we start with the soaring cost of living because there s a warning home energy bills here in the uk could rise even higher than previously feared this winter. wholesale gas prices have jumped back to near record highs after a further squeeze on europe s gas supplies by russia. our global trade correspondent dharshini david has the details. this is being claimed as the first truly global energy crisis, the result of moscow weaponising fossil fuels in europe has been the key target. this is the wholesale price paid for gas there. 4a8% higher than a year ago because traditionally it got to 40% of its gas from russia. that latest rise reflects a focus on this, this is nord stream one, the pipeline carrying bird of europe s russian gas supply all the way to germany, that flow has now dropped to just a fifth of normal levels, russia blames that on the impact of sanctions on vital equipment, opponents say it s an attempt to blackmail by turning down those taps. those concerns have a
the commons work and pensions committee say vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. and i in victoria square in the centre of birmingham where the city and the region are preparing to host the 2022 commonwealth games. rail passengers are facing huge disruption after thousands of workers walked out in a continuing dispute about pay and working conditions. only about a fifth of britain s train services are running many areas having no services at all today. the red lines here show the routes where some trains are operating but network rail has warned people to travel only if absolutely necessary. many journeys will many journeys manyjourneys will be manyjourneys will be ending manyjourneys will be ending earlier manyjourneys will be ending earlier than they normally work this evening. our correspondent emma simpson has this report. going nowhere. once again, half of the uk s rail network brought to a halt. at manchester piccadilly some trains were leaving with tr
we begin with uber, as uk drivers today will have paid holidays, pensions, and a minimum wage a change that could be replicated in other countries around the world. and this comes one month after the us firm lost a legal long battle in the uk which began in 2016 over drivers status. in last month s supreme court hearing, uber had argued it was a third party booking agent, and its drivers were self employed. our transport correspondent caroline davis spoke with uber s european boss in an exclusive interview. today is an important day for all the drivers in the uk, and the reason for that is because, from today, any driver who earns on the uber platform, and that s over 70,000 drivers in total, will be able to be paid for holiday time, they ll be enrolled in a pension and they ll be able to earn at least the national living wage as a floor and not a ceiling. for years politicians and unions have said that you have been playing fast and loose with employment rights. does this
but a necessity for the safety and prosperity of the british people in the decades ahead. the police officer accused of the kidnap and murder of sarah everard is due to go on trial in late october. and coming up scotland s first minister nicola sturgeon is to set out a timeline for the easing of lockdown in scotland. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. afterfour weeks in hospital, the duke of edinburgh has been discharged and has returned to windsor castle. prince philip was admitted to king edward vii s hospital in central london on february 16th after feeling unwell. the duke, who s 99, later underwent a successful procedure for a pre existing heart condition at another london hospital. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. shielded by a screen, a patient, evidently in a wheelchair, was brought out from the king edward vii hospital to a waiting vehicle. moments later, the vehicle left with the duke of edinburgh safely aboard, on his way home to windsor af