NHS nurse ordered to remove ‘antisemitic’ watermelon video call background launches legal action

A senior NHS nurse who says he was ordered to remove a background on his video calls that showed a fruit bowl containing a watermelon because it could be perceived as antisemitic has launched legal action against his employer.Ahmad Baker, who is British-Palestinian and works at Whipps Cross hospital, north London, is one of three medical staff claiming Barts Health NHS trust’s ban on staff displaying symbols perceived as politically or nationally affiliated is disproportionate and discriminatory. Watermelons became symbols of Palestine amid censorship of the Palestinian flag because of its similar colours.Barts, which runs five London hospitals, introduced the ban in March in its updated uniform and dress code policy, which extends to items on workstations, laptops and iPads, even if staff are working from home and not seeing patients.The policy says it is in keeping with the trust’s responsibility to be “completely apolitical and non-biased in our care”, but the claimants point to Barts’ support for Ukraine

Teenagers who report addictive use of screens at greater risk of suicidal behaviour, study shows

Teenagers who show signs of being addicted to social media, mobile phones or video games are at greater risk of suicidal behaviour and emotional problems, according to research.A study, which tracked more than 4,000 adolescents for four years, found that nearly one in three reported increasingly addictive use of social media or mobile phones. Those whose use followed an increasingly addictive trajectory had roughly double the risk of suicidal behaviour at the end of the study.The findings do not prove screen use was the cause of mental health problems. But they highlight that compulsive use, which appears to be very common, as a significant risk factor that parents and healthcare services should be alert to

US supreme court upholds Tennessee ban on youth gender-affirming care

A Tennessee state law banning gender-affirming care for minors can stand, the US supreme court has ruled, a devastating loss for trans rights supporters in a case that could set a precedent for dozens of other lawsuits involving the rights of transgender children.The case, United States v Skrmetti, was filed last year by three families of trans children and a provider of gender-affirming care. In oral arguments, the plaintiffs – as well as the US government, then helmed by Joe Biden – argued that Tennessee’s law constituted sex-based discrimination and thus violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. Under Tennessee’s law, someone assigned female at birth could not be prescribed testosterone, but someone assigned male at birth could receive those drugs.Tennessee, meanwhile, has argued that the ban is necessary to protect children from what it termed “experimental” medical treatment

UK politicians propose ban on pimping websites

A ban on pimping websites has been proposed by MPs, as part of measures designed to rewrite legislation regulating the sexual exploitation of women.Campaigners say ordering a woman to be sexually exploited has become as straightforward as ordering a takeaway online, with the proliferation of websites that allow buyers to browse images and videos of women, and refine their search by postcode.A group of 59 cross-party MPs have signed an amendment to the crime and policing bill, to be debated on Wednesday, which would make it a criminal offence to “enable or profit from the prostitution of another person, including by operating a website hosting adverts for prostitution”.The all-party parliamentary group on commercial sexual exploitation has published research saying that the ease and speed with which pimps and traffickers can now advertise their victims to potential customers has “turbo-charged the sex trafficking trade”.The committee has warned that regulation of the sex trade has not kept pace with technological developments

Overseas-trained dentists working in McDonald’s as millions lack NHS care

Overseas-trained dentists are working in McDonald’s and other takeaways in the UK even though millions of patients are finding it impossible to get NHS dental care.The disclosure comes in a new report being sent to MPs on Wednesday, which urges ministers to slash bureaucracy stopping dentists from abroad plugging the huge gaps in NHS dental care.The main obstacle they face is securing a place to take the exams needed to work in the UK, a process so difficult some liken it to obtaining a ticket to see Taylor Swift.As a result fully qualified dentists from countries such as India, Egypt and Albania are spending months or even years at a time working in fast food cafes, according to the Association of Dental Groups (ADG).The ADG, which represents major dental providers, demanded an urgent overhaul of the two-part overseas registration examination (ORE) to avoid “an unacceptable waste” of foreign dentists’ skills

Over half of English councils face insolvency under £5bn deficit, MPs warn

Councils in England face being overwhelmed by billions of pounds in debts and reforms that are divorced from reality, according to an influential committee of MPs.In its inquiry into local government finances, the public accounts committee (PAC) told the Treasury and other departments to urgently address the estimated £5bn deficit on high needs spending – mainly on special educational needs – that will hit council balance sheets at the end of the financial year, potentially driving many insolvent.Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the PAC’s chair, said: “Our inquiry heard that the government is concerned about local authority finances. But the lack of urgent action to come forward with a plan to address the fast-approaching cliff edge for under-pressure authorities would seem to suggest it is comfortable with the current state of affairs as normalised background noise.“Alarmingly, scrutiny of council finances can now provoke a sense of deja vu, with the same unfixed issues seen over and over