hello, good morning. this is bbc news with the latest headlines. the oil giant shell reports record annual profits of £32 billion — the highest in its 115—year history. the bank of england is expected to announce that it's putting up interest rates for the tenth consecutive time, at midday. british gas suspends its force—fitting of prepayment meters following a report that it was imposing them on vulnerable customers. children's social care in england will get a £200 million boost but those working in the sector said the government needs to go further and faster. the current outbreak of bird

flu is now infecting mammals in the uk. manchester united are into the league cup final. newcastle stand between them and a first trophy for six years. hello and welcome to the bbc news channel. the energy giant shell has reported record annual profits of £32 billion in 2022, more than double what it made this in the previous year. the profits are the biggest in the firm's history — boosted by higher energy prices since the start of the ukraine war. shell has already said it will pay tax in the uk for the first time since 2017 — as a result of the government's windfall tax. i'm joined by our business editor simonjack.

morning, simon. of these massive profits in context. the morning, simon. of these massive profits in context.— profits in context. the highest in the shell's _ profits in context. the highest in the shell's 115 _ profits in context. the highest in the shell's115 year history, - profits in context. the highest in i the shell's115 year history, double what it made last year. no one has corrected me on this yet, i think it is the highest profit of any uk headquartered company in history, and in a way not that surprising when you see what oil and gas prices have done over the last year, they were already rising at the end of last year as the world emerged from covid and demand picked up, and then went rocketing when russia invaded ukraine, and russian oiland went rocketing when russia invaded ukraine, and russian oil and gas supplies were either shot off or shunned putting prices up, and this is what you are seeing is a result. they are paying their shareholders £5 billion. they paid them £5 billion this year, they will pay them another £5 billion last year, and of course numbers of this size will understandably provoke some sort of outrage and calls for things like bringing the windfall tax question into it.— like bringing the windfall tax question into it. yes, there has

been criticism _ question into it. yes, there has been criticism of _ question into it. yes, there has been criticism of the _ question into it. yes, there has been criticism of the taxes - question into it. yes, there has- been criticism of the taxes imposed by the government last year on gas and oil giants, that they didn't go nearly far enough according to many people. what is bell saying about this? does it think that it may need to pay more taxes here in the uk? does it understand that argument? i think they understand that there is outrage at the sort of numbers they are making. but it isn't straightforward to taxing a multinational company and getting it to pay uk tax. 95% of the money that bell makes isn't made in the uk, it is made and taxed around the world, so only 5% of their profits are made here. there is a 75% tax on those profits —— shell. they pay 45% income tax and then there was a 25% windfall and that was increased to a 75% windfall, and that's not the highest in the world, in nigeria it is a bit higher, but it is one of the highest tax rates anywhere in the highest tax rates anywhere in

the world so it isn't straightforward designing attacks to tackle global profits like this. with people looking towards april, the energy price caps set to change, people set to pay more for their energy, you can see how this is a conversation the government is going to have to have with shell. ed to have to have with shell. er. miliband, the shadow business and environment secretary this morning saying they need to pay more tax. but as i say it is not that straightforward. they are, of course, also allowed, the other reason they pay quite a low amount of tax, they are allowed to offset things like decommissioning costs for old oil rigs, they are allowed to offset investment in new oil and gas projects in the uk against those profits, and i expect them to say they have paid in the tens of millions of pounds in tax in 2022, and i expect them to say, they are in a media call right now, they will pay hundreds of millions of pounds in 2023. but that won't be enough for some people who think they should pay more and people will notice that they paid more to their shareholders in the form of dividends and share buy—backs than

they spent on investing in renewables, that will be the charge of not spending enough on that. qm. of not spending enough on that. 0k, simon, thank you. simonjack. as we've been hearing, it comes at a time when households are feeling their budgets squeezed by the higher cost of energy and fuel. as simon mentioned, labour has been speaking about this this morning. lisa nandy is the shadow levelling up secretary — she told our business correspondent ben boulos that the government needed to make energy companies pay a higher windfall tax. what is completely unconscionable is that the government is still refusing to close loopholes in the windfall tax that will allow these big energy companies to keep more of their profits. while people across every part of our country are struggling to heat their homes. we think they should close those loopholes — that could raise £13 billion over the next year, and they should use that to help households who are going to face huge hikes in their energy bills in april when the energy price cap is increased.

we just can't go on like this. you say "close the loopholes", but as things stand with the basic tax that energy companies pay for what they extract from the north sea, the profits they're making from that in the uk, it's now gone up to 75%. it will stay at 75%, including the extra windfall tax element until 2028. that is the government taking action and taking some of those profits to help pay for public services. look, we welcomed the fact that the government finally conceded the principle of a windfall tax last year. but let's not forget, they had to be dragged kicking and screaming to do it at a time when there were stories emerging from every part of this country about people who simply couldn't afford their heating. we believe that when companies are making record profits and families can't heat their homes, we should close those loopholes. they'll still make profits, but we should close the investment allowance loophole that allows them to get tax breaks for investing in fossilfuels. we should backdate the windfall tax to when the government ought to have done it, not when they actually did it.

and by doing so, we could get real help to families who are struggling now. would you put the windfall tax up even higher? we believe it should be brought into line with countries like norway. and in fact, if you look at some of the big bosses of the energy companies, whether it's shell or bp, there are clear signals coming from the industry that they understand that at a time of huge pain for a lot of people in this country, the current system is unsustainable. when even they are saying tax us more, it is completely unconscionable that the government is refusing to do so. lisa nandy. the bank of england is expected to raise interest rates again today — for the tenth time in a row. interest rates — the cost of borrowing money — currently stand at 3.5%. they're expected to go up to 4% later today. that means loans like car finance or credit card borrowing are likely to get more expensive. and it means mortgage payments are likely to cost more.

but it should also mean better returns for people saving money. it's thought the bank of england will raise interest rates to try to slow down inflation. prices are currently rising at about 10.5% per year. ben boulos reports on what this could mean for people. recently married, and a homeowner, alex, who's 26, and her husband, were hoping to have a baby. but they've had to shelve those plans. because of the mortgage going up by £300, what i was thinking of putting aside for the child, it would eat up most of the outgoings that i would have had for the child, and we will have to wait until we get a better mortgage deal. higher interest rates don't only affect home owners looking to remortgage, and first—time buyers. people who rent are likely to feel the impact as well. that's because many landlords have a mortgage, and if their monthly payments go up, they may well pass that on to their tenants through higher rents.

when there's a big increase in costs, such as an increase in interest rates would give, we have no choice. and if that happens, and you didn't put rents up for your tenants, what happens? we'd effectively be losing money. by the end of this year, the bank of england estimates that four million homeowners in the uk with a mortgage, will see their payments go up from an average of £750 a month, to an average of £1,000 a month, with some facing even steeper rises. but there is a glimmer of hope for first—time buyers who are currently renting. rents have been rising at quite a high rate, so the mortgage rates available now are quite comparable with the amount you'll be paying on rent. so i actually think that if you're a first—time buyer, 2023 could be a good year to buy. that's little comfort, though, for those renewing a mortgage, like stu in leeds. initially offered a deal at £300 a month more, he got that down.

but knowing when to lock in a rate is hard. it's almost like tossing a coin, it really is. i've still got £200 a month to find on top of my utilities bills doubling, and on top of the price of my food shop going through the roof, and the price of petrol and everything else that everybody's having a deal with. so, to sit and say, well, yeah, an extra 200 quid is a good result, is ridiculous. but i suppose you've got to try and find the positives where you can. but that can feel like slim pickings when trying to meet the increasing costs of keeping a roof over your head. let's speak to our business reporter peter ruddick. peter, good morning. tell us a bit more about what we might expect from the bank of england at noon today? good morning. it is turning into a difficult balancing act now for the bank of england, doing what they can

to try and tackle inflation without of course increasing the cost of living for the people you were hearing speaking to ben boulos. there are some early signs that inflation may have peaked. i think the bank of england will want to see that at a sustained level before they stop these rate increases. so what we expect at midday, the consensus forecast at least is that there will be another 0.5 percentage point rise in the bank of england base rate taking it from 3.5% up to 4%, that would be the tenth rise in a row. remember rates are at their highest level since the financial crash in october 2008. if that happens, it generally means the cost of your mortgage payments, if you are on a variable rate or a rate that tracks the bank of england base rate will go up. remember of course only about a third of people have a mortgage, the rest either rent or own out right. however, of those with a mortgage 78% are on fixed rates. but1.8 with a mortgage 78% are on fixed rates. but 1.8 million customers are due to end their fixed rate deals at some point this year. so when they come to find new deals they are

likely to find rates a lot higher than when they last fixed. we will get the decision at midday. we will also get the minutes from the bank's meeting, so we will get a bit of a sense of how high the expect rates to go, when they might stop increasing rates, when they might be looking to bring them down. we will also get the latest forecast for the economic performance of the uk, given the warning we had from the imf this week. i think those will be very closely watched indeed. peter, thank ou very closely watched indeed. peter, thank you very _ very closely watched indeed. peter, thank you very much. _ very closely watched indeed. peter, thank you very much. our— very closely watched indeed. peter, thank you very much. our business| thank you very much. our business reporter there. thank you very much. our business reporterthere. let's thank you very much. our business reporter there. let's talk about some of the real—life consequences of rising interest rates. with me is the consumer affairs specialist at which?, harry kind. you've been gathering data on missed payments, missed mortgage payments, credit card payments and so on. what did you find?— did you find? these are the real symptoms _ did you find? these are the real symptoms of— did you find? these are the real symptoms of something - did you find? these are the real symptoms of something going l did you find? these are the real - symptoms of something going wrong in the economy, this is 2.3 million households who have missed one of these important payments, that

includes utility bills, mortgage, rent and broadband even. all of that is a massive increase on the month before. 400,000 extra households. that's because prices are going up everywhere across bills, cross food, cross housing, and something is breaking. cross housing, and something is breakinu. �* , cross housing, and something is breakinu.�* , _ breaking. and people possibly stretched a — breaking. and people possibly stretched a bit _ breaking. and people possibly stretched a bit more - breaking. and people possibly stretched a bit more over - breaking. and people possibly stretched a bit more over the | stretched a bit more over the christmas period as well which has that knock—on effect injanuary. absolutely. we see that increase a little bit every year but this year it is huge and it is coupled with people having to make cutbacks on essentials spending they were not otherwise having to do.— essentials spending they were not otherwise having to do. you've also been looking _ otherwise having to do. you've also been looking at _ otherwise having to do. you've also been looking at what _ otherwise having to do. you've also been looking at what you _ otherwise having to do. you've also been looking at what you call - otherwise having to do. you've also been looking at what you call lived | been looking at what you call lived inflation. so in other words how the rate at which prices are going up are having an impact on different income groups. what did you find it there? if income groups. what did you find it there? , ., . income groups. what did you find it there? i. ., ., income groups. what did you find it there? ., ., ., ., there? if you are on a lower income than food, — there? if you are on a lower income than food, housing, _ there? if you are on a lower income than food, housing, energy, - there? if you are on a lower income than food, housing, energy, they i than food, housing, energy, they make up a massive percentage of your outgoings compared to someone on a larger income, and so inflation, the gap between the highest incomes and the lowest incomes is about a 3% inflation rate, which means that

prices for those on the lowest income is relatively speaking are going up more, by about 11% on our figures back in december compared to 8% for the wealthiest. that all translates to people having to do things like skip meals. 30% of people on universal credit are in households skipping meals because they can't afford to make ends meet. so companies need to step up and do something. tell so companies need to step up and do somethina. , ., so companies need to step up and do somethin. , ., ., ,., so companies need to step up and do somethina. , ., ., ,., ,., something. tell us more about some ofthe something. tell us more about some of the people — something. tell us more about some of the people you — something. tell us more about some of the people you spoke _ something. tell us more about some of the people you spoke to _ something. tell us more about some of the people you spoke to the - of the people you spoke to the stories they told you. we of the people you spoke to the stories they told you.- of the people you spoke to the stories they told you. we have heard from people — stories they told you. we have heard from people across _ stories they told you. we have heard from people across income - stories they told you. we have heard l from people across income spectrums come across the country, people saying this is affecting their mental health, that they can't sleep at night because their stomachs are rumbling and they are worried about paying the bills in the morning. we are hearing about people literally having a glass of warm milk for their lunch, and if they are really hungry some toast. these are people who are suffering from osteoporosis, they need to have a nutritious diet and they are not. you they need to have a nutritious diet and they are not.— they need to have a nutritious diet and they are not. you mentioned that ou are and they are not. you mentioned that you are calling _

and they are not. you mentioned that you are calling on _ and they are not. you mentioned that you are calling on essential— you are calling on essential businesses to do more to help people in this crisis. what you want them to do? ., ., , ., ., , ”~ ii to do? for a start we are seeing $40 billion profits — to do? for a start we are seeing $40 billion profits for _ to do? for a start we are seeing $40 billion profits for shell _ to do? for a start we are seeing $40 billion profits for shell and _ to do? for a start we are seeing $40 billion profits for shell and yet - billion profits for shell and yet people are struggling to pay their energy bills and when they try and let their energy providers know that they are struggling, they can't get through to a call centre, for example. so making it easierfor people to get in contact with their energy providers and say i need a payment plan, i need some help getting through this month, i need access to hardship funds, would make access to hardship funds, would make a world of difference. supermarkets need to be doing more, also record profits. they could be putting some of that money into getting their budget ranges into all the supermarkets where people need them most, notjust the big tesco extras, the massive sainsbury�*s, the need to be in the smaller local shops because people on the lowest incomes are having to buy expensive branded food and are missing out on the good deals that are out there.— deals that are out there. harry, thank you _ deals that are out there. harry, thank you for— deals that are out there. harry, thank you for talking _ deals that are out there. harry, thank you for talking to - deals that are out there. harry, thank you for talking to me - deals that are out there. harry, i thank you for talking to me today. harry kind, consumer affairs

specialist at which? british gas has suspended the forced installation of pre—payment meters because of reports that debt collectors it employed forced their way into the homes of vulnerable customers to fit them. very much carrying on from what we have this done might be discussing because of the cost of living crisis. some of those customers were disabled, or single parents. the regulator 0fgem has launched an investigation. aru na iyengar reports. hello? british gas, your gas supplier. we're here with a court warrant. can you please open the door? otherwise we have a locksmith who will to open it for you. knocking this is the exciting bit. i love this bit. paul morgan—bentley, a times newspaper reporter, says he has witnessed instances of energy companies using strong—arm tactics when customers fall into debt. there's a company that the major energy firms, including british gas and others, use to do this very aggressive debt collection. they're called arvato. and when i found out about this,

i applied to work there undercover. on some of the coldest days in recent weeks, i was in teams of either four orfive men, breaking into families' homes and force fitting pay—as—you—go meters for british gas. having a meter like this means you pay up front. if you can't top it up, there's no heating. the energy firms need a court warrant. they're supposed to check if the customer is vulnerable. this is the home of a single dad with three children. they weren't in when the team entered the property. in the kitchen there was a child's ventolin asthma inhaler and eczema cream. the person living there, if they couldn't afford to top up, they'd go off supply. and we walked in and the radiators were hot. and we left and the radiators were cold. this agent offered tips on judging a customer's vulnerability. if theyjust say, "oh, - i'm a single mum and i've got three kids", that'sl not a vulnerability. it is a vulnerability, but i'm a bit old school, a bit hard—nosed. i

the reporter worked in teams enforcing warrants for british gas, which included the homes of a 77—year—old man, and a mother aged 25 with four children. how old are your children? my youngest is three years old. ——my youngest is three weeks old. this woman said her bills had jumped from 54 to £364 a month. the debt agent in this case decided to walk away without fitting a prepayment meter, but said other agents might act differently. it's a very unusual situation at the moment. and this kind of very aggressive debt collection just feels very, very unfair. british gas says, 0fgem has now confirmed it's investigating, telling the bbc:

with no end in sight for rising energy prices, the energy companies and regulator may need to find a better way to sort out those who refuse to pay, and those who just can't. aruna iyengar, bbc news. chris 0'shea is the chief executive of centrica — the owner of british gas. he spoke to the today programme this morning and began by admitting that debt collectors working for british gas have broken into vulnerable customers' homes to fit energy meters. there is nothing that i can say that can express the horror i had when i heard this, when i saw this, it's completely unacceptable. that language is unacceptable. the contractor that we've employed, arvato, has let us down. but i'm accountable for this. this happened, as you say, when people were acting on behalf of british gas, there's nothing that can be said to excuse that. every one of our customers deserves to be treated with respect. that's what i expect of myself. that's what i expect to my colleagues.

of our contractors. and so as soon as we heard this we suspended arvato. they are not doing any work for us right now. we then commissioned an independent report so we can get to the bottom of what's going on and therefore when we get to the bottom we'll therefore then fix it. where we've got it wrong, we will make it right. we also yesterday morning announced that we have suspended any installation of pre—payment meters underwater until at least the end of the winter. so i want to establish exactly what's going on here. but you've only suspended you haven't stopped the practice, have you? and these applications to the courts have gone up significantly last year. how many times last year did british gas apply to the courts for this kind of warrant to enter a property and install a pre—payment meter? so, the first thing is they have actually stopped. so they stopped as of yesterday. we are not doing this. we won't do this at least until the end of winter. that's a suspension. that's a suspension, isn't it? you're not saying we are never going to do this again.

no, because when you when you look at this, what you've got is an issue that is something people have brought brought to the fore — it's an industry issue, which is what do you do with customers who are unable to pay? so we have our own 1.2 million customers on prepayment meters out of a total of 7.5 million customers. about 4.5 million of our customers pay by direct debit and the remainder pay by cash or cheque so that you choose to pay all of those customers prepayment meters. we have in the past year, around 20,000 customers have had meters installed under warrant. so that's around about the same rate as you find across the industry. the challenge we've got is when somebody falls into arrears, it's not responsible for us to not do anything. so what we try and do is we try and get in contact with our customers. we try to help them. we put together a £50 million package in the past year, voluntary contributions, so that we can help those customers

that can't pay. we only ever apply for a warrant to install a payment meter when a customer, refuses to engage, and it usually takes between five and six months for us to go through this process. it's not what i would like to do, but the only other option is customers that don't pay you and don't engage, you allow them to run up unsustainable debts. no other business would do that. that is chris 0'shea from centrica, the chief executive of centrica, the owner of british gas. peter smith is from the fuel poverty charity national energy action. thank you forjoining us. british gas, to pick up on that point, suspending the force fitting of prepayment meters. they say that will last at least until after the winter, presumably that's not good enough for you. ida. winter, presumably that's not good enough for you-— winter, presumably that's not good enough for you. no, we “oined forces with a growing h enough for you. no, we “oined forces with a growing number_ enough for you. no, we joined forces with a growing number of— with a growing number of organisations that are calling for a temporary ban on this practice across the industry, not in response to a journalist's review which underlines some significant concerns and failings on behalf of the

contractor, certainly. we think that the government need now to provide clarity and some attempt to provide more confidence around these systems. we have seen magistrates signing off batches of warrants, 400 at a time only taking five minutes, and a lack of effective enforcement of the current rules that result in those households not being in a position to underline their vulnerability prior to the forced entry into their homes. so this is really acute. the government working with off gem and the suppliers really need to get a grip on this. this is an issue that will affect vulnerable customers' confidence to come forward with the welcome support that industry can provide and the uk government. we need to do something about it urgently now. national energy action is saying that switching customers, and particularly those who are

vulnerable, to prepayment meters should only ever be a last resort, and every other possible alternative should be exhausted. what are the alternatives, peter?— should be exhausted. what are the alternatives, peter? before you get into the situation _ alternatives, peter? before you get into the situation that _ alternatives, peter? before you get into the situation that anybody - alternatives, peter? before you get into the situation that anybody is i into the situation that anybody is applying for a warrant, the householder is in arrears should be proactively contacted and given a range of options to pay back that debt. they've also got the important opportunity to contest that debt. 0ften those outstanding arrears come from inaccurate estimated billing. so prior to even a householder settling into a debt repayment plan there should be an attempt to get to there should be an attempt to get to the bottom of that situation. 0nce the bottom of that situation. once the bottom of that situation. once the householder accepts the fact it is their debt and it is an accurate reflection on the amount owed, the supplier is duty—bound through the ability to pay principals to work with that householder to put in place a manageable repayment plan, look at the frequency of the repayments, make sure they are not

going to stretch the household to breaking point, then if all those options have been explored at that point a prepayment meter might be a suitable option. but it is only once a long list of criteria and screening has gone on to understand whether or not that custom is going to be much more vulnerable as a result of potentially the risk of going off supply. if you are on a prepayment meter you are much more likely to go off supply because you can't top up your energy bills, or because of the convenience of topping up. that for households with medical conditions like in this report, or in a range of other instances, can put those households, particularly young children and elderly people, those people with dependencies, have a real risk in terms of their physical and mental health. there are checks that need to be applied before we even get to the point of a warrant.— to be applied before we even get to the point of a warrant. peter smith, director of policy —

the point of a warrant. peter smith, director of policy and _ the point of a warrant. peter smith, director of policy and advocacy - the point of a warrant. peter smith, director of policy and advocacy at i director of policy and advocacy at national energy action, thank you very much. national energy action, thank you very much-— households in england and wales will see the largest increase to their water bills for almost 20 years from april. industry body — water uk — said bills could rise to an average £448 a year. consumer groups warned the rise could prove the tipping point for customers already struggling to pay. water uk says that the increase is down to higher energy costs. the water industry has absorbed as much of that inflation as possible, which is why the bill increase is lower than inflation. but nevertheless, because the water industry uses about 2% of the nation's electricity, they've been hit particularly hard by that. so that's one factor. the second factor is investment. and we are currently investing more than at any other point in history, more than any other european nation in our sewage system, in the environment and in our drinking water. and it's the bills that fund that. and we've got a further 70 billion of investment coming down the track in new reservoirs, and to clean up overflows into rivers.

pressure is mounting on the prime minister to explain what he knew about allegations of bullying made against dominic raab, before appointing him asjustice secretary. let's talk to our chief political correspondent nick eardley. after the pressure on the prime minister to explain what he knew about nadhim zahawi's tax affairs, more pressure around dominic raab. can we expect to hear from rishi sunak on this? i can we expect to hear from rishi sunak on this?— can we expect to hear from rishi sunak on this? i suppose we heard from him yesterday _ sunak on this? i suppose we heard from him yesterday at _ sunak on this? i suppose we heard from him yesterday at prime - from him yesterday at prime minister's questions. but i do think there are still some questions that there are still some questions that the prime minister and his team are facing because what we have

a cloud hangs over him, there was the gavin williamson resignation, the gavin williamson resignation, the recent sacking of zawahi and no questions over mr raab, many thinking he will struggle to survive it, i spoke to one serving minister yesterday who said the problem the prime inserts went to have is that you have so many people who have now become part of the complaints against mr raab. unions say it is

into the dozens. we think it is probably about 25 at the moment. the argument that this minister made is mr sunak cannotjust brushed under the carpet —— dawn there is an investigation ongoing and i get the sense that mr definitely wait for that to come back, probably not for another fortnight or so. there is a cloud over that, also the issue is the prime minister is facing and struggling to stop industrial action across the economy. 0n struggling to stop industrial action across the economy. on his 100 in office, mr sunak wants to talk about his priorities. there are other challenges as well. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol. any sunshine today? a bit of sunshine in the forecast. good

morning. forthe sunshine in the forecast. good morning. for the next few days, it will be mild, dry for most of us, but notable we do have some rain around, heavy rain across scotland, and some patchy light rain and drizzle in northern ireland, parts of northern england, wales and into the south—west. with this, there is a fair bit of cloud, especially in the west. sunshine today going to be in central and eastern areas, although it will brighten up in some western areas later. the rain becoming confined to the north west of scotland where the wind is also going to strengthen. these are our temperatures, 8—13 . going to strengthen. these are our temperatures, 8—13. tonight going to strengthen. these are our temperatures, 8—13 . tonight what you will find is this band of rain sinks further south, becomes it we could feature as it does and as it arrives in northern england and northern ireland will start the pivot round. to the north of that, simply disguise, but also a few showers, cables developing across the north of scotland in the northern isles but to the south of it, clearskies northern isles but to the south of it, clear skies and northern isles but to the south of it, clearskies and in northern isles but to the south of it, clear skies and in another mild night.

hello. this is bbc news. the headlines... the oil giant shell reports record annual profits of £32 billion — more than double the previous year. the bank of england is expected to announce at noon that it will raise interest rates for a tenth consecutive time. british gas suspends it's force—fitting of prepament meters following a report that it was imposing them on vulnerable customers. children's social care in england is to get a £200 million pound boost, but those working in the sector say the government needs to go "further and faster". the current outbreak of bird flu is now infecting mammals in the uk. sport — a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. good sport centre. morning. a new feeling for many of good morning. a new feeling for many of the current manchester united team to play in a cup final at

wembley and the chance to win a first trophy for the cog in six years, they will face newcastle united in the league cup final after completing a convincing 5—0 win over nottingham forest. their longest trophy drought for 40 years, as it finally about to enter? wembley beckons for manchester united in comprehensive fashion. 3—0 down after the first leg, nottingham forest needed a miracle, but there was little of one when a goal bound shot was blocked by a team—mate. united went even closer. denied only by the woodwork, to the player's obvious frustration. after the break, united finally got their reward. first, their aggregate lead was extended, and in barely debunk of an eye, they were out of sight. marcus ratchford setting up fred for

surely the simplest goal of his career. six years after their last trophy, eric ten hack�*s to move face newcastle in the final, hoping the celebrations are the start. it means three weeks on sunday, to be precise, they will face newcastle in the final at wembley but the manager says they have achieved nothing just yet. it says they have achieved nothing 'ust et. , ., ., ., says they have achieved nothing 'ust et. , ., ., yet. it is good to reach the final, of course. _ yet. it is good to reach the final, of course, but _ yet. it is good to reach the final, of course, but it _ yet. it is good to reach the final, of course, but it is _ yet. it is good to reach the final, of course, but it is not _ yet. it is good to reach the final, of course, but it is not about - of course, but it is not about reaching the final, it's about winning the final. so it's going to be tough, we have a great opponent, we prepare well but now we are focusing on the premier league because in two days the premier league will continue. the because in two days the premier league will continue.— league will continue. the title chase is gathering _ league will continue. the title chase is gathering momentum league will continue. the title i chase is gathering momentum in scotland thanks to rangers' resurgent form under the new boss. six wins on the bounce for rangers after alfredo morelos scored twice at hearts, taking rangers 19 points clear of third—place hearts, and the site want to keep it up as they chase down runaway leaders celtic at

the top of the table. they are nine points clear, after winning 3—0 in their last match and aberdeen lost 3-1 their last match and aberdeen lost 3—1 against saint martin in their first game since sacking jim goodwin. —— st martin. more countries could join ukraine in calling for a boycott of the next 0lympics of russian and belarusian athletes are allowed to compete. russia have set a campaign to exclude it from international sport will fail, but the international olympic community saying they do not 0lympic community saying they do not want to punish individual athletes. they will be a joint appeal today asking to ban russian and belarusian athletes from all international competition. ukrainian tennis star supports the ban, winning bronze in tokyo, says we must stick to banning russian and belarusian athletes, their lives cannot continue as normal and the world nor the russian

and belarusian people cannot be ignorant of the atrocities they are in ukraine. england's cricketers leave south africa with a consolation win under their belts, but much more importantly, wickets for archer. but much more importantly, wickets forarcher. injust but much more importantly, wickets for archer. injust his but much more importantly, wickets for archer. in just his second but much more importantly, wickets for archer. injust his second game back for england after nearly two years out with injuries, he took six wickets. his pace was too much for the hosts, who were bowled out for 287, 59 runs short of the target. a serious defeat for england, 2—1, but at least ends their five match losing streak in one—day cricket and the prospect of art are at full pace again for the summer's arches in the world cup defence later this year. could be so important for england. the current wave of bird flu in the uk is spilling over to mammals. more than 200 cases have already been recorded in animals like otters and foxes that are believed to have eaten infected birds. health officials say the risk

of the virus jumping to humans is very low but they'll carry out more targeted testing and surveillance — both of animals and humans exposed to the virus. our environment and rural affairs correspondent, claire marshall, reports. this is now, by far, the worst avian flu outbreak in global history. more than 200 million birds both wild and farmed have died or had to be cullled. a development that is worrying scientists now is the spill over into mammals. in the uk, the virus has been found in foxes. they are scavengers and can feed on birds. it's also been found in otters, the kind of animal also likely to encounter infected birds. so, what about the risk to humans? ok, so, this is the genetics laboratory. we were shown into the government lab in surrey at the heart of the uk's fight against avian flu. so, here we have some of the latest technology and innovation in order

to speed our work and generate that really important data. so this virus is absolutely on the march. how much of that is a worry to you that this might be be the next covid—19? i think when you are working with this disease every day, you are acutely aware of the risk and what it can become, and without overplaying it, this global spread is a concern. if we don't solve the problem across the globe, we are going to continue to have that risk. this view is held around the globe. we spoke to the head of science at the world organisation for animal health. there is a risk for further transmission between species and we cannot underestimate the potential adaptation to humans. and that, in addition to the risk for impacting animal health, will have a very important impact on public health. the threat to humans is still said to be very low. 0verwhelmingly, the

virus infects birds. in warwickshire, this lake is treasured by locals. many migrating waterfowl come here. last month there was an outbreak of avian flu and restrictions are still in place. sue runs a volunteer group. we are out here every day and we can see what is going on and we can see the state of the birds that are in and we check all the areas around with the binoculars to make sure there is no dead animals in the corners, especially if the wind blows, it moves them up to a particular end. and we just keep an eye on it. the advice is clear. heed any warning signs and don't touch any dead or dying birds. claire marshall, bbc news. a year—long review into children's social care services has prompted the government to announce £200 million of extra funding which it says will transform the sector and provide better support for vulnerable families. record numbers of children are currently in care in england — kinship care, where a child

is looked after by a relative, is being prioritised, with training promised for carers. but charities say the money may not be enough to solve all the problems. sanchia berg reports. stacy works at durham university, and used to have a very independent life. now she's a kinship carer for her four—year—old niece, georgie. adult activity has been replaced by a round of school, gymnastics, soft play. i love my life now. it is vastly different to what it was and what it could have been. i love my little person. i love that she's cheeky, mischievous, and it's kind of an avenue that i didn't think i wanted. i certainly don't want my own children, but i like georgie. stacy stepped in to stop georgie being taken into care. a court order made her georgie's special guardian, but she doesn't get an allowance as a foster carer would, and it can be hard to make ends meet. i'm not ashamed to say it,

but we make it into a game where, georgie will go and find the yellow stickers when we're out shopping and see if we like what items are there. and, you know, they don't know why kind of we're doing that. but, yeah, kind ofjust making the most of the amount of money we've got. the government has promised to support carers like stacy in the strategy for children's social care announced today. it says it will put families at the heart of reform, focus on more family—like placements, including kinship carers, give early support for families with addiction, domestic abuse and mental health difficulties. what we're trying to do is make sure that families can get the early help that they need, so they don't end up escalating in crisis and we can keep more families together. but where children can't stay with their families, they're going into a family—like environment, maybe kinship carer, or with a foster carer. and where that's not possible, they're going into children's homes. we also can make sure that they have a stable and loving environment. this children's centre in north london is a model the minister would like to see copied elsewhere.

it's helped cut the number of children going into care. i i think it's down to taking a whole i system approach and to making that decision to invest in early| intervention to make sure that families can get - the support when they need it at the first opportunity. can you get a green one? such early intervention is expensive. observers say the government's plans are too small scale. they only promise a fifth of the money recommended by last year's independent review into the sector. so there won't be any more cash in stacy's wallet. there you go, tabby. sancha berg, bbc news. i'm joined now by dr lucy peake, chief executive officer of care charity kinship. very good to have you with us. as we heard in that report, family members who are caring for young relatives,

they don't get the allowances that foster carers do. presumably in your charity, the people you work with and are in contact with, you hear a lot of stories about the issue is this causes?— lot of stories about the issue is this causes? huge issues. carers like stacey _ this causes? huge issues. carers like stacey stepping _ this causes? huge issues. carers like stacey stepping off- this causes? huge issues. carers like stacey stepping off at - this causes? huge issues. carers like stacey stepping off at a - this causes? huge issues. carers - like stacey stepping off at a moment �*s notice to provide care for a member of the family, they are a vital pillar of the children's social care sector, they are providing more support to more children than foster care and adoption. but they have not had the quality of support. many kinship carers are forced to give up work to take on the children, they then rely on the benefit system, don't get allowances like foster carers get, so we really welcome this focus on kinship care, this value we are putting to kinship care families. what we need to say next is really

rapid change. they are desperately in need of practicalfinancial and emotional support. in need of practicalfinancial and emotionalsupport. so in need of practicalfinancial and emotional support. so we see this £9 million investment in support and training which is really welcome. we also see a commitment from government to a national strategy which will be the first ever strategy for kinship care. that gives us a real opportunity to push hard for financial allowances and all kinds of support that caters to need. there must be greater investment, local authorities need long—term investment so they can really step up and help these families. :: :: ., families. £200 million the government _ families. £200 million the government has _ families. £200 million the | government has announced families. £200 million the - government has announced is a families. £200 million the _ government has announced is a long way short of what was recommended in the mcallister report into social care for in england.— the mcallister report into social care for in england. absolutely. the children's social _ care for in england. absolutely. the children's social care _ care for in england. absolutely. the children's social care system - care for in england. absolutely. the children's social care system is - care for in england. absolutely. the children's social care system is in i children's social care system is in crisis, there were a raft of recommendations made in the report... recommendations made in the re ort. .. . recommendations made in the reort... ., ~, ., .,

report... that was £2.6 billion. two oint six report... that was £2.6 billion. two point six fifths _ report... that was £2.6 billion. two point six fifths years. _ report... that was £2.6 billion. two point six fifths years. absolutely. i point six fifths years. absolutely. this falls really _ point six fifths years. absolutely. this falls really short. _ point six fifths years. absolutely. this falls really short. as - point six fifths years. absolutely. this falls really short. as the i this falls really short. as the kinship care charity, we have to mark this as a significant step. kinship care has been marginalised for as long as history. this is the first time the government has recognised the role kinship caters play, the first time there has been significant investment in kinship care, we want to see cis as an opportunity to make sure carers get the support they need and deserve. we are caring for about 140,000 children in england and generally those children do well, so it's a good option but must be well supported. we good option but must be well supported-— good option but must be well supported. good option but must be well su--orted. ~ . . ., ., supported. we are almost out of time but what with — supported. we are almost out of time but what with the _ supported. we are almost out of time but what with the first _ supported. we are almost out of time but what with the first step _ supported. we are almost out of time but what with the first step in - supported. we are almost out of time but what with the first step in that i but what with the first step in that greater support look like, as far as your charity is concerned with two kinship caters need financial allowances that are equal to those given to prosecutors. they have stepped in to rate someone else's child, are doing the same thing as foster carers are doing, but unfortunately are plunged into

poverty. —— they have stepped in to care for someone else's child. let's return to the news that the energy giant shell has announced record profits of £32.2 billion for 2022, more than double the amount it made the previous year. the results were boosted by a surge in oil and gas prices caused by russia's invasion of ukraine. i'm joined now by dr carole nakhle, energy economist and chief executive of crystol energy. thank you very much forjoining us today. your thoughts, personable, and the numbers here, massive numbers from shell, put those into context waters. the numbers from shell, put those into context waters.— numbers from shell, put those into context waters. the numbers did not come as a surprise, _ context waters. the numbers did not come as a surprise, they _ context waters. the numbers did not come as a surprise, they were - come as a surprise, they were expected, betterthan come as a surprise, they were expected, better than expected, even what we went through a share, because we saw a rapid escalation in oil prices but even more so of gas prices following russia's invasion

of ukraine. that in prices sustained, and after that prices started to ease, but they remain elevated compared to previous years and we saw record prices last year for national gas. shell in particular has a very lucrative liquefied natural gas business and that has driven the profit, but the irony is that only four years ago many people are writing of the old companies, the —— saying the old industry is over, but we see today record prices driven by —— record profits driven by higher prices because of the crisis.- profits driven by higher prices because of the crisis. what are the arc uments because of the crisis. what are the arguments the _ because of the crisis. what are the arguments the government - because of the crisis. what are the arguments the government has i because of the crisis. what are the i arguments the government has made for not posing bigger taxes, including windfall taxes, on the gas and oil giants? 0ne being that it might discourage them from investing and that investment includes investment in renewable energies and technologies. we know that shell has paid more to shareholders than it has spent on investment in renewables. so what do you make of that argument? do you think the

government will be under pressure to actually impose a much bigger windfall tax on companies like shell? ~ ., ., , ., windfall tax on companies like shell? ., ., , , shell? windfall taxes are pretty controversial _ shell? windfall taxes are pretty controversial because _ shell? windfall taxes are pretty controversial because we i shell? windfall taxes are prettyl controversial because we already shell? windfall taxes are pretty i controversial because we already saw such taxes implement last year, and in my industry —— the oil industry is already paying higher taxes than other sectors in the uk and many other sectors in the uk and many other producing countries. we have to understand the purpose of taxes, not only imposed to capture the profits companies make, because we need to keep some profits for the companies so that they can sustain their business, but also more importantly to invest. those windfall taxes that are imposed usually come with some incentives to invest in certain areas, so in the uk you have higher windfall tax, like we saw in previous years, but that additional levy comes with an incentive for investment, so the company spends £1 on investing oil and gas exploration, they can claim around 90p of that pound spent, so

there is this kind of carrot and stick whereby you want to capture more profits, more revenues from the profits made by the oil and gas companies, but you also want to direct investment in a way that you find it suitable and beneficial for the country, then more green energy investment. by, the country, then more green energy investment-— the country, then more green energy investment. ., ., ., . investment. a word on the importance of shell for uk — investment. a word on the importance of shell for uk pensions, _ investment. a word on the importance of shell for uk pensions, if— investment. a word on the importance of shell for uk pensions, if you - of shell for uk pensions, if you would. because we have talked a lot today about how interest rates might affect people, but the flip side of thatis affect people, but the flip side of that is people who are trying to save, people who have money invested in pensions which have shares with the likes of shell.— the likes of shell. absolutely, that is wh it is the likes of shell. absolutely, that is why it is not _ the likes of shell. absolutely, that is why it is not as _ the likes of shell. absolutely, that is why it is not as simple - is why it is not as simple black—and—white, there are higher dividends from shell and the pension funds are also... share borders with these countries. the profits of countries and their higher share prices will also benefit certain parts of the population without them realising it directly.

australia's former prime minister has described the controversial cardinal, george pell, as the country's greatest ever roman catholic. tony abbott was addressing the cleric�*s funeral in sydney. cardinal pell�*s spent over a year in jail after being found guilty of abusing two boys — but the conviction was later quashed. 0ur correspodent in sydney phil mercer has more. thousands of mourners crammed into the old sandstone cathedral in sydney. they heard from the former australian prime minister tony abbott who said george pell plus my conviction for child abuse in 2018, and his subsequent acquittal by a stray�*s high court, was a modern form of crucifixion. stray's high court, was a modern form of crucifixion.— stray's high court, was a modern form of crucifixion. george pell was the greatest — form of crucifixion. george pell was the greatest man _ form of crucifixion. george pell was the greatest man i _ form of crucifixion. george pell was the greatest man i have _ form of crucifixion. george pell was the greatest man i have ever- form of crucifixion. george pell wasl the greatest man i have ever known. and if— the greatest man i have ever known. and if faith _ the greatest man i have ever known. and if faith means the ability to endure — and if faith means the ability to endure crushing adversity, no one

could _ endure crushing adversity, no one could be _ endure crushing adversity, no one could be a — endure crushing adversity, no one could be a better advertisement for it. a, , ., could be a better advertisement for it. mourners here came to farewell a catholic hero- _ it. mourners here came to farewell a catholic hero. scorching _ it. mourners here came to farewell a catholic hero. scorching here, i it. mourners here came to farewell a catholic hero. scorching here, a i catholic hero. scorching here, a coule catholic hero. scorching here, a couple people _ catholic hero. scorching here, a couple people have _ catholic hero. scorching here, a couple people have the - catholic hero. scorching here, a couple people have the fact i catholic hero. scorching here, a| couple people have the fact that people are here shows how great of a man cardinal pell was, the unfortunate victim of a serious slander and smear campaign. but he bore all that suffering with grace and with love. i5 bore all that suffering with grace and with love. is a bore all that suffering with grace and with love.— and with love. is a catholic, you rel on and with love. is a catholic, you rely on god's — and with love. is a catholic, you rely on god's dozen _ and with love. is a catholic, you rely on god's dozen in - and with love. is a catholic, you rely on god's dozen in the i and with love. is a catholic, you rely on god's dozen in the end i and with love. is a catholic, you i rely on god's dozen in the end and be faithful— rely on god's dozen in the end and be faithful in that time and that's it. be faithful in that time and that's it went— be faithful in that time and that's it. went back to his detractors, the former— it. went back to his detractors, the former archbishop of melbourne and sydney— former archbishop of melbourne and sydney was a man who ignored child abuse _ sydney was a man who ignored child abuse within the church and did nothing — abuse within the church and did nothing to stamp it out. george pell was a vile, bigoted _ nothing to stamp it out. george pell was a vile, bigoted monster, - nothing to stamp it out. george pelli was a vile, bigoted monster, someone who claimed _ was a vile, bigoted monster, someone who claimed abortion _ was a vile, bigoted monster, someone who claimed abortion was _ was a vile, bigoted monster, someone who claimed abortion was a _ was a vile, bigoted monster, someone who claimed abortion was a worse i who claimed abortion was a worse moral— who claimed abortion was a worse moral scandal _ who claimed abortion was a worse moral scandal then— who claimed abortion was a worse moral scandal then priests - who claimed abortion was a worsei moral scandal then priests abusing children. _ moral scandal then priests abusing children, someone _ moral scandal then priests abusing children, someone who _ moral scandal then priests abusing children, someone who said - moral scandal then priests abusing children, someone who said beingl moral scandal then priests abusing i children, someone who said being gay is worse _ children, someone who said being gay is worse for— children, someone who said being gay is worse for your— children, someone who said being gay is worse for your health _ children, someone who said being gay is worse for your health than - is worse for your health than smoking, _ is worse for your health than smoking, camping _ is worse for your health than smoking, camping all- is worse for your health than smoking, camping all his i is worse for your health thanj smoking, camping all his life against — smoking, camping all his life against the _ smoking, camping all his life against the rights _ smoking, camping all his life

against the rights of - smoking, camping all his life against the rights of the i smoking, camping all his life - against the rights of the oppressed, and he _ against the rights of the oppressed, and he was — against the rights of the oppressed, and he was deeply— against the rights of the oppressed, and he was deeply complicit - against the rights of the oppressed, and he was deeply complicit in- against the rights of the oppressed, and he was deeply complicit in child j and he was deeply complicit in child abuse _ and he was deeply complicit in child abuse within — and he was deeply complicit in child abuse within the _ and he was deeply complicit in child abuse within the church. _ and he was deeply complicit in child abuse within the church. he - and he was deeply complicit in child abuse within the church.— abuse within the church. he was revered by _ abuse within the church. he was revered by many _ abuse within the church. he was revered by many australians i abuse within the church. he was| revered by many australians and reviled by others. in life, as in death, he remains a deeply polarising figure. luxury camping — or glamping — is a popular option for many people wanting a holiday in the uk. but what about spending the night inside a falklands war helicopter or a submarine that was once a prop in a james bond film? you can do just that on a campsite on the isle of wight, that has built up quite a collection of unique places to sleep, as tom hepworth has been finding out. now, i'll be honest with you. spending the night under canvas doesn't really do it for me, but this campsite is different. it's not so much glamping, more special ops camping. fancy spending the night in a chopper?

this westland wessex helicopter saw service in the falklands and is now enjoying its retirement here on the isle of wight. and it was one of those 3am at ebay purchases that was actually quite a good idea. well, in actual fact i was looking for an old vehicle of some sort, and then it was just staring at us. you know, you have to go for it. so when you saw that pop up. unbelievable. could i own a helicopter that i could afford to buy? and even now, sometimes i think, how the hell did i manage that? we came from blackpool on a flat bed lorry onto our premises and then restored it over the course of the year. the idea is to keep itjust as it is, whereas a lot of these

conversions these days, they strip all the interesting bits out and they fill it with insulation and plastic matting and it loses all of its character. but this has got the character. it's even got the leaks. these helicopters were nicknamed westland fund buses and i can see why. i'm pretty sure these are not original fixtures. it's almost like a playground for us, because we just have all of these cool things and crazy things. 0h. in the off—season most campsite owners might think about refurbishing the toilets or maybe getting electricity to more pitches. not here. they bought a submarine. dive, dive! funnily enough, you can't buy submarines just like that. there's not an auto trader for submarines, would you believe? this is not an ordinary submarine. no, this is hms bond. a model or property used in the in the film

the world is not enough. hold on! brace yourselves. we stumbled across an old out of date auction site where this film prop, the james bond submarine was being sold on. we reached out to them and they still wanted to sell it and it was being housed at the historic dockyard in dartmouth. and how did it get there? by tractor, of course. the chopper and the sub aren't the only oddities stewart and rhys have pressed into service on the campsite. a grain silo cinema, reliant robin launderette and disco shower aren't the half of it. have people got used to you bringing weird stuff here? yes, i believe they probably have because people are now starting to reach out to us and saying, look, we have an old double—decker

bus or we have something. would you be interested in using it and stuff like that? we are almost getting approached now, which is quite interesting. perhaps you've got a second—hand space shuttle you want shut of. an old tube train, a spare zeppelin, a fishing trawler, a chieftain tank, a telephone box, toll booth, a petrol tanker, a giant hadron collider... now it's time for a look at the weather with carol. as we go through the next couple days and nights it will be mild for the time of year till we get to later on saturday when it's going to turn that bit colder. the other thing about the weather for the next few days as it's going to be mostly dry. there are some patchy light rain and drizzle in the forecast and some heavy rain today. across scotland. you can see the male deals across the chart, look at the squeeze on the isobars, going to turn windier across the western isles later on. increasingly the rain will become confined to the north—west, will be a bit more cloud

at times in western areas generally, producing patchy light rain or some drizzle, but not all the time. brighter breaks as well, the lion's share of the sunshine today across central and eastern areas. the black circles represent the average wind speeds. temperatures, eight in their wake— 13 in london and norwich. temperatures at this time of year around about seven in edinburgh, and nine in london. good evening and overnight, a the south across scotland and northern ireland, is a weakening feature, and gets into northern england, starting to pivot. tomorrow it will push northwards. ahead of that you will see a lot of clear skies, a few will see a lot of clear skies, a few will see a lot of clear skies, a few will see a lot of clear skies, a few showers in scotland and gales across the far north and northern isles. further south will also have some clear skies and e—mailed night. this weather front has pivoted towards the north—east as the week feature, and after a bright start in some eastern parts, you can see the patchy rain move across scotland out of northern ireland and into

northern england. word has come further south, northern england. word has come furthersouth, brighter northern england. word has come further south, brighter skies and also some sunshine. the white circles represent the average wind speeds, so not particularly one day tomorrow with the wind easing across the far north. temperatures 7—14 around the london area. then beyond that, we have the mild conditions on friday, but as we head on into saturday, this cold front is coming our way. as it sinks southwards across us all, it will bring rain, weakening all the time, the blues representing the cold air. high pressure still in charge, even though it will be called on sunday, it still is going to be fairly settled, but behind the weather front in scotland on saturday, when three nets on the hills in the north of scotland, potentially lower levels later and sunnier on sunday.

this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. the oil giant shell reports record annual profits of 32 billion pounds— the highest in its 115—year history. the bank of england is expected to announce that it will raise interest rates for a tenth consecutive time. allegations of war crimes in ukraine — a former russian army officer tellsthe bbc he saw russian soldiers shooting prisoners of war. the colonel shot the prisoner in the arm and in the right leg. under the knee and hit the bone. i went to the commanders and said the ukrainian needs to go to hospital, he will be dead by morning from blood loss.