Wes Streeting defends pace of plans for adult social care reform – UK politics live

Health secretary says initial reports from commission led by Louise Casey will come next year

As well as being asked about plans for adult social care and a new national care service, Wes Streeting was questioned this morning on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme about progress on assisted dying legislation in England and Wales.

As health secretary, Streeting intervened before November’s vote, suggesting that legalising assisted dying in the two countries would have resource implications for the NHS, and might lead to healthcare cuts.

The bill committee will work through those policy issues before the bill comes back to the Commons as a whole for further amendment, and then a final vote on a third reading before it goes to the Lords.

So whatever my misgivings, I’ve said all the way through this that I’ve respected parliament, that this isn’t the government’s responsibility, the government is neutral. That is for the Commons and the Lords to decide.

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Barcelona to fine e-scooter users up to €500 for riding on pavements

Council to crack down on antisocial behaviour linked to rapid rise of e-scooter riders in city

Anyone riding an electric scooter on the pavement or without a helmet in Barcelona faces a fine of up to €500 (£415) from 1 February as part of a crackdown on antisocial behaviour linked to the rapid rise of e-scooter use in the Mediterranean city.

In an urban landscape that is mostly flat, with more than 250km (155 miles) of cycle lanes, 2,500 hours of sunshine and barely 55 rainy days a year, electric scooters are a perfect fit. According to the city council’s figures, the number of people using e-scooters since the pandemic has risen four times faster than those choosing to travel by bicycle.

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South Korea Fails to Detain Impeached President in Standoff at His Home – The New York Times

  1. South Korea Fails to Detain Impeached President in Standoff at His Home  The New York Times
  2. South Korean investigators suspend efforts to detain president after dramatic standoff  CNN
  3. Why is it so hard to arrest South Korea's impeached president?  BBC.com
  4. South Korea’s impeached president defies warrant after hourslong standoff  The Associated Press
  5. South Korea’s Political Drama Plays Out in a Day of Dueling Protests  The New York Times
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Digested week: through the Christmas perineum and out the other side

Despite its awful name it’s my favourite time of year, an excuse to pause any activity – including new year celebrations

And so we find ourselves again at the Christmas perineum, the time between the end of the yuletide celebrations and before the new year shenanigans begin, and a phrase so awful I have felt compelled to use it as often as possible ever since the dark day I learned it about five years ago. Sorry.

Watch less Brooklyn Nine-Nine every evening;

Add a new meal to my culinary repertoire and take the total to nearly three;

Work harder, walk more, cull wardrobe, sort finances, declutter house, clean more, lose weight, see if this improves life or makes me wish I was dead. You’ve got to find out at some point, I reckon.

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Government must look at effects of toxic smoke on Grenfell firefighters, minister says

Union calls for regular health checks for 600 Grenfell firefighters after many developed long-term conditions

The government “needs to seriously look” at the effects of toxic smoke inhalation on firefighters who served at the Grenfell Tower fire, a minister has said.

The comments from Andrew Gwynne, the health minister, came after the Guardian disclosed that more than a quarter of firefighters who battled against the fire eight years ago have long-term health disorders.

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Kenya investigates giant piece of space debris that crash landed in a village – Euronews

  1. Kenya investigates giant piece of space debris that crash landed in a village  Euronews
  2. Over 1,000 pounds of space debris crash in south Kenyan village  Fox Weather
  3. Kenya space junk: Experts investigate huge ring that crashed into village  BBC.com
  4. A Half-Ton Piece of Space Junk Falls Onto a Village in Kenya  The New York Times
  5. 500-kilogram metallic object falls from the sky in Kenya  Al Jazeera English
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Italy summons Iranian ambassador, demands release of journalist Cecilia Sala – NBC News

  1. Italy summons Iranian ambassador, demands release of journalist Cecilia Sala  NBC News
  2. Italy presses Iran for immediate release of journalist held in Tehran  The Guardian
  3. Iranian suspect detained in Italy in US drone case praying for Italian reporter detained in Tehran  The Associated Press
  4. Cecilia Sala: Iran confirms arrest of Italian journalist  BBC.com
  5. Italy, Caught Between U.S. and Iran, Seeks to Free Journalist Cecilia Sala  The Wall Street Journal
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Guardian and Observer readers raise £1.25m so far in charity appeal

With just over a week to go, more than 11,200 people have donated generously to support victims of conflict and war

With just over a week to go, an incredible £1,250,000 has been raised by generous readers for the 2024 Guardian and Observer appeal in support of victims of conflict and war.

Three charities will benefit from the appeal: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and War Child, which carry out frontline medical aid work in war zones, and Parallel Histories, which helps schools teach sensitive and controversial histories such as those of Northern Ireland, Israel and Palestine.

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Bid to tackle extremism in US military unlikely to be revived under Trump

Twin terror attacks bring renewed focus on scourge of extremism, but efforts to effect change have so far stalled

The deadly New Year’s Day terrorist attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas have brought renewed attention to the scourge of extremism in the US military, but efforts to tackle it wilted in the later years of the Biden administration, and are unlikely to be revived once Donald Trump begins his second term this month.

Both the New Orleans vehicle attack that killed 14, and the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas in which the driver died, were perpetrated by discharged or serving members of the armed forces.

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‘Worst-case scenario’: when needed most, New Orleans bollards were missing in action

Those barriers were being repaired – and others were down – when attacker struck, prompting questions

Like the rest of those living in New Orleans at the time, Aaron Miller – then the city’s homeland security director – was terrified after a gunman drove a truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the French coastal city of Nice in 2016, killing 86 people and wounding many more in a terrorist attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS).

Similar car attacks in Berlin, London, New York and Barcelona also put him on edge as he thought about the safety of his city.

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Alcohol use is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the US – report

Advisory from US surgeon general says alcohol contributes to 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths each year

Alcohol use is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the US after tobacco and obesity, according to a new advisory by the US surgeon general.

Released on Friday, the advisory revealed that alcohol use contributes to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 cancer deaths each year. It also found that alcohol-related cancer deaths shorten the lives of those who die by an average of 15 years.

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Firm led by ex-UK envoy on ethics made £13m on not-for-profit visa services

Cloud Bai-Yun was asked to resign from Ecctis, which runs language and qualifications tests for UK visa applicants

An entrepreneur who represented the UK on an ethics body was asked to resign from a company running government visa services after officials found it made a £13.64m gain on its not-for-profit contract.

After the discovery of years of profit-making, the company, Ecctis, repaid the money to the government and a number of executives, including Cloud Bai-Yun, stood down from the firm, which runs language tests and qualification recognition for people applying for UK visas.

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