The rise of deepfake pornography in schools: ‘One girl was so horrified she vomited’

‘It worries me that it’s so normalised. He obviously wasn’t hiding it. He didn’t feel this was something he shouldn’t be doing. It was in the open and people saw it. That’s what was quite shocking

UN experts raise concerns over homes rented out by English social landlord

UN experts have said that one of England’s biggest social landlords appears to have systematically failed to ensure the habitability of its rental properties.In a letter to the UK government, they cite the case of a disabled tenant, Sanjay Ramburn, 55, who they say lived with his family of five in an L&Q group property in Forest Gate, east London for several years with no electricity. They experienced four ceiling collapses, as well as severe damp and mould that affected their health.The children developed breathing issues, tinnitus and skin problems. Ramburn, who reported racial harassment and antisocial behaviour at the hands of his upstairs neighbour that he said was not addressed by L&Q, suffered severe mental health issues, the letter says

Almost 4 million children in UK affected by economic abuse, charity finds

Almost 4 million children in the UK are suffering the impact of economic abuse in their families, with some having pocket or birthday money stolen by the perpetrators, a charity has found.Data from charity Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) showed that over the past year 27% of mothers with children under 18 had experienced behaviour considered to be economic abuse, where a current or former partner has controlled the family’s money.The research found perpetrators used various means, including stopping mothers accessing bank accounts and child benefits, and refusing to pay child maintenance.As a result, some children are missing out on essentials including clothes and food.A third of the women who experienced economic abuse by a former partner reported that their ex refused to pay child support, or paid it unreliably, despite being able to afford it

Resident doctors in England to go on strike in run-up to Christmas

Thousands of doctors in England are to go on strike again this month, in a dispute over pay and job security.The British Medical Association has announced that resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors – will begin a five-day strike action that will run from 7am on 17 December until 7am on 22 December.It is the 14th strike by doctors since March 2023 and follows a similar five-day action last month, which led to warnings that the NHS may have to cut frontline staff and offer fewer appointments and operations if the strikes continue.The BMA said resident doctors were being driven “away from jobs and to the picket line” because the government was failing to make a “credible offer on jobs or pay”.Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said: “With the government failing to put forward a credible plan to fix the jobs crisis for resident doctors at the same time as pushing a real-terms pay cut for them, we have no choice but to announce more strike dates

Assisted dying bill is safer than any other in the world | Letters

Dr Lucy Thomas raises some interesting points in her defence of the House of Lords’ behaviour on assisted dying (Letters, 26 November). But it is a stretch to suggest that the 1,000 amendments that peers have tabled to the bill represent effective independent scrutiny.What possible justification can there be for requiring every dying person – including a 90-year-old in their final weeks with advanced metastasised cancer – to provide a negative pregnancy test before their request is approved (amendment 458)? I am sure there are many peers who want to scrutinise the bill in a sensible way, but they are being thwarted by a handful who seem intent on stopping law change at any cost.The bill as currently drafted – which MPs have amended and approved – is safer than any other in the world, including in its protections for doctors. Clause 31 ensures that if Dr Thomas doesn’t wish to support her patients with this option, she would be under absolutely no obligation to do so

Shortage of ‘breakthrough’ weight loss drugs will slow fight against obesity, WHO warns

Weight loss drugs such as Mounjaro offer huge potential to tackle soaring obesity globally but are currently only available to one in 10 of those who need them, the World Health Organization has said.Their proven effectiveness in helping people lose weight means the medications represent “a new chapter” in how health services can treat obesity and the killer diseases it causes, the WHO added.Its statement urged countries to do what they could to ensure that people who would benefit from glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies could access them. But while eligible adults generally should get them, pregnant women should not use them, the WHO stated.Limits on global production capacity mean that now only at most about 100 million people could receive the drugs – only 10% of the 1 billion who could benefit