Pressure is mounting on UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt over the upcoming cut in support for energy bills.

It comes as energy firms are due to write to customers to warn them of bill increases from the start of April within days.

While inflation may have peaked, the rate of food price rises is still running at nearly 17%, and typical household energy bills are set to rise to £3,000 per year next month.

Since December, Newsnight has been following people who are struggling to get by in Knowsley, the second most deprived borough in England.

The programme returned again last week to see how people there are coping amidst the big squeeze. Victoria Derbyshire reports.

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Vigilantes are burning rapists to death in the South African township of Diepsloot, near Johannesburg.
But even that will not stop them. For BBC Africa Eye, crime reporter Golden Mtika exposes on camera the faces of the township’s terrifying sexual predators.
FULL Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpjNz8VrXFk
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The French President Emmanuel Macron has said violent protesters will face justice, after the worst unrest for decades. 2,400 people have been arrested and almost 1,000 police officers injured, as buildings were burned and shops looted in the protests over high prices and problems with public serves.

More clashes have broken out in Paris and Marseille, where riot police intervened to prevent attempts to ransack businesses. Nationwide demonstrations had earlier erupted into riots, with a town hall burned, shops pillaged and buildings covered in graffiti as violent groups clashed with police in cities across the country.

“Looking at these images, we have all asked ourselves: What was going through their minds? How can French people do this to France?” Macron said in a televised address to the nation. “Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it. Tonight, we all feel anger and shame.”

The unrest has laid bare the deep anger at Macron, who leaves office in 2027 after a decade in power ⁠that has increasingly been defined by social discontent, a weak economy and ballooning debt. Macron said those protesting peacefully had legitimate grievances and their actions should not be confused with those seeking to wreak havoc.

He stopped short of declaring a state of emergency, as demanded by some right-wing politicians, but said the government would act to allow prefects to ban protests if necessary to protect public buildings and local businesses. The government has blamed the violence on what it described as ultra-left groups, as well as criminals it said had instigated the looting.

Jane Hill presents BBC News at Ten reporting by James Waterhouse and Katya Adler.

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How confident should Democrats be about surprise new polling which puts them ahead in deep Republican territory? In states such as Kansas which haven’t elected a Democratic senator since 1932, Democrat candidates are doing well – why is that, and how much can we trust the polls?

The party’s hope for a blue wave in this year’s midterm elections rest on their ability to flip four Republican seats in the Senate. While the polls suggest the Democrats are ahead in Texas, Alaska and Ohio, the picture is more complicated in Democratic states like Maine and Michigan, which many believe the party must hold on to if they’re to reclaim control of Congress.

Sarah and Justin unpack the latest polls and what it tell us about Democrat and Republican strategy before we speak to the Democratic strategist and pollster John Anzalone. He’s currently working on Roy Cooper’s Senate campaign in North Carolina and most recently served on Joe Biden’s successful 2020 campaign. He tell us why Democrats should be cautious about hopes for a blue wave in November and the issues candidates need to focus on in the run-up to polling day.

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00:00 What does this mean for the Democrats?
02:10 Are the polls accurate?
03:50 Ken Paxton, James Talarico and Texas
06:28 What’s hapening in Kansas?
09:32 The impact of the cost of living
10:43 Iowa and farmers’ votes
17:09 The big picture
21:27 James Talarico: “a generational candidate”
25:00 Margins for error

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Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world and owners are spending more than A$20bn (£10.4bn) on their pets, according to the RSPCA.

The industry has grown rapidly since the pandemic and one airline is planning to allow cats and dogs to travel with their owners in aircraft cabins this year.

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