Author: BBC

Taxpayers are facing 23-minute waits for HM Revenue and Customs helplines, according to a report. Source link

Since 2022, hospitals like NNUH have increasingly adopted a new way of working called the Continuous Flow Model, in which patients are sent from A&E to wards and other areas even if they are full.They have done this to address soaring ambulance waits outside A&E as paramedics try to offload patients.In the UK, the model started at the North Bristol NHS Trust and was then implemented at the 10 hospitals with the most delays, according to NHS board papers.These documents indicate at least 36 hospitals have now adopted the system or a version of it. Some implementations involve “drip-feeding” patients…

The venue finally opens, with a gig by Elbow, after a series of embarrassing delays and problems. Source link

An “unprecedented” manhunt is taking place in northern France for a prisoner who escaped during a deadly ambush.Mohamed Amra, known as “The Fly”, was being taken back to jail from a court in Normandy on Tuesday when a car rammed his prison van at a toll booth.Armed men then opened fire on the vehicle, killing two officers and seriously injuring three others.”All means are being used to find these criminals,” French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.Mr Darmanin told French media on Wednesday the attack was an act of “cold-blooded barbarity” and that around 450 gendarmes and police officers had been…

Two-bedroom flats were listed for 35 days before the pandemic, but the average has dropped to 25 days. Source link

A YouTuber falls victim to generative AI on Chinese social media, but the ramifications stretch beyond China. Source link

UK laws have changed to keep up with the science that shows it can be safe.

The BBC asked members of the public what they thought of the newly unveiled official portrait of King Charles.Many were initially taken aback by the vivid red colour with some saying it looked like fire. Others described the painting as “unexpected” but “modern”. The oil painting by Jonathan Yeo is the first portrait of the King since his coronation. Source link

A prominent far-right German politician has been found guilty of knowingly using a Nazi slogan in a speech.Björn Höcke, who leads the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the state of Thuringia, was on trial for saying the words “Everything for Germany!” at a May 2021 rally. The slogan is associated with the SA stormtroopers, who played a key role in the Nazis’ rise to power.Höcke – a former history teacher – had denied knowing the phrase’s roots.The court in the eastern city of Halle convicted the 52-year-old of using symbols of a Nazi organisation and fined him €13,000 ($14,000;…

Asda has revealed plans to create a “town centre” in north-west London, including 1,500 homes.The proposals, which have not yet been submitted for planning permission, include a giant flagship superstore on its 10-acre Park Royal site, near Acton, replacing the current store.The company said about 500 of those homes would be provided as affordable.Asda said many apartments in the development would “utilise a landscaped podium” over the superstore. Source link