the albanian gangs recruiting migrants to get them to work in the illegal uk drugs trade. the bbc is told that immigration officials on both sides of the channel are worried about the growing role of albanian middlemen promising easy passage. translation: they offered me lots of things - to pay _ for thejourney, to give me a job, but i wasn't interested. they asked me four or five times. we'll have more on that bbc investigation from albania. also this lunchtime... discounts on energy bills for households that use less during peak times — a new trialfrom national grid to avoid blackouts. the government confirms there won't be a stormont assembly election in december — pushing the northern ireland vote into next year.

famous theatres in london lose grants in favour of bodies outside the capital, in a major change to arts funding in england. and exactly 100 years since its discovery — we hear about the continuing fascination with tutankhamun�*s 3,000—year—old tomb. coming up on the bbc news channel, england know they have to beat sri lanka tomorrow to reach the t20 world cup semifinal, after australia edged a close win over afghanistan. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news.

in a week that's been dominated by news about the immigration system, the bbc has heard evidence that albanian drug gangs are using migrant camps in northern france as a recruitment ground — offering to pay the passage of people who are prepared to work in the uk's illegal drugs trade. albanians account for at least one third of the 38,000 people who've crossed the channel to england this year, according to the latest to the latest government figures. 0ur correspondent lucy williamson has this report. for each boat, each migrant, there can be many smugglers. albanian fixers, uk guarantors, kurdish criminal gangs. one man who paid for a place on a kurdish boat this summer says he was approached by recruiters for the uk drugs trade in a dunkirk migrant camp.

translation: they offered me lots of things - - to pay for thejourney, to give me a job — but i wasn't interested. they asked me four, five times. this is where the albanian migrant trail begins. small towns like this, marked by absence. the shuttered houses and empty cafes, leftovers of an exodus that spiked this year. as the price of crossing to the uk has dropped, the suburbs around tirana are being drained of people. locals in this neighbourhood say 70% of the community has already left and many of those living here now are thinking ofjoining them. adverts on albanian social media promise easy passage for about £3000, with middlemen on hand to arrange transport from brussels, paris or dunkirk. we contacted some of them, posing as an albanian client. within half an hour we had two offers for crossings, different options for payment,

and advice on claiming asylum in the uk. this system is one reason uk police say the networks are hard to break. whereas in drugs, firearms, you would see a hierarchical structure with a kingpin at the top, we don't see that with organised immigration crime. we see close associations, loose networks across that migration route. french officials say that albanians are acting as middlemen for the iraqi kurdish gangs that still control most boat crossings from france. this woman's son crossed from dunkirk last month without the help of fixers or even the money to pay the smugglers. a relative in england acted as guarantor, she said, and got her son across. his younger brother, just ia years old, is already planning his own trip.

each successful crossing an invisible thread that tugs at the minds of albanians back home. lucy williamson, bbc news, dunkirk. our home editor mark easton is with me. what lucy is talking about there is one strand of this growing issue. yes, i mean, the numbers are extraordinary. two years ago we had 50 albanians crossing in small boats, this year already 12,000, of which 10,000 are single men. that equates to about 1—2% of the single men albania, they are coming here, but i think there are three groups of people who are on those boats. there are other economic migrants because albania is a very poor country, incomes in the uk nine or ten times greater than albania, you can see why that would be a draw. the criminals, the traffickers, as

lucy was finding out. but it's also worth reminding ourselves that there are also victims, victims of trafficking, victims of exploitation, and victims of modern—day slavery. if i tell you in july, august, september this year, the modern day slavery referral system saw 934, just in those three months, albanian adults identified as potential victims, and 204 albanian children, under 18—year—olds, also identified in those 90 odd days, so you can see some of them of course willjust be trying it on, using that as a way of staying in the country, but it's worth knowing that on the most recent figure somewhere between 80 and 90% of those who are referred to that referral mechanism, their cases are upheld. that referral mechanism, their cases are uheld. ~ ., ., ., are upheld. mark easton, our home editor, are upheld. mark easton, our home editor. thank _ are upheld. mark easton, our home editor, thank you. _ discounts on energy bills will be offered to households that use less power during peak times, under plans from the national grid to avoid blackouts.

the scheme is going to be tested in england, scotland and wales on 12 days between now and march — though only properties with a smart meter will be able to take part. our business correspondent emma simpson reports. national grid estimates it could save eligible households up to £100. it's the time of day when many of us get home, put on the lights, and all the appliances as well. but millions of us could now earn money off our bills by using less electricity when demand is at its peak. julie, in saffron walden, is up for it. so what i've done is i've ditched the kettle and i bought this water dispenser. the reason i've done that is because i was finding that i was boiling the same piece of water time and time again. i hear you. she's already taken part in a small trial this year and has signed up for the national grid's new scheme. if you've got enough notice, which normally may be the day before, you can plan around it, you can just sort of say we are going to have dinner at this time.

i think it's a really good thing for everybody to try and do if they are able to. i think it's something that i've found that i've actually enjoyed doing. it's part of our lives. and you've earned some money. i've earned a bit of money out of it, yeah. so what's the deal with the national grid's demand flexibility scheme? there are 12 one—hour tests planned for this winter. they'll take place between 4pm and 7pm, peak time for energy use. national grid says a typical household could save £100 off their bills, but it all depends on how much energy you use and your energy company. you need a smart meter to take part. most energy suppliers are in the process of signing up. to really reduce your electricity use it's all about the big appliances like the washing machine, the tumble dryer and dishwasher, using them late in the evening or even overnight, but is the financial incentive going to be big enough to get

households and businesses to take part? here at national grid they have to balance supply and demand by the minute. they want to be able to save two gigawatts of electricity during peak hours if needed — the equivalent of powering a million homes. we are running these things as trials to make sure that it works. we hope not to have to use them this winter in anger, but it's just really being ready for every contingency. it's something they've never tried on this scale before. they've got mothballed coal plants on standby as well, all to help this control room keep the lights on this winter in these challenging times. emma simpson, bbc news, reading. covid—19 infections have dropped in england and wales. the latest figures from the office for national

statistics show about 1.9 million people tested positive for coronavirus in the week ending the 24th of october. that's down from just over 2 million cases the previous week. it's been confirmed that there won't be a stormont assembly election this year. the northern ireland secretary chris heaton—harris had said another election would be called, after the deadline to restore power sharing passed last week. currently a vote is still required within the next three months. let's get more from our ireland correspondent, emma vardy. what does this mean, emma, for the people of northern ireland?— of northern ireland? well, none of the parties — of northern ireland? well, none of the parties were _ of northern ireland? well, none of the parties were looking _ of northern ireland? well, none of the parties were looking forward i of northern ireland? well, none ofj the parties were looking forward to a christmas election. i'm not sure many voters were either. so when that announcement from the northern ireland secretary came this morning, there was quite a lot of relief around, but the reality for people here is that life continues in northern ireland without a government here at stormont but perhaps the one thing almost

everyone agreed on was an election wasn't going to solve that, that the crisis would remain. the dup won't go back into power sharing with sinn fein because of their deep opposition to the brexit arrangements which have put a new trading border between northern ireland and the rest of the uk. but this christmas election had been repeatedly promised. so why the change? we understand there was an intervention from the new prime minister, rishi sunak, behind the scenes, wanting to give things a little bit more time. negotiations continue on those problems between the uk and the eu, but for now some more clarity for the parties here at stormont. they are expecting the northern ireland secretary to pass new legislation to push that deadline back even further because, as you say, as it stands, by law, there would still have to be one at there would still have to be one at the moment byjanuary the 19th there would still have to be one at the moment by january the 19th but in reality now no one is expecting that. ., ., , in reality now no one is expecting that. . ., , ., ~ you, at stormont.

there's going to be huge disruption on the railways again from tomorrow, as members of the rmt and tssa unions stage more strikes in their long—running dispute about pay, jobs and conditions. but many passengers across the north of england are already dealing with daily cancellations, even without strikes. 0ur transport correspondent katy austin reports. from newton—le—willows in the north west to cleethorpes on the north—east lincolnshire coast, rail passengers told us they were fed up. last week, they were cancelled for four days so i had to drive to st helensjunction just to catch a train. regular cancellations, trying to get into work, and also home at night. i sometimes try not to use the train now for work because you just can't guarantee if you are going to get a train. transpennine express has come into the spotlight recently for running a reduced timetable and making daily cancellations. 0ther train companies have had issues, too. avanti west coast has been criticised for severe disruption and then slashing its timetable

after drivers stopped offering to work overtime. it says things are now improving and it will fully restore services in december, but this manchester businessman is not yet prepared to risk getting the train to meetings again. i may as well drive, because it will be easier and i am more in control of what happens and when i get there and back. i don't quite trust itjust yet. the boss of the operator behind both transpennine and avante said covid had caused a backlog of driver training and it was hard to cover the gaps when people were off sick and drivers weren't available to work on days off. first of all, we apologise to customers. we understand the inconvenience that this is causing people in their day—to—day lives, and it is something that we are trying to correct at this moment in time. we are doing a huge amount of work to prepare for the december 2022 timetable, but it does require us to get drivers trained. but labour mayors across the north of england have called for urgent intervention from the government. genuinely we believe that the government aren't taking this seriously enough.

if london came to a standstill, you can imagine that the government of the day would do something to react to that. the new transport secretary is expected to meet with the mayors soon, and the rail minister told me improving services was a priority. we are committed to working with all parties who have got their role to play in fixing these service issues that many people are experiencing and that are not acceptable. so, we will do whatever it takes, in terms of sitting down, engaging, working positively, constructively, because at the end of the day is the passengers who are impacted by this. however it is done, those passengers just want to know that they will once again be able to rely on getting the train. katy austin, bbc news. major infrastructure projects are under review as the government tries to reduce spending. they include the

high—speed rail link in the north of englert. the treasury has insisted that infra structure projects will remain a priority. let's find out more from our business editor simon jack. let's start with that rail line. ., ., ., , ., line. northern powerhouse railwas auoin to line. northern powerhouse railwas going to be — line. northern powerhouse railwas going to be a _ line. northern powerhouse railwas going to be a network _ line. northern powerhouse railwas going to be a network and - line. northern powerhouse railwas going to be a network and the - line. northern powerhouse railwas| going to be a network and the north of england, from hull to liverpool and starting around manchester, leeds and yorkshire. there was a big splash about that. then, boris johnson last year, when grant shapps was transport minister said that they were not only downgrading that, but they were also cancelling the eastern leg of hst. when liz truss came to power, she said that it was all back on, full fat, all singing, all back on, full fat, all singing, all dancing, northern powerhouse rail was back on with a stop at bradford, one of the worst connected cities in the north. what i learned was that that has now been downgraded and we are back to the

version from before this trust saving £20 billion and i asked grant shapps about this, and here's what he said. the line itself can deliver a 33—minute journey from manchester to leeds, quadruple, nearly, the capacity of that line, and do so without having to wait an extra 20 years beyond the delivery of what the upgrade can do. so we'll be able to provide all of that upgrade. there wasn't really much point in going and blasting new tunnels through the pennines. what else could be in the frame? last night i was told by sources that every major capital spending project was under review including things like the dartford tunnel, sizewell c, the panel by stonehenge, this morning however downing street has said that the new reactor in suffolk, they are hoping to proceed with that, but i think this illustrates they are looking behind every cushion on the back of the

matter to find some money and we will find out more about their plans on the 17th of november. the time is 16 minutes past one. our top story this lunchtime. albanian migrant gangs are using caps in france as a recruitment rank. and for all fans are having to go to fewer matches this winter because of the cost of living crisis. —— football fans. coming up on the bbc news channel, with the tournamentjust 16 days away, fifa has written to all 32 world cup teams, telling them to now focus on the football, following a controversial build—up. the english national opera is among arts bodies in london

which are losing their funding from arts council england. it's part of a programme to move money for cultural institutions out of the capital — new recipients will include libraries in barnsley, blackpool illuminations and a festival of thrift in redcar. with the details of a major shake up, here's our arts correspondent, david sillito. english national opera, sung in english, based in london and more than one third of its income comes from the arts council. it is now off the funding list. there will be a transitional grant to help it restructure, and me possibly to manchester, but it is heavy work. slightly surprised that the arts council would reduce funding to an organisation that has brought in young people, we get completely free tickets to under 21s, the only 0pera tickets to under 21s, the only opera house tickets to under 21s, the only 0pera housein tickets to under 21s, the only opera house in the world to do that, and about 13% of our audience is people of colour, way ahead of other opera companies. the of colour, way ahead of other opera companies-— of colour, way ahead of other opera comanies. ., ., ., ., , companies. the mayor of london says the caital companies. the mayor of london says the capital is — companies. the mayor of london says the capital is losing _ companies. the mayor of london says the capital is losing around _ companies. the mayor of london says

the capital is losing around £50 - the capital is losing around £50 million in arts funding, but shakespeare north, a new theatre at prescott, near st helens, is one of dozens of organisations outside london receiving funding for the first time. irate london receiving funding for the first time. ~ ., london receiving funding for the first time. ~ . , h, london receiving funding for the first time. ~ . , ,., ., first time. we have invested so that as many peeple _ first time. we have invested so that as many peeple as _ first time. we have invested so that as many people as possible - first time. we have invested so that as many people as possible in - as many people as possible in england can enjoy the very best of creativity. this means no matter where you live, whatever your background, you will have culture close to your home.— close to your home. actual illuminations _ close to your home. actual illuminations will - close to your home. actual illuminations will now - close to your home. actual. illuminations will now receive funding. the shift, especially to the north, is being driven by the government. it the north, is being driven by the government-— government. it comes down to fairness. — government. it comes down to fairness. if— government. it comes down to fairness, if you _ government. it comes down to fairness, if you live _ government. it comes down to fairness, if you live in - government. it comes down to fairness, if you live in the - fairness, if you live in the north—east, north—west, yorkshire, why shouldn't you be able to access culture? why shouldn't your children be able to learn and get back creativity from a young age and be inspired to potentially go into these types of industries? like a max, less for opera and the high arts, and more for towns like barnsley which is getting support for its libraries.

the social media company twitter has told its 7,500 staff — via email — that majorjob cuts are coming, following the firm's takeover by the billionaire elon musk. staff have been told they will know by 4pm today whether they still have a job. some staff have already posted on twitter that they have been fired and been locked out of their work email accounts. a gap in gp care between the richest and poorest parts of england has widened, according to research for bbc newsnight. people in less affluent areas on average develop chronic health conditions at a younger age and die earlier — yet they have fewer gps and a worse experience. newsnight�*s david grossman reports. blackpool is the poorest town in england. it has the lowest life expectancy in the country. and with that, multiple complex health needs. you might assume those challenges

would mean more doctors and better care, but come to places like the revoe estate, and you will hear the opposite. you're always encouraged, with anything you suspect may be cancer, so i found a lump in my lower back, it was painful. i phoned up my gp to get an appointment. and they suggested it might be better to go to the walk—in centre because i would be seen quicker. they offered me an appointment but it was in three weeks' time. they were great, but they just packed me off with some painkillers. there was no access to a gp. there was no referral to anybody else. ijust sit there crying. i think what is the point of trying to plan, when you know no one wants to help you? i am a volunteer... christina is a volunteer youth worker at the centre. she says that local kids often come to her for medical advice. they come to us, they are like, mum tried to make me a doctor's appointment for this, but we haven't been able to, so i don't know what it is, so it is worrying me. the uk is clearly gripped by a crisis in gp care right now but research for newsnight suggests the crisis is being felt even more

acutely in areas like this that are already struggling with multiple deprivations. the figures suggest that places like blackpool have far fewer gps per head of population and far lower levels of satisfaction with their care. not only are there fewer gps offering fewer appointments but the care, as measured by the care quality commission, on average is of a lower standard. exclusive research for newsnight suggests quality of patients' experience also correlates with levels of deprivation. in other words, the poorer an area is, the lower patients rate their overall gp care. surgeries are harder to reach on the phone and, when they do get an appointment, patients in poor areas rate the experience lower than those in more affluent areas. newton drive health centre, emily speaking... newton drive health centre in blackpool is rated as good by the care quality commission. suzie breen is a gp and partner. she says criticism of gps,

particularly the idea that they are being lazy or uncaring is hard to listen to. it is so devastating to be told that you are the problem. and you have to just say to yourself, i know the reality of what i have done today. i know the reality that if i do crumble and i can't do this any more, that is another 80 appointments a week, potentially, lost. the pain of a struggling primary care sector isn't spread equally. places like blackpool have already suffered most. and what was really striking on our visit, no ones seem to think that the stresses on the system were about to ease. david grossman, bbc news, blackpool. there will be more on that story tonight on newsnight on bbc two at 10.30pm.

scotla nd scotland was my first minister has denied that a contract to build ferries was a case ofjobs for the boys. nicola sturgeon utterly refuted the claim that the scottish government had the bid to build at ferguson shipyard and that she deeply regretted the impact on island community is pulled at the ferry is years late and at least £150 million over budget. the king will host a reception at buckingham palace this afternoon as part of preparations for the cop27 climate conference in egypt — though it was announced last month that king charles wouldn't be travelling to the summit, following discussions with the then prime minister, liz truss. 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell is at the palace. what is this afternoon about, given the king isn't actually due to go to the conference? according to buckingham palace, the purpose of this meeting is to mark the end of the uk's presidency of cop26. the king, we know, has been a

passionate campaigner as prince of wales on the environment, a passionate defender of the environment for five decades, really. he was at cop26 glasgow last year. suggestions that he is disappointed or frustrated at the advice from the liz truss government that he shouldn't attend cop27, i'm not sure that is entirely true. as i understand it is quite relaxed about it, and accepts it as part of the necessary adjustment to his new role as king. he cannot campaign as overtly as before. with this meeting, it was the exercise of something we will see in the future, is convening power, bringing together leaders in the words of buckingham palace, 200 business leaders, decision—makers and ngos, they will be discussing sustainable growth, progress since cop26 and things like the king's sustainable markets initiative and a road map that the king has put his weight

behind, the terra carta, to help businesses find more sustainable futures. fifa has written to all 32 teams competing at the world cup telling them to "now focus on the football" following a controversial build—up. the host qatar has been criticised for its stance on same—sex relationships, its human rights record and its treatment of migrant workers. the tournament starts on november 20th. the football supporters' association say it's very concerned after a survey found a quarter of fans at non—league clubs expect to go to fewer matches this winter, because of the cost of living crisis. it's another blow to clubs already struggling with rising bills. but despite that, one club is opening its doors to help its local community stay warm — as our sports correspondent andy swiss reports. a november night at chesterfield, and a victory for their fans to cheer. cheering

but this is a club now offering far more than just football. hi, everybody, are you all right? it has opened its doors as a warm hub for the local community, where people like brenda can come for some welcome respite amid the cost of living crisis. it means a lot. come here for company, and food is nice, and it keeps you warm in the winter. if we can take a little bit of that pressure away, and say, actually, every night, come here, there will be food, there will be heating, i hope that that gives families that little bit of comfort. fans here, too, are facing their own financial pressures. it is notjust the price of the tickets, it is the price of what you buy inside so, obviously i've got my coffee here, but the price of that's going up. getting in to the match, parking, etc.

a survey by the football supporters' association has found that nearly a quarter of non league fans expect to attend fewer matches this winter because of the cost of living crisis and, when it comes to travelling to away fixtures, nearly half say they will be cutting back. it is going to be a very, very tricky winterfor a lot of football clubs, if they are going to be losing a significant portion of their matchday income. and with clubs also facing soaring energy bills, the emphasis is simply on survival. we are looking at every angle we can. can we turn floodlights off earlier after the match, can we turn them on later before the game? do you fear that some clubs might go under? it is a constant threat that some clubs might go under. we have to make sure that we are all right here. one way or another, we will get through it. a challenging winter awaits, then, with battles on the pitch but even bigger battles off it. andy swiss, bbc news, chesterfield. 100 years ago today, archaeologists made one of the world's greatest discoveries

— tutankhamun's 3,000—year—old tomb. robert hall has been to the tutankhamun exhibition to understand why that breakthrough a century ago caused such a sensation. 33 centuries had passed, since human feet last trod the floor on which we stood. legend says it was spotted by a young egyptian. the buried staircase leading to what archaeologists still call the greatest find ever made. howard carter had spent over a decade looking for it. in a tiny tomb, we have everything from the royal court crammed in, we have gold, jewellery, flowers, lunchboxes, underwear, clothes, sandals. we get a sense of the variety of material that survived from ancient egypt. news of the find was rushed here, to highclere castle. the story of tutankhamun is always

linked with one name, that of howard carter, the man who broke through that wall, 100 years ago. but carter wouldn't have been there at all without the passion and more importantly the finance of another egyptologist, this man, the fifth earl of caernarvon. the story sparked what became known as tutmania. from a few curious visitors to the millions who viewed the wonders of the tomb at travelling exhibitions. i'm sorry, there will be no more admission for the exhibition tonight. hanging in the air, the legend of a pharaoh's curse on those who dared to enter the tomb. the newspapers named five men as its victims, among them lord caernarvon himself. like tutankhamun's interlocking coffin, there are many layers to this story. howard carter's successors are still finding new pieces of the jigsaw, still solving the mysteries which remain hidden in the valley of the kings.