Evening briefing: Today's essential headlines

       Trans debate | Sajid Javid has waded into the debate over transgender competitors in sport, saying rules about competing should be governed by "biological sex, not gender". It comes as major sports will attempt to form a new approach to allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's competition after cycling's world governing body indicated it is ready to introduce stricter measures. Read how Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell endorsed a boycott of a race involving trans atheletes.

       'Partygate' | Carrie Johnson must be named if she's fined says Starmer Lewis Hamilton | F1 driver admits he is 'struggling mentally' David Beckham | Mansion burgled 'while they were at home' British Airways | Pilot lied about flying experience to get job Platinum Jubilee | Queen 'deeply touched' by planting of 1m trees The big story: Websites crash before energy price hike

       The cost of living crisis starts to bite.

       Thousands of households risk being overcharged for their energy bills after major suppliers' websites crashed amid a race to submit meter readings on the eve of the price cap increase.

       Energy users have been urged to send a meter reading today if they want to avoid being overbilled when prices jump from April 1.

       But thousands of users have reported issues with the online services of major suppliers today, including SSE and EDF Energy.

       British Gas, E.On and Octopus Energy are also among the online sites to suffer outages, which E.On appeared to blame consumer champion Martin Lewis in a now-deleted tweet.

       Click here to see it and why customers should leave it as late in the day as possible before they send a reading.

       It is not even a safe bet for households to rush to lock in their energy costs ahead of tomorrow's price cap rise, after the prices of fixed-rate energy deals soared.

       Household budgets will be further squeezed from tomorrow by a raft of price and tax rises.

       Sir Keir Starmer accused the Conservatives of a "pathetic" response to the cost-of-living crisis as he put it at the heart of Labour's local elections campaign.

       Motorists are staying at home because they fear they will run out of petrol.

       Shoppers are braced for a steep rise in the price of eggs and cucumbers.

       Hundreds of thousands of people risk paying an extra ￡1,700 a year on their mortgages as a wave of cheap fixed-rate deals struck five years ago end.

       There are dozens of factors that will leave consumers hundreds of pounds worse off by the end of the year.

       This piece identifies 17 of the main offenders and offers advice on how best to navigate the crisis.

       Meanwhile, Tom Stevenson details how to keep Rishi Sunak's hands off your investments forever.

       Game of chicken

       Undoubtedly one of the causes of inflation that will hit houses hard this year is the war in Ukraine - and the associated energy crisis.

       Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia will cut off gas supplies to Europe if countries refuse to pay in roubles.

       The G7 has previously rejected the demand. Europe gets about 40pc of its gas and about a quarter of its oil supply from Russia.

       Yet options to reduce the continent's reliance are limited amid a global scramble for gas that pushed prices to record levels even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

       Read how German chancellor Olaf Scholz has been playing a high-stakes game of chicken over Putin's gas.

       As Britain aims to improve its energy security, Boris Johnson has raised fresh hopes of a relaxation of fracking rules after halting plans to fill wells owned by the energy firm Cuadrilla with concrete.

       Yet Jeremy Warner warns we cannot use taxpayer cash to solve the energy crisis.

       Loss of Western lifestyle

       Of course, the war has not just caused a living standards headache for Europe.

       A daily medium cup of coffee in Moscow has turned into an unrealistic luxury for Katya, whose name we have changed, costing "as much as a whole meal in a mid-range cafe".

       When the Russian capital's shopping centres were filled with Western brands, "I regularly bought Nespresso coffee, and Ikea products", says the 21-year-old.

       Just one month into Putin's war with Ukraine, however, the shop spaces are "half-empty", Katya says.

       As foreign firms pull out of Russia, a new iron curtain is rising between Moscow and the West.

       Read how many young Russians are mourning the loss of a lifestyle they have grown up accustomed to.

       Comment and analysis Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | German economic miracle doesn't exist Bob Seely | France and Germany must remember who their allies are David Abulafia | If Putin captures Odessa, he'll dominate the Black Sea Henry Hill | What is the point of Keir Starmer? Ben Lawrence | Let's not try to cancel To Kill a Mockingbird Around the world: The 'railway rebels' of Belarus

       In small towns across Belarus, a daring alliance of "railway rebels" are waging a quiet war against Vladimir Putin's invading army. Every week, under the cover of darkness, residents in crucial junction towns steal onto the nearby tracks and do whatever they can to stop Russian resupply trains from being able to pass through on the way to Ukraine. Nataliya Vasilyeva has the inside story on their acts of sabotage. In Ukraine, this nerve-wracking footage from Borodyanka, a town in Kyiv Oblast, shows three drivers carefully navigating main roads littered with landmines. Yet as the bombs rain down on Ukraine, somehow life goes on. This stunning image reveals the moment a doctor shows a woman her newborn son in a maternity hospital. Our live blog explains why the UK's Chief of Defence Staff said Putin made an "insane" decision not to tell members of Russia's armed forces that they would be invading.

       Thursday interview

       'There was no sisterhood in Hollywood'

       Polly Walker tells Helen Brown about the joys of starring in 'Bridgerton' and her less than golden memories of LA

       Read the full interview

       Sport briefing: 'Only Fergie analysed games like him'

       In the little town of Haaksbergen, two hours' drive from Amsterdam deep in the east Netherlands, the name of Ten Hag adorns shop windows and apartments in the main street, although in this case it is not a direct reference to the area's most famous son, Erik. His brothers, Michel and Rico, run the biggest estate agents and financial services business in the region, founded by their father, Hennie, in 1967. In Amsterdam, their brother Erik has established himself at Ajax as one of the leading managers in European football and now a key contender for the troubled throne of Old Trafford. Read about the making of the Ajax boss.

       Editor's choice I rescued my Ukrainian parents | Now they are in Surrey complaining about my cooking Rishi's Range Rover, Rees-Moggs' Bentleys | What politicians' cars say about their owners Academy ban | What happened to the first actor to suffer Will Smith's possible fate? Business briefing: ￡3m bonanza for ex-Trainline chief

       The former chief executive of Trainline has been rewarded for her faith in the ticketing app after rail bosses struck a deal with the company over the commissions it charges. The value of Clare Gilmartin's stake rose by more than ￡3m as shares soared by almost a quarter today. That comes after a deal that removed the threat of Britain's new state body, Great British Railways, undercutting the fees Trainline charges. This chart shows the share price rise. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 British companies are to sue Mastercard and Visa over claims they charge fees on corporate credit cards at up to six times the maximum level.

       Tonight starts now

       Proof rock is not dead | At 9pm sharp at a sold-out 02 Arena, Royal Blood embarked on a 90-minute rebuke to the naysayers of British guitar music. Over the years, the cry that "rock is dead" has been as dependable as the appearance of daffodils in spring. On the Greenwich peninsula, however, the sight of 20,000 people watching the Brightonian duo thunder away deftly dispelled the notion that this is a movement in declining health. Touring until Sunday, read Ian Winwood's review of the pair's earth-shaking rock'n'roll thunder.

       Three things for you Watch | National Treasure, National Disgrace: Savile, Harris & Hall Read | Devil House by John Darnielle: questions about lurid obsession Play | Telegraph Puzzles featuring today's Crossword and Sudoku And finally... for this evening's downtime

       Hollywood's rueful action antihero | Once the world's highest paid actor, Bruce Willis is retiring due to aphasia. Tim Robey outlines why the Die Hard star's legacy is not to be underestimated.

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