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Italy offers to treat boy who survived Israeli strike that killed his nine siblings

Italy offers to treat boy who survived Israeli strike that killed his nine siblings

Reuters2 days ago

ROME, May 29 (Reuters) - Italy's government on Thursday offered to treat a Palestinian child who survived an Israeli military strike in Gaza in which nine of his siblings died, heeding an appeal from the boy's uncle.
"The Italian Government has expressed its willingness to transfer the seriously injured boy to Italy," the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that it was studying the feasibility of the operation.
The boy, Adam Al-Najjar, is in serious condition in Nasser Hospital, one of the few medical facilities still operating in southern Gaza, following the May 25 strike on his home in which he lost his siblings.
His parents are both doctors. His father, Hamdi Al-Najjar, was at home with the children and was also seriously hurt. He is being treated in the same hospital as his son, and where his wife Alaa works.
Adam's uncle, Ali Al-Najjar, told Italy's la Repubblica newspaper that the 11-year-old boy has burns on his body, head injuries, a broken left hand and is not able to walk, and that the Nasser Hospital is ill-equipped to treat him.
"He needs to be taken away immediately, to a real hospital, outside of the Gaza Strip. I beg the Italian government to do something, take him, Italians save him," he said.

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Southampton University report warns of privacy threats at work
Southampton University report warns of privacy threats at work

BBC News

time34 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Southampton University report warns of privacy threats at work

Researchers have warned that workplace surveillance is threatening people's right to privacy.A report by the University of Southampton and the Institute of Public Policy Research showed new technology allowed for intense and extensive surveillance of author Dr Joe Atkinson said currently workers were not told how they were being added: "Employers have always wanted to oversee their workforce, but technology is fundamentally changing the nature of these practices." The report, "Negotiating the Future of Work: Legislating to Protect Works from Surveillance", found since the shift to remote work caused by the Covid 19 pandemic, workers have reported an increase in the use of surveillance claimed that biometric sensors, facial recognition cameras, and the monitoring of communications and computer activity allow employers to collect and process data that would not have been accessible to human managers in the Atkinson, a lecturer in employment law at the University of Southampton, said: "This vast and detailed surveillance threatens workers' right to privacy and can also have a chilling effect on the right to freedom of association, expression and belief. "It can increase stress and anxiety, lead to lower levels of autonomy and satisfaction at work and deepen existing power imbalances."For companies, excessive surveillance decreases staff wellbeing and satisfaction, leading to higher staff turnover, and potentially hampering productivity." 'Collaborative relationships' He said in many cases workers were not being forced to be monitored, but highlighted that it was not always that simple."If you're an employee and you're asked by your manager or you're given an instruction, really that is tantamount to being forced," he government's plan to Make Work Pay committed to "ensuring proposals to introduce surveillance technologies would be subject to consultation and negotiation" with Atkinson said the university's report detailed how the government's plans can be best the suggestions was the introduction of new information rights so workers can challenge unjustifiable monitoring said it is about raising awareness of the use of this tech with employees and developing "collaborative relationships". You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.

Doctors suspicious about rocketing number of British athletes ‘with ADHD'
Doctors suspicious about rocketing number of British athletes ‘with ADHD'

Telegraph

time40 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Doctors suspicious about rocketing number of British athletes ‘with ADHD'

There has been a sharp rise in athletes in Britain using ADHD drugs while competing, amid fears the medication could be abused to enhance performance. Data obtained by Telegraph Sport shows there has been a more-than threefold increase in just five years in the number of therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) granted at national level for athletes diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. There has also been a more-than fourfold rise in the number of TUE applications during the same period (2019-24). The data comes from a Freedom of Information request to UK Anti-Doping, made amid concerns that TUEs for ADHD drugs may have become too easy to obtain. Medication such as ritalin has long been linked with so-called 'brain doping', most notoriously by students sitting exams. But studies show ADHD drugs also boost athletic performance and they are banned in competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Concerns of misuse within sport are focused on the adult diagnosis of a disorder that is normally identified in childhood – at an age where there is no prospect of the TUE system being abused – and that does not necessarily require medication to treat. Ukad told Telegraph Sport it was unable to provide a breakdown of how many TUEs for ADHD it had granted to athletes who had first been diagnosed as adults. That raises questions about whether it is adequately monitoring any trends that may warrant further investigation, particularly given the sharp increase in the total number of those using ADHD drugs while competing. The data provided by Ukad showed that the number of TUEs it granted for ADHD rose from 19 in 2019 (from 24 applications) to 63 last year (from 106 applications). Some of those may have been from repeat applications. Football had the largest number of applications granted during that period, which climbed from just two in 2019 to 16 last year. Rugby union, cricket and rugby league were the next most prevalent sports. Telegraph Sport submitted its Freedom Of Information request after one doctor, who has worked in some of those four sports, raised concerns about potential ADHD medication misuse. Responding to the findings, the doctor– who spoke under the condition of anonymity – said: 'You'd have to question sometimes whether these diagnoses are true or whether these are diagnoses which help facilitate somebody having something, a medication, which enhances performance. 'ADHD is what I'd describe as a 'soft' diagnosis. It's a diagnosis which is in the opinion of a so-called expert. And there is no one speciality which is equipped to diagnose somebody with ADHD. 'The huge performance advantage, from a physical and from a mental point of view, of taking ADHD medication would either give your team a boost or individually raise you to a higher level that you might not have been able to reach without it. 'And whilst the majority of people who work in sport are scrupulous, there are some people who are not scrupulous – whether that be doctors, physios or agents involved in the management of players. 'If you've got a player who is struggling performance-wise and you get 10 per cent of their cut, it doesn't take a genius to go, 'Well, it could be that he has ADHD'.' Another doctor, who has worked both for Premier League football clubs and at international level, said TUEs in sport for ADHD had 'gone through the roof' and that it was 'easy' to obtain a diagnosis. In the required medical assessment for the condition, an ADHD specialist such as a psychiatrist would ask a subject about their history of symptoms, particularly if they started in childhood, as well as assessing how work and interpersonal relationships are affected, and their medical history. Yet, suggesting the condition was 'probably' being over-diagnosed when the opposite had occurred historically, the second medic added: 'The problem is, of course, that it's all relatively subjective and, therefore, it's difficult to say to someone, 'I disagree. I don't think you've got ADHD'.' John Brewer, a former Ukad board member and science and medicine expert, said: 'If I was still the science and medicine expert on the Ukad board, as a non-executive director, I would certainly be probing the executive team to try to get us some information or an explanation behind that type of increase in ADHD applications if that had been brought to the board.' He added of ADHD: 'It's a little bit like asthma. Because if you ask me to fail an exercise-induced asthma test, I could do that very easily, even though I don't have asthma. Because I know what to do and it's dead straightforward to do it. 'It doesn't take a lot, dare I say it, to work out what people are looking for when they are conducting subjective assessments, in order to get that prescription.' Suspicion falls on 'rogue doctors' Michele Verroken, a veteran in th e war on drugs in sport who ran anti-doping at UK Sport before Ukad was formed, said any investigation should look for 'rogue doctors' who may be behind multiple applications. 'Anti-doping organisations should be looking at any clusters, any population increases,' she said. 'They should be looking for potential patterns of abuse, because that helps all anti-doping organisations understand if they've got over-emphasis by certain medical people in the way that they're treating and supporting performance training, and whether they're medicalising the whole approach to what's going on.' Dr Oliver Runswick, a senior lecturer in performance psychology at King's College London, has carried out research into the impact of exercise on those with ADHD. He said being physically active was 'an incredibly good symptom-management tool' and suggested athletes actually could be 'better at managing' their symptoms than non-athletes. Dr Runswick, who has also worked in sport, said he would expect those with ADHD 'severe' enough to require a TUE to be struggling with 'day-to-day' living. He added: 'You'd have to be outlining some pretty severe symptoms, which would make it almost impossible for you to be a professional athlete.' The sharp rise of athletes in Britain using ADHD drugs is in stark contrast to the trend in the United States, another country in which diagnosis of developmental disorders in the general population has been on the increase. Data obtained from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) showed a decrease in the number of TUEs it has granted for the condition over the same period (2019-24). One sports organisation that publishes its TUE data for ADHD is Major League Baseball, a move triggered by the performance-enhancing drugs scandal that engulfed it in the early 2000s. This transparency has coincided with a major fall in the number of TUEs granted, which almost halved between 2014 and last year. A Ukad spokesperson said: 'ADHD is a debilitating disorder that can have a profound effect on the way an individual functions, regardless of whether they were diagnosed with the disorder in childhood or as an adult. 'Our primary concern is to ensure that only athletes properly diagnosed with ADHD are granted a therapeutic use exemption. Whilst there is the possibility that athletes could attempt to misuse the TUE system, we have put in place the following measures to safeguard against this risk: Our ADHD TUE policy sets out the type of clinician who we accept ADHD assessments from, and the medical evidence required to support TUE requests, which is in line with UK best-practice guidelines regarding the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. We have highly experienced psychiatrists on our TUE committee who are involved in the review of all ADHD TUE applications submitted to Ukad. The TUE committee also has the option to request a second opinion in instances whereby a diagnosis is ambiguous. 'Whilst the increases observed in the FOI data appear significant, the prevalence of athletes being treated for ADHD with stimulant medication in 2023 was 0.41 per cent of the UK national TUE pool. This is lower than the estimated prevalence of ADHD in adults, which is three to four per cent in the UK. The prevalence rate of 0.11 per cent of UK national TUE pool athletes being treated for ADHD with stimulant medication in 2021 is also lower than the 0.27 per cent of Olympians at the Tokyo Olympic Games being in receipt of a TUE for ADHD. 'Ultimately, the UK TUE prevalence data on ADHD is not out of place with national population and global athlete statistics [in a way that would] suggest that the increase in ADHD TUE approvals in recent years is down to athletes misusing the system.' Ukad also said the proportion of athletes it granted ADHD TUEs was in line with data indicating around 11 per cent of people with the disorder in England received medication for the condition.

Disposable vapes ban ‘will backfire'
Disposable vapes ban ‘will backfire'

Telegraph

timean hour ago

  • Telegraph

Disposable vapes ban ‘will backfire'

The Government's disposable vape ban could backfire and cause people to return to smoking, experts have warned. The ban comes into effect from Sunday and will make it illegal for any retailer, from corner shops to supermarkets, to sell the single-use vapes either online or in store. Shops will only be to sell reusable vapes because of concerns about the soaring number of single-use vapes being used in schools and the 'avalanche' of rubbish the devices produce. But industry leaders warned that the ban may have the 'serious unintended consequence' of losing the vape's original purpose as an aid to quit smoking. John Dunne, the director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), said: 'Vaping was invented to help adult smokers quit, and disposable products became the most successful vape products to do so because they are simple to use and most closely replicate the sensation of smoking. 'We are concerned that this ban will encourage former smokers who have already transitioned from cigarettes – which kill 220 people every day in the UK – to return to combustible tobacco or opt for unregulated vapes. 'We also have clear evidence from countries including the USA and Australia, showing that black market, counterfeit and illicit vape sales spiked when vape bans and restrictions are introduced.' Simon Clark, the director of the smokers' lobby group Forest, said the products had been popular with smokers trying to quit because they were 'as convenient and easy to use as a combustible cigarette'. 'If you want to encourage more smokers to switch to a potentially less harmful product, it's essential the device is as simple and uncomplicated as possible,' he said. 'The ban is a disproportionate response to youth vaping and environmental concerns that could and should have been addressed by other means, including education and enforcement of existing laws.' Kate Pike, the lead officer for tobacco and vaping at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said it was a 'worry' that the reusable vapes cost the same as disposables. 'It's a real worry that people will continue to use them as single-use disposable and therefore it won't help limit the damage to the environment,' she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Mr Dunne told the programme the ban was 'ill-thought out' and argued that it would have been 'more sensible' to allow vapes to have larger tank sizes to increase the price from around £5 to nearer £15. The ban is being put forward as part of environmental legislation by the Department for Environment. It is separate from the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is working its way through Parliament and will see further restrictions on the packaging, marketing and flavours of vapes, as well as a ban on anyone born from 2009 onwards being able to buy cigarettes. Figures from the charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) suggest the number of vapers in Britain who mainly use single-use devices fell from 30 per cent last year to 24 per cent in 2025, while the use of disposables by 18 to 24-year-old vapers fell from 52 per cent in 2024 to 40 per cent in 2025. Caroline Cerny, the Ash deputy chief executive, said: 'This new law is a step towards reducing vaping among children, while ensuring products are available to support people to quit smoking. It will be up to manufacturers and retailers to ensure customers are informed and able to reuse and recycle their products, securing a real change in consumer behaviour and a reduction in environmental waste.' Disposable vapes are non-refillable and unable to be recharged, and are typically thrown away with general waste in black bins or littered rather than recycled. Even when they are recycled they need to be taken apart by hand, while their batteries are a fire risk to recycling facilities and can leak harmful chemicals into the environment. Rogue traders who continue to sell them risk a fine of £200 in the first instance, followed by an unlimited fine or jail time for repeat offending. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said use among young vapers remained too high, and that the ban would 'put an end to their alarming rise in school playgrounds and the avalanche of rubbish flooding the nation's streets'. Mary Creagh, the circular economy minister, said: 'For too long, single-use vapes have blighted our streets as litter and hooked our children on nicotine. That ends today. The Government calls time on these nasty devices.' James Lowman, the chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, said: 'We have been working with retailers, the Government and Trading Standards for months on providing detailed guidance that sets out how to spot non-compliant vapes after the ban comes into force, as well as advising retailers on what they need to do with any stock of disposables left over on June 1. 'We strongly support robust enforcement activity, starting with the businesses that are already openly flouting the rules by selling illicit product and who will continue to sell disposable vapes once they're outlawed. 'It is essential that Trading Standards teams are given the resources they need to get illegal vapes and other products off the streets, as these rogue businesses undermine the work of responsible retailers across the country.' Campaigners have also warned that the waste crisis driven by disposable vapes could continue after a ban comes into force as cheap new models flood the market. Green campaigners say vape producers have been developing new styles that are cheap but meet reusable criteria, meaning they essentially circumvent the ban. Scott Butler, executive director of Material Focus, said: 'Without quick and extensive action, the threat of a 'vapocalypse' remains, and new big puff and pod vape models are already contributing to an environmental nightmare.' He added that vape company design teams have been 'working their socks off to get new legal models on to the market', while the regulatory work was being carried out. 'To most users of these vapes, and shopkeepers even, they may not notice any difference in the old disposable vapes versus the new re-useable ones,' he said.

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