Trust

Report uncovers biggest childbirth scandal in NHS history in which 520 mothers and babies suffered ‘potentially avoidable’ harm or diedHorrific failings led to 520 mothers and babies in Nottingham suffering harm or dying, sparking calls for a public inquiry into maternity care across England.In all, 444 women and 76 newborn babies suffered “potentially avoidable” outcomes, a damning three-year long review of the biggest childbirth scandal in NHS history concluded.A “bullying and toxic culture” persisted at NUH over many years and impeded moves to improve care.Maternity service managers and the trust’s senior leaders were repeatedly warned about a host of serious problems in the maternity units at both hospitals but did not take effective action.Maternity staff displayed “a culture of not admitting women who were seeking admission in labour”, despite the risks this posed to them and their babies.Both maternity units were consistently seriously short-staffed and could not cope with the number of births and complexity of cases they had to handle.One baby girl who died early in gestation was “inadvertently disposed of as clinical waste by laboratory staff after her postmortem examination”, compounding her parents’ distress. Continue reading...

Donna Ockenden inquiry finds ‘bullying’ culture and ‘cruel’, dismissive attitude to women contributed to avoidable deathsOckenden report: latest updates – liveMaternity care scandal review: what are the key findings?More than 500 mothers and babies came to harm or died as a result of inadequate care in Nottingham, an inquiry into the NHS’s biggest ever maternity scandal has revealed.A total of 444 women and 76 newborn babies suffered “potentially avoidable” outcomes because they received substandard treatment over 13 years from Nottingham University hospitals NHS trust (NUH), a damning report led by the childbirth expert Donna Ockenden has found.A “bullying and toxic culture” persisted at NUH over many years and impeded moves to improve care.Maternity service managers and the trust’s senior leaders were repeatedly warned about a host of serious problems in the maternity units at both hospitals but did not take effective action.Maternity staff displayed “a culture of not admitting women who were seeking admission in labour”, despite the risks this posed to them and their babies.Both maternity units were consistently seriously short-staffed and could not cope with the number of births and complexity of cases they had to handle.One baby girl who died early in gestation was “inadvertently disposed of as clinical waste by laboratory staff after her postmortem examination”, compounding her parents’ distress. Continue reading...

• Qatar has established itself as a premier global mediator, leveraging diplomacy rather than military power to facilitate peace agreements across various conflict zones. • The nation has successfully brokered deals in multiple countries, including Libya, Syria, Somalia, Chad, Djibouti, and Eritrea, while managing critical prisoner exchanges and humanitarian evacuations. • This strategic shift in foreign policy has transformed Qatar from an obscure Gulf state into a recognized international peacemaker, integrating its geoeconomics with its geopolitical goals.

• Living Security has launched its 2026 Cybersecurity Awareness Month program, providing organizations with a turnkey solution for October security campaigns. • The program offers expert-led learning, interactive experiences, and ready-to-use resources to help companies avoid months of manual content development. • This initiative is specifically designed for highly regulated sectors, such as healthcare and financial services, to reinforce positive security behaviors and navigate trust in an AI-driven environment.

• Global trust in news has reached its lowest point since the Reuters Institute began its annual research in 2015. • Online news video has become a mainstream medium, with 77% of people globally consuming it on a weekly basis. • Digital video now surpasses broadcast TV news in popularity across almost every market, with the exceptions of Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands.

• G-7 leaders are currently discussing a framework to grant "trusted partners" access to cutting-edge artificial intelligence models developed in the United States. • The initiative aims to create a strategic pathway that could bypass existing restrictions on the use of advanced AI by non-American entities. • This move matters as it seeks to balance national security concerns with the need for international collaboration on AI governance and technological growth.

• A new report highlights AI industry trends for 2026, indicating widespread adoption of AI content. • Despite its ubiquity, trust in AI-generated content remains a significant issue, with accuracy and review habits under scrutiny. • The report aims to provide insights for teams currently working with AI, helping them navigate the challenges of AI content creation.

• A phase II trial published in Nature Medicine found that combining the drug apitegromab with tirzepatide (Zepbound) effectively preserves lean muscle mass, potentially mitigating the muscle loss known as "Ozempic butt." • Massachusetts General Hospital has established a novel vascular clinic specifically designed to provide critical care to homeless individuals to prevent amputations caused by peripheral artery disease. • KFF Health News is exploring the role of overlooked social connections as a potential preventative measure against suicide.

• FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty has warned that AI tools are being used to mine public FCC filings to identify and target critical communications infrastructure. • Between June 2024 and June 2025, nearly 16,000 incidents of theft and vandalism occurred, disrupting service for approximately 10 million U.S. customers. • The threat is accelerating, with 9,770 incidents reported in the first half of 2025 alone, nearly double the number of attacks from the previous six months.

Investigation reveals more than 4.4 million people live in ‘news deserts’ that lack dedicated local reportingLocal social media groups are fuelling misinformation in areas with no reliable sources of news, according to an investigation that reveals the scale of fake news flowing to vulnerable communities across Britain.Misinformation was nearly three times more common in areas with little or no recognised local journalism, according to a study of tens of thousands of posts seen by the Guardian. Immigration and Islamophobia were the most common topics of misinformation across Facebook and X. Continue reading...

• Author Anik Bhaduri argues that current antitrust efforts against Big Tech are insufficient because they ignore the role of corporate governance and securities regulation in enabling economic concentration. • The piece asserts that meaningful constraints on tech giants require complementary reforms to address the financial foundations that sustain their market power. • This perspective highlights a critical regulatory "blind spot," suggesting that antitrust laws alone cannot dismantle the systemic influence of Big Tech without financial market oversight.

Without disclosing that work has been generated using the technology, faith in existing industries will continue to be undermined Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcasWhen a university vice-chancellor this week admitted to using AI in writing an opinion piece for a major Australian masthead, but did not disclose that use prior to publication, it highlighted the growing gap between people’s use of AI and trust in the technology.Data from Roy Morgan this week showed 13.6m or 58% of the population older than 14 now use AI each month, with ChatGPT being the most popular, followed by Google’s Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. Continue reading...

• Southeast Asian banks are eager to adopt AI, but Leo Li of Ant Digital Technologies emphasizes that adoption depends on trust built through tangible outcomes rather than marketing slogans. • To establish this trust, regulators are taking proactive steps, such as Bank Negara Malaysia publishing a 2025 discussion paper to gather feedback on AI's regulatory and developmental approach. • Similarly, the Monetary Authority of Singapore has implemented the FEAT principles, which mandate fairness, ethics, accountability, and transparency in AI and data analytics.

• Indian smartphone brand Ai+ issued a public statement asserting that "trust must be earned every single day" following a controversial tech investigation. • The company claimed it is "learning and evolving" and has implemented improvements, though it failed to directly address allegations regarding rebranded hardware and Chinese-linked apps. • The response comes amid growing scrutiny over the brand's manufacturing claims, privacy practices, and reports that it sent legal notices to content creators.

Letting nature take over at a former dairy farm has resulted in a surge of species in just three yearsThree years of rewilding on a former dairy farm in east Somerset have seen recorded bird species soar from 67 to 94, butterfly species rise from 11 to 24 and small mammals grow in number.Heal Somerset, the first site acquired by the charity Heal Rewilding, has produced a state of nature report mirroring a national survey by environmental charities that has tracked the decline in nature. Continue reading...

• Community Financial System said it completed its acquisition of ClearPoint Federal Bank & Trust, a deal it valued at about $39 million and announced through a Business Wire release carried by Morningstar. • The transaction expands Community Financial’s trust and wealth-management footprint, with the acquired business focused on federal banking and trust services. • The deal adds scale to a regional U.S. bank at a time when lenders are still using M&A to deepen fee income and broaden their customer base.

Republicans increasingly avoid doctors and vaccines, widening health gaps with Democrats, researchers sayGrowing Republican mistrust in the healthcare system has widened health disparities between liberals and conservatives, who are more likely to avoid vaccines and the medical system in general, according to a new study.Neil O’Brian, a political science professor at the University of Carolina, Chapel Hill and one of the authors of the study published in Nature Human Behaviour, said that his team saw two phases to the phenomenon. Continue reading...

Nottingham university hospitals trust says 11 members of staff dismissed and 14 others given written warningsAn NHS trust has sacked 11 staff members who illegally accessed the medical records of the victims of the Nottingham attacks.Valdo Calocane killed two 19-year-old students, Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and Ian Coates, a 65-year-old caretaker, before attempting to kill three other people in the city in June 2023. Continue reading...

• Federal statisticians have expressed concerns that Trump administration actions targeting statistics agencies could permanently damage public trust in official government data. • The concern follows the president's recent firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer and other moves viewed as politicizing economic and social data collection. • Experts warn that undermining statistical agencies threatens the integrity of economic indicators, unemployment figures, and census data that shape policy decisions and business planning.

• Camden Property Trust surpassed analyst expectations for Q1 2026 EPS and revenue, as detailed in its May 10 earnings call transcript. • Despite the strong financial results, the company's stock price declined following the announcement, mirroring broader REIT market pressures. • The outperformance highlights resilient demand in the multifamily housing sector amid economic uncertainties.

Food and Drug Administration commissioner’s decisions have hurt staff morale and put his job in crosshairsDonald Trump has signed off on a plan to fire Marty Makary, the commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, after a series of high-profile agency decisions put the FDA head in the crosshairs of the White House and Republican lawmakers.Makary’s tenure at the FDA has been marked by several controversial decisions on drugs and vaccines amid plummeting staff morale over layoffs and the appointments of divisive officials. Recent political clashes include abortion, drugs and vaping, but decisions to pull back publications on the safety of shingles and Covid vaccines, among other immunization decisions, have also rocked public health. There have also been concerns about the transition from two clinical trials to one, the commissioner’s new priority review vouchers and “data-free” regulatory decisions. Continue reading...

• A May 5, 2026, report from Express Press Release details how cybersecurity has shifted to a core business priority in expanding digital ecosystems across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia amid rising AI-powered threats. • Key trends include zero trust architectures reducing breach risks by 40% in Thai banks and AI-driven attacks increasing incident frequency by 25% in Vietnamese firms, per regional data. • This development matters as ASEAN businesses face sophisticated threat actors, with experts quoting 'cyber resilience now defines competitive survival' in the face of geopolitically motivated hacks.

• AI agents are emerging as tools to help social enterprises scale operations efficiently with leaner teams, addressing resource constraints in the social impact sector. • Without proper boundaries, AI agent deployment risks eroding trust, compromising data safety, and diminishing human connection—critical elements for social enterprises. • The development highlights the need for responsible AI implementation frameworks that balance automation benefits with ethical considerations and user trust in mission-driven organizations.

• The Trump administration unveiled a new slate of nominees to lead several federal boards and trust funds, including one that will oversee a major cultural award ceremony this year, according to announcements from the White House. • The selections include close political allies and conservative commentators, reinforcing Trump’s pattern of placing loyalists in oversight roles that manage grants, endowments, and public‑facing institutions. • Democrats and some good‑government watchdogs have raised concerns that the appointments could inject partisan criteria into traditionally nonpartisan programs.

Journalists face rising threats while media ownership is concentrated in fewer hands, leading civil liberties group warnsJournalists in the EU face increasing levels of harassment, threats and violence, while news outlets are owned by a shrinking number of proprietors and public trust in the media has plummeted, a report has found.The Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) said the findings of its fifth annual media freedom report, released on Tuesday, should place EU officials “on high alert”, with media freedom and pluralism “under sustained attack” across mainland Europe. Continue reading...

• The First Trust NASDAQ Cybersecurity ETF (CIBR) experienced a pullback in recent trading sessions amid market volatility. • Investors assess buy-the-dip opportunities as the ETF tracks key US cybersecurity firms. • RAD Intel, a holding, scaled from $10 million to over $220 million valuation since acquiring its AI engine in 2021, achieving 5,400% growth.

Seven-day-old Poppy Hope Lomas died after complications during home birth encouraged by midwives at Barnet hospitalA mother who lost her baby a week after an “unsafe” home birth that went against medical advice was failed by the NHS, an inquest has found.Poppy Hope Lomas was seven days old when she died at University College hospital in London on 26 October 2022 after complications during a home birth that, according to her mother, was encouraged by midwives at Barnet hospital. Continue reading...

• US-Iran ceasefire talks collapsed in Pakistan, raising doubts over Army Chief Asim Munir's role as mediator despite Trump's prior praise. • Concerns in US national security circles focus on Munir's alleged IRGC ties, questioning his neutrality. • Tehran refuses further Islamabad-hosted talks, pressuring Pakistan's diplomatic standing.