we've heard this morning from energy uk. _ people?ve heard this morning from energy uk, from the - people? we've heard this morning from energy uk, from the boss . people? we've heard this morning i from energy uk, from the boss there who was at the meeting with government yesterday and she talked about some of the ideas coming up in the meeting with government. one of the meeting with government. one of the core ideas and aims for them is to maybe try and cut or reduce the amount of vat that customers pay on energy bills amount of vat that customers pay on energy hills which would effectively work as a cash saving for the amount of money we are paying in direct debits for what are really spiking gas and illiteracy bills at the moment. the other idea is that the energy industry would like to see the government and treasury provide an enormous loan of billions of pounds to cover some of these huge spikes in prices for wholesale gas. the idea is that the government would give the money over and it would give the money over and it would

this morning, the ceo of energy uk has made a couple of recommendations to government which she believescommendation is that vat could be reduced or cut on consumer bills which would in effect work as a cash saving. the second idea is that the treasury would give the energy industry billions of pounds to cover this very sudden short—term spike in prices. those prices and that loan would be covered by customers on their bills over a much longer period, saving them from a sudden spike in prices on their bills at the start of next year. those suggestions have come that there could be as much is a £20 billion fund needed from the treasury. this morning the government has not commented on the proposals but it has said it is working closely with the energy industry to measure uk industry and uk consumers are protected. simon, thank ou. teenagers whose parents smoke are four times more likely to take up smoking, according to a new government campaign. doctors have urged parents and other caregivers to give up. in a new film issued by the nhs, health experts discuss the link between adult smokin

joining me now is rob gross, a professor of energy policy at imperial college and director of the uk nths?— how far do you see prices going up in the next few months? prices will no in the next few months? prices will i o u . in the next few months? prices will .o u . -- in the next few months? prices will 90 up -- will _ in the next few months? prices will 90 up -- will not — in the next few months? prices will 90 up -- will not go _ in the next few months? prices will go up -- will not go up _ in the next few months? prices will| go up -- will not go up immediately go up —— will not go up immediately picks that might be because consumers are under the cap and that will not be reviewed until spring but when the cap is lifted prices will have to go up because we have seen unprecedented increases in the global price for gas and as you just reported in that your segment, we use gas to generate electricity and we use a gas and almost all of our homes. although the price cap can help temporarily, you cannot put a domestic sticking plaster on a global problem. that is really what is underl

rob gross is a professor of energy policy at imperial college london and director of the uk energy researcho up. prices won't go up immediately because consumers are still underneath the cap and the cap is not due until, being reviewed until the spring. but when the cap is lifted prices will have to go up because we have seen unprecedented increases in the global price for gas and as you just reported in that your segment, we use gas to generate electricity and we use gas in almost all of our homes. although the price cap can help temporarily, you cannot put a domestic sticking plaster on a global problem. that is really what is underlying this. let's go back to omicron, and speak to professor markjit, an epidemiologist at the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine. he's also part of spi—m a committee that provides disease modelling advice to the government. it sounds a bit more glamorous than it is, it is not that kind of spying, it is, it is not that kind of spying, it spelt differently! . can ifoster will spying, it spelt differently! . can i foster will ask you about the situati

millions of households in the uk are expected to face a dramatic rise in energy bills next year. on bbc news, our world — a mother's choice: birth in the balkans. amira is fighting for the right to have a home birth. women in the balkan region are routinely exposed to brutal treatment in hospital during pregnancy and childbirth, and they are demanding change. the united nations has uncovered the scale of the abuse. violence against women in childbirth is so normalised that it is not yet considered violence against women. to protect herself, amira has hired a foreign midwife, who's taking a risk to help her deliver the baby at home. if the police came and said "who are you? what are you doing?", hopefully reasonableness will prevail. can amira reclaim one of her life's most important moments? sarajevo, bosnia and herzegovina. amira cerimagic is a doctor and an activist for productive rights. she's preparing for the arrival of her fourth child. she wants to have a home birth, but in bosnia and herzegovina, that's not an option. the health system here only allows births in hospitals

there've been emergency talks between the business secretary, kwasi kwarteng, and the uk's energy industryry to resolve the ongoing crisis caused by rising wholesale gas prices. energy companies have warned that bills could go up by 50 per cent next year without government action. theo leggett reports. a midwinter meeting, at a time when the energy industry is battling a deep economic chill. the cost of gas on european wholesale markets has been hitting record levels, and suppliers say consumers will end up paying a heavy price. energy companies themselves have already been badly hit. more than two dozen have gone out of business since the summer, and more casualties are expected. that's because, so far, they have had to absorb most of the extra costs themselves. it's a situation that won't last. household gas and electricity bills are capped by the energy regulator, ofcom, but with wholesale prices at their current levels, it seems inevitable the cap will be raised in the spring and raised significantly. that will leave millions of consumers across the country facing much higher bills. th

emma pinchbeck is chief executive of energy uk, the trade body for the energy sector — shejoins me nowolesale gas prices? is the fundamental problem? _ these wholesale gas prices? is the fundamental problem? it - these wholesale gas prices? is the fundamental problem? it is - these wholesale gas prices? is the fundamental problem? it is the i fundamental problem? it is the fundamental problem? it is the fundamental problem. there are costs coming to this system from things like supply failures which have been caused by regulation in the uk. they would be added in the spring but mainly the problem here is the record—breaking costs for gas across europe which we are buying into market and that's why bills are going to go up. market and that's why bills are going to go up-_ market and that's why bills are aoaaintoou.~ , .,. going to go up. when people watching this think, wait _ going to go up. when people watching this think, wait a _ going to go up. when people watching this think, wait a minute _ going to go up. when people watching this think, wait a minute i _ going to go up. when pe

talks between the government and uk energy providers — after warnings that bills could jump by 50% nextandscapes in the uk could be altered forever by extreme weather conditions. and england's hopes of an ashes comeback are fading rapidly in a dramatic second day of the third test in melbourne.

there've been emergency talks between the business secretary, kwasi kwarteng, and the uk's energy industry try to resolve the ongoing crisis caused by rising wholesale gas prices. energy companies have warned that bills could go up by 50 per cent next year without government action. theo leggett reports. a midwinter meeting, at a time when the energy industry is battling a deep economic chill. the cost of gas on european wholesale markets has been hitting record levels, and suppliers say consumers will end up paying a heavy price. energy companies themselves have already been badly hit. more than two dozen have gone out of business since the summer, and more casualties are expected. that's because, so far, they have had to absorb most of the extra costs themselves. it's a situation that won't last. household gas and electricity bills are capped by the energy regulator, ofcom, but with wholesale prices at their current levels, it seems inevitable the cap will be raised in the spring and raised significantly. that will leave millions of consumers across the country facing much higher bills.

talks between the government and uk energy providers — after warnings that bills could jump by 50% nextear. the national trust warns some landscapes in the uk could be altered forever by extreme weather conditions. and england's hopes of an ashes comeback are fading rapidly in a dramatic second day of the third test in melbourne. good afternoon. borisjohnson will meet his scientific advisers this afternoon, as he considers whether to introduce further coronavirus restrictions in england to slow the spread of the omicron variant. it's expected he'll hear about the impact on hospital admissions and nhs staff sickness over recent days. further controls have come into effect today in northern ireland and scotland. the new measures affect the hospitality and leisure industries. in scotland, nightclubs have to close for at least three weeks and one metre social distancing and table service has been reinstated in hospitality settings where alcohol is served. table service has also resumed in hospitality venues across northern ireland. no more than six people will be allowed to sit together. da

there've been emergency talks between the business secretary, kwasi kwarteng, and the uk's energy industryt bills could go up by 50 per cent next year without government action. one energy company boss predicted the impact on consumers would be "an enormous crisis". theo leggett reports a midwinter meeting at a time when the energy industry is facing an unprecedented crisis. the cost of gas on european wholesale markets has been hitting record levels and suppliers say consumers here will end up paying a heavy price. energy companies themselves have already been badly hit. more than two dozen have gone out of business since the summer and more casualties are expected. that's because so far they have had to absorb most of the extra costs themselves. it's a situation that won't last. if we don't find a solution in the coming weeks, we are certainly going to be locking uk consumers into more and more expensive energy for years to come. people within the industry say ministers could consider cutting the environmental and social levies that energy consumers have to pay. a real rethink, listening

the business secretary, kwasi kwarteng, is due to hold emergency talks with some of the uk's energy providersrise by another 50 per cent next year unless the treasury intervened. ahead of the meetings the boss of the country's third largest supplier, ovo energy, told bbc news ministers were showing "nowhere near enough urgency" and needed to step in to protect customers. our business correspondent, vishala sri—pathma, reports. it's been a constant worry for households for the past three months — rising prices of gas and electricity around the world have meant we've all been paying more to heat our homes and cook our meals. 26 energy companies have gone bust since september, and more casualties are expected in the industry as there's no sign of prices falling. our number—one ask going into the meeting is that the government and the regulator are taking the situation very seriously, and they're prepared to start taking action — not in the months to come, but in the days to come. because i think if we don't find a solution in the coming weeks, we're certainly going to be locking uk consumers int

what consumers want to know in the uk is whether energy bills are said to continue to rise next year? next ear? _, , , ., ., next year? uk consumers to an extent are — next year? uk consumers to an extent are lucky. _ next year? uk consumers to an extent are lucky. the _ next year? uk consumers to an extent are lucky. the price - next year? uk consumers to an extent are lucky. the price has| extent are lucky. the price has kept things — — cap. the new price cap will meet consumers will pay more from april next year. it will pay more from april next ear. , ., will pay more from april next ear. , . . , will pay more from april next ear. ., , year. it is a fairly mechanical rocess year. it is a fairly mechanical process and _ year. it is a fairly mechanical process and so _ year. it is a fairly mechanical process and so all— year. it is a fairly mechanical process and so all the - process and so all the government will have small adjustments to make an consumers are said to pay an awful lot more for the gas and electricity. what is the solution to this problem? is it trying to source our

that�*s according to the industry body, energy uk- emma pinchbeck is its chief executive. market, so we currently update it twice a year, in _ the market, so we currently update it twice a year, in the _ the market, so we currently update it twice a year, in the spring - the market, so we currently update it twice a year, in the spring and i it twice a year, in the spring and autumn — it twice a year, in the spring and autumn. essentially, _ it twice a year, in the spring and autumn. essentially, it- it twice a year, in the spring and autumn. essentially, it reflectsl it twice a year, in the spring and i autumn. essentially, it reflects the cost in _ autumn. essentially, it reflects the cost in the — autumn. essentially, it reflects the cost in the previous _ autumn. essentially, it reflects the cost in the previous period. - autumn. essentially, it reflects the cost in the previous period. if- autumn. essentially, it reflects the cost in the previous period. if the i cost in the previous period. if the cost in the previous period. if the cost of— cost in the previous peri

there've been emergency talks between the business secretary, kwasi kwarteng, and the uk's energy industry

the business secretary, kwasi kwarteng, is due to hold emergency talks with some of the uk's energy providersngs the boss of the country's third largest supplier, ovo energy, told bbc news ministers were showing "nowhere near enough urgency" and needed to step in to protect customers. our business correspondent, vishala sri—pathma, reports. it's been a constant worry for households for the past three months. rising prices of gas and electricity around the world that meant we have all been paying more to heat our homes and cook our meals. 26 energy companies have gone bust since september. more casualties are expected in the industry as there is no sign of prices falling.— industry as there is no sign of prices falling. industry as there is no sign of -rices fallini. , ., ., ,~' prices falling. our number one asked ioiin into prices falling. our number one asked going into the _ prices falling. our number one asked going into the meeting _ prices falling. our number one asked going into the meeting is _ prices falling. our number one asked going into the meeting is that - prices falling. our n

millions of households in the uk are expected to face a dramatic rise in energy bills next year.

emergency talks between the government and the uk's energy industry, amid warnings that bills could gop by 50% next year, unless the government intervenes. england's hopes of an ashes comeback are fading rapidly, in a dramatic second day of the third test in melbourne. and missing for almost a week — a happy ending for the search and rescue dog, who got lost herself, in norfolk, as she's reunited today with her owner. good evening. the health secretary sajid javid has ruled out any new coronavirus restrictions in england before the new year, despite a record number of new infections in england, almost "4,000 on christmas day. today, the prime minister met his scientific advisors the uk health secretary sajid javid has ruled out introducing any new covid restrictions in england before the new year. ministers had been under pressure to respond to rising infection levels after the devolved administrations in scotland, wales and northern ireland all implemented measures to stem the spread of the omicron variant. scotland has seen its highest ever number of cases this christmas period, 11,0

that is according to the boss of one of the big energy companies in the uk. ng by half or more, and that could continue until 2023 when the energy price cap is reviewed again next autumn. 0n the energy price cap is reviewed again next autumn. on that energy price cap, that is the cap we pay for individual units of gas and electric. the more you use the more you pay. the energy price cap is due to be reviewed in february of next year, and that is where we are expected to see the big changes in cost and price rises. it is happening because right across europe because demand has rebounded so much after covid lockdown and economies are rocketing again. lats economies are rocketing again. lots of --eole economies are rocketing again. lots of peeple will _ economies are rocketing again. lots of peeple will be _ economies are rocketing again. lots of people will be wondering how this will effect their household bills. what are the energy companies proposing a solution is? the energy industry met _ proposing a solution is? the energy industry met advisers _ proposing

energy crisis, but there are very really concerns about the amount of available power, utilities, energy in the uky, netherlands this winter. what should we learn from what europe is going through now for your business and for the world? >> in fact, we are learning a lot for the world. first that all the markets are more and more interconnected the more we have electricity in the mix and you produce with electricity for renewables and gas you connect the energies it's not a european crisis at all on gas it's coming from china in china we have seen huge hike in the demand for gas, energy. >> buying up everything. >> everything. why? because less renewable, less hydro, less coal because of a ban of importing coal from australia. so gas all the gas from the u.s. we are very well positioned number one exporting energy from the u.s. we export more than 10% of the u.s. went to china because the price went up so it's not more valuable for europe so the gas price in europe went up because the market are interconnected. and electricity, the price of electricity europe because it's a market economy is equal

quite often energy taxes are being taken off i energy taxes are being taken off bills, network charges. in the uk we've seen a lot of companies going under. i consumers. we've seen a lot of companies going under. how i consumers. we've seen a lot of. companies going under. how tight consumers. we've seen a lot of- companies going under. how tight has it been for two over the last few months? —— ovo? it been for two over the last few months? -- ovo?— it been for two over the last few months? -- ovo? ~ �* , ., g; :: months? -- ovo? we've seen about 30 comanies months? -- ovo? we've seen about 30 companies 90 — months? -- ovo? we've seen about 30 companies go bankrupt _ months? -- ovo? we've seen about 30 companies go bankrupt since _ companies go bankrupt since september. most of the companies left are well—run but at the kind of prices were talking about, even the strongest companies, we have to be very careful about what's going to happen next year. the increase that's coming is about £1000 per household from what they paid last year. that's about 25 billion hit to consumer spending. year. that's

. >> we're having a bit of an energy crisis in uk, where you lived, where they're having to buy it on the spot market and there's risk of blackouts and people won't be able to afford power. dan yurgen who is here, smart guy, fascinating article in "the atlantic" which i urge everybody to read. he talked about coal coal was invented in 1709. but it took almost 200 years before coal supplanted wood as the primary source of power, heat and light that the transition was far slower we're in the middle of a transition do you think it will be slower >> it took 100 yrs for oil to displace the coal as the next wave and natural gas coming in and nuclear was a great hope and i didn't happen. there are benefits to nuclear power -- >> talking about -- >> but the population of the planet, which has gone straight up, actually, almost matching the production of oil and gas going up, gdp rates and population tracked up about 100 years ago, all around the same line so we know we're going to have population we know there are new energy sources that are coming to displace it. solar and wind are making bi

majority stakeholder siccar point energy says it will continue talks with the uk government over the rategist, kingsmill bond, says shell's withdrawal means the end of the project(tx sot) this is the death knell for the project. if shell does not want to do this, other people are not going to want to get involved. shell deep pockets, they will struggle to find anyone else to do this project and they will also struggle to sell it to the uk government. why would you back a programme that even shell would not touch. the real opportunity lies above our heads, not beneath our feet. lies above our heads, not beneath ourfeet. in lies above our heads, not beneath our feet. in scotland the competitive advantage is offshore wind and the hydrogen. that is where the capital and money should be going not on these old dying projects. if you take a look at the shell website, all of their focus you take a look at the shell website, all of theirfocus is on new energy technology, solar, wind and batteries and it needs to be because for the grace lesson of energy history, —— great lesson, when there is

this is an international crisis, in terms of energy, it's not just the uk, but there are things that le of months. the government are under increasing pressure to make sure that households are better protected next year, because so many are already suffering this increase over the winter. the last few years have seen a boom in the popularity of e—scooters. but if you're thinking of getting one for christmas, make sure you know the rules. police forces across the uk are reminding people that while its legal to buy one, it's illegal to ride it on public land — so roads and pavements — and they have the right to seize and destroy them. jo black reports. if you're thinking of buying someone their own e—scooter this christmas, this is where it could end up, if they are caught riding it in the wrong place. the only e—scooters allowed on public highways are the rental scooters from approved operators taking part in the government trial across england. privately owned ones can only be used on private land, if the landowner consents. mate, 'ust pull over their full — landowner consents. mate,

as energy costs surge across europe, warnings that the uk government isn't doing enough to help consumers

the prices for household energy has gone up so much in the uk that people cannot afford to keep their homes cool and they are dying from cold related illnesses. the same thing is true in scotland. a lot of my colleagues will be in scotland. it's interesting. maybe they should take some warm blankets with them because they will go through the same thing. if this bill passes, we are already, without this bill passing -- because of the biden administration's energy policies already -- we are anticipating somewhere in the range of a 40% increase in household utility costs. this is really going to be problematic for people in some of the states like new york, pennsylvania and new jersey and michigan. and particularly problematic for elderly people. because many of these people are on fixed incomes and will have to make decisions on how much they can spin on their utilities, to keep their homes warm, and on food. food prices are going through the roof. they spend on the medicines that they need. and we've already seen democrat policies, in regard to the elderly and covid, the thousands of p

a typical uk family will spend 1700 pounds more on bills and food next year according to a forecast for bbc panorama. much of that is down to the increase of fuel and energyat�*s for dinner today? roast on a sunday. this family in redford in nottinghamshire are struggling with rising prices. nicki, a nurse and husband, martin, who works for a builders�* merchants are on average incomes. we try and budget very carefully around food, whereas going back a couple of years, we just buy whatever we wanted to. on top of sharp hikes in their energy bills, nicki is finding the prices of many items in their weekly shop have gone up. margarine. that�*s definitely, definitely doubled in price. meat, definitely that�*s gone up. yogurts, definitely. they�*ve gone up for sure. research done for panorama tracked prices of some essentialfood items, fuel and energy in the run—up to christmas. our analysis shows that inflation is expected to stand above 4.5% by the time christmas comes around. and for a typical household in the uk, that means that their monthly spending will be around £109 higher than it was for the same basket of goods and services last year, this time. ac

as energy costs surge across europe, warnings that the uk government isn't doing enough to help consumerswith sharp rises in gas and electricity prices. good afternoon. the bbc understands no further covid restrictions in england are set to be announced today. borisjohnson is meeting with his scientific advisers as he considers whether further measures might be needed to slow the spread of the omicron variant. it's expected he'll hear about the impact on hospital admissions and nhs staff sickness over recent days. further controls have come into effect today in northern ireland and scotland. the new measures there affect the hospitality and leisure industries. in scotland, nightclubs have to close for at least three weeks, and one metre social distancing and table service has been reinstated in hospitality settings where alcohol is served. table service has also resumed in hospitality venues across northern ireland. a record number of daily cases have been recorded in scotland, we will look at that data later in the hour. table service has also resumed in hospitality venues across norther

the majority stakeholder siccar point energy says it will continue talks with the uk government over of attention in glasgow over the past few weeks. does it surprise you that shell has pulled out? ., . , surprise you that shell has pulled out? ., ., , ~ , surprise you that shell has pulled out? ., ._ a ., surprise you that shell has pulled out? ., a ., out? not really. as we and many others have _ out? not really. as we and many others have said _ out? not really. as we and many others have said for _ out? not really. as we and many others have said for a _ out? not really. as we and many others have said for a very i out? not really. as we and many others have said for a very long i others have said for a very long time, this is a very expensive project. it's near the top end of the cost curve, it's a long way off shore and it's very deep in the world isjust moving on. you just don't need project like this either in the uk or indeed anywhere. there has been no — in the uk or indeed anywhere. there has been no comment _ in the uk or indeed anywhere. there has been no comment from -

and the other renewable energy sources, thatjust hasn't been enough wind this year, so wind is only generating around 5% of the ukve got four nuclear power shutdowns, four react as have been shut down. france generates about 70% of its own energy from nuclear and exports a lot of energy too to the rest of europe, so there are lots and lots of factors combining to making this an extraordinary period. we are now talking about uk gas prices eight times the ten year average. bud about uk gas prices eight times the ten year average.— the ten year average. and 'ust briefl , the ten year average. and 'ust briefly. of fl the ten year average. and 'ust briefly, of course i the ten year average. and 'ust briefly, of course this i the ten year average. and 'ust briefly, of course this will b briefly, of course this will just feel inflation further, won't it in the new year? 0h won't it in the new year? oh yes, a very interesting note yesterday where it was talked about the rising power prices will mean about 56% increase in bills and that could add about 1.8% to inflation figures in april next year and there's obviously the f

warnings for wind and snow have been issued ahead of storm barra, which is due to hit the uk tomorrow. the energy compensation limit to allow customers affected to claim up to £140 per day if they are without power. and i'm glad to say, mr speaker, that 99.8% of those affected by the storm have had their power supply restored so far. but, mr speaker, this isn't good enough. it is completely unacceptable that around 1600 were still in this position as of this morning. but the situation is improving each hour. the remaining areas affected are in the north east of england, predominantly the wear valley surrounding eastgate, where i was, mr speaker, on wednesday. i have been assured by the network operators that all efforts are focused on having power restored to those households in the next day. we will get more on that next storm to hit from darren with the latest weather forecast just after 1230 pete — 5:30 p:m.. a number of spar stores in the north of england have closed due to an online attack affecting its food distribution company james hall & co. the firm supplies around 600 shops. the presto

don't find a solution in the coming weeks, we're certainly going to be locking uk consumers into more and more expensive energyoney raised through higher—than—expected vat receipts to cut household bills. the party says higher energy and food prices have meant more vat being paid, so the extra money should be used to help people struggling with the higher cost of living. the government said they are regularly engaging with the industry and are continuing to support those most in need. the energy price cap is expected to be on the agenda, as well — it stops companies from passing rising costs onto their customers. the cap will be reviewed again in april, when bills could go up as much as 50%. not the good news families were hoping for this festive period, with many already struggling to keep the lights on. vishala sri—pathma, bbc news. a week of events are starting in south africa to commemorate the life of the anti—apartheid leader archbishop desmond tutu. he died on sunday aged 90. the bells of cape town's st george's cathedral will toll for ten minutes a day every day at noon until friday. people have also b

because we can now focus all our energy on the reconstruction of the island. and before we go, here in the ukow have been confirmed in the yorkshire dales in england, and in parts of scotland, including here in the village of insh in the highlands. there was even evidence that santa paws had visited the village of torphins, in aberdeenshire, as you can see here! you're watching bbc news. in the queen's christmas day broadcast this afternoon, she spoke for the first time in some detail about the loss of her husband, prince philip, who died in april. the monarch poignantly reflected on a year of personal grief, saying there was "one familiar laugh missing" amid the continuing impact of the coronavirus pandemic. she remarked how his "mischievous, enquiring twinkle" was as bright at the end as when she first set eyes on him, as she empathised with families who had lost loved ones this year. here is the queen's full christmas message. band plays the national anthem the queen: he is someone who doesn't take easily to compliments. but he has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years.

this shows a decline over a decade and this has happened at a time when the uk, of course, has sought to decarbonise its energynt of oil were used to generate electricity here so that has been a really big factor in the reduction over a long period of time. add to that the effect of brexit in terms of disruption and also the pandemic and it is no wonder you have seen that drop off in the last 18 months. there has been a significant drop—off although as you say because of the supply chain disruption impacting uk ports as well, this data has been quite skewed to a degree. in terms of recovery, no recovery until something like 2026? 50. until something like 2026? so, disentangling _ until something like 2026? in, disentangling those until something like 2026? 5r>, disentangling those factors, you would need to, i identified extent to where there has been a cyclical drop—off from the effect of the pandemic where you would expect to see some kind of bounce back and indeed, people are clearly consuming more this year and next year than they did in the depth of the pandemic and ultimately, those goods are going to ha

talking about the uk government and their handling of the energy crisis and we've had a lot of suppliers the one i wrote about is this. one they're not allowing hem to hedge in the market. that rules prevent bold from doing so. i mean, how does that make any sense? a waste of taxpayer money if this now controlled supplier can't hedge into the energy market. >> i think that was the point we were trying to make yesterday, you know, they won't allow the government to hedge so basically government has taken them on both and making the same mistake. in the first place, the ball collapses. you know, adequately and then he couldn't surprise. what is going to happen now is that the governor is probably going to have to put more money in. because if you think about it ever since the government took on bob prices went up about 60%. it's not really looking very good. and such a volatile market. to be guy buying gas, it could be exposed to the volatility. so i think that was the point. but i don't know what the government can really do unless those rules actually change. >> right. right. it seems li

on sentiment. >> you don't think that covid has a big play in the energy market despite the comments coming out of european and the ukern about the contagion. even if those that are vaccinated have a milder response how could that not curtail what's going on in the energy patch? >> it has an impact on sent. in the commodity market. my point is that on the substance global oil demand is no longer impacted in a physical sense by covid related economic restrictions, lockdown really these things are almost entirely in the rear-view mirror for example 50 countries putt restrictions on travel from southern africa region that sounds pretty bad but all of africa combined is 3% of jet fuel consumption around the world. so when we see days like today it is really a psychology trade rather than a fundamental supply demand trade. >> what's your take on what's going on in europe as it relates to russia? natural gas prices an e get the debate we hear that you have a power generation fuel and a transport fuel but might we see shifts there if issues with russia continue to escalate >> there will absolutely be a long term shift in eu

siccar point energy says drilling — which is currently awaiting approval by the uk government — can'tashes test in brisbane. of 278 over the tourists. but a fightback byjoe root and dawid malan has kept the game alive. here'sjoe wilson. well, what can you spot from the high—rise apartments of brisbane? it's english hope — in the form, as usual, of their captain. starting their second innings 278 runs behind, england lost rory burns early on. haseeb hameed departed too. shame, when he'd worked so hard to get to 27. but 2021 has been a record—breaking year forjoe root run—scoring. four more, as the runs continue to flow. his 50 here turned the match back into a contest, and there were plenty of australian—based england fans to cheer. well, it's queensland. root had support. dawid malan has that rare english distinction of playing his best test cricket in australia. that's a glorious drive. he flourished. the shadows lengthened, with australian frustration. whatever they tried failed. yes, england will resume still 58 behind, but australia will begin with a problem — root and malan still

a typical uk family will spend £1,700 more on bills and food next year, according to a forecast for bbc panorama. much of that is down to the increase of fuel and energybudget very carefully around food, whereas going back a couple of years, we'd just buy whatever we wanted to. on top of sharp hikes in their energy bills, nicki is finding the prices of many items in their weekly shop have gone up. margarine. that's definitely, definitely doubled in price. meat, definitely that's gone up. yoghurts, definitely. they've gone up for sure. research done for panorama tracked prices of some essentialfood items, fuel and energy in the run—up to christmas. our analysis shows that inflation is expected to stand above 4.5% by the time christmas comes around. and for a typical household in the uk, that means that their monthly spending will be around £109 higher than it was for the same basket of goods and services last year, this time. across the uk's supply chain, there are shortages of lorry drivers and seasonal workers as a result of brexit and covid. the government also says some of the challenges are due to global pressures. it offered 30,000 visas for seas

energy that will be plowing this way. i've been taking a look at some of the observations. it is not yet reining in the uk area but will be about 45 minutes from now all the way back to mendocino, but this is the energy right hand. this is sagging in a southerly direction out of gilroy through soledad on highway one. oh, one. all this along interstate five is tracking in a southerly direction and will adversely affect travelers heading to the grapevine later this evening. otherwise we have mostly cloudy skies in the north bay at this hour, a little bit of light precipitation around the concord clayton area. otherwise all this is very light. it's misty nothing to report and san jose after picking up 16 1 hundreds of an inch of rain in the past 24 hours peninsula. cloudy misty , in fact, our live weather camera looking out towards sfo picking up some raindrops still on the camera lens. it is foggy . it's hazy, but no reports of any local airport delays. i'm talking sfo, oakland or manetta international. temperatures are mild in comparison to 24 hours ago. in fact, take a look at santa's a. this is one of th

the omicron coronavirus variant may evade some immunity — but uk research suggests promising signs that booster vaccines could help. the energys a review into the response to storm arwen — as repair works continue, one week on. thousands of people are relying on community hubs like this one in county durham to provide hot meals as some are told it could be until next week before their power is back on. next week before their power is back on. the reknowned stage actor sir anthony sher has died at the age of 72. he�*d been diagnosed with cancer. and at 5.45 — find out what mark kermode thinks of c�*mon c�*mon, starring joaquin phonix, and the week�*s other big cinema releases — in the film review. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. a woman who murdered her boyfriend�*s six—year—old son has been jailed for life. arthur labinyo—hughes was starved and beaten by emma tustin, who has been told she will serve at least 29 years in prison. arthur�*s father, thomas hughes, has been jailed for 21 years for manslaughter. the judge at coventry crown court said the boy led a lonely and solitary life and that the couple�*s actions were

that there is specific factors that are adding to the kind of pain that the uk economy is seeing on the inflation front. energyconomies, that's the thing that takes the hit when the social mandated restrictions are put in place. those kinds of businesses are suffering the most when consumers are reluctant to go out. you suffering the most when consumers are reluctant to go out.— are reluctant to go out. you say the committee — are reluctant to go out. you say the committee is _ are reluctant to go out. you say the committee is meeting _ are reluctant to go out. you say the committee is meeting in _ are reluctant to go out. you say the committee is meeting in six - are reluctant to go out. you say the committee is meeting in six or - are reluctant to go out. you say the i committee is meeting in six or seven weeks' time. what is your best hunch? well interest rates go up again? i hunch? well interest rates go up aiain? ., , , , , , again? i would be very surprised if the went again? i would be very surprised if they went up _ again? i would be very surprised if they went up in — again? i would be very surprised

supply issues and soaring energy prices have pushed up prices in supermarkets, forecourts shipping costs also hit record highs as the world reopened to global trade. inflation in the uken't keeping pace. it means a squeeze on already stretched incomes. when we talk about a standard of living or income squeeze, we mean prices are going up faster than wages and that is what we are having right now and that can feel quite unpleasant and it will be one of the biggest issues for next year. how does the chancellor respond? he's in a difficult spot because his instincts are to get the public debt down over time, and if you look at the amount of total debt in the uk, it's at £2.2 trillion. to give you an idea how much that is, if you went back to when the pyramids were being built 5000 years ago, and started spending £1 million a day, you would be about two thirds of the way through it by now. it's a huge number. it doesn't really matter because usually you measure debt compared to income, the national income, the national income. our total national debt is equal to the total national income roughly and that is the highest it has been for a long time. his instincts are to tr

uk and tore down electricity lines. thousands are living in freezing temperatures as they wait for power companies to reconnect their energyer back. last night, a heavy snowfall left villagers snowed in, but at least they�*re now warm after a week—long ordeal. it�*s been very eventful, long, but i said like yesterday there was a few of us in the pub, and i said i feel like we all live together now because we�*ve spent that much time together in this pub. throughout the power cuts, the pub in northumberland had been a refuge to huddle together. the last emergency food drops were arriving today, but being reconnected is a relief. beautiful, because i could get a shower last night! which we haven't been able to. and then, of course, they had the food on, so we came over and the snow... just came suddenly down and that was it. nightmare. total nightmare. if it wasn't for here, coming over here i and that, it would be totally... not everyone is so lucky. across england and scotland, thousands are still without power after nine days. no central heating, hot water, showers, nothing. it�*s grim for us, but i�*m more worried about

page of the i — which also mentions the uk recording its highest number of daily cases — topping 100,000 for the first time. the ft leads with a warning from energya rise in gas prices could lead to a "national crisis". let's talk about all that. we will begin. kick us off with the guardian front page, please. 50 begin. kick us off with the guardian front page, please.— begin. kick us off with the guardian front page, please. so the guardian has -- as quite _ front page, please. so the guardian has -- as quite a — front page, please. so the guardian has -- as quite a few _ front page, please. so the guardian has -- as quite a few papers - has —— as quite a few papers tomorrow, present quite positive news coming out from the first real world data coming out of the uk on the omicron variants. this is that thing we have all been waiting for, the risk of a possible lockdown and has been hanging in the balance of whatever the new data shows, whether or not it will be milder than the delta variant and this data suggests that it is. there is a reduced risk of hospitalisations when people do go to hospital, they are in hospital for less time, which is ex

energies, maybe new nuclear plants. and on the other hand, there is a need to find the funding. and if you explain to the poorest people in the ukhe poorest people will pay for the fight against climate change and will pay the climate transition, there will be new yellow vest movements everywhere in europe, and that's exactly what we want to avoid. in my home city, london, there is a constant cacophony of competing media voices. freedom of expression is taken for granted. that is not the story in many other countries. independentjournalism is criminalised and dissent, well, it can be deadly. in mexico, journalists faced threats and intimidation, and the list of countries where that is true is growing. one of the effects of impunity in mexico, after all this violence against journalists, in particular, not on human rights activists, it has a lot to do with the self—censorship. some of my colleagues, who i admire, that have survived violence and kidnapping and other crimes, theyjust stop investigating because they can't cope with it. it's not easy to do it. you really need a big network in order for you to feel safe and you need m