Man who infected woman with HIV after stopping treatment is jailed

A man who infected a woman with HIV after he stopped his treatment and did not tell her about his diagnosis has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.Luke Davis, 31, was found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm on the woman, who described being diagnosed with HIV as a “life sentence”.Davis, of Kidderminster, Worcestershire, had initially taken his medication after being diagnosed with HIV in 2017, but disengaged completely from his care in 2019, Hereford crown court heard.His victim discovered she was HIV positive in 2021 after a routine screening.Judge Martin Jackson said Davis chose not to tell the woman about his diagnosis for “entirely selfish reasons”

I loved my teaching job. But as a trans man in Texas, quitting was the only way to get my dignity back

After the state’s bathroom ban went into effect in December amid a slew of new anti-trans policies, I couldn’t keep trying to hide my identity at workUntil recently, I was a music teacher in north Texas. I also happen to be trans. I have never, ever told a student about my identity. At work, I was “stealth” – a term that means that I passed as a cisgender man. Only my administrators knew I was trans, because I was not yet taking gender-affirming hormones when I started this job in my early 20s

HMRC accepted ‘tolerable’ risk of harm in child benefit fraud crackdown

UK tax authorities believed that withdrawing child benefit payments from parentswithout prior consultation as part of an anti-fraud drive carried a “tolerable” risk, with only a “remote” chance of inflicting harm, according to internal documents.The revelations come just weeks after it emerged that at least 63% of those who had their child benefit stopped were in fact still living in the UK and had not emigrated, as inferred by incomplete Home Office data used in the crackdown.Senior HM Revenue and Customs officials are due to be questioned about the episode by the Treasury select committee on Tuesday, which last year said the department appeared to have been “cavalier with people’s finances”.The controversy began after HMRC suspended almost 24,000 child benefit accounts between July and October. Parents received letters referring to overseas holidays – sometimes dating back as far as three years – for which the Home Office had no record of a return journey

People put off giving CPR by unrealistic TV depictions, researchers say

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a dramatic intervention, but researchers say TV portrayals are often misleading – potentially influencing whether viewers feel able to carry it out themselves.According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) there are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests every year in the UK.But while CPR by bystanders can help save lives, the American Heart Association (AHA) notes the percentage of people in need who receive it is only about 35-45% globally.The AHA has since 2008 attempted to increase such rates by stressing that people who are not trained, and hence might not feel comfortable giving breaths or searching for a pulse, should only perform chest compressions on adults – a position shared by the NHS.Now researchers say TV shows often depict lay people carrying out additional steps, potentially perpetuating barriers to viewers carrying out the life-saving intervention

Guardian Hope appeal raises £950,000 for charities tackling racism and division

Generous Guardian readers have so far raised more than £950,000 as our Hope appeal supporting charities tackling social division, racism and hatred enters its final few days.The 2025 appeal, which closes at midnight on Wednesday evening, is aiming to raise £1m for grassroots voluntary organisations campaigning against extremism, anti-migrant rhetoric, and the re-emergence of “1970s-style racism”.Our five partner charities are: Citizens UK, the Linking Network, Locality, Hope Unlimited Charitable Trust and Who is Your Neighbour?Thousands of Guardian readers have so far given to the appeal, with many telling us via the email button on the donations page why they were delighted to donate.One said: “I’m pretty broke, and my charitable giving is mostly reserved for those suffering in war zones. But brokeness is relative, and I was inspired to make a small donation by the Saturday article by Zoe Williams

Mattel launches its first autistic Barbie

With an animated Barbie film in development, following the success of Greta Gerwig’s 2023 blockbuster movie, Mattel Studios will certainly have a diverse range of characters to bring to life.On Monday, Mattel launches its first autistic Barbie. Coming barely six months after its first doll with type 1 diabetes, this newest addition to Barbie’s Fashionistas range is designed so that more children “see themselves in Barbie” and to encourage all children to play with dolls that reflect the world around them.Autism is a form of neurodivergence that influences how people experience and interact with society. While characteristics of autism vary according to the individual, more than one child in a hundred is believed to be autistic, according to the World Health Organization