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Community Special relationship It was something of a coup for Theresa May to be the first world leader to be summoned to pay homage to ex-reality TV star and now president of the USA, Donald Trump. The official explanation from the Trump team is that the prez is an Anglophile and wants to cut a trade deal with the Queen of Brexit. Unfortunately, the prime minister wasn't held in such high regard that the White House didn't spell her name incorrectly three times in the official schedule of her visit. They had her down as Teresa May, which coincidentally or not is the moniker of a former glamour model and porn star. Who knows, maybe that was who Donald meant to invite but got the British prime minister instead and had to make the best of it once she stepped off the plane. Whatever. May felt obliged to quickly dash off a return invitation and Trump expected all the trimmings so it's going to be a state visit no less. Brit- ish civil servants had better make sure they get his name right because the notoriously thin-skinned Trump is not one to let a slight go unnoticed, which may be unfortunate given the numbers of protesters that are likely to assemble to greet him. Then again, the man does have a thing for a record- breaking crowd. He's going to get one. Nothing much upstairs The energy industry is constantly being told off for presiding over a "two tier" sector, with a great swathe of unengaged customers stuck on expensive standard tariffs who refuse to take an interest. Energy suppliers need to get these people on board, now, or face the wrath of politicians and regulators, we are told. Disconnector is not sure how realistic this ambition is. When it comes to energy, maybe the British public just doesn't care. The great man muses thus on reading a list of energy "myth busters" in the Daily Mail, top of which was dispelling the myth that "putting empty cardboard boxes in your attic keeps your house warm". Are there seriously people in the country for whom this is news? Do they reason that the entire home insulation industry must be a con? Pity the poor sod who has to turn up at that door to explain the benefits of smart meters, in- home displays and time-of-use tariffs. That's a conversation that's going to take some while. The X factor A dysfunctional energy indus- try may turn out to be a distrac- tion from our real problems, at least if the calculations of Russian astronomer Dr Dyomin Damir Zakharovich are correct. Dr Zakharovich (scientific credentials unverified) is a doomsday conspiracy theorist who believes the Earth is going to be hit by an asteroid. So far, so ho hum. What makes him unusual is that he has named the day it will hit: 16 February. He thus breaks the first rule of Conspiracy Theory Club, which is that no-one talks about the specific date. That there is an asteroid- type object hurtling towards us is an established scientific fact. Nasa detected one last year and dubbed it WF9. But accord- ing to Dr Zakharovich: "The object they call WF9 le the Nibiru system in October when Nibiru began spinning counter- clockwise around the sun. Nasa knows it will hit Earth." Nasa's denies this, claiming that WF9 will miss Earth by 51 million kilometres. Nasa also claims there's no such planet as Nibiru, also dubbed Planet X in conspiracy theorist circles. Who to believe, eh? You'll just have to choose your facts. Disconnector Editor, Utility Week, and content director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellenbennett@fav-house.com; Deputy editor: Jane Gray, t: 01342 332087, e: janegray@ fav-house.com; Insights editor: Mathew Beech, t: 01342 332082, e: mathewbeech@fav-house. com; News editor: Lois Vallely, t: 01342 332080, e: loisvallely@fav-house.com; Networks correspondent: Lucinda Dann, t: 01342 332083, e: lucindadann@fav-house.com; Reporter: Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tomgrimwood@fav-house.com; Policy correspondent: David Blackman, e: davidblackman@fav-house.com; Production editor: Paul Newton, t: 01342 332085, e: paulnewton@fav-house.com; Business development executive: Nigel Searle, t: 01342 332009, e: nigelsearle@fav-house.com; Publisher: Amanda Barnes, e: amandabarnes@fav-house.com. General enquiries: 01342 332000; Membership enquiries: Peter Bissell, t: 01342 332057, e: peterbissell@fav-house.com. ISSN: 1356-5532. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Printed by: Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE. Published by: Faversham House Ltd, Windsor Court, Wood Street, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 1UZ 3,580 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2015 Membership subscriptions: UK £669 per year. Overseas £781 per year. Contact Peter Bissell on: 01342 332057 Utility Week is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK's magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors' Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint please contact the editor, Ellen Bennett, at ellenbennett@fav-house.com. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors' Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk Liz E @EErrington1 A degree of complacency from Big 6 in @CommonsBEIS – when will we see something other than the 'dismal' response highlighted by @WhichUK Ann Robinson @AnnRobinson8 On energy big issue is self rationing. Need to do more than CMA recommended to help more people afford energy. William Marchant @richonlyinname With regulators like Littlechild on their side, I'm not entirely sure why suppliers even need a trade association to argue their views. Richard Black @_richardblack Will UK's lights go out due to lack of generating capacity? Er – no, says the man who kept them on for a decade Jim Watson @watsonjim2 Ex @nationalgriduk CEO right to criticise blackout headlines: there are always risks, but lights have stayed on John Deben @lorddeben This month China stopped building of 100 coal fired plants. 100GW of capacity suspended in favour of less polluting generation. Real action Rebecca Williams @reawilliams Offshore wind innovation just keeps getting better. Massive cost reductions & record breaking turbines all in 1 week Gareth Miller @garethmillerCE Risks of delay in new nuke & i/connects. Chasm to 5th carbon budget unbridgeable by unabated gas. Emissions Red Plan demands radical approach Caroline Lucas @CarolineLucas It's time to cut the crap, end the back-room gossip, and halt the Green Investment Bank privatisation process #GIB Top Tweets UTILITY WEEK | 3RD - 9TH FEBRUARY 2017 | 31