Morning briefing Friday 12th December

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0:36This is the Times morning briefing for Friday the 12th of December. The health secretary is warning the NHS faces collapse with what he calls a tidal wave of flu hitting hospitals as resident doctors take industrial action. Writing in the Times, Wes Streeting says the number of people in hospital could soon triple, making this the most challenging winter for the health service since the pandemic. He's urging doctors to call off the strike. As flu admissions rise, Dr Elizabeth Whittaker from the Department of Infectious Disease at Imperial College London has this advice. The thing to do is wash your hands.

1:09If you have got a high fever and a sore throat and lots of snot, try and wear a mask or avoid other people and then good ventilation. We've learned all this during the pandemic. So it's the same thing again. If possible, don't go into work if you're unwell and try and avoid crowded places in those times. Councils are to receive£3 billion in extra funding for children with special educational needs. The government has announced the money will create 50 ,000 new school places to make sure local mainstream schools are fit for pupils with extra needs or disabilities. It comes as new data show appeals against refusals of SEND support hit a record high last year to 25 ,000 cases, up 18%.

1:47European leaders, including Sir Kyrstama, say this is a pivotal moment in Ukraine's war, amid concern that Donald Trump could scale back U.S. support. President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed back on U.S.-backed proposals that would see Ukrainian forces withdraw from the Donbass and create a special economic zone in Russian-held areas. He says any territorial concessions should be decided by Ukrainians in a referendum. The U.S. president says he'll only be involved in talks this weekend if he's confident a deal can be done. He told reporters negotiations are still going on, including over security guarantees.

2:21Yeah, we would help. We would help with security because it's, I think, a necessary factor in getting it done. I thought that we were very close with Russia to having a deal. I thought we were very close with Ukraine to having a deal. In fact, other than President Zelensky, people love the concept of the deal. You know, we threw something out. Football supporters are calling on FIFA to halt World Cup ticket sales as it emerges fans face extortionate prices as much as seven times higher than the last tournament. Fan groups call the pricing a monumental betrayal, with tickets to the final costing more than£3 ,000.

2:55pounds. Matt Lawton is the Times' chief sports correspondent. You know, you do the maths, you're looking at well north of 10 grand to go. And I just think a lot of people are just going to stay at home and watch it on TV. And how that impacts the actual tendencies, we'll see. But I do suspect it could backfire because I just don't think the Americans will want to pay that kind of money either. The King has recorded a video message in support of the Stand Up to Cancer campaign, where he's expected to give an update on his recovery from the disease. Charles's pre-recorded message will play on Channel 4 this evening as part of an event raising awareness and money for Cancer Research UK.

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