This ‘old lady hand’ is giving ageism the finger | Brief letters

I can’t believe that in 2026 an article assumes that women need to hide their age (From fat transplants to LED mittens: how the fear of ‘old lady hands’ mobilised the beauty industry, 9 April). I’m an old lady; I have old lady hands. I didn’t know it was an insult.Ruth ValentineLondon OK, so the demise of Rose’s Lime Marmalade is a blow (Rose’s Lime Marmalade? Gone. Dark chocolate Bounty? No more

Peers vote to ban pornography depicting sex acts between stepfamily members

The government has agreed to ban the production of pornography depicting sex acts between stepfamily members following a vote in the House of Lords.The government tabled an amendment calling for step-incest to be included in a ban on harmful content, with the support of the Conservative peer Gabby Bertin, who led a review into pornography regulation that was published last year.The ban is one of several that have been proposed by the government, including last year’s criminalisation of material depicting women being choked.Some ministers had opposed the amendment and suggested the new ban would have been difficult to implement because, under the law in England and Wales, it is not illegal for adults who are step-related to engage in a sexual relationship.Speaking after the ban was agreed on Friday, Lady Bertin said: “I greatly welcome the government’s plans to fully address harmful pornographic content, such as incest, step-incest and the mimicking of child sexual abuse

Sue Wright obituary

My sister, Sue Wright, who has died aged 57, devoted her life to raising awareness about fostering and adoption as well as practising as a child protection barrister and becoming a successful businesswoman.Our upbringing was unhappy and Sue went into foster care aged 16, but the placement did not work out; by the age of 17 she was living in a Salvation Army-run establishment with a 17-year-old flatmate, living on a £40 a week allowance. From 1982 to 1984 she found part-time work cooking and cleaning in a nursing home in Southport. It was owned by a Mrs Smythe, who welcomed her in, saying: “There’s always more room at the table.”This became Sue’s own mantra and the title of the speech she delivered to conferences and corporate audiences to raise awareness of the need for more foster carers and adoptive parents

Four in 10 UK parents struggle to afford essentials for newborns, study says

Four in 10 parents across the UK are struggling to afford essential items for the care of their newborn babies, according to research.The survey of 2,000 parents with children aged under five by the charity Barnardo’s found that almost half (49%) felt their child had missed out on opportunities to learn or play because of the cost of living.Meanwhile, 44% said financial pressures had affected their child’s development, including speech, socialising and physical play. More than half (54%) said they wished they had been able to provide more essential items for their newborn.In Scotland, all parents are eligible for a box of baby essentials that includes clothes, books, a changing mat and a bath towel

Alarm in health service over Palantir staff being given NHS email accounts

Health service staff have expressed alarm that engineers working for controversial tech company Palantir have been given NHS email accounts.Employees using NHS.net email accounts have access to a directory with the contact details of up 1.5 million staff. Sources believe Palantir staff were granted the same access

Scientists develop AI tool to spot heart failure risk five years before it strikes

Oxford scientists have developed a simple AI tool that can predict the risk of heart failure five years before it develops.More than 60 million people worldwide have the condition in which the heart cannot pump blood around the body as well as it should. Spotting cases before they develop into heart failure would be a big step forward, experts say. Doctors could prepare better for and manage the condition at an earlier stage or even prevent it entirely.The AI tool, developed by a team at the University of Oxford, looks for signs in fat around the heart that indicate whether it is inflamed and unhealthy