the energy regulator ofgem has asked suppliers to pause the forced installation of prepaid metres. it follows revelations that a debt collection company working for british gas broke into the homes of vulnerable people to install the metres. prepayment metres require customers to pay for their energy in advance. it s more expensive than paying by direct debit, but are sometimes the only option for people who have struggled to pay and are in debt to a supplier. ben king has more. an undercover reporter from the times newspaper joined a team of debt collectors, entering the home of a single father with three young children. they count as vulnerable. but, these workers from arvato financial solutions, working for british gas, opened the door and installed a prepayment meter anyway. installing prepayment meters by force is legal, but it s meant to be a last resort, and should not be done to vulnerable households. if people cannot afford to top up the meters, they will be left wit
the contaminated blood scandal of the 19705 and 80s is hearing its final evidence. 30,000 people are thought to have been infected with hiv or hepatitis c. it s this life that i was living perfectly happily and then it went, everything went. it was cataclysmic. energy companies are asked by the regulator to suspend the forced installation of prepayment meters in households that are behind with their bills. the us believes this is a chinese surveillance balloon it s been spotted over several american states. beijing has appealed for calm following the sightings. and, trying to make football greener. how teams and fans will get together this weekend, to try to reduce the carbon footprint of the game. and coming up on the bbc news channel: can britain s davis cup team overcome the altitude in bogota, and special balls, to beat colombia this weekend? good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at 0ne. the partner of a woman who s now been missing in lancashire for a week, says
for motor neurone disease. campaigners say new research funding needs to be handed out quicker. i met imeta i met a family bakery in manchester finding out what the interest rate rise means for businesses and customers. manchester united to decide on the future of their player mason greenwood after charges of attempted rape and coercive behaviours against him are dropped. while some of you will see some light rain or drizzle through the day it will actually be a mild day when the sunshine comes out with a feel of spring in fact. don t get too used to use that, though. i will have the full forecast here on breakfast. it s friday, the 3rd of february. the family of a woman who s gone missing in lancashire has made an emotional plea for people to come forward with information. 45 year old nicola bulley disappeared a week ago, while walking her dog in st michael s on wyre. we can speak now to our reporter, dave guest, while walking her dog in st michael s on wyre. who joins us fr
for a summit on ukraine president zelensky says he believes his country deserves talks on joining the eu this year. deserted railway stations as train drivers in england stage their second walkout this week. australian tennis star nick kyrgios admits assaulting his ex girlfriend but avoids a criminal conviction we ll have the latest from canberra. # falling in our hearts # here again, hawai i # aloha, aloha # and could this song by the former sex pistols by the former sex pistolsrontmanjohn lydon written about his wife s alzheimer s be chosen to represent ireland at the eurovision song contest? it s very hard to be away from her. but i have to do this. i have to bring awareness to this problem. hello, and welcome if you re watching in the uk or around the world. the us department of defence says it s tracking what s believed to be a chinese surveillance balloon that entered american airspace two days ago. the military considered shooting it down over the state of montan
in the uk has been highly critical of the chairman of the bbc, richard sharp. they accuse mr sharp of an error ofjudgement for getting involved in facilitating a loan to then prime minister, borisjohnson, whilst applying for the chairmanship of the bbc. now on bbc news, powering ukraine. russian missiles and drones rain down on ukraine s civilian infrastructure, causing untold damage. this is ukraine s energy war, a constant battle for heat and light, with an army of engineers racing to keep the country connected. for ukrainians, it has been a winter of darkness and uncertainty. how does a country respond when the stakes are so high? if the power system collapses, that would mean the suffering of tens of millions of people during wintertime. we cannot allow that, not on my watch. we follow the teams fighting this war. what the missiles destroy, they rebuild, in places where people are living on the edge. this power plant in central ukraine has been hit repeatedly. it s a huge