year, and this time its torrential rain, followed by floods, that have cut off the main routes into vancouver. welcome to the programme. our weekly shop is getting more expensive. new data out here in the uk today shows inflation is running at 4.2%, twice the bank of england's target. it's a while since we have been up in the a's. the last time was 2011, at the height of the eurozone crisis. the rising prices reflect the shortages in supply, in some areas of the economy, as well as the rising cost of fuel and energy. and it is not predicted to ease any time soon — not that we are alone. these are global trends. inflation in canada jumped to its highest level in 18 years today. in the united states inflation is at a 30 year high. so is it transitory? or will it be longer lasting. here's our economics editor faisal islam. it's cold outside and energy prices are already biting. with fears now that mortgage costs will also go up as a result, self—employed mum of three suzie grazier from hartlepool says it is hard to make ends meet. 0ur energy bills have shot up, they have probably more than doubled in the last year. you know, the cost of fuel for the car, i noticed only last week, normally where i would fill the car, i would put £40 in and it didn't even half fill it. and the shopping, the cost of the weekly shop has probably gone up by 20—30% compared to this time last year. massive rises in fuel costs mean many households are unable to switch suppliers right now, but even with protection from the energy price cap, last month's increase in it, with gas up 28% last year, was responsible for half of today's general inflation rise. and industry doesn't even have a cap. here at harlequin, a fuel and waste tank manufacturer in moira, northern ireland, energy prices have nearly doubled, but inflation is everywhere. plastic raw materials — prices up 50%. freight prices up 12% that morning. worker wages will have to go up by over 4%. if we just stand still, it would cost us an extra £2 million next year to manufacture the same product. exactly the same thing? exactly the same product, same levels, quality, £2 million. and that's the cost of energy... energy, labour, transport, raw materials. it isjust, you know, that's unsustainable. i've been in this business 29 years and i've never experienced this. not the sustained price increases. i don't see an end to it at the minute. so inflation is higher than expected but the period of rising prices is also lasting longer than expected. the essential question is just how much longer? and the risk is this could become a kind of self—fulfilling prophecy, where businesses expecting prices to rise put them up in advance. and the critical question here is what happens to workers' wages? wages are going up significantly at big supermarkets to account for competition for workers. lidl is hiking starter pay by over 6%. it is a challenge, absolutely. we are competing for talent with all the other retailers and, indeed, other industries and part of the reason for today's announcement is to secure our staff who are with us, to retain them as far as possible, but also to attract anyone else who would like to come and join this fantastic team. wages going up in sectors with worker shortages, such as retail or haulage, is to be expected but if this happens across the entire economy, the bank of england's festive gift to the nation might have to be a pre—christmas interest rate rise, to try to keep price rises under control. so where do you go, to get a clearer idea of where inflation is heading. to the futures market of course? chicago is the second—largest futures exchange in the world and the largest in the united states — and there for us tonight the markets specialist scott shellady — known to all, as �*the cow guy'. nice to see you. good to have you nice to see you. good to have you back on the programme. so you are effectively looking into the crystal ball they are on the chicago futures market. you look at commodity markets, you look at agriculture markets, you look at agriculture markets as directjacket markets, you look at agriculture markets as direct jacket tells markets, you look at agriculture markets as directjacket tells us. where do you see inflation heading in the new year? it’s where do you see inflation heading in the new year?— in the new year? it's going to go u -. in the new year? it's going to go un- inflation _ in the new year? it's going to go up. inflation is _ in the new year? it's going to go up. inflation is going _ in the new year? it's going to go up. inflation is going to - in the new year? it's going to go up. inflation is going to go out, | up. inflation is going to go out, it's not transitory can we all thought it might be transitory, but as it has turned out this is going to be lasting with us because at the root of the inflation spike has been these western governments of which we are one obviously, pushing the american consumer or any other european consumer towards these renewable fuels. just can't handle the load. and they try to push us from fossil fuels and all they have really done is drive up the price of fossil fuels and really done is drive up the price of fossilfuels and in really done is drive up the price of fossil fuels and in doing so they also discouraged investment. mergers and acquisitions, looking for new rigs, everything is gone down when it comes to enhancing fossil fuels so itjust has made them a lot more expensive. they have not been able to change our behaviour. he drove up the price or lose control of the price of your energy which it sounds like you have as well, energy is part of everything. transportation of goods, part of making this jacket, part of the jacket, petroleum, and energy touches everything. if you lose control of the energy prices quite frankly control of your prices. ) when you look at the inputs that are going into business here in the uk, i don't know what it is like in the united states but across the board inputs are going out. that's not just fuel and energy, its staffing costs as well, there's a labour shortage here as the united states. we talk about future trends, do you see problems, is that the supply shortages mainly that are affecting the foodstuffs? i saw today that wheat had hit a record high today. he said the supply chain problems? that's obviously part of that can we have got a massive problem on our ports. we cannot get things in and out. we ranjust in time inventory but it does not work when it is not in time. other countries still going through coronavirus. that's interrupting the supply chains. christian, the wages going up aside, everything else is touched by energy. and the government is turning into one of our biggest competitors when it comes to giving new staff because they paying people to stay home. on top of that we have run this trillion dollar bills through congress so they're going to pour more cash on an already volatile situation. so we are hearing chance of a percentage and we are at 6.2%, highest and 31 years, they want to pour more money which is basically fuel on a inflationary fire. we are hearing may be a percent or 10%, what is that doing to your economy? the problem is that we have to get employment under control and have the government get out of competing with our companies or paying people to stay at home, we have ten and a half million openjobs to stay at home, we have ten and a half million open jobs or cannot fail because the government is paying people to stay at home and then secondly the government trying to change our behaviour when it comes to energy and all that has really done is drive up the price of energy. so when energy touches everything except for labour and the government then touches labour, that's what we have this explosive problem on our hands which is not going to go away until the government takes their hands off. it's a slightly different issue over there to the situation we have here. and of course what we are now thinking about as they sit at the end of the report is a rising interest rates just before the end of the year. would that make a difference? ifjerome powell over there the chair of the fed stuck up interest rates before the end of the year would it make a difference to the rate of inflation over there? it might, but in a backhanded way because we are expecting a rate rise here in the middle to end of summer next year. we still have a bunch of bond purchases we have to stop doing and i stopped purchasing bonds, that's a synthetic interest rate price as well. the fed is a typical here because if they decide to raise interest rates would they have done an telegraph that to middle to end of next summer they run the risk of slowing down an economy which is not on fire and i will say this, you know i have been in the future as business for 3h years for me to raise interest rates to get out in front of an overheating economy or one that is already overheated. if the british economy overheating? ho. the british economy overheating? no. so they raising interest rates? this i so they raising interest rates? this is what they _ so they raising interest rates? this is what they did _ so they raising interest rates? this is what they did back in 2011, he cut interest rates at the height of the euro zone crisis and the fact things. so the euro zone crisis and the fact thins. the euro zone crisis and the fact thin.s_ ., the euro zone crisis and the fact thins. ., ., ~ ., things. so we are talking about slowin: things. so we are talking about slowing down _ things. so we are talking about slowing down an _ things. so we are talking about slowing down an economy - things. so we are talking about slowing down an economy that| things. so we are talking about i slowing down an economy that is artie slowing down. it does not make sense. so the fed is in a pickle here. you raise them to fight inflation, kill the economy. you leave them alone you kill the consumer. what are you going to do? that's the problem they put themselves and i'm sure it is much themselves and i'm sure it is much the same over there.— the same over there. lovely to see ou for the same over there. lovely to see you for coming _ the same over there. lovely to see you for coming on, _ the same over there. lovely to see you for coming on, come _ the same over there. lovely to see you for coming on, come back - the same over there. lovely to see l you for coming on, come back soon. two of the three men convicted of killing the civil rights activist malcolm x are expected to have their convictions thrown out. in the 1960's malcolm x was one of the most charismatic leaders of the civil rights movement in the united states and at times one of the most controversial. his murder in 1965 shocked the world. but more recently there have been doubts about the supposed guilt of two of the three men who were jailed. the manhattan district attorney, cyrus vancejunior decided two years ago to re—open the case and has now let it be known he will dismiss their convictions. lets speak to our washington correspondent barbara plett usher. how long have there been doubts about these convictions, barbara? pretty much since they were convicted, actually. the case was seen as quite shaky. both of them had alibis, there was no physical evidence that tied them to the murder or the crime scene. and there were three men who were convicted in one of whom confessed the crime and he said on the stand that these two were not his accomplices. so there has been a lot of questions about it for many decades. that you've been themselves a solid maintained their innocence but they did end up spending decades injail, released in the 1980s and one of them has since passed away. and his story, the story of the both of them were taken up more recently in a documentary series that was aired by netflix in 2020 and it was after that that cyrus vance, the district attorney in manhattan announced he was going to reopen the case and reinvestigate. that was going to reopen the case and reinvestigate.— was going to reopen the case and reinvestiaate. ., ., , ., , reinvestigate. that documentary was very pepular- — reinvestigate. that documentary was very pepular- aziz — reinvestigate. that documentary was very pepuiar- aziz is _ reinvestigate. that documentary was very popular. aziz is now— reinvestigate. that documentary was very popular. aziz is now 83, - very popular. aziz is now 83, released in 1985 and always has maintained his innocence, islam released two years later but died in 2009. has there been any comment at all from mr aziz?— all from mr aziz? representatives of the families of— all from mr aziz? representatives of the families of both _ all from mr aziz? representatives of the families of both men _ all from mr aziz? representatives of the families of both men said - all from mr aziz? representatives of the families of both men said that i the families of both men said that he as well as the family of khalil islam feel that this was a real moment for them which is understandable of course because the two men were scarred by being branded as the killers of malcolm x and went through a terrible time for decades. their marriages had broken up decades. their marriages had broken up ijy decades. their marriages had broken up by the time they came out of prison and so it's a moment of restitution for them, but the representatives and families also say that there has been so much damage that it can never really be remedied. . ~ damage that it can never really be remedied. ., ~ , ., , damage that it can never really be remedied. . ~' , ., , . several times this year we have reported on extraordinary weather events in british columbia. the heat dome in the summer that pushed temperatures to 50 degrees, in october they had a bomb cyclone that knocked out power to thousands of homes, last week in the outskirts of vancouver there was a tornado for the first time in 50 years. and for the last two days vancouver has been under an atmospheric river that dumped unprecedented rainfall. the main routes into the city are under several feet of water, the rail links have been cut, the main pipeline going south has been shut down. thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes and there have been fatalies. one woman was killed by a landslip that crossed a highway, and the death toll is expecting to rise in the coming days. is this the new normal we were talking aboutjust last week in glasgow? bobby sekhon is a meteorologist with environment canada. lovely to have you with us. i'm just reading the figures here, almost 300 mm of rain? that's almost a foot of water. in the space of two days. that is quite extraordinary, isn't it? ~ , that is quite extraordinary, isn't it? ~ y , that is quite extraordinary, isn't it? ~ , ,., it? absolutely. these are record amounts of _ it? absolutely. these are record amounts of rain _ it? absolutely. these are record amounts of rain that _ it? absolutely. these are record amounts of rain that we - it? absolutely. these are record amounts of rain that we saw- it? absolutely. these are recordl amounts of rain that we saw here it? absolutely. these are record - amounts of rain that we saw here in the south coast of british columbia. and like you said, just between saturday and monday, sojust and like you said, just between saturday and monday, so just a two day period, really. bud saturday and monday, so 'ust a two day period, reallyh day period, really. and how difficult is _ day period, really. and how difficult is it — day period, really. and how difficult is it going - day period, really. and how difficult is it going to - day period, really. and how difficult is it going to be - day period, really. and how difficult is it going to be to l day period, really. and how i difficult is it going to be to get some relief to vancouver? this difficult is it going to be to get some relief to vancouver? this is a tricky situation _ some relief to vancouver? this is a tricky situation that _ some relief to vancouver? this is a tricky situation that we _ some relief to vancouver? this is a tricky situation that we are - some relief to vancouver? this is a tricky situation that we are in - some relief to vancouver? this is a tricky situation that we are in for i tricky situation that we are in for sure. all of our major transportation routes connecting major vancouver to the rest of canada by road or shut down. that's due to all the flooding and landslides that have occurred. it is re landslides that have occurred. it is pretty dramatic. — landslides that have occurred. it is pretty dramatic, we can see it. tell us about the weather event. it's an atmospheric river, what is that? we had atmospheric river, what is that? - had this arrive here on the bc coast run saturday afternoon and that had origins all the way down to the tropics in hawaii which brought more moist air over to bc and here we saw heavy rainfall in the metro vancouver and fraser valley just east of vancouver. not only that but because of the warm temperatures we saw early season snow on the mountains melting and contributing to the moisture as well. so really it was a combination of melting snow and copious amounts of rain as well. we are to sing a combination of the horrendous weather that british columbia has faced this year with those record temperatures in personal gear which is about 200 miles away from where you are in vancouver? is it a coincidence or are these the first examples of the new normal? trite are these the first examples of the new normal?— are these the first examples of the new normal? ~ ., , new normal? we have seen extreme weather this — new normal? we have seen extreme weather this year _ new normal? we have seen extreme weather this year certainly, - new normal? we have seen extreme weather this year certainly, where i weather this year certainly, where weather this year certainly, where we had the heat down over the summer and had the wildfire season, that was really bad here in the province as well. this fall we have seen several atmospheric rivers, the bombs like loan and a tornado in the city of vancouver. with all of these events we can see where extreme weather in the future as our climate changes. certainly something we need to get prepared for. just changes. certainly something we need to get prepared for.— to get prepared for. just by watching — to get prepared for. just by watching pictures - to get prepared for. just by watching pictures of - to get prepared for. just by watching pictures of the i to get prepared for. just by - watching pictures of the farmers to take them they don't need any worse weather than what they have had. but you think there could be more rain on the way? we you think there could be more rain on the way?— you think there could be more rain onthewa ?~ ., ., ., on the way? we do have a weak system comini into on the way? we do have a weak system coming into washington _ on the way? we do have a weak system coming into washington and _ on the way? we do have a weak system coming into washington and oregon - on the way? we do have a weak system coming into washington and oregon on | coming into washington and oregon on thursday. the northern edge of that will sweep through metro vancouver and the fraser valley commit delivery may be five to ten mm of rain. get a delivery may be five to ten mm of rain. geta break delivery may be five to ten mm of rain. get a break on friday come a little bit more in the way of showers on saturday but really it's that monday, tuesday time frame of next week we're looking out for our next week we're looking out for our next significant rainfall. not looking nearly as heavy as what we saw over this past weekend. but nonetheless and he ran into the systems can't be good. we nonetheless and he ran into the systems can't be good. we wish you the best of luck, _ systems can't be good. we wish you the best of luck, thank _ systems can't be good. we wish you the best of luck, thank you - systems can't be good. we wish you the best of luck, thank you very - the best of luck, thank you very much for coming on the programme. lets check on some of the other main stories today... a british f—35 fighterjet has crashed into the sea during a routine operation in the mediterranean. the pilot ejected and has safely returned to the royal navy aircraft carrier hms queen elizabeth. an investigation is under way. one of the key figures involved in the riots at the us china s population may be shrinking, with data this year showing a continued drop in the number of births. china s government has done away with the restrictions on how many children a couple can have, and has promised to boost support for families. even so, the number of newborns will decline again this year to around 10 million which is down from 12 million in 2020. one of the key figures involved in the riots at the us capitol has been sentenced to 41 months in prison. jacob chansley, the so—called "qanon shaman" has been injail since his arrest earlier this year. chansley had led other protestors through the capitol onjanuary 6th, while shouting instructions into a bullhorn. he also carried an american flag on a spear, which prosecutors had characterized as a dangerous weapon. stay with us on bbc news, still to come... thousands of migrants continue on theirjourney through latin america to try to get into the us, we'll get the latest from mexico city. here, parliament have backed proposals to toughen up rules on mps having second jobs. a committee of mps will now come up with recommendations based on tonight s vote, by the end of january. conservative mps rejected labour�*s motion which would have gone further to place a ban on all second jobs — except for those in public service. it comes as the prime mininster admits he made a mistake in the way he handled the controversy over 0wen paterson — the former conservative mp who broke the rules on lobbying. the labour leader keir starmer said the government had water—downed the proposals. we need to press on with this. and one of the things that is clear is that we are not going to back down from these proposals. we are not prepared to have them watered down. so we will press on with them, but it is unbelievable that after the last two weeks the prime minister has whipped his mps yet again to vote down a plan of action on standards. and that tells you all you need to know about how seriously the prime minister is actually taking this issue. on thursday, joe biden will host the leaders of canada and mexico at the white house — for the north american leaders summit — the first gathering of the so—called "three amigos" since 2016. ahead of that meeting, the bbc�*s laura trevleyan has been looking at mexico's diplomatic relations with the outside world, including here in the uk. shejoins me now from mexico city. welcome to the historic heart of mexico city, and for more on this topic of how mexico looks to the rest of the world, i am joined now ijy rest of the world, i am joined now byjohn benjamin, the uk ambassador to mexico. welcome to the programme. after give you a plug before we start because christian will love this in london, the investor has nearly 150,000 followers on twitter so not quite the elite diplomat removed from the masses but how does that look to you on the eve of this first north american summit, and five years of the leaders, how do us and mexico relations look because of that this sort of in person meeting shows were turning the corner little bit on the pandemic. as we saw with koppin bit on the pandemic. as we saw with kopp in glasgow. 80% of the experts go to mexico for the about li0 kopp in glasgow. 80% of the experts go to mexico for the about a0 to 50 billion dollars are coming back in remittances, helping many mexicans here. and although the news agenda is often dominated understandably by issues around immigration and security actually there is a big story around the nongovernmental part of that relationship. 38 million or so american citizens who have mexican heritage. there an incredible network of interpersonal relations as well as the governmental issues. it's very important that sort of stomach is able to take place in person again. let's talk about uk mexico relations. i was learning from your staff that mexico is a huge investor in britain, that one of the big bright companies in britain is mexican can one of the big cement companies, what are you doing to open up trade with mexico post break that? it's a huge market, isn't it? it's a market which by the middle of this century some economists predict might break into the top ten largest economies in the world. and so a year ago we negotiated a continuity agreement with mexico which best been made to the old eu mexico agreement carrying on as a british mexican agreement since when we have had further advances we have had barriers to british pork exports to mexico that have come down to we've had an agreement on spirit drinks, more scotch whisky and more tequila going in the other direction. and of course that old eu mexico agreement on which our continuity agreement was based is about 20 years old. so it needs to be refreshed. it does not include renewable energy or digitalisation for example so the next year we're going to start negotiations with the government of mexico towards a new bilateral free trade agreement. thea;i mexico towards a new bilateral free trade agreement.— trade agreement. they should talk about human _ trade agreement. they should talk about human rights, _ trade agreement. they should talk about human rights, a _ trade agreement. they should talk about human rights, a topic- trade agreement. they should talk about human rights, a topic that l trade agreement. they should talk about human rights, a topic that is of importance to the british government and mexico of course, a tricky subject with the cartels come with the violence and there is a un commission on enforced disappearances which is here in mexico the next couple of weeks. looking at people who have literally vanished in mexico what is the uk perspective on that? it’s vanished in mexico what is the uk perspective on that?— perspective on that? it's first of all an issue _ perspective on that? it's first of all an issue in _ perspective on that? it's first of all an issue in mexico, - perspective on that? it's first of| all an issue in mexico, everyone recognises that, you have a very vibrant media, very active civil society ngo human rights sector with whom we have been reading quite regularly recently and the and widespread acknowledgement of the issues so the un committee on enforced disappearances, according to government figures there 90,000 or more disappeared people in mexico. there's issues around impunity for those who have committed crimes so a lot to talk about, but as good friends with mexico we are able to have that discussion in private and to offer help. for example, in the production of investigative journalists in our role as protecting media freedom around the world.— role as protecting media freedom around the world. breads love to go to canc n around the world. breads love to go to cane n and _ around the world. breads love to go to canc n and mexico _ around the world. breads love to go to canc n and mexico but _ around the world. breads love to go to canc n and mexico but the - to canc n and mexico but the violence has led to some tourists being killed even. what you think the situation is they are because of the situation is they are because of the before the pandemic, so in 2019 brits were the third source of tourism into mexico, over half a million visitors that year. with the pandemic that fell away, picking up again now, direct flights have restarted from london to and they have been a couple of security incidents in the last few weeks including one in tuolumne which she mentioned were two for tour is caught up and effectively a dispute before two gangs. and were killed. 0ur consult spent the last week talking to security and local authorities and they are very seized with the fact that local authorities need to get a grip of that problem to protect the gravely important economic activity of tourism to mexico. sorry did not get to that twitter account but he tweets a lot about soccer, i can tell you that. thank you, laura and thank you to investorjohn benjamin. ? ambassadorjohn benjamin. queen elizabeth has been seen in her first official engagement in nearly a month. the 95 year—old monarch withdrew from the remembrance day commemorations at the cenotaph on saunday because of a bad back. but today the queen was seen standing and smiling as she greeted britain's chief of defence staff, general sir nick carter at windsor castle. and looking rather cheery. the queen's eldest son, prince charles, who is currently on a trip tojordan, was asked how his mother is feeling. this is what he had to say. she is all right, thank you very much. going to start in a minute to talk to the investor to the ukraine, to grant the build up of russian troops on ukraine's border. hello there. it wasn't a bad day today for many of us. a lot of dry weather around, a good spell of sunshine after that chilly start, it felt quite pleasant into the afternoon. but there was a lot more cloud across northern and western parts of the uk, particularly western scotland where it will say breezy or even windy with further outbreaks of rain. but for most, tonight it's going to be dry. and it's always drier the further south, closer to this area of high pressure. in the north we've got these low—pressure systems and weather fronts hence the stronger winds, thicker cloud and the outbreaks of rain. it'll stay quite wet and blustery through the night across northern and western scotland, perhaps showers into northern island, northwest england, northwest wales. elsewhere eastern scotland, much of central england, south wales, it will be dry with clear spells was up another fairly chilly night to come here because of the lighter winds and clear skies but milder further north and west. for thursday here's the pressure to the cell, lower pressure to the north. the key to thursday and friday's weather will be the mild air coming in from the southwest was up it can be very mild indeed particularly where we get any brightness. so we could start off with sunshine, central, eastern england, eastern scotland with some shelter here from the south—westerly breeze but it will be cloudier further west with outbreaks of rain. windy again across northern scotland. you can see gusts of 50 miles an hour here through the afternoon. further solve those winds will be light but a breezy day to come i think for all areas. very mild indeed for many, we could see 16 or 17 across the far northeast of scotland giving brightness and the fern effect from the south—westerly winds. as we head through friday's similar set up, high pressure to the cell, low—pressure to the north. a bit of a repeat performance. could see more in the way of cloud i think for friday for many of us. could see some glimmers here and there though across sheltered eastern parts of the uk but the north or northwest, thicker cloud here with outbreaks of rain and those temperatures well above this easel norm, 1a or 15 degrees. this will change into the weekend. we start to see this cold front advance southwards as high pressure pulls back into the atlantic. and that will open the floodgates to in arctic northerly. those blue colours we can see will come racing down the country by sunday i think all areas will be in that arctic air mass. it is turning colder this weekend with a return to some widespread overnight frost. this is bbc news with me christian fraser. borisjohnson says it would be a "tragic mistake" for russia to embark on "military adventurism" on the borders of poland and ukraine. so what is president putin's plan for ukraine? kyiv�*s ambassador to the uk joins me live in the studio in the next few minutes. i'm laura trevelyan in mexico city, where we'll find out why the mexican government is suing american gun companies, after hundreds—of—thousands of us weapons ended up here. i'm serious about this stuff. the office is still the world's most watched programme. we talk to fan favourite brian baumgartner as he publishes a new book about the shows success. and the new dog phone that allows, mans best friend, to phone home. and it comes with collar id. this past week, western leaders have been accusing the russian president vladimir putin of being the mastermind, behind the migrant crisis on the poland belarus border, and there are also concerns about his intentions on russia's border with ukraine. in 2014 the russians annexed crimea — here in red while the grey area is ukraine's donbass region — which is now under the contol of russian backed separatists, and as the map pulls out — you can see the reported russian military build up in yelnya north of the ukranian border. nato chiefjens stoltenberg has urged russia to be transparent about its military plans after an increase in the numbers of russian troops on that border. this is what the russian ambassador to the eu had to say about it when questioned by my colleague tim willcox a little earlier. where russian military contingents should be placed within russian territory is a sovereign decision of the russian authorities. but isn't it suspicious that russian troops should be massing on a border where there has been a war since 2014, still ongoing in that region, of course, where militias and units are supported by russia? well, isn't that disturbing that nato is staging naval and air exercises close to the russian border in that region which is very far away from the united states, britain and other western countries. today, us defence secretary lloyd austin says the united states continues to see buildup on the ukrainian border. the british prime minister boris johnson told a committee of mp�*s it would be a tragic mistake if the russians did mount another incursion. my impression, as i'm sure you would agree, having been to the ukraine several times, met people there, as i'm sure colleagues have around this room, talk to them, i think it would be a tragic and a tragic mistake for the kremlin to think there was anything to be gained by... with me is vadym prystaiko — he is ukraine's ambassador to the uk. ambassador, ukraine's ambassador to the uk. getting happy wit the ambassador, getting happy with us in the studio. how would you characterise the threat that ukraine is facing on this board are? i characterise the threat that ukraine is facing on this board are?- is facing on this board are? i would remind us that _ is facing on this board are? i would remind us that in _ is facing on this board are? i would remind us that in 2014, _ is facing on this board are? i would remind us that in 2014, only - is facing on this board are? i would i remind us that in 2014, only 20,000 russians managed to snatch crimea out of our hands. we are seeing five times more than this number, so this is their trips. times more than this number, so this is their trips-— is their trips. 100,000 troops on the border? _ is their trips. 100,000 troops on the border? yes. _ is their trips. 100,000 troops on the border? yes. and _ is their trips. 100,000 troops on the border? yes. and what - is their trips. 100,000 troops on the border? yes. and what sort. is their trips. 100,000 troops on | the border? yes. and what sort of milita the border? iezs and what sort of military equipment is the border? i23 and what sort of military equipment is there? everything including the divisions armed with the newest russian tanks, which came out away from moscow and stayed there. they will probably be there for the whole winter. this has ha--ened there for the whole winter. this has happened before. _ there for the whole winter. this has happened before. it— there for the whole winter. this has happened before. it tends - there for the whole winter. this has happened before. it tends to - there for the whole winter. this has| happened before. it tends to happen when president putin is for some leverage. might he be looking for some leverage over the pipeline? the --ieline some leverage over the pipeline? tt2 pipeline it's about to come into operational mode, and the only thing that we should be concluding his technical decisions from the german side, which will be quite soon, then we will have to understand what will happen to our own pipeline, which is now providing the european union, and we can do it, we don't need any other pipeline, so this is a political project but russians are pushing, that is what is obviously happening. pushing, that is what is obviously hauenini. , ~'., ., happening. does ukraine have the wea on happening. does ukraine have the weaponry now. — happening. does ukraine have the weaponry now, obviously - happening. does ukraine have the weaponry now, obviously there i happening. does ukraine have the| weaponry now, obviously there has been a number of arms deals signed with the uk and the united states. do you have the wherewithal to defend ukraine? brute do you have the wherewithal to defend ukraine?— do you have the wherewithal to defend ukraine? ~ ., , , defend ukraine? we had the biggest threat, defend ukraine? we had the biggest threat. bake — defend ukraine? we had the biggest threat, bake with _ defend ukraine? we had the biggest threat, bake with -- _ defend ukraine? we had the biggest threat, bake with -- biggest- defend ukraine? we had the biggest threat, bake with -- biggest nuclearj threat, bake with —— biggest nuclear arsenal, that would be enough, that's for sure, as of now, we do not have enough to defend ourselves. that's why we came to london for a defence agreement. this is something we will receive from here, we will build together, build up thejobs in the ukraine here. we will hopefully build two parts, which we need after russia snatched all the parts in occupied crimea.— russia snatched all the parts in occupied crimea. angela merkel is still talkini occupied crimea. angela merkel is still talking to _ occupied crimea. angela merkel is still talking to vladimir _ occupied crimea. angela merkel is still talking to vladimir putin - still talking to vladimir putin economically,, they are quite well tied to russian gas. she is also going to talk to the belarusian president as well. she has confirmed that today. are you at all concerned by the german attitude to russia and belarus? brute by the german attitude to russia and belarus? ~ , ., , ., , , belarus? we believe that germans see at a different — belarus? we believe that germans see at a different way _ belarus? we believe that germans see at a different way than _ belarus? we believe that germans see at a different way than the _ belarus? we believe that germans see at a different way than the rest - belarus? we believe that germans see at a different way than the rest of- at a different way than the rest of us. sometimes they talk about something from the second world where, how much russians have been killed from the aggression, but we have to remind them that each and every time where ukrainians are killed, more belarusians were killed than any russians. we were being occupied. sojobs are than any russians. we were being occupied. so jobs are so much than any russians. we were being occupied. sojobs are so much now, they are thinking of the enormous tragedy is, they have to think about us as well, notjust russians. you us as well, not 'ust russians. you must be aware — us as well, notjust russians. you must be aware that _ us as well, notjust russians. you must be aware that for all the talk we have to think about us as well, not just we have to think about us as well, notjust russians. you must be aware that for all the talk we've heard today, from lord austin, boris johnson, other european leaders that it is unlikely that nato or the united states would come to ukraine's aid if there was another incursion. , , ., , incursion. over the seven years when we start to — incursion. over the seven years when we start to understand _ incursion. over the seven years when we start to understand us _ incursion. over the seven years when we start to understand us ourselves. | we start to understand us ourselves. we hoped somebody would come to save us, to help us, now we have to rely mostly on our own strengths, but the sanctions, the united position and the assistance which has been provided has so far been enough for us to withstand russian pressure. t us to withstand russian pressure. i wonder though if events like this push nato membership further away because under article five, mutual defence,, if you are a nato member, nato would have no option but to come to ukraine's aid. sub does this make it more difficult, particularly when the russian president is talking about being encircled by nato? t talking about being encircled by nato? ., , ., talking about being encircled by nato? ., i. ., �*, nato? i agree with you, that's robabl nato? i agree with you, that's probably what _ nato? i agree with you, that's probably what russia - nato? i agree with you, that's probably what russia thinks, l nato? i agree with you, that's l probably what russia thinks, we nato? i agree with you, that's - probably what russia thinks, we have a sense of what nato would have from the ukraine. the biggest area, 50 million people, that something that nato can be enlarged, ratherthan that something that nato can be enlarged, rather than weakened. can i talk to enlarged, ratherthan weakened. can i talk to about the migrants on your border. it is a 1000, the border with the ukraine. i read today that the national guard rapid response forces moving further west. but there is a part of your border that is open, and that is the border that you cannot patrol. would you like to explain? you cannot patrol. would you like to exlain? , . , you cannot patrol. would you like to exlain? , ., , ., ., ., explain? generally we have good relations with _ explain? generally we have good relations with celebrations - explain? generally we have good relations with celebrations and i explain? generally we have good l relations with celebrations and our body within, but there is a specific part of the border which belongs to the chernobyl zone people still remember what chernobyl means. that is 40 km strengths with chernobyl, there is no one on that border. ts there is no one on that border. t3 100 km. nobody is defending it for those reasons. people can be there, even the soldiers can be there. so if this is pushed a bit or advised where be shown the direction, they will probably go how to defend there,. tt will probably go how to defend there,. , ., will probably go how to defend there,. ,, . will probably go how to defend there,. i. ., ., there,. if you are saying that if these migrants _ there,. if you are saying that if these migrants going - there,. if you are saying that if these migrants going to - there,. if you are saying that if these migrants going to the i there,. if you are saying that if. these migrants going to the area around chernobyl, no one,, is going after them. around chernobyl, no one,, is going afterthem. but around chernobyl, no one,, is going after them. but then they are going to come out, and what happens to the nine? . , . , to come out, and what happens to the nine? ., , ., , .,, , ., nine? that is a very open question, has the chance _ nine? that is a very open question, has the chance to _ nine? that is a very open question, has the chance to have _ nine? that is a very open question, has the chance to have chernobyl. nine? that is a very open question, | has the chance to have chernobyl at south, we have to see what would happen. ijust hope that belarusians understand pushing the people in their own direction of their own chernobyl disaster. ibshd their own direction of their own chernobyl disaster. and pastor, it's iood to chernobyl disaster. and pastor, it's good to have _ chernobyl disaster. and pastor, it's good to have you — chernobyl disaster. and pastor, it's good to have you in _ chernobyl disaster. and pastor, it's good to have you in the _ chernobyl disaster. and pastor, it's good to have you in the studio. - good to have you in the studio. thank you for coming in. let's return to mexico city — special coverage ahead of the summit in washington tomorrow involving the three north american leaders. the meeting comes as the us and mexico are squaring off over the issue of guns. more specifically, mexico's government is suing american gunmakers for allegedly facilitating the sale of guns to drug cartels. laura trevelyan joins us now with that. that's right, christian. it's estimated that 70% of the guns that are found on crime scenes in mexico came to mexico from the united states. so, for more on this unprecedented lawsuit that the mexican government is bringing against us gun companies, i am joined now by ellie solaria who has the legal adviser to the mexican ministry of foreign affairs. thank you for being with us. so, why is the mexican government bringing this lawsuit? what are you hoping to achieve? taste lawsuit? what are you hoping to achieve? ~ ., ., ., ., achieve? we had to do it, we had --eole achieve? we had to do it, we had people dying. _ achieve? we had to do it, we had people dying. we _ achieve? we had to do it, we had people dying, we had _ achieve? we had to do it, we had people dying, we had people - people dying, we had people disappear. as we advance the bilateral— disappear. as we advance the bilateral conversation with us government, we can stop the illicit trafficking — government, we can stop the illicit trafficking of guns. we have to look into one _ trafficking of guns. we have to look into one side, but it's not often looked — into one side, but it's not often looked at. _ into one side, but it's not often looked at, it's a corporate responsibility. what are the government factories doing or not doing _ government factories doing or not doing to _ government factories doing or not doing to stop or facilitating the illicit_ doing to stop or facilitating the illicit trafficking of their guns? 0ne illicit trafficking of their guns? one of— illicit trafficking of their guns? one of the interesting things about your lawsuit is that us gun companies specifically designed and pistols that they know well sough to the mexican drug cartels. can you tell me more about that? {elms tell me more about that? guns have been found — tell me more about that? guns have been found in _ tell me more about that? guns have been found in crime _ tell me more about that? guns have been found in crime scenes - tell me more about that? guns have been found in crime scenes in - tell me more about that? guns havel been found in crime scenes in mexico with mexican details, aztec symbols, they come _ with mexican details, aztec symbols, they come from gun manufacturers in they come from gun manufacturers in the us _ they come from gun manufacturers in the us it _ they come from gun manufacturers in the us it is _ they come from gun manufacturers in the us. it is evident that gun manufacturers know that their consumers in mexico like those guns. the thing _ consumers in mexico like those guns. the thing is _ consumers in mexico like those guns. the thing is that in mexico, you cannot— the thing is that in mexico, you cannot get— the thing is that in mexico, you cannot get those guns legally. so they are — cannot get those guns legally. so they are on the market in the us and then illicitly— they are on the market in the us and then illicitly trafficked into mexico. ., ., , ,, ., ., , mexico. you are seeking damages, aren't you. — mexico. you are seeking damages, aren't you. from — mexico. you are seeking damages, aren't you, from the _ mexico. you are seeking damages, aren't you, from the us _ mexico. you are seeking damages, aren't you, from the us gun - aren't you, from the us gun companies for the havoc that has been reached here in mexico. what kinds of sums are you talking about? we are looking into sums of 3—6% of theirgdp, _ we are looking into sums of 3—6% of their gdp, mexico's gdp, we are talking _ their gdp, mexico's gdp, we are talking about tens of thousands of millions— talking about tens of thousands of millions of dollars of people that have been killed, have suffered harm. _ have been killed, have suffered harm, planes that have been brought down by— harm, planes that have been brought down by shots. this is a lot of damage — down by shots. this is a lot of damage inflicted directly to the government of mexico. but damage inflicted directly to the government of mexico. but you know that us iun government of mexico. but you know that us gun companies _ government of mexico. but you know that us gun companies are _ government of mexico. but you know that us gun companies are protected| that us gun companies are protected by congress from liability for the products that they sell, unlike anything else in the united states, so surely your lawsuit has very little chance of success. the i would say that success is around the question if that statute has extruded territorial effects, meaning a us ally would be covering and protecting a us company for their product causing damage in mexico. i believe that the statute doesn't provide immunity from liability of harm suffered in mexico to the government in mexico. itrai’ith liability of harm suffered in mexico to the government in mexico. with us come u- to the government in mexico. with us come up tomorrow _ to the government in mexico. with us come up tomorrow at _ to the government in mexico. with us come up tomorrow at the _ to the government in mexico. with us come up tomorrow at the north - come up tomorrow at the north american latest summit, when the president meets the american president? t president meets the american president?— president? i don't believe the lawsuit, president? i don't believe the lawsuit. per _ president? i don't believe the lawsuit, per se, _ president? i don't believe the lawsuit, per se, but - president? i don't believe the lawsuit, per se, but will - president? i don't believe the| lawsuit, per se, but will come president? i don't believe the i lawsuit, per se, but will come up president? i don't believe the - lawsuit, per se, but will come up is how well_ lawsuit, per se, but will come up is how well we — lawsuit, per se, but will come up is how well we are working as governments in stopping the illicit trafficking of guns, and it's time corporations take their part in trying — corporations take their part in trying to— corporations take their part in trying to solve gun violence in mexico — trying to solve gun violence in mexico and in the region. ale'andro, thank ou mexico and in the region. ale'andro, thank you so — mexico and in the region. ale'andro, thank you so much i mexico and in the region. ale'andro, thank you so much fort mexico and in the region. alejandro, thank you so much forjoining - mexico and in the region. alejandro, thank you so much forjoining us. i thank you so much forjoining us. isn't that fascinating, christian, and, it comesjust isn't that fascinating, christian, and, it comes just as the families whose children were killed in that horrific massacre in the united states, that mass shooting at sandy hook, one us gun company has offered to settle with them. that is another thing which the mexican government thinks is an encouraging development in their lawsuit.— is an encouraging development in their lawsuit. interest income isn't a? i their lawsuit. interest income isn't a? iwonder— their lawsuit. interest income isn't a? i wonder if— their lawsuit. interest income isn't a? i wonder if that _ their lawsuit. interest income isn't a? i wonder if that will _ their lawsuit. interest income isn't a? i wonder if that will be - a? i wonder if that will be discussed tomorrow at the summit. i know what you will be back with us tomorrow for the main event, the meeting at the white house, we will look forward to more of that coverage. laura, thank you. in delhi — air pollution remains at dangerously high levels. the authorities have now temporarily shut down several coal — fired power stations. all schools and colleges have been closed — non—essential construction has stopped, and people are being urged to use public transport. india's supreme court has been demanding urgent action. judges have expressed frustration at state officials — accusing them of not wanting to take decisions. bbc�*s salman ravi reports from delhi. a state of chronic emergency has been imposed in and around india's capital after the air quality has worsened over the last one week. schools have been asked to shut down, colleges and other educational institutions have also been ordered to shut down for a week's time, while government officers have been asked to cut down by 50% and the government has also appealed to the private institutions to ensure that most of their employees work from home. the air quality index has reached around 500 points this week, which is very severe. now the government is reviewing the situation, heavy vehicles have been asked not to enter the capital city, and the air quality management commissioner has also asked neighbouring states and cities to ensure that the industrial units are shut down for a period of one week, that includes thermal power plants also. and after a week, the commissioner is going to review the air quality level and daily, and thenit air quality level and daily, and then it will decide whether that span or this emergency is extended for another one week's time or not. looks pretty bad there. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: we check in with kevin malone from the office, as the actor behind the role brian baumgartner releases a book charting the behind the scenes story of the world's most watched tv show. lets return to that story of the crash involving the british fighter jet that went down in the mediterranean sea today. the ministry of defence confirmed the pilot on board the f35jet, ejected from the aircraft before it crashed and has been safety returned to the ship. the f35s, worth around £100 million each, provide air cover for the the aircraft carrier the hms queen elizabeth. an investigation is now under way. 0ur correspondent dan johnson has more. we believe that this happened at around ten o'clock this morning, uk time, as the aircraft carrier, hms queen elizabeth and sailing to the mediterranean sea on return from an operation that it's been getting out in the east. we are told by the mod that this was a routine flying operation, essentially a training mission or to keep up the pilots flying hours when something went wrong and the pilot felt that he or she needed to eject from the aircraft, so the pilot did that, the pilot has been recovered safely back to the aircraft carrier, but it means that the jet has gone down into the sea, has crashed and has been lost. that's an expensive plane. the important thing is that the pilot is safe after that search and rescue mission, but there will not be —— search and rescue mission, but there will now be an investigation to work out what went wrong and what caused that. it's a huge programme they are aiming to deliver over 100 of these jets in the time, but is still relatively early stages, although, this has been in development for almost a decade now. it's only actually been operational with the raf and the navy for the last couple of years. so to lose one relatively early in that programme, there are only about 24 of them actually with the british armed the british armed forces at the moment, to lose one now would be a matter of concern, that's why there will be an intense investigation to work out was this a technical problem, was there some sort of human error that may have played a part in this? the mod says that this was a routine flying operation, they don't believe any hostile engagement was involved in the loss of this jet, but they will be trying to work out exactly what went wrong, because these are hugely expensive machines, and this is supposed to play a major part of britain's air defences in the future. now, fans of the american version of the office are in for a treat — brian baumgartner, who plays the toup —wearing accountant kevin malone, has just published a new book. 16 years since the show first aired, he has been back to interview all the cast and crew that worked on the show, to give us the behind the scenes low—down on what has made it so successful. and fortunately brian in real life is better with words than kevin — take a look. at least once a year, i like to bring in some of my kevin's famous chilli. the trick is to under cook the onions. everybody is going to get to know each other in the pot. i'm serious about that stuff. i'm up the night before, pressing garlic and dicing whole tomatoes. i toast my own chilis. it's a recipe passed down from malones for generations. it's probably the thing i do best. laughter great stuff, and eight years later it's still the world's most watched tv show — in 2020 people watched the office for 57 billion minutes, that's almost as many minutes as people spend watching this programme! so they tell me. the book is welcome to dunder mifflin' — and i've been speaking to one of it's authors, kevin malone, also known as the actor brian baumgartner. it was an active exploration that i had it, which was based on a question, which is why? why this show that was big when it was on tv, why has it now not just survived eight years after we have filmed anything, but why is it now today the most—watched show intellivision? but why is it now today the most—watched show in telivision? people are talking about succession, squid game, more people are watching the office then are watching anything else on television today, this book is my attempt to answer that question, which is why. did you come to an answer as to why it was so successful? well, i think that there are a few things, but i think that the most tangible answer that i had was, you know, we believed we were making a show for people who work in offices, right? and there was a dialogue that would happen between us on set, when we were struggling, which was, well, there are 200 million americans or something that worked in office buildings, if we can get 10% of those people to relate or a 5%, we are going to have a hit show. but i think what we didn't realise was the parallel and the correlation between an unreasonable boss making his employees do unreasonable things while sitting next to people they don't choose to sit next to. the parallel between that and an unreasonable teacher who makes their students do unreasonable things while standing next to this collection of people, and i think it's really the young audience with kind of subversive comedy, especially for us in the us, that has really driven the show it to new heights today. you have gone back and you have interviewed ricky gervais, of course, and stephen merchant, the creators of the original british version of the office, and i read that you got into the nitty—gritty of what they find funny, and you call it "cringe humour". do you think, is cringe humour the reason why it had to be remade and an american version? does that travel, do you think, to us audience? well, i think it was very difference. we didn't have in terms of what we call reality television. we didn't have those shows, so part of what we had to do was not just adapt that, the original office, the uk office to the united states, but we also had to at the same time, teach people what that show it was that the show was mocking. do you know that your meme, kevin malone laughing, this meme, people here in the uk will know it when it moves, but it's basically but it's basically the meme that we all send when something happens. if you would have been paid a pound for every time this was sent, i mean, you would be elon musk by now. this is one of the most popular memes in the world. yes, there is that one and the one where, well, that kevin's spills the chilli. i think that when i think may actually be even more here in the united states. it's crazy. i mean, the popularity of the show and, you know, i think even specifically kevin malone, there is a love that people have for that character that i had no idea i would end up where we are today, eight years since we found anything. —— where we are today, eight years since we filmed anything. i love your character, and, so many of them want to talk to kevin malone. so you know do this on cameo, am i right? you have a sidearm on cameo that is very successful. yes, it has been really successful. imean, look... $1 million, i'm being told in my ear. you made $1 million from cameo?! listen, i let...we know i'm not good at numbers. i don't know what the exact figures are. here is how i view cameo. i view it not about me, and part of it is i think who i am on the show. it's not about me, it's not about getting a message from me, this is how i view it. i view it as an attempt of two people who want to make a connection, a father and his daughter that used to watch the show together now maybe she's away at school or is in another town, and they want to make a connection, and so they get this message from me because it brings them back to a moment that they actually shared together. as long as i keep focused on that, and how much people seem to be enjoying it, then it's been actually very rewarding for me. listen, before i let you go, in the voice of kevin, could you tell us about the book where we can find it, and what it's about? welcome to dunder mifflin. it is...awesome. laughter rate step. he has a big success in america, and getting bigger, by the sounds of it. until now — dogs have relied on simple — but remarkably efficient — ways of communicating with us humans. a bark, a nudge with the nose — with my dog its the whites of the eyese. but this is the digital age — so i suppose it was only a matter of time before someone thought of this. a scientist at glasgow university has invented a ball that allows dogs to phone home. if they push this the device ? nicknamed dogphone ? in a certain way it sends a signal to a laptop that begin a video call. i'd never be off the phone. it says here the owner can also place a call to their pet — though the dog has to move the ball in order to answer the call. can you imagine? what is that, lassie because maggie will be on your way home shortly clay smacked three trees can a us knitting three trees, two lamp posts, 0k, knitting three trees, two lamp posts, ok, i knitting three trees, two lamp posts, 0k, iwill get knitting three trees, two lamp posts, ok, i will get the dinner on. see you shortly. hello. it's been a fairly chilly start to this week, although it hasn't felt too bad during the day where you've had sunshine. the next few days, though, looking very mild indeed for the time of year, but there will be quite a bit of cloud around and then as we move into the weekend and into the following week, the last week of november, it's looking much colder. now, for thursday, we've got higher pressure to the south of the uk, lower pressure to the north. more isobars here and weather fronts so it will be quite windy and at times wet. but it's the wind direction which is key for the next few days coming in deeply from the south—west, azores air, moving right across the country and bringing those temperatures well above where they should be for the time of year. but it will be fairly moisture—laden air, a lot of cloud around, particularly northern and western areas, where we'll have windy conditions and outbreaks of rain. best of the sunshine — eastern scotland and eastern parts of england. this is where we'll see the highest of the temperatures. we could see up to 17 degrees in the aberdeenshire area because of foehn effect. the average temperature for this time of year across the uk — around 9 degrees, so those values, mid—teens upwards, is certainly much warmer than what we expect. a similar picture for friday. higher pressure to the south, lower pressure to the north so, again, it's going to be windy here with outbreaks of rain. quite a lot of cloud generally for friday, with limited spells of sunshine, but with our air still coming in from the south—west, another very mild day, 14 to 15 degrees, we could see 16 or so across the far north—east of scotland given some bright spells. then it's all change into the weekend. we start to see arctic air take over. those temperatures will plummet below the seasonal average by the time we reach sunday and beyond. so here it is, this cold front starts to move southwards across the country during saturday into sunday. i think most areas will be in that blue air. so, for saturday, it's not a bad day for england and wales. you should see some sunshine around. still holding on to the dregs of some slightly milder air here, 12, maybe 13 degrees. this band of rain will be moving southwards, behind, the air turning much colder with a few blustery showers. it will move southwards during saturday night. by sunday morning, many of us will wake up to a frost, fairly clear skies with plenty of sunshine. the last of that weather front should clear away from the south—east through sunday, so it could be quite damp here. then it's brighter but a breezy, sunny, very cold day with showers across northern and eastern coasts. these will have a wintry flavour to them. in fact, you add on the strong northerly winds, temperatures will be lower than those temperatures suggest. now as you move out of sunday into monday, it could be high pressure topples in again from the west. that will briefly cut off the screaming northerly, so the arctic air supply will be cut off briefly, but the cold air will still be sitting across the country. it could be quite breezy across the south. here, it will feel quite cold but because it is higher pressure moving in for monday, it could be quite settled after a frosty start. we could see quite a bit of sunshine around but the temperature, i think, for most around in single digits. and then beyond that, as we move through the last week of november, it could be that high pressure retreats back westwards, lower pressure to the east, and that will allow, again, a northerly run of winds, which will feed some wintry showers at times. so you can see the deep blues return after monday across the country to bring that very cold weather once again. there's still some uncertainty of this. you'll have to stay tuned to the forecast. but it does look like the last week of november is going to be cold. after a settled spell, thanks to high pressure, it could turn even colder, with some wintry showers towards the end of next week. see you later. tonight at 10pm, we're in belfast, at a time of growing uncertainty for the people of northern ireland. we talk to local firms about the state of the economy, as inflation across the uk reaches levels not seen for a decade. i've been in this business 29 years and i've never experienced this, not the sustained price increases. i don't see any end to it at the minute. the cost of living is rising sharply, due to higher fuel and energy prices, the cost of second—hand cars and eating out. we'll be asking whether rising inflation is likely to lead to a jump in interest rates. also today... borisjohnson admits he made mistakes in handling the tory lobbying scandal, but he doesn't apologise.