Prevent

• The city of El Obeid in North Kordofan, Sudan, faces an imminent ground offensive by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allies after 18 months of siege-like conditions. • Credible reports indicate a high risk of atrocity crimes and widespread human rights violations as the conflict intensifies in the region. • This escalation underscores the urgent need for international intervention to prevent mass atrocities and ensure accountability for perpetrators.

• The UN's top humanitarian official has allocated $8 million to assist Burundi and South Sudan in preparing for the potential spread of Ebola. • Despite increased laboratory capacity from the WHO and Africa CDC, the UN is urging donors to provide more funding to sustain life-saving humanitarian assistance. • UNICEF issued a statement of condolence after an explosive device in the village of Raybi, Yemen, killed five children and injured seven others.

• S Krishnan, Secretary of MeitY, urged the United States to ensure reliable and continuous access to AI technology to prevent abrupt cutoffs that could jeopardize critical Indian projects and digital infrastructure. • During the Pax Silica Summit, Krishnan emphasized the need for both nations to build diversified and resilient supply chains across the entire AI stack, including semiconductors and data center infrastructure. • The collaboration aims to address essential requirements such as energy availability, the development of AI models, and data usage mechanisms to ensure technology benefits society at large.

Poolbeg Pharma to test the treatment in NHS hospitals and says it is also developing a GLP-1 weight loss pillA London-based startup is about to trial a drug at six NHS hospitals that could stop people on cancer immunotherapy getting a life-threatening side-effect.Poolbeg Pharma said its oral drug POLB 001 could make treatment for blood cancer safer by preventing cytokine release syndrome (CRS), when the immune system goes into overdrive and attacks the body, leading to organ damage. Continue reading...

• The U.S. FDA has approved ensitrelvir (Xocova), an oral antiviral developed by Shionogi, for the post-exposure prevention of COVID-19. • The medication is authorized for use in individuals aged 12 years and older who have been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. • This approval is significant as Xocova becomes the first and only oral medication specifically authorized to reduce the risk of infection after a known exposure.

• The FDA has approved Shionogi’s Xocova (ensitrelvir) as the first oral therapy designed to prevent Covid-19 after a person has been exposed to the virus. • The approval follows the Scorpio-Pep trial involving 2,387 participants aged 12 and older who were asymptomatic but had been exposed to a symptomatic household member. • The drug works by inhibiting viral replication, offering a critical new preventative tool for those who initiate treatment within 72 hours of their contact's symptom onset.

• The FDA has approved ensitrelvir, an oral antiviral medication specifically designed to prevent COVID-19 after a person has been exposed to the virus. • Approval follows the phase III SCORPIO-PEP trial, which demonstrated that the drug reduced the risk of developing COVID-19 by more than half for individuals who were household contacts of an infected person. • This marks a significant shift in prevention strategy, though the medication is currently not approved for treating active COVID-19 infections within the U.S.

• The FDA has approved XOCOVA (ensitrelvir), developed by Shionogi Inc., as a new treatment option for COVID-19. • XOCOVA is distinguished as the first and only oral medication specifically approved to help prevent the onset of COVID-19 following exposure to the virus. • This approval expands the available pharmaceutical toolkit for infectious disease management, offering a preventative oral alternative to existing treatments.

Patients with knee arthritis who took medications for at least three years at reduced risk of needing surgeryTaking weight-loss drugs for at least three years could prevent thousands of knee replacements a year, research suggests.Globally, more than 500 million people have osteoarthritis. Knee arthritis is the most common form, affecting about 14 million people in the US and more than 5 million in the UK. Many will require knee surgery. In the UK more than 120,000 knee replacements are carried out every year. Continue reading...

Ravi Naik says legal ruling that forced Sarah Wynn-Williams to make silent appearance at Hay festival also applies to himThe lawyer representing the Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams has said he too has been prevented from promoting her memoir under a legal ruling, after her silent appearance at the Hay festival.Ravi Naik said the terms of an arbitration proceeding meant neither Wynn-Williams nor her “agents” could promote her bestselling book Careless People or say anything disparaging about the company. Continue reading...

US Preventive Services Task Force had already been largely sidelined before health secretary fired its two chairsThe Trump administration has fired the two leaders of an influential health group that determines when insurance must provide free preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies, for millions of Americans.In letters dated 11 May, the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, notified the two doctors who chaired the US Preventive Services Task Force that he was terminating their appointments immediately, before the end of their multiyear terms. Continue reading...

Half of the teens who have been blocked say they are seeing less news than before – but they are not necessarily going back to traditional sourcesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s social media ban is preventing teens from accessing news, a new study has found, with half of the teens who have been blocked saying they’re seeing less news than before.Two-thirds of under-16s have remained on social media platforms since the ban came into effect in December. But for those who were kicked off, the change has meant seeing less news than before the ban. Continue reading...

Trump administration accused of cutting military’s civilian harm program in light of US strike on girls school in IranThe Pentagon has quietly dismantled a program it is legally required to operate to prevent and respond to civilian deaths in US military operations, according to its internal watchdog.A report released by the department’s inspector general concluded the US military no longer has the people, tools or infrastructure needed to comply with two federal statutes requiring it to maintain a functioning civilian casualty policy, and operate a Civilian Protection Center of Excellence (CP CoE). Continue reading...

• The US Supreme Court voted 6-3 to uphold the authority of the Preventive Services Task Force to recommend which healthcare services must be covered with no cost-sharing under the Affordable Care Act. • The ruling affirms that the independent medical body retains power to determine preventive care coverage standards for millions of Americans with ACA insurance plans. • The decision impacts ongoing healthcare policy debates as seventy-five national medical organizations simultaneously urged the Senate to adopt Medicare physician payment provisions in the budget reconciliation package.

• Evardi Energy, co-founded by UC Berkeley economics and cognitive science student Diva Bhartesh Shah, launched an AI platform to predict electricity demand surges and prevent blackouts. • The system uses machine learning to forecast peak loads up to 48 hours in advance, enabling grid operators to adjust supply dynamically and reduce outage risks by 70%. • This innovation addresses vulnerabilities in aging power infrastructure, potentially saving utilities $billions annually in downtime costs amid rising climate-driven demand.

Contradictory policies that gut harm reduction programs while supporting naloxone access are confusing expertsWithin just a few weeks, the Trump administration has proposed multiple contradictory policies related to overdose prevention – some that could help save lives and others that experts say could further strain health resources and put people at risk for overdose.These policies include a new prohibition on funding for fentanyl test strips, which help people avoid overdoses; proposed budget cuts that would gut the country’s overdose prevention efforts; and an ambitious drug control strategy that will be impossible to implement if the aforementioned cuts go through. Continue reading...

• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to uphold the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s authority to recommend no-cost preventive services under the Affordable Care Act. • The decision overturned a district judge’s injunction that had blocked the administration from enforcing grant flow restorations related to the task force. • The ruling preserves mandates for insurers to cover recommended screenings and vaccines without patient cost-sharing, impacting millions of Americans.

• A Northwestern University study tracked 130,267 babies born in Georgia in 2017, finding 796 fathers died within five years through 2022, with 60% of deaths preventable. • Preventable causes included homicide (143 deaths), accidental injury (142), suicide (102), and overdose (93), compared to 296 natural cause deaths, disproportionately affecting men in their 20s to early 40s. • Researchers highlight paternal mortality as a neglected crisis tied to parenthood transition, calling it a 'huge, missed opportunity' for intervention.

Man, 45, who has been arrested on suspicion of murder after London stabbings, was known to anti-radicalisation schemeGolders Green attack – latest updatesThe suspect in the Golders Green double stabbing was referred to Prevent, the official counter-extremism scheme, in 2020.The Guardian understands his case was closed within six weeks by the deradicalisation scheme, which has faced previous criticism. Continue reading...

Charity says starting specialised care after first miscarriage instead of third reduces risk of future lossesGiving women access to specialised care after their first miscarriage could prevent about 10,000 pregnancy losses a year across the UK, according to a study.Currently, women in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are eligible for specialist care on the NHS for early baby losses after they have had a minimum of three miscarriages. Continue reading...

• A new suicide prevention strategy shifts focus from crisis intervention to upstream policies designed to give people reasons to live and address root causes of suicide risk. • The approach has demonstrated effectiveness in helping individuals in acute distress, including a farmer profiled by CBS News who benefited from this comprehensive intervention model. • This prevention philosophy represents an evolving understanding of mental health intervention that emphasizes long-term resilience and life satisfaction over immediate crisis management.

Kremlin-controlled paramilitaries also alleged it inflicted ‘irreplaceable losses’ on insurgents avoiding civilian casualtiesRussia’s defence ministry has claimed its Africa Corps – the successor to the former Wagner mercenary group – had prevented a coup in Mali over the weekend, avoiding mass civilian casualties and inflicting “irreplaceable losses” on rebel insurgents.It said in a statement that its troops in the desert town of Kidal near the Algerian border had fought for more than 24 hours while completely surrounded and vastly outnumbered. It also alleged without providing evidence, that the militants had been trained by European mercenary instructors including Ukrainians. The casualty toll was not specified. Continue reading...

• Operant AI launched CodeInjectionGuard on April 22, 2026, a tool that blocks malicious code execution by AI agents at runtime. • The guard defends against code injection attacks, preventing supply chain compromises in autonomous AI systems. • It secures AI agents used in critical operations, addressing rising cybersecurity risks in AI deployments.

Senior manager at supermarket giant gives evidence on day two of case brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer CommissionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA senior Woolworths executive has defended relaxing rules designed to protect shoppers from misleading discounts by preventing the supermarket or suppliers from “gaming” the “Prices Dropped” promotional program.Woolworths’ chief commercial officer, Paul Harker, gave evidence on the second day of a landmark trial between the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and Woolworths in the federal court on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Resolution needed two more votes to pass, but Democrats now appear solidified in oppositionSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US House of Representatives on Thursday narrowly rejected a war powers resolution that would have prevented further military action against Iran, as Democrats united against continued US involvement in the conflict amid peace talks that have yet to make a breakthrough.The resolution introduced by Greg Meeks, the top Democrat on the House foreign affairs committee, failed by a vote of 213-214, with one Republican member voting present. It required at least two more votes to pass, as tied votes fail in the House. Continue reading...

No-fault evictions made up one in three reports made to renters’ union Acorn in JanuaryIncreasing numbers of landlords are evicting tenants at the last minute before the law changes to outlaw the practice in next month, charities have said.The renters’ union Acorn told the Guardian that no-fault evictions made up one in five of the reports they received from members in October, rising to nearly one in three by January. Continue reading...

Funeral director Robert Bush had previously admitted to dozens of counts of fraud at hearing in OctoberA funeral director has admitted preventing a lawful burial after 30 bodies and a quantity of ashes were found at a funeral home in Hull in 2024.Robert Bush had previously admitted to dozens of counts of fraud at a hearing in October, after police raided the premises of Legacy funeral home on Hessle Road over concern for care of the dead. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Laurence Taylor says separate scheme needed to report concerns over young people’s non-ideological interest in extreme violenceThe scheme meant to identify people before they become terrorists is being “overwhelmed” by a large surge in referrals, Britain’s head of counterterrorism has said.Assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor told the Guardian that more than 10,000 people would be referred to Prevent this year, up more than a third from two years ago. Continue reading...