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Spiralling gas bills could soar further under government plans to impose new charges to pay for eco-friendly heating, it has been reported.

The move to introduce a levy on the fossil fuel is contained in a new strategy due to be published ahead of next month’s COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, according to The Times.

It commits the government to cutting the price of electricity by removing green levies and slapping additional costs on gas to fund the switch to low-carbon alternatives.

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Family struggles with cost of living

However, the step is likely to prove controversial, with households already struggling with soaring energy bills in the face of increased wholesale prices, triggered by global demand as economies recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

The energy watchdog Ofgem has already warned millions of households should expect to see a “significant rise” in their bills at the next price cap review.

One government insider told The Times that the plans were “madness”.

Earlier this week, Boris Johnson said Britain was aiming to produce “clean power” by 2035 as part of the nation’s goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions.

More on Boris Johnson

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has also insisted that by decarbonising the UK’s power supply, the government would ensure households are less exposed to swings in fossil fuel markets.

The government will undertake a series of consultations on the carbon reduction plan, which is likely to start in 2023 and could add £170 a year to gas bills, The Times said.

The strategy will reportedly include measures to boost the sale of heat pumps, which currently cost about £10,000, compared with £2,000 for a gas boiler.

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy told the Times: “We’ll set out our upcoming heat and buildings strategy shortly. No decisions have been made.”

It comes as soaring energy costs have prompted industry leaders to warn the government their factories could stop production or permanently close.

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Andrew Large, director-general at the Confederation of Paper Industries, and Gareth Stace from UK Steel, attended a meeting with the business secretary and other representatives of energy intensive industries to discuss the wholesale gas crisis on Friday.

Mr Large later told the BBC it was “very clear” across all of the sectors that there are “serious” risks that plants could halt work as a result of the gas prices being too high.

Speaking to Channel 4 News, Mr Stace insisted the worst-case scenario would see steel plants closing for good.

He said: “The nightmare scenario would be that we produce less steel in the UK, that we see all of that steel that we do consume in the UK, and that’s increasing, be met by imports and once you take away a steel plant, you don’t really bring them back.

“That’s it for good. Once it’s done, it’s done.”

Watch the Daily Climate Show at 6.30pm Monday to Friday on Sky News, the Sky News website and app, on YouTube and Twitter. The show investigates how global warming is changing our landscape and highlights solutions to the crisis.

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A peace deal isn’t a sure thing, Zelenskyy’s UK visit needs more than a warm welcome

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A peace deal isn't a sure thing, Zelenskyy's UK visit needs more than a warm welcome

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is heading to Downing Street once again, but Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will be keen to make this meeting more than just a photo op.

On Monday the prime minister will welcome not only the Ukrainian president, but also E3 allies France and Germany to discuss the state of the war in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will join Sir Keir in showing solidarity and support for Ukraine and its leader, but it’s the update on the peace negotiations that will be the main focus of the meet up.

The four leaders are said to be set to not only discuss those talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia, but also to talk about next steps if a deal were to be reached and what that might look like.

Ahead of the discussions, Sir Keir spoke with the Dutch leader Dick Schoof where both leaders agreed Ukraine’s defence still needs international support, and that Ukraine’s security is vital to European security.

But while Russia’s war machine shows no signs of abating, a warm welcome and kind words won’t be enough to satisfy the embattled Ukrainian president at a time when Russian drone and missile attacks continue to bombard Kyiv.

Keir Starmer welcoming Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street during a previous visit. Pic: AP
Image:
Keir Starmer welcoming Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Downing Street during a previous visit. Pic: AP

What is the latest in negotiations?

Over the weekend, Mr Zelenskyy said he had discussed “next steps” with US President Donald Trump’s advisers and was “determined to keep working in good faith”.

“The American representatives know the basic Ukrainian positions,” Mr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. “The conversation was constructive, although not easy.”

But on Sunday evening, ahead of an event at the Kennedy Center, President Trump said he was “disappointed” with Mr Zelenskyy, as was asked about the next steps in Russia-Ukraine talks following negotiations.

He said: “We’ve been speaking to President Putin and we’ve been speaking to Ukrainian leaders, including Zelenskyy, President Zelenskyy.

“And I have to say that I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn’t yet read the proposal. That was as of a few hours ago.

“His people love it. But he hasn’t – Russia’s fine with it. Russia’s you know, Russia, I guess, would rather have the whole country when you think of it. But Russia is, I believe, fine with it, but I’m not sure that Zelenskyy’s fine with it. His people love it but he hasn’t read it.”

Read more:
Ukraine has become Europe’s war – so why doesn’t it act like it?
Inside a secret underground military base in eastern Ukraine

On Saturday, Keith Kellogg, Trump’s outgoing Ukraine envoy, had told the Reagan National Defence Forum that efforts to resolve the conflict were in “the last 10 metres”.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised new US security strategy over the weekend, adding that Russia hopes this would lead to “further constructive cooperation with Washington on the Ukrainian settlement”.

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Coinbase mounts a cautious comeback in India, two years after exit

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Coinbase mounts a cautious comeback in India, two years after exit

Major US cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is returning to India after a two-year absence from the market.

Coinbase has resumed app registrations in India as it prepares to roll out local fiat on-ramps in 2026, Coinbase APAC director John O’Loghlen announced at India Blockchain Week (IBW), according to a Sunday report by TechCrunch.

Coinbase’s return to India comes more than two years after it ceased local services in September 2023, following a troubled debut of its local exchange launched in 2022.

“We had millions of customers in India, historically, and we took a very clear stance to off-board those customers entirely from overseas entities, where they were domiciled and regulated. Because we wanted to kind of burn the boats, have a clean slate here,” O’Loghlen said.

Crypto-to-crypto trades available immediately

As Coinbase resumes customer onboarding in India, users can immediately execute crypto-to-crypto trades, according to the report by TechCrunch.

The exchange initially began onboarding users through an early-access program in October, around the time it hired Karan Malik as its India marketing lead.

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Source: Coinbase India marketing lead Karan Malik

Malik had previously overseen marketing for last year’s IBW event, where Coinbase served as a platinum sponsor this year.

“Last year, I was leading the charge and building the marketing and brand playbook for IBW. This year, I’m bringing Coinbase to the party,” the exec said.

Coinbase ramps up push in India

Coinbase has been actively working to rebuild its relationship with the Indian government. In early December, Coinbase’s international policy adviser Katie Mitch represented the exchange before India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance.

“We are optimistic on the potential for forward-looking VDA regulation in India,” she said in an X post last Thursday.

In another development last week, Priyank Kharge, IT minister for Karnataka, signed a memorandum of understanding with Coinbase India to deepen the state’s leadership in blockchain innovation and cybersecurity.

Source: Karnataka IT minister Priyank Kharge

Through the collaboration, the Karnataka government will collaborate with the exchange on startup incubation on Coinbase-backed Base protocol and speed up real-world applications of blockchain technology, the minister said.

Related: Coinbase invests in Indian crypto exchange CoinDCX at $2.45B valuation

As previously mentioned, Coinbase secured a license with India’s Financial Intelligence Unit in March 2025, positioning the exchange for a potential launch in the country. In August, Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal also met with Karnataka’s IT minister Kharge to explore collaboration on developer tools, cybersecurity and blockchain in governance.

Cointelegraph approached Coinbase for comment regarding its relaunch in India, but had not received a response by the time of publication.