Two mothers denied ‘rape clause’ exception to benefit cap discriminated against, UK court told

Two mothers who conceived children while in physically abusive relationships have been discriminated against after being denied access to benefits, a court has been told.The women launched a challenge against the universal credit system after being denied an exception to the two-child cap.The cap typically has exceptions, one of which is the “rape clause”, which means that a child conceived through sexual assault will still be covered by benefits.On Tuesday, however, Leeds administrative court was told that this rule only applies to third or subsequent children, meaning that some woman are unable to claim an exception if their first two children were conceived non-consensually.Karon Monaghan KC, representing the women, who can be identified only as LMN and EFG, said the pair conceived their children when they were in their teens and vulnerable

Public must ‘keep calm’ over ethnicity of grooming gang offenders, says Louise Casey

The public must “keep calm” over the ethnicity of grooming gang offenders, the author of a high-profile report has urged, saying police data from one region suggested that the race of child abuse suspects was proportional with the local population.The comments from Louise Casey came as Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, defended herself from claims that she was attempting to politicise the scandal of the organised rape of girls by men across dozens of towns over at least 25 years.Lady Casey’s report on Monday found evidence of “over-representation” of Asian and Pakistani heritage men among suspects of “group sexual exploitation” of children, according to data from three police forces.Casey told MPs on Tuesday that she was concerned that the limited data available on the race and ethnicity of offenders was not being used responsibly as part of the public debate on grooming gangs.She said the report examined data from Greater Manchester police (GMP), which covers towns including Rochdale and Oldham where convicted grooming gangs operated

Weight loss jabs may achieve less drastic results outside trials, study suggests

People using weight loss jabs shed far fewer pounds in the real world than in clinical trials, researchers have found.Jabs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, which contain the drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide respectively, have transformed the treatment of obesity, with studies suggesting the former can help people lose up to 20% of their body weight after 72 weeks of treatment.However, a new study suggests the drugs, known as GLP-1 RAs, may not produce such drastic weight loss in everyday settings.“The average patient on [GLP-1 RAs] in the real world is not getting the weight loss that we see in clinical trials,” said the study’s senior author, Dr Karan Chhabra, from the Grossman school of medicine at New York University.Researchers analysed data from 51,085 patients with a body mass index of 35 or greater and who were eligible for weight loss surgery and weight loss jabs

‘HIV-ending’ drug could be made for just $25 per patient a year, say researchers

A drug with the potential to “end the HIV pandemic” will launch in the US this week – as a new study reveals it could be sold for 1,000 times less than its possible price tag.Lenacapavir, given as a twice-yearly injection, can prevent someone from being infected with HIV, according to clinical trial results.US regulatory approval is expected on 19 June, and manufacturer Gilead is being urged to keep the cost as low as possible.The company has not yet made the price of the drug public, but it has been estimated reported that it is likely to be on par with current preventive medications at about $25,000 (£18,400) a year. As a treatment for people already living with HIV, it costs about $39,000 annually

NHS staff unsettled by patients filming care and posting videos on social media

NHS staff have voiced concern about the growing numbers of patients who are filming themselves undergoing medical treatment and uploading it to TikTok and Instagram.Radiographers, who take X-rays and scans, fear the trend could compromise the privacy of other patients being treated nearby and lead to staff having their work discussed online.The Society of Radiographers (SoR) has gone public with its unease after a spate of incidents in which patients, or someone with them in the hospital, began filming their care.On one occasion a radiology department assistant from the south coast was inserting a cannula into a patient who had cancer when their 19-year-old daughter began filming.“She wanted to record the cannulation because she thought it would be entertaining on social media

Adult gaming centres failing to help problem gamblers self-exclude

Flaws in a scheme meant to help gamblers bar themselves from 24-hour slot machine shops have been described by the industry regulator as “very concerning”, following revelations in a BBC documentary.The Guardian has previously revealed how gambling operators are exploiting favourable planning and licensing laws to flood UK high streets with “adult gaming centres” (AGCs), which are disproportionately concentrated in the poorest areas.The shops must offer self-exclusion schemes to customers who fear they have a problem with slot machines, which are consistently linked with higher rates of addiction than products such as sports betting.But a documentary by BBC File on 4 Investigates, due to be broadcast on Tuesday evening, found that in one UK city 13 out of 14 venues failed to implement the scheme properly.An undercover reporter for the programme signed up to exclude himself from all AGCs within a 40km radius of central Portsmouth