Over 6,000 people died while awaiting adult social care decisions, new figures show. Audits highlight long delays. Campaigners and opposition parties urge a cross‑party fix, pressing the PM to take charge of funding and staffing reforms to end the backlog.

At least 40 people died and more than 115 were injured when a blaze broke out at a Swiss Alps bar on New Year’s Eve, reportedly after a sparkler or candle set the ceiling alight. Authorities are investigating the cause and fire safety as support continues for survivors.

Dame Esther Rantzen urges the public to write to peers ahead of a Lords debate on assisted dying, arguing that blocking reform prolongs avoidable suffering for the terminally ill. She says compassionate correspondence could help pass landmark safeguards-based legislation.

Strasbourg judges have asked the UK to justify stripping Shamima Begum of citizenship, reviving her bid to return. The ECHR’s move draws criticism from Robert Jenrick, while Begum’s lawyers call it a chance to test whether the decision breached human rights and due process.