Greece forms anti-bailout coalition

26 January 2015 Last updated at 11:39

The far-left Syriza party, which won Greece's general election on Sunday, has formed an anti-austerity governing coalition with the right-wing party Greek Independents.

The coalition will have a comfortable majority in Greece's new parliament.

Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras has vowed to renegotiate Greece's bailout, worth €240bn (£179bn; $268bn), to end Greece's "humiliation and pain".

Several European politicians have warned him to respect bailout terms.

The BBC's full coverage of the reaction can be found here.

The euro recovered from an 11-year low against the US dollar as investors digested what Syriza's victory means for the eurozone's future.

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Savouring victory: the leader of an anti-austerity revolution

Europe's main share markets also rose - after initial falls - on hopes that a compromise over Greece's bailout terms might be found.

With nearly all of the votes counted in Sunday's poll, Syriza looks set to have 149 seats, just two short of an absolute majority. The Greek Independents are projected to have 13 seats in the 300-seat parliament.

Continue reading the main story

The election result is expected to be one of the main issues at Monday's meeting of 19 eurozone finance ministers.

Sunday's result means that a majority of voters in Greece have essentially rejected a core policy for dealing with the eurozone crisis as devised by Brussels and Germany, the BBC's Gavin Hewitt in Athens says.

The troika of lenders that bailed out Greece - the European Union, European Central Bank, and International Monetary Fund - imposed big budgetary cuts and restructuring in return for the bailout money.

But the man tipped to become the new Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, told the BBC the austerity regime had been "fiscal waterboarding policies that have turned Greece into a debt colony".

The economy has shrunk drastically since the 2008 global financial crisis, and increasing unemployment has thrown many Greeks into poverty.

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Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras: "Today the people of Greece wrote history"

On Sunday, Mr Tsipras told jubilant supporters: "Your mandate is undoubtedly cancelling the bailouts of austerity and destruction.

"The troika for Greece is the thing of the past," he added.

Mr Tsipras promised to write off half of Greece's debt, but was ready to negotiate "a viable solution" and wants the country to stay in the eurozone.

Analysis: Chris Morris, BBC News, Athens

Alexis Tsipras says he is willing to negotiate with Greece's European partners. The question is: how much are they prepared to compromise with him?

There are some things during the eurozone crisis that we were told would never happen.

The European Central Bank would never flood the market with new money, and Greece would never take a gamble with the radical left.

The past few days have overturned those assumptions, making this week a potential turning point in the recent history of the European Union.

A turning point for the EU?

What next?

Peston: Why are markets not panicking?

However, a number of European politicians have warned Greece's new leaders to abide by the deals the country has signed.

Arriving for the meeting in Brussels, the chairman of the Eurogroup, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, told reporters: "There is very little support for a write off in Europe.

"The most important thing is that if you remain in the eurozone you stick to the rules we have."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman also said Greece had to stick to its previous commitments. The German finance ministry said one of the options would be an extension of the current bailout programme.

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Greek voters disagree on the path ahead

Belgian Finance Minister Johan Van Overtveld was quoted by VRT network as saying that Greece "must respect the rules of monetary union", although he added that there was room for some flexibility.

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister) George Osborne told the BBC Syriza's promises would be "very difficult to deliver, and incompatible with what the eurozone currently demands".

Italy's EU Affairs Minister Sandro Gozi sounded a more positive note, speaking of "new opportunities to pursue change in Europe to create growth and investment and fight against unemployment".

Greece's current bailout programme ends in February, and economists say early negotiations are likely to focus on a short-term deal to ensure the country does not default on its repayment obligations.

However Germany has indicated that it is not prepared to renegotiate the bailout terms, raising the prospect that Greece could end up leaving the eurozone.

SA Greek default could threaten the country's place in the euro, says the BBC's Mark Lowen in Athens.

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"Time to stop surviving and start living" - Syriza's Olga Athaniti talks to the BBC

Who are Syriza and what do they stand for?

• An acronym meaning the "Radical Coalition of the Left", Syriza was formed in 2004 as an umbrella group
• Led by 40-year-old Alexis Tsipras
• The party first came to prominence following the 2008 Greek riots
• It promises an end to Greece's painful austerity measures and wants to renegotiate its debt
• Markets worry about a Greek debt default and a possible exit from the eurozone, though Syriza says it wants to keep the euro

Who are Syriza?

Are you in Greece? What difference will the election result make? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you would be happy to speak further to a BBC journalist, please include a contact telephone number.

Have your say

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Cameron: People 'deserve tax cuts'

26 January 2015 Last updated at 11:59

David Cameron has said there is an "economic, moral and practical" case for lower taxes as he set out his central election pledges on taxation.

The prime minister said, under his plans, no-one would pay tax on the first £12,500 of their income by 2020.

In a speech in Hampshire, he said this would represent a country "thoroughly in favour of work and effort".

But the Lib Dems insist they have been the drivers of tax cuts since 2010 and had "fought tooth and nail" for them.

The coalition has increased the point at which people start paying income tax - known as the annual personal allowance - from £6,475 in 2010-2011 to £10,500 in 2014-15, meaning all those earning less than £100,000 now pay no tax on the first £10,500 of income.

Both the Conservatives and Lib Dems have pledged to lift this threshold to £12,500 during the next Parliament although the two parties are at odds over who has championed the policy, with both seeking to take the credit.

'People's money'

In the third of a series of speeches setting out the Conservatives' main electoral themes, the prime minister said his party was on the side of taxpayers, who he acknowledged have endured a "difficult time" since the 2008 recession.

"We should start from the proposition that it is people's money not government's money and we should leave them with as much to spend as we can rather than frittering it away on wasteful government projects," he said.

Under Conservative plans, he said no-one on the minimum wage working 30 hours a week would pay income tax by 2020, effectively taking one million people out of tax completely.

"This is not just a vague promise," he said. "We have a record."

Changes to the personal allowance since 2010, he said, had delivered a £700 tax cut for 24 million people and three million people were no longer paying income tax as a result.

Mr Cameron also repeated the party's pledge - first made at its autumn conference - to help middle earners by raising the income threshold at which people start paying 40% tax from £41,900 at the moment to £50,000 by 2020, saying this "backed aspiration".

"Those who can afford to" would continue to "pay the most in tax", he added.

"We make these commitments on the basis of the fact that we have turned round the economic performance of this country," he said.

The Conservatives have said they can eliminate the structural deficit and return the UK's public finances to the black over the next five years without raising taxes.

Asked whether the tax cuts were designed to shore up Conservative support in southern England in the face of the threat from UKIP, he said "on their own they are never enough" and "what you need is an economic plan that people can see is working".

'Lib Dem flagship'

Danny Alexander, the Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said the Conservatives had dismissed income tax cuts as "unaffordable" during the last election and it was only the Lib Dems' persistence which had brought them about.

The party has said, if it remains in government, it will raise the personal allowance to £11,000 in 2016.

"Our Liberal Democrat flagship policy of dramatically increasing the amount that people can earn before they pay income tax amounts to the greatest revolution in the tax landscape for working people in living memory," Mr Alexander said.

"Nick Clegg and I have fought tooth and nail to keep the successive rises in the personal allowance on the table at every Budget."

Labour have accused the Conservatives of making £7bn of unfunded tax promises and said they broke a 2010 election promise by raising VAT shortly after the election.

The opposition say their own plans to raise the top level of tax from 45p to 50p are part of a fairer approach to ensuring a budget surplus by 2020.

The Taxpayers Alliance campaign group said Mr Cameron's tax commitments were welcome but were "not as generous as they first seem".

"He is not planning to raise the 40p threshold quickly enough to keep pace with inflation and he has said nothing about what he would do with national insurance which is a second income tax in all but name," said its director Jonathan Isaby.

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First female bishop consecrated

26 January 2015 Last updated at 11:31

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LIVE: The Church of England's first female bishop is being ordained

The Church of England is consecrating its first female bishop during a ceremony at York Minster.

The Reverend Libby Lane, 48, is being ordained as the new Bishop of Stockport, in what she says will be a "profound and remarkable moment".

The Church formally adopted legislation last November to allow women bishops.

The move, which ends a centuries-old tradition of exclusively male bishops, has continued to prompt divisions between some Anglicans.

Mrs Lane has been vicar of St Peter's Hale and St Elizabeth's Ashley, in Greater Manchester, since April 2007.

Her appointment was announced last month and Monday will see the consecration, or the process of being made holy, take place.

The two-hour service - expected to be attended by more than 1,000 people - will be led by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, during which he and other bishops will lay their hands on Mrs Lane and pray.

Dr Sentamu tweeted that he was "thrilled" to be taking part.

Analysis By John McManus, Social Affairs reporter, BBC News

Straddling metropolitan Manchester and leafy Cheshire, Stockport has often been in the shadow of its two neighbours, but now it has its own claim to fame with England's first female Bishop, perhaps the first of many.

Don't expect a sudden rush of new women bishops, though. The Church is a slow-moving edifice.

It took many years of argument to bring itself to this point, and many who opposed the move are bewildered and unhappy.

They will not be celebrating today so senior clergy who back women bishops are anxious not to rock the boat so much that it starts taking on water.

A small number of clergy and lay people already left to join the Catholic Church in 2011 over this issue.

More departures for Rome are unlikely, but the Archbishops of Canterbury and York are aware that while Anglicanism is a broad church, so to speak - they need to keep paddling hard to keep all its members on board.

'Very emotional'

In an interview with BBC Radio Manchester, Mrs Lane said the consecration would be a very "emotional" moment.

She said: "It is a remarkable thing that this happens to me, and people have been very supportive of me personally, but actually this is about a moment in the Church's history."

It would be "a very profound, remarkable moment for me then and for my future ministry", she said.

Mrs Lane said more than 100 bishops were travelling to York for the service.

Who is Reverend Libby Lane?

• Vicar of St Peter's Hale and St Elizabeth's Ashley, in Greater Manchester, since April 2007
• Ordained as deacon in 1993 and as priest in 1994, serving her curacy at St James's Church, Blackburn
• Since January 2010, she has been Dean of Women in Ministry for the Diocese of Chester
• Her husband, George, is also a priest
• They were one of the first married couples in the Church of England to be ordained together
• She is a Manchester United supporter and is learning to play the saxophone, according to her church's website

Who is the Church of England's first female bishop?

Her consecration comes more than 20 years after women became priests in the Church of England.

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Reverend Georgina Watmore, friend: "The eyes of the world will be on her"

And it comes after the general synod gave the final seal of approval to the legislation on women bishops following its passage through Parliament last year.

After the change was approved, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said that the Church was entering a "completely new phase of our existence".

But divisions still remain between Anglicans who feel the change is consistent with their faith and traditionalists who disagree.

Opponents of women bishops include some Church of England evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics who believe scripture requires male headship in the Church.

Continue reading the main story

A vicar from Blackburn used her service on Sunday to protest at changes being made to the ordination of the Bishop of Burnley next month who will not have the "laying of hands" performed by Dr Sentamu because the Reverend Philip North opposes women bishops.

Dr Sentamu said the arrangements were made "for prayer, not politics".

Gloucester, Oxford and Newcastle are among the dioceses where new bishops will also soon be appointed, while interviews for the vacancy as bishop for the Southwell and Nottingham diocese took place at the start of December.

Churches in Scotland and Wales already allow women as bishops, but have not appointed one yet.

Outside the Church of England, there are over 20 women bishops in the wider Anglican church, including the Reverend Pat Storey, who was appointed Bishop of Meath and Kildare in the Church of Ireland in September 2013.

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SSE to cut gas prices by 4.1%

26 January 2015 Last updated at 11:58

Energy company SSE has said it will cut its domestic gas prices by 4.1% from 30 April, a move which will save the average household £28 a year.

SSE is now the fifth of the "big six" energy firms to have reduced gas prices, following cuts from E.On, British Gas, Scottish Power and Npower.

EDF is the only one of the big six yet to announce price cuts.

Wholesale gas prices have fallen sharply in recent months following the drop in oil prices.

SSE also said it would extend by at least six months its previous guarantee not to increase its gas and electricity prices, until July 2016.

As well as SSE, the company trades under brands such as Scottish Hydro, Southern Electric and Swalec.

Steve Forbes, SSE's director of GB Domestic, said: "We were the only supplier to freeze prices and we promised we would cut them if we could; now we're delivering on that promise with an average £28 reduction in gas bills."

SSE, which has 8.7 million electricity and gas customers, said its cut would benefit about three million customers who currently pay on variable dual-fuel and gas-only tariffs.

Explaining why the forthcoming cut would not be larger, the firm said that wholesale energy costs now make up "less than half of the typical household energy bill".

"There are significant other costs within energy bills, including those relating to government-sponsored environmental and social policies and the roll-out of smart meters."

Supplier	Change	Date of change
E.On	Gas: down 3.5%	13 January
British Gas	Gas: down 5%	27 February
Scottish Power	Gas: down 4.8%	20 February
Npower	Gas: down 5.1%	16 February
SSE	Gas: down 4.1%	30 April

Filtering through

In common with other big suppliers, SSE is not cutting its electricity prices.

In the past, all the UK's energy suppliers have argued when putting up electricity prices that they were intimately linked to rising wholesale gas prices.

But on Monday, SSE said: "They are very different with different underlying costs."

Explaining why the impending cut in gas prices was being delayed until the end of April, the firm said this reflected the fact that it had bought gas in the wholesale markets as much as two years ago, in order to make good on last year's promise to freeze its gas and electricity prices.

"It takes longer for wholesale costs to filter through than other products like petrol as we buy much further in advance to smooth out the rise and falls in wholesale prices," SSE said.

However, James Padmore of price comparison service Comparethemarket.com said: "If customers of British Gas and Scottish Power thought that delaying price cuts until February was unfair, I suspect those households with SSE will be pretty unimpressed by this announcement."

The UK's energy suppliers have been under intense pressure from politicians and consumer groups to respond more quickly to the recent large fall in oil prices and wholesale gas prices.

The industry is widely perceived as being quick to put prices up when costs rise, but very slow to reduce them when costs fall.

For that reason, the energy industry is undergoing a full scale inquiry from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into the way it operates.

The CMA inquiry is expected to report its provisional findings in May or June.

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Greek singer Demis Roussos dies

26 January 2015 Last updated at 12:06

Greek singer Demis Roussos, who sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, has died aged 69 in hospital in Athens

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

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Ukraine rebels 'reject truce talks'

23 January 2015 Last updated at 12:02

The main pro-Russian rebel leader in eastern Ukraine says his troops are on the offensive and he does not want truce talks with Kiev.

Alexander Zakharchenko said his forces would push the front line back to the borders of Donetsk region. They are in control of the city of Donetsk.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukrainian government forces of "criminal" shelling of civilian areas.

Kiev "ordered the start of major combat operations" along the front, he said.

Earlier, Mr Zakharchenko said the rebels "will not make any attempts at ceasefire talks any more".

Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany have issued a call to end fighting.

On Thursday, Ukrainian government troops withdrew from Donetsk airport's main terminal, a scene of bitter fighting in recent weeks.

The government said the military still retained control of parts of the airport, but six soldiers had died and 16 had been wounded.

Large-scale offensive

The government and its Western allies say Russian regular troops are fighting alongside the separatists, using Russian heavy artillery and tanks. Moscow insists that only Russian "volunteers" have joined the rebels.

Mr Zakharchenko said "we'll attack right up to the borders of Donetsk region, but if I see a threat from other directions we'll neutralise it".

"Kiev doesn't understand now that we can attack in three directions simultaneously," Russian media quoted him as saying.

More than 4,800 people have been killed in fighting since the rebels seized a large swathe of Donetsk and Luhansk regions last April. More than a million people have been displaced.

A separate rebel statement on Friday said Ukrainian forces' shelling of Donetsk and Horlivka had killed 16 civilians in the past 24 hours.

The OSCE security organisation has confirmed that at least eight civilians died in a mortar blast at a bus stop in Donetsk. The rebels and the government traded blame for the attack, which left more than a dozen wounded.

"It is another crime against humanity, an obvious provocation aimed at undermining the peaceful political process," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

A Ukrainian military spokesman, Andriy Lysenko, blamed a rebel mortar team, saying the explosion was "beyond the range of Ukrainian artillery of this type".

'Criminal orders'

In Moscow, President Putin told the Russian Security Council that Ukraine was using heavy artillery, rockets and aircraft "indiscriminately against densely-populated areas".

"The ones responsible for that are those who give such criminal orders," he said, quoted by Interfax news agency.

He said Kiev had not responded coherently to his proposal for a withdrawal of heavy weapons from the conflict zone.

'Heaviest losses'

Rebel military spokesman Eduard Basurin said 24 rebel troops had been killed and 30 wounded in the latest fighting. He called it "the heaviest losses in our ranks" in a 24-hour period.

The Ukrainian Defence Council chief, Oleksandr Turchynov, confirmed on Friday that the rebels had launched an offensive. "The enemy will stop at nothing," he said, accusing the rebels and Russian forces of intensive shelling.

"Russian terrorist groups have essentially violated all prior ceasefire agreements... and are today assuming active offensive operations," he said.

"We are talking about active units of the Russian armed forces," he stressed.

The fighting raged on just hours after Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany had issued a joint call for a ceasefire.

They also agreed on a line of demarcation between separatists and government forces from which both sides were meant to withdraw their forces.

Ukraine: the human cost

• Some 5.2 million people live in conflict-affected areas and 1.4 million are considered "highly vulnerable and in need of assistance"
• More than a million people have fled their homes with 633,523 living as displaced persons within Ukraine and 593,622 living outside Ukraine, mostly in Russia
• More than 4,800 people have been killed in the fighting and at least 10,322 have been injured, including at least 102 children

Source: UN report of 9 January for refugee figures; news reports for casualty estimates

Donetsk airport: Ukraine's coveted prize

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Ebola vaccine 'shipped to Liberia'

23 January 2015 Last updated at 09:01 By Smitha Mundasad Health reporter, BBC News

The first batch of an experimental vaccine against Ebola is on its way to Liberia.

The shipment will be the first potentially preventative medicine to reach one of the hardest hit countries.

But experts say that, with Ebola cases falling, it may be difficult to establish whether the jab offers any protection against the virus.

It has been produced by British company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the US National Institutes of Health.

Continue reading the main story

Because case numbers are starting to come down it will become harder and harder to show if the vaccine is having any impact"

End Quote Prof Jonathan Ball Nottingham Univeristy

Meaningful protection

GSK said a plane carrying some 300 initial doses of the vaccine was expected to arrive in Monrovia on Friday.

The company hopes the first volunteer will be immunised in the next few weeks.

The chief executive of GSK, Sir Andrew Witty, said the pace of development was almost unparalleled and was comparable to only the development of a pandemic flu vaccine or new medicines for HIV.

He told the BBC: "As an example we have delayed two other vaccine development programmes to free up the space to do this work, so this has come with a significant amount of disruption."

Scientists aim to involve 30,000 volunteers in the trial in total, including frontline health workers.

If all regulations are met, 10,000 volunteers will be given the GSK vaccine.

A matching number will get a placebo, dummy vaccine. And there are plans for a further 10,000 people to get a separate experimental jab.

The results will be compared to see if either vaccine offers any meaningful protection against the virus.

A version of the vaccine has already been tested on 200 healthy volunteers across the UK, US, Switzerland and Mali.

GSK says it has been found to have an acceptable safety profile so far.

But it is only in affected countries that experts can determine whether it provides adequate protection against the virus.

Dr Moncef Slaoui, of GlaxoSmithKline said: "Shipping the vaccine today is a major achievement and shows that we remain on track with the accelerated development of our candidate Ebola vaccine.

"The initial phase one data we have seen are encouraging and give us confidence to progress to the next phases of clinical testing."

The company stresses the vaccine is still in development and the World Health Organization, and other regulators, would have to be satisfied the vaccine is both safe and effective before any mass immunisation campaigns could be considered.

Field trials of other promising vaccines - for example one involving the company Merck - are planned in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in the months to come.

And there are reports that a trial of an experimental drug called Zmapp might start in the next few weeks.

Falling opportunities

However, experts say with the number of Ebola cases falling opportunities to test vaccines and drugs could be limited.

Prof Jonathan Ball, a virus expert based at Nottingham University, told the BBC: "Because case numbers are starting to come down it will become harder and harder to show if the vaccine is having any impact.

"Ultimately we may be in position in a few months time where we don't know whether this vaccine is effective in humans.

"But it is important to get answers if we can - if not for this outbreak, for future outbreaks. We need to be prepared."

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Li Ka-shing set to buy O2 for £10bn

23 January 2015 Last updated at 10:38

Asia's richest person Li Ka-shing is in talks to buy Britain's second-largest mobile provider O2 for up to £10.25bn ($15.4bn) from Spain's Telefonica.

His firm, Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa, already owns the Three mobile network, and combining it with O2 would create the UK's biggest mobile group.

However, the move could face tough scrutiny from competition regulators.

It would reduce the number of major operators in the UK from four to three, which might not benefit consumers.

Further consolidation within the telecommunications industry is already on the cards, with BT Group in talks to by rival operator EE.

Competition issue

If a deal is agreed it would have to be approved by competition regulators in Brussels.

Currently the UK mobile market is dominated by O2, EE, Vodafone and Three.

However, Hutchison Whampoa group finance director, Frank Sixt, pointed to deals in other countries, including Ireland, which were given the green light and which also reduced the number of competitors in the market from four to three.

"The European Commission has taken a positive view of four-to-three consolidations of mobile in three cases now...and we believe that the precedents that they have set in those transactions will apply for this transaction," he said.

Mark Newman, chief research officer at telecoms consultancy, Ovum, thinks there may still be grounds for concern.

"The big question we should be asking ourselves is whether the consolidation will result in prices going up," he said.

"It's worth looking at the Austrian market which has gone from five operators a few years ago to three today. It appears as though prices have gone up in the Austrian market."

O2 said in a statement: "Three is known for campaigning on behalf of its customers, much like O2.

"We are confident that an agreement will mutually benefit the customers of both companies, as well as drive better value, quality and investment in one of the most digitally competitive countries in the world."

Spending spree

Hutchison said in a statement that the exclusive negotiations with Telefonica will take a period of several weeks.

"Shareholders and potential investors of the company should note that such negotiations may or may not result in any transaction, and accordingly are advised to exercise caution when dealing in the shares of the company," it said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Hutchison shares jumped 4% on the announcement after they resumed trading in Hong Kong. They had been suspended on Friday morning pending the statement.

Mr Li has spent more than £20bn on overseas acquisitions in recent years. Earlier this week, he agreed to buy the UK's Eversholt Rail Group for £1.1bn.

The 86-year old is also undertaking a major reorganisation of his business empire, which has interests in property, energy, ports and telecoms.

The conglomerates Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa are both controlled by Mr Li. He plans to merge them and spin off their property assets into a new company, also to be listed in Hong Kong.

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A&E waiting times in England improve

23 January 2015 Last updated at 11:33 By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

Waiting times in A&E units in England have improved to their best level since November - but the target is still being missed, figures show.

A total of 92.4% of patients were seen in four hours in the seven days up until Sunday.

The target is 95% and has been missed on a weekly basis since the start of October.

But until this latest week performance had dropped to its lowest levels since 2010. That record low is now over.

In the first week of January, performance was lower than 87% - the worst it has been since weekly records began in 2010.

During the latest week, the NHS seems to have been helped because the number of attendances has fallen.

It has been suggested that people have heeded warnings to only visit hospitals in emergencies after weeks of bad headlines.

'Huge pressures'

But Dame Barbara Hakin, of NHS England, said that while demands had "eased" the NHS was still facing "huge pressures on its frontline services".

She added: "For the second successive week there has been an improvement in A&E performance. It is encouraging.

"But I want to pay tribute to out staff for the excellent job they are doing in continuing to provide an incredibly robust response."

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Winter wards can help ease bed blocking in A&E, as Fiona Trott reports

Nonetheless, only 29 of the 140 major hospital trusts - the overall figures include walk-in centres and minor injury units - met the target.

Some 110 met it with not data provided for one site, Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust.

There was also a rise in delayed discharges - this is where a hospital is unable to release a patient despite their treatment being completed because a lack of support available in the community.

The problem has been highlighted as a key reason for hospitals struggling in the New Year as the delays mean the flow of patients through the hospital system slows.

Other parts of the UK are also struggling. The target is being missed in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales - with the latter seeing the worst waits since the current way of measuring it began in 2009.

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Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah dies

23 January 2015 Last updated at 11:55

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Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was the fifth of his brothers to take the throne

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has died, royal officials have announced, weeks after he was admitted to hospital.

Abdullah, who had ruled since 2005 and was said to be aged about 90, had been suffering from a lung infection.

His 79-year-old half-brother, Salman, has been confirmed as the new king.

Within hours of his accession to the throne of the oil-rich kingdom, King Salman vowed to maintain the same policies as his predecessors.

"We will continue adhering to the correct policies which Saudi Arabia has followed since its establishment," he said in a speech broadcast on state television.

Abdullah had suffered frequent bouts of ill health in recent years, and King Salman had recently taken on the ailing monarch's responsibilities.

Prior to announcing Abdullah's death, Saudi television cut to Koranic verses, which often signifies the passing of a senior royal.

A statement said Abdullah had died at 01:00 (22:00 GMT Thursday).

At the scene: Sylvia Smith, BBC News, Jeddah

Here in Saudi Arabia's second city, the streets were quiet this morning as many people flocked to mosques for Friday prayers. There is a subdued sadness in the air as Saudis take in the loss of their king.

People throughout the kingdom are mourning a man whom many viewed as a good monarch. A Jedawi I spoke to said that although it was known that Abdullah was ailing, to wake up to news of the king's death was distressing. Another Jedawi referred to the loss as like a family member passing away.

It is only after the king is later laid to rest, that people here and in the kingdom at large can begin to adjust to his passing.

Another of the late king's half-brothers, Muqrin, who is in his late 60s, has been named the new crown prince, according to an official statement.

Abdullah, Salman and Muqrin are all sons of the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz, usually referred to as Ibn Saud, who died in 1953.

King Salman called on the royal family's Allegiance Council to recognise Muqrin as his heir. He swiftly appointed Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef as deputy crown prince, making him second in line to the throne, and named his own son, Mohammed bin Salman, as defence minister.

Other ministers, including foreign, oil and finance were kept in place, state TV reported.

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King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud: "We will never deviate from our constitution"

The new king's profile was updated on his official Twitter account, where he wrote: "I ask God to help me succeed in my service of the dear [Saudi] people."

In keeping with traditions of Wahhabism - the ultra-conservative form of Sunni Islam followed by the kingdom - King Abdullah will be buried in an unmarked grave immediately after Friday prayers.

The Saudi religious establishment views every aspect of life and death as a submission to God's supreme will, and protocol permits no official mourning period. Government offices stay open and flags remain at full mast.

Analysis: Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent

Saudi Arabia under King Salman faces a number of challenges. The first is ensuring the succession passes smoothly without any divisive jockeying for power within the ruling family. Then there is the ongoing threat from jihadists, both at home and across its borders.

Saudi Arabia is now sandwiched between an aggressive Islamic State (IS) to the north and al-Qaeda in Yemen to the south. Saudi warplanes have joined the US-led coalition in air strikes against IS, but this is deeply unpopular with many Saudis.

The government has yet to find a way to cope with mild calls for reforms, and is abusing anti-terror laws to silence reformers and punish its critics. Longer term, it faces a growing unemployment problem. About half the population is under 25 and there are nowhere near enough meaningful jobs for young Saudis.

But the country does at least have oil in its favour. With prices below $45 a barrel, Saudi Arabia is one of the very few exporting countries to still make big margins on production and exploration. That puts it in a powerful position on the world stage.

US President Barack Obama expressed his personal sympathies, and those of the American people, on Abdullah's death.

"As a leader, he was always candid and had the courage of his convictions. One of those convictions was his steadfast and passionate belief in the importance of the US-Saudi relationship as a force for stability and security in the Middle East and beyond," he said.

Vice-President Joe Biden tweeted that he would lead a delegation to Riyadh to pay respects.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron said Abdullah would be remembered for his "commitment to peace and for strengthening understanding between faiths".

Jordan's King Abdullah II cut short a visit to Davos, Switzerland, to travel to Saudi Arabia, as Jordan's royal court declared 40 days of mourning.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin praised Abdullah's "grounded, considered and responsible leadership", while Iran offered Saudi Arabia its condolences and said its foreign minister would travel to Riyadh for an "official ceremony" on Saturday.

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Frank Gardner says Saudi Arabia could face an increasing internal security problem following the death of King Abdullah

King Abdullah was the 13th of the 45 sons of King Abdulaziz. He is believed to have been born in August 1924 in Riyadh, although there is some dispute about his actual birth date.

When he came to the throne in 2005 he succeeded another half-brother, Fahd. However, he had already been Saudi Arabia's de-facto leader for 10 years because his predecessor had been debilitated by a stroke.

In recent months Abdullah's age and failing health had led to increasing focus on the issue of the Saudi royal succession.

The crown has traditionally passed between Ibn Saud's sons, but few are still alive.

King Salman's appointment of Mohammed bin Nayef - a grandson of Ibn Saud - as deputy crown prince effectively smoothes the line of succession for years to come.

Correspondents say Abdullah was seen as a reformer at home, albeit a slow and steady one.

He allowed mild criticism of his government in the press, and hinted that more women should be allowed to work.

King Salman spent 48 years as governor of Riyadh Province before becoming crown prince and defence minister.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says it is thought unlikely that he will embark on any great changes.

In a recent meeting with the BBC in Jeddah, he appeared alert and well-briefed but walked with the aid of a stick, our correspondent adds.

King Salman

• Born on 31 December 1935
• Son of Princess Hassa al-Sudairi
• Governor of Riyadh from 1955-1960 and 1963-2011
• Appointed defence minister upon death of his brother Crown Prince Sultan
• Owns important stake in one of the Arab world's largest media groups

Profile: King Salman

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