Good afternoon, and welcome to bbc news. The business secretary s been holding crisis talks with energy firms this morning, amid worries of big rises to energy bills in the coming weeks. Five smaller energy suppliers have already gone bust, unable to cope with a 70% hike in the cost of wholesale gas since august. It s understood the government is considering offering emergency state backed loans to companies. 0fgem has confirmed british gas has agreed to take on an extra 350,000 customers from the collapsed firm people s energy. And the uk s sixth largest energy company, bulb, is seeking new funds to try to stay afloat. Downing street says it wants to fix the issues as fast as it can. Our business correspondent emma simpson reports. Gas, the cornerstone of our energy supply and the cost of it is rocketing. There has been a surge in global demand and not enough supply. Energy firms here are now battling to stay afloat. In the current market as it is we are not going to see it through th
She might have been alive today. The government could make it compulsory for all front line nhs staff in england to be vaccinated against covid 19. And plans in scotland that would mean you d need a vaccine passport to get into nightclubs, major sporting events, concerts and festivals. And emma raducanu s record breaking run at the us open goes on the first british woman in almost a0 years to make it to the semi finals. And coming up on the bbc news channel. England name a preliminary squad for the t20 world cup but there s no ben stokes, as he continues his breakfrom cricket for his mental well being. Good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. Hospital waiting lists in england are now the worst since records began. 5. 6 million people were waiting for routine hospital treatment at the end ofjuly, according to the latest figures from nhs england. Some of the longest waits are for people needing hip and knee replacements and cataract surgery. And ambulance waiting times cont
Hospital near norwich. The first international passenger flight takes off from kabul airport since the taliban took control of afghanistan it has around 200 foreign nationals on board. Migrant boats crossing the channel could be turned back at sea but the french authorities say it would be dangerous and illegal. Hospital waiting lists in england are now the worst since records began, with 5. 5 million people waiting for routine treatment. And emma raducanu s fairy tale in new york the teenager reaches the semifinals of the us open, the first british woman to do so for nearly a0 years. Hello, good evening. The scottish parliament votes this evening on whether or not to bring in vaccine passports for people who want to get into nightclubs, major sporting events, festivals and concerts. Deputy first ministerjohn swinney said it would be a proportionate response to the risks of covid. But opposition parties have raised concerns about how the scheme would work, and both labour and the lib