Children being ‘sedated’ by algorithmic YouTube content, MPs hear

Lots of children’s programming made for YouTube is “not entertainment, it’s sedation”, the UK children’s laureate has warned.Frank Cottrell-Boyce said “frictionless” programming in which children are “bombarded with information”, such as CoCoMelon, a YouTube Kids channel with 180 million subscribers, failed to offer the “stimulation and nourishment” that previous generations had enjoyed.Speaking to MPs in the opening evidence session of the culture, media and sport committee’s inquiry into children’s TV and video content, Cottrell-Boyce said research showed that for young children, “repetition is good because you’re building familiarity, and slowness is good because you’re making life navigable”.“I feel very privileged to have grown up in an era when lots of children’s television had those qualities,” he said.The fragmented media landscape meant that children today missed out on the sense of “national unity and national identity” that came with watching the same shows, he said

David Lammy says 91 prisoners freed in error in England and Wales since April

The justice secretary has revealed that 91 prisoners have been released by mistake in England and Wales since April, of whom as many four remain at large.David Lammy gave details in a Commons statement of three mistakenly released prisoners the police are trying to trace. He said the Prison Service was also investigating a fourth inmate released in error last Monday who may still be at large.The shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick, mocked Lammy for not knowing how many remain at large. “The justice secretary is so clueless, he’s literally lost track of how many prisoners he’s lost,” he told MPs

NHS trust fined £565,000 after woman killed herself on ‘death trap’ ward

A woman whose daughter killed herself on a “death trap” mental health ward in London has called for urgent change after an NHS trust was fined more than half a million pounds.Alice Figueiredo, 22, took her own life at Goodmayes hospital, Redbridge, after 18 similar attempts.Her death on 7 July 2015 followed a failure to remove plastic items from the communal toilets on Hepworth ward that had been used by her to self-harm, a court was told.On Tuesday, North East London NHS foundation trust (NELFT) was fined £565,000 plus £200,000 in costs after being found guilty of breaching health and safety.In setting the amount, Judge Richard Marks KC noted its finances were in an “absolutely parlous state” and a large fine could affect its services

UK 18- to 24-year-olds: we would like to hear your experiences of trying to find a job

Almost a million young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training (Neet).This week, the government announced the launch of an independent investigation into the issue, which Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden has called a “crisis of opportunity”.He added: “We cannot afford to lose a generation of young people to a life on benefits, with no work prospects and not enough hope.”We would like to hear from 18- to 24-year-olds in the UK about their experiences of trying to find a job. How have you found it? Did you get a job? Or are you still looking for one? What would you like to see changed to help with finding employment? Tell us

Paperwork blunder by UK bookmaker reveals possible illegal offshore operation

The Gambling Commission has demanded a UK bookmaker hand over a trove of financial documents after the company accidentally disclosed information suggesting it may be running an illegal offshore betting operation.The Guardian understands that the company, which sponsors sporting events and boasts connections to high-profile figures in sport and politics, is the subject of early inquiries that could lead to a full-blown investigation.Sources said the company, which takes billions of pounds of bets from British punters every year, inadvertently alerted the Gambling Commission to potential wrongdoing during a routine disclosure of documents required by the regulator.The company mistakenly included documents indicating it had been transacting with entities based overseas, sources said. Details were written in white text on a white background but were spotted by staff at the regulator

Crime gangs in UK making weight-loss drugs with ‘sophisticated’ fake branding

Organised crime gangs have begun manufacturing their own branded weight-loss drugs, designed to look like legitimate medicines, in what authorities warn is a significant threat.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the trend had only just emerged, leading them to conduct the largest single seizure of trafficked weight-loss drugs ever recorded by any global law enforcement agency.Andy Morling, the head of the MHRA’s criminal enforcement unit, said that in the last few months it had seen a new model of production, “where criminals are putting investment into designing their own packaging and branding … and selling it purporting to be a genuine product”.He added: “That is an unusual model. [What they seized] looked like genuine medicines, but are entirely unlicensed and illegal to sell in the UK