pleased to see us— appreciative. they are pleased to see us and — appreciative. they are pleased to see us and they will say, oh, we

have _ see us and they will say, oh, we have got— see us and they will say, oh, we have got plums. that looks really nice, _ have got plums. that looks really nice. nice — have got plums. that looks really nice, nice meat orfish, have got plums. that looks really nice, nice meat or fish, always really— nice, nice meat or fish, always really appreciative.— nice, nice meat or fish, always really appreciative. what effect will ou really appreciative. what effect will you see — really appreciative. what effect will you see today, _ really appreciative. what effect will you see today, the - really appreciative. what effect will you see today, the first i really appreciative. what effect | will you see today, the first day energy prices have gone up? will you that here? i energy prices have gone up? will you that here? ~ , , ., that here? i think this will help to fill the gap _ that here? i think this will help to fill the gap on _ that here? i think this will help to fill the gap on what _ that here? i think this will help to fill the gap on what people i that here? i think this will help to fill the gap on what people can i fill the gap on what people can provide — fill the gap on what people can provide for their families. everybody wants to do the best they can for _ everybody wants to do the best they can for their children. school breakfast _ can for their children. school breakfast clubs... watch people can provide _ breakfast clubs... watch people can provide for— breakfast clubs... watch people can provide for their families. everybody wants to do the best they can for _ everybody wants to do the best they can for their children. we everybody wants to do the best they can for their children.— can for their children. we will let ou can for their children. we will let you pack- _ can for their children. we will let you pack. thank— can for their children. we will let you pack. thank you _ can for their children. we will let you pack. thank you for - can for their children. we will let you pack. thank you forjoining l can for their children. we will let l you pack. thank you forjoining us. hilary is going to drive there van today. two years ago there were three vans leaving this warehouse, this morning there will be eight. to

show you the increase in demand and need that we are now seeing across our cities. and coming up we'll be answering your questions on the cost of living just after half past 11. get in touch with the hashtag #bbcyourquestions — or email yourquestions@bbc.co.uk the ukrainian government says it has recaptured more territory in the north of the country as russian forces continue a partial withdrawal towards the belarus border. but nato has warned that russia is regrouping its troops and doubling down its attacks in the east of the country. meanwhile, dozens of buses are on standby to go to the beseiged ukrainian city of mariupol, in a fresh effort to evacuate civilians and deliver humanitarian aid. the red cross team in ukraine says they have been given the appropriate security guarantees to make a further attempt to bring relief to people in the besieged city of mariupol after being prevented from travelling on thursday.

more than a hundred thousand residents remain trapped in the city — which has been under heavy russian bombardment for weeks. dan johnson reports. this is what weeks of shelling had done to mariupol, home to 400,000 people. its pleasant neighbourhoods destroyed, its green avenues scarred. its communities surrounded, bombarded and drained of life. this is the theatre where hundreds died trying to shelter. and now more families will scatter to escape a port city that's become one of the most dangerous places on earth. along with two red cross trucks full of humanitarian aid destined where it's estimated 160,000 people are still trapped, many without food, power or water. where can we go? we are afraid. can you imagine living and walking among the dead bodies? i no longer have a house.

and i'm crying. i'm a man, and i have nevercried in my life. ukraine's president said last night, the russian invaders had so much evil, so much thirst for destruction, they reminded him of something otherworldly. monsters, vladimir zelensky said, who burn and plunder and are bent on murder. the russian forces are paying a high price, and western intelligence says vladimir putin's military is trying to regroup, resupply and reinforce. the uk ministry of defence believes the kremlin is planning to send up to 2000 troops from georgia to ukraine. the head of the british armed forces said the russian leader had already lost. the scenes coming out of mariupol and elsewhere are horrific, and the coming weeks will continue to be very difficult. but in many ways,

putin has already lost. far from being the far—sighted manipulator of events that he would have us believe, putin has damaged himself through a series of catastrophic misjudgments. meanwhile, in moscow, president putin has threatened to cut gas supplies from today, unless countries pay in roubles. germany, france and austria rejected his demand, saying it amounts to blackmail. it's being seen as a desperate attempt to shore up the russian currency, which has struggled under the weight of western sanctions. in mariupol, there's another chance to reach safety. but it's been offered before, then snatched away as evacuation plans collapsed. people here are weary, they are fearful and their main hope is leaving this devastation behind. dan johnson, bbc news. let's get the latest now — and go live to lviv in western ukraine, and our

correspondent emma vardy. what is the latest on mariupol? it has been a desperate situation, a number of failed attempts to bring aid and and to evacuate people. fresh hope this morning, there have now been three vehicles in a red cross convoy. we have heard in the last hour they have been able to begin theirjourney last hour they have been able to begin their journey towards last hour they have been able to begin theirjourney towards mariupol and the hope is that this one today will be successful. there are so many people there who need help. so many people there who need help. so many people, tens of thousands who have been without fresh water, electricity, food and medical supplies for a number of weeks. it is going to take more than three vehicles to help them. there was another convoy of 45 buses on the way back we heard late last night, those have been held up by a russian checkpoint according to ukraine's

deputy prime minister. the hope is those will be able to get on their way today. there are many hurdles, it is not easy, red cross need security guarantees before they can send those vehicles on their way. the situation has been a humanitarian crisis in that city, all eyes will be on the vehicles today to get aid supplies in and get desperate people out. well, it just has well, itjust has been very dangerous to make any attempt to escape, the city has been under such bombardment encircled by russia force, there have own recent days and week have been a small trickle of people who have been able to make it out. they have been speaking to bbcjournalists on the ground, and the stories they are telling, are of just utter devastation, in the city,

so much of it reduced to ruins, people telling stories are of the death and destruction, that has been happening in front of their eye, we don't know for certain, the number of people killed, from there yet, up to 5,000 or so according to ukrainian officials, if those aid convoys are able to get in, i expect devastating picture will become much clearer, if it is successful, today, well, that may help progress in the peace talks which are continuing. thank you. emma vardy. hello everyone. we have some wintry showers out there across many parts of the uk, a mixture of rain, sleet and snow, and we are getting used to be in this cold air now, aren't we. the air mass chart, here, we are bathed in blue. you can see the little arrows trickling down from the north, it is a cold source region. and it is quite windy as well, especially in eastern and south—eastern parts. the weather front that has introduced some heavy spells of rain

and some sleet across south—eastern parts is on the way out. this weather front moving into parts of scotland and northern ireland will continue to do so as we head through the rest of today. elsewhere, it's a good scattering of sunny spells and showers, some of these wintry. top temperatures there ten or 11 celsius. moving on then, through this evening the weather front is on the way down to the south. it will move through wales, eventually reaching the south—west of england. we still hang on to some showers as we head through this evening, with lows of around minus four celsius. fairly settled for the weekend, turning less cold next week. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. the biggest rise in gas and electricity prices in living memory has come into effect — with the cost of an average household bill going up by almost £700 a year.

it's either feed them or heat my house, or i don't eat and they eat. same as everyone else really, it's going to bite into the budget a lot, like. but what can you do? you're trapped. the rise in energy costs comes at the same time as a host of other bill hikes take effect. council tax, water bills and car tax are also going up for some from today. i want to do what we can to ameliorate some of that, but i'm also honest with people that we can't ameliorate all of it, sadly. after a delay, a red cross team now says they have the have clearances they need to begin a fresh attempt to bring relief to people in the besieged ukrainian city of mariupol. the regional governor of belgorod, in western russia, accuses ukraine of attacking an oil depot in the city. sport, and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's mike. good morning. good morning, on the day of the world cup draw in qatar,

when nations find out in the finals come november. england are one of the seeded teams in pot one, so will avoid the likes of champions france, but could be drawn in the same group as scotland or wales. however, they still have to come through the play—offs, with ukraine involved in that equation injune. so lots of permuations and you can work out your dream and nightmare draws, but as the spotlight falls on qatar once more, so too will the focus on the country's human rights record, for which the country has been heavily criticised. the secretary general of this world cup has told the bbc�*s sports editor, dan roan, that criticism is ill informed, and that his nation shouldn't apologise for hosting the tournament. i don't think any country today in the world can claim that they have the ideal system in place, always progress needs to be made. we acknowledge that progress needs to be made, but what we ask is also to acknowledge the work that's been done. another area of this is transparency around migrant worker deaths. and the reason why there's concern around this is that without that

knowledge and certainty, it's difficult to establish the reason and therefore a bereaved family may not receive compensation that they're due. is that, is that an area of concern? could more be done? no matter what you do, nothing is going to compensate the loss of life. we've tried our best to, you know, within our authority to be able to provide the relevant compensation for the families. but beyond your projects though? what we've done is within, as i said, with every death we've investigated, tried to find the root cause, and tried to ensure that these tragedies do not occur, and tried to take steps towards preventing these things — any such tragedies from occurring. you can see the draw 4.45 on bbc one this afternoon, until six and bbc two from six until 6.30. headingley cricket ground is once again allowed to host test matches, after yorkshire members voted in favour of changesyesterday the club held an �*extraordinary general meeting', on the day

of the deadline, set by the ecb, and members overwhelmingly passed three special resolutions. the club's right to stage england games was suspended, over its handling of the azeem rafiq racism scandal last year. after yesterday's thrilling win that saw england get through to the women's cricket world cup final, kate cross has been speaking to bbc sport ahead of sunday's tough test against an australia team who haven't lost a game yet. definitely been a tournament of two very different stories ares for two teams, so, ithink very different stories ares for two teams, so, i think in the final it's anyone's game, think we have definitely made it hard for ourselvesings but we have played brilliant cricket to the get to this stage. we pushed off hard in group game against them. we have to remember we are a really good cricket team and we play our best cricket team and we play our best cricket and erne seems to have had a performance at some stage that has given them some confidence, we just want to urn up and enjoy it and i guess keep playing with a smile on ourface, that is

guess keep playing with a smile on our face, that is that we have managed to do throughout the tournament even when our backs are against the wall. tournament even when our backs are against the wall. naomi 0saka is through to the miami 0pen final where she'll face new world number one. iga swiatek. 0saka fought back to beat belinda bencic 4—6, 6—3, 6—4, and reach herfirst final since she won the 2021 australian open. she is now ranked 77th in the world as she continues her return from a break from the sport. it was a really disappointing end to the women's champions league, for arsenal, after losing to wolfsburg. it was a somewhat bizarre evening in germany, with kick off for the quarter final second leg delayed, because of confetti on the pitch. arsenal fell behind early on, and then leah williamson's own goal, late on, meant they lost 2—0 on the night and 3—1 on aggregate. premier league clubs will be able to use five substitutes, in each game from next season. this had been allowed during the covid pandemic, but the rule changed back to three subs this season. some of those who were against the move when it was first introduced,

have since changed their minds. i was probably one of the ones at the beginning was more to say, let's just stay with three and see where we're at, and take it... and take a look at it. but certainly having had a look at it over the course of the season. i would say that primarily for the health of the players and then i think the five substitutions would work much better. britain's georgia hall says she's ready to take her career to the next level, as she aims for a second major title at the chevron championship. she finished her opening round four under par, two shots off the lead. that's all the sport for now. let's get more on our top story now — the steep rise in the cost of living. joining me now is our correspondent navtej johal, who is at the call handling centre for the energy company 0ctopus in leicester this morning. are they busy there? yes, incredibly

bus here are they busy there? yes, incredibly busy here today. _ are they busy there? yes, incredibly busy here today, octopus _ are they busy there? yes, incredibly busy here today, octopus energy i are they busy there? yes, incredibly busy here today, octopus energy are the fifth largest energy sup flier the fifth largest energy sup flier the country, they have three million customers and they will be speaking to the staff members you can see behind me who are the energy special lists here, they handle the calls and over the last few days we have heard of lots of customers getting in touch, concerned about the big increase in the price cap. some websites of suppliers struggling under the weight of demand as people destroy to submit their meter readings. let us find out how today is going to go. readings. let us find out how today is going to go— is going to go. tara, some of your customers — is going to go. tara, some of your customers reporting _ is going to go. tara, some of your customers reporting they - is going to go. tara, some of your customers reporting they were i customers reporting they were struggling to submit meter readings, how are things on the website. tatiana;r how are things on the website. today we are stable- _ how are things on the website. today we are stable. we _ how are things on the website. today we are stable. we have _ how are things on the website. today we are stable. we have put in - how are things on the website. tro— we are stable. we have put in place yesterday lots of improvements and we are only running about 30% over normal demand but yesterday i have to say, i was very proud of the team and also our customers that were so

patient but we took a million meter readings which is half of the customers who can. and our websites were 90% available. is customers who can. and our websites were 9096 available. is— were 9096 available. is should you have anticipated _ were 9096 available. is should you have anticipated though, - were 9096 available. is should you have anticipated though, the i were 9096 available. is should you | have anticipated though, the sheer weight of demand from customers yesterday? we weight of demand from customers esterda ? ~ ., , ., weight of demand from customers esterda ? ~ ., ~ ., yesterday? we did, and you know, takin: a yesterday? we did, and you know, taking a million _ yesterday? we did, and you know, taking a million meter— yesterday? we did, and you know, taking a million meter readings i yesterday? we did, and you know, taking a million meter readings isl taking a million meter readings is exceptional. i am sorry if sometimes it was slow, but we are back to a more stable position today. importantly i would say to customers don't worry. your can submit your readings over the next week, you don't have to hurry, take your time, take your photos we will get to them, it is ok.— take your photos we will get to them, it is ok. and if somebody calls u- them, it is ok. and if somebody calls up and _ them, it is ok. and if somebody calls up and say _ them, it is ok. and if somebody calls up and say i _ them, it is ok. and if somebody calls up and say i cannot - them, it is ok. and if somebody calls up and say i cannot afford l calls up and say i cannot afford this increase, in my general i bill, what help is available for them? i mean this is a big change, it is an unwanted xhaip change and customers are finding themselves in a new position, it is more difficult, so there are many ways we can help. first of all you are not alone, contact us, we can talk to you about the various schemes that are

available. as a company we have put in place a fund that is available to those most in need. we have doubled that fund from 2.5 million to 5 million and we have also carried the burden of some the price increase up to 100 million and we are doing more with the, we are doing another 50 million. so stay in touch. i know it is a difficult time but there are ways we can help you. in is a difficult time but there are ways we can help you.- is a difficult time but there are ways we can help you. in the time ou have ways we can help you. in the time you have worked _ ways we can help you. in the time you have worked in _ ways we can help you. in the time you have worked in the _ ways we can help you. in the time you have worked in the energy i ways we can help you. in the time i you have worked in the energy sector have you seen such a big increase in places and concern among customers. never and i am pretty old. those are times that we just couldn't predict, they are very volatile, what you have got is companies that are honest, we were set up to deliver affordable energy, we will stay to our commitment even though it is channelling, the most important thing is we control what we control as individual, companies and the government and do everything we can to make this an improving situation s ok, staff expecting a very busy da ahead s ok, staff expecting a very busy day ahead today, _ s ok, staff expecting a very busy day ahead today, they _ s ok, staff expecting a very busy day ahead today, they have i s ok, staff expecting a very busy day ahead today, they have been going for about an hour—and—a—half

or so, so lots more calls expected today. thank you. let's return to the russian invasion of ukraine:the regional governor of belgorod, in western russia, has accused ukraine of attacking an oil depot in the city. vyacheslav gladkov said on his telegram channel that a fire, which broke out at the depot on friday morning, was caused by missiles from two ukrainian helicopters. this has not been independently verified. the incident comes two days after explosions were reported at an arms storage facility in the city. ukraine has not claimed responsibility for any of the blasts. let's get the latest from our moscow correspondentjenny hill. what can you tell us? i'm not sure i can add much. _ what can you tell us? i'm not sure i can add much, you _ what can you tell us? i'm not sure i can add much, you seem _ what can you tell us? i'm not sure i can add much, you seem to - what can you tell us? i'm not sure i can add much, you seem to have i what can you tell us? i'm not sure i | can add much, you seem to have all the details there. yes, this is a regional governor, who has made the accusation that ukraine has attacked this oil depot, we have not been

able to independently verify his claim that two ukrainian military helicopters carried out an air strike on the depot, which according to state media is still on fire, they were talking about some eight fuel tanks ablaze, the residents of the local air away having to be moved out. the governor of the internationaling region said on social media that he was putting his security forces on high alert, but as say, we haven't been able to verify this claim that the fire at the oil terminal was caused by a ukrainian attack and we haven't heard anything from the ukrainians themselves, so we will have to keep watch on that. it is important to note that the region has been used as a staging post by russian troops carrying out attacks on the carer kev area of ukraine. it's a very volatile part of the region of course. kharkiv. vladimir putin had issued a

demand for russian oil gas to be paid for in rouble, what is the late 0wens that? paid for in rouble, what is the late owens that?— paid for in rouble, what is the late owens that? , . ., , owens that? yes, vladimir putin last week said that _ owens that? yes, vladimir putin last week said that if _ owens that? yes, vladimir putin last week said that if unfriendly _ week said that if unfriendly countries as he puts it, the west, want russian gas to continue being supplied they will have to pay for it in rouble, yesterday he signed adegree, he said unless those western countries particularly europe, european countries paid in roubles, then, the gas supplies effectively would be cut off. now when you drill down, into that decree which he signed, what he is demanding is that european countries, like germany, which is hugely dependent on russian gas, pay in euro, as per their contract, into a specially opened russian bank account gazprom bank which is not sanctioned or subject to be the same sanctions as many other russian

bank, the bank takes that foreign currency and exchanges it on the moscow stock exchange for roubles which are put back in to another account from which the final payment is made to the gas company. european capitals are looking at this decree, going through the detail, trying to work out what it means but a lot of experts are saying this is a bit of a compromise, vladimir putin has been able to say to the home crowd, you know what i have showed them. they want our gas they will have to pay for it in roubles and i have made a big fuss about the impact of sanctions not only on our scown tribut the fact they will hurting the west. he can make that announcement and make that claim, but by the same token, those european capitals may still be able to continue paying in the currency they paid in all along. it's a technicality in terms of the actual payment itself. so we will have to wait and see how they react. european capitals have been saying we are not going to be blackmailed by russia but it may be that this

decree is a way out for the time being. 0ne state news agency this morning was making the point that no—one's going to get cut off today, this was a deadline of sorts, because these payments aren't really due to fall for another few weeks at the least. so we will have to see whether the capitals are willing to accept the terms but it may be for the time being some compromise has been achieved which allows both sides to save a bit of face. thank ou sides to save a bit of face. thank you jenny- _ russia's foreign minister, sergei lavrov, has arrived in india, where he is due to meet indian foreign minister sjaishankar. indian and russian officials are expected to discuss the sale of russian crude oil to india. the indian government is under pressure from other members of the quad grouping, which includes the united states, australia and japan, to take a stronger stand against russia and its invasion of ukraine. 0ur correspondent in delhi, rajini vaidyanathan, gave me this update. india has called for the violence in ukraine to end. it has stopped of condemning russia's actions.

it has stuck to its policy of non—alignment, staying neutral throughout. abstaining at key votes condemning russia at the united nations as well, and as you say, there has been a lot of pressure on india to effectively pick a side. what we have seen, actually, in recent weeks is a whole host of visiting dignitaries and diplomats from around the world, trying to get some time with indian officials. so sergei lavrov, as you say, is in town today. yesterday, we had the british foreign secretary, liz truss, the us deputy national security advicer was here, a week ago china's foreign minister. there has been the japan delegation in town not too long ago either. the us deputy national security adviser was here, a week ago china's foreign minister. there has been the japan delegation in town not too long ago either. so there has been lots and lots of talks, but today of course it russia that will be front and centre, and as well as meeting the foreign minister, we are hearing sergei lavrov will also meet prime minister narendra modi as well. the un's refugee agency says more than four million people have fled ukraine since the war started.

the overwhelming majority of them have headed west, to the european union and moldova. poland alone has seen almost two and a half million arrivals. my colleague, kasia madera, is in lublin in poland. what's the process? well, this is the reality of what happens when you have to flee your home, when you have to three your country, you become a refugee and well, the paperwork does follow you around, here is a processing centre, around, here is a processing centre, a gym hall transformed into a place where all of the people on one side of desk are ref gcses who are seeking a number, a specific number to poland, a bit like a national insurance number, like a social security number, it's a number, a gateway to enable these people who are refugees to access this country's health care system, to enable the children here to go to schools, to enable these people to

join the antibody labour market. we hear about how keen the people that have come from ukraine are to join in polish society. to work, we are not sure how long all of these people will be here, given the volatility of what is happening back in ukraine, so we spent a day yesterday any a school seeing how ukrainian teachers are joining the staff system there, the enrol. system, they add induction days, before they can go to school they need to come and get this number, this identity number, and the polish government has issued new number, they say nearly 600,000 of these number, these electronic id numbers have beenish sued so far, a huge figure, given this system was only in place for two weeks for ukrainian, because it is normally an identity numberfor ukrainian, because it is normally an identity number for polish citizen,

a huge number given how we reonly a month since temperature start of this war, and already as you were saying four many people fleeing ukraine, most of those people have come to poland, so, again, all of these people, waiting patiently, doing all the paperwork and this is helped by lots of volunteers like daniel. daniel originally from ukraine, he is studying in poland, he comes from where his dad is still. his mum and younger brother are here and daniel is, you are helping everybody because you speak polish. how does it feel seeing people from ukraine be here in this situation? he says as you can imagine, he doesn't like it, it is is really

hard for him, hard for the people of ukraine, hard for him as a student, from ukraine here in poland to see suddenly this, this situation in his home country and now all of these people here. but, you are helping in the way that you can, by offering your translation services. they speak polish. he is saying that, at least he shepping and it is complicated that language difference, the written language difference, the written language difference is difficult, but i want to ask, his mum and brother did come over. so his mum, younger brother, nine—year—old brother, they are here in mow poland with daniel. his

father is still in ukraine. that is the rule in ukraine. men between the 18 and 60 have to stay. the reality on the ground is the paperwork follows these people, they will get their numbers, like i say the polish government saying is all ukrainian citizens will get the number, this identity number that will mina all of these people will be able to join the labour mark market, they will be able to work, get medical assistance, they will be able to send children tole zoo and integrate into polish society, because again the volatility within ukraine is uncertain, we don't know how long they are here for. they are here 100 kilometres from the border with ukraine, they can do that, well, they are here with a huge team of volunteers from the polish community, polish society doing all they can to integrate them into this country.

than avenolith that is the situation in poland of course for people who have managed to get out, four million people have left ukraine, a great deal of focus on mariupol, which is under siege and has been for some time, and which is under siege and has been forsome time, and it which is under siege and has been for some time, and it is feared thousands of died there and still 100,000 people at least are trapped in that encircled city, with very little supplies and efforts to get supplies in have been extremely difficult. the icrs, which is on a mission to get supplies into mariupol and also, to try to evacuate people from mariupol, have said that top level authorities from ukraine and russia have approved the mariupol evacuations plan and on their twitter account, icrs ukraine have just put out a little clip of one of their worker, one of their members of the team, on its way to be ready to facilitate the safe

passage of civilians and i think we can hear that clip right now. we are currently on the move to go to mariupol. in order to ensure safe passage for the civilians who desperately want to flee the city. so just a brief clip and there is some clarification on this, which is that the teams did not receive permission to take aid into mariupol, so they are going without aid supply, but what they do have is the authority to take people out of mariupol, so we will of course keep you updated but as we saw the team are on the road and heading for mariupol. ok, we willjust take a quick break and time for a look at the weather which is changing. hello everyone. i hope you're doing all right. well, it's felt cold, we have had some wintry weather over the past 24—48—hours, but if we rewind, it's actually been a record—breaking

march across scotland and northern ireland, the sunniest march on record, plenty of sunshine, but it's like we did a handbrake turn and we saw scenes like these, as we introduced that much, much colder air, and that's brought us this mixture of rain, sleet and snow. you can see the air mass chart here, we are bathed in blue everyone, and we are hanging on the this cold air for the next couple of days as well. as for the rest of today, then. well, the weather front that has been affecting parts of the south—east of england is on the way out. remaining windy around here, this weather front pushing through scotland into parts of northern ireland. elsewhere, it's a good mix of sunny spells and scattered wintry showers. we saw some slippery surfaces this morning. feeling chilly in that brisk wind. top temperatures 10 or 11 celsius. moving through this evening, then. well, the weather front is on the move, moving through northern ireland, into parts of wales and eventually the south—west of england. still breezy, especially across south—eastern parts. some wintry showers will remain and temperatures tonigh tdown to minus four celsius. a sharp frost tomorrow morning, a cold start to your saturday. but for many, a bright start. we say goodbye to these showers and that weather front.

it leaves parts of wales and the south—west. and really, it's not a bad looking day. we will still see the showers, you can see them well scattered here, across much of the uk. top temperatures 10, possibly 11 celsius. now high pressure is trying to build through the weekend. here it is off to the west. over the top of this we have this weather front which will eventually tilt down, reaching parts of scotland and northern ireland on sunday. a chilly start to the day, the winds will ease over the weekend, thanks to the presence of that high pressure, the weather front introducing thicker cloud, soem rain into scotland and northern ireland as well, with the strengthening breeze. we could see some hill snow on the leading edge of that feature. top temperatures ten or 11 celsius. temperature—wise, however, there is a change on the way, because as we look towards next week we start to introduce milder airfrom the west. i say from the west, because we are also introducing this atlantic flow, and with that we will see less settled conditions. more in the way of cloud, some rain en route as well,

but if you are not a fan of the cold, we do have a bit of a change as far has the is concerned. temperatures rising, but it will turn less settled. we will keep you posted. stay safe, see you soon.

a this is bbc news: the biggest rise in gas and electricity prices in living memory has come into effect — with the cost of an average household bill going up by almost £700 a year it's either feed them or heat my house or i don't eat and they eat. the same as everyone else, really, it's going to bite into the budget a lot. what can you do? trapped. plan, council tax, water and... iwaterand... want to do what we can to ameliorate some of that. but, you know, i am also honest with people, we can't ameliorate all of it, sadly.

how are you coping with the rise in the cost of living?