Society

The rise of period pants: are they the answer to menstrual landfill – and women’s prayers?

Previously a niche, expensive product, period knickers are now readily available on the UK high street. Women explain why they are turning their backs on single-use pads and tampons

Sirin Kale

01, Sep, 2021 @9:00 AM

Huge discrepancy in NHS England waiting times for common procedures

‘Stark and huge’ regional disparities mean some patients wait months for surgery while others have almost no backlog

Denis Campbell Health policy editor

01, Sep, 2021 @5:00 AM

Black surgeons ‘promoted far less than white colleagues in England’

Analysis of NHS careers raises fears that treatment will suffer unless ‘old boys’ networks’ are dismantled

Robert Booth

31, Aug, 2021 @11:01 PM

Campaigners urge ministers to introduce vouchers for reusable nappies

Nappy Alliance says scheme would encourage people to switch away from polluting single-use nappies

Zoe Wood

31, Aug, 2021 @6:23 PM

Australian health authorities warn against mixing Covid vaccine types

Concerns raised that some people may be cancelling their second AstraZeneca dose hoping to obtain a shot of Pfizer instead

Melissa Davey Medical editor

31, Aug, 2021 @5:30 PM

Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ contaminate indoor air at worrying levels, study finds

Food and water were thought to be the main ways humans are exposed to PFAS, but study points to risk of breathing them in

Tom Perkins

31, Aug, 2021 @11:27 AM

What did my father’s funeral teach me? Shared mourning is absurd - but essential | Zoe Williams

Probably the most important relaxation of the Covid rules is the chance to properly celebrate a loved one’s life and all its contradictions, says Guardian columnist Zoe Williams

Zoe Williams

31, Aug, 2021 @6:00 AM

Huge decrease in organ transplants as Covid took hold across world

UK and international studies show the impact Covid-19 has had on health services and patients

Nicola Davis

30, Aug, 2021 @10:30 PM

Australia’s vaccine certificate system can’t recognise people with mixed Covid jabs as fully vaccinated

Flaw in Australian Immunisation Register means only someone who has received the same type of vaccine for both doses is issued a digital certificate

Christopher Knaus

30, Aug, 2021 @5:40 PM

Nationals MPs warn regional Covid vaccination rates must keep up with metro areas

The Doherty Institute modelling calls for vaccination targets at a ‘small area level’, while national plan aims only at wider state and territory targets

Paul Karp

30, Aug, 2021 @5:30 PM

Data shows Covid recorded in more than 1,700 Australian children aged under five

As cases of Covid in young children continue to climb, the childcare sector in NSW is preparing for a vaccine mandate for childcare workers

Sarah Martin Chief political correspondent