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Medical body calls for ‘immediate action’ as Royal College of Emergency Medicine reiterates claims on deaths caused by care delaysThe pressure on the NHS is “intolerable and unsustainable”, medics have said, amid warnings that the deaths of up to 500 people each week could be caused by delays in emergency care.It comes after more than a dozen NHS trusts and ambulance services declared critical incidents over the festive period, with officials citing rising flu cases and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic among the reasons for the pressure on the health service. Continue reading...

Police confirm a number of guests were evacuated from the New County hotel after 5am on MondayThree people have died in an early morning hotel blaze in Perth and Kinross, police have confirmed.Emergency services were called to the New County hotel on County Place near the centre of Perth shortly after 5am on Monday. Continue reading...

Covid travel restrictions resulted in 85,000 fewer people migrating to Australia in 2020-21, the first net loss since the second world war

ACT senator suggests ageing population with proportion of taxpayers declining means situation has ‘changed significantly’ since cuts legislated in 2019

Union leader Mick Lynch says there has been ‘radio silence’ from ministers since before Christmas

December set to be worst month on record for A&E waiting times as up to 500 people estimated to die each week due to delaysThe deaths of an estimated 300 to 500 people each week caused by delays in emergency care is “not a short-term thing”, a senior UK health official has said.Ian Higginson, a vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, warned about attempts to “discredit” figures estimating that as many as 500 people are dying each week because of the delays. Continue reading...

Authorities say one aircraft managed to land after fatal mid-air collision that left three others critically injured

Charity Become says ‘shocking’ numbers highlight need for stability and more funding for foster carersMore than 1,200 children in care were uprooted and had to move placements over Christmas last year, figures from councils in England show.The “shocking and upsetting” numbers, collated by the national care charity Become, showed that an average of 79 looked-after children had to change foster carer or children’s home each day over the 2021-22 festive period. Continue reading...

RMT staging two 48-hour strikes from Tuesday and Friday and Aslef has called strike for Thursday

Figures uncovered by Lib Dems show that only 1.7% of 74,421 cases over 12 months resulted in a chargeAlmost 90% of all bicycle theft cases reported to police over the past year were closed without a suspect even being identified, and just 1.7% resulted in someone being charged, analysis of crime statistics shows.The Liberal Democrats, who uncovered the data from statistics for England and Wales from July 2021 to June this year, said it was indicative of under-funded police forces being unable to properly investigate such crimes. Continue reading...

QF19 was three hours into New Year’s Day journey when pilots learned they could not land at Manila

President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine believes waiting times for December will be the worst he has ever seenAs many as 500 people could be dying each week because of delays to emergency care, a senior healthcare official has said.The president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Adrian Boyle, believes waiting times for December will be the worst he has ever seen, with more than a dozen NHS trusts and ambulance services declaring critical incidents over the festive period. Continue reading...

Met police officers drew their batons to stop ‘small but determined group’ from gatecrashing ticketed areasScuffles broke out shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve in London as ticketless revellers tried to access restricted areas. But overall there were only eight arrests as huge crowds returned to the capital for the first time in three years after pandemic curbs.Metropolitan police officers drew their batons when a “small but determined group”, who had pushed down fence panels in an attempt to get in, became aggressive towards stewards and officers, Scotland Yard said. Continue reading...

Network Rail says no trains will run between Carlisle and Glasgow until 6 January due to a landslipFlooding has damaged part of the west coast mainline, meaning no trains will run between Carlisle and Glasgow until 6 January, Network Rail has said.The company said an embankment beneath the railway was significantly damaged during extreme weather on 30 December and requires “extensive work to stabilise and repair the foundations of the tracks to allow the railway to safely reopen”. Continue reading...

Leftwinger promises environmental protections and social progress as he’s sworn in as presidentLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva has vowed to haul Brazil out of Jair Bolsonaro’s era of “devastation”, barbarism and hate after being sworn in as the new president of Latin America’s largest democracy.Addressing the National Congress in Brasília on Sunday afternoon, the veteran leftwinger, a former factory worker who was president from 2003 to 2010, celebrated the defeat of the far-right radical’s “authoritarian project” in October’s election, and promised to lead Brazil into a new chapter of environmental protection, social progress and “rational democratic” government. Continue reading...

Green, who had been the band’s drummer, had been diagnosed with cancer ‘a short while ago’Jeremiah Green, a founding member and drummer of US rock band Modest Mouse, died on Saturday after recently being diagnosed with cancer.“I don’t know a way to ease into this: Today we lost our dear friend Jeremiah,” Modest Mouse wrote on its Instagram account. “He laid down to rest and simply faded out”. Continue reading...

Johnny Brady, 19, ran away from a mental health hospital on New Year’s Eve and three rubbish bag fires have been reported sinceA 19-year-old convicted arsonist may have started three separate fires since he ran away from a mental health hospital on New Year’s Eve, Northamptonshire police said.Johnny Brady fled the grounds of St Andrew’s healthcare facility in Billing Road, Northampton, at about 3.30pm on Saturday. He was serving a hospital order following convictions relating to serious assault and arson offences, the force said. Continue reading...

Oscar-winning actor accompanied Texas lead singer on piano during impromptu Hogmanay performanceDame Judi Dench treated guests to an impromptu Hogmanay performance of Abba’s Waterloo at a hotel in Scotland just moments before the clock struck midnight.The Oscar-winning actor accompanied Texas lead singer Sharleen Spiteri on the piano during the surprise musical rendition at the Fife Arms in Braemar, Aberdeenshire. Continue reading...

Ministers have asked NHS pay review body to cap increase for 2023-24, below predictions for inflationNHS strikes could continue for many months amid anger at UK government plans to raise staff salaries by only 2% next year, which health unions have condemned as more “real-terms pay cut misery”.Ministers have asked the NHS pay review body to cap the increase in frontline health workers’ pay to 2% in 2023-24 to help the government achieve its ambition to curb soaring inflation. Continue reading...

There has been little movement in the frontlines for weeks, and there are signs Russia lacks offensive combat powerRussia’s war on Ukraine enters its second calendar year at a delicate point. It is six weeks after the liberation of Kherson and there has been little movement in the frontlines either way since. There is not yet any sign of a full, renewed counteroffensive by the Ukrainians, not helped by the weather which has been above freezing, leaving muddy ground not conducive to military manoeuvre.“The situation is just stuck,” Ukraine’s head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, told the BBC last week, which, if an accurate assessment, is not helpful to Kyiv, badly needing to retain momentum in the run-up to spring. But the political leadership of both countries clearly signalled a desire to try to break the deadlock with new goals for the new year. Continue reading...

Players briefly held after raid on mixed-gender party, as elsewhere dissident Keyvan Samimi is released from prisonIranian police briefly detained several top-tier football players in a raid on a New Year’s Eve party east of Tehran, where men and women allegedly mingled and alcohol was served in violation of an Islamic ban, according to Iranian media reports.News of the brief arrests of the players, who were not identified, came as the release was announced of the Iranian dissident journalist Keyvan Samimi, who was jailed in December 2020 for “plotting against national security”. Continue reading...

Amid talk of Russia reinvading from the north, volunteer units of the remote Sumy region represent the first line of defenceOn New Year’s Eve in a patch of forest along the north-east border with Russia, a unit of Ukrainian territorial defence forces stood guard in their trenches.Ukraine’s most senior defence officials have said they believe Russia will attempt a second invasion from the north in the next couple of months, using troops who have been training for the past three months since being mobilised in October. But the Ukrainian forces defending the border say the Russians will not be able to break through as they did in February, when the Sumy region had no defensive lines. Continue reading...

Threats against federal judges surged as the conservative supreme court has been accused of ignoring public opinionSupreme court chief justice John Roberts has focused a year-end judiciary report on the need for stepped up security for federal judges, amid a surge in threats and as the United States is embroiled in a bitter debate over abortion.But Roberts chose to skirt around all the controversy engulfing the court in 2022, especially the chapter as its conservative super-majority struck down federal abortion rights afforded by the court’s landmark 1973 decision in Roe v Wade, in a decision that was scandalously leaked in the spring and then confirmed in June. Continue reading...

Ukraine president says his only wish for 2023 is victory. This blog is now closed

Volodymyr Zelenskiy pledges to fight for freedom in 2023; Putin says Moscow will ‘never give in’ to west

Slow uptake of ad-supported offering has meant lower than expected viewing figures, made worse by UK cost of living crisisNetflix is expected to suffer a second year of falling subscriber numbers in the UK in 2023 as the cost of living crisis takes its toll and the streaming giant’s new cheaper, ad-supported service takes time to win over users.The world’s biggest streaming service is expected to have lost about 500,000 UK subscribers in 2022 and to lose a further 200,000 this year, as increasingly budget-conscious consumers cut back on spending. Continue reading...

Benedict’s body displayed in chapel of the Vatican monastery and will lie in state at St Peter’s BasilicaThousands of people are expected to pay their respects to former pope Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday, in the days leading up to his funeral this week.Benedict’s body was displayed on Sunday in a chapel of the Vatican monastery where he lived, and will lie in state at St Peter’s Basilica from Monday until Thursday. His funeral in St Peter’s Square will be a simple, solemn and sober ceremony in keeping with his wishes, the Vatican said. Continue reading...

First minister claims Tories in Westminster are ‘staggering’ and could be months away from collapseThe Welsh first minister has told the Labour party in Wales to be prepared for a general election in the new year, believing the UK government could be months away from sudden collapse.Mark Drakeford claimed the Conservative government in Westminster was “staggering”, and that at any moment it could be “overwhelmed” and forced to call a snap UK election. Continue reading...

Parisians and tourists from France and abroad celebrate start of 2023 on famous avenue near Arc de TriompheAn unexpectedly large crowd of 1 million people crammed on to the Champs-Élysées to celebrate the start of 2023, after two years of Covid cancellations – with Paris officials calling it a “renaissance” in people wanting to get together again and a taster for future big gatherings for the 2024 Olympics.French authorities had expected about 500,000 Parisians and tourists to flock to the avenue, where a vast display of 340kg of fireworks was set off around the Arc de Triomphe at midnight during a special musical medley. Continue reading...

Survivor says pushing began after fireworks outside Freedom City shopping mall in KampalaAt least nine people, some of them children, died in a crush as revellers rang in the new year at a shopping centre in Uganda’s capital, police said.After fireworks outside the Freedom City mall in Kampala, “a stampede ensued, resulting in the instant deaths of five people and injuries to several others”, said Luke Owoyesigyire, a national police spokesperson. Continue reading...

Labor has grown in popularity since its election in May, and ticked off a number of campaign promises. But harder decisions await in 2023The year ended on a high for the Anthony Albanese, with opinion polls showing the Labor government and its leader are only growing in popularity, across all states.The new government spent its first seven months ticking off election promises and recalibrating Australia’s standing on the world stage. Albanese aimed to keep politics off the front page as much as possible. In that, it has been somewhat successful, with the biggest headlines featuring his predecessor, Scott Morrison. But every honeymoon must come to an end and as we head into 2023, the domestic political challenges for the Albanese government will soon loom large.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Federal government’s population statement forecasts births for 2021-22 will be 1.66 babies per woman

Rico Back believes postal service’s talks with union have been poorly handled

NHS insiders warn some of the costs will have to be met from existing budgets amid renewed pressure on pay and construction costsAmbulance services across England face paying millions more in ballooning fuel costs this year, amid warnings that the NHS will face renewed pressures on pay, energy and construction costs in 2023.Figures seen by the Observer reveal that each ambulance service in England expects to spend more than £1m on fuel over the next year as inflation continues to bite. Overall, the bill is set to rise by at least £14m in a single year. Continue reading...

Jubilant crowds ushered in 2023 with the first large gatherings without restrictions in many cities since before the pandemicCountries around the world welcomed in an uncertain new year amid economic woes, fears of new Covid variations arising in China, and the political backdrop of conflict in Ukraine. Many cities were hosting firework displays and large public gatherings free of restrictions for the first time since the pandemic.Large crowds in the UK braved cold temperatures, as more than 100,000 people were estimated to have gathered on the Embankment of the River Thames in London for the display at midnight, despite blustery showers. Continue reading...

Justin Welby will highlight importance of supporting unpaid carers in new year message on BBCThe archbishop of Canterbury will urge the government to take action to fix the country’s “broken” social care system in his new year address.In a message broadcast on Sunday afternoon, Justin Welby will say care homes are “struggling” to deal with rising bills while trying to find and retain the staff they need to keep going. Continue reading...

Australia holds first restriction-free party since Covid struck, with more than 1m revellers flocking to harbour

WA department of justice says detainees lit fire, threatened staff and climbed on to rooftops

31-year-old man from Tranmere, Wirral, had been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murderDetectives investigating the murder of Elle Edwards on Christmas Eve have released the third person arrested in connection with her shooting.Two other people have also been held over her death but no one has been charged. Continue reading...

Cabinet papers reveal Russia wanted to limit Australia’s access to its rocket technology and classified information, leading to ‘impasse’Plans to build a spaceport on Christmas Island with Russian technology were stymied in 2002 over fears that it would impinge on Australia’s sovereignty, cabinet papers reveal.Russia wanted to limit Australia’s access to its rocket technology and classified information, and had concerns that a planned detention facility on the island would put its security at risk. Continue reading...

Cabinet papers 2002: records show there were growing concerns about management of asylum seekers in Australia’s offshore detention centres

Ukrainian minister tells Russians that Putin is set to begin a new round of troop mobilisations. This blog is now closedThe governor of the Mykolaiv region, Vitalii Kim, has said there is an incoming missile attack on Ukraine.Posting on his Telegram account, he said it applied to “all regions”. Continue reading...

Maria Carolina Do Nascimento, 22, died after car in which she was travelling was involved in collisionFour men have been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a 22-year-old woman died after a car collision on Christmas Day.Maria Carolina Do Nascimento died after the car in which she was travelling was involved in a crash on Hendon Way in Edgware, north London, just before 4am on Christmas Day. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more about the death of Benedict XVI hereThe UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, says he is saddened to learn of Benedict XVI’s death.His visit to UK in 2010 was a “historic moment for both Catholics and non Catholics”, he adds.Today I join with the church throughout the world, and especially with the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and all in the Catholic Church, in mourning the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.In Pope Benedict’s long life and ministry of service to Christ in His Church he saw many profound changes in the church and in the world. He lived through the Nazi regime in Germany and served briefly in the Second World War. As a younger theologian and priest he witnessed first-hand the discussions of the Second Vatican Council. As a professor and then as an Archbishop he lived in a divided Germany but saw too the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of his homeland. Continue reading...

Met Office urges people to monitor its website or app for further weather warnings over the weekendLarge parts of the UK face heavy rainfall as well as icy and snowy conditions as people prepare to see in the new year.The unsettled forecasts come after flooding caused widespread travel disruption across Scotland on Friday as the effects the US “bomb cyclone” continued. Continue reading...

Company cites their harmful effect on the environment and the health of young people for the moveWaitrose has stopped selling single-use vaping products because of their negative impact on the environment and the health of young people.The popularity of products such as e-cigarettes has soared over the past year, with vaping in Great Britain reaching record levels. About 4.3 million people are regular vapers, according to a recent report. Continue reading...

Heading out to watch the new year fireworks? Plan ahead, pack light and check the drinking regulations

Expedition will traverse 1,200km in harsh conditions with the aim of collecting million-year-old ice to learn about climate change

Forensic and internal police to investigate incident where officers warned one of the motorists for driving dangerously before collision