Energy bills to rise by hundreds of pounds
Due to the current energy crisis the UK is facing, the energy price cap is predicted to rise by £440 by Spring, and if gas prices stay high, to around £1660 by the summer. The Energy Shop, a price comparison site, warned people to prepare themselves for even greater increases. It said that the next increase in the price cap, due to come in from the 1st of April 2022, could be £500 or even higher. Nine energy suppliers have already collapsed in recent weeks and more could be facing the same fate. Gas prices began to decrease again on Wednesday when Russia said it could increase gas supplies to Europe, but prices could easily rise again due to the very low stockpiles of gas across Europe.
Texas abortion: judge temporarily blocks enforcement of law
US District Judge Robert Pitman granted a request by the Biden administration to prevent any enforcement of the law while its legality is being challenged. The law was put forward and approved by Republican lawmakers in Texas. The White House called the judge’s ruling “an important step” to restoring Texan women’s constitutional rights. This is the first legal setback for Texas since the law was implemented, and state officials are expected to appeal Judge Pitman’s ruling. The Biden administration took legal action after the Conservative-majority Supreme Court declined to prevent Texas from enacting the law. The justice department filed an emergency motion to block enforcement of the law while it pursues legal action.
5.9 magnitude earthquake hits southwestern Pakistan
At least 20 people were killed and more than 300 injured after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit southwestern Pakistan in the early hours of Thursday, local authorities said. The quake struck near the remote, mountainous city of Harnai in Balochistan province at about 3 a.m. local time. Some houses have collapsed in Harnai following the quake, according to the Balochistan Levies Force, the paramilitary law enforcement group in the province. Harnai is located in a rural area and not easily accessible.
Council tax rise
Council tax in England could rise by as much as £220 per year within three years, researchers have said. This is to keep local services running and help pay for social care reforms, the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank said. This comes amid warnings that councils continue to face severe funding pressures due to the pandemic and must find new sources of income. The government has said it had given them £12bn since the start of the crisis. The Local Government Association said councils “continue to face severe funding and demand pressures that will stretch the local services our communities rely on to the limit”. “The significant financial pressures facing local services cannot be met by council tax income alone,” said LGA chairman James Jamieson. “Councils are particularly alarmed that the government’s solution for tackling social care’s core existing pressures appears to be solely through the use of council tax, and the social care precept.”
