Volodymyr Zelensky brought his battle for more funds and weapons to the White House, hinting to President Joe Biden he wants more missiles as conservative Republicans are refusing to budge on aid to the Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president spent Thursday morning on Capitol Hill, lobbying lawmakers for their support. But far-right GOP lawmakers in the House are stiffling aid even as many GOP senators support sending more funds to Kyiv. 

And it appears Zelensky has been unable to persuade them differently. The right-wing of the party voted down Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s defense bill and conservative Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said her ‘no’ vote came because the bill included money for Ukraine.

‘Our Defense bill should not fund our DOD for blood money for the Ukraine war, that’s why I’m a NO,’ she wrote on X

Biden, however, indicated he thought Congress would ultimately agree to his $24 billion proposal for Kyiv, saying there was ‘no alternative.’

‘I’m counting on the good judgment of the United States Congress. There is no alternative,’ he said. 

Zelensky said he had frank conversations with lawmakers during his closed-door meetings on Capitol Hill.

But funding for his country is falling victim to a civil war among House Republicans. The conservative wing of the GOP doesn’t support more money for Kyiv and has sank budget bills that contain it. 

Biden, meanwhile, announced a new $325 million military aid package for Ukraine although it didn’t have all the bells and whistles on Zelensky’s wish list. 

The Ukrainian president wants ATACMS, long-range tactical missiles that Kyiv has been asking for to hit Russian targets in the deep rear of the fight.

‘When it comes to weapons we will discuss everything with a special emphasis on air defense,’ Zelensky said.  

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said ahead of Zelensky’s arrival at the White House that President Biden would announce a tranche ‘of military assistance today including significant air defense capabilities to help Ukraine.’

That will include additional ammunition for U.S. provided HIMAR systems, anti-armor capabilities, artillery, and ammunition. But it will not include the ATACMS. 

Additionally, the first abrams tanks will be delivered to Ukraine next week, Biden announced.

‘We also focused on strengthening Ukraine’s air defense capabilities to protect the critical infrastructure,’ Biden said. 

Zelensky thanked Biden for ‘very productive, strong negotiations. And today we have some important results.’

‘It has what our soldiers need now,’ he said.  

Zelensky and his wife Olena got a warm welcome on the South Lawn from Joe and Jill Biden. Hugs were exchanged and the Bidens rolled out the red carpet for the Ukrainian president and first lady.

President Biden called Ukraine a ‘partner’ and said the US is ‘formalizing our commitment to Ukraine’s long-term security alongside the G7 and with other partners.’

‘We’re supporting a just and lasting peace, one that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,’ he said. 

The pressure is on Zelensky, who packed his visit to Washington DC with stops on Capitol Hill, the Pentagon and the White House, to appeal for aid after Poland yanked its weapons supply during one of Russia’s most brutal missile campaigns. Warsaw said it would now only supply the already-promised weapons.

The Biden administration is pushing for Congress to authorize an additional $24 billion in funding. Zelensky met with lawmakers on Thursday in his battle to persuade skeptical Republicans in Congress to keep sending financial support.

‘If we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war,’ Zelensky said, as recounted by Senator Chuck Schumer.

On Thursday morning, Zelensky met the speaker, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and other committee chairs and ranking members on the first floor of the Capitol. 

McCarthy, notably, didn’t come out to greet the Ukrainian leader. Jeffries met Zelensky at the Capitol entrance and walked him to the meeting site. 

After the meeting, McCarthy said he remains noncommittal about the $24 billion aid package to Ukraine but said Zelensky answered many of lawmakers’ questions on the status of the war. 

McCarthy and Zelensky met behind closed doors where the Ukrainian president told lawmakers: ‘When this war started, you said to me, Ukraine, stay unified and stay strong. I’m coming back and saying to the United States: stay unified and stay strong.’ 

Before his visit, Zelensky asked to deliver another joint address to Congress, as he did last December, Punchbowl News reported, but Speaker Kevin McCarthy denied the request.

‘Zelensky asked us for a Joint Session and we just didn’t have time,’ McCarthy told reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday morning, pointing out the Ukrainian president had already addressed Congress. Zelensky spoke to a joint session in December when Nancy Pelosi was still speaker.

Congress has already authorized more than $110 billion to Kyiv since Vladimir Putin‘s invasion, and some rightwing members of the GOP have warned the White House they will oppose Biden’s request to send another $24 billion.

Congress has not yet passed any of the 12 spending bills that are needed to keep the government running. It has until September 30th to do or the government shuts down. 

Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul said Zelensky – as part of his plea – told lawmakers ‘he’s winning’ the war.

He said Zelensky told them he needs air cover and long-range artillery for his soldiers. 

Hurting Ukraine’s effort is its spat with Poland. 

Zelensky tried to fan down the flames. 

Despite criticizing Poland at the UN on Wednesday, Zelensky sounded a more conciliatory note when he spoke in the Oval Office on Thursday.

‘I want to thank the Polish people, Polish society for their support. That’s it,’ he said. 

His friendly comment comes as Poland announced it will no longer provide weapons to Kyiv. 

‘We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine, because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons,’ Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

Tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv, sparked by Poland’s ban on Ukrainian grain imports to protect the interests of its farmers, have intensified in recent days. 

Poland was one Ukraine’s earliest and staunchest allies after Russia invaded. It has taken in over a million refugees and been Kyiv’s biggest supplier of weapons.

Poland has delivered hundreds of Soviet-era tanks and armored personnel carriers for Ukraine’s war effort, as well as 14 MiG-29 fighter jets.

Warsaw’s government spokesman Piotr Mueller said Thursday that Poland ‘only carries out previously agreed supplies of ammunition and weapons, including those resulting from the contracts signed with Ukraine.’ 

Asked whether Warsaw would choose not to sign new contracts for delivering arms to Kyiv, Mueller declined to answer. 

In the US, Zelensky’s focus is on House Republicans, who have made clear they oppose more funding for the Ukraine. 

McCarthy’s stop-gap resolution to keep the government running while lawmakers negotiate a full budget deal lacks any funding for Kyiv. 

And 29 GOP lawmakers wrote to the Biden’s budget chief to express their concerns about how much has already been given to the Ukraine – $100 billion – and to complain the Biden administration  supports an ‘open-ended commitment’ to the country.

They argue Americans need more information on the war effort.

‘How is the counteroffensive going? Are the Ukrainians any closer to victory than they were 6 months ago? What is our strategy, and what is the president’s exit plan?’ they write.  

McCarthy has made similar comments.

‘Was Zelensky elected to Congress? Is he our president? I don’t think so. I have questions for where’s the accountability on the money we’ve already spent? What is this the plan for victory?’ he said to reporters on Capitol Hill earlier this week.

But Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell does support funding Ukraine’s war effort although some conservatives in the upper chamber think the U.S. has done enough to help Kyiv.

McConnell, along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, escorted Zelensky into his meeting with senators.  

The Biden administration continues to push for more funding. Zelensky will cap off his visit to Washington with a meeting in the Oval Office. 

Zelensky’s visit comes at a ‘critical time, as Russia is reaching out’ to countries like North Korea and Iran, White House spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday. 

Biden can get a ‘battlefield perspective,’ when he meets with Zelensky in the Oval Office, Kirby noted. 

While Zelensky was out of the country, Russia upped its aerial campaign, damaging energy facilities and causing power outages in several region.

Moscow targeted Lviv in the west, near the border with Poland, and Kharkiv, close to Ukraine’s eastern front lines, as well as Kyiv, Cherkasy and Rivne. 

Zelensky arrives in Washington after addressing the UN General Assembly as part of the body’s annual meeting.

He also addressed the U.N. Security Council, where he got tough, accusing it of inaction on Russia’s invasion of his country.

‘Most of the world recognizes the truth about this war,’ Zelensky said.

‘We should recognize that the U.N. finds itself in a deadlock on the matters of aggression,’ he noted.

China has flown 68 warplanes and deployed 10 navy vessels around Taiwan in a day’s span – just weeks after the US announced its first-ever transfer of military equipment to the island. 

The move is the latest in military demonstrations between China, Taiwan and the US. 

The 68 plane total came a day after Taipei said 35 Chinese warplanes were detected around the self-ruled island, with some then flying to join China’s Shandong aircraft carrier for naval drills in the Western Pacific. 

Communist China claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and relations have soured since Taiwan’s independence. When Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016, Beijing ratcheted up military and political pressure on the island. 

The US has been a long backer of Taiwan, including Nancy Pelosi making a visit to the island in 2022. Last month, President Joe Biden‘s administration announced an $80million transfer of military hardware to Taiwan. 

The State Department informed Congress of the $80 million package, which is small compared with recent sales to Taiwan but marks the first assistance to Taipei under the Foreign Military Financing program, which generally involves grants or loans to sovereign countries.

The State Department did not formally announce the aid or give details, but a person familiar with the notice said the assistance would involve support to improve awareness at sea. 

Taiwan’s defense ministry said beginning at around 6 a.m. local time, Chinese warplanes, including J-10 fighters, had flown into the southwestern corner of the island’s air defense identification zone, or ADIZ.

‘This year, the Chinese Communist Party has aggressively expanded its armaments and continued to build various types of fighter jets and drones,’ Taiwanese Major General Huang Wen-Chi said in a statement. 

Some of the Chinese aircraft crossed the Bashi Channel to carry out drills with the Chinese aircraft carrier the Shandong in the Pacific, the ministry added.

Japan’s defense ministry also said Wednesday its navy had detected six ships – including frigates, destroyers, one fast combat support ship and the Shandong – sailing through waters some 400 miles south of Miyakojima island, east of Taiwan. 

Japan sent a destroyer to monitor the Chinese ships and confirmed that jet fighters and helicopters aboard the Shandong conducted landing training, the ministry added. 

China’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Taiwan’s forces monitored the situation, including sending up its own air force planes and activating air defense systems, the ministry added, using the normal phrasing for its response to such Chinese incursions.

A Chinese naval formation led by the Shandong entered the western Pacific for training, Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Monday. 

Separately, more than 20 Chinese warships, including Type 055 destroyers, sailed through the Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait into the Pacific on Wednesday, a senior official familiar with security planning in the region told Reuters. 

The Chinese naval maneuver, along with the training exercises by the carrier group, were an ‘obvious challenge’ to the recent military activities by the United States and its allies in the region, the person said.

‘They want to show that they got the total control of the west of the first island chain,’ the person said, referring to the area which runs from Japan through Taiwan, the Philippines and on to Borneo, enclosing China’s coastal seas.

A US and a Canadian warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, the U.S. Navy said, marking the second such joint mission since June and coinciding with the leaders of both countries attending the G20 summit in India.

The two countries’ navies also conducted a series of exercises in the South China Sea this week, according to the US Navy.

China has been increasing its military operations around Taiwan over the past few years in response to what it calls ‘collusion’ between Taiwan independence forces and the US.

For five decades, the United States has officially recognized only Beijing although Congress, under the Taiwan Relations Act, requires the supply of weapons to the self-governing democracy for its defense. 

The State Department insisted that the first-ever aid under the program did not imply any recognition of Taiwan sovereignty.

‘Consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act and our longstanding One China policy, which has not changed, the United States makes available to Taiwan defense articles and services necessary to enable it to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability,’ a State Department spokesperson said.

‘The United States has an abiding interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, which is critical to regional and global security and prosperity.’

Taiwan’s defense ministry expressed gratitude. ‘The aid will help in regional peace and stability,’ it said in a short statement.

China’s defense ministry, asked about the aid at a regular briefing, warned that US military aid to Taiwan would harm the island.

‘US military aid and sales to Taiwan only nourish the US military-industrial complex while harming the security and well-being of Taiwan compatriots,’ spokesperson Wu Qian told a briefing.

‘In this regard, the People’s Liberation Army will, as always, take all necessary measures to resolutely counter it,’ he added, referring to the Chinese military by its official name.

Kevin McCarthy greeted Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen in his home state of California in April amid rising threats from China warning the two leaders against bilateral talks.

The House Speaker led a bipartisan group of lawmakers to meet with Tsai and her delegation as they wrap up a highly controversial and closely-watched tour through Central and North America.

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited in August of 2022, becoming the first speaker to do so since 1997. 

In a social media frenzy, the internet has exploded with a wave of creative memes and humorous posts after the release of the official mugshot of former President Donald Trump. 

The image, which quickly went viral, has sparked a multitude of reactions from users across various platforms. 

The image shows a stern-faced Trump in what appears to be a standard booking photo. The former President is wearing a blue suit and red tie in the shot. 

Within moments of the image hitting the internet, hashtags such as #TrumpMugshot and #OrangeIsTheNewOrange began trending on X. 

Others defended Trump with the hashtag #MyPresident. 

Trump himself posted the photo to his X account with the caption DONALDJTRUMP.COM, his first tweet since January 8, 2021. 

Here are some of the top, funniest and wackiest memes and posts about the now-infamous mugshot:  

Users from across the political spectrum chimed in with their takes on the mugshot after waiting in anticipation for its release. 

Some users on X poked fun at Trump’s signature hairstyle, while others playfully speculated about his potential ‘prison wardrobe.’

Some joked about how the former president’s weight was listed at 215 pounds. 

Instagram and TikTok were also not far behind, as users flooded these platforms with short videos and image-based memes. 

In one widely shared meme, Trump’s face was superimposed onto various famous movie scenes where characters find themselves behind bars, leaving audiences in stitches.

The memes ranged from light-hearted humor to political satire. 

‘Trump is mean mugging the camera, this is too funny,’ one user wrote on X.

Others defended the former president and said the photo would be used as a rallying cry. 

‘I stand with President Trump against the commie DA Fani Willis who is nothing more than a political hitman tasked with taking out Biden’s top political opponent. ‘Persecution, not prosecution,’ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted with hashtag #MAGAMugshot. 

Fake Trump mug shots also went viral prior to the release of the photo. 

 

Trump has made history by becoming the first former president to pose for a mugshot after his arrest for trying to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

The 77-year-old was arrested for the fourth time this year and fingerprinted by authorities at the Fulton County jail. Unlike with his previous three arrests, on Thursday he had his booking photo taken.

He stared into the camera for the historic image, with a scowl on his face.

Trump’s height and weight were recorded and, as part of the booking process, he was given a prisoner identification number: P01135809.

He was then released on payment of 10 percent of his $200,000 bail, having spent less than 20 minutes inside the infamous facility.

The former president traveled to Georgia on Thursday afternoon from his Bedminster, New Jersey, home.

Ahead of his surrender, Trump slammed Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis as a ‘Radical Left, Lowlife District Attorney. His surrender came hours after Willis requested Trump face trial in Georgia on October 23, and as his former chief of staff Mark Meadows surrendered to cops.

A handful of other Trump allies and ‘co-conspirators’ who turned themselves into the Georgia prison this week also had their mugshots released by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. They are accused of joining a ‘conspiracy’ led by Trump to unlawfully change the outcome of the election.

‘America’s Mayor’ Rudy Giuliani faced the humiliation of having his mugshot taken after getting booked at the Atlanta jail on Wednesday.

In the image, Giuliani can be seen looking straight ahead, showing a slight frown, with industrial lighting shining on his forehead and a sheriff’s badge on the wall to his right.

The first mother-daughter duo to go to space have told DailyMail.com that they feel more grounded and connected to Earth after venturing to the final frontier.

Keisha Schahaff, 46 and her daughter Anastatia Mayers, 18, from Antigua, made the comments hours after being part of Virgin Galactic‘s first space tourist flight.

‘This experience has grounded me. Awoken me,’ Mayers said when asked what was next for the crew after the incredible mission.

‘I feel more connected to Earth and motivated to explore and be even more adventurous. For me, in the future, it will just be adventure and searching for the most incredible experiences.’

Schahaff and her daughter won their seats on the rocket-powered space plane, which would normally cost $450,000 per person, in a fundraising drawing.

‘Obviously, nothing will top this,’ Mayers concluded after the flight. Though the teenager, who is now the second youngest person ever to go to space, revealed how she had ‘second thoughts’ about whether she wanted to do it last night.

The mother and daughter were also joined by Jon Goodwin, 80, who is now the first Olympian and the second person with Parkinson’s in space.

It was a long time coming for Goodwin, who paid $250,000 for his seat back in 2005.

Mayers is in her second year at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, studying Philosophy and Physics to become an astrobiologist.

She told reporters about her feelings of uncertainty about the spaceflight Wednesday evening. 

‘Last night, second thoughts, but then I woke up and felt like I was ready,’ said Mayers.

Schaffaf also felt motivated after the spaceflight.

‘I am going to make a strong impact to motivate younger ones,’ she said reponding to DailyMail.com’s question.

‘This experience has given me this beautiful feeling that if I can do this, I can do anything. I am going to take the next step and see what comes.’

Goodwin also spoke to reporters after the historic mission, sharing how his Parkinson’s has not stopped him from living his life. He was diagnosed in 2014.

‘The nicest thing for me was the acceptance by Virgin Galactic because when I signed up in September 2005, I did not have Parkinson’s.

‘Nine years ago, I thought that was the end of me going to space. They have done various health checks and everything else over the years, which never stopped me from doing what I wanted.

‘I am hoping I instill in people around the world, as well as people with Parkinson’s,  that it doesn’t stop you from doing things if you have some illness that has inflicted you.’

Schahaff and her daughter won their seats in a drawing that raised $1.7 million in grants for Space for Humanity, a nonprofit aimed at expanding access to space.

After learning Richard Branson gifted her a seat, she called Mayers on the phone: ‘Now that you’re 18, you are going to space.’

‘It is a childhood dream come true,’ Schahaff told reporters upon landing. ‘I’ve been to space and back with my daughter. And if anyone is wondering, the Earth is round.’

Schahaff is a health and wellness coach specializing in helping women achieve balance through healthy eating, energy work, and a variety of empowering wellness practices, according to her website.

The flight was historic for several reasons. Schahaff and her daughter were the first Antiguans to go to space. 

For Virgin Galactic, this is the first time a commercial crew of passengers who were not trained had left the Earth’s atmosphere – an ambition of the Richard Branson-founded company that has been decades in the making.

And Goodwin, a  former canoeist, became only the second person in history with Parkinson’s to go to space. 

Goodwin, from Newcastle in northern England, secured his seat as the company’s first paying customer 18 years ago.

Goodwin’s son David told DailyMail.com on the runway this morning that his father’s spaceflight has been a long time coming.

And when asked how his father is the first Olympian and second oldest and individual with Parkinson’s, David said: ‘My father likes to tick a lot of boxes.’

Goodwin is a retired slalom canoeist, has been a regular and leading competitor in the Ferrari Hillclimb Championship since 1992, winning in 2000 and 2008, and has more Class wins than any other competitor – as of the end of the 2020 season.

He is married to Pauline, who also competed in the Olympic games in 1972 and 1976. She was in New Mexico cheering her husband, son David, grandson and daughter-in-law Lily.

The crew took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico at 8:30am MT, strapped inside Virgin Galactic’s spaceplane, Unity, which was attached to the underbelly of the mothership, Eve.

The planes soared to more than 44,000 feet above Earth’s surface, allowing Unity to separate by igniting its thrusters.

Unity took off, climbing to 50 miles above the surface and hovered in place to let the passengers experience zero gravity and see the incredible views of our planet.

Goodwin, from Newcastle, England, described being a passenger on Virgin Galactic’s first space tourism flight as ‘completely surreal’ and ‘very moving.’ 

‘It was far more dramatic than I imagined it would be. It was the pure acceleration – Mach 3 in eight-and-a-half seconds – (that) was completely surreal, and the re-entry was a lot more dramatic than I imagined.

‘In fact, I would’ve said it was out of control if I didn’t know anything different. But it was a completely surreal experience.

‘The most impressive thing was looking at Earth from space – the pure clarity was very moving. Without a doubt, the most exciting day in my life.’

Goodwin added the flight ‘exceeded [his] wildest dreams’ and hoped it would inspire others with Parkinson’s to do things out of the ordinary.

Schahaff won a place on the flight alongside her daughter.

The pair became the first astronauts from the Caribbean and were part of the first flight dominated by women.

‘I’m still up there, I’m not here yet, and it’s just amazing that you can land so smoothly on the runway coming back from space, Schahaff said:

‘It was so comfortable, it was really the best ride ever, and I would love to do this again.’

She said that sand from her home country of Antigua and Barbuda, the nation’s flag and her favorite shell were among the possessions she took with her on the Virgin Galactic flight.

Mayers took a ring given to her by her boyfriend and pictures of loved ones.

Goodwin reached in his pocket, pulling out jewelry from his wife Pauline, a former Olympian.

Pauline was at Spaceport Thursday to cheer on her husband, her son, grandson and daughter-in-law. 

Virgin Galactic’s first private customer flight had been delayed for years, but Thursday’s mission means Richard Branson’s company can now start offering monthly rides, joining Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the space tourism business. 

Never-ending NHS strikes have sent the waiting list for routine ops to another all-time high as the health service battles its busiest ever summer.

England’s backlog, for procedures like hip and knee replacements, now stands at 7.6million, official figures revealed today. 

It means roughly one in seven people across the country are currently stuck in the system awaiting care. More than 380,000 patients have gone a year without being treated, often in agony.

Months of walk-outs by junior doctors, nurses and other NHS workers demanding inflation-busting pay rises have dented efforts to tackle the record backlogs which built-up during Covid.

Hundreds of thousands of procedures and appointments have had to be cancelled, heaping extra pressure onto struggling hospitals. 

Junior doctors, seeking a salary hike of 35 per cent, will tomorrow stage their fifth strike in the ongoing dispute, walking out for four days from 7am.

Consultants, who earn in excess of £100,000, on average, will take to their own 48-hour picket line from August 24. 

Further action is planned for September if the Government ‘refuses to agree to pay talks’.

Experts today said the NHS is battling an ‘eternal winter’ and urged for ministers to break the deadlock with unions so the backlog can finally start shrinking. 

Summer months usually offer hospitals a break ahead of the usual busy spell, when seasonal pressures like flu and norovirus typically kick in. 

But NHS England said this summer is ‘on trajectory to be the busiest in NHS history’.

Some 4.42million attendances in A&E were recorded over June and July.

This is a rise of 42,500 on the previous high, when 4.37 million were recorded in 2022. 

Monthly performance data released today shows the overall waiting list has shot up from 7.47million in May. 

It marks the highest total since NHS records began in August 2007. 

Around 4.4million were stuck in the system when the pandemic reached the UK. 

More than 7,000 patients had been waiting for more than 18 months in June – down slightly from 11,000 figure logged the previous month.

The Government had set the target of eliminating this backlog by April, apart from those who have exceptionally complex cases or had chosen to wait longer.

Rishi Sunak made cutting waiting lists one of his 2023 priorities, pledging in January that ‘lists will fall and people will get the care they need more quickly’.

However, he has acknowledged that strikes across the health service are making the task ‘more challenging’.

As part of the plan to tackle the backlog, health chiefs announced yesterday patients will be matched to hospitals further from their home. 

People waiting for diagnosis or treatment on the NHS will be given a profile detailing their symptoms or treatment needs and how far they are prepared to travel.

These would be reviewed by managers at 650 private and NHS providers around the country who can take over their care if they have spare capacity.

Some consultations may be performed remotely by doctors hundreds of miles away from the patient.

Professor Julian Redhead, NHS England’s national clinical director for urgent and emergency care, said: ‘Today’s data is a reminder of the significant pressure on staff with this summer currently on trajectory to be the busiest in NHS history, all while industrial action continues to disrupt services.

‘Despite this, hard-working staff are delivering improvements in urgent and emergency care waiting times while also tackling the backlog by doing more tests and checks than any July on record and seeing record numbers of people with suspected cancer.

‘While tomorrow the NHS will see a fifth round of junior doctor strike action with thousands of appointments and procedures likely to be postponed, the NHS will need to prioritise emergency care once again.

‘So please continue to use 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency and 111 online for any other health concerns, while GPs and pharmacies are also unaffected by strikes.’

Separate A&E performance data for July shows emergency departments faced their second busiest July ever, with 2.1million attendances.

Three-quarters of emergency department attendees (74 per cent) were seen within four hours.

NHS standards set out 95 per cent should be admitted, transferred or discharged within the four-hour window.

Meanwhile, 23,934 patients who sought help in emergency departments were forced to wait more than 12 hours. 

Dr Tim Cooksley, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said the figures show urgent and emergency care and ‘the NHS as a whole’ remains ‘under immense strain’. 

He added: ‘It is pleasing that the number of patients waiting 12 hours in emergency departments have reduced compared to this time last year. 

‘This all comes at a time of the year previously associated with some respite for staff but, as we have said before, the eternal winter that now exists in the NHS is again putting hard- working staff at risk of exhaustion.

‘Along with the failure of the Government and the BMA to reach a settlement and seeming intransigence that this will be the “final” offer, the situation is deeply alarming.

‘The consequence of this in particular will almost certainly mean a continuation of strikes with inevitable disruption to patient care and an inability to implement urgently needed plans to prevent the similar appalling scenes witnessed last winter being seen again this winter.’ 

He said: ‘There is, without doubt, more trouble ahead in the NHS. It is still possible to change the trajectory for the upcoming winter, but the window of opportunity is growing more narrow by the second.

‘Urgent action is needed to ensure winter plans are implemented effectively and in full. 

‘If not we will inevitably be back in a situation where we face calls for national major incident type plans. We simply cannot wait to hit that scenario again.’

Rory Deighton, director of NHS Confederation’s Acute Network, also said: ‘Given the difficulties the NHS is facing it is unsurprising but regrettable that the overall elective waiting list has increased to 7.57million, with activity levels dropping lower than pre-pandemic levels.’

He added: ‘Imagine where the NHS could be now if industrial action had not been allowed to rumble on.’

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive at NHS Providers, added: ‘Trust leaders’ efforts to recover urgent and emergency care – and to bring down the waiting list – must be backed nationally with proper support. 

‘This includes better government funding in workforce and capital, including beds and vital equipment, and a solution for the challenges in social care. 

She added: ‘The strikes divert trusts’ resources from bearing down on backlogs to managing the disruption they cause. 

‘It’s vital the government and unions talk to find a resolution to the pay dispute. There can be no delay.’

NHS data on cancer waiting times also showed just six in ten cancer patients were seen within the two-month target. 

Almost 6,600 patients were left waiting more than 62 days to start treatment for surgery, chemo and radiotherapy, after an urgent referral from their GP. 

NHS guidelines state 85 per cent of cancer patients should be seen within this time-frame. This target has not been met nationally since December 2015. 

Professor Pat Price, leading oncologist and founder of the #CatchUpWithCancer campaign, said: ‘These figures confirm that cancer treatment performance remains around record low levels and that deadly delays remain baked into cancer treatment with over four in 10 cancer patients waiting far too long. 

‘The Government need to break this drumbeat of monthly and quarterly failure and take decisive action to boost treatment capacity. 

‘It’s ominous that in the vital cancer treatment area of radiotherapy, performance actually worsened. 

‘This isn’t just a red flag for cancer, it’s a siren blaring the need for immediate action to tackle the crisis.’

Latest ambulance figures for July also show waiting times fell significantly. 

This is despite ambulances services facing their busiest month since May 2022, with 707,000 calls last month.

Heart attack and stroke patients in England, known as category two callers, had to wait an average of 31 minutes and 50 seconds for paramedics to arrive, shaving five minutes off the previous month. 

The NHS target is 18 minutes, however.

Ambulances took an average of eight minutes and 21 seconds to attend the most life-threatening category one calls, such as cardiac arrests. The NHS target stands at seven minutes. 

MARKET REPORT: Investor stampede sends Abrdn shares into the red

By John Abiona For The Daily Mail

Updated: 18:20 EDT, 8 August 2023

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London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone sends EV car sales surging

By City & Finance Reporter

Updated: 16:57 EDT, 4 August 2023

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By Calum Muirhead

Updated: 05:05 EDT, 29 July 2023

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Mystery ‘pyramid’ beneath Antarctic ice sends conspiracy theorists wild

• The huge pyramid-shaped mass was spotted over Ellsworth Mountain range 
• Social media users are baffled by the structure with some blaming it on aliens
• But the mysterious object has a logical explanation. Read on to find out more 

By Jessica Hamilton

Updated: 07:38 EDT, 29 July 2023