Sweden has introduced a new law allowing grandparents to take paid parental leave. Under the law, a parent couple will be able to transfer up to 45 days of their leave to a grandparent. Single parents will be able to transfer 90 days. Sweden has a long history of pioneering family policies, famously offering 480 days of leave for both parents together. The country was the first to introduce paid parental leave for fathers in 1974.
In the Gambia, politicians have voted to uphold a ban on female genital mutilation (FGM). Introduced in 2015, the ban was opposed by some Muslim clerics. In 2021, hardliners attempted to repeal the law. The supreme court upheld the ban following intense opposition from charities. Many people have been campaigning to end FGM in Gambia, the ninth-worst affected country for the practice, for nearly a decade.
Researchers from the UK and US have discovered that pancreatic cancer can “significantly shut down” a tumour-suppressing gene, which could lead to a cure for one of the deadliest forms of cancer. Pancreatic cancer kills almost 10,000 people each year in the UK alone, with fewer than 7% of people diagnosed living beyond five years. Lead researcher Dr Maria Hatziapostolou noted the new discovery could help pave the way for new therapeutics to help fight the disease.
Following a British trial, home testing kits that detect human papillomavirus (HPV) have been hailed a “gamechanger” for cervical screening. Approximately 30,000 overdue women were sent DIY tests to check for the virus, which leads to cervical cancer. King’s College London, who led the project, said nationwide testing could enable over one million at-risk women to take part in cervical screening over three years. Self-sampling has already been introduced in several countries, including Denmark, Australia and The Netherlands
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