nomsa maseko, bbc news, durban. a radio presenter at east coast radio, a popular radio station in the province of kwazulu—natal. he's in umhlanga, a town situated about 15 kilometres away from durban. i've just come off a four hour shift at a makeshift blockade entering into my neighbourhood, and we're only protecting a small garage and a small, really, what you would call a corner store. the entire community of my community, which makes up about 300 people, are taking shifts in teams of ten, 20 whenever they can to just put bodies between whatever might come and to protect where we might get a loaf of bread tomorrow morning. we haven't had petrol for a couple of days now, and we haven't been able to go ten km in either direction because of the wholesale looting and criminality and just fear in every single direction. it's unprecedented, and i'm talking is a south african who has been on the teetering edge of so many moments in our history. the 1991 riots that we had in south africa, the assassination in 93 and 2008

nomsa maseko, bbc news, durban. that britney spears can choose her own lawyer in her ongoing struggle to end her controversial conservatorship. addressing a court for the second time in less than a month, the us pop star demanded once again that her father be removed from the legal agreement that has controlled her affairs for years. 0ur los angeles correspondent david willis has the latest. for the second time in three weeks britney spears gave very emotional testimony. she said that her father's control of her affairs was abusive, and she did succeed in getting her own lawyer to represent her after 13 years in which she's been represented by a court—appointed attorney. that lawyer, mathew rosengart, said that he plans to file immediately a motion seeking to have britney spears' fatherjamie stripped of his control over her life. he called — mr mathew rosengart — in court forjamie spears to stand down immediately in the interests of his daughter, and said, "you have claimed that you love your daughter so you should

nomsa maseko, bbc news, durban.d now by darren maule, a radio presenter at east coast radio, a popular radio station in the province of kwazulu—natal. he's in umhlanga, a town situated about 15 kilometres away from durban. darren, thank you very much for joining us. it's midnight your time, what's the situation at the moment? thank you, good evening to you and your audience. thank you, good evening to you and youraudience. i'vejust thank you, good evening to you and your audience. i'vejust come thank you, good evening to you and your audience. i've just come off a four hour shift at a makeshift blockade entering into my neighbourhood, and we're only protecting a small garage and a small, really, a corner store. the entire community of my community, about 300 people, are taking shifts and teams of ten or 20 to put bodies between whatever might come and protect... whether we might get a loaf of bread up tomorrow morning. we haven't been able to go ten km in either direction because of the wholesale looting and crimina

nomsa maseko, bbc news, durban.o come: after the remains of more than 1000 indigenous children were found at former residential schools across canada we report on the calls for answers and accountability. after months of talks and missed deadlines, a deal has been struck to keep greece within the euro zone. the immediate prospect of greece going bust in the worst crisis to hit the euro zone has been averted. emergency services across central europe are stepping up their efforts to contain the worst floods this century. nearly 100 people have been killed. broadway is traditionally called the great white way by americans, but tonight, it's completely blacked out. it's a timely reminder to all americans of the problems that the energy crisis has brought to them. leaders meet in paris for a summit on pollution, inflation and third world debt. this morning, theyjoined the revolution celebrations for a show of military might on the champs—elysees. wildlife officials in australia have been coping with a penguin problem. fa

nomsa maseko, bbc news, pietermaritzburg.jamin fogel, journalist and writer, contributing editor to jacobin magazine and the website africa's a country, which provides analysis on african politics, economics and culture. thanks very much forjoining us. we have such a list here, the looting and violence is going on day by day at the moment. obviously the damage being inflicted through the covid pandemic. and the sense of corruption on top of which are the splits within the anc. is there one part of this you can tackle that might improve the state of play of the rest of the country?— of the country? well, it's a very complicated _ of the country? well, it's aj very complicated situation. what you effectively have is a set of social discontent in south africa which is related to sky what again —— to skyrocketing unemployment, over 40%, skyrocketing unemployment, over a0%, austerity and cuts to social grants, full of social tensions. it only needed something to like the match, and in this case it was the campaign by pro—zuma forc

the bbc�*s southern africa correspondent nomsa maseko has the latest.ice were clearly overwhelmed. they had their hands full, trying to stop mobs who started looting shopping centres. nothing was spared. every shop was looted here. the military was then deployed. with more on the ground, the government hopes the protests and looting will come to an end. the jailing of south africa's former president, jacob zuma, resulted in violent protest action, followed by looting incidents in two provinces — mr zuma's home province of kwazulu—natal and gauteng, the country's economic hub. more than 200 people have been arrested. police are investigating the deaths of six others. south africa's president, cyril ramaphosa, addressed the nation. he said criminal activity would not be tolerated. i have today authorised the deployment of the defence force personnel in support of the operations of the south african police service. the nationaljoint operation and intelligence structure known as natjoints has intensified deployments in all the affected areas in kwazulu—nata

nomsa maseko, bbc news, durban.ectarian conflict of the troubles in northern ireland has been announced by the government. it would apply both to british soldiers and to former paramilitaries. but relatives of those who died say they've waited decades forjustice, and have vowed to challenge the government's plans in the courts. here's our ireland correspondent, emma vardy. explosion. a bitter sense of injustice over northern ireland's past still haunts many families today. the vast majority of victims were killed by paramilitaries and around 10% by british armed forces. there are hundreds of investigations into decades—old cases still taking place. but now the government's announced it will bring forward legislation to ban all prosecutions in cases up to the peace deal in 1998. we know that the prospect of the end of criminal prosecutions will be difficult for some to accept, and this is not a position that we take lightly. but we've come to view that this is the best and only way to facilitate an effective informat

nomsa maseko, bbc news, durban.ince an indigenous community in the canadian province of british colombia announced it had discovered the buried remains of an estimated 215 children on the grounds of a former residential school. today its leaders say they expect more graves to be found as the search continues and have called on the government to release school attendance records to help them identify the remains. there have been several similar grim discoveries in recent weeks and they have re—focused attention on the brutal legacy of canada's residential school system. the bbc�*s barbara plett usher has visited the province of saskatchewan to find out more. for decades the side of this residential school filled indigenous children with fear and dread. today it is a haunting reminder of a dark period in canadian history. six. period in canadian history. six ears old period in canadian history. six years old i— period in canadian history. s years old i was imprisoned here. , ., . ., years old i was imprisoned here. ,

the bbc�*s southern africa correspondent nomsa maseko has the latest.ican police were clearly overwhelmed. they had their hands full, trying to stop mobs who started looting shopping centres. nothing was spared. every shop was looted here. the military was then deployed. with more on the ground, the government hopes the protests and looting will come to an end. the jailing of south africa's former president, jacob zuma, resulted in violent protest action, followed by looting incidents in two provinces — mr zuma's home province of kwazulu—natal and gauteng, the country's economic hub. more than 200 people have been arrested. police are investigating the deaths of six others. south africa's president, cyril ramaphosa, addressed the nation. he said criminal activity would not be tolerated. i have today authorised the deployment of the defence force personnel in support of the operations of the south african police service. the nationaljoint operation and intelligence structure known as natjoints has intensified deployments in all the affected areas in kwaz

nomsa maseko, bbc news, durban.as ruled that britney spears can choose her own lawyer in her ongoing struggle to end her controversial conservatorship. addressing a court for the second time in less than a month, the us pop star demanded once again that her father be removed from the legal agreement that has controlled her affairs for years. let's cross live to our north america correspondent david willis in los angeles. where does this leave the conservatorship? fire where does this leave the conservatorship?- where does this leave the conservatorship? are very good cuestion. conservatorship? are very good question- for— conservatorship? are very good question. for the _ conservatorship? are very good question. for the second - conservatorship? are very good question. for the second time i question. for the second time in three weeks britney spears gave a very emotional testimony. she said her father's control of her affairs was abusive and she did succeed in getting her own lawyer to represent her after 13 years in

nomsa maseko, bbc news, lusaka, zambia.nt crocodile sauntering down their village street. take a look at this. the huge reptile had climbed out of a nearby river and headed for the village. this video — which has gone viral — shows locals following the croc from a safe distance. well, i am delighted to tell you that wildlife officials rescued the animal and released it back into the river. phew! i'm laura trevelyan. thanks for watching bbc world news america. have a great weekend and a happy 4th ofjuly. hello there. today has been a warmer kind of day, with more in the way of thatjuly sunshine to go around. and we've had some beautiful weather watcher pictures sent to us. this one looks like it came from the caribbean — it's actually beautiful white sand beaches on the western it's actually beautiful white sand beaches of the western isles in scotland. we have seen some showers today, those storms working away from the far north of england, southern scotland. but overnight tonight, we'll see further bands of thundery rain m

nomsa maseko reports. thrown by her mother to safety. to flee their homes. rioters targeted on the ground floor here, then set the building on fire, affecting apartments on the upper floors. this man returning again and again to help people escape. what initially started as a pro—jacob zuma protest has now become almost like a free—for—all. the looting spree began five days ago and it has continued unabated. the military has been deployed on the ground, but even they cannot control the situation. nearly 800 people have been arrested and the leaders of the provinces affected by rioting have said 19 people have died while the death toll stands at 26. despite the visible criminality and violence here, some believe this is still very much aboutjacob zuma, the jailed former president. do you think this is aboutjacob zuma? it is about jacob it is aboutjacob zuma. it is about the jacob zuma because if you notice very well, this started on the day after it was people didn't want jacob zuma arrested in the beginning. president ramaphosa, the pres

nomsa maseko, bbc news, pietermaritzburg.efuse to be vaccinated against covid—i9 will not be paid. greece is also following suit, after italy unveiled similar measures back in april. mark lobel reports. to france's healthca re to france's healthcare workers, a message from the president. get vaccinated in the next two months or risk not being paid. translation: it is months or risk not being paid. translation:— months or risk not being paid. translation: it is the only way to return to _ translation: it is the only way to return to normal— translation: it is the only way to return to normal life. - to return to normal life. initially for healthcare staff in hospitals clinics and retirement homes, institutions for people with disabilities, for people with disabilities, for all professionals or volunteers who work in contact with the elderly or frail including their home. clinician will be made compulsory without delay. will be made compulsory without dela . , ., will be made compulsory without dela. , delay. president macron s

nomsa maseko, bbc news, durban.s on their platorms. in his first public comments since missing a penalty at the euro 2020 final, he thanked people for all their support since and said he hoped no no—one would receive the kind of hateful and hurtful messages that he and his team—mates were sent after missing their penalties. instagram has admitted a mistake in its technology meant racist comments and emojis were not removed. instagram said content had "mistakenly" been identified as within guidelines instead of referred to human moderators. tesco, asda, lidl and waitrose have become the latest retailers to say they will encourage customers and shop workers to continue wearing masks in their supermarket after legal restrictions are lifted in england onjuly the 19th. last night, sainsbury�*s said it will encourage all customers to wear a face covering if they can. the former head of the greater manchester police has apologised for the force's failures in responding to the manchester arena attack. the inquiry has heard

the bbc�*s nomsa maseko is in nkandla in kwazulu—natal, where jacob zuma's home is, and sent us thise for the fourth democratically elected president of south africa. the former presidentjacob zuma finally surrendering and handing himself over to prison authorities to avoid being taken by force by the prison authorities who were told that they have until midnight to effect the arrest if the former president does not hand himself over. what has led him here. how has he got to this point? well, the reason why the former president is in prison is not because he was convicted for a specific crime but it is because he ignored a court order that required him to give testimony at a corruption inquiry which he set up himself when he was still president a few years ago. there have been widespread allegations that the former president was involved in corruption and these are allegations that he has denied. the accusation here is that he was giving lucrative business deals to his friends and close associates. some of whom have actually given testimony at this corruption enquiry which the former

jail sentence without trial is something which should induce a sense of shock. 0ur correspondent nomsa masekos it has been an eventful day. it has been an eventful day with the spotlight firmly on south africa's former president, jacob zuma — hundreds of his supporters lined the streets and also, i gather, at his home, here in nkanga, saying that they were forming a human shield to prevent him from getting arrested, but earlier in the day, there were some confrontations between jacob zuma's supporters and police, who were trying to prevent his supporters from going to his house to gather there, because that gathering was illegal, and the level 4 regulations here in south africa aimed at curbing covid—19 infections, but later on, jacob zuma addressed his supporters and said that it would have been a messy confrontation if police had been to arrest him, and he also said that he was not scared of going to jail, he had been there before, but this time around, he refuses to go, because he believes that it was "an injustice" to be sentenced to a prison term, without having gone to trial, so as thin

kwazulu—natal saying they were protecting him from being arrested. 0ur southern africa correspondent nomsa masekoith the spotlight firmly on south africa's former presidentjacob zuma. hundreds of his supporters lined the streets and also gathered at his home saying that they were forming a human shield to prevent him from being arrested. but earlier in the day, there were some confrontations betweenjacob zuma's supporters and police who were trying to prevent supporters from going to his house together because that gathering was illegal and the level four regulations here in south africa aimed at covid—19 infections. ——aimed at curbing covid—19 infections. but later on mr zuma addressed his supporters and said that it would have been a massive confrontation if police had dared to arrest him. he also said that he was not scared of going to jail, he has been there before. this time around he refuses to go because he believes it was an injustice to be sentenced to a prison term without having gone to trial. so as things stand, mr zuma is not going to hand himself over to authorities because his lawy

nomsa maseko, bbc news, pietermaritzburg.italy in the euros final at wembley has been dominated not so much by the performance itself, as by the racist abuse aimed at three players who missed their penalties at the end of the match. the manager gareth southgate described the highly offensive language as "unforgivable". the prime minister said those responsible should crawl back under the rock they came from. one of the players targeted, marcus rashford, said he will never apologise for who he is. our sports editor dan roan reports. it had all started so well. having waited more than half a century for their first major final, england took the lead afterjust two minutes. but then suffered the cruelty of an all—too—familiar fate against italy. losing once again on penalties. a tournament that had lit up the summer, ending in tears. as the team left their hotel this morning, the manager left to reflect on what might have been. the fact that we've had, you know, the first signs of consistency, semifinal, final, has to be a step i

kwazulu—natal saying they were protecting him from being arrested. 0ur southern africa correspondent nomsa masekoth the spotlight firmly on south africa's former presidentjacob zuma. hundreds of his supporters lined the streets and also gathered at his home saying that they were forming a human shield to prevent him from getting arrested. but earlier in the day, there were some confrontations betweenjacob zuma's supporters and police who were trying to prevent supporters from going to his house together because that gathering was illegal and the level four regulations here in south africa aimed at curbing covid—19 infections. but later on mr zuma addressed his supporters and said that it would have been a massive confrontation if police had dared to arrest him. he also said that he was not scared of going to jail, he has been there before. this time around he refuses to go because he believes it was an injustice to be sentenced to a prison term without having gone to trial. so as things stand, mr zuma is not going to hand himself over to authorities because his lawyers have asked the constitution

nomsa maseko, bbc news, durban.re adventurous go inter—railing, but there's one student in denmark, who about to go embark on a trip that will take him a little further afield — in fact, to the edge of space. 0liver daemen has been revealed as the final passenger that will travel with billionaire jeff bezos aboard his blue 0rigin spaceship, which blasts off on tuesday. he will fly with bezos, his brother mark bezos, and the aerospace pioneer wally funk — who is 82. on sunday sir richard branson at the tender age of 70, made history, travelling some 53 miles above the earth in a privately—built ship developed by virgin galactic. and, much like the rockets that are propelling them skywards, the global space industry is travelling mach 3 in the right direction. a new report shows private investment in space companies hit $4.5 billion for the second financial quarter of this year — and that is a record for the sector. tom zelibor is the ceo of the space foundation, which is behind the report. welcome to the programme. w

nomsa maseko, bbc news, durban. the headlines on bbc news...fter the racist abuse he received for missing a penalty in the euro 2020 final, he is also criticise social media companies was at the latest official figures show 40,553 new coronavirus infections in the uk and 63 deaths, that is someone who died within 28 days of a positive test for covid, the highest number reported in one day since march of this year. that is despite the banking watchdogs and payments should not watchdogs and payments should not prevent people from being able to access credit. see recorder reports. —— sarah corker reports. swapping the city for the country — lockdown has left people yearning for green spaces and bigger homes. over the past year the uk has had a property boom. but some people who took out covid support during the pandemic, like the grant for the self—employed or furlough, say they're being locked out of the market. i almost feel like i'm being treated like a bankrupt in some way, you know, that i'm being penalised that strongly for something that wa

our southern africa correspondent nomsa maseko is there.en an eventful day with the spotlight firmly on the former presidentjacob, the former president jacob, hundreds the former presidentjacob, hundreds of his supporters lined the streets and are also gathered at his home here saying that they were forming a human shield to prevent them from getting arrested. but earlier in the day, there were some confrontations between jacob zuma supporters and police were trying to prevent his supporters from going to his supporters from going to his house because that gathering was illegal and the level of regulations in south africa aimed at curbing coronavirus infections. but later on, he addressed to supporters and said that it would've been a messy confrontation if police had dared to arrest him and he also said that he was not scared of going to jail, he's been there before. at this time around, he refuses to go because he believes that it was an injustice to be sentenced to a prison term without having gone to trial. so, as things stand, he is no

nomsa maseko reports. screaming and yelling. thrown by her mother to safety. caused these people to flee their homes. rioters targeted on the ground floor here, then set the building on fire, affecting apartments on the upper floors. this man returning again and again to help people escape. what initially started as a pro—jacob zuma protest has now become almost like a free—for—all. the looting spree began five days ago and it has continued unabated. the military has been deployed on the ground, but even they cannot control the situation. nearly 800 people have been arrested and the leaders of the provinces affected by rioting have said 19 people have died while the death toll stands at 26. despite the visible criminality and violence here, some believe this is still very much aboutjacob zuma, the jailed former president. do you think this is aboutjacob zuma? it is aboutjacob zuma. it is about the jacob zuma, because if you notice very well, this thing started on the day that jacob zuma's arrested. after he was arrested at a police station. that's when the thi

i'm joined now by nomsa maseko in nkandla in kwazulu—natal where jacob zuma's home is.grace. indeed. a hue a huge fall from grace. indeed. a huge fall _ a huge fall from grace. indeed. a huge fall from _ a huge fall from grace. indeed. a huge fall from grace - a huge fall from grace. indeed. a huge fall from grace for - a huge fall from grace. indeed. a huge fall from grace for the l a huge fall from grace for the fourth democratically elected president of south africa. the former presidentjacob zuma former president jacob zuma finally former presidentjacob zuma finally handing himself over to prison authorities to avoid being taken by force. by the prison authorities who were told that they have until midnight if the former president does not hand himself over. ~ . . , over. what has led him here. how has _ over. what has led him here. how has he _ over. what has led him here. how has he got _ over. what has led him here. how has he got to _ over. what has led him here. how has he got to this - over. what has led him here. | how has he got to this point? well, the reas

nomsa maseko, bbc news, durban. supported the islamic state group, are being moved?from camps,?to secure children's homes, and then onto adult prisons, in a conveyor belt of incarceration. the bbc�*s middle east correspondent quentin sommerville reports. trapped in syria, it's been the longestjourney for the children of foreign is fighters. this is a home for the lost boys of the islamic state group. their parents, many dead or missing, brought them here from across the globe. from the age of 12 upwards, they are kept under armed guard at this kurdish—run centre. london and pakistan were once home for 13—year—old ahmed until his mum joined is. that's dragon boy again, i recognise him. his sketchbook, his imagination and a single t—shirt... one direction. ..are the only reminders of a carefree childhood. tell me what happened to your brothers and sisters. he was fighting for the islamic state? what do you think about the people who are bombing you and shooting? when you get out of here, when you leave syria, what's t

nomsa maseko, bbc news, pietermaritzburg.ew voting bill in the republican—controlled legislature. 51 of the 67 house democrats say they will exit the state tonight on a pair of chartered flights from austin, to prevent texas republicans from attaining a quorum, which is required to conduct state business. the republican governor greg abbott had convened a special legislative session to push through new laws that would ban ballot—drop boxes, or outlaw 24—hour polling booths, and empower partisan poll watchers. the bbc�*s anthony zurcher is with us. get the sense this is not an attempt to block the bill in the texas state house but to shine a light nationally on a problem that many texas democrats don't think the white house is doing enough about. i think that is exactly it and the fact that they are coming here to washington, dc to engage in demonstrations to try to call attention to what is going on in texas and to push for national laws that would limit what states, republican controlled state like texas or to income tells y

nomsa maseko has more.till stands. and the court today has not given a counter order for mr zuma not to be arrested, because the court case has now only been postponed. his supporters had said they were standing guard to ensure that mr zuma does not get arrested. so it is widely expected that his supporters will do the same — and, infact, mrzuma himself, when he was addressing hundreds of his supporters sunday afternoon, said it would've been a messy confrontation if police officers had dared to arrest him. so all eyes will be back in kwazulu—natal tomorrow to find out if indeed the former president will be arrested. it's opening night for one of the biggest events in the world of cinema. yes, the red carpet is out, and the cannes film festival has begun in the south of france. it was cancelled in 2020 due to covid, and delayed by two months this year. joining us now from cannes is the bbc�*s tom brook. so tom, if cannes is back, does this mean that sentiment itself is back? —— cinema itself? mean that sent

shortages and long queues in the coastal city of durban from where our south africa correspondent nomsa maseko throw her! she threw her— mayhem. people were screaming, throw her! she threw her child _ mayhem. people were screaming, throw her! she threw her child to _ mayhem. people were screaming, throw her! she threw her child to safety - her! she threw her child to safety after her home _ her! she threw her child to safety after her home was _ her! she threw her child to safety after her home was allegedly - her! she threw her child to safety after her home was allegedly set | her! she threw her child to safety i after her home was allegedly set on fire by looters. i after her home was allegedly set on fire by looters— fire by looters. i was really scared. — fire by looters. i was really scared. but _ fire by looters. i was really scared, but there - fire by looters. i was really scared, but there were - fire by looters. i was really . scared, but there were people fire by looters. i was really - scared, but there were people down in the street. the way i was panicking, i was trusting anyone

nomsa maseko, bbc news, durban.ring in two people who have been living through this violence in durban, lee and michelle van rensburg. welcome to the programme. michelle, you run a beauty salon in durban. tell me about it and when you were last there. ~' , ., tell me about it and when you were last there. ~' i. ,., tell me about it and when you were last there. ~' i. .., last there. like you said can we run a beauty salon. _ last there. like you said can we run a beauty salon, a _ last there. like you said can we run a beauty salon, a small— last there. like you said can we run a beauty salon, a small business, | a beauty salon, a small business, like all business. we specialise in the else but we do offer other services. and we worked last monday morning. he attempted to try and have a full day's work but the clients were cancelling out a fear to travel and then threats coming close to our area, we had to close at about iiam close to our area, we had to close at about 11am and we have been closed since we are not s

the bbc�*s nomsa maseko is in pietermaritzburg. in pietermaritzburg. i'm sure you can also see and hear the peoplejust behind me now. they are chanting, "they must release jacob zuma, the government must release jacob zuma," and that is exactly the crux of the protests, the violent protests, that we have seen erupting since the former president's jailing. jacob zuma handed himself into the authorities just before midnight on wednesday, less than an hour before a court deadline for him to surrender expired. here he is being driven from his home in kwazulu—natal to prison, where he's serving 15 months for contempt of court. the move was unprecedented and hugely unpopular with his supporters. and these are the people who have turned onto the streets. the protests quickly turned violent. trucks and cars were set on fire. by sunday, protests spread from there to south africa's economic hub, johannesburg. these are pictures of the central business district. reuters journalists there saw protesters carrying sticks, golf clubs and branches

nomsa maseko is in durban. first of all, update us on the violence.ng again. this time last night— night it was escalating again. ti 3 time last night it was escalating and tonight people are still looting. it's been hours of people looting. it's been hours of people looting warehouses where businesses are keeping furniture refrigerators in all types of appliances. the looting which started this morning is still ongoing. it does appear to the police are struggling to keep the police are struggling to keep the situation in check. and also the deployment of the army at this stage is not to be seen in terms of the type of difference it is making. there is a lot of looting, there is also people guarding their own communities not waiting for the police or the army to protect their own businesses. a whole community are taking turns and shifts overnight to protect the businesses and their communities that they have. do and their communities that they have. , ., . and their communities that they have. ,., ., ., , and their communities that they have. ., ., ,

our south africa correspondent nomsa maseko is in durban, where some of the worst violence has happenedtest. the army was brought in about two days ago after police were clearly overstretched in many parts because looting continued unabated, even with the presence of the police. but overnight, there were sporadic looting incidents which have now spread to another province, the free state, two or three shopping centres in the area were looted overnight but it did not go any further. so it is hoped that the presence of troops on the ground is helping to ensure that the looting and the rioting does not go any further. the uk inflation rate hit 2.5% in the yeartojune, the highest for nearly three years, as the unlocking of the uk economy continued. as you can see here, the rate is higher than the bank of england's 2% inflation target for a second month. the office for national statistics says the rise has been driven by higher food and fuel costs. eating and drinking out also cost more, while clothing and footwear, usually cheaper at this time of year, also went up in price. our business pr