is this untreated sewage being discharged into a river? thames water says it will investigate. campaigners say the company could be in breach of its permit. with only 2a hours�* notice, adele postpones her entire residency in las vegas. # likea # like a bat out of hell, i'll be gone when the morning comes... and the singer meat loaf, who recorded one of the biggest—selling albums of all time, has died at the age of 7a. and coming up on the bbc news channel. defending champion naomi 0saka crashes out of the australian open, while the top seed and home favourite ashleigh barty marches on. hello, good afternoon. welcome to the bbc news at 0ne. in the last hour talks between foreign ministers from russia and the us over fears that russia could invade ukraine have concluded. us secretary of stake anthony blinken said there had been a "frank and substa ntive" exchange. he also warned of a swift and severe response and "massive consequences" if moscow was to invade. but the russian foreign minister sergei lavrov said there are no plans to attack ukraine, adding he hoped emotions will calm down. meanwhile, the first members of a 30 strong british military team have arrived in ukraine to help train local forces to use of anti—tank weapons. borisjohnson says any russian incursion would be a disaster for both countries, and the world. this report is from paul adams. russian surface to air missiles on the move in the country's far east, due tojoin the move in the country's far east, due to join what russia calls military drills close to ukraine next month, part of invasion plan or merely russia visibly piling on the pressure? the atmosphere in geneva is febrile. the stakes couldn't be higher or the mood less optimistic. if the greetings seemed awkward, thatis if the greetings seemed awkward, that is hardly surprising. is an that is hardly surprising. is an invasion likely, _ that is hardly surprising. is an invasion likely, as _ that is hardly surprising. is an invasion likely, as president l that is hardly surprising. is an invasion likely, as president biden suggested? invasion likely, as president biden su: nested? ,, ., ., , , invasion likely, as president biden su~aested? ,, ., ., , , ., suggested? sergei lavrov seems to su: est it suggested? sergei lavrov seems to suggest it is — suggested? sergei lavrov seems to suggest it is up _ suggested? sergei lavrov seems to suggest it is up to _ suggested? sergei lavrov seems to suggest it is up to the _ suggested? sergei lavrov seems to suggest it is up to the united - suggest it is up to the united states. and then after a meeting that lasted just an hour and a half, tentative signs that diplomacy is not over. talks, mr lavrov said, have been useful. translation: , , ., ., translation: this is not the end of our dialogue. _ translation: this is not the end of our dialogue. as _ translation: this is not the end of our dialogue, as i _ translation: this is not the end of our dialogue, as i said, _ translation: this is not the end of our dialogue, as i said, and - our dialogue, as i said, and secretary— our dialogue, as i said, and secretary blinken has said we will -et secretary blinken has said we will get a _ secretary blinken has said we will get a reaction to our initiative. mr blinken get a reaction to our initiative. blinken says get a reaction to our initiative. iji' blinken says he get a reaction to our initiative. m blinken says he will share america's concerns and ideas in more detail next week, but... we concerns and ideas in more detail next week, but. . ._ concerns and ideas in more detail next week, but... we have been clear that if any russian _ next week, but... we have been clear that if any russian military _ next week, but... we have been clear that if any russian military forces - that if any russian military forces move _ that if any russian military forces move across ukraine's border, that is a renewed — move across ukraine's border, that is a renewed invasion and it will be met with _ is a renewed invasion and it will be met with swift, severe and united response — met with swift, severe and united response from the united states and our partners and allies. fresh satellite images _ our partners and allies. fresh satellite images show - our partners and allies. fresh satellite images show russia | our partners and allies. fresh - satellite images show russia still massing men and equipment at strategic locations. american officials have said an attack of some kind could come soon, but diplomats haven't lost hope. we still diplomats haven't lost hope. - still believe that there is a slight possibility that the catastrophe can be averted, and that is what our american and uk colleagues believe, that we can avoid a catastrophic war. �* ., , . ., ., that we can avoid a catastrophic war. �* ., , .., ., ., war. but if it does come to a fight, ukraine says _ war. but if it does come to a fight, ukraine says it _ war. but if it does come to a fight, ukraine says it is _ war. but if it does come to a fight, ukraine says it is better _ war. but if it does come to a fight, ukraine says it is better prepared i ukraine says it is better prepared than before, releasing these pictures yesterday to drive home the point. the country's allies telling russia not to expect a walkover. the ukrainians will fight this. this could — ukrainians will fight this. this could end _ ukrainians will fight this. this could end up _ ukrainians will fight this. this could end up as— ukrainians will fight this. this could end up as a _ ukrainians will fight this. this could end up as a quagmire, i ukrainians will fight this. this i could end up as a quagmire, and ukrainians will fight this. this - could end up as a quagmire, and i think— could end up as a quagmire, and i thinkinat— could end up as a quagmire, and i think that should _ could end up as a quagmire, and i think that should be _ could end up as a quagmire, and i think that should be seriously - think that should be seriously considered _ think that should be seriously considered by— think that should be seriously considered by russia. - think that should be seriously considered by russia. for. think that should be seriously considered by russia. for now, russia appears _ considered by russia. for now, russia appears to _ considered by russia. for now, russia appears to believe - considered by russia. for now, j russia appears to believe there considered by russia. for now, i russia appears to believe there is still value in talking. mr lavrov said he hoped emotions would now call. but the gulf which divides the two sides are still immense. the russians have _ two sides are still immense. the russians have made very high level demands. _ russians have made very high level demands, calling for nato to pull back to _ demands, calling for nato to pull back to 1997 borders, to never extend — back to 1997 borders, to never extend the option for ukraine and georgia _ extend the option for ukraine and georgia to — extend the option for ukraine and georgia tojoin nato, and that united — georgia tojoin nato, and that united states to pull back its nuclear— united states to pull back its nuclear commitment to europe. this is clearly— nuclear commitment to europe. this is clearly unacceptable.— is clearly unacceptable. geneva's windswe -t is clearly unacceptable. geneva's windswept lakeside _ is clearly unacceptable. geneva's windswept lakeside has - is clearly unacceptable. geneva's windswept lakeside has now- is clearly unacceptable. geneva's| windswept lakeside has now been is clearly unacceptable. geneva's - windswept lakeside has now been the backdrop for two rounds of high—level diplomacy. is there are now a process that can avert conflict? it is too early to say. paul adams, conflict? it is too early to say. pauladams, bbc conflict? it is too early to say. paul adams, bbc news. 0ur diplomatic correspondent james landale is in geneva. those news conferences have just finished. what is your assessment of what the two men had to say? i think this morning — what the two men had to say? i think this morning has _ what the two men had to say? i think this morning has gone _ what the two men had to say? i think this morning has gone largely - what the two men had to say? i think this morning has gone largely as - what the two men had to say? i think this morning has gone largely as we | this morning has gone largely as we expected it to go, in other words, both sides have exchanged views, both sides have exchanged views, both sides have exchanged views, both sides set out their own agendas and both sides agreed to carry on and both sides agreed to carry on and continue talking and to continue engaging. now, from the russian point of view, they think that is a good sign because the americans have said next week we are going to put some ideas actually on paper in response to russia's very maximalist demands, that nato stepped back from its positions in eastern europe, that it rules out membership ever for ukraine and things like that, all of which the us has said are nonstarters. but at least that process is now being engaged within a formal process, and i think the americans are happy simply because the talks continue. they are able to look at the russians across the table and say, look, as you heard in the report, if there is any military action over ukraine's borders, there will be swift and severe responses, and the hope is that the longer the russians keep talking, then the longer that process can potentially endure, and if it does, then that might have a role in delaying some kind of military action in the future. so largely as we expected. james, thank you for now. james landale in geneva. mps have called the underpayment of state pension to more than 100,000 women a "shameful shambles", and have warned that the mistakes could be repeated during the work to correct them. the department for work and pensions says it's resolving cases as quickly as possible, but the efforts have been described as ineffective and the staffing costs for the correction work are expected to reach £24 million. sarah corker reports. forfour for four decades, forfour decades, for for four decades, for thousands of women under in the uk have been underpaid on their pensions. some are owed life changing amounts of money. are owed life changing amounts of mone . ., , . ., are owed life changing amounts of mone. ., ,. ., , money. you expect that the pension department — money. you expect that the pension department don't _ money. you expect that the pension department don't make _ money. you expect that the pension department don't make errors, - department don't make errors, really. department don't make errors, reall . �* �* , department don't make errors, reall. “ , ., ., really. the bbc has been following the stories of— really. the bbc has been following the stories of those _ really. the bbc has been following the stories of those who _ really. the bbc has been following the stories of those who have - the stories of those who have battled to get errors corrected. it just doesn't seem right when so much time has _ just doesn't seem right when so much time has been lost and so much money has been _ time has been lost and so much money has been lost _ time has been lost and so much money has been lost in the interim. and john's mother — has been lost in the interim. and john's mother was _ has been lost in the interim. situc john's mother was short—changed for 20 years. john's mother was short-changed for 20 ears. ' :: i~ john's mother was short-changed for 20 ears. ' :: j~ . john's mother was short-changed for 20 ears. ':: j~ . , john's mother was short-changed for 20 ears. ':: j~ . 20 years. £107,852, which is an amazin: 20 years. £107,852, which is an amazing amount. _ 20 years. £107,852, which is an amazing amount. so _ 20 years. £107,852, which is an amazing amount. so what - 20 years. £107,852, which is an amazing amount. so what went| 20 years. £107,852, which is an - amazing amount. so what went wrong? damnin: amazing amount. so what went wrong? damning reports— amazing amount. so what went wrong? damning reports by _ amazing amount. so what went wrong? damning reports by the _ amazing amount. so what went wrong? damning reports by the public - damning reports by the public accounts committee shows mistakes going back as far as 1985. in total, 134,000 pensioners are owed an estimated £1 billion. some widows, divorcees and women able to claim through their husbands pension contributions have been underpaid. complex rules, outdated systems and manual handling have all been blamed. ,~ , manual handling have all been blamed. - , ., ., blamed. the dwp needs to sort out the error and _ blamed. the dwp needs to sort out the error and get _ blamed. the dwp needs to sort out the error and get cracking _ blamed. the dwp needs to sort out the error and get cracking with - the error and get cracking with making sure people and their estates where they have tied have the payments that they are owed, but they also need to make sure they are sorting out their it systems in future, and we want to see proper compensation. future, and we want to see proper compensation-— compensation. former pensions minister steve _ compensation. former pensions minister steve webb _ compensation. former pensions minister steve webb first - compensation. former pensions i minister steve webb first revealed the scale of the problem is. it is clear to me _ the scale of the problem is. it is clear to me that _ the scale of the problem is. it is clear to me that mistakes are still being _ clear to me that mistakes are still being made today. i hear from people who get— being made today. i hear from people who get letters telling them everything is fine, and when we check, — everything is fine, and when we check, it— everything is fine, and when we check, it is— everything is fine, and when we check, it is not. the government needs— check, it is not. the government needs to — check, it is not. the government needs to take this issue much more seriously— needs to take this issue much more seriously and urgently.— needs to take this issue much more seriously and urgently. some will be re aid, seriously and urgently. some will be reaid, but seriously and urgently. some will be repaid, but others _ seriously and urgently. some will be repaid, but others can _ seriously and urgently. some will be repaid, but others can only - seriously and urgently. some will be repaid, but others can only backdate claims for 12 months because of when her husband retired. ifirst claims for 12 months because of when her husband retired. i first spoke to her last year. today, she is still fighting to get the full amount. i still fighting to get the full amount. . , ., , amount. ifeel really angry. ifeel let down by _ amount. i feel really angry. i feel let down by the _ amount. ifeel really angry. ifeel let down by the system, - amount. ifeel really angry. ifeel let down by the system, and - amount. ifeel really angry. ifeel let down by the system, and it'sl let down by the system, and it's just so unfair.— let down by the system, and it's 'ust so unfair. . ., :: :: :: :: ., just so unfair. around 40,000 women have already — just so unfair. around 40,000 women have already died _ just so unfair. around 40,000 women have already died without _ just so unfair. around 40,000 women have already died without getting - have already died without getting the money they are owed. the dwp says it is resolving cases as quickly as possible, and a team of up quickly as possible, and a team of up to 500 civil servants will be working to trace those affected, but it is a huge task, and it could take until the end of 2023 to complete. all of this has a knock—on effect. experienced staff have been moved away from day—to—day duties to fix these issues, and that is already causing a backlog in processing new applications. sarah caulker, bbc news. from today some covid restrictions are easing in wales and northern ireland. in wales, restrictions on outdoor sporting events and outdoor hospitality have lifted. and in northern ireland, the rule of six has been dropped at hospitality venues. in a moment we'll talk to our ireland correspondent emma vardy. first to our wales correspondent tomos morgan, who's in cardiff. as you mentioned, jane, the big one is now that spectators can go to stadiums now, the six nations here in swansea over the weekend is just a few weeks away, and a huge boost economically. also as you mention, outdoor hospitality restriction is easing, and the first minister saying if things keep moving in the right direction, indoor hospitality restrictions, the rule of six, will go next friday. he has also said today that they have been following the science here in wales, whereas in england he said that boris johnson's government is more focused on the headlines are not on the 19 macro situation. the on the headlines are not on the 19 macro situation.— macro situation. the first and de - u macro situation. the first and deputy first _ macro situation. the first and deputy first ministers - macro situation. the first and deputy first ministers in - macro situation. the first and - deputy first ministers in northern ireiand _ deputy first ministers in northern ireland have said that the relaxation of rules here reflects the fact — relaxation of rules here reflects the fact that they believe we are now passed the peak in terms of the number— now passed the peak in terms of the number of— now passed the peak in terms of the number of cases of ohmic run, and the number— number of cases of ohmic run, and the numberof number of cases of ohmic run, and the number of hospitalisations. so from _ the number of hospitalisations. so from today— the number of hospitalisations. so from today you can go back to a bar and order— from today you can go back to a bar and order a — from today you can go back to a bar and ordera drink from today you can go back to a bar and order a drink at the bar, the end of— and order a drink at the bar, the end of the — and order a drink at the bar, the end of the mandatory table service only will, _ end of the mandatory table service only will, and that limit of six people — only will, and that limit of six people to _ only will, and that limit of six people to a table here is also being dropped _ people to a table here is also being dropped in — people to a table here is also being dropped in pubs and restaurants. and as you _ dropped in pubs and restaurants. and as you might expect, it has been welcomed — as you might expect, it has been welcomed by the hospitality industry, lots of businesses in northern— industry, lots of businesses in northern ireland in that sector have been quite — northern ireland in that sector have been quite frustrated and felt that they were having to bear the brunt of the _ they were having to bear the brunt of the rules to try and control the virus _ of the rules to try and control the virus there — of the rules to try and control the virus. there is also another big change — virus. there is also another big change coming on wednesday next week, _ change coming on wednesday next week, there will be an end to the legal— week, there will be an end to the legal requirement to show vaccine passports — legal requirement to show vaccine passports in northern ireland if you are going _ passports in northern ireland if you are going to pubs, restaurants and cinemas. _ are going to pubs, restaurants and cinemas, something else that has been _ cinemas, something else that has been welcomed here by businesses who felt that— been welcomed here by businesses who felt that they were pretty tricky to enforce _ felt that they were pretty tricky to enforce on the doors. but saying all that, _ enforce on the doors. but saying all that, those — enforce on the doors. but saying all that, those relaxations are happening, but the message from ministers — happening, but the message from ministers here is asking the public still to— ministers here is asking the public still to take some level of personal responsibility in all this, still for people to take their own precautions.— for people to take their own precautions. for people to take their own recautions. ., ,, , ., , . precautions. thank you very much, emma vardy _ precautions. thank you very much, emma vardy and _ precautions. thank you very much, emma vardy and tomos _ precautions. thank you very much, emma vardy and tomos morgan. l as covid restrictions were eased in england this week, including the guidance to work from home, people are beginning to return to offices. for many workers, and the city centre cafes, shops and restaurants which rely on trade from commuters, it's good news. but some people are concerned the changes have come too early. our business correspondent emma simpson has been to coventry to find out more. hands up if you're happy to be back. cheering. no hesitation here, just a bit of plugging back into their desks. at this small head office in coventry, the team is reunited. morning, how are we doing? hello. i'm buzzing. i haven't seen everybody in the company yet, to be fair, so it's nice to see everybody, happy faces, good atmosphere. we're adaptable. we survive. that's what we do here. and you feel safe? yeah, i do feel safe. this is a training business helping those most in need to find jobs. the boss says they work far better in person. i really hope that is the last time that we have to work all separately, because there is so much to be gained from people working together. notjust for the community, but for the team itself. and they have had it really, really hard trying to work on their own remotely, so this has to be it now. down the road in the city centre, businesses like this one hope so too. december was a ghost town, really. there was a huge drop—off in footfall and we lost a lot of business. i'm hoping it will pick back up again now with restrictions lifting and people actually want to be in offices again. you need the workers? 100%, yeah. not everyone's rushing back to the office, though. the pandemic has transformed how many of us work, and how many days people need to be in the office is now a big issue for employers trying to hire staff. flexibility is as important as salary now in terms of worker pupils expectations. so if you don't offer that as an employer, you're going to be at the back of the queue for this talent shortage, for this 1.25 million unfilled jobs in the uk. so what they're looking for is ability to work productively but flexibly from home 2—3 days a week. cities rely on workers. how many return will be key to their recovery as restrictions lift, hopefully for the last time. emma simpson, bbc news, coventry. two thirds of all adults in the uk have now had three doses of a covid vaccine, which means 16 million people haven't yet had a boosterjab. and there are more than 4 million adults who haven't taken up the offer of a first dose. 0ur health correspondentjim reed has been out with nhs teams who are trying to get vaccines to people who've been harder to reach. it's more than a year since the first covid vaccines, and in portsmouth barry is finally getting his first dose. i was on the streets, bit of an issue for me, i was on the streets since 2015. i done my research and asked a lot of people who've had the jabs, and they said because you've got copd, you're high risk. how do you feel now, after having that done, barry? pretty — i've achieved something, and i mean, they're not finished yet. no, and it's a good day. so this is your card. there is a steady stream coming through this clinic, held at a project for those at risks of homelessness. there's 20% of people in portsmouth that haven't had the first vaccine, so to get somebody here today, who has that complex needs, had his first vaccine, isjust amazing. it's just one of the reasons why we do this. 57—year—old martin wood has come with his dog for his third jab. martin, can we ask you why you thought it was so important to come down and get your booster today? well, because i don't want covid. i don't want to be on my own. i don't want to be unwell. and it'sjust, i want to be able to get out still. i ain't got long left, so... overall in the uk, more than 90% of adults have now had at least one dose of a covid vaccine. the mass vaccine programme is still going. booster jabs are still being rolled out. this year, though, the nhs is really trying to get those groups who are much harder to reach, people who might not have good access to a gp, or to health care in general. this part of essex is home to a community of 2,000 showmen, running fun fairs across the country. relax. at a mobile service near the site, 19—year—old maddison is having her second jab. we've got the fun fair rides, so we're always out, dealing with hundreds of people, day in, day out. if everyone doesn't get the vaccine then we're just going to keep back in the same circle we've been going into for the past two yea rs now. s, life's got to carry on and we've got to get the vaccine, haven't we, i suppose. the nhs staff here say that for communities like this, access to a gp is a major barrier to getting vaccinated, but it is also about correcting some of the myths spread on social media. we're always going to have someone that doesn't want it. we, you know, we can try our best, we can put the messages out there, but there'll be always someone out through who will say no, it's not for me. it's never going to be 100%. unfortunately, no. i do not think it will be. but we are going try our hardest. in the past, some communities in the uk have struggled to access health services. when this vaccine drive is over, the hope is that new relationship with the nhs can continue, and improve lives in the longer term. jim reed, bbc news. downing street is not actively investigating allegations of blackmail made by mps. it comes after claims that some mps who'd been plotting to oust borisjohnson were threatened with bad publicity and cuts to constituency funding. but the prime minister's 0fficial spokesman has told reporters in the last hour that number ten would look "very carefully" at any evidence presented to them. yesterday labour's deputy leader angela rayner said the accusations must be "investigated thoroughly." 0ur political corrrepondent jonathan blake is in westminster. what more are you hearing about this then. , , ., , , what more are you hearing about this then. , ., what more are you hearing about this then. , , ., ., then. this is a sub plot to the main olitical then. this is a sub plot to the main political drama _ then. this is a sub plot to the main political drama that _ then. this is a sub plot to the main political drama that has _ then. this is a sub plot to the main political drama that has played - then. this is a sub plot to the main political drama that has played out| political drama that has played out recently, claims of parties in downing street and the prime minister's leadership, it is the behaviour of the whips as they are called. mps charged with keeping discipline among their colleagues and ensuring backbenchers vote in line with the government. the accusations, we have heard as you say, are those on the conservative side have been behaving too heavy handedly with accusations of threats, intimidation, even blackmail. today downing street repeated that there was no evidence as such, at the moment, to support any of those claims, they haven't said whether they are taking it upon themselves to investigate any of this, but they do say they will look at any evidence presented very carefully, and the business secretary this morning described one accusation in particular as serious. but, in terms of evidence, some mps who want to see borisjohnson gone sooner rather than later have been discussing exposing some of the tactics in public, we will have to see if any of that does eventually come to light. eventually come to light. our top story this lunchtime. urgent talks are held between the us and russia as fears grow about a russian invasion of ukraine. 3,000 jobs could be created after an injection of government money for a northumberland factory to build batteries for electric vehicles. coming up on the bbc news channel... england's ian poulter battles the high winds to move into a share of the clubhouse lead at golf�*s world tour season opener in abu dhabi. thank you "the show must go on" is showbiz mantra, but adele's not sticking to it, postponing her residency in las vegas with only 24 hours' notice. she posted a tearful message on social media to say half her crew had covid and she simply wasn't ready. she apologised to fans who'd already arrived in the states for what would have been herfirst live concerts for five years. mark savage has this report. "oh, my god," as adele would say. with just hours to go before her las vegas residency began, the sleep—deprived star took to instagram to tell her fans of the shows were. half my crew, half my team are down with covid, they still are, and it's been impossible to finish the show. and i can't give you what i have right now. and i'm gutted. i'm gutted and i'm sorry it's so last—minute. we've been awake for over 30 hours now trying to figure it out, and... we've run out of time. fans who'd already arrived in las vegas for the opening night said they were heartbroken. 0thers asked why the announcement had come so late. but adele received comforting words in the lead singer of the 19805 band bros, who spent the last decade playing in las vegas himself. we have not been allowed for over a couple of years now to actually get to our audiences, and she's really fighting against all the odds, and i really feel a lot of love for her and a lot of respect that it meant that much to her, and she was genuinely... you could see she was pained by it. i really respect that she went out and made that announcement. she didn't get a press statement. she did that herself, and that takes a lot of courage. # go easy on me, baby...# adele is not the only artist to be affected by covid. bryan adams, steps and bonjovi have all had to cancel shows after testing positive for the virus. others, like katy perry, who launched her own lavish show in las vegas last month, have continued to perform without a hitch. experts say this sort of disruption will continue. i think what we've seen here with the level of sort of chaos and disruption is caused by this. this is not a predictable thing. any member of your crew or your team going down can actually throw your show out, and obviously, that's not something we can control all the time. people have to live their lives. there is a risk from the virus. we are going to see this. hopefully we can manage it as best we can. adele says she will announce rescheduled dates for her 12 week las vegas run as soon as possible. until then, she hopes fans will stick to her mantra, "go easy on me, until this setback is water under the bridge. mark savage, bbc news. an electric vehicle battery plant in northumberland has secured government funding. the factory is being built near blyth by a start—up company called britishvolt, and is expected to create 3,000 jobs. bbc news understands that about £100 million of taxpayers' money is going into the project as well £1.5 billion of private funding. more details from our business correspondent theo leggett. a windswept building site in northumberland. in a few years this will be home to the uk's first gigafactory. if all goes to plan, britishvolt�*s giant facility will be capable of making 300,000 batteries for electric vehicles every year. the fantastic thing today is the announcement of government support for the project, from the atf, automotive transformation fund, and what is that enabling us to do, we have now been able in the capital markets with the government support, to access the funding to get the building built. britishvolt says 3,000 newjobs will be created in the factory itself, and some 5,000 more at its suppliers. for a government that has been coming under fire lately, it's some badly needed good news. i think the key message here is that we are reindustrialising our economy and the north east has a huge part to play in that. of new petrol and diesel cars is due to be banned from 2030. other countries are taking similar steps. the government wants the uk to become a major player in the fast growing international market for electric vehicles, and giving factories are a vital computer on that plan. and giga factories are a vital computer on that plan. we need to be able to transport batteries which are very big. for example the jaguar battery is about the size of a dining table and weighs about 700 kilograms, so you need to be able to transport batteries easily between the factories in which they are made and the car building plants. in addition, the brexit deal means in a few years time, any cars exported to the european union will have to be mostly made of parts from the uk or the eu. installing batteries made injapan for example simply won't be possible. across europe, the race to build gigafactories is well under way, and germany has established a clear lead. here another giant new battery plant is due to be built in sunderland to supply nissan's car factory. but experts are clear — many more gigafactories will be needed, if the uk's automotive industry is to prosper in the electric age. theo leggett, bbc news. the bbc has seen footage of what appears to be untreated sewage being discharged into the river thames in 0xfordshire. it's from an overflow pipe connected to a treatment works run by thames water, and local campaigners believe the company could be in breach of its permit. but thames water says it hasn't discharged untreated waste from the plant since march last year. zoe conway has this report. a camera being lowered into the river thames at cassington. the camera belongs to the campaign group windrush against sewage pollution. campaigner vaughan lewis worked in the water industry for 40 years. looking at the screen now, it looks like you've got some brown fuzzy material coming down, looks like faeces, and there's some white, which again pieces look like toilet paper. the pipe is connected to this sewage treatment works which is run by thames water. it is not clear whether the discharge is illegal or not, but vaughan lewis can't see any permitted reason why what looks like untreated sewage should be discharging or spilling into the river. hasn't rained for about five days in west 0xfordshire, so no, that work should not be spilling. from what we've seen on the camera, on the footage that we've seen, there is a fundamental problem here. that is what appears to be happening. water companies are allowed to discharge untreated sewage into our rivers, in exceptional circumstances, such as heavy rainfall. so they can be found to be breaking the law if they are doing it when the conditions are dry. but they can also be found to be breaking the law if they are not treating enough of the sewage before they discharge it. in a statement thames water said... the environment minister rebecca powell says if it is untreated sewage coming out of the pipe it is completely unacceptable, and if it is found to be illegal, the environment agency will take action. zoe conway, bbc news. the us rock star meat loaf has died at the age of 74. he sold more than 100 million albums in a career that spanned six decades — "bat out of hell" which was released in 1977 is one of the best—selling albums of all time. his family announced the news on facebook, and said their hearts are broken. 0ur arts correspondent david sillito reports. # like a bat out of hell, i'll be gone when the morning comes...# meat loaf. bat out of hell. a sweat—drenched rock and roll epic that turned marvin lee aday into one of the biggest selling rock stars in the world. there have been many tributes, among them cher, who sang with him on dead ringer for love, bonnie tyler, and from i'd do anything for love, lorraine crosby. we just gelled. and obviously that's why the song went the way it did. and so every time i think of meat loaf, i think about being in the studio with him. # i would do anything for love # i'd never lie to you, and that's a fact...# you just knew. you knew it was going to be great, you know. i'm sorry, i'm getting... you just knew instinctively that the album was going to be huge. born in dallas, his mother was a teacher and singer, his father a policeman, and his childhood was tough. he was an alcoholic and he would always beat me up as a kid. threw me through a plate glass window, threw me through a door. his escape was acting musicals. he got a part in hair and the rocky horror picture show. bat out of hell was a project he had been working on for years with the writerjim steinman. the rock establishment was scornful, but the fans, especially in britain, loved it. but its huge success and the pressures it brought almost killed him. then followed years of lawsuits. he claimed he never made a dime out of it. but he did go on to make some great records. but nothing would ever top bat out of hell.