Quarter of people in England had poor NHS care in past year, report says

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Survey for patient watchdog finds over half of those who made complaint were not satisfied with process or outcome

A quarter of people in England experienced poor NHS care over the last year but fewer than one in 10 of them complained about it, a report by the patient watchdog has revealed.

When people did complain, more than half were not satisfied with either the process involved or the outcome, Healthwatch England said. Complaints take many months to resolve.

24% of patients had received poor care in that time – the equivalent of 10.7 million people in England.

56% took no action – and only 9% made a complaint.

20% were scared that complaining would affect their treatment.

34% did not trust the NHS to use a complaint they made to improve services.

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Government under pressure on economy as British households anticipate worsening finances

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CBI says businesses plan to cut jobs and raise prices while debt charity says millions are ‘facing worries’

The government is under growing pressure to get momentum back into the economy amid warnings that businesses plan to cut jobs and raise prices, while millions of families believe their finances will worsen this year.

Before a major speech this week by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, designed to restate Labour’s commitment to improving the economy, the CBI said private sector firms were urgently assessing their budgets to offset measures announced in last October’s budget.

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New rules ease reporting restrictions in family courts across England and Wales

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Journalists and bloggers to have greater access under ‘open reporting provisions’ after pilot scheme launched in 2023

A scheme allowing journalists increased access to family courts is being rolled out in an effort to improve transparency.

The initiative permits accredited journalists and legal bloggers to report on cases as they unfold, as they would in criminal courts, provided the families and certain professionals involved remain anonymous.

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Search begins for UK sailor after yacht found ‘eviscerated’ off French coast

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The missing 73-year-old set off his distress beacon during stormy weather on Saturday afternoon

A 73-year-old British sailor is lost at sea and his yacht has been found “eviscerated” off the French coast in stormy weather.

A French air force helicopter was dispatched to find the man after he set off his distress beacon at 3pm on Saturday, approximately 50 miles (80km) west of Lacanau in south-west France.

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Six hostages to be freed and Gazans to be allowed north – Israel – BBC.com

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  1. Six hostages to be freed and Gazans to be allowed north - Israel  BBC.com
  2. Israel begins allowing Palestinians to return to northern Gaza for the first time in over a year  The Associated Press
  3. Live briefing: Displaced Palestinians begin return home to devastated northern Gaza  The Washington Post
  4. Hamas to release Israeli hostage Yehud, two others before Friday, Israel to allow Gazans to return home north  Reuters
  5. Israel, Hamas reach deal to release hostages and allow Palestinians to return to Gaza Strip  Fox News
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Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians return to north Gaza as Israel opens checkpoints

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People begin long walk at dawn to what remains of their homes after 24-hour delay over release of Israeli hostage

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flooded back into northern Gaza on Monday after Israel opened military checkpoints that had divided the strip for more than a year, ending a forced exile from homes and loved ones that many feared could become permanent.

In the dawn light, crowds that had waited by the road overnight began the long walk back to their homes and business – or what remained of them – as soon as the crossing opened.

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RNLI rescues American students from Welsh island during Storm Éowyn

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A lifeboat had to make four trips to recover seven people from Worms Head island due to very challenging conditions

It turned out to be a dangerous trip to a tidal island in Wales that, thanks to the RNLI, seven American students will never forget.

The group had to be rescued by the lifeboat service after the incoming tide cut Worms Head island off from the Gower coast on Saturday morning.

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Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extension announced by White House, avoiding renewed fighting – Axios

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  1. Israel-Lebanon ceasefire extension announced by White House, avoiding renewed fighting  Axios
  2. As Thousands Try to Return Home, Fragile Mideast Cease-Fires Are Tested  The New York Times
  3. White House Statement on Agreement Extension Between Lebanon and Israel  The White House
  4. At least 22 killed as Lebanon ceasefire expires. Here’s what to know.  The Washington Post
  5. Deadline for Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon expires  DW (English)
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Lukashenko heads for massive win in Belarus election scorned by the West – Reuters

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  1. Lukashenko heads for massive win in Belarus election scorned by the West  Reuters
  2. Lukashenko pockets massive win in Belarus election scorned by the West  Reuters
  3. Lukashenko wins seventh term as Belarus president in election rejected as sham  The Guardian
  4. Belarus’s Strong-Arm Leader, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Cruises to Re-election  The New York Times
  5. Belarus’s Alexander Lukashenko set to extend his 30-year rule  The Washington Post
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Syrian fighters execute 35 in three days, war monitor says

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Authorities have arrested dozens of people accused of taking advantage of the chaos in Syria to settle old scores

Fighters affiliated with Syria’s new leaders have carried out 35 summary executions over 72 hours, mostly of Assad-era officers, a war monitor has said.

The authorities, installed by the rebel forces that toppled longtime president Bashar al-Assad last month, said they had carried out multiple arrests in the western Homs area over unspecified “violations”.

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Auschwitz survivors return as world remembers Nazi death camp 80 years on – BBC.com

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  1. Auschwitz survivors return as world remembers Nazi death camp 80 years on  BBC.com
  2. World leaders to join commemorations marking 80th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation  CNN
  3. At Auschwitz, a Solemn Ceremony at a Time of Rising Nationalism  The New York Times
  4. Among monarchs and presidents, focus of Auschwitz anniversary is on 50 survivors  The Guardian
  5. 80 Years Later, We Forget the Lessons of Auschwitz at Our Peril | Opinion  Newsweek
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Israeli troops fire on displaced Palestinians hoping to return to homes, killing 2 – NPR

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  1. Israeli troops fire on displaced Palestinians hoping to return to homes, killing 2  NPR
  2. Al Jazeera reporter caught in Israeli gunfire at Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor  Al Jazeera English
  3. Gaza Ceasefire Breached: Israeli Forces Shoot Palestinians Waiting to Return Home  Palestine Chronicle
  4. Israeli fire kills 1, wounds 7 as Palestinians are kept out of north Gaza over a ceasefire dispute  WBAL TV Baltimore
  5. In ceasefire violation, Israeli gunfire kills displaced Palestinian in Gaza, injures others  Anadolu Agency | English
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Immigration raids in Chicago begin days after ‘border czar’ claimed officials were ‘reconsidering’

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Ice confirms ‘enhanced targeted operations’ in a city on edge after Trump officials warned of enforcement actions

US federal authorities have begun immigration raids in Chicago, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) statement confirmed on Sunday, just days after incoming “border czar” Tom Homan said officials were “reconsidering” after details leaked into the press.

In a statement, Ice said its agents, along with the FBI, ATF, DEA, CBP and the US Marshals Service, had begun conducting “enhanced targeted operations” in Chicago “to enforce US immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities”.

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Sweden opens inquiry into damaged undersea cable as Nato deploys ships

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A vessel has been seized after suspected sabotage of fibre optic line, probably due to external influence, Latvia says

An undersea fibre optic cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged on Sunday, probably as a result of external influence, Riga has said, prompting Nato to deploy patrol ships to the area and triggering a sabotage investigation by Swedish authorities.

Sweden’s security service has seized control of a vessel as part of the inquiry, the country’s prosecution authority said.

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Capital cities expecting hot public holiday as Melbourne braces for 41C

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Hot, dry and windy weather for Australia’s south-east prompts bushfire and heatwave warnings

Multiple heatwave and bushfire warnings are in place for the Australia Day public holiday, with every Australian capital city expecting maximum temperatures above 30C and Melbourne forecast for a scorcher.

On Monday Melbourne was forecast to hit 41C before a late cool change. Sydney was due for 31C, Brisbane 30C, Adelaide 35C, Perth 32C and Hobart 32C.

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