Morning everyone. New figures paint a grim picture of the health system as elective surgery waiting times increase, new figures show. The highest ever wait time for operations is our top story, and we also report on how Australia Post is expected to end five-day-a-week letter delivery, plus the latest on an increasingly desperate situation in Gaza.
Australia
Post mortem | Australia Post will end daily letter deliveries next year under new rules as it tries to stem losses that ballooned to $200m this year.
Operation delay | Elective surgery wait times are at their highest level on record, while nearly one in two patients are spending more than the recommended time in emergency departments, new data shows. The number of people waiting more than a year for hip and knee replacement surgery has quadrupled since 2018–19.
Lehrmann rent | Court documents show that Seven paid $4,000 per fortnight to Bruce Lehrmann for his rent in exchange for exclusive access. It came on another dramatic day in his defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson in which Brittany Higgins said she volunteered to give evidence because she “would not let my rapist become a millionaire”. Lehrmann has always denied the allegation and his criminal trial was abandoned due to juror misconduct. A second trial did not proceed.
Could do better | Australia’s year 9 students have climbed into the top 10 of OECD countries, the latest international study shows, though continuing a longer-term trend of national decline.
Staging protest | Theatregoers will be leafletted by union delegates outside Australian performance venues in the new year as about 6,000 actors and dancers campaign to lift their pay.
World
‘Most intense yet’ | Israeli forces have reported the most intense day of fighting in Gaza since the ground attack began nearly six weeks ago, with challenging offensives stepped up in northern and southern Gaza and reports of a rise in civilian deaths. Vladimir Putin will make a rare overseas trip when he travels to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia later today to discuss the Israel-Hamas war as Moscow seeks to reassert Russia’s role in the Middle East.
Nuclear leaks | The second part of our investigation into the UK’s Sellafield nuclear site reveals that it has a worsening leak from a huge silo of radioactive waste that could pose a risk to the public.
China downgrade | China’s ability to repay its government borrowing has been downgraded by the credit rating agency Moody’s, which said the collapsing property sector is dragging on the wider economy.
Rohingya adrift | Fears are growing for about 400 Rohingya refugees adrift in two boats on the Andaman Sea for two weeks, according to the United Nations, which called on regional governments to help rescue them.
DNA hack | The US genetic testing company 23andMe has said that nearly 7 million people have been affected by a security breach that put DNA ancestry information into the hands of hackers who broke into the site in early October.
Full Story
Why is the Israel-Hamas conflict so deadly for journalists?
More reporters are believed to have been killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict than any in decades. Jonathan Dagher, from Reporters Without Borders, discusses what it means for public understanding of the region.
In-depth
One of the most valuable books in Australia, Mr William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, commonly referred to as the First Folio, has been placed on display at the State Library of NSW to mark its 400th anniversary. The book was given to Sydney by two wealthy brothers from Birmingham in the 1800s. “It’s a rare book of immeasurable cultural value,” said Maggie Patton, the library’s head of collection.
Not the news
As a doctor, Ranjana Srivastava has been given some inexpensive but priceless gifts by grateful patients over the years. Inexpensive because if a gift is less than $50 the doctor can keep it. So from Diwali Indian sweets to a thumb-size figurine of an angel, she remembers the most precious.
The world of sport
Premier League | Erik ten Hag has insisted there is no disunity at Manchester United after Saturday’s defeat at Newcastle and reports of dressing room unrest that led to the banning of several media outlets.
Rugby union | Rugby must open up to combat online abuse after Owen Farrell and referee Tom Foley stepped back from the game due to trolling, says our correspondent.
Motor sport | Formula One is still considering adopting a reverse grid concept for its sprint race format next season, with the sport announcing the six venues which will hold sprint races in 2024.
Media roundup
The Sydney Morning Herald claims there are 25 suburbs in the city where the government is going to seize control of housing policy. A Sandringham dog owner has been fined $288 after her pet Maltese shih-tzu broke the little-known law of being “at large” on her driveway, the Herald Sun reports. A 76-year-old Spanish woman has died on a snorkelling tour on the Great Barrier Reef, the Cairns Post reports, two weeks after another tourist died on a similar trip.
What’s happening today
Canberra | National cabinet meeting with NDIS top of the agenda.
Sydney | The Australian Space Forum begins in Darling Harbour.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.
